5:50 am
It was at this moment that I realized that… I fucked up.
Ugh. How the hell did I forget to think that we needed a healer!? Seriously, this isn’t like what I read in light novels, web novels or manga. Come on man, it’s only those novels with MC who returned back to the past that started the action on the early chapters! Almost all reverse isekai started when most people acclimated with swords and magic! And I don’t know what kind of isekai genre sends a whole freaking country to an another world, but this seriously sucks!
I mean, I woke up at 12 am, got KO’ed by the d-core for 4 FUCKING HOURS, and I only have TWO MEASLY HOURS to understand the d-interface AND come up with a motherfreaking plan to defend at least the village! If I only woke up with a combat-oriented system! Then maybe I’ll have a better chance!
How in God’s name am I supposed to do that!? I’m just a below average high school grad who doesn’t know a lick of military warfare! I don’t know about other Filipinos out there, but I honestly think if someone overseas - now, overworlds - landed in my position right now, they’ll have a much more detailed plan than my non-existent one. If there’s a Filipino out there who hears my thoughts, sorry, I have an inferiority complex regarding my education even though I did my best.
“Tsk. Haah~” Damn it, I have to get a grip on myself, lives are on the line here. With a little bit of familiarity in my movements, I accessed the comms feature of the d-interface.
::Ava, do you hear me?::
The few seconds where she didn’t reply feels so long to me in my anxious mind. Finally, the moment that felt like eternity ended as Ava responded.
::Loud and clear, my liege. Is something wrong?::
::Yeah, I forgot to summon any healers, or are there medics in your Order?::
::There isn’t a dedicated medical team in our order but I could gather the medics on each squad to form an emergency medical team::
Thinking about the short term goal of acquiring medics for now, Ava’s suggestion seems to be the right choice. However, as we didn’t have any information whatsoever about the enemy side, this is a bit too risky.
I have too many questions about the enemy: How many monsters does the enemy have? What kind? Are there races that I have to be wary of? Are there magic-users there? Or only brutes? What kind of equipment do they have? Just their bodies? Stones? Could they use bladed weapons? How about ranged weapons? Do they know how to use guns? Siege weapons? Do they have a command structure? Are there any people(monsters, in their case) of interest?
And it would be too presumptuous of me to think that I knew everything on our side as well. Is the Dungeon system - I’ll call it that for now - what every Filipino has? If it isn’t then what are the others? Are there dangerous systems I have to be careful of? Are there cheat holders in our midst? Could everyone in our village fight? Do they have training? What kind of weapons do they have? Do we have enough supplies if we have to endure a siege? Are there any points of entry that I didn’t know about?
If I list everything, there would be no end to it. I’ll just trust my summon but also use my brain to help her out, miniscule though it was.
::Ava, I appreciate the thought but there’s no need to do that. I’ll just buy a summon. Thanks , though.:: I paused. ::Just continue with the plan. Don’t show yourselves for now, do that when you felt that the villagers really need your help.::
I know many might think I’m cruel by doing this. However, without a common enemy to set their eyes on, humans would just plunge into chaos. Much more so, in the middle of a crisis where many people could die, not because of natural disasters but humanoid hands. I have to prioritize the safety of my men before I think of stupid ideals like saving everyone. Although, to be honest I’m kinda scared if I did that, the summons under Ava or Ava herself might rebel against me in the future because of this.
::Understood, my liege::
Within a few minutes before the attack, I browsed the Protectorate section and this time looked for medics there. However, those capable of healing within my budget weren’t capable of summoning minions. Wait. Before I sink into despair here, am I thinking about this the right way? Didn’t I notice earlier that the d-interface seems a bit like too much of a company? You know with its organization and all. If I’m right about this, there should be a medical facility there for the dungeon’s employees. Hiding the dungeon’s existence be damned, if it means our survival.
Scroll, scan, scroll, scan, scroll, scan. This continued for a while, and finally, there it is.
Nurse’s Office
Designation: Recovery-type Facility
Rank: I
Cost: 5,000
Description: A complete basic recovery-type facility manned by a lone Rank-I Nurse.
Wherein cases of minor injuries not needing the attention of Specialists are treated.
Could be upgraded.
Designation: Recovery Unit(NPC)
Race: Human
Class: Nurse
Rank: I
ＨＰ: 10/10
ＭＰ: 100/100
STR: I
DEF: I
STA: I
AGI: I
DEX: I
ACC: I
SNS: I
INT: H
RES: H
Unique Skills: NONE
Skills: Healing Magic Rank-I
Doctor’s Office
Designation: Recovery-type Facility
Rank: H
Cost: 20,000
Description: An upgraded recovery-type facility manned by a Rank-H Doctor and 2 Rank-I Nurses.
Wherein cases needing the attention of a Specialist are treated. Could still be upgraded.
Designation: Recovery-Specialist Unit(NPC)
Race: Human
Class: Doctor
Rank: H
ＨＰ: 100/100
ＭＰ: 1000/1000
STR: H
DEF: H
STA: H
AGI: H
DEX: H
ACC: H
SNS: H
INT: G
RES: G
Unique Skills: NONE
Skills: Healing Magic Rank-H, Analysis Rank-H
Clinic
Designation: Recovery-type Facility
Rank: G
Skill: Dimensional Storage
Cost: 80,000
Description:
A 3rd rank upgrade of the basic recovery-type facility manned by 3 Rank-H Doctors and 6 Rank-I Nurses.
Wherein cases needing the attention of a Specialist are treated.
This facility has a Dimensional Storage full of medical supplies. Could still be upgraded.
6:15 am
Thank god I decided to be frugal. If I decided on a one-man army, damn I might be able to annihilate the monster horde but the villagers might die if there’s no one to tend to their health in the long run. Sorry if I’m too much of a coward, but I stand by my choice to always adhere to “safety first”.
Before selecting the purchase option, I changed the dungeon’s only floor. It’s now enlarged by almost a fourth of the village’s size. After buying the Clinic, the first floor now looks like this: On the opposite side of the dungeon entrance, is my living space, which stayed the same; Beyond the wall separating me from the others, is the Clinic; And the Wall - 3 meters tall and has enough space for the Order to maneuver comfortably in the top - located 10 meters from the entrance, which serves as the village’s last line of defense.
Checking the time at the stat interface, I found out that a few minutes had passed since 6:00 am. Panicked, I checked the D-Map and discovered that I’m halfway to bringing the neighboring village, riverside squater’s area, and the factory beside our village under the dungeon’s territory. But that’s not the issue, it’s the presence of many red blips in the Map indicating enemy signals inside the village.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
“Tiyanak~!” They’re goblins, unlike what the voice from the video feed said. Small-statured, green-skinned, pointy eared savage humanoid monsters. Sometimes compared to cockroaches because of their high fertility rate. That’s what the villagers are facing.
And the villagers aren’t capable of defending themselves. Instead of humans, they’re more like headless chickens waiting to be butchered. For now, the villagers incurred small injuries as the goblins aren’t even armed and weak enough to be defeated by normal humans. However, if this is how they are faring, they wouldn’t last in the 2nd wave of enemies. I’m sure of it, this isn’t the end, this is just the beginning.
Likely thinking the same thing as me, Ava and her group moved to intercept the monsters. Each platoon in the order was tasked with a single sector to protect: North, South, East and West. And as expected of trained soldiers, the Order of Darkness didn’t even break a sweat as they engaged the monsters in close-quarters combat, and yet ended each encounter in a few seconds. It didn’t last long for them to mop up the goblins in the village.
In contrast to the easy time the soldiers have at battle, the villager’s proved to be too much of a pain in the ass. In typical Filipino behavior, a few hardheaded villagers adamantly refused to leave their houses. I don’t know if foreigners were aware of this but EVERY.FUCKING.TIME a disaster happened in the Philippines, there’s always a Filipino who won’t obey the authorities to evacuate. However, unlike Filipino law enforcement officers, the men under Ava weren’t so patient enough to baby these assholes. Using those martial arts to knock them unconscious in a single hand chop to the back of the neck, they continued to evacuate the villagers towards the center of the village. The villagers were confused but they willingly - some forced to willingly - follow their saviors in black and red cyberpunk armor.
6:50 am
In the middle of the chaos earlier, I moved the d-entrance to the clubhouse. When the villager’s arrived there, they saw a foreboding portal that connected the dungeon to the outside world. Uneasiness was evident on their faces but without anywhere safe to go, they had no choice but to step through it.
Bit by bit, the space dedicated for the evacuated villagers was being filled as they trickled in. Those with injuries were sent to the Clinic as well as the elderly, PWD, and Pregnant women. Due to the monster’s appearance and the increase of the d-territory, I acquired enough DP to buy daily necessities for those who were evacuated. And I also set the DI-Management to automatically expand the first floor, to facilitate the other evacuees from the surrounding areas.
7:00 am
Before the clock had hit 7:00 am, the goal of securing the villagers of First Tree had been achieved, at least. Everyone’s faces were filled with tension as a loud sound from a war horn resounded. Then, a cacophony of rushing footfalls on the stairs leading to the dungeon, signaling the start of the real war, was heard.
They were a disorganized mob of varying kinds of monsters. Some were towering Hobgoblins with bulging muscles, while others were nimble and agile creatures like Wolves that moved with unnatural speed. The air was thick with the stench of death as they advanced, their bloodlust evident in their wild, bloodshot eyes.
If there's one thing that's clear to every villager present, it's that when those monsters bypassed the walls, they were dead. The bloodlust emanating from the enemy was so apparent that the Filipinos of peaceful times could feel it. The once tranquil atmosphere was now filled with a sense of impending doom as the realization set in that this battle would be unlike any they had ever faced before. Fear gripped the hearts of even the bravest men as they watched the Order of Darkness prepare to face this relentless horde of monsters.
On the other hand, Ava and her men maintained their cool. They were confident - likely a sign of their pride in their skills - but not too much, as they were still vigilant of their surroundings. Ava's team had faced numerous challenges in the past, honing their abilities and developing a strong bond. Their trust in each other allowed them to remain composed, ready to adapt to any unexpected twists that awaited them on the battlefield. With unwavering determination, they stood tall, ready to confront the horrors that lay ahead.
As the villagers felt the approaching monsters on the other side of the wall, many were confused about the inaction of their saviors. They wondered why Ava's team seemed to be waiting instead of immediately springing into action. Some began to doubt their abilities and questioned if they were truly capable of protecting them. However, little did the villagers know that Ava's team was waiting for the moment when my present to the monsters opened.
*BOOM!* “SURPRISE MADAFAKAS!”
Suddenly, a thunderous sound echoed powerfully inside the dungeon, and although the villagers couldn't see it, a wide swath of ground collapsed, creating five trenches, each 2 meters wide. Of course, that wasn’t the end of the traps I laid. Every single one of those trenches was filled with three different kinds of low-rank debuff traps, namely: poison, slow, and paralysis. Simple stuff, yes, but enough to hinder their advance. Kinda ironic that the DP these monsters generated is used to kill them.
And the Order of Darkness wasn’t incompetent enough to let such an opportunity pass. Without Ava needing to give a signal, the soldiers let Mana Bullets fly from their Mana Rifles. The bullets pierced through the air, targeting the weakened monsters with deadly accuracy. The combination of debuff traps and Mana Bullets proved to be a devastating strategy, ensuring that even the strongest of monsters in the horde fell before them.
7:20 am
Not much time has passed since the horde appeared but it’s clear as the fake sun in these floor: with a proper fortification and a sound strategy, a small group of capable men could defend against such overwhelming numbers. This is the plan Ava and I had come up with. Since it’s kinda impossible to defend the village - what with it’s non-existent-smaller-than-the-houses wall - I suggested to have the villagers evacuate in the dungeon. As it only have one entrance, the Order could defend the village without suffering any losses. Aerial attacks and underground attacks are rendered impossible since we’re inside a pocket dimension. Although the traps were last minute changes that I added.
Another factor for our victory were those cool futuristic rifles they had. It was so powerful, so I can’t say the odds are against us. I don’t know much about it but Ava explained to me that it’s more like a wand but in the shape of a rifle. Those magazines were apparently mana-batteries filled with mana, so there’s no worries about mana exhaustion. I also made sure to have the wall supplied with more mana-batteries as well as Health and Mana Potions. Hooray to D-Store.
And I’m once again swimming in DP~ I just found out about it but I could get DP in two ways: First is the Passive Generation. Depending on the strength of the individual, their generated DP would be either low or high.
The other is through Waste Absorption. Yeah, waste not just corpses. Since I used up too much of DP in buying the Clinic, I had to scrounge up DP from the corpses of the dead Goblins. I didn’t find the auto-collect option earlier, so I have to manually tap each dead body signal, and that’s when I tapped on a goblin corpse with a higher amount of DP. At first, I thought it was a higher-ranked species but looking at the DT-Management’s video feed, I discovered a dead goblin on top of a huge mound of garbage. It’s currently Friday and that’s two days before the scheduled garbage collection in Monday so the amount of garbage I collected was enough to buy supplies for the First Tree evacuees. Shut up to those telling me I’m cooking them in their own fat. I’m making the Philippines a cleaner place, damn it.
I then noticed on the D-Maps that new evacuees, likely from the neighboring Second Tree village and Riverside Area, are entering the dungeon. I asked Ava to do this if, and only if, they had the lee-way to rescue them after defending the villagers against the second wave of monsters. Hopefully the First Tree villagers never discover this fact but the reason why 2 platoons are out and about evacuating people, as well as the cause behind the frenzy of the monsters and their enormous numbers was due to an item I bought at D-Store: the War Horn of Chaos.
Remember the sound before the attack? It’s because of this. This war horn was a low-cost garbage-tier, or more like cursed-tier item that sends the monsters in the surrounding area into Berserk status. Kinda fitting since no one would voluntarily buy it, as long as they don’t have a death wish, that is.
I only found out about it’s existence because I thought of those monster attracting items for Monster Player Kills(MPK) in MMORPG’s. Telling Ava about this, she pondered and then she went to tell me the name of an item with this functions. The two birds I want to kill with this stone are, as you had guessed, DP and the safe evacuation of the evacuees from the surrounding areas.
And that’s just what happened, as the new evacuees were steadily entering inside the continuously expanding dungeon. To make sure the peace and safety inside the dungeon, with my latest windfall of DP, I’ve been building temporary three story apartment buildings for them to stay at. And in case someone’s wondering, the dungeon finally expanded to the size of the village aboveground, so no worries about overcrowding. I got so much DP right now that no one among the evacuees had to worry about food, clothing and shelter for a week, at least.
But, just let me say this. If this is a basketball game, we’re still on the first half of the first quarter - so first eighter, maybe? - and things had just started to get better on the first day of the season. Then why the motherfucking hell is there a goddamn DEMON outside the dungeon!?
::Ava, SITREP! What the hell’s going on out there!?::
I also opened up the Dungeon Territory Management’s video feed to look at the situation.
::On our way to escort the last evacuees from Second Tree, we encountered a Rank-E demon. It was looking for the Hero, which appears to be a female teenager in our group. We’re currently defending them with all we’ve got, but I can’t say if we would last at this rate.::
Damn it! Just a bit more and they’re on the dungeon but the demon’s minions we’re surrounding them. Unlike the monsters earlier, this bastards are Rank-G at the lowest. The mana bullets could kill them if it hits, but they’re too quick and agile for the Order to defeat. And since Ava’s team we’re still outside the dungeon, they only brought a sensible amount of mana-batteries. Once they’re out of ammo, the demons could easily kill them all.
Is there anything I could do!? I searched high and low in the DTM for anything that might get us out of our current predicament.
Please D-interface give me anything to save the evacuees, I promise I’ll do anything you want! At that time, I was overcome with desperation that I said this words. I think this became the trigger for the events that would happen sometime in the future. Whether that’s a good or bad thing, I can’t say. The only thing I could say is, I’m thankful that it happened.
Would you like to TELEPORT these individuals inside the dungeon?
Yes? or No?
As soon as I saw this, I immediately pressed Yes. Relief filled my heart as I saw the last evacuees outside the dungeon were sent inside. However, it seems I celebrated a bit too early.
With the remote viewing granted to me by the d-interface, I watched the following incident happen like in slow motion.
Seeing the other evacuees suddenly vanish before their eyes, the demons became more aggressive. Unlike their hit and run tactic earlier, they went to the offensive trying to break the protective wall the order had made. But that’s only a diversion. Like a bird of prey, swooping in from the sky with his wings outstretched, the demon landed in front of the the Hero, no, that is, I knew that girl… That’s Joanne De Rizal my fellow otaku.
I could only watch with despair, unable to do anything to stop the inevitable from happening.
*BA-DUM*
“You killed me! That’s why I’m reborn as the daughter of God!”
*BA-DUM*
“He died because he’s evil, forget him. He’s in hell”
*BA-DUM-BA-DUM*
You didn’t die, bitch. I made sure to hold back when I kicked you when you’re waving that knife around, trying to kill us.
*BA-DUM-BA-DUM*
And the old man should still be alive if I’m not late.
*BA-DUM-BA-DUM-BA-DUM*
It’s because of me.
*BA-DUM-BA-DUM-BA-DUM*
And again it’s because of me that someone will die. Please don’t kill her. I still haven’t achieved anything to be worthy of her. Get away from her!
*BA-DUM-DUM-DUM-DUM-DUM-DUM-DUM-DUM-DUM-DUM-DUM-DUM-DUM-DUM-DUM-DUM-DUM-DUM-DUM-DUM*
And once again, this excuse for a human being let someone dear to him slip away from his hands. She’s lying there with a large hole in her chest, bathing in a pool of her own blood. And yet here I am, wallowing in my powerlessness. The demons had long since been gone, now that they achieved their goal of killing the Hero.
::My... liege?::
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t answer as I looked at the two prompts in front of me.
Would you allow the individual Joanne De Rizal, to RESURRECT inside the dungeon?
Yes? or No?
The tears of joy welled up in seeing a second chance to save the one dear to me. Choosing Yes and set her respawn point here in my quarters. Similar to the way Ava got teleported outside, Joanne respawned here in the same manner.
As soon as her beautiful ruby eyes opened, I went to hug the tall girl tightly as I cried in relief when I confirmed she’s genuinely alive, here and now.
“Iz? Is this heaven? Did you die as well?”
“No, we’re both alive. But this could be heaven for all I know.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re letting me bury myself in your boobs. And you’re patting my head.”
She didn’t reply, but the two of us stayed like that for a while longer. I couldn’t let her see the cold fury in my eyes as I looked at the other prompt I received.
Would you accept the dungeon’s “Gift”.
Yes? or No?
Then I pressed yes, even though I didn’t know what would this “Gift” do to me. But there’s thing that I am certain of, I’m going to make sure you regret the day you hurt Joanne, you fucking demon.