The Third Boss Tier
A morning where the sunlight blazed with unusual brilliance.
“Are you ready?”
“Of course!”
“Shall we go, then?”
“Yes!”
Today, Sowon and I were challenging the third boss tier.
You have entered the 30th floor.
The moment the blinding light faded, the sight before us was the heart of a city.
It wasn’t a modern metropolis like Seoul, of course. The central square where Sowon and I now stood evoked a medieval European city.
“Hurry, hurry!”
“We have to finish preparations before the orcs arrive!”
“We’re short on lumber and nails over here!”
The square was in complete chaos. Sharp shouts rang out from every direction, and tension hung thick on every face. Most of the people hadn’t even noticed our sudden appearance.
That was only natural. Because the objective of the 30th floor was….
30th Floor Mission
📍 Defend against the Orc Conquest Army’s invasion.
🎁 Total Invasion Count: 0/3
The people of this city were real, yet not real. Their thoughts and actions were indistinguishable from actual humans, but they were ultimately illusions created by the Tower—like the people I had met in Oren during my second awakening.
The 30th floor was a mission that was practically impossible to clear without their help.
That was when it happened.
“Um… excuse me. Are you the mercenaries who came to protect our city?”
“Ah, yes. For now, at least…”
A boy who had noticed us approached. At my answer, his face lit up and he grabbed my hand, tugging me along.
“Thank you! Please come this way! I’ll introduce you to the militia captain!”
“Wait, the militia captain?!”
At that moment, Sowon and I locked eyes. I’m sure my expression mirrored the shock on hers.
We were startled by the term “militia captain.”
The 30th floor was unique. While the core mission remained the same for everyone, the difficulty varied. This was because the state of Valdes—the city that served as the main stage—was randomly assigned.
There were three possible scenarios, which hunters classified as Royal Guard Captain difficulty, Knight Commander difficulty, and Militia Captain difficulty.
Royal Guard Captain difficulty meant the lord and troops of Valdes were present, and the royal guard captain along with reinforcements from the capital had already arrived. It was the easiest of the three, so most hunters aiming to clear the floor deliberately waited for this scenario.
Even then, most only succeeded after dozens of attempts, but it was still the easiest.
The second was Knight Commander difficulty. The royal guards and reinforcements hadn’t arrived, but the lord, knights, and soldiers remained. Support was limited, yet the rewards were better than the first scenario. Some SS-rank or higher hunters who were attempting the first clear would occasionally challenge this difficulty on purpose for the better rewards.
And finally, Militia Captain difficulty….
It was said to offer the best rewards of the three, but that was only rumor. No one had ever cleared it.
Even the greatest SSS-rank hunters in history had given up after countless attempts and bitter defeats. It was an extreme difficulty.
In this scenario, the lord and knights had fled with their private troops, leaving only the former guard captain’s ragtag militia. It meant hunters had to defend against three waves of the Orc Conquest Army with virtually no support.
The 30th floor was already a place where even Royal Guard Captain difficulty required countless failures before a narrow victory. Clearing it with zero support? It was considered impossible.
Hardly anyone even challenged Knight Commander difficulty. There was no way anyone would willingly pick Militia Captain.
So when it appeared, hunters abandoned the run without hesitation and tried again the next day, repeating the process until they got Royal Guard Captain difficulty.
“What should we do? Should we give up?”
“……”
Logically, giving up was the correct choice. Even SSS-rank hunters gave up on Militia Captain. That was common sense.
But—
“Let’s try it first. If it doesn’t work, we can quit then. Even at worst, I should be able to hold out for one wave. Still, just to be safe, you should head back, Sowon. We can try again safely when we get Royal Guard Captain difficulty later.”
Neither of us had ever challenged the 30th floor before. My plan was to test it alone first. If it seemed hopeless, I would clear just the first wave, give up, and retry later. There would still be time to run it properly with Sowon after that.
But Sowon clearly had other ideas.
“Don’t worry about me. I wouldn’t be traveling with you as your companion if I didn’t have that level of resolve. Besides, I have the reliable backup you gave me, don’t I?”
She showed me her arm. Her blackened forearm was coated with the shadow slime.
“Well then… I guess we’ll give it a shot.”
“Yes!”
We followed the boy to where the militia captain was.
In the abandoned castle whose lord had already fled, the militia captain was holding a strategy meeting with the few soldiers who had any actual military experience. Their faces held not a trace of hope—only pure despair.
“Captain! I’ve brought the mercenaries who said they’d help us!”
“Ooh~ Is that true?!”
The militia captain’s face brightened at the boy’s introduction. He looked back and forth between Sowon and me, then glanced around before asking the boy,
“Are… are these two the only mercenaries?”
“Yes!”
The boy answered cheerfully, but the captain couldn’t hide his disappointment.
Sorry we’re only two. For a second I considered just giving up and leaving.
But the captain quickly realized his rudeness, fixed his expression, and approached me with an outstretched hand.
“I apologize. It was rude of me to react that way to people who came to help. I am Hans, captain of the militia.”
“I’m Ahn Humin. This is Han Sowon.”
“On behalf of all the citizens of Valdes, I offer you both my sincerest gratitude, brave warriors.”
“Let’s get straight to the point. Can you tell me the current state of your militia?”
Since we had no idea when the first wave would begin, I skipped the pleasantries.
What I learned from Hans was that the militia’s condition was utterly abysmal.
Less than a tenth of the forces available in Royal Guard Captain difficulty, and most of them are ordinary citizens who have only just picked up weapons for the first time. Even their equipment is crude and hastily made.
They weren’t a fighting force—they were baggage. Protecting them on the battlefield would require diverting even more resources.
“Captain Hans.”
“Yes, please speak.”
“If possible, could you assign all the militiamen to defend the inner castle and handle guard duty?”
“What?!”
Hans and the militia officers stared at me in shock.
“But if we do that, the outer gates will come under attack from the start! Valdes isn’t a city designed for siege defense. If we start with a siege defense instead of going out to fight, the orcs will swarm the walls with ladders and ropes, smash the gates, and pour in like a storm! We’ll never be able to hold them! Even if it costs lives, we have no choice but to go out and meet them!”
“He’s right! A siege should be the last resort!”
I shook my head at their protests.
“I’m not saying we should start with a siege defense. I’m saying the militiamen don’t need to go out and fight. There’s no reason to waste lives unnecessarily.”
“Then what do you…?”
“……”
A short while later.
Bwooooooooo—!
The deep sound of a war horn echoed across all of Valdes.
Citizens hurried into their homes. Mothers and elders clutched young children tightly, praying to the gods. Everyone knew that sound signaled the orcs’ advance.
The Orc Conquest Army marching on the city approached from all four cardinal directions. After all, Valdes had four gates—east, west, south, and north.
This was essentially a crazy defense mission where Ahn Humin alone had to protect all four directions.
The orcs in each direction stopped just within sight of the gates, frowning.
What is that?
Goblins?
The orc forces approaching from the east encountered Goblin King Goblius in golden armor and his goblin troops guarding the eastern gate.
The western forces ran into the monsters from the sewers and a single translucent slime.
The southern forces discovered a lone masked human woman and burst into laughter.
And the northern forces were met by a single Chaos Knight standing before the gate, gripping his black-and-white spiral sword with a firm, steady hand as he stared them down.
There are seriously so many of them…
The orc army stretched beyond what the eye could take in. There were easily over a thousand, by rough estimate.
What was even more shocking was that this was the smallest force—the first wave.
At that moment, the most prominent orc at the front rode forward on a wolf larger than any bull.
Using nothing but his raw voice, he bellowed across hundreds of meters.
“I am Mauchi, fourth vanguard of the great Orc Warlord Warlock! You foolish human daring to block our path! If you value your life, strip naked and run now! Do so, and I shall spare your life!”
Puhahahahaha—!!
The orcs behind Mauchi roared with laughter at his mockery.
So I answered his provocation in my own way.
“Night Crows.”
Night Crows
Seventeen night crows, summoned simultaneously through the effect of Murder of Crows, soared into the sky.
Their forms were clearly visible even to the orcs. Thanks to the Giant Crow effect, each bird was nearly the size of a swan.
The seventeen massive crows shot across the sky and reached the orc formation in an instant.
“Shoot those crows down!”
Mauchi sensed danger and ordered the orc archers to fire, but it was too late.
The crows weaved effortlessly through the rain of arrows and plunged into the heart of the orc ranks.
Then—
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-booom—!!
Even from hundreds of meters away, the massive explosions were unmistakable. I watched the orc formation descend into chaos.
The corner of my mouth curled up. I gathered power in my core and shouted loudly.
“Hey, you! The ugliest bastard over there!”
Mauchi looked around in confusion.
“Yeah, I’m talking to the idiot looking around like an idiot right now!”
“Are you speaking to me?”
“Obviously, dumbass. Is there anyone uglier than you in that whole army?”
…Pfft.
Twitch.
A snort that sounded like a fart came from somewhere, followed by Mauchi’s forehead veins bulging with rage.
“Stop shitting out of your mouth and come at me already.”
“Fine! I won’t kill you easily!!”
Mauchi, who had barely survived the explosions, ground his teeth and roared at the top of his lungs.
“All troops! Charge!!”