The dark room was silent, except for the soft hum of a gaming PC.

Its glow painted the walls in shifting shades of blue and red, the only light in a cave of wires, cans, and chaos.

Sitting on a worn gaming chair,Dev leaned forward — eyes locked on the screen.

The monitor showed a leaderboard:

[Top Players – Defense Against Infinite waves]

1 – Dev: 99,363,692,882,282 points

He stared at his name, blinking.

"I… don't even know how I became the top player,"

he muttered, his voice echoing in the empty room.

Before he could even finish his sentence, his surroundings blurred — and the screen went black.

In the next moment, the sound of the PC vanished.

The smell of bamboo and damp earth filled his nose.

Dev stood there, dazed, in front of a barrier made of bamboo poles, tied with glowing ropes.

A few meters away, a swirling portal floated in the air, its light flickering like molten glass.

"Where… am I?"

he whispered.

Then, a panel appeared before him — bright, floating text glowing in midair.

[The Best Player of "Defend Against Infinite wave." This world needs you.]

"Ha? What—?"

Another line appeared, faster this time:

[Save this world with your skill. You became the best player among 100 million players]

Dev's eyes widened.

"Save this world? Wait, wait—"

[Yes. Save this world using your strategy of defending against waves.]

The panel faded before he could respond.

Dev threw his hands up.

"Skill? Strategy? Damn it— I just spam!"

A faint, calm voice echoed inside his head.

[Welcome.]

"Oh, you came back! System, listen— I just want to say—"

[I am not the one who was here before.]

"What? Whatever, I don't care! Just send me back to Earth."

[I cannot do that.]

"Why!?"

[Because you must save this world using your strategy of gaming.]

"What strategy!? I just spam troops, bro! I've never used a single strategy in my life!"

The voice went silent.

Before Dev could complain again, the portal ahead of him began to flicker violently.

A new panel appeared:

[The First Wave Has Started.]

From inside the glowing portal, a green foot stepped out — rough skin, clawed toes scraping the ground.

Then came the rest of it: a small goblin, barely up to Dev's chest, its body lean and twisted.

Its eyes burned yellow, and in its hands was a makeshift weapon — a sharp branch of a tree, roughly sharpened into a spear.

Dev's throat went dry.

"That… that's a goblin?"

He trembled, staring at it.

In his mind, he could only think:

I've only seen these things in games… and they look exactly the same.

The goblin screeched — and charged straight at him.

Before he could even think of running, another panel appeared:

[Summon a Trainee Knight]

[Cost: 100 Points]

[Available: 1000 Points]

[Yes / No]

"YES!"

Dev smashed the "YES" button like a maniac — spamming it ten times in half a second.

Light flashed around him.

One by one, ten young men appeared — wearing simple leather armor, gripping short swords with shaking but determined hands. Their faces were blank, emotionless — like summoned soldiers awaiting command.

Dev's jaw dropped, eyes wide, breath trembling.

"This… is this for real?"

The smell of steel filled the air. The knights looked to him, silent, awaiting orders.

A glowing panel floated in front of Dev's eyes.

[Points Gained: 10]

Dev blinked.

"So I get points from killing monsters…?"

[Yes.]

He looked at the ten trainee knights. Their blades dripped with dark green blood, splattered across their leather clothes. They stood silently, eyes fixed on Dev — waiting for his next command like obedient soldiers.

Before he could say anything, another panel popped up:

[The Second Wave Has Started.]

Dev froze.

What!? The first wave just ended! At least give me a few minutes to breathe!

His voice cracked as he stared at the portal.

The circular portal suddenly expanded — stretching wide like a gigantic opening of swirling green and blue light. Now it was big enough for forty to fifty monsters to walk through side-by-side.

Ten goblins stepped out, snarling, holding sharpened tree-branch spears.

Dev gasped.

Damn… ten this time. And I also have ten trainees… a 10 vs 10? I don't know what's gonna happen.

The trainee knights didn't wait for orders.

They charged forward, swords raised high.

The goblins screeched and rushed in, thrusting their crude branch-spears wildly. The first goblin jabbed at a trainee's chest, but the young knight deflected with a swift swing, cutting the spear in half. Another trainee slashed downward, splitting a goblin's shoulder open as the creature cried out. The goblins fought ferociously, stabbing, clawing, and biting, but the knights' longer swords kept them at a distance.

One trainee blocked a spear, kicked the goblin's knee, and finished it with a clean strike to the neck.

After a minute of clashing steel and splintering branches, the trainees overwhelmed the goblins completely.

A new panel appeared:

[Points Gained: 100]

Dev exhaled shakily.

"Phew… these trainee knights are way stronger than I thought."

His shoulders relaxed, and he wiped the sweat on his forehead.

Another window appeared:

[Upgrade Available]

Upgrade one of the Trainee Knights to Bronze-1 Knight.

Click YES to confirm.

Dev smirked slightly.

Just like a game.

He tapped YES.

One of the trainee knights straightened suddenly. A faint glow wrapped around him. His arms tightened, veins showing, his stance growing firmer as if strength surged through every muscle.

He clenched his fist.

I… feel stronger. Like my body just woke up.

Another trainee laughed casually, patting him on the shoulder.

Good luck, brother! Looks like the lord blessed you first.

They talked like normal young men — relaxed, friendly banter.

Dev's eyes widened.

They… can talk?

[Yes, they can.]

Dev thought,

I seriously thought they couldn't because they were just summons.

Another panel appeared:

[You can now assign a name to the Bronze-1 Knight.]

Dev tapped his chin, thinking hard. His eyes shifted left and right, searching the air for ideas.

Hmm… what should I name you…?

After a few seconds,

David. That should work.

He typed DAVID into the panel.

Immediately, another panel appeared:

[The Third Wave Has Started.]

Dev nearly screamed.

Bro… THIRD wave already!?

David stepped forward, sword ready, his face calm.

My lord, stay behind us.

This time, twenty goblins poured out of the portal — twice the number from before.

The knights instantly formed a line and clashed with them.

Dev watched, his heartbeat racing.

The waves keep coming faster… the number keeps increasing… if this continues, I'm going to die.

A cold shiver ran down his spine. His stomach twisted. For the first time, real fear hit him — this wasn't a game… this was death.

The system answered immediately, as if hearing his thoughts.

[The time between waves will increase as the wave number rises.]

Dev let out a long breath, his shoulders dropping slightly, tension easing from his body.

"Oh… okay… that helps. A bit."

The battlefield was chaos again.

The nine trainee knights fought just as before—tight swings, firm blocks, and clean strikes. Their long swords clashed against the goblins' branch-spears, cutting through them with ease. But David, the newly risen Bronze-1 knight, moved differently. He charged into three goblins at once, parrying two attacks in a single sweep while kicking a third square in the chest. A goblin leaped at him from the side, but he spun, slashing across its torso. With precise footwork, he cut down another attacker, handling four goblins almost effortlessly.

Within a minute, all twenty goblins lay dead.

[Points Gained: 200]

Dev stared with wide eyes, jaw slightly open.

Holy… these goblins don't stand a chance… And David—his upgrade is insane.

His voice was half awe, half disbelief. The fear from earlier faded, replaced by excitement and adrenaline.

Around them, a new problem became visible—piles of goblin corpses from the current wave and the previous two, scattered everywhere like broken dolls.

David stepped forward, bowing slightly.

My lord, the corpses have piled up. What should we do with them?

Dev waved his hand dismissively.

Uh… just throw them to the side or do whatever you guys normally do.

David nodded.

The nine trainees and David immediately got to work, grabbing goblin bodies by the arms and legs, dragging, stacking, and clearing the field with efficient, practiced movements. The thuds of dead goblins hitting the ground formed a grim rhythm.

Dev stared at the battlefield, then looked up.

"System, I want to summon more trainee knights."

A panel opened:

[Summon Feature – Level 1]

1. Summon Trainee Knight

2. Summon – Locked

3. Summon – Locked

Dev noticed something.

"There's a Level 1 next to the summon feature… does that mean it can level up?"

[Yes.

When the Summon Feature levels up, you can unlock the 2nd summon.]

Dev nodded.

I already guessed that the second summon will unlock.

[Hold Option 1: Summon Trainee Knight]

Oh, alright.

Dev pressed and held the option. A new window opened:

[Level Up – Summon: Trainee Knight]

Dev wasn't surprised; this was normal game mechanics for him.

*What changes if I level this up?"

[You can directly summon a Bronze-1 Knight.

The cost becomes 150 points.]

Dev calculated instantly.

Right now, it costs 100 to summon a trainee and another 100 to upgrade.

Total 200.

Leveling up would reduce it to 150. That's actually profitable.

"Okay, how much does it cost to level it up?"

[1000 Points]

"And how many points do I have right now?"

[Available Points: 200]

Dev sighed dramatically, throwing his head back.

"Damn… I'm broke. I can't even afford the first upgrade."

He puffed his cheeks like a frustrated kid.

"I'll think about it later. How much to upgrade the Summon Feature?"

[3000 Points]

Dev's eye twitched.

Damn… three times more expensive.

Raizen opened his mouth to complain — then suddenly paused.

…Wait.

His brows furrowed.

His eyes narrowed slightly, as if noticing something he had overlooked until now.

"This world… and this system," Raizen muttered, tapping his fingers against his arm, "they're nothing like the game I played."

He asked the system directly:

"System, this isn't the same game, right?"

[ I never said it was the same.

But the concept is identical — you defend against waves.

Everything else is different. ]

Raizen let out a breath through his nose — half relief, half annoyance.

"So that's how it is…"

He scratched the back of his head, shoulders slumping a little in embarrassment.

"Even if it was the same," he admitted with a defeated sigh, "I wouldn't have been able to do anything. I only ever spammed troops in the game. I never learned attack patterns, hidden mechanics, nothing."

He waved his hand dismissively.

"I played like an idiot."

The system stayed silent.

Raizen shook his head, straightening up with a resigned expression.

For now, I'll stick to spamming troops.

He summoned two more trainee knights.

This time, two young female knights appeared, holding long swords, wearing the same leather armor as the others.

One of the trainee boys grinned widely.

"Oh! New comrades!"

Another elbowed him.

"And they're girls, bro—this is good luck!"

The girls bowed lightly.

"We will serve, my lord."

Their voices were calm but excited.

The male trainees looked even more motivated now.

Suddenly—

The Fourth Wave Has Started

Dev didn't panic this time.

He stood confidently… until the portal flared open.

Forty goblins marched out in a tight pack.

Dev's face went pale.

"What the f—?! Forty!? I only have 12 knights!"

David stepped forward, expression tense.

The system responded instantly:

[Do not worry.

A trainee knight can defeat 2–3 goblins.

A Bronze-1 Knight can defeat 5–6 easily.]

Dev swallowed.

"Still… this is a lot."

The twelve knights charged forward, meeting the goblin swarm head-on. For a moment it looked evenly matched—goblins stabbing wildly with their branch-spears, knights blocking and slashing. David cut through the front line instantly, taking on four goblins at once. He parried two attacks, kicked one goblin backward, and drove his sword through another's chest.

The trainees fought bravely, each handling two or three goblins. But the pressure was heavy; a few knights took cuts to their arms and legs, sharp stings of pain slowing them down. Dev's stomach twisted as he watched—seeing his knights bleed made him uneasy, not because he cared emotionally, but because he knew the next wave would be even harder.

Despite the chaos, steel overcame wood. The goblin formation collapsed, and one by one, the monsters fell until all forty lay dead.

[Points Gained: 400]

Dev looked at the knights—several were injured, panting, but still standing strong.

"We won… and pretty easily too. But still… this is going to get crazier."

A glowing panel appeared in front of Dev.

[4 hours until the Fifth Wave]

Dev frowned.

Hmm… does this mean from now on there will be a 4-hour gap between every wave?

[No.

This 4-hour gap is because it is Wave 5.

After every set of 5 waves, you will receive a larger time gap.]

Dev's eyes narrowed.

A big time gap… In games, that only happens when something dangerous appears… like a boss monster.

A cold shiver crawled down his spine. His shoulders stiffened, fingers twitching slightly.

"System… is this long gap because a boss monster is coming next wave?"

[No.

This time gap exists because starting from the next wave, the time between waves will increase.]

Dev let out a huge breath, shoulders dropping, hands falling to his sides in relief.

"Hoo… okay, that's actually good. So how much time will the new gap be? Like… an hour?"

[15 minutes.]

Dev's expression collapsed instantly.

"ONLY 15 minutes!?"

He threw his hands in the air.

[Do not worry.

It will increase again after every 5 waves.]

Dev clicked his tongue.

"Tsk… okay fine. Then tell me this—

You said no boss monster in the next wave.

Does that mean… there are no boss monsters at all?"

[No.

Boss monsters appear every 10 waves.]

Dev's face darkened.

Damn… I was at least hoping there were NO boss monsters.

His stomach tightened again at the thought.