The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player

“Roooooar! Groaaaar!”

Monsters surged like a relentless tide. Even mid- and large-sized monsters, usually found deep within dungeons, were now easily spotted.

“Don’t panic! Follow the manual!”

On the wall, commanders and guild officers shouted, trying to control those who were agitated.

“The defensive wall is solid! As long as you follow orders, you won’t die! Listen and do as you’re told!”

The commanders raised their voices, perhaps because they themselves were also anxious. Compared to other fronts, this one had an unusually high number of new recruits and recently graduated players.

In contrast, this monster wave was more threatening than ever before. The vast plain beyond the wall was entirely covered with monsters, monsters, and more monsters.

‘Damn, wasn’t this area supposed to have fewer waves, so new recruits were stationed here?’

Vice-commander Kenian kept shouting tirelessly to reassure the new recruits, but he was just as anxious on the inside.

Fort Peloff, located near the border between Marquis Ashton’s territory and Count Raul’s territory. The newly constructed fortress had walls about 10 meters high, but it wasn’t much comfort.

Since it had been completed not long ago, no dedicated knight squad had been assigned yet. Moreover, most of the dispatched players were rookies with little real combat experience.

‘What is the command thinking? If this falls, the entire territory will be overrun in an instant.’

Kenian had joined the army, admiring the great Count Raul, and now he found himself in this dire situation for his first deployment.

But Kenian quickly shook his head and focused on the situation. Count Raul had proven his abilities through various incidents and civil wars.

The emissary of the gods wouldn’t have placed new commanders and recruits here without reason.

Whiiiiish, boom!

“… Crazy.”

A gigantic wooden pillar thrown by a Forest Giant hit the fortress wall. In addition, cyclops and Ogres over 5 meters tall were grabbing nearby monsters and hurling them at the wall.

Thud. Thud-thud-thud.

Fortunately, the fortress’s defensive barriers were functioning perfectly. A semi-transparent force field appeared in the air, completely blocking the incoming projectiles.

Goblin, Gnoll, and Claw Wolf-sized monsters that collided with the barrier became bloody pulp and slid down.

“See? No need to panic! The fortress will surely protect us. Everyone, get ready to fire!”

In response to the monsters’ attacks, the players on this side had already begun counterattacking. Various brilliant spells and projectiles started flying towards the waves of monsters.

However, the soldiers still had their roles to play. Just as there’s no need to use a knife for killing chickens on a cow, dealing with the lower-tier monsters that dominated the wave was the soldiers’ responsibility.

“Now, longbowmen, fire!”

Twang! Thud-thud!

The longbows, developed solely for shooting large, long arrows far, were powerful weapons in this situation, despite their lack of accuracy. With monsters everywhere, any shot was likely to hit something.

And finally, the leading edge of the monster wave reached within a hundred meters of the fortress wall.

“Aim! Fire!”

Click, clack!

The soldiers arrayed in three rows on the wall simultaneously fired their crossbows. Although crossbows took time to reload and couldn’t be used for curved shots, their power was formidable, enough to pierce the hides of lower-tier monsters.

“Shoot! Keep shooting!”

Behind the wide fortress wall, those who were reloading the fired crossbows were busy, and the loaded crossbows were continuously handed to the shooters in the front line.

“Kuaaack!”

The front line of monsters collapsed under the myriad of attacks cascading from the fortress. However, they were vastly outnumbered. No matter how many were taken down, more monsters charged in, making it difficult to fend them off from a distance.

Moreover, mid- and large-sized monsters, impervious to ordinary soldiers’ attacks, were steadily approaching.

“Damn it. I can’t see the end of it.”

“How are we supposed to defeat all those monsters?”

The soldiers’ faces paled as they watched the approaching monsters. There was a reason for the overwhelming number of monsters swarming the fortress.

‘Such a massive barrier! I’ve heard of it, but it’s truly incredible!’

A barrier spread widely to the left and right of the fortress. The barrier, extending along the boundary of the forbidden zone with the fortress at its center, pushed the monsters away with an invisible force.

The mechanism and the extent of the barrier’s effectiveness were unknown. What was certain was that monsters were converging on the fortress along the long boundary of the barrier.

‘So, if we can just defend this place, our families in the territory won’t be in danger!’

Thinking that way gave Kenian a rush of newfound strength.

Grip.

Kenian tightened his hold on his spear.

“Form a melee formation! Archers, fall back to this line and target the rear monsters!”

“Yes, sir!”

Close combat soldiers equipped with shields and long spears set up barricades in front of the fortress wall. With their 3-meter long spears, they could adequately fend off the monsters.

Bzzzzz, growl.

Player parties deployed between the soldiers’ squads drew mana blades from their weapons. Although their basic skills may be lacking, their power was undeniable.

While they might not be as strong as knights, they would be invaluable in repelling mid- and upper-tier monsters.

Whirr, snap. Thud, thud, thud.

Grappling hooks thrown from below the wall caught on the barriers.

“Cut the ropes! Stop them from climbing up!”

Kobolds, goblins, gnolls, orcs, and other bipedal monsters used various siege equipment to scale the fortress. Normally, these monsters would be part of a natural food chain, preying on each other. Now, they were united solely in their pursuit of humans, an abnormal sight.

‘This is a monster wave!’

Now Kenian understood why the experienced soldiers and knights had been so adamant in their warnings. The sheer pressure was on a different level from what they’d described.

The monsters’ pure ‘malice’ toward humans made Kenian’s heart tremble. But there was no time to be paralyzed by fear.

“Stab!”

“Hah!”

The soldiers thrust their long spears at the monsters climbing halfway up the wall. Some soldiers in the rear shot monsters with crossbows, knocking them off the wall.

But the number of monsters didn’t appear to decrease at all.

“Aah, we’re all going to die!”

“This, this is a fight we can’t win.”

Some weaker-willed soldiers started to utter defeatist remarks.

Whoosh, boom!

At that moment, Kenian twisted his spear, from which a mana spear sprouted, and repeatedly struck down. The rotating spear blades, like a small tornado, shredded twenty-odd monsters clinging to the wall in an instant.

It was the power of 『Libera Spearmanship (B)』, which Count Raul had disclosed to the commanders.

“Get a grip! No matter how many there are, they can’t breach this wall! Trust in the training you’ve received and in your comrades! We protect our families with our own hands!”

“Yaaaah!”

For a moment, the soldiers’ morale revived. They realized they were not alone but were accompanied by commanders with outstanding skills.

The grip on their spears tightened, and the monsters had difficulty climbing the wall.

Boom!

Groaaaaar.

Finally, truly threatening enemies reached the wall. Mid- and large-sized monsters, reinforced by the power of the forbidden zone, began to pound on the wall with tremendous force.

Luckily, the defensive barrier absorbed the impact and protected the wall, but the force was so strong that the vibrations could still be felt.

“Don’t aim for the big ones! Focus on stopping the smaller ones first!”

It was human instinct. The soldiers’ attacks naturally focused on the larger, more terrifying monsters.

However, it was futile for soldiers who had just barely started sensing mana to inflict any significant damage on them. Those were the targets for commanders like Kenian and the players.

‘Die!’

Kenian infused his spear with as much mana as he could and threw it.

Whiiish! Thump!

“Mooaargh!”

The spear lodged into the shoulder of a 4-meter-tall, bull-headed monster, a Minotaurus, that had been striking the wall with a huge axe.

‘Damn, was my throw too shallow?’

Although the 1-meter-long spear was embedded halfway, the Minotaurus didn’t fall; instead, it glared fiercely and struck the wall even harder.

Just as Kenian was about to throw another spear—

Boom!

A large boulder struck the spear, driving it in deeper. The Minotaurus, its heart pierced, fell to the ground with a low groan.

Turning his head slightly, Kenian saw a mage a block away, who met his gaze and gave a slight smile.

‘Right, I’m not alone.’

Kenian bowed his head in thanks and then targeted his next enemy. There were still plenty of monsters to deal with.

*

“Quite impressive, huh?”

High above Fort Peloff, which was defending against the monster wave, Raul observed the battlefield through multiple holographic screens.

“Of course! They were trained by none other than me,” said Jake, who was watching the battlefield alongside Raul, lifting his chin proudly.

“The perception inhibitors and repulsion barriers seem to be working well. Good job, Rabel. And you too, Nakia.”

“This is just basic stuff.”

“All thanks to the support of the Master.”

To Raul’s right, Nakia, with Rabel perched on her shoulder, was monitoring the barrier. When a monster wave occurred in the forbidden zone, it usually resulted in damage, whether great or small.

Unless the entire territory was encircled by walls, it would be impossible to block every monster slipping through the gaps between fortresses. But now, that was no longer an issue. Thanks to the cooperation of two outstanding mages, a long defensive barrier connecting fortresses had been completed.

Of course, maintaining such a barrier required an enormous number of mana stones and the mages to sustain it.

‘But that’s manageable.’

With the increased number of gates, the supply of mana stones had also grown, and many mages were eager to join the First Magic Tower after hearing of Raul’s reputation.

As a result, the boundary of the forbidden zone crossing Marquis Ashton’s territory, Count Raul’s territory, and the western kingdom was now completely covered.

Naturally, this also meant that the burden on the fortresses had increased. Even so, Raul was not worried.

Over the past six months, the number of Masters under the Marquisate and the Countship had grown, now exceeding 20. The captains and vice-captains of the five combat units of the First Knights were all filled with Masters, and superhumans had begun to emerge not just among the knights but also in other professions.

“Bernard, how do you feel seeing the battlefield up close?”

“I don’t think this is the time for reflections. How long are you going to keep watching? Do you know how many mana stones are being consumed to maintain the defense barriers? And we already have sufficient data on the recruits and junior commanders. What is the point of this further testing…?”

Bernard’s nagging erupted, and Raul smacked his forehead in realization.

‘Right, this guy isn’t the battlefield type.’

Bernard had recently reached the level of an ‘Advanced Wind Sorcerer’, He was the first of Raul’s personally trained superhumans to reach this level.

Managing the Count’s territory while simultaneously training to become a superhuman showcased Bernard’s exceptional talent.

There were four people hovering above Fort Peloff: Raul, Jake, Nakia, and Bernard. It was not Raul’s psychokinesis that held them aloft but Bernard’s wind magic.

‘I brought him here for a change of pace, but it was a failure.’

Bernard continued to pressure Raul with his gaze. Unable to withstand it any longer, Raul relented.

“Alright, alright. Let’s finish this.”

As Raul’s body began to descend toward the fortress, a legion of weapons started pouring out from behind him.

“Time to enjoy the thrill again.”

Jake, excited, pulled out a greatsword taller than himself and leapt into the midst of the monsters.

“The mana stones are indeed precious. The soldiers also need some rest.”

Nakia clapped her hands together, and a small magic circle appeared before her. Holding the magic circle with her right hand, she slowly pointed it toward the front of the fortress wall.

Whoosh!

A wall of blue flames rose, incinerating the monsters in front of the wall and halting their advance.

“Nakia, you can’t just burn everything! We need to recover the corpses cleanly!”

Invisible wind drills formed around Bernard, precisely piercing the hearts of the monsters. In this way, the monster wave that had struck Kenian’s fortress was cleanly dealt with within a day.

‘Now, the real work begins.’

Raul’s eyes flashed as he looked beyond the forbidden zone.

(To be continued)

TL’s Corner:
New arc…