Chapter 9
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: The 701st Wave (2)
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[The 701st monster wave will now begin.]
For a moment, I stared blankly at the status window.
The MonMonMak gameplay screen, perfectly replicated as a hologram.
A pixelated labyrinth, and within it, tiny monsters moving about.
“Why is this here…?”
I muttered under my breath at the sudden appearance of the game screen.
Countless questions swirled in my mind.
But I couldn't dwell on these unanswered questions for long.
[Prepare yourself! The 701st wave will begin shortly!]
The message announcing the invasion appeared once more.
It was strange.
The 'MonMonMak' I remembered didn't constantly display messages announcing an invasion like this.
But the current status window was flashing incessantly, urging me to play.
It fueled my anxiety.
So, I mumbled.
“What happens if I can't stop this wave?”
In 'MonMonMak', it was, of course, game over.
The moment the monster wave stormed the Audience Chamber and annihilated the Lord, everything would reset.
After that, both those who had poured in resources and those who hadn't would have to start over from the beginning, on equal footing.
But now?
Now that it was linked to my skill, MonMonMak was no longer a game, but reality.
That meant, if I couldn't stop the current monster wave…
[Failure to repel the invasion will result in the following.]
It meant there could be a direct impact on my current reality.
[The Dream Lord's Castle will be conquered, and all of your abilities will disappear.]
It was exactly as I had expected.
But the message that followed in the status window made me swallow a groan.
[Furthermore, the world will be destroyed.]
“…What?”
I couldn't believe my eyes.
My breath caught in my throat.
If I fail to stop a wave of pixelated monsters, the world will end?
What the hell is this insane penalty?
The world ends because of a single game?
But I couldn't tell if this status window was telling the truth…
…or if it was lying to compel me to play.
[The monster wave will begin in 9 minutes and 23 seconds. Prepare for the invasion!]
The countdown had already started, and a message was flashing relentlessly at the very top of the pixelated screen.
For now, all of this was undeniably real.
And regardless of the truth, I adapted to the situation.
“How do I control this?”
I touched my earlobe while staring at the pixelated labyrinth.
But there was no response.
Just in case, I reached out and touched the status window directly.
As I did, the pixelated screen rippled like water.
It seemed I had to control it by directly touching the screen.
“Checking my forces…”
The controls weren't the only thing that had changed.
Information that I originally had to check by clicking through menus now appeared with a simple murmur.
[Confirming the current monster forces defending the Dream Lord's Castle.]
But there was no time to celebrate the simplified controls.
[Total deployable monsters: 5.]
[Deployable Monsters: Goblin Slave x1, Goblin Fighter x3, Ogre Berserker x1]
After checking the monster list, I smacked my lips with a bitter taste.
All the monsters I had painstakingly raised up to the 700th wave were gone without a trace.
No, in a way, that was to be expected.
During the 700th wave, all the monsters defending my castle had been wiped out.
If the Lord hadn't awakened and slaughtered the wave, I never would have cleared it.
“The Gono and the Ogre make sense. Are the Goblin Fighters the three goblins I caught before?”
It seemed monsters sent to the Lord's Castle as mana stones were resurrected as defending monsters.
They were included in the defense force even without being hired as summons.
Still, my forces were severely lacking.
“What about the Lord?”
Right, if the Lord was available, the whole situation would change.
If I could use that overpowered character who wiped out that massive wave in an instant!
But the status window that appeared next was nothing short of disappointing.
[The Dream Lord and the Butler are unavailable resources.]
I bit my lip.
It was thorough.
It may have moved from my computer to a status window, but this 'MonMonMak' was still as unforgiving as ever.
On top of that.
‘I only have 130 gold.’
The in-game currency needed to hire monsters was also gone.
The thousands of gold I'd had were completely gone, and all I had now was the 130 gold earned from selling the mana stone earlier.
Worse, as soon as I checked my gold, this message popped up.
[Hiring new monsters is not possible immediately after receiving a wave notification.]
In other words, I couldn't hire and deploy new monsters right now.
That meant I had to fend off the upcoming wave with just these five monsters.
“Check wave information.”
I muttered softly.
But, I still had to do it.
Instead of complaining about the situation, find a way to overcome it.
A truth that applied in life was just as true in a game.
[The 701st monster wave consists of 60 monsters.]
The number was smaller than I expected.
The 700th wave had over 200 monsters.
But MonMonMak is a crappy game.
There had to be a reason.
[Includes 40 Wyverns, 10 Wyvern Riders, and 10 Half-Drakes.]
Of course.
Wyverns are 5-star beasts, and the ones with riders are 6-star.
And on top of that, Half-Drakes, which are 6-star but have stats rivaling 7-star monsters.
“And I'm supposed to stop them with goblins and an ogre?”
A dry laugh escaped me.
What a crappy game.
But you know what?
Crappy games always throw you a bone, something that makes you curse at them but keeps you from quitting.
That's why people, even knowing it's a crappy game…
[As the sole player, a special privilege is granted.]
…can't forget that crappy taste and keep coming back for more.
[For this wave only, you may select one defensive structure and one item. The item will be given to all defending units. However, only one item can be equipped.]
“Agh, this damn game.”
Looking at the message, I let out a smirk.
This is why I play crappy games.
***
In 'MonMonMak', the Lord's Castle, which serves as the dungeon for the defense game, has a basic square structure.
Inside, it's composed of corridors and various rooms, resembling an anthill at a glance.
The monster waves pour in from the 'Main Road' to the north.
Immediately after passing through the 'Castle Gate', they split into four paths to invade the interior.
The rest is up to the player.
The player must block the paths leading from each direction to the 'Audience Chamber', where the Lord resides, using various methods.
You can build a 'Trap Room' to control the wave's movement and deal damage.
You can deploy a large number of monsters in a 'Garrison Barracks' specialized for placement and wage a war of attrition.
Or you can twist the paths themselves to endlessly delay the wave.
“The castle itself has been completely reset.”
Right now, the castle is in its default state, with one trap room and one barracks in each corridor.
It's too late to build new structures.
‘Even if I could build a new room right away, it wouldn't be much use.’
Trap rooms and special rooms require synergy, so careful placement is crucial.
Building a barracks now would be pointless.
There are no monsters to put inside.
Even Gono, powered up by items as he was, couldn't just wipe out ten 5-star or higher monsters at once.
[The monster wave will begin in 1 minute. Prepare yourself!]
I mentally pushed the flashing message to the side.
“To pull this off in five minutes, I really am a veteran.”
In those five minutes, I had actually completed the most optimal setup possible for the current situation.
And then.
[The 701st wave begins!]
New pixels appeared from the north.
Wyverns, demi-dragons with demonic wings and two legs, and the knights riding them.
Half-drakes, much smaller than dragons but still quite menacing.
A wave of 60 monsters swarmed in front of the castle gate.
Normally, they should have split into four paths to invade.
But.
[The monster wave has been blocked by the 'Infinite Barrier'!]
The monsters could only flinch, unable to pass the gate.
They were blocked by the 'Infinite Barrier'.
After checking the composition of the monster wave.
The moment the list of selectable structures and items appeared.
A plan naturally formed in my mind.
First,
[Infinite Barrier]
[Blocks the monster wave's invasion. Loses 1 durability when hit. Current Durability: 100/100]
A large, green-glowing pixelated barrier stood before the castle gate.
As long as that barrier doesn't fall, the monster wave cannot invade the castle.
‘The situation was perfect for this.’
In truth, despite its grand name, the 'Infinite Barrier' is only useful in the very early stages.
The reason is its brutal penalty.
[The Infinite Barrier can only be installed when the average star-rating of the castle's forces is 2 or less.]
It's essentially a stalling structure, a temporary measure for when your forces are weak.
On top of that, it had another critical flaw.
[A Wyvern deals damage to the 「Infinite Barrier」! 1 durability lost.]
[A Half-Drake deals damage to the 「Infinite Barrier」! 1 durability lost.]
If the durability drops to 0, the barrier collapses, and the monsters pour into the castle all at once.
And to prevent that, it needed periodic repairs.
It took 3 seconds for the 60 monsters to attack in rotation.
In just about 3 seconds, the Infinite Barrier's durability had dropped to 40.
So, how do you repair it?
[The Infinite Barrier can be repaired by clicking on its pixels.]
I had to tap the pixelated screen at least once every three seconds.
[Infinite Barrier repaired.]
In other words, as long as my finger keeps moving.
This wave couldn't even set foot inside the castle.
The drakes, seemingly frustrated by the barrier that wouldn't break, could only fidget at the entrance.
And towards them.
Suddenly, silver projectiles began to fly and strike them.
[A Wyvern took 1 damage from a 'Goblin Fighter'!]
[A Half-Drake took 1 damage from a 'Goblin Fighter'!]
[A Wyvern Rider took 6 damage from an 'Ogre Berserker'!]
The castle's 'defensive forces' had begun their attack.
Normally, a mere 1-star goblin couldn't possibly damage a 6-star beast.
Which means.
This was also thanks to an item.
[Hakan's Spoon: A-Grade]
[Relieve your fatigue when you can. If it builds up, even a tap from a spoon can be fatal.]
[Monsters equipped with this item can deal ranged damage regardless of their star-rating.]
That's right.
Those silver pixelated projectiles flying towards the drakes.
Were spoons thrown by the goblins from behind the barrier.
I watched the screen, satisfied.
“The damage is minuscule, but it's better than nothing.”
Aside from the item-boosted Gono and the one Ogre.
The other three fighters were armed only with spoons.
With them, I had to chip away at dozens of monsters.
‘Roughly applying MonMonMak's original damage formula, it should take about 60 hours to clear.’
By the way.
‘This is just like walling off the entrance with a barracks and sticking an SCV on it, isn't it?’
The problem is, I'm the SCV.
This monster wave is like hundreds of Ultralisks.
And the ones attacking from behind the barracks are only five Marines.
…No, that's not right. Let's say it's four Marines and a Jim Raynor-version Marine.
‘Well, whatever. I just have to be a good worker unit.’
In this situation, I have only one job.
Until the goblins take down the beasts one by one.
Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap!
Tapping the Infinite Barrier every three seconds to maintain it.
Thanks to that.
The 60 drakes were stuck at the entrance, milling about in confusion.
[A Half-Drake took 30 damage from a 'Goblin Slave'!]
Getting pummeled by spoons and clubs thrown by the goblins.
A smile played on my lips.
Yes, this is it.
I turned my head, still tapping the barrier at a constant rhythm.
As I relaxed a little, a forgotten thirst made itself known.
I stood up to get some water.
“Huh?”
No, I tried to stand up.
But my body wouldn't move.
It felt as if sticky spiderwebs were holding every joint in place.
And then, the pixelated window beside me flashed.
[Other actions are restricted during gameplay.]
“Shut up and play the game?”
At this rate, I'd have to focus on this defense for at least 60 hours.
With my movements restricted.
Tapping a pixelated window every three seconds for 60 hours.
A normal person might have despaired.
But instead.
A smile spread across my face.
“Yes, this is what MonMonMak is all about.”
This is why I couldn't let go of this damn game for seven years.
A crappy game that forces endless absurdity upon you, fanning the flames of your stubborn pride to their absolute limit.
But at the end of it all, there was always a fitting reward.
That's why 'MonMonMak', despite being the crappiest game in the world, was never the most laughable one.
Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap.
[Infinite Barrier repaired!]
[Infinite Barrier repaired!]
…
[Infinite Barrier repaired!]
I kept tapping the pixelated window, a grin spreading on my face.
Number of taps remaining: 71,940.
Time remaining: 59 hours and 57 minutes.
“This is doable.”
And I was, after all, the last madman left playing this crappy game.