It was early morning, with the sun barely dragging itself up from the horizon.
Out in front of the castle, a few hundred recruits stood in crooked lines, looking like someone had tried to form a militia out of the local tavern crowd. At a glance, it was a ragtag mix of races—beastkin with crooked spears, dwarves in dented pots for helmets, and even one elf polishing what looked suspiciously like a plunger.
Xu Tao didn’t need to squint to tell that this "army" was in no shape for war. Half of them looked like they’d trip over their own swords.
’Well... we gotta work with what we have.’
Jehanne slammed the butt of her spear onto the balcony floor with a boom, loud enough to make the front row flinch.
"We’ve called you all here today to announce two things," she declared, her voice regal, commanding—and, somehow, a little annoyed. "First: our leader, Sir Xu Tao, has finally returned to our side!"
There was a beat of awkward silence.
Xu Tao cleared his throat, stepped forward onto the second-floor balcony, and waved.
Instantly, chaos erupted.
Some people gasped. A few pointed and shouted, "That’s the guy from last night!" One or two dropped their weapons. The Azure Dragon Sect disciples burst into an orderly bow and shouted, "We greet the Great Elder!" in unison.
Xu Tao gave it a moment. He inhaled slowly, let the confusion simmer down, then raised his voice.
"The third wave is upon us."
"Some of you may have seen it already. Others haven’t. But let me be clear. Those ferocious, grotesque monsters? They’re coming. And they’re not here for a chat—they’re coming to wipe us all out."
A ripple of nervous chatter. Then a louder ripple of panic.
"Last time," Xu Tao continued, "Jehanne and Arthur did most of the fighting. Back then, we didn’t have this castle or the walls. But now..."
He gestured broadly to the assembled crowd, the fortress behind them, and the tall walls and ramshackle barricades beyond.
"...we’ve got something to protect. And we’re going to need every one of you to help protect it."
Grumbling started. Low, unsure murmurs about being underprepared, underqualified, and possibly hungover.
"Relax," Xu Tao said, grinning.
He waved his hand—and with a loud whoosh, dozens upon dozens of weapons, armor pieces, and various mysterious equipment shot out of his storage ring, spiraling overhead like a fireworks show made entirely of leather and metal.
The crowd collectively ducked, then looked ahead where the items began to drop lazily to the ground.
"These are yours on a ’you-own-what-you-get’ basis!" Xu Tao announced. "All of them are free! No charge! Just don’t try to resell it to your neighbor or poke yourself in the eye!"
After a brief moment of stunned silence, cheers erupted!
Someone screamed, "That hammer is mine!" Another yelled, "Bagsy that Dragon Bone Shield!" A minor scuffle even broke out in the back over what was clearly a cursed axe.
Watching their chaotic display, Jehanne pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "Sorry, Sir Tao. They’re too high-strung to act with decorum. I’ll be sure to scold them later..."
"No need, no need," he chuckled. "A little chaos is nothing compared to raising morale."
But of course, he didn’t plan to let the chaos continue while he wasted time. Instead, he raised his voice again—so loud he could’ve been a human megaphone.
"Before we get to the distribution chaos," he said over the rising noise, "let’s go over the battle plan!"
The crowd groaned collectively, but most of them paused their fighting.
"First—the elites! Arthur will guard the north gate. Jehanne’s taking the southeast. I’ll handle the southwest. Each of us gets one-third of the perimeter. Simple!"
Someone yelled, "What if the monsters attack the edges of your zones?"
Xu Tao nodded. It was a valid question.
"For that, it’s your turn," he said, grinning. "All of you will split up to cover the outer walls. Your job is to keep anything nasty from getting past your defensive line and entering the inner city!"
The majority of those present would be assigned to that job. After all, rather than relying on their ability to kill monsters, their task was simply "blocking" and "delaying."
However, this fact still brought frowns of unease to many faces. If left unaddressed, it could lead to desertion.
"There’s no need to put your life on the line or push yourselves too hard, so don’t worry," he added with a refreshing smile. "All you need to do is hold out until one of us three reaches your position and takes care of the monsters. Otherwise, wait for the third squad."
"Third squad?" Jehanne asked, tilting her head—this was news to her.
The first group consisted of the three elites covering the front line. The second was the defense troops meant to cover the most ground. And the third...
"It’s an assault squad made up of the elites just below us three. Specifically, those who are level 150 and above," Xu Tao explained. "Their job is to move fast and clean up the monsters being held back by the defense troops."
When push came to shove, there could be moments when none of the three main elites could provide backup during defense. The third squad was created for exactly that edge case—providing swift cover to vulnerable points.
In addition, their secondary role was to ensure casualties among the defense troops remained minimal. Although Xu Tao wished to avoid any losses during this wave, he knew from experience how much stronger the monsters could become during the latter stages.
As the people cheered at the solid plan, Xu Tao kept a straight face while pondering.
’Still, one thing bothers me. The timing of the wave.’
The second wave had happened five days ago, according to Jehanne’s report. She’d also said the system displayed a notification stating that the next wave would arrive in a week—which would be two days from now.
’Is this another error from the Lost System, or...’
Xu Tao recalled the mysterious figure who had tried to injure Henrietta and the others. The Evil Spirit—Dual-Soul Wraith—whom he’d driven off.
He couldn’t shake the feeling that this might be related to them somehow.
"Well, I guess I’ll just have to be ready for anything." He whispered to himself.
Xu Tao turned his back against the cheering crowd.
With just 15 minutes left before the wave starts, he needed to focus.
He could chase suspicions later—right now, the wave came first.