Chapter 11: [Side Story] The Fortress City, Crossroad

Rattle. Rattle.

Yaaawn

I yawned in the shaking wagon.

It has been three days since we started marching north, back to the base.

The schedule was delayed because we were moving slowly due to the number of injured people (especially me).

So tedious

I groaned and buried my back in the seat of the wagon. I had lower back pain because I was sitting down all day.

Lucas! Are we there yet?!

We'll arrive very soon, Your Highness! Please wait a bit longer!

When I shouted at Lucas, who was driving the wagon, the answer I had already heard five times came back as a response.

What is this, a delivery service? He's been saying the same thing over and over!

Sigh

I sighed and rolled over on the sheet, then touched my neck area which was making a jingle noise.

There was a necklace.

With my hands that were still bandaged, I untied the necklace and held it in my hand.

I wasn't sure if I could even call this a necklace, it was more like a choker. It is made of black leather and had a metal ornament hanging down from the center.

'The clear reward for the tutorial stage.'

I acquired this thing from the reward box, which came into my inventory after clearing stage 0.

I wasn't even sure what inventory was. It turned out to be some kind of a different dimensional pocket that appears from thin air.

I thought I saw this in Doraemon. Well, I guess it makes sense since this is the game world.

[Necklace of ???]

The function has not been unlocked yet.

Available after the story progresses.

I frowned as I looked at this suspicious necklace.

There were no rewards in stage 0 as far as I can remember because the stage was unclearable.

But I cleared it, and I received a reward box for the clear. I opened it and got this thing. However, I don't even know where or how to use it

'Well, I'll find out its use sooner or later.'

I equipped the necklace around my neck again.

It is quite useful for covering the burn I got from the last battle around my neck. It was the least injured part, but it did leave a scar in the end.

'Alright, done with this item. Moving on'

I opened my status window.

[Ash (EX)]

Level: 5

Title: Nasty Prince

Class: Novice (You can now choose your class!)

Strength 2 Agility 3 Intelligence 5 Stamina 2 Mana 3

Hmm

I let out a groan as I looked over the stats that have risen in distribution. It was too miscellaneous to be a specialized character, and the stat increases were too low to say they rose evenly.

The stat increases in this game are fully automatic.

Although the characters used in the battle will earn some stat increases, the stats may increase randomly.

'Personally, I prefer a bruiser.'

A well-balanced character capable of attacking and defending is called a bruiser.

And the unit with the highest survival rate in this game is the bruiser.

I was thinking of developing myself into becoming a bruiser, but my stats increased like this.

If I just looked at the stats, then it does look like I can choose the mage class, but then the other stats are too miscellaneous

'I haven't even decided on the class yet.'

Because the class choice I I received was unexpected, I wasn't able to choose the direction I wanted to take with my character. I opened up the class window.

All characters are assigned a class at level 5 (all characters start at level 5 or higher in the game, and additional class advancement is possible every 15 levels thereafter.

First-class advancement at level 20, second-class advancement at level 35, and final-class advancement at level 50.

However, I started out at level 1 in this game and was finally able to choose a class after becoming level 5.

[Available Classes]

Beginner Knight

Beginner Magician

Beginner Priest

Beginner Swordsman

Beginner

The list was just endless. I saw every single class that existed in this game.

So, like. I guess I can choose whatever direction I want with this character. I'm like a Wild Card or somethin'?

If that was all, then I would've just picked a class that fit my needs. However, the real problem laid at the end of the list.

[Available Classes]

Beginner Commander {Special Class unlocked for clearing 'Hell Ironman'}

A class that I had never seen while I played the game was on the screen.

'Commander?'

Special Class unlocked for clearing 'Hell Ironman'? I guess it's some kind of hidden class.

However, it wasn't guaranteed to be a great class, just because it's a special, hidden class. Rather, there's a huge chance that it could be a trap.

If I were to take a class I have no information about, it could lead to my ruin.

And so, if that was everything, I would've just ignored it and gone for a safe class, but

Skills learned

} Passive: Indomitable Commander

} Skill 1: ??? (Unlocked after first-class advancement)

} Skill 2: ??? (Unlocked after second-class advancement)

} Ultimate: ??? (Unlocked after third-class advancement)

The problem is this skill I have!

The skill I acquired from awakening in the last battle was called [Indomitable Commander]. Isn't it basically telling me to take the Commander class line?

So the effect of the skill I awakened is

[Indomitable Commander]

A skill created by the noble spirit that never gives up under any circumstances.

Provides immunity to mental debuffs to all allies within a 10m radius.

It's a great skill.

It's an amazing skill, actually.

In this game, the wizard-type enemies that appear starting midway through the game's story will start casting mental debuff skills.

Confusion and fear are the most common, and sometimes they will even cast mind control magic.

It can be countered with high mana stats, but the characters with low mana stats had to suffer many times during my playthrough.

One time, Lucas wiped out my entire team because he was under mind control magic, so I had to start over from the beginning.

So it's almost an overpowered skill starting midway through the game. Yup, it's great, but

'It's not really useful at the beginning of the game'

At the beginning, most of the enemies that the player encounters are simple monsters that only run head-on. You rarely run into enemies that cast mental debuff skills.

Of course, it's always good to keep the mental state of my allies fresh.

However, compared to other passive skills, such as Lucas's passive, [Man of Steel], it's a little underwhelming The skill that I need the most right now is the skill that will help me get past the situation right now.

Ah~ This is a pain.

I was thinking about which route to take for survival in the future, as I had my arms wrapped around my head.

Your Highness, I can see Crossroad!

I could hear Lucas's voice.

Finally!

I poked my head out of the wagon window. Alrighty, let's see.

Not far beyond the horizon was a city surrounded by an iron wall.

Mid credit:

[Translator: Dawn]

Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks

[Proofreader: Alissa]

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Crossroad.

That was the name of the fortress built at the southern end of the world.

This fortress was built to stop the monsters that were endlessly pouring out of the 'Black Lake' located in the south.

It was once the largest fortress in the Empire, where tens of thousands of soldiers were stationed on the walls reinforced with iron, with holy water flowing through moats, cannons, and ballistas.

However, as the invasion of monsters dwindled in recent decades, the Empire

withdrew its troops from the area and dispatched them to other fronts.

Because the world was always at war, and this was not the only frontline that the Empire had to deal with.

During the army's absence, mercenaries were hired to fill in for the soldiers.

The mercenaries were hired regardless of their nationality or skill. To be honest, what the Empire needed was a meat shield to sustain this front.

Retired veterans and low-skilled youngsters who had been pushed out of the war between humans flocked in.

As cheap lives flocked in the fortress, restaurants, inns, and banks grew exponentially.

Decades passed, and the fortress took the form of a deformed, oversized city.

After a certain point, people started to not even call Crossroad a fortress. Instead, they started calling it

Monster Battlefront. Fortress City.

It also had a different name. As if to mock the mercenaries who flew into their deaths blinded by money like moths.

The Street of Suicide, The Tombstone City.

'So this is Crossroad.'

I opened my mouth slightly as I entered the city's southern gate in the wagon.

'I didn't realize when I looked through the game screen but the city is bigger than I thought.'

In the game's administration mode, you can only see the city from above, and you can only run around on top of the fortress walls in the tower defense mode. So I didn't get a good sense of the city's scale.

However, seeing it with my naked eyes this way felt completely different.

'And it's also much more worn out than I thought!'

I frowned as I looked at the aging facility.

The walls, which had been attacked by monsters for many years, were messed up because they were not properly repaired.

The moat had dried up, and the interior of the citywhich had been repeatedly remodeledwas a mess because the divisions in the city were not properly organized.

'There are so many things to look after.'

This is the Maginot Line of mankind.

And also the place I'm going to govern.

'Anyway, I'm going to be the feudal lord of this city, right?'

Back on Earth, I didn't even have a house bought in my name. I never thought the dream of owning my own home would be achieved like this out of nowhere.

Although falling into another world and having my life at constant risk was a horrible situation, this honestly didn't feel too bad.

The procession of wagons entered the city along the boulevard.

Citizens came out to the main street and watched the procession. The faces of the citizens watching weren't really bright.

Understandable. The newly appointed commander and the feudal lord barely came back alive after having his entire troops annihilated.

However, the people's faces filled with dissatisfaction were soon changed to astonishment.

It was because of the wagon loaded with certain supplies that followed right behind my wagon in the lead.

Look, over there!

Are those all magic crystals?

As I listened to the murmur of the citizens, I realized that it was going according to plan.

Hundreds of Black Spider magic crystals were loaded onto the wagon in the back.

In this magical civilization, magic crystals are like oil, for example.

Magic crystals that can be harvested from monster bodies are the largest strategic resource produced in this city.

They were also the biggest reason why this front was able to be maintained after costing so many people's lives.

However, as the activity of the monsters had decreased in recent years, the number of magic crystals collected naturally also decreased. Due to that, the city's income was dwindling.

But I defeated the Black Spider Army and collected around 400 magic crystals.

Since they were within the 55 to 60 level range, these are magic crystals with very high purity.

One can easily imagine how expensive they will be. So expensive that I wouldn't have to worry about funds for a while.

'I should at least be rewarded with this much after clearing an unclearable stage!'

Currently, the citizens' trust in me is less than zero.

The situation was the same as in the game. At the start of the game, the citizens do not trust the player and their favorability is low.

However, by the third year of management, citizens would trust and follow the player like their father.

In the end, there is only one way to change their minds.

Let the money rain.

Through a very clear and reasonable method

While trying to figure out how to spend the money after selling these magic crystals, the wagon reached the Lord's Mansion.

We're here, Your Highness.

Lucas got out of the driver's seat and opened the wagon door. I slowly pulled myself out of the wagon.

The red brick and marble mansion was quite old, but it had a classical taste. It was also quite large.

'It's literally incomparable to the house I used to live in.'

And while I was admiring

Oh my, oh my! My lord!!

The mansion door was slammed open, and a man rushed over to me.

Thank goodness you're safe, My Lord!

It was a young man with shaggy gray hair and glasses with high-index lenses.

The man who ran up to me and started jumping everywhere suddenly seemed surprised and quickly changed the way he addressed me.

Wait, wait. I can't call you 'My Lord'. Please forgive me, Your Highness!

You can call me whatever you want.

I put a grin on my face as I said that to the gray-haired young man. Then he grabbed my bandaged hand and started weeping.

I was so worried if there was going to be scratches on Your Highness's bodyyy!~

The name of this overreacting person, with the disloyal retainer vibes, is Aider.

He is the city management NPC in the game. All administration work in Crossroad is done through this guy.

From facility constructions to troop management to miscellaneous system options

That's probably the case here too. I'll be doing the city management work with this person.

Welcome back! I've already prepared a warm bath, and prepared dinner! So you can rest for the day!

I was thinking of taking a break today because I was very fatigued from the journey.

Following Aider's guidance, I entered the mansion, turned to Lucas, and nodded my head.

Make sure to let the soldiers rest too. And Lucas, you may also rest for the day.

But Your Highness, I must stand guard for you

It's fine for the day. Take some rest, you can continue your duties tomorrow.

Lucas reluctantly accepted.

I'll follow your orders, Your Highness.

Lucas bowed to me and walked towards his room. Looks like Lucas's room is on the first floor.

Aider led me to my room on the second floor.

This way, My Lord! It oughta clean you from the fatigue of the journey, and the stench of blood from the war!

Alright, thanks.

I entered the bathroom attached to my room with Aider's guidance.

The spacious bathtub was filled with warm water and smelled good.

It's been so long since I took a bath. I wanted to get in quickly. I unbuttoned my shirt with my bandaged hands.

However

Anyway That was quite amazing, Mr. Classic Nerd.

Hearing a voice from behind, I stopped taking off my clothes.

I didn't think you'd clear the tutorial like that.

You?

Confused, I glanced back.

Click.

After closing the door to the room and then to the bathroom, Aider smiled bashfully.

I can't hide it any longer! That's right! I am the Director of {Empire Defense}, Aider~