Great Teacher in a Defense Game

#1 Possessed, Moves

The possessed Enoch considered his life quite agreeable.

He realized he was possessed the moment he opened his eyes.

There were no immediate threats to his life, nor did any damn quests pop up.

All he had was the hollow nameplate of “possessed.”

An Otherworld life with no obligations, no missions.

Wasn’t that pretty good?

‘But, that’s slowly coming to an end.’

Enoch subtly adjusted the monocle he was wearing.

He was reading a newspaper.

A freshly printed copy from this morning.

The headline blared:

[Monster Invasion at the Forefront Once More. When Will Peace Arrive?]

Monsters.

As someone living in this Otherworld, the word monster wasn’t particularly unfamiliar.

Monstrous things appearing at the forefront whenever they get the chance.

The ancient enemy of mankind.

That’s how humanity defined these monsters.

But for a possessed individual, not a resident, it was a little different.

The word monster made Enoch think back to a game he used to play.

‘Monster invasion… So this really *is* the world of Aeon.’

Age of Invasion.

Or, as it was more commonly known, the Age of Invasions.

A defense game where you used buildings, heroes, and units to combat the monsters swarming the front lines.

The headline in the newspaper made Enoch think of Aeon.

The empire’s name, the flow of the frontlines, even the invading monsters.

They were all settings that appeared in Age of Invasion.

And, as expected.

Just as Enoch was taking the current situation to heart, a rectangular, blue window appeared before his eyes.

Needless to explain, it was a status window.

The status window, dormant for these past months, hadn’t offered so much as a flicker.

Now, as if the real game were just beginning, it belatedly surfaced.

[Objective: Save the World.]

The phrase that appeared was short, simple.

But its meaning was anything but light.

Enoch sighed and folded his newspaper.

‘I suppose I’ve been too comfortable for a possessed man.’

Enoch folded the newspaper twice more, placing it on the edge of the desk.

‘Thankfully, I haven’t exactly been idle all this time.’

Enoch’s gaze drifted to the watch circling his wrist.

Five months had already passed since he first opened his eyes in this place.

He had made preparations, of a sort.

‘Monsters or whatever, I won’t let them ruin this comfortable life.’

Enoch opened the door and stepped outside.

The world, it seemed, had a need for him.

Enoch descended the stairs and opened the door to the ground floor.

The rich aroma of coffee.

The scent of tobacco, reminiscent of a Cuban double.

The sharp, stinging alcohol rising from an oak barrel.

Beyond the door, a quintessential pub scene unfolded.

“Just waking up now?”

Enoch shifted his gaze toward the voice.

A middle-aged man with a smooth skinhead stood alone by the bar.

He was the proprietor of the ‘Bent Fish,’ the inn and pub where Enoch was staying.

He had never offered his name, so Enoch always referred to him as Master, meaning owner.

“Good morning, Master.”

“Morning, my foot. It’s already midday.”

“Is it? I lose track with my days and nights reversed. Give me some breakfast then.”

“I said it’s midday.”

“Then, breakfast-lunch for me, please.”

Enoch took a seat at the counter bar.

The Master, sleeves rolled up, straightened.

“A commission from a client with deep pockets, naturally I must oblige. What will it be?”

“A tuna sandwich, one Lime Casino. Let’s do that.”

“There isn’t much tuna left, you know? Almost all of what I prepared is gone.”

“It matters not. Scrape the bottom of the barrel, even.”

Enoch, chin propped on his hand, passed the time watching the television.

The broadcasted video transitioned from commercials to the news.

The Master placed a plate before Enoch.

“Tuna grilled beef sandwich. The Lime Casino, please wait a moment.”

“I don’t recall ordering grilled beef?”

The Master, instead of answering, focused on shaking.

A service of sorts, it seemed.

Enoch chomped down on the tuna sandwich.

“Freshly I realize, I don’t understand why this tuna sandwich is doing so well.”

“Pardon?”

“I mean, truly. What’s so delicious about tuna steeped in oil?”

“You eat it often yourself, don’t you? And your family, too.”

“Who can deny it? I took your word for it, giving it a shot, but it sells so well, it’s becoming almost frightening.”

The Master shrugged, setting down a glass.

It was the Lime Casino Enoch had ordered.

-Slurp-

“Good sales are a boon. Have you registered a patent?”

“That, of course, was done long ago. Ah, speaking of which, take this.”

The Master placed a stack of bills before Enoch.

“What is this?”

“What else, money made from the tuna sandwiches. You gave me the idea, you think I can eat all of it alone?”

Enoch inspected the stack.

One hundred 50,000 Krozza bills, a total of 5 million Krozza.

In this world, the currency, Kro, is nearly one-to-one with the won.

Meaning the sum Master offered was worth roughly five million won.

Certainly, a sum one couldn’t call small.

Yet, without much deliberation, Enoch returned the wad of notes to Master.

“It’s alright. Add it to your own household’s coffers, Master.”

“What? Did you even count this? This is five million Kro, you know? It’s hardly chump change!”

“I don’t particularly need it. I already have enough to keep myself fed.”

Enoch stated matter-of-factly.

Master muttered, “A curious fellow, indeed…” and then retrieved the money.

“When I look at you, you’re truly peculiar. Last time, you gave a small fortune as pocket money to that newspaper boy.”

“The newsboy, you mean? Isn’t he admirable? Running around alone since morning to help his parents.”

Newsboy, meaning newspaper delivery boy.

That lad was earning eight thousand Kro an hour, selling newspapers for all he was worth.

Enoch felt a twinge of pity for such a boy.

So, along with pocket money, he’d also subscribed for a year’s worth of papers.

As a result, the boy left a newspaper tucked under Enoch’s door every morning, then vanished.

A small act of kindness, returned by the young boy in his own way.

Thanks to it, unlike others, Enoch enjoyed the modest luxury of reading the news without braving the cold wind.

“Well, yes, that’s true. But ordinary people don’t just splash out money simply because someone looks pitiful, do they?”

“Splash out? It was only a million Kro at most.”

“Listen, those tuna sandwiches you eat are three thousand Kro a piece. If you’ve got money like that, you should be scattering tips around!”

“Let’s just consider that wad of cash I gave you earlier as my tip then, shall we?”

Enoch chuckled softly, placing his empty glass down.

Then, he posed a question.

“More importantly, Master. Is there any news regarding the request I made before?”

“News? …Ah, that. About finding some woman.”

“Yes. Some time has passed since then, and I thought we might be getting some nibbles by now.”

“Speaking of which, good thing you reminded me. I’d nearly forgotten myself.”

Master pulled a piece of paper from a shelf and handed it to Enoch.

“Here. I got this a week ago, myself. Been meaning to give it to you, but you wouldn’t come down from the second floor.”

“My apologies. I was working on something. Regardless, did you review the contents? Anything… strange?”

“Hmm? Didn’t notice anything particularly odd… Ah, there is one thing. The woman you were searching for, she’s not a woman, but a little girl, no?”

“A little girl?”

Enoch checked the documents.

A photograph of a girl with silver hair and blue eyes was affixed to the profile.

[Name: Lacrimosa]

[Age: 15]

[Currently residing at Moon Well Orphanage]

“Well? Is this the woman you were looking for?”

“…Yes. It’s her. Though the age is a little off.”

Enoch stared intently at the photograph.

It wasn’t long before certainty bloomed within him.

She was one of the main characters adorning the game’s cover.

A being who would master both sword and magic.

Lacrimosa, the Absolute Zero Swordmaster.

‘The monsters attack again after only a few months, the status window activates, and I even find the person I’ve been looking for… The timing is a bit… uncanny.’

It was as if time, once frozen, had begun to move again.

Enoch considered the profile, lost in thought.

The Moon Well Orphanage, where she was residing.

It certainly wasn’t far from here.

Perhaps a thirty-minute drive by car.

‘There’s no need to postpone this.’

Enoch hardened his resolve and rose from his seat.

“That was delicious, Master.”

“Alright. Going to that orphanage now?”

“She’s someone I’ve been searching for, one way or another.”

Enoch retrieved a wad of bills and placed it on the counter.

The Master’s eyes widened at the sight.

“What’s gotten into you all of a sudden? What’s with the money?”

“Information fee. Just accept it as a token of sincerity.”

Enoch replied curtly, then opened the door and stepped outside.

Silence settled back into the room.

The Master checked the wad of money Enoch had left behind.

A total of 30 million Kro.

“Mad… how much money does that b*stard even *have*?”

The Master stared blankly at the space where Enoch had vanished.

Was it just his imagination?

It felt like the scent of money lingered where he had stood.

@

Enoch’s thought process was utterly simple.

The Rights character had appeared, so he would bring him along by any means necessary.

That was all.

‘Either sooner or later, Lacrina will enter the Academy. It’s a certainty he’ll leave the orphanage eventually. I’ll just intervene and volunteer as his patron.’

There are many ways to buy someone’s favor.

Spending time and pouring your heart into it.

Showing trust to gain their good will.

By now, you’ve probably figured it out, the important thing ultimately boils down to one thing.

That is, buying the other person’s heart.

Only that is important.

So Enoch just bought it with money.

After all, as long as you buy their heart, doesn’t that do the trick?

“I heard there’s a child named Lacrina here.”

“Yes? Ah, yes…”

A nun ran the orphanage.

Standing before the old nun, who had lived a humble life, Enoch pulled a bundle of money from his coat.

“Let’s get straight to the point. I want to take that boy. In return, I will donate 50 million Kro to the orphanage.”

Enoch said, pulling out ten stacks of bills.

He stacked them into a tower and slid them toward the nun.

“For your information, this is cash, not kind. How does that sound? Is this sufficient, perhaps?”

Enoch asked, his tone unhurried.

His expression was so unnervingly placid.

The nun across from him felt, for a fleeting moment, as though she’d become a purveyor of flesh.

Where did that much coin even spring from in the first place?

“Now, just a moment! There’s really no need to simply proffer money-“

“Insufficient? Shall I add another ten million croons?”

“…Pardon?”

Enoch produced another stack of notes, piling it atop the others.

That made a total of sixty million croons.

“Is this sufficient, then?”

“Just a moment! A moment, I say! Allow me to-“

“Another ten million?”

“No! That isn’t wha-“

“Twenty million?”

“Sir, just hear me ou-“

“Okay. Let’s be neat and make it a hundred million.”

Enoch once more retrieved bundles of currency.

He stacked them like so many Jenga blocks, pushing them toward the nun.

“A grand total of one hundred million croons.”

“……”

“Perhaps it is still insufficient? Shall we simply increment by a hundred million at a time?”

“Enough! Enough!”

The elderly nun cried out, her voice booming.

Only then did Enoch belatedly cease his construction of a monetary Jenga tower.

“…There’s truly no need to offer such a sponsorship. We respect the children’s opinions, you see. If the children are amenable, you may take them with you, by all means.”

“I see.”

Enoch belatedly nodded.

At least he seemed inclined to cease his games with money.

The nun was finally able to find some measure of relief.

For one who had lived a life of such humble simplicity, the sight of a tower of money materializing in real-time was hardly a pleasing one.

“Sister, might you perhaps relay my story to Lacrimosa in a favorable light?”

“Hm? Well… that much I could do…”

“Thank you. In exchange for your kindness, allow me to offer this one hundred million Cro.”

“…Wouldn’t you rather just take it back?”

Such avarice could hardly be auspicious on a path of benevolence.

Wasn’t this the behavior of a slave merchant?

The nun narrowed her eyes, laden with such meaning.

Enoch shook his head firmly.

“Forgive me, but repacking twenty stacks of bills would be more bothersome.”

“……Yes.”

“Just keep it. As I said, use it for the orphanage’s expenses. And treat yourself to something nice this time, Sister.”

“Yes…”

The nun acquiesced, looking weary.

Regardless of the reason, having surplus funds for operations was a good thing.

Though perhaps a bit excessively so… in the end, shouldn’t good be good?

@

The conversation drew to a temporary close.

The nun went to Lacrimosa and relayed Enoch’s proposition.

“Lacrimosa, someone has come forward who wishes to take you with them.”

“…Me? Who might that be?”

“Well…”

The nun conjured up images of Enoch in her mind.

All she could picture were stacks of money.

“He’s… a person of considerable wealth, my dear.”

“Oh? Ah… I see…”

“A person of truly, very, very considerable wealth.”

“Oh? Um… that’s fortunate? I suppose?”

“Isn’t it?”

The elderly nun smiled brightly at Lacrimosa.

Lacrimosa couldn’t help but suspect, for no particular reason, that she was being sold.