Ultimately, he decided to see what the other corpses had in store. Perhaps most intriguing was the deadweight husk. If researching it would grant him the ability to summon the same kind of beast, he could build a proper frontline.

It was set to be researched. This one only took twelve hours to finish, which was perfect. It would finish just before he goes to sleep.

Next on the list were the reward boxes.

The first one he checked was the ‘Wave 2 Reward Box’. Retrieving it from his inventory, the present fell before his legs. The lid blew off. A white light shone from within.

The first thing to float out of the box was a pair of grey fingerless gloves.

[ Staffbearer Gloves ]

[ Passive: Allows the user to attack with two spells in rapid succession. ]

[ Cooldown: 8 seconds ]

This item made it so he could cast acid spells twice with only a little delay between the two spells. It would neatly increase his DPS or damage-per-second.

There was just one small issue. His mana regeneration was already bad, but it was even worse with the staffbearer robe damaged. The eight-second cooldown was low, but it meant nothing if he could not recharge his mana in that time.

The next thing appeared from the chest, and to his surprise, it was another item.

[ Staffbearer Boots ]

[ Passive: Charges mana while moving. ]

It was simple and helpful, though Tanuki wondered how well it charged mana. It was an okay-ish tool for longer fights if it replenished one mana for every ten seconds of walk. Anything worse than that would make these boots useless. And perhaps it was his innate pessimism, but he had a hunch that would be the case.

For the first time, equipping an item triggered a message.

[ Itemset Found : ‘Staffbearer Set’ ! ]

[ - Staffbearer Robe ]

[ - Staffbearer Gloves ]

[ - Staffbearer Boots ]

[ Bonus: Allows the user to select a ‘Favourite Spell’. This spell grows stronger and has its mana cost halved. ]

Tanuki’s eyes and smile grew wide like he just got a present from Santa. The idea of itemsets with unique bonuses caused him excitement, he always loved collecting things, be those items or achievements in video games.

He wondered for a while. Should he favourite the ‘Acid Spit’ spell?

“Maybe it’s best to wait until I open the other boxes. Perhaps there’s a more useful spell in there.”

The remains of the box blew away with the wind. Next up on the chopping block was the ‘First Set Rewards Box’, his reward for killing the boss and completing the first three waves.

“This one better be worth it.”

Immediately, it was clear that this thing was different. The box that fell out of the portal was decorated with glittering gold. It was almost too pretty to be touched, thankfully its lid blew off by itself.

Golden light emanated from within. There were six rewards in this chest.

[ 1x Green Flora Token ]

[ 1x Green Fauna Token ]

[ 1x NPC Token ]

[ 1x Grid Token ]

[ 1x Lucky Coin ]

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

[ 1x Green Dungeon Key ]

It was a bit overwhelming, but Tanuki enjoyed being rewarded. Furthermore, he was ecstatic about one item in particular, the NPC token.

NPCs or non-playable characters in video games are entities that provide players with quests, company, and trading options. They were essential for most games that featured some kind of progression. He knew that summoning an NPC into this world would probably bring something new that he could add to his defences, not just as another soldier.

There was also the fact he would finally have someone to talk to. Despite only being here for two days, he felt as though he had lived those seventeen years of life without ever meeting another person. He starved for human interaction. A voice. A laugh. Even just hearing the breathing of someone would have given him the comfort he so desperately needed.

Not wasting a second, he took the NPC token from his inventory. It was different from other tokens, resembling the lucky coin in appearance.

He did not understand it at first until he tried using it. Flipping it into the air did nothing. There was something else he needed to do, and for it to reveal itself, he needed to look up.

He felt an immediate rush of emotions both good and bad when he saw that. He felt excited by the prospect of it being so gamey and unpredictable, while also hating that it was exactly like rolling for characters in gacha games.

Above his head floated the lovechild of a slot machine and a wheel of fortune. There were two parts to it. One changed the settings of the pull, making it so he could choose from a specific set of NPCs. He only had two unlocked, the [Beginner Companion Set] and the [Beginner Settlement Set]. Both sets had stars attached to them, indicating their quality. Of course, since these were the most basic of pulls and thus probably the lowest value, these were only one star.

There was much to process. For one, he was unsure about the idea of rolling for NPCs. It was more unpredictable than creating minions. There was the risk he might get something utterly trash that brings no value to the table. On the other hand, he could get insanely lucky and gain something that carries the next few waves without him having to lift a finger.

Perhaps he might even roll a legendary unit, like a tall goth girl with double-swords infused with ancient demonic magic that can tear the fabric of reality itself, travelling back in time to kill his opponents even before they are born. Either that, or he gets a coughing baby that dies in two days due to starvation.

Waving aside his daydreams, Tanuki considered his most important decision yet. Should he summon a companion that aids him in battle or a unit that helps him with settlement building?

Ultimately, he remembered that a more passive NPC was at better odds to bring new materials into his world. And which had it more likely, the cliché anime girlfriend with assassin training or Bob the Peasant Architect who knows how to build taverns and houses? Perhaps going with someone related to settlements might be the better idea.

He inserted the coin and pulled the lever.

The wheel spun around, making that obnoxiously catchy gambling sound.

Tanuki stared on with a blank expression. “I’m going to become a gambling addict, aren’t I?”

He saw many interesting faces. There were animal people, anthropomorphic creatures that wore distinguishable outfits. Peasants, officers, bartenders, et cetera. Also, many regular humans, mostly babes with pretty faces and colourful hair. Be that Tanuki was not religious, upon seeing some of the cute girls he considered praying to increase his chances of getting someone with large assets.

The wheel turned slower and slower until it was a question of the next two NPCs to show up. Judging by the speed of it, it would stop right between the two, with little to no telling which one it would be.

The first to appear was a gorgeous red-haired girl with dragon scales decorating her cheeks and two small horns emerging from the top of her head. She bore mischief in her eyes that was both playful and seductive.

When Tanuki saw him, he immediately fell in love. Those eyes, those beautiful eyes. In that moment, he saw an entire life with that person filled with love and children. So many memories fabricated themselves that though only a dream, they felt so real to the mind’s eye. Perhaps because they were meant to be made, and this was fate’s way of communicating it.

He yearned for that woman. He cared not for anyone else but those beautiful red orbs of hers.

Then he saw it.

The other possible NPC himself.

And though there was nothing malicious about him, for Tanuki, he was the destroyer of hopes and dreams.

His smile turned downwards and the burning passion in his eyes turned into cold Antarctic ice.

“No… Go away…”

A middle-aged man with a burnt-out expression and an enormous, floppy, bag-like nose hanging onto his mouth. He was less human compared to some other evolutionary branch that looked blockier and more depressed. He wore a straw hat, indicating that he was a farmer by profession.

Tanuki felt like crying as the wheel slowed.

“Please, God, just give me this one win!”

The small pin indicating which it would be almost came to a halt on the dragon lady, but slowly crept its way into the line separating Tanuki from a life of joy and mashed potatoes, finally pushing forward to the dully-looking man.

Tanuki fell to his knees absolutely devastated by the loss. Meanwhile, a portal opened at the end of the dirt road. A man left from within, wearing a dirty brown tunic and an aged straw hat. Tied to his back with a rope were a rake and a hoe, a rusty sickle on one side and small bags filled with seed on the other of his waistband. He looked up, adjusting the hat with his thumb and revealing those tired manly eyes and large nose that hung down to his chin.

“Hmmm,” he grunted, “This garden has been forgotten for a long time. It’s time to change that.”