Orc Defense (1)
I really didn't want to do anything.
There were already people climbing the Tower and hunting monsters, driven by a sense of duty or just straight-up cash. I didn't have to lift a finger.
Or maybe there were other reasons. In a way, the Tower had opened up a completely fair shot at becoming the new ruling class.
But.
“Free Earth? What the hell is this? When did this get installed?”
An unknown app had appeared on my phone even though I never asked for it.
“There's no… delete button?”
It wouldn't go away. Even after a factory reset. Even after I switched phones. It just sat there on my home screen like it owned the place.
“Mom, do you see this?”
“See what?”
“This. Free Earth. The app right here.”
“What kind of prank are you trying to pull now?”
“Ah.”
Not only could no one else see it on my screen, even the app store didn't recognize it. And this happened at exactly this timing?
Yeah. Just ignore it.
That was the same as saying don't touch this with a ten-foot pole.
Free Earth? Free the Earth? Yeah, sure. That's a job for the Hunter uncles. They're the premium manpower worth a hundred million won per floor. They'll handle it. I'm not doing it.
But.
This crazy app was persistent as hell.
“What the—why is it still here?”
As if it knew I'd decided to ignore it, it stayed front and center on my home screen. And when that didn't work, it started disguising itself as other apps without hesitation.
“Look, I'm just a normal guy, okay? I seriously, genuinely have zero intention of doing anything. So could you please go bother someone else?”
“Son, what are you doing?”
“…”
I'd even gotten to the point of nearly bowing to my phone and begging. From what I could tell, the second I tapped that [Challenge] button, there was a one hundred percent chance I'd get dragged somewhere very bad.
How was I so sure? Ever since the Towers rose and monsters and Hunters became real, it was only natural for shady apps to start swallowing people whole, right?
But.
No matter what I did, nothing changed.
Free Earth — Just play and earn points for free! Protect Earth with your own eyes!
“You son of a bitch…”
Whether I cursed at it or not, the app kept spamming me with come on, come on!
In the end.
Stage 1. Swarming Orcs
📍 Scenario: You open your eyes in an unfamiliar village with no memory. The villagers saved you while you were unconscious. Repay their kindness by holding back the endless waves of orcs.
🎁 Preparation Time: 120 hours
📌 Tip: Jax, the village's sole guard captain and only guard, is a veteran skilled with every weapon.
🏆 Reward: Mana Stone (C) x10
Use Mana Stones to obtain special abilities!
Will you accept the challenge?
[Y/N]
“Fine, you win. I'll do it, you bastard.”
I finally surrendered to the app. It definitely wasn't because the reward was ten times better than everyone else's or because of those ten Mana Stones. Really. It was just that my intuition had started feeling really good about it at some point.
And then.
User confirmed.
First challenge confirmed.
Granting beginner benefits.
Brace for impact!
“What? AAAAAAAAAGH!”
The moment I shouted challenge, an overwhelming pain slammed into me and I blacked out instantly.
#
Ah. An unfamiliar ceiling.
I'd been staring at perfectly flat, square ceilings every day, so seeing one made of raw, natural wood grain felt strangely fresh. Or should I even call it a ceiling? That's more like a roof. At least the height made it feel less claustrophobic.
Hoo. I spent a brief moment spinning random thoughts to shake off the lingering echoes of pain still faintly throbbing through me.
It's a defense game. I have to stop the orc wave. Jax? Is this a tutorial NPC that's supposed to help me?
Before I knew it, I was examining the mission information that had been shoved into my head. Thank goodness. At least I didn't have to run around gathering intel myself. It felt like someone out there really wanted me to play my role properly. They'd even crammed in the fact that this village was called Swiden. What a generous info dump.
Feels like they tinkered with the psychological side too.
Otherwise there was no way I'd be calmly thinking Ah, the ceiling is pretty high in this bizarre, incomprehensible situation. But whatever. I wasn't the type to get upset over helpful services like this.
“Ugh. Combat boots?”
The moment I saw the neatly arranged pair of boots that looked like military footwear beside the bed, my mood instantly soured. But that was beside the point.
Creak—
The instant I stepped out of the small log cabin that was barely the size of a studio apartment—
“Rookie! You're finally awake!”
As if she'd been waiting for me, a woman with an impressively large build greeted me with a booming voice.
...Woman?
She was almost eye-level with me, and I was 180 centimeters tall—185 in these boots. Her shoulders were so wide and powerful they looked like they'd only come from years of extreme swimming and weight training. That alone put her in the “notable” category, but that wasn't the main thing.
Red eyes. Red hair. And the massive hammer slung across her back, its head as big as a child's torso.
“My name is Jax! I heard all about you from the others! You want to fight orcs to repay a debt of gratitude? What incredible courage!”
On top of that thunderous voice and a leather breastplate that looked like it might burst from the sheer volume of her chest. If strength really was a form of beauty like someone once said, then she was easily on par with a once-in-a-millennium, no, once-in-a-ten-millennium beauty.
But.
“You can just call me Park Hyunsung.”
“Hm?! I heard you couldn't even remember your own name! Did your memories come back already?!”
“No, that's not it… I only remember my name. Just the name.”
“Really?! Then you're a rookie!”
“Excuse me?”
“Hyun-seong? That's way too hard to pronounce! A name like that will put you at a disadvantage in battle against orcs! So from now on, you're Rookie!”
Aside from the fact that Jax turned out to be a woman with the kind of beauty that would have plenty of demand either way, we didn't exactly communicate well. If anything, she just kept saying whatever she wanted, which was honestly pretty frustrating.
“The barrier around the forest is starting to weaken! The orcs will be here soon! Hey, Rookie! Have you ever handled a weapon before?!”
“I'm not a—sigh. No, I haven't. I don't know if I have before, but at least right now I don't remember anything.”
“I see?! Then we might be short on time! Follow me! Special training!”
Well. What was I supposed to do? If she said follow, I had to follow. I wasn't the type to waste time hunting for hidden pieces anyway. Straight-line progression was the way to go. Sweet.
Follow Jax to the training grounds.
I'm going, I'm going.
#
According to the information now lodged in my head, Swiden was a small village that was basically half slash-and-burn settlement. Or to be precise, the local lord had personally incorporated the slash-and-burn village into his own territory. He only collected about twenty percent of the taxes other nearby villages paid.
And of course, when rulers showed that kind of favor, there was always a reason.
“Oh.”
In the center of the village stood a three-story tower built solidly from brick and plaster, unlike the mostly wooden houses that made up the other twenty-or-so households. Jax led me there first.
“This is the Magic Beacon! If you think you can't handle the orcs, run straight here and place that Mana Stone into the magic circle! You already know this, right?!”
Hm. Beacon?
“You call a cannon a beacon these days?”
“It's not a cannon! It's a beacon!”
“...Yes, ma'am.”
Anyone could see it was a cannon aimed at the sky. But if the person using it called it a beacon, then I guess it was a beacon. Still, for a backwater village like this to have something like this installed? It was obvious.
Canary in the coal mine.
A device meant to detect monsters emerging from the Demon's Forest as quickly as possible. In a way, it was a win-win. The slash-and-burn villagers could pay a small tax and not have to worry about the lord sending troops to wipe them out, while the lord could give up a bit of tax revenue in exchange for safety.
—That was a long explanation.
Hm. Something feels… off. What is it?
The moment I saw the beacon, this itchy feeling started crawling up my spine. I was just starting to suspect there might be more to it than that simple reason when—
“Let's go! No time to waste! Over there!”
Jax grabbed my hand with a grip like a vice and dragged me toward the wooden palisade visible in the distance. The village's only guard—who therefore also served as guard captain—had picked her role well.
“I'll walk on my own—ow!”
Ah, my wrist.
#
We finally reached the palisade. Of course it surrounded the entire village, but the section facing the forest was noticeably built with much taller and thicker logs than the rest.
“What do you think!”
“Looks impressive.”
There were wide platforms set up so defenders could stand on top and fight. But.
The eyes of the villagers who were supposed to be up there thrusting spears showed absolutely no trace of awareness.
“Hup!”
“Hup!”
They were just mechanically shouting and stabbing their spears into empty air. Like background NPCs in a game.
And.
“Is this all the troops you have?”
“This is more than enough, Rookie!”
As expected, Jax didn't seem to notice anything strange about them at all.
Receive basic combat training from Jax.
“First, pick up a spear!”
“Yes, ma'am.”
She just urged me to grab one of the wooden spears lying around. Hm. Well. Honestly, the Jax in front of me and those NPCs didn't seem all that different.
“Rookie! Have you ever held a spear before?!”
“No, I haven't. But I know how to use one pretty well.”
“You've never held one but you know how to use it well. Then show me what you know! Right now!”
Thanks to that, I felt completely relaxed. I picked up the wooden spear and unleashed everything I knew. Thrust, pull, press, stab, counter. The very essence of Chinese spear techniques that had been passed down for thousands of years.
So this is what I saw on YouTube.
It was a shame I'd never physically practiced spear forms since they weren't as easy to copy in my room as sword forms, so the transitions between moves were a bit awkward. But the core should still be there. If Jax was the master of martial arts that the app claimed, she'd at least see a glimpse of it.
Of course I wasn't just saying that. Between the app, these NPCs, and Jax, the whole thing was dripping with game-like vibes. So the scripted scenario was obviously that the protagonist—aka the player—would easily learn a skill in front of the instructor, and the instructor would be shocked.
But.
“You must really like dancing!”
That didn't happen.
“We'll have to start from the basics. Follow me!”
“Huh? Hey, wait—”
Jax, who had been watching me demonstrate the spear forms with a look of pure pity, grabbed me and dragged me off somewhere again.
“One more! You can do it!!”
“AAAAAAAAAAAGH!”
After that, I worked out like crazy.
Ah.
Strength:+1
Stamina:+1
Training
At least it gave me a skill.
“One moooooore!”
“GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!”