Chapter 09
When Lucy quickly scanned the surroundings, she found quite a few hidden elements.
There were catapults and ballistae that looked like they could be placed on top of the walls and fired. There were also bombs that could be thrown at enemies like grenades.
‘Will these even make a difference?’
—According to my analysis, the catapults and ballistae seem strong enough to kill even rare monsters in one hit. If we let close-range climbers use them, they should at least be able to fulfill their roles.
‘Are there enough arrows and stones?’
—No. Since they aren’t sold in the shop either, they appear to be tools meant to get through dangerous situations.
The problem was how to bring those weapons out.
‘I might be able to pull them out alone.’
As my mana increased inside my body, I had grown a little healthier and stronger.
But not enough to take out all those siege weapons and place them on the walls by myself.
Especially not with only one hour of preparation time.
—Why are you thinking of doing it alone? Just have the others do it.
That was probably better.
While the other climbers were inspecting the walls for weak spots and repairing them, unlike me who was wandering around to find a good sniping position, I headed toward the group that looked less busy.
“If you dig down beneath that building over there, you’ll find catapults and ballistae stored underground.”
“…How do you know that?”
Without answering, I walked away.
I couldn’t maintain the mysterious “Black Reaper” persona for too long.
‘The early defense won’t be hard anyway. If they don’t take them out now, I’ll persuade them again later.’
But my worry was unnecessary. The other climbers immediately demolished the building and dug out the hidden weapons.
For some reason, the respect in their gazes toward me seemed to deepen.
[The 1st Wave has begun.]
‘Is it because it’s the first wave?’
The enemies were only coming from the east side of the castle.
—Initiating sniper support protocol.
With Lucy’s support, the monsters in the distance felt as close as if they were right in front of me.
—The black dots are one-shot kill points.
Since these weren’t elite monsters, I didn’t need to aim for the eyes.
Hitting the forehead or the heart precisely was enough to reduce their numbers quickly.
—Blink. Blink.
In the corner of my vision, the mini-map Lucy created was displayed.
Green dots representing allies were moving outside the walls.
‘It’s still early. Going out might be more efficient than just holding the walls.’
Just because the main theme of this floor was defense didn’t mean being passive was a good idea.
The Tower always rewarded climbers who aimed for better results.
It was just that the threshold for those rewards was often so high that efforts became meaningless.
—Their effort is admirable, but it doesn’t seem very meaningful.
Lucy was right.
Since it was only the 1st Wave, the number of monsters was small.
Before the close-range climbers could even reach them, the ranged climbers had already wiped them out.
—Bang!
—Bang!
One shot per monster.
As I kept reducing their numbers, the entire group was eliminated before the melee fighters could even touch them.
—Even though it’s the 1st Wave, the difficulty isn’t low. Compared to the 2nd Floor monsters, they’re clearly stronger.
‘If I can handle them all alone, they can’t be that strong…’
—Why don’t you consider the possibility that you’ve become stronger?
That was because strength and I felt far apart.
There was a reason I had been stuck on the 1st Floor for three years.
—I ran a quick simulation. Without you, there might not have been deaths, but there definitely would have been injuries.
‘That much?’
—You only aim for vital points from a distance, so you don’t realize how strong they are.
Am I… stronger than I think?
If I had a place to hide and snipe from, I might actually rank near the top among climbers on similar floors.
—You can have confidence. Even though you’re receiving my support, the fact that every bullet reaches exactly where you intend means you’re skilled enough to do so.
[The 1st Wave has ended.]
[1 hour until the next wave.]
—By observing the 2nd Wave’s level, we can estimate the 3rd Wave’s difficulty.
I hoped we would get stronger faster.
Each wave consumed an hour. If the monsters only grew slightly stronger each time, we might be trapped here for dozens of hours.
—It looks like they’re gathering to discuss strategy.
‘Then why aren’t they calling me?’
—They’re probably too intimidated. And honestly, even if they planned strategy with you, it wouldn’t change much. You’ll always be in the same position, cutting off the enemies’ lives.
Strangely, I felt more at ease not having to talk with them.
‘Should I rest until the next wave?’
I didn’t know how many waves there would be.
If the rest time remained one hour each, fatigue would become an issue.
—I’ll maintain the surveillance protocol.
I lay down on the ground and fell asleep.
—Bang!
The bullet I fired pierced straight through the heart of the last standing monster.
[The 3rd Wave has ended.]
[1 hour until the next wave.]
The level of monsters approaching the castle had risen sharply.
The 2nd Wave had more than three times the numbers of the 1st Wave, with two monsters at the level of 2nd Floor rare monsters mixed in.
The 3rd Wave had more than five times the numbers of the 1st Wave, along with many rare-level monsters.
Worse, monsters attacked from three sides of the castle, forcing us to divide our forces.
‘Should I be glad we didn’t use the catapults and ballistae yet?’
We had saved resources, which felt like a gain.
But if we couldn’t survive the 4th Wave, would that even matter?
—With a normal team composition, even the 3rd Wave would have been difficult.
Lucy was right.
It was embarrassing to admit, but we survived the 3rd Wave entirely because of me.
Even if ten people worked together, it would’ve been hard to stop all the monsters.
And they had attacked in three separate directions.
It was only because I could support all three sides from one position that we managed.
Otherwise, three people per side wouldn’t have been enough.
“What do you think? Can we clear the 4th Wave?”
—It won’t be easy, but it should be possible. You’ll have to exert yourself quite a bit.
We had cleared three waves so far.
Not many, but enough for Lucy to estimate the 4th Wave’s difficulty.
—Most likely, at least one monster at the level of the 2nd Floor boss will appear. Regular monsters will also be much stronger. Without using mana, one-shot kills might become difficult.
‘Should we use the catapults and ballistae?’
—No. We can defend without them. Your fully powered bullets are stronger than those siege weapons.
‘The 4th Wave is the last one anyway. If we save them, won’t it be pointless?’
—What are you saying? We should clear at least the 5th Wave.
Our ever-evolving artificial intelligence Lucy seemed to have bigger ambitions than I did.
‘Do you think we can?’
—We should decide after seeing the 4th Wave. But it’s not impossible.
‘Okay.’
If Lucy said that, then there must be a real possibility.
As a climber of the Tower, if there was even a chance, I couldn’t give up.
It’s not like I’d die just because I didn’t attempt the 5th Wave.
“Black Reaper. Could we speak with you for a moment?”
Several climbers had gathered below the tower I was standing on.
—Whoosh.
Though the tower was nearly 20 meters high, I jumped down without hesitation.
—3, 8, 9, 6.
Compared to the others, I might be weaker, but I still had mana.
Following Lucy’s guidance, I controlled my mana and landed lightly.
“What is it?”
“We want to discuss how to handle the 4th Wave.”
“I believe we can pass the 4th Wave without major problems.”
At my words, their eyes sparkled.
I had seen those same eyes before—
my younger cousins looking at my older brother as if he could solve anything.
‘Is this really okay?’
You’re climbers too.
—Most climbers aren’t stuck on the 1st Floor for three years like you. They’re probably chicks who were dragged into the Tower not long ago.
Why did that feel like a subtle attack?
“Do you have a plan prepared?”
“We were thinking of using the catapults and ballistae to hold out. Someone with a detection trait checked them and said if we used all the resources, they’d have enough firepower to easily kill one 2nd Floor boss-level monster.”
—To clear the 5th Wave, all climbers will need to follow my instructions. To do that, it’s better to build trust now.
The mini-map suddenly expanded, and Lucy’s simulation began.
—Click. Click.
In her simulation, teams of two guarded each gate.
Ballistae and catapults were placed at the east and west gates.
I provided support fire from the tower.
That left one person.
Surprisingly, that one person went outside the gate to lure monsters.
‘Is that even possible?’
—Based on current data, it’s a feasible strategy. It can be adjusted if new variables appear.
For the first time since Lucy reached singularity, I felt doubt toward her.
‘You want me to tell them that now?’
—This strategy is for the 5th Wave. For now, just explain how to form two-person teams and how to defend near the walls.
Lucy’s strategy was extremely detailed.
The plan was calculated down to milliseconds.
If I said it all out loud, I’d look insane.
‘So what exactly am I supposed to say?’
—Just set the tone. Tell them to handle the 4th Wave on their own. But say that if they follow your instructions for the 5th Wave, everything will be solved.
“The 4th Wave won’t be difficult, so I won’t give separate instructions.”
“How do you know the 4th Wave won’t be difficult?”
Instead of answering, I jumped back up to the top of the tower.
Because honestly, I didn’t know how to respond.
