MMORPG: Rise of the Peerless Pumpkinmancer

The entire Iceland Trial rumbled.

"May the gods have mercy on our soul. It's happening again!!!" That one Nord exclaimed as he remembered what had happened to Jack's previous ice castle.

The ground shook, and the ever-continuous snowstorm outside the village was overshadowed by the screams and the trembling.

It sounded like an Avalanche large enough to engulf the whole world was heading their way. But really, it was even worse, for this was an enormous monster wave!

All the creatures they had seen back then were showing up again, hundreds and even thousands of them! How were they supposed to survive this?!

The Nords clenched their fists, knowing they would perish soon. Even then, they chuckled as they smiled: it was better to die fighting than sleeping eternally!

"There's just one last thing remaining to do," Jack murmured as he grabbed their treasure Goblet, heading into a closed room. What was he up to?

Many hammering sounds echoed, soon followed by painful howls and despair-inducing sobs. Seriously what the heck was happening in there?!

As he came back out, he had a huge grin. It seemed like he had succeeded in whatever he was doing.

"Everyone, gather up! Let's share one last drink, shall we!" He called out as he brought the Goblet back out.

…What the hell had happened to it?! The artifact was now crooked and had a dark hue that seemed positively demonic!

It contained a black liquid that he started pouring for everyone. Not only was it bubbling, but screams were heard from it…

"A toast to you all! Gulp!"

"?!?"

"…."

They drank it all, resolved to die for their savior.

A second later, they were convulsing on the ground. Their bodies and mind had trouble acclimating to this new state.

"Pfft— Are you worms or powerful Nords? Which is it?!" Jack thundered, taunting them.

The more they heard and the angrier they got. As if they'd give up that easily! They all rose one after the other, struggling to keep their balance, until…

The NPCs' vision suddenly filled with weird screens.

[Successfully Installed the Dream System!]

[Please Enter Your Username!]

[Welcome to the Legion, "X"!]

They shared expressions full of excitement and marvel, many in their midst recognizing what this was. "Hahaha, this is crazy!" "It's just like Infinite 2.0!" they exclaimed.

Jack chuckled as he saw the actual system's reaction. It was far too baffled, having difficulty interpreting the situation as it went [D-dream S-system?! Error! Error!] over and over.

He manipulated a new screen that had just appeared for him only, inputting commands in there. This was only an illusion, but it would allow him to show the Nords anything.

[Commander Jack'O Issuing Directives!]

[Please Prepare for Castle Defense!]

[Head to Coordinates X, Y, Z!]

Every single villager got different orders. He had just created a commanding tool that would work even on NPCs. So what if he was using a Curse to accomplish this?

What mattered wasn't how but the results!

Everyone was already in position before the invading monsters were even remotely close to the castle. They were already reading the detailed instructions about their jobs.

Jack felt like he was playing a real-time strategy game. He couldn't help but feel excited. This was truly freaking fun.

That's when the enemy army finally arrived.

The most noticeable entity was definitely the gigantic Ice Tortoise. Ice sprites kept spawning around it, some even as big as a human.

< Primordial Ice Tortoise of Doom Lv 70! :snowflake::snowflake::snowflake:>

As for the ragtag ice monsters that could be found all over, they were marching onward by the side. They had long been enslaved and would be used as foot soldiers.

— GAOOO!!! —

The creature's bellow made many unconsciously tremble. But as they saw the glowing screen in front of them, they progressively calmed down. But right after, a mighty howl echoed.

"Woo? Woo!" (You want to play this game? You're on!)

— GAOOO!!! —

As the little wolf perfectly reproduced the Tortoise's cry, the Tortoise suddenly stopped, utterly confused. What the heck was this?! But then it finally noticed the small wolf.

That's when a shouting contest happened between the two. As countless — GAOOO!!! — — GAOOO!!! — — GAOOO!!! — resounded, many couldn't help but erupt laughing.

"Go, Moon Moon! Show it who's Boss!"

"Go, Dream Team!! (Literally)"

All the tension of facing an Apocalypse-level monster wave was gone. All that remained was excitement and a desire for blood. The soldiers' eyes even glowed red with eagerness.

— Shake! Shake! —

The wave finally reached their outer walls, destroying them as if they were made of paper. The creatures then spread inside the castle with incredible momentum.

This momentum was their downfall….

- They slipped all over

- They got lost in mirror mazes

- They fell into bottomless pitfalls

- They were skewered by sharp spikes

- They were boiled alive with crazy hot grease

- ….

It was a complete massacre! The monsters supposed to have the upper hand were getting slaughtered as if pigs. They didn't stand a single chance!

At times they would throw projectiles at the villagers and even come close to encircling/reaching them, but that's when they'd hide behind cover/disappear in secret passages.

As for navigating the battlefield, all they did was follow the orders of the Dream System, nothing else. As for who they came from…

In the highest Watch Tower, Jack sipped on some hot chocolate as he surveyed the battlefield, sending people where they were needed.

"So far, so good." He chuckled lightly.

But as if a jinx, that's when the gigantic Ice Tortoise finally arrived. The thing was invincible, destroying everything on its way.

As for the countless traps, they might as well have been grass blades! That's when the Nords realized that they would lose this fight. But, so what? They were ready for death!

They clasped their weapons solidly and…

[Retreat! Now! — Jack'O!]

They obeyed.

As the Ice Tortoise saw the little creatures run away from it, it cried out domineeringly. — GAOOO!!! — It was this place's overlord, and none could challenge it!

It ultimately entered the castle, spawning infinite ice creatures. This was the end, truly. No human could resist something that insanely OP.

Yet, Jack was still smiling and sipping his hot drink…