The Concrete Bastion
The ground shook with a heavy thud.
Dave slammed his steel-gauntleted fists together. The impact rang out with a satisfying resonance, like the confidence surging within him that morning.
“Has the flag of Adel Kingdom ever flown this proudly before?”
Words were unnecessary. The kingdom’s blue banner, freshly bleached from goat’s milk, fluttered in the wind.
Dave stood atop the gatehouse with Gemini, reviewing the troops. The steel-reinforced concrete walls stood like a dam, and before the gate sprawled a forest of barbicans and tetrapods. Layer upon layer of razor wire crowned the entire structure.
“Your Majesty, I have never seen such a sight. I was not imprisoned for long, yet in just a few years you have accomplished all this?”
Ravanus spoke with awe.
“It did not take long, actually. His Majesty’s subordinates built at an astonishing speed.”
Without budget constraints, structures rose quickly. Park Jo-woon was especially skilled at rebuilding ruined buildings. By driving rebar into place with sheer capital and pouring concrete without forms, walls of this scale could be erected in no time.
To Earthlings it was merely “this scale,” but to Dave and Ravanus, such walls were unprecedented.
“If His Majesty wished to breach this castle, how would he do it?”
Dave surveyed the surroundings and rapped his knuckles against the concrete wall.
“Iron lies within this thick stone. No ordinary catapult could shatter both the rock and the metal inside. It cannot be broken.”
Above all, he marveled at the razor wire.
“Moreover, look at this net of steel. No infantryman, cavalryman, or even a knight in full plate could set foot here. Have you ever seen a bird caught in a spider’s web? They would meet a similar fate.”
Dave gestured at the dense wire covering even the battlements.
“Indeed. It is truly remarkable.”
“I would abandon a frontal assault and lay siege instead. I would poison the water supply and wait for their food to run out. However—”
Before he could finish, brown rice poured into the castle courtyard. A massive man in tights sprinted over and began stacking the sacks in neat piles.
“Kuh! Rice! It’s rice!”
Even though no order had been given, knights rushed to help him. Every soul in the castle had fallen hopelessly in love with white rice.
Abundant food brought peace to a king’s heart. Was this what they called being overwhelmed with emotion?
It had been less than a month since he nearly died crushed beneath the weight of the crown after abandoning everything.
Gulp.
Saliva slid down Dave’s throat as well. A perfectly seared bluefin tuna steak glistening with olive oil, paired with a heaping spoonful of steaming rice…
“Kuhhh…”
“Your Majesty?”
“Ah, it is nothing.”
Dave cleared his throat, returning to reality. Tonight’s dinner would be the remaining bluefin tuna steak with rice. Was this not the joy of kingship?
“As you can see, His Majesty has sent seeds for us to sow. He apologized that they are not proper rice seeds due to legal restrictions, but he sent brown rice instead. He says brown rice will sprout if planted.”
“Is that so. What exactly are these ‘rice seeds’?”
“Hmm. I do not know either. Are there still no druids in the kingdom?”
“No, Your Majesty. We have searched far and wide, but no druids have been found.”
“Then we must open the path to Shirayen Forest. Gemini’s grandmother should still be alive.”
“I pray that is the case, Your Majesty.”
“If we triumph today, I shall host a grand feast this evening. Now, let us prepare.”
Dave donned his helmet. Far in the distance, a black storm approached.
“No one knows the origin of this magic. But one thing is certain,” Park Su-ah said through World Observation.
“Oh? What is it?”
“It is a curse. And every curse has an original caster.”
Kim Hwang-je sat listening as Park Su-ah relayed the information Gemini had taught her.
“Does that mean every other kingdom fell to these rifts as well?”
“I’m not sure. Adel Kingdom was a small nation at the edge of the continent, so they had little knowledge of what happened beyond the mountains.”
“Hmm. All right, I understand.”
Kim Hwang-je frowned at the Dark Rift (Lv.1) displayed in his status window, but no further information was available yet.
“Oh, right, Oppa. Do you know this?”
“What?”
“Gemini unni is a quarter-elf.”
Quarter? Like the ice cream size? Probably one-quarter.
“Ah, so she’s the granddaughter of an elf?”
“Yes. Gemini unni said that to learn the origin of the curse, we need to go to the New Moon Tower in Shirayen Forest.”
“…Shirayen Forest of the elves. Got it. Let’s talk again after this defense. Until then, search the castle archives for any old documents.”
“Okay. I’ll hang up now.”
“Yeah.”
Kim Hwang-je ended the call. Beyond the skill, the approaching storm was visible.
A cold wind rattled the razor wire and swept dust across the walls.
Your Majesty.
A Wave 3 stronger than usual is approaching!
Address your subordinates!
The 3rd Wave is beginning!
An opportunity to give a speech has been granted.
Never war!
Never again war!
Proclaim the glory of His Imperial Majesty!
Kim Hwang-je cleared his throat as the microphone materialized before him. He had prepared for this moment.
It was the speech Seo Jun-seo had written for him.
Heh, a speech written by an elite-educated genius. It’ll be far better than anything I could cobble together.
Having a speech assistant was truly beneficial. Kim Hwang-je lifted the A5 sheet and began reading, trusting it would go smoothly.
“Hear me, my army!”
“Ooooooh—!”
Gasps and admiration rippled through the soldiers. Kim Hwang-je smiled in satisfaction.
“You are tools to elevate my glory…”
Huh?
Jun-seo, is it really okay to say it like this?
“…my instruments of cruel vengeance… Become my slaughter weapons and tear apart every enemy who stands before me… Cut off their heads and offer them to me… Ah!”
He managed to end with a proper shout, but still…
Would this actually work?
“Uwaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
“Kuhhh! Your Majesty!”
“Did you hear that? He is an iron-blooded monarch!”
It worked. Spectacularly.
In an instant the walls became a cauldron of frenzy.
“Sever the enemy’s heads!”
“Offer their heads to His Majesty!”
“Long live the Emperor!”
“Kill them all!!!”
“Smash their skulls!!!”
“The time for vengeance has come!!!”
“Kuaaaaaaaaaah!”
Wait, who sprayed drugs on them?
Why were they acting like this? This wasn’t defense anymore—this was an assault formation. They were so worked up that someone had to make sure they didn’t jump off the walls.
Click.
Seo Jun-seo set down his teacup. The gentle aroma of jasmine tea filled the air.
“This tea helps relieve tension. Thank you for your speech, Your Majesty.”
“Is it really okay to give a speech like that?”
Kim Hwang-je asked bluntly.
“Yes. I analyzed the interests of the castle soldiers using big data and derived the sentences most likely to elicit the strongest response.”
“Ah… I see…”
This would have been the perfect moment for his glasses to glint, but Seo Jun-seo wore lenses instead.
“Did it have an effect?”
“They’re going completely insane.”
Your Majesty!
Sob… Sob…!
That was a truly moving speech.
You have made the entire populace thirst for blood.
They shall tear off the enemy’s heads and present them as a grand trophy!
Even the eunuch is crying.
Anyway, please don’t do that again. That wasn’t something an emperor should say… it was demonic…
Speech concluded.
Morale increased by +23.
The [Frenzy] status has been granted to all soldiers.
Immunity to [Morale Decline] for 11 hours!
[Defense Mode] is now available.
[Tower placement is now possible!]
Available Towers
1. Catapult Tower ×3 — [Castle Provided] [Free]
2. Petroleum Slime Thrower Tower ×2 — [Mysterious Animal Exchange] [2G]
3. Phosgene Tower ×1 — [Gaya Kingdom Rebels] [4G]
Available Units
1. Labor Reformers ×3
2. Various Monsters ×1,379
3. Gaya Kingdom Rebel Hunters ×40
Oh? So the number of towers increased along with the buildings in the castle? That made sense—otherwise placing towers wouldn’t be satisfying. And as Kim Hwang-je’s forces grew, so did the number of towers he could deploy.
“Whoa, so we can actually blanket the field with poison gas like this!”
At this rate, they might not even need to throw punches. Especially the Phosgene Tower—Kim Hwang-je found it irresistibly charming. Using weapons of mass destruction on people was a sin, but spraying poison gas on monsters was a blessing.
The catapult towers cost nothing—they were basic towers. The slime throwers, however, required Grim.
Current Grim: 10
Lucky days might yield two, but usually only one could be obtained per day. Still, this was no time to be frugal.
“Now is the time for a big investment.”
Use 2 Grim to install Petroleum Slime Thrower Towers? [Y/N]
Use 4 Grim to install Phosgene Tower? [Y/N]
He pressed Y for both.
Remaining Grim: 4
Three catapult towers, one slime thrower, and one phosgene tower materialized in the sky. The catapults and slime launcher resembled medieval siege engines, while the phosgene tower looked like a truck carrying tube trailers floating in midair. Soon, towers stood above the razor-wire-covered plains.
Orcs hauled stones to the catapult towers while the supervisor ladies’ clones appeared at each tower, whips in hand.
“Uraaaargh!?”
“Filthy orcs! I’ll fix your oral structure and teach you how to cheer today!”
“Kkiruruk! Kkiruk!”
As the ladies cracked their whips, the orcs screamed and rolled on the ground. Barrels filled with slimes sat atop the petroleum slime throwers, where orcs were also being whipped into loading them.
“Kyukyu!”
“Kyuuu?”
The slimes rolled innocently inside the barrels, unaware of their impending fate.
“Uh, that’s…”
This wasn’t some “angry birds” throwing game—what was this? But the most important was the phosgene tower.
“You lowly slaves! Watch the wind direction carefully!”
Crack!
At the sound of the whip striking the floor, Jo Jong-hyun snapped to attention.
“C-Captain! Where are we?”
“How would I know?! What the hell is this?”
Kim Hwang-je decided the man needed an explanation and sent a message.
[Castle. Throw poison gas at the monsters coming from below. Just make sure it doesn’t hit the castle.] (50/70)
The character limit was still annoying, but talking in person was too bothersome.
“Prep the tubes! Load the phosgene into the plastic containers! Enemies incoming!”
“S-So this is Defense Mode, right?”
Fortunately, the hunters quickly understood and joined in.
Kuuuung!
At the moment of the massive explosion, everyone tensed. A colossal bolt of lightning and pitch-black whirlwind clouds rose on the horizon, and a gigantic gate opened.
“They’re here.”
The rift had opened.
Kim Hwang-je had already prepared chunks of ice and potions within reach. Today, he had decided not to hold back on punching. He absolutely hated it when walls or gates were attacked.
Your Majesty.
The Gate of Darkness has opened.
A legion of [Bugbears] is emerging from the rift!
Gulp.
I want bear meat!
• Boss Monster [Zabui] (Immune to Normal Magic)
• 20 Noble Monsters (Keywords: Fear, Stealth, Teleportation, Cold Immunity)
• Total Enemies: [48,000]
• The wave has begun!
Bwooooooo!
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Forty-eight thousand was an enormous number—roughly five times the castle’s population. These bugbears were massive, obese humanoid monsters the size of bears. Each one was as large as six adult humans put together. The entire plain was now filled with bear-men clad in armor and wielding maces.
Kwaaaaaah!
The final rift opened in the sky, and a monster wreathed in flames appeared. It was the Bugbear Lord engulfed in fire. A thunderous voice echoed across the plains from above.
“Guoooooooh! You foolish humans! Have you still not submitted? Even if those stupid ogres somehow held us off, you cannot possibly stop us!”
Kuuuuwuuung!
It landed. The earth split, and a massive shockwave shook the ground. As it rose to its full height, the flames surrounding its body vanished. Bugbear Lord Zabui laughed uproariously.
“Kuhahaha! We are the end and destruction of the world! The destroyers of destroyers! Today I have brought my army, so I shall take every last one of your heads… Huh?”
Having delivered his dramatic line, Zabui rubbed his eyes. Only then did he see the castle.
“What the hell? What did you do to the castle?”
It hadn’t looked like this a month ago. Unfortunately, what awaited him was nothing less than a cosmic fortress. Its design was nothing like the medieval style. And the phosgene tower floating in the sky, with its tube trailers, looked like a space battleship.
Kim Hwang-je leaned back in his chair and spoke.
“Poison gas first.”
“…Yes! Fire the phosgene rounds!”
Jo Jong-hyun shouted loudly. The soldiers cheered and roared.
“Offer their heads to His Majesty!”
“Kill them all!!”