NOVEL WEB Chapter 65
Chapter 65 – Status (5)
“It seems the repairs are all done.”
“Yes, thanks to this, we’ll finish up what we were working on tomorrow, but it’s all wrapped up quickly.”
“You’ve worked hard.”
As the sun set, Chieftain Balun stood in the village center, watching Morin and the Transporters return after completing their tasks.
Using their awakened abilities, they repaired the broken Wall before the day was even up.
“What do you think about paving the floor once we finish constructing the large warehouse?”
“The floor, you say?”
“The road we made turns to muddy slush when it rains, making it hard to use. But when I went to that other world by His grace, the ground was nice and paved with stone.”
Balun suggested to them, who had become completely skilled architects, paving the village floor. It was based on the paved roads he had seen in the Dark Blood world. The eyes of Morin and the others widened in amazement—none of them had ever seen a paved road before.
“How can we even…”
“Do you think we can’t make it? The miners can dig up the ground, and we just fill it with stones.”
As Morin scratched his head, another Transporter, seemingly recalling something, lifted the sack of stone blocks on his back and said.
The miners dig and fill it up. It was indeed a very simple task.
“I’ll give it a try.”
“Please do. Let’s pave this central plaza first, and if it works well, we can think about expanding it.”
After hearing that, Morin nodded, having caught on. They had no reason to refuse. Of course, their bodies were tired, but all this effort was to repay their Guardian Deity who had empowered them and their tribe.
No one in this village would belittle or downplay the labor dedicated to the Deity.
“By the way, are you waiting for Riena?”
“She hasn’t come yet. It’s unusual for her to be this late, especially after such a busy day.”
When all the Transporters had returned, Kun, who had been moving with them, cautiously asked Balun about Riena. It was now a time when everyone who had been active outside had finished and was resting. Yet Riena had still not arrived. It worried them that someone who usually took care of her well-being was delayed for so long.
“I can’t sleep until she comes,” Balun said, waiting for Riena, as a Chief and as a father. In reality, Riena was fighting desperately against enemies.
“Invader! Intruder!”
“Move quickly!”
The game world, just like reality, was set against a dark night.
Here, only two entities assaulted the Order’s castle, the very center of the city and its order.
Naturally, an emergency alert was issued, and the Priests and Paladins within the Order rushed to engage.
‘The energy is getting stronger.’
In a moment that caught everyone’s attention, Riena, true to her close-combat role, stepped forward to withstand the enemies’ attacks and countered fiercely, moving forward unimpeded. The Paladins inside the Order felt a stark difference in aura compared to those they encountered outside.
Their Divine Power was already tainted and twisted by the demons.
‘…I need to set this right.’
Her gritted sword shone, delivering a powerful blow that simultaneously cut down the fallen Paladins. Even when another Paladin charged at her with his shield, her heavy steel sword, step by step, shattered that shield and toppled the attacker.
Her growth was so dazzling that even her magical supporter behind her was awestruck. It indicated she had surpassed normal players.
Thinking back on how many various enemies she had slain, both in this game and beyond, her growth was not surprising.
‘She seems angry. Is she frustrated about working overtime?’
Watching this scene from beyond the screen, I flinched unnecessarily. I had mistakenly interpreted the weight of sincerity behind each of Riena’s attacks as anger directed towards me.
‘There’s no such thing as a meaningless battle. This fight is also training for me.’
Riena was not angry at the one who wouldn’t let her go today. She was simply immersed in her role as the chosen Hunter tasked with purging evil that caused division and conflict.
She recalled the words of an old Paladin cast out from the fallen Order: evil resides within oneself. According to that, it wasn’t just the demons manifesting in this world that she had to eliminate.
Bugs seeking to harm them in reality, the rival tribe she considered her enemy, and even the swirling rage within her heart seeking revenge—all were enemies she realized she needed to confront.
Thus, her success in this moment mirrored her success in reality.
The lessons she learned weren’t something a mere tribe member would normally obtain, but the once immature warrior engulfed in vengeful flames had learned them since arriving in this world.
“Stop! How dare you, evil heretic… Gahhh!”
Soon, the fallen Priest Row, today’s Midboss and goal, appeared. But Riena, having cleaved all the Paladins guarding him, charged directly at Row like a tank.
Row, adorned with the overwhelming power granted by a deal with a demon, appeared imposing, but when Riena charged at him with her blue aura gleaming, he panicked and flailed his hands.
*
‘How refreshing. Feels like it’s bugged out or something.’
I honestly didn’t do anything. At most, I was either sniping enemies she couldn’t handle in one go with magic or supporting her long-range attacks.
When the Midboss Row appeared, I noticed Riena’s HP was dangerously low and attempted to call it off, but it was too late.
She dashed forward without hesitation, launching the first strike. However, witnessing that strike, I halted my hand that was trying to forcefully end the session.
“You monster!”
Screaming, Row was so terrified of Riena that he didn’t even follow his scripted lines or established patterns, immediately resorting to his ultimate attack.
Tentacles, resembling black tree roots, shot out from everywhere, trying to engulf her. Yet Riena unleashed a series of precise strikes, cutting them all down, and then swiftly beheaded Row, whose eyes were wide with shock.
A Midboss taken down in five seconds, disregarding HP; it was a scene that would earn nothing but accusations of a bug if uploaded.
‘I didn’t even clear the sub-quest? Did something get acknowledged in the course of today’s play?’
Having betrayed the gods, sacrificed people, summoned demonic powers, and executed the fallen Priest resisting in such a way, Riena stood before Row’s corpse and looked up at the sky.
I too was astonished. Whether it was acknowledging the achievement of swiftly dispatching the Midboss or recognizing her spirit, something that shouldn’t have appeared again showed itself.
[Celestial Blessing: Light of Judgment]
The grace descending from the heavens took residence within her body. Riena looked back at me in bewilderment as the light surged into her heart.
Riena was slowly transforming into a true Paladin.
“No, that’s enough for today.”
If I let her go, it seemed she intended to delve even deeper into the lair of the Bishop, the boss. Muttering to myself, I returned Riena to the village, where she looked back at me, breathing heavily amidst the chaotic corpses.
It seemed like Chapter 2’s boss would also fall to her hands easily. Yet, just in case, I thought it best for her to rest before tackling the next challenge, especially in her exhausted state.
‘Regardless of the odds, if only I didn’t let that guy slip away back then.’
I couldn’t help but smile at the now quiet backdrop, where Balun, who had escorted the fatigued Riena, and most of the residents had fallen asleep.
The warrior from the rival tribe who had barely survived the hammer attack.
I had hoped to fetch someone from the village to finish him off, but in the time it takes to switch the scene, he had long fled to lands unknown, places I couldn’t reach.
I didn’t know when it would be, but I was determined to continue working diligently until they returned.
While one might think of being overwhelmed by the continuous stream of incidents, the newly joined residents, having only recently arrived, were brimming with vitality and passion.
Thanks to their joining, the existing residents were relieved of their burdens. As a result, they were developing quickly without feeling chased or rushed.
It was all due to their increasing numbers. Balun’s foresight in needing to expand their forces was proving accurate.
“Are you ready?”
– Of course.
Without pausing, I attempted to contact Lee So-Yeon, making the most of my remaining time.
She too seemed to be sitting in front of her computer late into the evening.
“It’s looking much cleaner.”
“I called a service. There were repairs that needed to be done, so it took some time, but it should be available in a day or two.”
The next morning, donning my cloaked disguise once again, I met Lee So-Yeon bright and early. The office she had prepared was beginning to take shape. The once neglected building now looked brand new.
“I want to get rid of the spoils rather than run a full-fledged business. I’m seeking your help.”
“Wow, this is…”
As I showed her the gold I had collected in my bag, she chuckled softly. The coins looked old at first glance. They were items that could not be traced to any origin outside this world.
Even though her family was formidable, could she really help dispose of such items?
“Let’s do it.”
“Really?”
“I’ll have to nag you a bit, but my older brother can sort it out.”
However, contrary to my expectations, she said it would be resolved without much trouble. It felt like witnessing a scene straight out of a drama.
Realizing my gaze was on her, she explained that because the origin was “certain,” she could hand it over to someone in her network for disposal without worry.
After all, these goods merely emerged from the screen… not stolen from anyone.
“By the way, has the lv 5 Glitch appeared already?”
“What’s popping up on your side to trigger that reaction?”
“Well, I’m currently at a stage where lv 3 entities are appearing in numbers.”
“Since you joined later than me, that might be expected.”
After that, we shifted conversation topics due to our respective circumstances, discussing Bugs and Glitches.
Having just encountered a lv 5 Glitch that had shed its larval forms, I shared the story with her. The lv 5 Glitch was something Lee So-Yeon had yet to see.
“Are they getting stronger as time goes on? So if the residents stop growing, eventually…”
“Logically speaking, yes.”
I informed her to keep her guard up against the flying Bugs and Glitches, to which she solemnly nodded in response.
They continued to grow stronger. While I didn’t yet know their benchmarks or speed, one thing was undeniable: they were progressively getting stronger and evolving.