Defense Bot

William was sitting down on the ground, reading the book he had about the first spell he gained.

His eyes were glued to the early pages of the notebook.

The notebook didn't have a lot of pages, only 20 which included some that had drawings about how to utilize and even observe the mana inside his body.

'Find a quiet and comfortable space, free from distractions. Sit or stand in a relaxed position, close your eyes, and take a few deep breaths. Picture in your mind a pool of radiant energy at your core; this is your mana.'

William had read this line the third time now, he closed his eyes and took a lot of deep breaths.

He pictured some kind of energy inside his body and focused on his core which he assumed was either near his stomach, chest, or back. 

William sat there for minutes and had no fruitful results. 

Regrettably, he sat up as there was no more time left. William went near the tower's button to open the upgrade options again.

He looked at the options for a few minutes and after making many different scenarios, William finally decided. 

CLICK

"Ugh" He saw his points dwindle, there were still a considerable amount yet looking at them fall was also sad.

[Defense Bot acquired!]

William looked around and saw nothing, then he went out to be sure that his points were not actually wasted. 

When he saw the outside this time, William saw the thing that was on the ground.

It was not a creature but a machine that made William's heart skip a beat. He was very happy.

There was a wooden machine in front of him, the machine had a square as a head above and four broad legs for support. It was the same height as him yet broader.

It was not only wooden but there was shining metal on it too. William could see a metallic nozzle in the front that was like a gun's barrel, only bigger. (Picture in the comment)

"Holy shit…" William went near the machine and it moved making him stop but the machine had only faced itself toward him.

Suddenly, the hologram on his arm opened and William's gaze fell on it with surprise.

[ Defense Bot

Level 1

Owner: William Davis

Attack strength: 10

Projectile speed: 164 km per hour

Attack range: 5 meters

Note: Attacks every 3 seconds.

Arrow regeneration: 1 per hour

Upgrade options

Durability- 500/500]

"Daaaamnnn!!" William shouted like a child and went to check the machine that seemed alive.

William checked every part of its being and found many holes at the back where the arrows were kept.

Only 4 hours were left for the next wave and it felt like he was ready.

"Defense bot" William tried commanding and there was a reaction of green light on the bulb at the side.

"Shoot an arrow toward the fog." He said again only to see the wooden and metallic square over the legs rotate without the legs moving and when the nozzle was facing the nearest fog area, there was a wait.

William counted to 3 and then a projectile came out and shot toward the front.

The speed was high and he couldn't tell if it was an arrow that was shot.

He saw the back of the defense bot and saw that one of the arrows in the hole was gone leaving that hole empty.

"Hmm, that speed could easily hit that Gremlick and have it killed on the spot…" 

William opened the upgrade options of the defense bot and couldn't help but feel heavy on breath. 

[ Upgrade options

+1 Arrow capacity- 10 Tower Points

+2 in defense- 10 Tower Points

+50 km/hr in projectile speed- 15 Tower Points

1 Poison arrow generation- 25 points

Note: When all the upgrades are completed, the defense bot can get to the next level.]

'I should get these upgrades as soon as possible…'

With how many upgrades there were, the tower points collection seemed very bad.

William cursed the gods for his remaining Tower Points, realizing the gravity of his choices. 

With only some left, he decided to conserve them for future upgrades or emergencies. 

The upcoming wave demanded caution, and he needed to be strategic with his resources.

"Alright, defense bot, let's see what you can do with your strength," William muttered, a mix of excitement and nervousness in his voice. He glanced at the wooden and metallic guardian, appreciating the upgrades he had already implemented.

As William said that, he gave the defense bot to become vigilant while he was gone inside the tower with the book in hand trying to understand anything that was written in it.

William sat down and tried to feel the mana inside his body again, it was difficult as he felt nothing out of the meditation and the deep breathing.

Time was of the essence and he knew that, his eyebrows twitched and his mind couldn't become silent at all.

'Wait… what about that energy?' William thought while scratching his arm.

He closed his eyes and sensed for the same energy he felt while using the sacrificial tomb, the same energy that left his body making his vitality go down.

Minutes turned into a long time and William finally had the gall to concentrate properly. 

He focused at his core and tried to find the same energy as before. The same energy that was pristine and royal looking with a serene whitish transparent color.

By the time he was done with his session, a message popped in the hologram.

It was a simple alarm notification telling him that the wave would start in 3o minutes.

'Time flies…' William said with a smile, he might have found nothing but at the same time, he was able to pass his time while being productive to some extent.

He exercised and stretched for 10 minutes to be fully ready for what was going to come.

Rats, hounds, Gremlicks, he had already faced them but what will it be this time? 

When the last 20 minutes were left, William opened the world chat which was very different from the last time he used it.

The only conclusion he came up with was that many died in the last Gremlick invasion and that was understandable. 

His neighbor Tom may have also been one of the victims and William only hoped that no more deaths would take place.

If many people died, then it would become hard to get information on any level. Everyone was still very oblivious to the things that were happening around them.

He gave some time to the chat and then, finally, it was time to just wait it out and be as alert as possible.