Blacksmith vs. the System

His spine straightened as I asked a practical question about the upcoming beast wave, providing a distraction from the self-incrimination he was dealing with.

"We don't know much about the beast wave other than the usual, sir. We started suspecting its presence late afternoon, when the number of beasts around the mountain experienced a sudden drop, and the ones we could see started to migrate toward a certain direction. I led a team of scouts exploring, only to see a huge gathering of monsters, standing still. Then, I returned and…" he said, before his words faded, his guilt spiking once more.

"Then, what?" I asked.

"I decided to inform everyone to start preparing the defenses rather than trying to warn you about it," he added. "If I hadn't been that hasty, maybe we could have prevented the defection —"

"Nonsense. I asked you to prioritize the defenses, and you did exactly that. It's my mistake. I should have given you a better tool to warn me during emergencies. That way, you wouldn't have ended up making such a bad choice," I admitted. It was ironic that, in an effort to outsmart our enemies, I had managed to outsmart myself. "But, let's focus on the more urgent matters first. We can discuss who has more to be blamed for once the biggest threat has been dealt with."

"You have a point, sir," he admitted. "But, that's it. That's the only information we have about the beast wave. That it exists, and it's currently gathering about fifty miles away from the dungeon. It'll arrive sometime just after midnight," he added, then paused, looking afraid. "At least, I hope it will."

"Why?" I asked. He looked surprised regarding my question, making me believe that I was missing yet another nugget of knowledge that had become common after the Cataclysm. "Actually, scratch that. Tell me everything you know about the beast waves, even the most obvious aspects." Read exclusive chapters at empire

"Everything?" he asked, and I nodded. "Admittedly, I don't know too much either."

"Doesn't matter. Just tell me everything you know."

He paused for a moment, collecting his words. "I don't know much about why they occur, other than the fact that a stronger-than-usual monster is exerting an influence similar to Charisma and gathering them together. But, usually, their collection range is measured in miles, and not yards like Charisma."

"I see. And, why did you say that you wish that they attack around midnight? Are you afraid that they will come sooner?"

"No, sir, the opposite," he admitted. "A beast wave moves slowly during its growing phase. Only when it reaches the limit, does it pick up momentum."

"The longer it waits, the more dangerous it gets," I completed. "And, do we know that it would attack us, assuming it is a natural beast wave," I said. Even for a second, I didn't believe it to be a natural occurrence, but it was worth asking either way.

"Very likely, sir. It's not always a given, but they target the dungeons often enough to make building a town too close very unsustainable."

"Any idea about the capabilities? Do you think it would be limited to lizards?"

"I have no idea, sir. That's what makes the waves so dangerous. That many monsters together … We have no idea how they would evolve. The lizards would probably make up the majority, but the other mix would be dangerous enough."

"Do you think we can survive it?"

"Depends," he said.

"On what?" I asked.

"Whether you have more surprises for us, sir. If you're limited to what you had shown yesterday during the defense, we won't prevail. The ballistas are useful, but not enough to take down any of the most dangerous beasts. You can eventually whittle one or two down, but the rest would simply demolish our defenses."

Interestingly, even as he delivered that grim declaration, he wasn't despairing. He must have been confident in me revealing more surprises.

Luckily, he was right. My newest set of Epic skills alone could change such a battle significantly. I had yet to test its perk properly, but even without it, Hammer of Avalanche represented a devastating attack-over-area, which, when combined with the dungeon continuously replenishing my mana, could resolve most of the trouble the beast wave could provide.

When it came to spreading area-effect devastation, I might not be too far behind Maria at this point.

Naturally, I had no intention of limiting myself to that. I had hundreds of students ready to support me. Together, we could start creating modern weapons. A steam-powered artillery shouldn't be too much trouble. A few valves, and a strong pipe system would be enough for the delivery system. Though, even if it failed, we could refocus on the ballistas.

The real challenge would be developing the correct type of ammunition. The ballistas that had been purchased from the System shop worked, because their enchantments were exquisite and complex enough to imbue the ammunition with great power.

We couldn't replicate that, meaning we would need a new direction. Maybe I could replicate the fragmenting javelin trick I had used, but only on a wider scale.

Then, there was my most recent discovery during my confrontation, a sudden insight into exactly how Wisdom could be used to enhance the concepts behind the tricks.

"Sir, are you alright?" Harold said, distracting me from my thoughts.

"Sorry, got distracted by the plans," I said. "And, you know you don't have to call me sir every time, right?"

His expression tightened. "I think I do, sir," he replied. "I didn't know why until your earlier explanation about the class and how it subtly changes us, but it helps me to remember the correct chain of command."

"By reminding you of your days in the marines?" I asked.

"I think so," he said, then paused. "Is the System why I rarely think about the old days?"

"Frankly, I don't know. All I have is a bunch of half-baked theories that seem to support each other, but it's too early to claim that they are accurate. Maybe they are, maybe they are not. But, it's a topic we can discuss once we deal with the latest threat, preferably with some strong alcohol."

"That sounds like an excellent idea, sir," he said. "I was asking whether you had any other surprises while waiting for the enemy to arrive."

"I have some, like this," I said as I raised my hammer toward a nearby hill, and swung my hammer, focusing on my Wisdom, doing my best to envision the concept of the landslide; similar to how I did earlier with my punch.

It was difficult. Using a Stat externally wasn't simple like using a skill. Even with Strength and Dexterity, I had struggled at first. And, there, I had my skills to guide me. And, I lacked that for Wisdom.

I probably owed a drink to the departing guards. If it wasn't for the epiphany I experienced facing them — helped by all the practice I had with various ranged attacks and presence — I had no idea how long it would have taken for me to take that step.

The feeling of using Wisdom actively was sublime at best. It wasn't exactly a mental push, but what it was was hard to describe. The closest analog I could get was painting, where Wisdom gave me the ability to color what previously was just line art.

Luckily, since the attack and the skill already carried the concept of an avalanche, all I needed was to pick the correct colors and follow the guide. The mana followed the pattern of the attack, spreading mercilessly.

[-100 Mana]n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The dust cloud that rose in response had been suffocating, enough to make me glad that I held back, and only used a hundred mana rather than my full reserves. I didn't fancy damaging the first floor that much.

"Y-yes, sir. I think it will be enough," he said with a shaky breath. I didn't blame him, as I had been equally shocked. But then, maybe I should have been. It was true that I had just received Wisdom, but what I received wasn't just a few meager points.

"Good —" I started, only to pause. While the beast wave was dangerous, it would be stupid to assume that it was the only threat. It was almost certain that the same mysterious organization that had sent the ascended warriors to hunt us was behind the beast wave.

Meaning, they might have other surprises for us. Surprises that I needed to be prepared for.

"It might not be that simple," I said instead, and gave him the full story of what happened after the evacuation, including the battle against the ascended warriors. To his credit, he didn't call me a liar, or interrupt me. He just listened with a grim expression.

"So, we have to not only prepare for an attack from a beast wave that could have some unexpected surprises, but also be prepared for an ambush from ascended warriors.

"Simple, right," I said in a deadpan tone, forcing a humorous tone I wasn't exactly feeling. But, I could sense it working. My display of confidence boosted his significantly.

"Truly so, sir," he said with a sigh. "It's a tough strategic question. Shall we discuss?"

"Not now," I replied.

"Why not?" he asked, surprised.

"Two reasons. We don't know the size of the beast wave we will face. More importantly, we don't know our own capabilities. Speaking of which, how's your progress?"

"I'm stuck at the peak of Rare, sir," he answered before he stopped, realizing the question wasn't exactly random. "You mean…" he said.

"Yes. You're free to use the same tactic to quickly improve everyone's skills. The only reason I had been holding back was because I was afraid the guards would act out, and that's not a problem anymore. Holding back against such a threat doesn't make much sense."

"Will you be supervising us, sir?" he asked.

"It would be fun, but I have other plans. I think it's time to focus on my promise of resurrecting modern warfare. Don't you think so, mister marine sergeant?"

His smirk matched mine.