Chronicles Of Tower Defense

[Tutorial] [Epic Quest - Defend & Survive] [Beginning the 'Move' for the quest.] [Current Life] [5 / 5] "Huh?" [Time remaining until the move: 10 seconds] "...?" As I walked back to my apartment after class, an unusual message materialized before my eyes. It seemed almost like a hologram, and for a moment, I questioned if I might be in a dream. What made it even stranger was that these words were visible only to me; people on the street walked by as if nothing was amiss. The remaining time in the countdown continued to dwindle. [Starting the Transfer.] "Wait a moment..." Zap! In the blink of an eye, the timer shifted from 1 second to 0 seconds, and I vanished into thin air along with a burst of light. "What's going on?" "What just happened?" "Wasn't someone here just now?" "Could I have been mistaken?" ... Perhaps due to the blinding flash, the people bustling around turned to look, but there was nothing left where I had stood. [Entering the Defense Challenge.] [Starting the tutorial.] [Tutorial 1. Defend & Survive] A monstrous entity is launching an assault to seize control of a fortress! Your mission is to thwart its advance! [Remaining time: 5 minutes] (0/1) "...?" Once the radiant light faded, I was left staring at... "A castle?" Indeed, it was a castle, though more accurately, it resembled an aged and crumbling stronghold. It teetered on the brink of ruin, with some sections on the verge of collapse. Neglect had allowed all manner of weeds and moss to flourish. [Partially crumbled castle] -A once-sturdy castle now partially in ruins due to years of unrelenting warfare. "..." Observing this place, I couldn't help but feel as if I'd stepped into a historical drama. Furthermore, the dense forest surrounding it indicated that this setting was far from the modern world. Well, such places might exist in the contemporary era, but not in the vicinity of where I used to reside. This only heightened my unease. As I gazed at the castle, information began to appear, seemingly in response to my thoughts. It provided precise details about the castle and its current state. [Remaining time: 3 minutes 12 seconds] While I was absorbed in inspecting the fortress, the timer continued its relentless countdown, soon reaching the two-minute mark. At this point, tension gripped me. I had been abruptly transported here, and now I was tasked with defending against an unspecified monster. I was utterly perplexed, and my anxiety grew. "What's happening here! Can someone tell me!" I tired speaking in the open air, but what greeted me was only silence, no one was there to respond or hear to me. "Um..." My eyes drifted toward the outside world. Lost in thought for a moment, I climbed up the castle wall. Though just over a meter high, I felt compelled to ascend it. With caution, I ascended the stairs, mindful of the wall's stability. Reaching the pinnacle, I was greeted by a panorama beyond the castle walls. It was evidently not a contemporary scene, given the state of the castle and the dense forest that stretched into the distance. No, places like these could exist in the modern world, but this was distinctly different from where I had called home. This only intensified my apprehension. Perhaps it was a consequence of my mounting anxiety, but I now felt the pressing need for a weapon. "At the very least, it's a castle... Perhaps there's an old weapon here..." The size of the structure made it almost embarrassing to refer to it as a castle. It barely had enough space for ten residents. 'Would there be any weapons in such a place?' Regardless, I couldn't afford to remain idle, so I hastily descended and commenced my search within the castle's confines. 'If I could secure a sword or a spear, that would be ideal. Otherwise, even a serviceable wooden staff would suffice.' As the countdown persisted in the empty expanse, impatience gnawed at me. "A weapon... a weapon... there it is!" The castle, measuring about ten meters in length and one meter in height, didn't take long to investigate in its entirety. Thankfully, it didn't take me long to unearth a rusty iron sword deeply embedded in the earthen floor. [Corroded Iron Sword] -An ancient iron sword of uncertain age. Could it still be wielded effectively? "..." The condition of the sword was far from pristine. It could hardly be deemed a sword, feeling more like a bludgeon due to the pervasive rust. Nevertheless, having it was far better than being unarmed. I wondered if it would prove useful in a real fight. In any case, I hastily retrieved the sword, and in the interim, the countdown dwindled below thirty seconds. [Remaining time: 18 seconds] The sand in the hourglass flowed rapidly, and as it reached its culmination... [The monster's will now begin. We wish you the best Player Alex!] With those words, a black radiance descended from the heavens. "The heck..?" The obsidian luminescence began to coalesce on the ground, gradually assuming a discernible form... It was a freaking colossal rat, nearly a meter in size. "Keyeek!!" "..." Although it shared the general likeness of a rat, its demeanor was anything but ratty. It shrieked fiercely, and its eyes burned with an animosity I'd never encountered before. It felt more akin to confronting a ferocious beast than a mere rat, resembling the sensation of encountering a large hunting dog. "I am going to die..." Fear gripped me as I continued to watch. The monstrous rodent spotted me atop the castle wall and charged toward it without hesitation. "Keyeek!!" Thud! Thud! Thud! The sound of its approach resonated like the relentless pounding of drums in my chest. My palm, clutching the iron sword, grew clammy and slick. The monstrous rat zoomed in on the castle gate, ramming into it with all its might. *Boom!* "...!!" The gate quivered under the assault, and cracks began to spider-web across its surface. 'What... what should I...' My thoughts faltered. What was the appropriate course of action? Should I venture out and confront the monstrous rat head-on? Or should I hold my ground in front of the gate? In truth, why had I been thrust into this bewildering situation, and why did I need to battle these creatures? My mind was inundated with questions, leaving me paralyzed. *Boom!* "Keyeek!!" In the interim, the monstrous rat, which had momentarily withdrawn, renewed its onslaught on the gate. With each impact, the gate not only shook but cracked even further. "Ugh..." 'How should I deal with this predicament? I refuse to meet my end like this, under any circumstances.' *Whoosh!* *Splash!* "Keyeek!" Once more, the monstrous rat forced its head through the widening gap in the gate, shrieking all the while. Witnessing its relentless efforts to breach the gate was deeply unsettling. The creature was nearly a meter in size, and confronting it felt more like encountering an extraterrestrial entity than a rat. "Please, god..." In that moment, I raised the iron sword, wielding it as if by instinct. Whack! "Keyeeeeek!!" Though the sword failed to pierce the creature's hide, it resonated with a sound akin to striking a club. Strangely, or perhaps due to the impact, the monstrous rat's shrieks were replaced by agonized screams. As such, I swung the sword with renewed determination. Whack! Thwack! Thud! "Keyeeeeek... Kiiieek!" The creature writhed in pain. The sword failed to cut its flesh or tear through its skin, but there was an undeniable effect to my strikes. Each blow sent shivers of agony through the creature, and its cries, though not typical rat-like squeaks, carried an unmistakable tone of anguish. And that's when it happened. The anxiety that had consumed me moments earlier began to wane, replaced by an increasing resolve. My grip on the sword tightened as I repeated my strikes. "Please... just die!"