It was almost poetic, as I watched it. We were playing tower defense, a huge castle behind us, with monsters coming one after the other thirsty for blood and destruction.
And to defend ourselves, we put on a few ditches.
No fire arrows, no boiling oil, not even big cannons firing their way—just some holes in the ground.
And it worked like a charm.
The mages could float, though they would get restricted by the traps. And after upgrading the structures, most smaller creatures died quite fast. So even if their numbers kept increasing, they almost never reached the ditches.
If I looked this way, the entire plan of leader Kurosawa risking himself to open those holes in the ground did not hold much meaning—it was almost wasteful. Yet the mages and smaller minions were not the targets of this operation.
One of the knights stopped a few meters away from the first ditch, and even though I was watching the scene from a screen from within the wall, the stare the monster gave Kurosawa made a chill run through my spine.
「Let’s use Hal’s skill as a distraction, something to unsettle and break the smaller creatures’ guards. It will also be a test to see if the loophole works.」
That was one of the things I said to Kurosawa right before the second wave started. Since Hal didn’t have offensive skills, it was impossible to use them to kill the monsters.
Since no restriction or punishment had been set, it meant that, at least for that round, we could use skills to do anything our hearts desired as long as it didn’t involve directly killing those things.
「How can you be certain the new monsters will be bigger? What if they are simply stronger mages?」
That was the message Kurosawa sent me after I detailed my first strategy to him.
Theoretically, he was right. There was no way to know 100% what the new monsters would be. However, the possibilities were restricted. There were only a couple of directions that Trial could go. Bigger and stronger monsters that dealt physical damage, or faster and more powerful ones that used magic attacks.
I just had to create countermeasures for both scenarios.
“If all you wanted was to get their attention, your plan succeeded.”
I heard Kurosawa’s voice inside my head, his words somewhat stiff and cold. If I knew him better, I would almost say he was afraid.
“One of them has a spear. It will likely attack soon, so—”
None of us had any time to react.
Before I could even finish my sentence, the spear knight threw his weapon with such an insane and inhuman speed the screen could not even catch its trajectory.
The armored knight aimed directly at Kurosawa’s and all people could see was their leader suddenly crashing against the wall, the entire structure shaking and trembling as if it was two seconds from collapsing.
As the man was thrown into the wall, dust covered the screen, blocking the view completely.
“…You better be alive there, otherwise you will be the weakest leader I have ever met.” It was as if I was throwing up my heart as I spoke, my body so frozen I was afraid to move and break my bones.
As the seconds stretched, the dust began to dissipate yet I could still not confirm if I was talking with a dead man yet. If Kurosawa died with only one attack, just like that…our situation would be far direr than I had previously anticipated.
Which meant a huge problem, one that would not be solved with sheer luck and foolish endeavors.
“You…if you're playing dead, you should at least warn me, you bastard. Some of us have better things to do with our times than to wait for your—”
“…I am not you to die in a pitiful way like this.”
I could swear to all and any god out there, my soul levitated out of my body and then got sucked back, right after.
Holy shit, I just lost twenty years of my life now.
“Scare the people like that again and they will demand new leadership.” I could not stop smiling, even if Kurosawa’s voice was weak and exhausted.
However, the fact that the man was not dead didn’t mean we didn’t have a problem. As the dust lowered, I was finally able to see for myself the current state of the man who was so proficient in getting under my skin.
Kurosawa Touma was hanging for dear life, the spear trembling as it tried to force its way into the man’s chest while he grabbed the weapon with both hands.
The moment the people saw he was still alive, there were small cheers and sighs of relief, however I was not sharing their happiness. Not yet.
I changed the communication, so it would reach everyone connected.
“Anyone on the line that possesses a defensive or buffing skill? Anything like a strength enhancement or armor would—”
“I do not need help.”
Kurosawa cut me, almost out of breath.
I blinked a few times, walking closer to the screen in case something else was happening that I was unaware of. And would someone look at that—the guy was still being pressed against the wall.
“Does your cool trench coat possess a hidden skill that will evaporate this spear for you?” I did nothing to hide the annoyance in my voice as I changed the communication back to a private line; just between us.
“No.”
“Will your trench coat protect you from having your chest pierced by such spear?”
“…no.”
Ha.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
The nerve of that bastard—and I was the one being called ‘fool’ left and right!
The man wanted to die so bad? I would happily kill him after the Trial. Yet in that moment, he was our main attacker and the person responsible for stopping those monsters from destroying the wall.
“For a leader, you are saying and acting in a very stupid way.”
It took a while for him to answer, something telling me he was talking with someone else at the same time.
It’s probably her, right…?
My eyes started to wander, searching for that familiar figure. Yet before I could find her, I shook my head and gazed back at the screen. No time to focus on such useless things.
“Watch closely. You, who were so adamant about belittling them.”
Huh? What the heck was he talking about?
Suddenly, Kurosawa freed one of his hands, his finger reaching something from his coat. I could see the strain on his face, the spear getting so close I would swear it was already piercing his skin.
When I finally understood what he was doing, I started to laugh. People around me looked at me as if I had completely lost it, some even taking a few steps away.
Hah…
I hated that guy.
Everyone then saw Kurosawa Touma getting something from his pocket and putting it in his mouth for a few seconds. Drinking as fast as he could, the spear getting closer and closer to ending his life. As light enveloped him and in a heartbeat, his left hand crushed the spear and broke the weapon in half, not two seconds later.
“Congratulations. How long does the effects last? Two minutes? Three?” His silence was my answer. I laughed again, passing my hand through my hair to not laugh again. “You better have packed a lot of those, because you have more friends coming over to play with you.”
“You must be mistaking me for yourself. I know what I’m doing, so you can watch and learn. Maybe then you can grow to be a decent player.”
“Go on then. You better give me one heck of a show so I can learn properly.”
It was funny. If I could, I would run at him and punch him right in the face simply for the fact he was annoying. The way he talked, his tone, his words—cool “Mister number one” seemed to know exactly how to put me in a sour mood.
However, as I watched more knights coming out of the woods, at least four with spears in their hands, while mages and the smaller paws were killed one after another by the arrows and the traps…I found myself rooting for him.
For I may be fated to be the fool, but Kurosawa Touma—
He was the hero in a trendy coat.
Kurosawa took one more potion, his glowing intensifying while mixing with different colors. Golden, blue, red, green, purple—it was a fucking rainbow. Two knights threw their spears at the same time, however Kurosawa managed to grab each with one hand.
And then he threw them back.
Each spear hit the knights right on their faces, their bodies being ripped out of their mounts. At some point, the knights wielding swords began diverging their attention to the structures, aiming at the operators directly.
With an unreal speed and strength, the leader started shooting rocks at the knights. They were not big rocks; they were practically crumbling dirt Kurosawa was grabbing from the ditches. Still, whenever he would throw them, the knights would fall and get dragged away by the sheer force of their impact.
Whenever the potions’ effect was about to end, he would drink more. The man was only able to kill the knights with one shot when the ones carrying spears threw them at him, so as the minutes passed, it became a war of attrition.
It took five, sometimes six hits to damage their armor enough so that the arrows would be able to pierce them. Nonetheless—
It was working.
The more the wave went on, the more people would gasp and cheer for their fearless leader, chanting his name as if they were trying to cast a spell.
For a split moment, I was envious.
Not for the fact a man such as Kurosawa was getting all that attention, not even for the fact people actually took him seriously and relied on him. Trusted him with their lives. No.
It was simply because they seemed to like him. Well, how could they not? The man was running back and forth after opening two ditches on the ground, deflecting the knights’ attacks back at them while sending his own.
As I watched him, I was impressed. Amazed. It would be strange if people didn’t react to that, to be honest. However, it was that genuine affection, the one being reflected in people’s voices and eyes, that got me.
That made me envy the man beyond the wall, even if for a few seconds. For such an affection was unfamiliar to me.
Then it finally happened. As the last of the knights fell...
[Congratulations! You survived the Second Wave!]
[You unlocked new structures in the Trial’s Store!]
[The third wave will start in 4:00 minutes.]
The moment the message popped up, Kurosawa Touma fell to his knees. Before I could even speak, the woman Aída was already jumping over the wall.
When she came back, people parted ways to give her space as she supported their leader and helped him walk. I rushed to meet them, more to confirm the annoying guy hadn’t actually killed himself out there.
Kurosawa Touma was barely conscious—
But he was alive, to my and other’s relief.
I saw as sweat ran down his face, while his body seemed to barely have any strength left. Not only that, but his complexion looked as good as one belonging to a dead man.
“Something tells me someone overused their dear potions.” Although there was some irony in my voice, I was actually happy Kurosawa Touma had gotten us through the second wave.
Even if his methods were suicidal at best.
“…until you perform better than me, I will take your remarks as apologies.”
That prick…
He managed to irritate me even with a shred of conscience left.
“This day may come sooner than you think, so you should treat me nicely from now on. After all, my plans worked.”
“Yet they were successful…due to my performance.”
“You can certainly speak nice words for someone who can barely stand.”
Before Kurosawa could reply, Aída shifted his body, turning him away from me. “Time to get yourself patched up, cap. You can continue your lover’s quarrel later.”
Then she winked at me and walked away, leaving a silent thanks between us.
After a few seconds, a fluffy head appeared at my side.
A cute demon seeking praise.
“Is this stupid smile on your face because your plan worked or because you got a little bit of attention from the lady?”
And what a cute little demon that boy could be.
“I’m smiling because it’s almost over and I want to rest.”
[A new rule has been added!]
[A new rule has been added!]
10 - Selves cannot use their shared skills to make impactful changes in their surroundings or to affect the monsters
11 - The amount of points that can be used in a wave cannot pass 600p.
Once again, the system was being far too predictable. Yet it was also acting in a stupid way.
Rather than shutting off any possibilities and hopes of us “Selves” making things a bit easier, it only kept adding rules after the waves ended.
Why?
Why not be unfair and ruthless all the way, why not completely break our will and crush our chances?
What was the real purpose of those trials?
“What will you do now?” Hal asked with both curiosity and worry in his voice.
“I make new plans and then we win.”
“And if your plans fail?”
“Then I make plans in case the first ones fail.”
“…I still can’t figure out if you are really stupid or really smart.”
Perhaps it was both.
“Is Hil alright?”
Hal lowered his gaze, his hands hiding in his pockets. “She is better. ”
“Good. Now you can both sit and relax because this last round will be by far the easiest of the three.”
I can’t say what exactly jinxed the third wave.
If it was Hal’s expression before we parted ways as if I was speaking in a made-up language. If it was how people around me kept looking in my direction with expectation as if they were waiting for the next over-the-top plan that would cost a lot of coins. Or if it was the fact I only half believed what I was saying.
Because barely two minutes into the third wave, all operators were dead.
And I was on the other side of the wall.