Became a tyrant of defense games - Episode 27
◈ 027. [Free exploration] Unknown)
flashing!
When I passed through the gate with a flash of light, I found myself at an old ferry port by the lakeside. I saw a lake with rippling dark blue water right in front of me..
This is the source of monsters. hell spitting out devils.
It is a black lake blocking the southern part of the world..
Flash! flashing!
The party members who arrived later were amazed as they looked at the surrounding scenery..
“This place… … It's really that 'lake'.”
Jupiter muttered in a trembling voice as he looked down at the vast surface of the lake. I glanced at Jupiter..
“Have you been here, Jupiter??”
“20years ago. This is a story from the time when the Imperial Army was still stationed at Crossroads. An operation was sent to fill the lake with soil..”
They tried to fill a lake this big with dirt? Looks like there was a stupid commander 20 years ago too..
“The magic corps was mobilized and attempted to use magic to fill the lake with dirt.…….”
“what happened?”
“It wasn't filled. No matter how much dirt and rocks were poured in, the lake just continued to suck in endless amounts..”
Jupiter had a vague look of fear on his face as he recalled that time..
“There were widespread rumors among the imperial military at the time that it really seemed to be connected to hell..”
“…….”
“A week into the operation, monsters began to appear in large numbers, and eventually the entire army retreated. The operation failed.”
Jupiter put out his cigarette and looked around the lake..
“This is the first time I've come this close since..”
“You better relax.”
I looked back at the party members..
“'Cause we're going deeper.”
The ominous ominousness emanating from the lake was scary, but honestly, the surrounding scenery was beautiful..
But since I'm not here for sightseeing, I'll stop looking around here..
“let's go.”
I took the lead. The party members were close behind me..
There was a ferry on the lakeside next to the gate. But there was no boat. Let me calmly go and stand at the end of the ferry.,
[‘Would you like to enter the ‘Kingdom of Lakes’??]
> Yes
> No
Suddenly a system message appeared..
Of course, yes.
[※Warning - You cannot return until the next 'base' is opened. Are you sure you want to enter??]
> Yes
> No
I even ask you one more time with a warning..
I didn't care and chose 'Yes' again. I know I played this game for a day or two?
Rumbling……!
The water in the lake split into a circle, opening a black maw inside..
If the gate we passed earlier was simply a path leading to the lake, this is the real entrance to the dungeon..
“Okay, let's go!”
I jumped into the lake first without any explanation..
The frightened party members followed me and jumped into the lake one after another..
with a splash!
I was sucked into a pitch-black lake without a single ray of light..
***
[Now Loading… … Entering the dungeon.]
[Tip - The number one cause of game over is ‘negligence’. Don't let go of tension in any situation.!]
***
dark.
That was my first impression. dark.
You literally can't see an inch in front of you. A three-dimensional darkness filled the surroundings, as if she could touch it when she stretched out her hand..
Sigh. Grumpy.
There is a sound in the dark.
It is the sound of an insect gnawing on something..
shakily, shakily…….
The sound gets louder. I feel the darkness approaching.
It might be an illusion, but it felt like someone was breathing on the back of my neck..
I got goosebumps all over my body..
“majesty?!”
It was then. Lucas' panicked voice was heard from far behind..
No, is it the back? Is it next door? The direction is not clear. My senses are floating..
“majesty? Where are you, Your Majesty?!”
“I'm here. don't worry.”
I raised my voice while calming the flustered Lucas..
“Everybody calm down, turn on the lights.”
After a while, lights appeared one by one..
Hwareuk, Hwareuk.
Everyone lit the underwater torch and held it high..
Among them, Lily was so impatient that she used her flame magic to light up the darkness by creating fire at her fingertips. She must have been very scared..
shakily, shakily…….
As light appears, darkness fades away.
With the sound of insects gnawing.
I also found a light in my backpack and took it out..
Mine was a windbreak, or lantern in short. It looks sturdy, so it looks like Ader put some effort into it..
Grumbling-
When I lit the lantern and raised it upward, I could finally see a little bit of the surroundings..
“here is……?!”
“Oh my god, what is this??”
Listening to the surprised voices of the party members, I also swallowed my saliva at the sight before my eyes..
A huge stone city that is very old and weathered and looks as if it will collapse at any moment..
At the bottom of a dark lake sank this gloomy city, and we stood before its northern gate..
The red rusted steel door is tightly closed..
shakily, shakily…….
An ominous atmosphere emanated from the entire city. Lucas swallowed his dry saliva and looked back at me with a nervous face..
“Your Majesty, what is this place?…….”
“This is the stranded lake kingdom. It's a dungeon beneath the surface..”
I grinned as I glared at the tightly closed gates of the city..
“It is a den of monsters that we must clear step by step from now on..”
Although I was smiling, cold sweat was running down my back..
When I saw it in the game, it was just a little creepy, but when I got there in person, the atmosphere was quite scary..
It feels like an evil energy is emanating from the city itself..
Ancient magic surrounds the city like a dome, so the environment is identical to the ground. You can breathe and there are no restrictions on movement..
But this place is definitely below the lake. I saw the water rippling in the distance in the distance..
It's pitch black, so only a faint ray of light can barely pass through..
Lily stuttered, embarrassed..
“How can there be such a large city at the bottom of a lake? And how can we move like this?…….”
“Shh!”
At that time, Lucas urgently interrupted Lily..
“someone is coming.”
everyone looked that way.
Sabak. Sabak.
Someone was approaching from far away in the darkness. With feather-like footsteps.
Lucas pulled out his sword, and Damian took out his crossbow and took aim. Jupiter also gathered electricity in his armor..
“Heeeeeee!”
Only Lily was so scared that she trembled and tried to run away with her wheelchair..
Hey, where are you going from here? I grabbed the handle of Lily's wheelchair and held on..
“Everyone, don't be too nervous. Because it won't be the enemy.”
Sabak. Sabak.
It was as I said. The person who approached was a human, not a monster..
It was a woman wearing an old cloak and a hood. The woman came right in front of us and looked at us slowly..
“Are they grave robbers who came to this lake kingdom looking for treasure??”
A clear and refreshing voice flowed from the woman’s mouth. Unexpectedly, it was a very young voice..
“There is nothing here that you want. Please return to earth while you still have life..”
I entered the bottom of hell and suddenly met someone..
The party members froze in surprise. But I was calm.
This is a kind of tutorial event that helps players avoid getting lost when they first enter the dungeon..
‘When entering the dungeon for the first time, an NPC will guide you..’
NPC.
Even in the dungeon below the lake that has become hell, there are people who live without losing their sense of self..
Sometimes it helps with dungeon exploration, and sometimes it hinders it..
Become a temporary ally, be recruited as a very friendly hero character, or become a very hostile NPC..
There are over a hundred NPCs living in this dungeon, and one random person among them guides the player party to the first base..
‘But, this is my first time seeing him.?’
742It was an NPC I had never met in several rounds of playing the game..
‘Was there an NPC like this in this game??’
I was puzzled and looked at the other person closely..
she was a strange woman.
Even saying it looks like rags is not enough. To put it harshly, her entire body was wrapped in a cloak that looked like it was from a mat..
He covered his face with the tattered hood attached to his cape, and his white hair stretched out in curls, dragging on the floor..
My feet were bare, covered in dirt and soot and turning black. Even as a joke, it doesn't look hygienic..
And on his back is a worn-out long sword..
It was a long sword of a length that made it questionable whether that slender body could wield it, and it was a dirty worn-out item..
I played up to 742 rounds.
Of course, I met almost all the NPCs that can be encountered while exploring the dungeon..
But this woman was something I had never seen before..
Suppressing the rising sense of discomfort, I stepped forward and spoke to the woman..
“We come from the earth. To destroy the source from which monsters pour out..”
“…….”
The woman stared at me intently. Even though I couldn't see it behind the robe and her hair, I could feel her gaze clearly on me..
“The earth is suffering because of the invasion of monsters that have poured out from here. We are here to end this..”
“……The nightmare of the Lake Kingdom never ends. No one can wake up the nightmare. forever.”
The woman shook her head slowly..
“Great warriors and many heroes attempted to lift the curse of this place, but they all failed. You guys won't be any different either..”
“…….”
“Don't step into the darkness here. Return to earth before it becomes irreversible. Before I'm swallowed by the abyss, before I go crazy with regret…….”
If you were going to go back just because you said that, you would have quit the game a long time ago and gone back to Earth..
Instead of backing down, I took one step closer to the woman..
“I am the lord of Crossroads, a fortress city that protects against monsters. I have a responsibility to protect the city, and indeed humanity, from monsters..”
“…….”
“I'm not afraid of the dark. We must enter this city and destroy the monsters at their source..”
I pointed to the main gate of the city, which was locked..
“So I came this far, but the gates are locked and I can't even get into the city..”
“…….”
“If there is another way, can I ask you for guidance??”
The woman who was silently examining me eventually nodded slowly..
“What would be good? It is also worth watching to see whether your words are courage that comes from the heart, or whether they are just a fool's errand..”
The woman who turned around took the lead..
“Follow me. This is the road into the city..”
I shouted and asked behind the woman who was walking without hesitation in the dark..
“What should I call you? What is your name?”
I asked because I thought that if I found out the name, I could compare it with the information I knew and infer its identity..
But the woman's answer when she returned was unexpected..
“I forgot the name.”
In a slightly sad voice, the woman added.
“If you really want to call me... … Let me call you anonymous.”
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