I was busy going to and from the site, giving orders.
We reinforced the defense equipment, installed artifacts on top of the castle walls, refined the organization of the soldiers, and worked hard to install the wooden fence walls.
âDoable.â
The more I prepared, the more confident I became for this stage.
âNo need to be scared!â
Clearly, Living Armors are the worst type of monsters to encounter at the beginning of the game.
However, I was still in Stage 1. It is the very beginning of the beginning. The average level of the monsters is not higher than 5.
No matter how bad the matchup is, the monstersâ stats themselves arenât high.
âItâs an opportunity! If I get rid of the Living Armors from the start, then it will be easier for me later!â
Once the Legion is faced, it will not reappear for a while.
âAnd thanks to clearing Stage 0, things are looking very good.â
Whether it be on Earth or here, in the end, the principle of how the world works is money.
When I put the money I earned from clearing Stage 0 into the defense equipment, I was able to prepare so well that it became hard to believe that this was an early game stage.
âI can do this, I can do this, I can do this!â
I muttered as if chanting a spell on myself. And after three days of investing in the defense.
The time passed instantly.
* * *
Three days later.
On top of the southern wall of Crossroad.
â......â
I glanced at the stage information window.
[STAGE 1]
- Until the start: 30 minutes
30 minutes left.
The start of the stage is when the head of the monster wave makes the first attack.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
It also means that Iâll be able to see the monsters with my eyes.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
A faint sound of iron echoed through the earth.
The phantoms of the living armors appeared from beyond the horizon, stomping their feet in unison.
âThey are in sight!â
The skirmisher screamed like he was going to break his vocal cords.
âTheyâre coming!â
Thud! Thud! ThudâŚ!
The Living Armor Legion.
Although only a silhouette was visible from the distance, the whole area vibrated vaguely at the appearance of 1000 heavy armored monsters.
Gulp. Gulp.
The soldiers waiting on the wall all took a dry gulp down their throats at once.
For the past decade, monsters have not been able to reach Crossroad.
The monsters who had shrunk in amount were all exterminated by the forward operating base built in front of the lake.
However, the forward operating base had been taken over, and they reached this place for the first time in a decade.
It was only natural for the soldiers to get nervous.
âThereâs nothing to be scared of!â
I shouted out loud.
âThose monsters are just rabble with a lot of numbers!â
That wasnât true. They were the worst monsters to encounter at the beginning, the Living Armor Legion.
âIn contrast, we are the strongest army in the southern part of the Empire!â
That wasnât true. We were simply a group of wandering mercenaries consisting of only retired old people and inexperienced youngsters.
âThe preparation for the defense battle is perfect! And the state of our equipment is the best!â
That wasnât true. No matter how much money I put in, there was not enough time. Preparation was insufficient.
âWe can stop them! Thereâs nothing to worry about!â
I shouted a bunch of bluffs.
The only person that should be worried here is me, and thatâs enough. All of the worries and fears of the soldiers should be my burden.
âJust follow my command.â
As I looked around the lined-up soldiers, I smiled.
âThen we will be able to have the toast of victory tonight.â
After hearing my words, the veterans who knew the scariness of the Living Armors put on a look of absurdity.
The new recruits, who knew nothing, still stood stiffly.
And whether the humans trembled or not, the monsters were steadily advancing.
âGood luck, Jupiter.â
I took a dry gulp as I watched the group of approaching enemies with my telescope.
âItâs up to your half whether or not we will clear the stage! Do a good job!â
Andâ
Rumble, RumbleâŚ
Thunder rang out in the distance.
I rolled up my lips.
The sound of thunder meant that lightning was about to strike.
The expensively hired electro mage began to move.
* * *
[Translator: Dawn ]
[Proofreader: Alissa ]
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* * *
Jupiter and her party had been placed outside the fortress from the beginning.
It was to give a surprise blow to the Living Armor Legion advancing along the southern plains.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Like machines, the army of 1000 armored monsters marched forward in an orderly fashion in line.
From the southern plains to the southern walls of Crossroad in a straight line.
I muttered to myself as I watched their path through the telescope.
âCome a little closer⌠A little moreâŚâ
Monsters only have one principle of action.
- Kill humans.
It is fundamental for them to move to kill humans through the shortest route.
If there are no obstacles, it is natural for them to come to the city in a straight line along the road. Which meansâŚ
Rattle.
That traps work very well against them because you know where theyâll be coming from.
Whoosh!
The ground where the leading Living Armors stepped suddenly collapsed.
The Living Armors staggered and fell to the ground all at once.
Crash! Bam!
It was such an obvious pit trap.
The pit was shallow because there was no time to dig deeper in the first place. However, it was deep enough to make the Living Armors in the lead lose balance.
And that was good enough. The heavily armored monsters tumbled to the floor.
As the lead tumbled down, the back row also tripped over or stopped.
A bottleneck happened in an instant, and their advances stopped.
And that little time was good enough for me. I shouted.
âNow!â
Trot- Trot- Trot-
As if they heard my command, Jupiter's party of five on a horse ran out.
They were hiding in the bushes next to the trap, waiting for an opportunity to attack.
A dazzling electric current was bouncing in Jupiterâs hands, who was at the forefront.
âAlright, thenâŚâ
Jupiter fluttered her gray hair, gathering her mana, and then rained thunderbolts all over them.
âTime to do what I was paid for-!â
Flash-!
Thunder!
Dozens of bright yellow lightning bolts fell on the Living Armorsâ heads.
That was Jupiterâs 1st skill, [Bleaching zone].
The skill of this old lady had the word, âbleachingâ. And thatâs because the lightning that she calls forth burns anything white.
âAnd turns it black.â
I shed a cold sweat as I watched the Living Armors charred by lightning.
How do you call that bleaching? Itâs more like blacking.
Rumble! Crash!
Thunderbolts continued to pour down.
The Living Armors fell like straw bales, every time the lightning brushed against them.
Because their armors were made of metal, they conduct electricity very well, and ghost monsters take additional damage from magic attacks.
In an instant, dozens of Living Armors were charred and collapsed.
Watching, I clenched my fists. Very well done, Jupiter!
GuhhâŚ
Guhhh!
The eyes of the Living Armors who survived the lightning, and the Living Armors who were not swept away in the back row, turned to the assailant at once.
It was a terrifying sight to see a thousand monsters looking at one certain point.
Even watching from afar, I could feel the chills going down my spine. I wonder if it is okay for Jupiter and her party who are the ones directly getting the monstersâ attention?
âWhat the hell you lookinâ at? Have some respect for the elderly, you disrespectful monster pieces of shit!â
It was fine.
Jupiter is a veteran, and all of Jupiter's party members are heroes. The pressure meant nothing to them.
Jupiter, who lit a cigar with a lightning bolt, swung her hand again, laughing out loud.
âWeâre having fried armor for tonight! Make sure you chew them up, kids!â
This time, a blue lightning bolt fell from the sky.
Flash-!
It was Jupiterâs 2nd skill, [Bleaching Again]!
Her first skill leaves a mark on the enemy hit, and the second skill strikes the marked enemy an additional time.
A blue lightning bolt hit the heads of the Living Armors that survived the first attack, and the Living Armors that were hit directly disappeared and literally turned into ashes.
Even the Living Armors standing next to them collapsed as their armor melted. It was truly an unstoppable power.
BooomâŚ!
Fires and roars swept the area.
Yeaaah-!
The soldiers who were watching from the top of the fortress shouted in unison.
It was natural to rejoice as the scary armor monsters were falling apart like frost on a spring day.
However, as the smoke and flames cleared away, the cheers of the soldiers gradually subsided.
GuuuhâŚ
Gwaaah!
The Living Armor Legion was still alive and well, and their numbers were incredibly large.
We burned and killed as many as 50 monsters in an instant, but there were 1000 monsters to begin with.
The damage we inflicted was nothing more than a small scratch.
With the eerie glow in their eyes, the Living Armors began to mend the broken line. I screamed out loud.
âJupiter, retreat!â
Jupiter immediately turned the head of the horse.
âScram!â
Jupiterâs party all turned around and ran the horses toward the fortress.
Gaaah!
Gaaaah-!
The Living Armors chased after them with eerie shouts.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
A wave of metal armor crashed in.
Thousands of armored monsters rushed forward with all their might to tear the living apart.
They were slower than a war horse, but the sight itself was enough to send chills down my spine.
âRun, run, kids! Donât even look back and keep runninâ!â
Leading the party at the forefront, Jupiter shouted.
The faces of the soldiers standing on the wall turned pale. The waves of armors rushing behind the fleeing humans were terrifying.
âItâs going according to plan! Thereâs nothing to worry about!â
I shouted out loud.
âJust move as I ordered you to! Everyone, wait!â
âY-yes, Your Highness!â
The soldiers went to their pre-informed positions. All the cannons installed on the wall were ready to fire.
Trot- Trot- Trot-
The Living Armors, who were closely following the fleeing humans, eventually discovered something strange.
GuuhâŚ
Guuuh?
It was a wall made of wood.
A long wooden fence, a little taller than a human, was built in the Jupiter Party's escape route.
It was the item our carpenters worked hard for the past three days and put up.
Trot- Trot- Trot-
Jupiter and her party members passed in a row through a narrow door in the middle of the fence.
The Living Armors chasing them stopped for a little bit.
There are three options for the monsters to choose between.
- Destroy the fence.
- Go around the fence.
- Or, follow the humans and try to pass through the narrow door.
Gwaaah-!
The monsters had only one choice.
Kill the humans in front of them.
They didnât even consider the other options and went straight in.
âThatâs right, you stupid monsters!â
I shouted in delight and stretched my arms to the side.
âSoldiers! Ready fire!â
The Living Armors had to narrow the width of their advancing units in order to pass through the narrow gate.
They slowed down, and trying to go through the narrow gate caused a bottleneck.
And the things waiting for them behind the gate wereâ
âYouâve waited long enough, soldiers.â
The crossfire that the humans prepared with sincerity.
To the soldiers that were standing next to the cannon, awaiting my order to fire, I finally gave the command out loud.
âDonât spare anything, Fire-!â
As I stretched my arms forward vigorously,
âFire!â
âFire-!â
The soldiers recited my command in unison and set fire to the cannons.
Boom- Ka-boom!
The cannons on the wall fired all at once.
Whoosh-
Dozens of cannonballs were fired and fell on the heads of the monsters that had just passed through the door.
Boom! Boom!
It caused wonderful explosions, turning armor monsters to ashes.