Chapter 287

Chapter 287: Ranking Battle (7)

Middle Ranking Battle

“What do you plan to build first?”

“Mines.”

A money printer that costs 60 resources but hands over 150 resources every wave. Handling defense with his body for now and increasing resources first was the shortcut to 1st place.

“How about insurance?”

“It is said to unlock from the 2nd Wave.”

Kim Minwoo raised his hand.

“Three mines. Build them simultaneously.”

Ten Dragon Tooth Soldiers moved in unison. Their sturdy tools flashed in the sunlight.

System windows appeared one after another.

[Constructing 3 Mines!]

[180 Resources consumed!]

Clang―!

The sound of hammers cut across the wasteland. It was a task that ordinary laborers would have to sweat over all day to complete.

But the Dragon Tooth Soldiers' movements were different.

The actions of laying the foundation, erecting the frame, and hammering the finish flowed like water.

[High-ranking Architects are working!]

[Correction applied to construction speed: +235%]

[Special effects granted upon building completion!]

Blue text poured down in succession.

Andromalius watched the scene with his arms crossed. The corners of his mouth crept up.

“Your summons are truly special.”

Admiration was evident in his black eyes.

“Should I say, as expected of Vulcan’s master? You receive ten Lower Architects, yet you end up using Dragon Tooth Soldiers.”

Kim Minwoo shrugged.

“Do you feel it a bit now? My promise to make you take 2nd place.”

Andromalius smirked. It was a pleased expression.

“Well, it is starting to feel real.”

He scanned the mines nearing completion.

Mana circuits were being engraved onto the wooden frames.

It was a structure of a different class from ordinary mines.

“Architects of this caliber…… the other participants surely won't have them.”

Andromalius’s gaze sank slightly.

“However…….”

He turned toward Kim Minwoo.

“You must be careful. Starting from the 2nd Wave, that is.”

“The Insurance System?”

“Yes. The real Ranking Battle will begin from there.”

Andromalius raised a finger.

“Other proxies will be able to bet ‘Collapse’ on your zone. If they bet? They can invade directly. Several might come and engage in sabotage.”

“I know.”

The corners of Kim Minwoo’s mouth twisted.

“But that applies to me as well.”

[Time remaining until 1st Wave: 24 minutes 33 seconds]

The numbers were ticking down.

The mines were being completed one by one.

[Mine 1 has been completed!]

[Resources +150 will be provided upon wave completion!]

[Special effects granted: Mining Efficiency +40%, Durability +20%]

[Mine 2 has been completed!]

[Mine 3 has been completed!]

“With this, early resources should be sufficient.”

Andromalius nodded as if satisfied.

“If we just pass the first wave, resources will snowball from here. Though having no defense facilities is slightly worrying.”

“Stop exaggerating.”

He was a Demon Lord who ranked 72nd, after all.

His skills must be formidable.

Plus, a Necromancer could be considered a specialist when it came to defense.

Time passed…….

[The 1st Wave begins!]

Along with the message, a swarming herd of monsters was seen coming from far away.

The horizon was dyed black.

It wasn't just hounds. Herds of imps with twisted limbs, giant centipedes dripping poison, even winged gargoyles. Monsters of various types and shapes poured out from all directions.

“……It must exceed ten thousand.”

Andromalius’s voice hardened. The level wasn't high. But if that quantity swamped the mines? Defense lines would be torn like paper.

Kim Minwoo reached out his hand.

[Activating Land of Death (SSS)!]

It was at that moment.

Like a giant pitch-black starfish extending its tentacles, the Land of Death spread out in all directions centering on Kim Minwoo.

The dry soil of the wasteland was dyed pitch black.

Nothing could escape that range.

Chiiik―!

Acrid poisonous smoke rose from beneath the ground.

Hundreds of hounds at the front were seen collapsing instantly. Like an endlessly hungry ghost, the black land gradually widened.

Swaaa―.

The earth shook greatly.

The vibration grew larger.

Kuaaaa―!

Screams burst from all directions.

Imps plummeted without even being able to flap their wings, and the hundreds of legs of the giant centipedes dripping poison bent simultaneously as they slammed into the ground. A swarm of giant rotten hands erupted from beneath the pitch-black ground.

Gargoyles whose limbs were caught twisted their bodies in the acrid poisonous smoke. There wasn't just one or two of such guys. Poison inflicting powerful DoT damage, poison inducing dizziness, poison making the insides rot. The effects were very diverse.

The monster horde collapsed one by one without being able to approach much.

They were suffering mass death by just a single AoE skill.

‘Death is not the end, but a beginning.’

The ones that succumbed to the massive DoT damage while approaching raised their bodies once again.

The things that stood up bared their teeth toward their kin.

Kuaaaak―!

The hound that was running together just a moment ago bit the nape of the neck of the hound next to it.

An imp that died and rose again flapped its wings and gouged out the eyes of a living imp.

They were the same species.

They were the same body.

But the moment they crossed the threshold of death, they became completely different existences.

That too was while their stats were strengthened by 50% through the power of the Death Lord.

Crunch!

The strengthened hound’s jaw crushed its kin’s spine. Faster, stronger, and more cruel than when they were alive. Only the impulse for destruction remained in the place where instinct and fear had vanished.

Andromalius muttered low.

“The more I look, the more I feel it. Mr. Kim Minwoo is…… very different from ordinary Necromancers.”

Instead of answering, Kim Minwoo crossed his arms.

He looked down indifferently at the massacre unfolding on the black ground. The dead tore the living, and the torn rose again to attack another kin.

An endless chain of death.

The wave was swallowing itself.

＊ ＊ ＊

The 1st Wave passed blandly.

[Battle Ended]

[Enemy Kill Tally]

[Total Kills: 10,000]

[Hell Hound x 4,217]

[Imp x 2,891]

[Poison Centipede x 1,634]

[Gargoyle x 1,258]

[Drop: Resources +850]

[Drop: Low-grade Construction Tool x 12]

[Drop: Demonic Beast Skin x 31]

[Drop: Imp Wing x 8]

.

.

“Oh, they drop resources too.”

Kim Minwoo scanned the system window.

[Low-grade Construction Tool]

―Construction Speed +5% (Disposable)

[Demonic Beast Skin]

―Barrier Durability Reinforcement Material

[Imp Wing]

―Tower Attack Speed +5% (Disposable)

.

.

“It’s usable.”

The battle didn't even take 10 minutes. When the last hound fell with its head cut off by a Skeleton Soldier’s sword, Kim Minwoo hadn't even drawn his sword.

[First to perfectly defend the 1st Wave!]

[Reward: Resources +400]

[Resources provided from 3 Mines!]

[Additional Resources +550]

[Current Resources: 1,820]

He struck it rich in a single shot.

“The problem is from the 2nd Wave.”

Andromalius continued.

“Because now other proxies can open the insurance window too.”

Just then, the tab that had been locked in gray lit up.

[Insurance System has been opened!]

[Each proxy can bet on the ‘Survival/Collapse’ of other zones.]

“It finally opened.”

Kim Minwoo pressed the [Insurance] tab.

A translucent window unfolded.

[List of Joinable Insurance Policies]

―Zone B District 1 (Proxy of 45th Demon Lord)

[Current Status: Constructing Beginner Defense Line.]

[Estimated Survival Rate: 53%]

[Option 1: Collapse before 2nd Wave ― Dividend 2.5x.]

[Option 2: Survive until 3rd Wave ― Dividend 1.8x.]

[Travel Time: 5 minutes.]

―Zone C District 1 (Proxy of 41st Demon Lord)

[Current Status: No Defense Facilities, 3 Mines Constructed.]

[Estimated Survival Rate: 81%]

[Option 1: Collapse before 2nd Wave ― Dividend 4.2x.]

[Option 2: Survive until 3rd Wave ― Dividend 2.0x.]

[Travel Time: 10 minutes.]

.

.

―Zone Z District 1 (Galaxy Affiliation, Leon Kaiser)

[Current Status: Insufficient Information.]

[Estimated Survival Rate: Immeasurable.]

[Option 1: Collapse before 2nd Wave ― Dividend 12.0x.]

[Option 2: Survive until 3rd Wave ― Dividend 1.1x.]

[Travel Time: 120 minutes.]

“……12 times?”

Andromalius narrowed his eyes.

“Leon seems to be trusted quite a bit. For the system to see the survival rate at that level.”

“Or maybe.”

The corners of Kim Minwoo’s mouth curved slowly.

“We’ll know once we crack it open.”

‘12 times for collapse.’

Galaxy affiliation, in charge of Zone Z. The man who proposed ‘non-aggression’ in the communication earlier.

“Interesting.”

Kim Minwoo scrolled past the Zone Z option.

He didn't touch it right now.

“Are you planning to ruin our collaborator from the first round?”

At Andromalius’s question, Kim Minwoo shook his head.

“No, I should go with another guy for the first round.”

There was no need to drain his strength from the start.

He scrolled the insurance list back up.

His eyes stopped at one place.

Zone C District 1. Defense Facilities 0, 3 Mines.

“Close and decent. To tear down.”

There were no specific defense facilities, yet the betting rate was a whopping 4.2 times.

It meant the guy guarding it was someone capable.

As it happened, Kim Minwoo knew well about the proxy of the 41st Demon Lord.

『3. Ten Thousand Poison Immortal ― Goyeom.』

『Independent Faction. Active in both Demon Realm and Human Realm. Direct Proxy of the 41st Demon Lord.』

『Special Note: Possesses over 1,000 types of poison in the body. Fatal injury upon mere contact.』

A man said to possess poison.

It seemed his poison arts were somewhat specialized for blocking waves, but…….

“Let’s see if he blocks people well, too.”

[Would you like to join the Insurance?]

[Target: Zone C, District 1.]

[Option: Collapse before 2nd Wave.]

[Current Dividend: 4.2x.]

[Current Total Resources available for betting: 500]

Resources were plentiful, but there was a limit to the amount one could bet. It seemed the structure prevented going all-in with one's entire fortune.

‘Then I should do at least 500.’

Since it would copy it into 2,200 anyway.

[Joining Insurance with 500 Resources!]

[Expected Receipt: 2200]

“Will you be alright?”

“Well, you’re going to defend for me. Plus…….”

Kim Minwoo pointed behind him.

Ttuk-ttak―!

Before anyone noticed, the Dragon Tooth Soldiers had not only completed the Lord’s Castle and a massive fortress but were also laying down all sorts of towers on top of it.

“With those kinds of defense facilities, aren't you confident?”

“Ha, impossible.”

Andromalius spoke as if growling.

“I was also someone who once sat in a supreme position. I possess a move or two of my own.”

“Then prove it. That you’re not just a guy getting a free ride.”

“I shall.”

Grinning, Andromalius’s body floated up.

[Time remaining until 2nd Wave: 04 minutes 12 seconds]

The numbers were decreasing rapidly. The undead quietly raised their weapons.

Kim Minwoo scanned the insurance window one last time.

Zone Z remained untouched.

‘12 times, huh.’

It looked quite tasty.

‘First, I should think about it after devouring Goyeom.’