Chapter 106

Chapter 106

Vrooom.

The blue portal faded away.

In the last round, it was Baron Jorge who informed me about the portal. Since he was the one who discovered it, I thought it was only right to return the favor by saving his people.

Well, now that the portal is dealt with...

“Let’s get back to work. Oh, and for the record, I didn’t mean to imply I think of you all as livestock. You get what I mean, right? I was just referencing the apple analogy from earlier...”

“...I understand.”

Baron Jorge nodded solemnly.

If he doesn’t see me as a dimensional chauvinist, then the thoughts running through his head are obvious. He’s probably wondering, “How does this guy know all this?” And my indirect answer was, “Don’t ask.”

Does it really matter how I know? The important thing is to survive, right?

***

Time flew by.

“Are we really just supposed to smash through like this?”

“Apparently. We’re supposed to connect the rooms...”

“Hmm... is this right?”

“Didn’t you see that guy earlier? He seemed like a total nutcase. Just do it.”

The players had begun the ‘giant room’ project. Naturally, without a detailed explanation, they were probably thinking, “Why are we even doing this?”

“What are you doing over there?”

“Uh, well...”

“I see hammers. Get on with it!”

“...Yes, sir.”

If I went over and glared at them, they cooperated eagerly. That’s right, just shut up and work.

Why don’t I tell the other players about the future? The reason is simple.

Yoon Jung-hyun, William Smith, and Baron Jorge are competent. They can think critically and make sound judgments. They weigh the pros and cons of what I do and cooperate actively because they’ve figured out it’s beneficial.

But not all players are guaranteed to be like that. Most would likely react in a one-dimensional way, thinking, “Is this guy crazy?” and resist. And it’s better to be perceived as just a “madman” than as a “lunatic who thinks he knows the future.” The former earns fear, while the latter earns disdain. Given the choice, I’ll take fear over disdain any day.

“Break the walls carefully, making sure the ceiling doesn’t collapse. Got it?”

Regardless of the players’ enthusiasm, the work progressed incredibly quickly. Breaking through stone walls by brute force is tough, but with gloves, it’s not impossible. Besides, most players are very strong. Since only close combat weapons are available in the tower, most people have put points into strength.

-112:14:11

By the time the sun was setting, the demolition work was complete. It was a straightforward job of smashing walls, requiring no special skills, so the outcome was inevitable.Th.ê most uptod/ate novels a/re published on n(0)velbj)n(.)c/o/m

“Alright, now...”

“Now?”

“Rest. That’s enough for today. You can maintain your weapons or have a meal. I’ll see you in the morning.”

With the unnecessary processes of exploring the castle, fighting among ourselves, and negotiating opinions removed, we have plenty of time. We also need to match the tempo with the otherworlders. Tomorrow’s tasks can’t be completed by the players alone.

“Well, if we’re done...”

“Hey, let’s explore the castle a bit more. There might be hidden pieces.”

“Shall we?”

The players scattered in small groups. By the way, I already collected all the hidden pieces long ago. The ‘emergency escape stone’ that Yoon Jung-hyun should have found is safely tucked away in my subspace. They can search all they want; they won’t find anything.

With the interior done...

I headed outside to the main gate, where the construction was nearing completion.

“Baron, how’s it looking here?”

“See this. Is this sufficient? As you said, even if monsters appear, the main gate should be secure. We’ve also roughly reinforced the side gates...”

Under the sky tinged with the colors of sunset, Baron Jorge showed a satisfied smile.

The first day was over.

“Leave them be.”

However, I am not a tyrant. I had no intention of crushing the players completely. I was only suppressing their autonomy temporarily out of necessity. If someone came up with a genuinely novel idea, I would be willing to accept it.

Of course, the most novel idea was mine.

After waiting on the castle walls for about 30 minutes in the biting wind, signs of monsters finally began to appear.

“Hey, man. What do you think you’re doing? And more importantly, who are you? You haven’t even told us your name...”

“Shh. Shut up for a moment.”

A player had taken the initiative to confront me, but this was no time to get bogged down in petty arguments.

“Is there any woman here who believes she has a protruding chin? Someone who is good at handling fire...”

“...It’s not that protruding.” The woman complained.

“Alright, look over there and shoot your flames.”

I called forth the woman who could handle fire and instructed her to shoot a fireball in the direction I pointed.

“Huff!”

Whooosh!

Just like in the previous round, the fireball flew through the darkness.

“Ah, damn it. I can’t take this anymore. Is this a joke to you?”

“Hey, you. Get out here. Do you think being strong is all that matters?”

Ignoring their complaints and suddenly sending a fireball into the air was the last straw for some players, and they were ready to explode.

“Uh...?”

“Did I see that right...?”

The brightly glowing fireball illuminated an uncountable horde of monsters.

And then... it gradually faded away.

“...”

“...”

The players were speechless, shocked. They rubbed their eyes, unable to believe what they had just seen.

Suddenly? Monsters? So many of them? Come to think of it, the mission was about survival... And could the construction work they had been doing be related to this?

The moment the players realized something, their eyes widened in astonishment.

“Nice to meet you all. I’m Kim Jun-ho.”

Finally, after three days, I revealed my name. There was no point in telling them earlier, as it would only have earned me more scorn.

“I never explicitly said it, but from the moment we were first summoned to the 4th floor, I foresaw this situation. That’s why I planned all these measures in advance. Think back on everything I instructed you to do. Now, think about the horde of monsters approaching us.”

I walked slowly along the wall, making eye contact with each player. Those who met my gaze quickly looked down at the ground.

“It seemed like there were a lot of complaints earlier... Does anyone still have any objections?”

“...”

The castle was now utterly silent. Everyone was watching my mouth move with trembling eyes.

“It’s good to see that everyone understands.”

I could sense their emotions.

Shock. Fear. Confusion. Admiration.

And... expectation.

The hope that I would protect them—

“Alright, let’s start preparing before the monsters arrive.”

The effect of the Hero Trait activates! The effect of the Hero Trait activates! The effect of the Hero Trait activates! The effect of the Hero Trait activates! The effect of the Hero Trait activates!

—I had no intention of letting them down.

– – – End of Chapter – – -

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