[Reward: 10,000 Gold / 10 Gems]
[Time Until Wave 2: 6 days]
Logan sat on the cold dirt floor, his face frozen in shock, unable to comprehend the series of events that had just unfolded before him.
A day passed, and Logan did everything he could to log out; he was screaming, running around, and calling for help. He even rammed his head into the wall, trying to escape this new body of his. Soon he tired himself out and fell to the ground. After lying down for a short while, a system notification pops up in front of him.
[Congratulations on clearing the first wave!]
Logan lunges at the message bubble, trying to grab hold of it.
"Who are you? What do you want from me!?" He cries out, still trying to hold onto the transparent message window.
[You signed the deal.]
"What deal? Just get me the fuck out of here!" Logan slams his fist on the table furiously, leaving a large dent in it.
[When you clear the final wave, you shall be granted a wish.]
"When did I ever agree to anything like that? Just bring me back; I can’t leave my sister alone out there." He pleaded, worried for Bella’s well-being.
[I hope you can bring me some sort of entertainment. Challenger.]
The message window collapses and disappears into thin air. Logan gripped his fist tightly, his fingernails digging into the skin of his palm.
Taking a deep breath, Logan tries to maintain his composure, analyzing his current situation.
====================================
[Player Account Profile]
====================================
Username: Logan Winters
World: Evergarden
[PLAYER ACCOUNT PROFILE & METRICS]
- Global Account Standing: UNRANKED
- Active Stage: Wave #2
- Bastion Population Count: 120 / 200
- Main Wall Structural Integrity: 30%
[DEPLOYED MAIN ARMY COMPOSITION]
Deployed Units: 40 / 50 units
High-Tier Command Roster:
└─ [1★ Hero] Captain Iron (Level 10)
└─ [EMPTY]
└─ [EMPTY]
└─ [EMPTY]
└─ [EMPTY]
[BASTION INFRASTRUCTURE & FACILITY LEVELS]
Basic Command Center: BROKEN
Basic Cannon: BROKEN
Basic Barracks: Level 1
Basic Training Grounds: Level 1
Basic Canteen: Level 1
Basic Storage: Level 1
====================================
Logan lets out a long, disappointed breath; he lies flat on his bed trying to make sense of the situation. Clicking his tongue at the fact that his strongest hero is a 1-star unit and the facilities are in shambles.
A sudden knock sounded at the door. "Commander. Captain Iron is awake," a soldier notified Logan.
Walking outside his residence, Logan gloomed over the state of the bastion.
The buildings are primitive and lack any substance; dirt and dust cover the street with no one maintaining it, and the people look exhausted and hopeless.
Walking over towards the barracks’ infirmary area, Captain Iron was sitting upright on his bed, staring outside the window.
"Ehem..." Logan makes his presence known to the veteran.
"C-Commander..." Iron rasped, almost teary. "I’m sorry I couldn’t fulfill my duties. Because of that, the Sword Saint..."
Logan stood silently at the foot of the bed. In the game, a 1-star hero like Iron was nothing more than fodder, a tool to buy time for a high-tier wizard to cast their spell. But looking at him now, hearing his unstable breath, and seeing genuine guilt in the man’s eyes.
Logan realized that these NPCs aren’t just strings of code. They have their own pain and memories; they are just as human as he is.
"Rest, Captain," Logan said; his voice was calm, carrying a natural authority that made Iron freeze.
"The first wave is cleared; you did your part. I will handle the reinforcement and fortress rebuilding. Rest up, captain." He lightly placed his hand on Iron’s rough and broad shoulder. He turns around and quietly exits the infirmary, carrying the aura of a trustworthy leader.
Once he was out of sight, Logan stopped. He buried his face in his hands and let out a long groan of utter embarrassment.
"The first wave is cleared; you did your part..." Logan mimicked his own voice internally, his chest tightening with a massive wave of cringe.
What was that? Why did I say it like that? Logan was an introverted gamer who usually spent his days in the game, but at the time, he considered these heroes "NPCs." Now, recognizing that these NPCs are just as human as he is gives him a shameful feeling that is hard to surpass.
If his sister could see him right now, acting like some legendary hero out of a high-budget fantasy movie, she would never let him live it down.
Logan shook his head, clearing the embarrassing thought from his mind.
"Six days—that’s the exact amount of time I have to rebuild and reinforce the bastion to prepare for the next wave."
When he had first woken up in this world, the system had allowed him to conjure Sword Saint Radiant directly out of thin air, a basic initialization gift that required no external tools.
But that free entry trick only worked once. Every single summon moving forward had to be anchored to a physical structure.
[Construct Summoning Altar]
The structure was a modest circle of dark stone, its surface cracked and overgrown with ivy. At its center stood a simple stone pedestal.
Logan approached it, feeling the cold air grow noticeably heavier. He reached out and pressed his palm against the rough stone.
[Spend 1 Gem to summon a hero?]
Logan did not hesitate. "Yes."
The runes along the base of the altar glow a soft light, releasing a thin cloud of vapor.
[Summon Successful! 1★ Farmer!]
Standing before him was a man wearing a stained burlap tunic, clutching a simple wooden pitchfork with trembling hands.
"E-Excuse me, sir, where am I?" The man’s voice trembles as he turns his head around in confusion. Logan quickly dismissed him and pressed the prompt on the stone pedestal again.
[Summon Successful! 1★ Chef!]
[Summon Successful! 1★ Carpenter!]
[Summon Successful! 1★ Beggar!]
. . .
By the ninth pull, a small, pathetic crowd stood clustered at the base of the altar. Nine nameless commoners, some with simple jobs, while others don’t even have one. Logan couldn’t do anything other than dismiss them, letting someone guide them and put them to work.
"This doesn’t even make sense; the normal odds of pulling a 1-star character are only 50%. How did I manage to pull 9 in a row?" Logan scratches his temple, trying to make sense of the situation.
"Is the entity messing with me? This doesn’t even make sense." He stomps his foot on the wet dirt, feeling helpless against the odds.
He had exactly 1 gem left. One final pull to save his crumbling line of defense.
"Fuck it," Logan whispered as he slammed his palm onto the stone pedestal for the tenth time.
The altar didn’t emit a gray mist.
Suddenly, the ground beneath Logan’s boots violently shuddered. A brilliant light pierces through the cracked surface of the altar. A blinding column of golden light erupted from the pedestal.
"YES!"
Logan’s heart leaped into his throat. His eyes widened as a wild rush of adrenaline hit his chest.
"Come on. Sword Saint? Grand Magician? Master Marksman? Anyone that can carry this team!"
The blinding light began to settle. In the center of the fading glow, a massive, ornate notification materialized in front of him, accompanied by a resonant chime that echoed in his head.
[Summons Successful! 6★ Rare Blueprint]