◈ 504. [Free Exploration] Kill me
When do you get game over most often in < Protect the Empire >?
Based on 741 attempts out of 742 attempts, 741 failed.
Of course, it is in the very beginning when the game explodes the most.
In the beginning, there is an enemy that is difficult to deal with, and misfortune and mistakes cause the main hero to die and accumulate damage.
In the early days when all resources are scarce, one small loss can cause a huge snowball. So, it was in the very early stages when the most game overs occurred.
If so, past the very beginning.
What is the next most common game over?
‘It’s time for the front to stabilize.’
A time when awakening heroes join the party, ending equipment comes into hand one by one, and various resources start to work organically.
By the time I thought that if I had progressed to this extent, I could safely defeat any crisis.
Right now – end of year 2, beginning of year 3.
At this time, the game explodes with a high probability.
Most of all, it is because you will make a fatal mistake-‘carelessness’.
Even if a hero whose awakening is over and equipment farming is over, he has no choice but to die if he is surrounded by a large number of monsters.
Even a fully upgraded castle wall will collapse in front of waves of siege monsters.
A little inattention, thinking that it will be okay now, ruins the game in an instant. As a frontline commander, I must not let go of my mind even for a moment.
… That’s why I’m embarrassed now.
‘I’ve never been careless!’
He brought the best party and was always prepared for emergencies.
Especially since the second half of the second year to the beginning of the third year is the most vigilant period in my experience.
Of course, the case of being attacked by a monster was assumed.
How many nightmare corps commanders did you encounter here in the dark? There was also an escape plan prepared for that.
but… What is this?
The torches and lanterns went out all at once. Until there, it can be done.
However, the [Blue Flame Torch] I was holding is a special torch with an option that never goes out.
No matter how strong the wind blows, it is a torch that does not go out even if it is hit by water.
The lights are gone.
So to be precise, the fire didn’t go out – it was close to destroying the torch itself.
The concept of ‘darkness’ overshadowed us, and all items capable of emitting light were neutralized.
In an instant, muddy darkness fell. I exclaimed urgently.
“Each of you have a means to emit light!”
Before I could speak, my alert party members were already lighting up the light using their own methods.
Hwaaak-!
Lucas drew the sword of light, and Evangeline summoned the spirit of flame enchanted on the spear.
Junior fired a thunderbolt and a muzzle flash erupted from Damian’s muzzle.
But – it’s too late.
The party members, each with a flash of light, were swept away by the pouring darkness and scattered. The darkness poured down like a flooded river and threw us away.
And even the weak light emitted by the party members was covered.
The party members saw me and shouted something. but haven’t heard it yet.
I was swallowed up by the torrent of darkness.
***
Slow down. fade. fade.
The sound of insects gnawing something.
It was a familiar sound made by the darkness that covered the Lake Kingdom.
The sound gradually grew louder. As I listened, the bug sound took the form of a language. It amplified and became clear in my ears.
die.
ruined
explode
Dying, dying, exploding, dying, dying, exploding, dying, dying, exploding, dying, dying, exploding, dying, ruining, exploding, dying, dying, exploding, dying, exploding, dying, exploding, dying, exploding, dying, exploding
“… .”
I remember hearing this curse word.
When facing the Vampire King in Year 1. When you enter the shortcut, the ‘Loser’s Road’… … That’s the voice I heard then.
‘I’m not dying, you bastards.’
I don’t know who is the subject of pouring out these curses.
I gritted my teeth and repeated to myself.
‘Neither destroyed nor exploded.’
With just this amount of curse.
With only this much darkness.
If I tried to stop us, wouldn’t that be a very disingenuous attempt?
It has fought a hellish battle against all tangible threats. The depth of the struggle they have been through is by no means shallow to kneel down to such intangible fear.
Hwaaaaah-
I felt my inner mental barrier working and offsetting the pouring curse.
My passive [Indomitable Commander] was an open fire skill that became even more valuable as it progressed towards the second half.
It was because it was blocking the mental attacks that could come at any moment.
But even if I’m fine… … Will my party members be okay?
Worry about that for a while. I suddenly realized that my body was sitting somewhere.
in pitch black darkness. Even with my eyes wide open, I can’t see anything.
However, because of that, my hearing became extremely sensitive-
again. again. again.
I could clearly hear footsteps approaching from afar.
I glared in the direction of the sound of footsteps.
Soon, the sound of footsteps stopped somewhere far away. and.
“Do you know where the darkness that hangs over the Lake Kingdom is?”
came the cool, refreshing voice of a young woman with a slightly split end.
I replied angrily.
“Does the darkness still care about imports and domestic products? If it’s the darkness over the Lake Kingdom, it must be the darkness from this town. Why, if it’s a foreign darkness, it’s even more expensive?”
Then the voice of the invisible opponent laughed softly.
“If it were an ordinary darkness, you would be right. After all, darkness is simply the absence of light.》
“… .”
“However, the darkness here is not that simple. It’s the result of a curse, and it’s real malice.”
The approaching footsteps sounded like they were sitting somewhere in front of me.
“Yes, it can be said that it is an imported product. Isn’t it from this world?”
“… ?”
Rather, I was perplexed. You said my dog drip was real? Does darkness make an income?
‘Oh really! These days, I keep playing settings that I can’t understand!’
I’m not interested in setting up? Just let me clear the game!
《The darkness of this other world is very interested in you, Player. Just like I care about you.”
The voice chuckled.
“So, from now on, try to guard the light a little better. If not, then again… … Because you will be caught by the opponent with impure intentions.》
“… .”
“Oh wait. Can I burn one?”
The opponent in the dark said so, then rummaged around… .
widely. widely. widely.
Chiik –
lit a match.
In the pitch-black darkness, the light of a small match felt almost like a firecracker. The dazzling match was slowly lit by the opponent at the end of a long smoking pipe.
“… .”
I stared at the opponent who was leisurely lighting a cigarette and chopping tobacco. It was clearly visible thanks to the bright match fire.
She wore a robe with wide sleeves and a crown decorated with small beads, and her face was covered with a large amulet attached to the crown.
Undead who have lived in pursuit of eternal life. Lich Archmage.
The 3rd rank corps commander, the Great Emperor of Magic – White Night was there.
Soon after, the white night prepared all the tobacco in the smoking pipe and finished preparing to smoke it, and held the amulet that covered my face with my fingertips.
“excuse. You can’t cover your face while smoking.”
Then, he took off the amulet.
Under the amulet, a pale moon-like pale blue face was revealed.
Kang Shi (僵尸).
A high-ranking undead created by Eastern sorcery.
Even though it must be the body of a corpse… … Unexpectedly, her face was beautiful. Had it not been for his blue complexion, he would have been believed to be a living person.
The white night then took off even the crown it was wearing.
As the angular hat disappeared along with the long bead decoration, the neatly tied braids from the top of her head flowed down her back.
《Phew!》
Putting the smoking pipe in his mouth with a much more relaxed expression, Baekya slowly sucked in the cigarette and then slowly spit it out.
It smelled eerily sweet, probably from tobacco with a magical touch.
I continued to smoke satisfactorily with a relaxed face, and the midnight sun ah! It made a sound. Her cat-like three hundred eyes narrowed.
“sorry. The introduction is late. Call it the midnight sun.》
“I know.”
《Have you met another me already, player?》
The white night gave me a sly eye smile. The red makeup applied around the eyes is annoying… … More than that, does Jiangshi even smile these days?
“… .”
I remembered another white night I had met before.
The undead lich midnight sun realized the finiteness of the body after pursuing eternal life.
So, instead of a body that will one day disappear, he tried to gain eternal life by inserting his brainwashed consciousness into a mechanical device.
The research was successful, and White Night succeeded in converting her consciousness into data and putting it into the machine of the Mage Tower.
It was at this very moment that a problem arose.
The White Night of the material world (this bastard in front of you) remains inside the body of Jiangshi, who has been researching for so long.
The white night of the cybernetic world (that bastard of the Magic Tower) who obtained an immortal mind just as he had hoped for.
One mind was thus divided into two identical entities.
According to the original agreement, in order to maintain the uniqueness of existence, the midnight sun of the material world should have committed suicide… … However, the midnight sun of the material world refused to die.
In fact, if you think about it, it makes sense. A lich is an undead wizard who fled from death.
Even if the other me is immortal, there is no reason for ‘me’ to die.
So the two white nights separated from each other, and the white night in the material world committed suicide under the command of the demon king. He was reborn as the commander of the Nightmare Corps.
The Midnight Sun of the cyber world still guards its mage tower and continues its research there.
I met the white night of the cyber world first and promised to cooperate with the skeleton in the monitor.
Instead of receiving various help from her, he decided to kill the white night of the material world right in front of him.
In this situation, the midnight sun of the material world approached me.
‘… It’s confusing because the other two have the same name.’
Can’t one person be renamed to Black Night? or shoot
Since two people with the same identity are doing this, I am getting more and more anxious about being caught in the middle.
《Whoa… … .]
The white night, which once again blew out a long smoke, chinned.
“So, how was it when you met me? Am I trapped in the Mage Tower?”
“At least I didn’t smell cigarettes.”
I dissatisfiedly waved my hand away to disperse the smoke coming my way.
“Weren’t you lich to live forever? But can I smoke like this? Statistically, smokers die faster than non-smokers?”
“You have an immortal and incorruptible body, so is there any reason to be reluctant to smoke? Rather, it’s better to do bad things that you couldn’t do easily when you were a living being.”
The next moment, the white night snapped her fingers. Fuck!
Then, a line of fire broke out right next to it. Looking over there, there was a long table and dozens of candlesticks on the table were all lit up at once.
The table was full of delicacies that had never been heard of before, as well as all sorts of luxurious bottles of alcohol that had never been seen before.
The Midnight Sun beckoned again, and one of the bottles floated into the air, filling the two crystal glasses beside it.
The Midnight Sun picked up the flying crystal glass and sent one in front of me.
“Would you like a drink? I think that’s how a sincere story will come out.》
“There’s nothing like a sincere story to talk about with you.”
“It’s sad. While talking about this and that with the other me.”
Baekya grumbled and gulped down a drink.
《Kya~! good night! I don’t know about the Lake Kingdom here, but the one drink is amazing.》
“… .”
Baekya poured alcohol into his stomach and continued to smoke a cigarette. The snacks on the table are also delicious.
Something is getting farther and farther from my imagination.
Said to be an undead archmage seeking eternal life. I thought it would make me feel like a religious seeker.
But why are you so sincere about things like smoking and eating and drinking that would hang people in real life?
“Originally, I hadn’t seen anything like this. I didn’t care about bodily pleasures. Because I was only immersed in the study of magic.” Midnight
murmured as she swallowed the fruit on the table with her long tongue.
《But then, the moment when I finished research on eternal life and copied and moved my consciousness to the cyber world.》
“… .”
《The moment when I witnessed that only “that guy” who copied me, not me, had reached the utopia I had spent my whole life building.》 It was
n’t the satisfaction of the meal that came to the face of the midnight sun as he greedily devoured the food and alcohol on the table.
《I realized it the moment I stayed in this reality without going to the immortal world.》
It was a sense of loss.
It was close to a hunger that could never be satisfied.
《What I’ve done my whole life has been nothing more than a sacrifice for ‘someone else’, not me.》
“… .”
《The guy who copied me in that utopia told me to commit suicide. I made up my mind then.”
The white night smiled.
《I’m going to live my own way without X.》
“… .”
“Do not be ridiculous. why do i have to sacrifice I’ve been toiling through this long life and I’m the one doing this fucking research on immortality. He was just a lucky copy!”
Darkness rose like a mist around her as she snarled fiercely.
After a while, the true white night glanced at me and smiled again.
《Well, at this point, you must have noticed why I brought you here to talk about this.》
“… okay.”
The reason why I don’t bother attacking me and talk like this is probably because I want to request the same thing that another white night commissioned me.
That content is right-
《Kill another me.》
This is it as expected.
The two lich wizards who were copied and split wanted the same thing from me.
Ask the other side to kill themselves.
Crossing my legs, I asked slowly.
“Why should I?”
《If you do, I will rebel against the demon king.》
“… what?”
I frowned. The white night put a hand on my chest and continued.
《I, the commander of the third-ranked corps, the Great Emperor of Magic, White Night… … And the entire Lich Legion under his command. I will rebel against the demon king and strike him. And I will fight with you on your side.
”
《Above all, I have the means to kill that demon king.》
“… !”
《How is it?》
The mysterious smile on Jiangshi’s pale face grew thicker.
“Isn’t that a pretty good suggestion?”
