2026-03-31 16:30:02Chapter 2: First Defense
I stood inside the small shelter made from the flipped truck, my heart still pounding hard from the narrow escape. Sweat covered my face and my hands shook a little as I looked at the glowing blue screen floating in front of me. The system had saved me once, but the new warning about wave two made my stomach twist with real fear.
The alert stayed bright and red on the screen.
[Prepare for wave two. Failure to defend will result in loss of safe zone and possible host death.]
I took a deep breath and tried to calm my thoughts. My mother and younger brother were still somewhere out there in the broken city. I had to live through this and reach them. There was no time to freeze up now. The system had helped me build this shelter in seconds. Maybe it could keep helping if I stayed smart.
"System, show me what I can do to make the shelter stronger," I said, even though the voice only spoke inside my head.
The screen changed right away and gave me a clear list.
[Basic Shelter Blueprint active. Current level: 1
Durability: 120/120
Upgrade options available with resources.]
I saw simple ways to improve it. Stronger walls, a small watch point on top, or even basic traps around the edges. My starter pack had given me 50 wood units, 30 metal units, and 10 energy cores. It was not a lot, but it was better than nothing.
Outside, the first monsters reached the shelter fast. Claws scraped loudly against the metal sides. The whole truck shook from the hits. I grabbed the metal pipe again and moved to one of the narrow openings to look out. At least ten creatures circled the shelter. Some were the big wolf types with sharp spikes on their backs. Others looked like giant rats with long teeth and whipping tails.
One large beast slammed its body hard against the door. I watched the durability number drop by ten points right away.
My hands felt shaky, but I focused on the screen and spoke quickly.
"Use some metal to make the door stronger."
The system answered fast.
[Reinforcing door. Cost: 8 metal units. Durability restored and increased to 150/150.]
The metal on the door glowed for a moment and grew thicker. The next heavy hit from the beast did much less damage. A small feeling of hope rose inside me. This could actually work if I kept thinking clearly.
I checked the inventory again and noticed a new option.
[Basic Trap Blueprint unlocked. Place spike traps using wood and metal.]
That sounded perfect for slowing them down. I picked a spot right in front and pictured the trap in my mind. The system guided my hands without me needing to do much. I spent 15 wood and 10 metal, and three sharp spikes suddenly rose from the ground when triggered. The first wolf creature stepped right on one and let out a painful howl as the spike went through its leg. It fell back, and the others paused for a second.
I smiled for the first time since the sky had cracked open. "Keep coming if you want more."
I used the rest of my resources carefully. Some wood went into building a simple ladder so I could climb to the top of the shelter and see better. From up there, I watched even more monsters moving in from the side streets. Their numbers were growing fast.
The system voice spoke inside my head again.
[Quest update: Defend the safe zone for 30 minutes to complete first wave. Current time: 4 minutes passed. Reward on completion: Level up to 2, new blueprint unlock, and 20 extra resource units.]
Thirty minutes felt like forever while the beasts kept attacking without stopping. I stayed on top and used the pipe to stab down at any creature that got too close to the edges. One rat-like monster jumped high enough to reach me. I swung the pipe hard and cracked its skull open. A small number appeared above it.
[+15 experience points.]
The system tracked everything. Every kill gave me experience, and I needed as much as I could get to grow stronger.
Time moved slowly. I had to reinforce the walls two more times when the durability dropped too low. Each upgrade used up more resources, but it kept the shelter from falling apart. My arms burned from swinging the pipe, and sweat poured down my face, but I refused to stop.
At the twenty-minute mark, the attacks turned much fiercer. A larger creature pushed through the crowd. It was almost twice the size of the others, with thick armor covering its head. It charged straight at the shelter like a living battering ram. The impact shook everything hard. Durability fell fast, down to 80/150.
I climbed down quickly and used the last of my metal to add extra support beams inside. The system helped me place them in the perfect spots.
The big creature charged again. This time the shelter held, but it was close.
"Hold together," I whispered under my breath.
I climbed back up and waited for the right moment. When the armored beast pulled back to charge once more, I used the remaining wood to drop a heavy crate from the top. It crashed right on the creature’s head and stunned it for a few seconds. I jumped down through the opening, pipe raised high, and stabbed into a weak spot near its neck. The beast roared and thrashed around, but I held on tight until it finally stopped moving.
[+85 experience points. Rare material drop: Armored Hide x1.]
The smaller monsters seemed to hesitate after their leader went down. I used that short pause to catch my breath and check the timer.
[Time remaining: 3 minutes.]
I was almost through it.
Just as the timer reached zero, the system announced clearly inside my head.
[First wave defense complete. Safe zone secured for now.]
A warm feeling spread through my body. The screen flashed bright.
[Level up! Host now Level 2.
Strength +2, Agility +2, Endurance +3.
New blueprint unlocked: Basic Watchtower addition.
Resource reward: 20 wood, 15 metal, 5 energy cores.]
I felt stronger right away. The tiredness in my muscles eased a bit, and the aches became lighter. A small smile came to my face as I leaned against the wall. Maybe I could really survive this. Maybe I could build something bigger and go find my family.
But the good feeling did not last.
The system gave a new red warning right away.
[Alert: The Destroyer-class user has entered your sector. Distance: 1.5 kilometers and closing fast. This user has already claimed three safe zones by force and destroyed their owners. Prepare for confrontation.]
I climbed to the top of the shelter again and looked out into the ruined streets. In the distance, I saw a tall figure walking straight toward me. The man wore dark clothes stained with blood and carried a large axe that glowed with strange red energy. A group of smaller monsters followed behind him like loyal pets. The figure stopped for a moment, looked directly at my shelter, and raised the axe high in the air.
A cruel laugh echoed across the distance.
The system added one final line that made my blood run cold.
[Warning: Destroyer-class user is Level 8. Host level difference detected. Survival chance estimated at 35 percent without immediate upgrades or clever tactics.]
I gripped the metal pipe tighter until my knuckles turned white. The first wave was finished, but a much more dangerous enemy was coming right at me now, and I only had minutes to prepare.
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