“Huh? Did I see that wrong?”

I took a deep breath and rubbed my eyeballs through my eyelids.

Well, I’ve been doing a lot of paperwork lately...

“Alright, let’s double-check this.”

Once again, I focused my thoughts and activated the jewel.

◆ (Arrow Trap)
Power: 1m
Setup Cost: 2
Activation Time: 0s
Cooldown Time: 1s
Range: 1m
Placement: Ground

“Oh...”

It was exactly the same as the text I checked earlier, word for word.

This is a bottom-tier ability. In a standard tower defense, it's a trap you'd get right at the beginning. By the mid to late game, it would typically be replaced by something else—that’s how little value it has.

In fact, the same trap existed in the previous title, Death Parade TD.

It’s not a bad trap when used in combination with others, but if it’s the only one I get, then I’ve definitely drawn the short straw.

“First try, restriction play, high difficulty, huh. Hah, this’ll be a fun challenge.”

You think I haven’t played a ton of tower defense games?

High difficulty and restrictions are what I live for!

Hard mode is way more exciting than easy mode!

...Or so I tried to convince myself!

I meant to smile confidently, but I’m pretty sure my mouth is twitching.

“Um, what are you doing, raising your fist alone like that?”

Suddenly hearing a voice, I turned my head to see Fuka Kusazuri peering at me.

“Just checking out my TDS.”

“Oh, I see. So, how was it? What did you get? Show me, come on. Did you get something amazing like I did? Hey, hey, hey.”

Don’t rub your chin on my shoulder with that smug face.

You just want to brag because you pulled something good, right?

“I can’t exactly reveal my ability to someone else.”

“Ehh, that’s not fair! You know my secret already!”

“You’re the one who spilled it yourself...”

For a shut-in NEET, she’s oddly sociable.

“Not fair, not fair, not fair.”

Stop pounding on my chest. It doesn’t hurt, but still.

“Are you a toddler? Get off me, you’re annoying. Don’t you have to check your own ability or something?”

“Ugh, cold. But the internet said that when young girls get touchy-feely, older guys are totally weak to it.”

T-This girl... Was that all calculated?

Is she more cunning than she looks?

No, if she says it out loud, that ruins everything.

“Who are you calling an old guy? Well, I guess being in my late twenties does make me one... Yeah, my back's been hurting lately and greasy food’s getting hard to stomach...”

I wanted to deny it confidently, but there were too many things that hit home.

“Um, I got carried away. Sorry.”

She bowed deeply. That kind of serious apology stings more than being laughed at.

“Well, from the perspective of someone your age, I guess I really am an old man.”

“It’s not ‘someone your age,’ it’s Kusazuri Fuka. Also, I’m twenty-two, so maybe not that young, either.”

She looked so young I mistook her for a teenager, maybe a high schooler.

Still, there’s over a ten-year gap between us.

“You can just call me Fuka. What about you, old—uh, what’s your name?”

I’ll pretend I didn’t hear her almost say “old man.”

If she gave me her real name, I should respond in kind.

“Katakami Kaname.”

“Got it, Kaname-san. I’ll remember it.”

I found myself a little mesmerized by her innocent smile as she nodded.

She probably has a kind and straightforward heart. The way she’s clinging to me with high energy might be her way of coping with anxiety.

She’s been thrust into an unfamiliar game with a bunch of strangers—naturally, she’d seek someone to rely on, and I just happened to be nearby.

...I’ve always ended up in roles like this. People tend to rely on me, and I often get saddled with hassles.

My classmates used to say, “Kaname-kun gives a good first impression,” but it always came with a tone that made it hard to take as a compliment.

When I walk in crowded areas, elderly people and foreigners often ask me for directions.

I guess I have a face that’s easy to approach. Not handsome, just a harmless, bland-looking face. —Not that it makes me happy.

“Um, are you mad?”

Fuka was now watching me with a frightened face, her expression having changed completely.

I have to respond like the older adult here.

“Nah, I was just lost in thought.”

“Phew, that’s a relief! You seem kind and dependable, Kaname-san. ...Might be perfect to latch onto, hehe.”

Did she just whisper something suspicious?

I thought I saw a sinister smile for a second, but when I checked her face, she was looking at me with a beaming grin.

What was that chill down my spine? It really feels like I made a critical mistake in how I dealt with her.

“Looks like everyone’s got theirs now—”

Helm’s loud voice cut through my unease, confirming with everyone.

Oh crap. I’ve been so busy dealing with Fuka that I haven’t checked my ability properly yet.

“Now then, we will teleport you all to the foot of this mountain. Your destinations will be randomized, so do your best to survive.”

“Aren’t there any other explanations about the game?”

Oh, nice question, you unfamiliar and rather skinny-looking guardian.

“You'll have to figure out the details through trial and error. Isn’t the uncertain early phase more fun than the fully mastered late game?”

I completely agree. The other guardians nodded strongly as well.

I’ve never been the type to rely on strategy guides, so this suits me just fine.

“Any additional info or sudden events will be communicated via your jewel, so rest assured. We’ll also send a signal when the PvP phase begins in three days.”

That was a relief. I was worried about being ambushed without warning.

“Well then, enjoy Death Parade TD Online (tentative) to your heart’s content! Oh, and by the way—whoever survives to the end will receive a fabulous prize from the developers, so give it your all!”

They won’t say what it is, but it adds another reason to want to survive.

I wasn’t planning to lose anyway, but knowing there’s a reward for clearing it gives me more motivation. If they give out a one-of-a-kind title once the full game launches, that would be amazing.

As I was indulging in such fantasies, my surroundings changed completely.

Just moments ago I saw clouds, but now the ground below is bare dirt.

I looked around, but there were no people or even animals in sight. It seemed to be a wooded area, but within a hundred-meter radius around me, there was nothing—just barren land.

“Well, no one’s around. This is a good chance.”

First priority: check the TDS.

I activated the jewel again to display my ability.

◆ (Arrow Trap)
Power: 1m
Setup Cost: 2
Activation Time: 0s
Cooldown Time: 1s
Range: 1m
Placement: Ground

“The same Arrow Trap from the previous game.”

Rather than overthinking it, I should just try it out.

Apparently, it can be activated with a thought, but let’s say it aloud.

“Activate.”

As I reached toward the ground, a red arrow enclosed in a square outline appeared.

“The Setup Cost is 2, so my TDP dropped by 2. This square is about one meter per side—so that’s the Range.”

Which means the trap appeared instantly when I focused on deploying it because the Activation Time is 0s. Instant deployment is definitely an advantage.

“Alright, let’s try a chain cast. Activate, activate, activate... activate.”

I cast it rapidly without delay, and it worked fine.

After several tries, I learned that I can place up to five at once. When I place a sixth, the first one disappears. As of now, placed traps don’t vanish unless I consciously remove them.

Seems like they persist indefinitely unless I want them gone.

Next, how far can I place them? That’s also important.

Eyeballing it, I gradually increased the distance—one meter, two meters... nine, ten... couldn’t manage eleven. Roughly ten meters is the maximum range.

I tossed a pebble onto the Arrow Trap. It was forcibly moved one meter in the arrow’s direction.

But when I stepped on it myself, nothing happened.

“Well, it’d be bad if it triggered on the user—it’d be a recipe for self-destruction.”

I haven’t tested it on living things yet, but it should activate when another guardian or a monster steps on it.

Also, it seems to ignore inertia. Even though the object instantly moved a meter, it stopped dead on the spot. Normally, with that speed and momentum, it’d keep rolling.

Now I tried dropping two pebbles onto the Arrow Trap. The first pebble to touch it moved instantly, and after a short delay, the second moved too.

So the Cooldown Time of one second is the time between successive activations. A cooldown mechanic, then.

“And I can make the arrow point in any direction I focus on... Hm?”

So how the hell am I supposed to fight with this?

In a tower defense, you can see the enemy’s path, and place traps right on it—they’re guaranteed to step on it.

But here, in this vast open world, will enemies even step on such a tiny one-meter trap?

Even if they do, what then?

It’s going to be hard to defeat enemies using this alone. I’ll have to use it as support in combat.

“But I don’t even have a weapon. What am I supposed to do in this situation?”

Normally, you’d get starter equipment.

Not even a stick. And my clothes—wait, they’re not rags.

I looked at myself and saw jeans, a gray long-sleeved shirt, and sneakers—my usual outfit.

So the clothes changed when I got teleported.

“Wait, is this... because of that?”

There was a question during character creation: “What do you usually wear?” I answered it, and I guess they implemented that.

If I had said I usually wear armor... Nah, that would’ve been rejected.

Too late to regret it now. With no weapon, I’ll have to rely on the Arrow Trap, but this ability doesn’t inspire much hope.

“Huh, there’s an Options section, but nothing’s written under it.”

I absentmindedly touched the word Options floating above the jewel.

Suddenly, additional text appeared.

“Color, size, hitbox... Looks like I can tweak a lot of stuff—detailed trap customization, huh?”

Then maybe if I make the trap bigger, it’ll be more effective?

I tried to adjust the size, but—ah, of course.

Shrinking is possible, but enlargement is disabled. Makes sense. If I could make it a hundred meters wide, I could trap anything. Total game balance destruction.

Then maybe I can adjust other parameters—

After spending quite a bit of time fiddling with the options, I was finally satisfied. Time to get this game started in earnest.

“Alright, first things first: let’s grind some levels!”