From the start, I knew the third wave would be different. Maybe it was my own intuition or my survival instincts kicking in, trying to warn me about things that could happen. Perhaps it was but luck; many guesses and theories overlapped each other until many plans and suppositions came into place.
And, in all honesty, none of those were enough.
[Ballista - Operational]
[Level: MAX]
[100%]
[Ballista - Operational]
[Level: 4]
[100%]
[Thorny War Hammer - Operational]
[Level: 3]
[100%]
[Thorny War Hammer - Operational]
[Level: 2]
[100%]
[Glacial Prison Rune- Operational]
[Level: 3]
[100%]
[Earth Titan Rune- Operational]
[Level: 3]
[100%]
[Mist Tower - Operational]
[Level: 1]
[100%]
[Thunder Dance - Operational]
[Level: 1]
[100%]
…
The traps were only effective against the mages, so I upgraded one of the ballistas to its maximum and bought two units of each of the new structures, placing one on each side of the trail. They were tall metal structures; one filled with small holes that emitted poisoned gas and the other much like a Tesla coil.
I was trying to think how those would be effective against the knights, and whatever new monster would pop up for that final wave. In the end, I could spend just enough money to upgrade one structure.
For some reason, I thought it was a good idea to decide that later.
[Third and Final Wave]
[Survive Until the End]
At first, things were going quite well. There was an insane and chaotic amount of monsters coming out of the forest, but the current structures on the map were handling them fine. I was even surprised.
“No signs of new creatures so far!”
“Checking back from the traps, apparently the new mages can feel our presence but they do not respond fast enough to locate us in time.”
“The new structures are damaging and killing off the knights just right—dude, it’s insane how they do it.”
The operators kept giving us updates, making sure the rest of us were aware of things the screen wouldn’t show. And for a little bit more than one minute, things went well. A lot of monsters were killed, the trial’s vault exploding with points.
It was amazing to see how the new structures would target and eliminate the knights, as well. The poison would enter the knights' armor, suffocating them to death, while the lightning bolts that would escape from the Tesla coils would immobilize and open their armor, making sure the ballistas could take care of them.
I could feel my lips curling into a pleasant smile as I saw those things perish, one after the other.
And for an entire minute, this was how things went.
Then, the numbers started to dim. Little by little, fewer monsters appeared until the trail was empty. I kept glancing from the screen towards the sky and our surroundings, trying to see if there was any message from the system that I was not aware of.
There was no way the third wave would only be that.
There was no way the system would make it that simple.
“Can you guys see something from there?” I asked all operators, my heart unsure if it wanted to beat faster against my chest or completely freeze in fear and distress.
I was trying not to admit it, to dispel the bad feeling that kept creeping and crawling within me. Trying to warn me; trying to prepare me.
“It’s weird…there’s this dark mist coming from the woods. I can’t really see if there is anything approaching.”
“Yeah, I can’t see either and I’m closer to the entrance.”
“Maybe this wave got bugged or som—”
No one saw exactly what happened.
Even myself, who was standing right in front of the screen with eyes wide open the entire time, could process what I heard and what I saw being displayed in front of me.
The operator who never got to finish their sentence was likely the one who got hit, a giant mace completely destroying the maxed-level ballista. Seconds after the impact, I could still hear them in my head, choking on their own blood.
However, the dying sounds of the operators—sounds desperately clinging to life when all they could see was a desperate death…
Those sounds, from within those walls, only I could hear.
“Did you see that….?”
“…where did it come from?”
“Look at the trees! They must be in the trees somewhe—ack!”
The mace suddenly gravitated, crushing the war hammer completely alongside the other operator. And as I choked with my own fear and incredulity, people around me began to lose their minds and scream, the panic spreading faster than fire.
It did not take long for that thing to come out.
“Ah…”
“It can’t be, can it…?”
Before any of us could witness the following attacks, the operators knew themselves—
They were all already dead.
The closest word I could think of to describe was a minotaur, yet it was still different.
Instead of a creature resembling a bull, it reminded me of a lion. A lion as black as coal, as cold and unforgiving as a ruthless darkness, with two sharp and long horns that curved in a sinister way. Its body was not only colossal, it was the definition of “power” itself.
As it walked closer and closer, reaching the beginning of the trail, I could feel the earth shaking and trembling beneath my feet. From the moment it appeared, everyone went silent with only whimpers and frightened moans escaping people’s lips.
For everyone could tell that thing was a materialization of calamity and damnation.
The creature raised its hand, the fallen mace returning to its hand with sheer force. In the monster’s hands, the spiked mace—that was almost my size—looked like a children’s toy.
A cute and funny weapon that seemed almost pointless when compared to the monster’s sheer size.
I only discovered the whereabouts of the invisible operators when the monster ran towards them, crushing their skulls and bodies into the ground as if they were nothing but ants and roaches.
From the moment that beast appeared, it did not take more than twenty seconds for it to completely obliterate all the operators and destroy all ballistas and war hammers.
People began to fall on their knees, speechless. Their faces did not show despair; everyone was past that. As they stared at the creature and what was unfolding before their eyes, the people within the walls were trying to come to terms with their own demise.
For outside the walls, there was no monster but a messenger of death.
My eyes wandered, shaken, as I tried to make sure at least my legs would remain still. I located the twins, Hal embracing Hil and making sure his sister would see nothing of what was being shown.
I saw Aída with Kurosawa on her lap, the man completely out cold. If I could break through people’s fright and make them listen to me, so I could ask if anyone had any skills or items that could be useful to us, perhaps I would’ve done so.
But the amount of time such a task would take—it was a time none of us had to spare. From all of those people, I seemed to be the only one left with some amount of strength to move my feet.
To do something.
“Throw me.”
And at first, I was not even sure that was my own voice.
It took a couple of seconds for Aída’s eyes to meet mine, her gaze unfocused as if she was still processing my words.
“What?”
“Throw me, like you did with that guy.”
Aída blinked a few times, our distance meaningless as the communication still worked, somehow.
“You mean…”
The monster grabbed the mace from one of the structures, its eyes shifting towards the wall. Dark smoke came out of its nostrils as it exhaled, its two legs turning towards it.
Then the creature started to run.
“Do it now!”
It took Aída almost two seconds to accept my request, a rush of wind bursting from below my feet and throwing me high into the air.
I felt my stomach drop, gravity soon taking over and making me fall. Yet I was falling to the other side of the wall.
From above I could smell the blood and see their corps better, limbs torn apart while others had been simply smashed beyond recognition. I could not even say those had been, at some point, human bodies.
As gravity slowly pulled me toward the ground, I heard the monster’s steps as it rushed towards the wall, raising its mace as it prepared for the attack. When it reached the ditches we had made on the previous wave, the creature jumped.
As I fell, the monster rose. Yet if I was calculating correctly, we would reach the ground almost at the same time.
And that thing would fall right in front of me.
My mind raced, memories rushing left and right as I tried to piece things together to make sure I wouldn’t have my head blown away by a mace the moment I touched the ground.
I recalled the current wave rules, the monsters I had seen so far, the state of all the bodies around me, our current objective, how the system had behaved so far.
The horned lion had its gaze locked on mine, and I swore I saw a sickening smile beginning to form on its black, full lips as the monster showed its bright, red teeth. They were so sharp, the idea of that thing biting me sent shivers all over my body. And as we both fell, I did the only thing I could think of—
I braced myself and shifted my body.
The creature swung its mace, its sharp thorns closing near my face and body with such hunger and menace I almost lost all strength in my legs. The weapon was so big, it would cover my entire body with one hit. Yet I had this final bet, one supported by my foolish endeavor and all the luck I could muster.
I saw one of the spikes come inches close to my face, almost piercing my eye. Then, a muffled sound echoed throughout the space as the mace bounced back with the same amount of speed and force it came down, throwing the creature out of balance as one of its legs tumbled backward, into the closest ditch.
[Warrior's Protector - B Class Armor]
[An item that once belonged to a powerful warrior; It shall protect its user from physical attacks.]
I saw as the horned lion squinted its eyes and roared and I knew I had seconds until the monster recovered. And sure, I had blocked the first attack, but that was only a B Class armor.
I had no guarantees it would keep protecting me from every heavy attack—I didn’t know the limits and how much damage the breastplate could sustain. I had to think fast.
I could not use skills, even if the rules allowed. I did not have any potions to boost me.
But I did have something else.
I opened my inventory, glancing towards one of the items. I clicked the first one that caught my gaze and shouted its name, and as I did two things happened.
The first one was a message from the system.
[Do you wish to activate this item? It will disappear after one use.]
I clicked yes.
[Active Skill - Blissful Freedom I]
[Uses per day: 1]
[Do you wish to—]
I gave my consent before even finishing to read the message.
[Which attribute do you wish to activate?]
The horned lion was already recovering its balance after barely six seconds had passed. I saw as it gripped the mace so tight, its hand’s veins and muscles popped up.
I barely had time to read the two attributes that were shining in front of me, I just pressed the one on the left. The one that had one word that I immediately recognized and thought couldn’t make things anywhere worse.
And as the monster raised its mace again, I heard a scream inside my mind. A familiar voice that surprised me by calling me by my name.
“Eun-Woo, dodge!”
She could scream and I could scream; no normal human would be able to dodge such an attack. Not with a monster with that amount of speed and strength.
The mace went down a second time, and the moment it hit it would split my head and body in two or perhaps simply mash them into the ground.
Yet instead of hearing and witnessing my death, what I heard was the sound of metals colliding.
[Passive Skill - The Fool’s Journey I]
[Active]
[You share the Destiny of Swords.]
[This card reached a new class!]
Above me, six silver swords floated, blocking the mace completely. And not only could I see them, but I could also feel them.
The monster roared at my face as if it was cursing at me. And all I could do was smile.
That system would regret not forbidding us to use items.