Chapter 122: Defensive Dungeon

“James, Sanders, three of Xiaoming’s group, and three of Bernard’s group from Australia will explore the new area while we handle the defenses of the settlement. If we can find water, that would be for the best,” Andrew said.

“I can use water magic.” James shrugged. Water had never been an issue for him. He realized how blessed he was to have obtained a water mana core early.

“Thanks, James. Anyone else with water magic? No? Then that will be your specialization, Dehlia. You’ve obtained a mana core, right?”

“Alright. I’ll buy a water mana core now. Those 500 coins that we received sure were a lifesaver. Eh? I can’t buy it.”

“… You can’t buy it? Shit. This dungeon is nasty. When the system said we couldn’t access the shop, does that also include skill upgrades? Damn… Do we have to go through this dungeon without any potions or upgrades?” Andrew frowned as he opened his status screen. And indeed, all skill upgrades were grayed out.

While he was wallowing in frustration, James prepared to leave, but Andrew stopped him. “James, you can bring your raptor.”

“Hm? Are you saying I should leave these guys behind and ride my raptor into the woods?”

“No. If you find something, you can use your raptor as a pack animal. Maybe if you find food or something,” Andrew said. “Please return soon. We’ll need your water magic later.”

Now that he knew he couldn’t buy water or food in this dungeon, Andrew was reluctant to send James and Sanders away. They were his source of fire and water. But James was the strongest fighter—if they were ambushed in the forest, only he would have a chance of survival. Sanders’ unique skill could detect traps. Together, they had the highest chance of making it back alive.

James took his time leading the group toward the forest. The guild members from Andrew’s team stayed close. They knew James was the only one who could save them in a pinch, but the others from Bernard and Xiaoming’s team took initiative. Once they reached the forest, they spread out, searching for treasures.

James looked at the meandering forest. The trees lined up in a grid, unnatural and eerie. As they moved deeper and deeper, a translucent purple barrier stopped them in their tracks. They have reached the end of the area. They stared at it, stupefied. This area had nothing—no chests, no monsters, no items like portal or door keys. Only trees, stretching less than 2 kilometers wide.

“Did you find anything?” James asked the other group who had scouted the area. They shook their heads.

“What the heck, there’s nothing but trees here!” Bernard and Xiaoming cursed.

“Let’s return. Andrew and the others might need our help,” James sighed. His raptor clanked, as if to show the group’s disappointment at the vain search.

When the group returned, the settlement was the same as before. They had run out of logs to improve their defenses. Barely ten remained, and Andrew hesitated to use them. He knew the palisade they built was substandard. It would stop normal humans, but it wouldn’t stop monsters such as orcs or minotaurs. Heck, even a mid-level survivor could break them with a punch. Afterward, he created bowls out of three logs for all the people.

“James. Glad you returned. How was the trip?” Andrew welcomed him.

“There’s nothing but trees there,” James answered. He sat on a log, resting. “The next wave is an hour away. Any plan?”

“Nothing so far. The civilians here are all non-combatants.” Andrew looked at the forty-five civilians. The settlement might not have changed much, but he hadn’t been idle. He had interviewed all the civilians, asking whether they could use magic or how high their weapon masteries were.

Most had spear mastery, but all of them were below level 5—so no weapon skills. Since the shop was locked, Andrew couldn’t upgrade their skills either. Well, even if the shop had been unlocked, he wouldn’t have upgraded them. These civilians were not survivors.

When Andrew asked whether the civilians had unique skills, they instead answered with their life experiences. Some said they had worked as carpenters for ten years. Some answered they had been seamstresses for five years. Some said they had been farmers for fifteen years. All menial work.

That wasn’t the answer Andrew had hoped for. He also noticed that the number of civilians was rather suspicious. If he added the civilians and the survivors, it equaled seventy—the maximum number of people allowed here.

Andrew sighed at how he had botched this dungeon. But there was no escape now. He would have to roll with what he had.

“Hm… we need more logs, don’t we?” James said as the group lined up with their wooden bowls toward a floating ball of water conjured by him.

“Yes. If we had logs, we could make more—spike traps and small abatis. We’ve got the tools for it. Not the right ones, but maybe we can manage with saws. If only we had chisels, it would be perfect. But we can make do with knives or even swords.” Andrew said. He then questioned James, “Say, James… do you think you can cut down trees in that forest?”

James looked at him, and realization struck. He finally figured out the weird déjà vu he had felt inside the forest. The trees! Their trunks had the exact same dimensions as the logs provided here by the system.

“Shit! How could I be so stupid!” James cursed. But he couldn’t leave now as the timer was closing in. The next wave was coming.

It had never crossed his mind that he could simply cut down the forest for resources. In the previous dungeon, he had never needed to. Food and water were available. Some trees and background scenery were even protected by the system.

When the timer reached zero, another portal rose from the ground—this time on the opposite side of the settlement. Monsters began to pour out from both portals. They looked the same as before, but James noticed war paint on their faces and bare bodies. Red lines smeared across their skin, creating wild patterns that made it difficult to count their numbers.

James drew his bow and fired toward the horde. Then another. Then another. He alternated between his bow skills Homing Shot and Quick Shot. He hadn’t used the Triple Shot yet, because that skill destroyed the arrow.

“Everyone! Go to the south gate! James will defend the north gate!” Andrew rallied his team. But Xiaoming disagreed.

“Wait, James couldn’t possibly deal with them on his own. Let my team support him,” Xiaoming said. Bernard nodded. Together with their beginner weapons, they rallied toward the gate.

Explosions from fire magic blazed through the other side of the field. Sanders had upped his fire magic, and the result didn’t disappoint. A part of the plain was flattened by the explosion, taking many monsters in the process. Fire magic had the highest damage, Life leaned toward support, Mind magic leaned toward debuffing the enemy, Earth leaned toward defense, Water toward utility, and Wind toward speed.

As the horde grew closer, James breathed fire on them. His horn blared lightning bolts one after another, digging holes into their flesh.

James thought the warpaint was only for ritual, but when the enemies came closer, the effect of the paint became apparent. James had difficulty distinguishing one monster from another. They all seemed to blend into one massive organism in his eyes, their warpaint acting as a connecting point. Still, such tactics proved of little importance before his fire breath and sword skills.

James glanced at the pitiful, jobless mercenaries beside him and decided to let a few monsters reach the gate so they would have something to do. A roar then silenced the battlefield. A minotaur, several times larger than normal, so large that it had to bow its head to pass through the portal, came through on James’ side. Metal plates covered its rugged body, and its buffed arm carried a guandao—a Chinese glaive—like it was a dagger.

It dashed toward James. Golden motes of light shone from its blade. James blinked for a moment at the sight, confused. That monster didn’t wield the glaive like it was supposed to, so how could it activate a weapon skill?

James’ battle instincts didn’t let him linger for long. He raised his sword, and a red glow shone from it. With a lunar counter, he would dodge its lunge and counterattack. A single slash from him would melt its flesh. He intended to have a beef barbecue with this bull tonight.

The beef steak lunged toward him with its glaive.

“Brace!” The mercenaries raised their spears, preparing to lunge at the charging behemoth. The futility of their action was apparent as it charged toward the gate. With a single swipe, the northern side of the puny structure was smashed to pieces. The mercenaries who defended it were thrown around like ragdolls. Logs rained from the gate toward the civilians in the middle, all huddled in fright, like deer caught in headlights.

James’s skill propelled him upward, and the ensuing slash carved a deep gash in the minotaur’s back. The strike was soon converted to elemental damage, roasting the beef steak medium rare. It dropped to its knees. It was hurt but not dead yet.

James followed with another sword skill, this time from his black sword. Golden motes of light shone from it. Lunging, he aimed for its neck. The minotaur shielded itself with its glaive in vain as James cut through the weapon and beheaded it with his sword skill, Vorpal Lunge.

[Congratulations, you have cleared the second wave. 13 survivors lightly injured, 10 civilians lightly injured. 0 dead. The next wave is in 12 hours. You and the rest of the survivors have obtained 500 coins. You may use the shop function for 1 hour.]

“Hurry! Gather the wounded. Hou Yi, cure them. Dehlia, use potions if they are critically wounded.” Andrew saw the carnage and took action. His side of the battlefield only has mobs. Thanks to the palisade, the survivors could use their weapon skills and stab the horde to death. The fence took some damage, but overall he had won a flawless victory.

Now that the shop was only open for a limited time, he intended to use it to the fullest.