A Village Appeared on My Desktop

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Chapter 82 – The Erosionists (2)

“—!”

I had used a chainsaw, but there were still some alive. The residents rode off to finish them off.

The performance of the chainsaw, my first time using one, was surprisingly satisfying. The usage time was a bit short, but if used at the right moment, it could be quite devastating.

‘I could buy another one if I sell this.’

They wandered around the chaotic battlefield collecting by-products. Those by-products were valuable. Selling them to the Hunter Association for creature hunting could earn some money.

With the money earned, I could buy equipment and arm the residents, giving us an advantage in the battle against the bugs.

[Level 3 Bugs Appearing]

“Uh?”

I was taken aback by the following notification and blankly zoomed in on the screen.

The residents, who had hurriedly gathered the by-products in their victory, saw the distant plains and their smiles slowly faded.

Enemies of a similar scale to those we just defeated were once again gathering beyond a newly formed rift, targeting this place.

‘Their numbers have increased.’

I couldn’t fault if it was coincidence or not. Regardless, the obvious fact was that the enemies were coming again, and the residents shouted as they hurriedly prepared for battle once more.

This time, I couldn’t help them. I needed a bit more time to use the chainsaw again.

I could blow the Wind of Healing, but I had to be cautious. Perhaps this wasn’t the end.

“–, —!”

The one leading the soldiers was a warrior named Lauren. He wielded a bow and arrows made from the by-products of mutants, soothing the panicking residents and starting the battle against the incoming enemies once more.

‘Just as I thought.’

My judgment about supplying equipment through creature hunting was correct. Weapons made from the magic-infused by-products of mutants were effective at breaking through the enemies’ solid carapaces, even in the hands of regular soldiers.

The arrows they shot flew straight and pierced the bodies of the approaching monster ants, and as soon as they ran out of arrows, they charged forward to initiate proper combat.

Those untrained could only feel awkward. Most of the battles they had experienced were against enemies while mounted.

However, when fighting the bugs and glitches that resembled giant insects, riding could even be disadvantageous.

So they dismounted and formed a phalanx to fight the enemies as infantry.

Some were caught in the sharp and robust jaws with shields or weapons, but when one of them got bitten, the others quickly pierced the bug’s throat with their weapons.

‘Fortunately, they aren’t coming again.’

Though there were a few casualties, our side successfully suppressed the enemies. Warriors armed with hunter gear actively utilized their skills and equipment, and through a pincer attack, they took down the ant that seemed to be the leader. The rest perished in the desperate struggle of the soldiers fighting tooth and nail.

The tension eased slightly, but I still couldn’t let my guard down. They might attack in a third or fourth wave. However, this time, even after some time passed, there was no immediate renewed invasion.

“—, –.”

Barun arrived late with reinforcements, surprised by the larger-than-expected battle. Barun had an apologetic expression for not arriving earlier, but he shook his head at Lauren’s success in successfully defending.

‘He must be worried.’

I caught a glimpse of Barun’s stern face and gathered what was beneath that facade.

Though they had dealt with the bugs well, the shock of them coming in waves was considerable. Leaving aside the strength of the enemies, if their numbers increased, the battle would inevitably become a war of attrition.

That was bad news for us. Without continuously receiving new residents from outside, it was unlikely we could engage in a war of attrition against those monsters whose identities we didn’t even know.

No, considering how rapidly the bugs had multiplied in the nest we had recently purged, engaging in a war of attrition was simply out of the question.

[Level 3 Bugs Appearing]

“Not again!?”

It wasn’t even over yet. At this point, I couldn’t pass it off as coincidence. After just finishing off the second wave, a third wave was already charging in.

With our numbers exceeding a hundred due to the reinforcements, we could easily handle a small group of maybe ten or so, but both I and the residents on-screen instinctively sensed this wasn’t the end.

Their numbers would certainly increase, and the bugs would grow stronger. If there’s a way, we need to solve this.

-So they assaulted continuously? From one direction?

“Their patterns are becoming increasingly diverse. They can invade normally over rifts or consume local forces to make nests. We’ll need to prepare for that.”

Right after I had adequately blocked the third wave of bugs, I informed Lee So-Yeon about this. Sharing information with her had been incredibly helpful, especially in investigating our main enemy, the bugs.

‘Irregular small-scale invasions without timely takedowns lead to nests spewing out massive numbers of enemies, along with sequential attacks in the form of waves.’

The methods for their attacks were becoming more sophisticated and diverse. We needed to be wary about preventing that too.

-We’ve just tackled one bug nest…

“Soon, waves might appear there too.”

Talking with Lee So-Yeon, who was slightly behind my progress, I could vaguely understand what patterns were emerging.

While it might have been coincidence that the bugs fled outside to attack the locals and create nests, there was certainly a predetermined pattern to the bug nests we needed to tackle.

‘I thought we were catching a breather, but again.’

Wrapping up my chat with Lee So-Yeon, I quickly logged back into the game. I had thought we could afford to relax a bit thanks to the residents’ success in battling the local rival forces, but that was a foolish thought.

‘Let’s proceed as quickly as possible.’

Upon entering Dark Blood, where Riena was waiting, I raised my thumb, greeting her, and moved my character.

Seeing the unusual movements of the bugs, I would need more help from games and programs. If I wanted to manage those, I needed to clear the ongoing game first.

“Creeeep…”

“Kyahhh!”

The silver lining was that as Riena grew, her stamina was also rapidly increasing.

“—!”

Screaming, she unsheathed her sword against the approaching wraiths, unleashing a skill that cut down the low-level frost wraiths in one clean strike.

Her stamina barely dulled, showing she could easily battle all day if she set her mind to it.

*

‘What could be happening outside?’

She was attuned to his presence. Among her abilities developed from our time together, she could read his movements and intentions better than any of the residents.

Right now, in her eyes, he was once again distracted by something else.

There was only one cause for that: something was happening in the outside world. Of course, if it were a major incident, the strongest warrior, she, would be sent in, so even while concerned, Riena wasn’t overly worried.

“Ugh, again.”

As they made their way to the frozen fortress, enemies attacked once more. Until now, they had been fallen farmers, but now armed soldiers had transformed into frost wraiths, glowing with azure light.

He raised his staff first, casting magic and unleashing a fireball that struck the enemies unilaterally.

In that moment, Riena rushed in and swung her sword shining with golden light, cleaving the enemies in a single stroke.

The divine power she possessed completely purified and blew away the wraiths’ strength.

“Heroes who inherit the will of the gods have arrived.”

“Who are you?”

“Just a wandering spirit that can’t leave.”

Approaching those words was someone new.

Seeing the figure of the half-translucent being, covered in battered armor and head, Riena flinched and turned to him, but he remained unfazed even when the ghost appeared abruptly.

Seeing that, Riena quickly regained her composure. His stillness meant he was already acquainted with the situation.

“A beautiful female knight blessed with divinity, an evil one resides ahead. Did you come knowing that?”

“Yes.”

Now Riena proudly answered without hesitation. It was her duty to capture the demon lords, the bosses of the game, having received powers that were unimaginable after being summoned to this world.

It was nothing difficult. After all, she had already dealt with them twice.

“You seem to know only half the truth. A demon is a demon, but a ‘real’ demon. The real deal.”

“What does that mean…?”

But the spirit chuckled at her response, a terrified expression crossing his face as he trembled.

Knowing about demons, Riena was slightly thrown off by the term “real” and asked back. Reflexively, she turned to him, but it was a bit strange to see him calmly listening to the spirit’s words.

As if startled, he rushed towards the spirit, gesturing as if to speak.

“Be cautious. That darkness might be something even divine power cannot handle…”

The spirit spoke and faded away, disappearing completely.

Flustered, Riena stood still and watched him, but he remained frozen, not moving an inch.

‘Things have changed. Something in this game has transpired.’

Sitting before the screen, covered in cold sweat, he couldn’t press the keyboard.

Under normal circumstances, the NPC he just met wouldn’t vanish like that. All wraiths disappearing would happen once all quests were over.

Assuming something was amiss with the strategy video already deviating from the variables, he could think of nothing but something ahead.

‘Bug?’

In this situation, there was only one thing to doubt. Whether it was possible or real, he had to decide whether to proceed forward or not.

“These clever bastards.”

He chuckled to himself in the room. If he were to stop out of hesitation, Riena’s growth would stall, and Dark Blood would no longer be usable.

If the enemies were deliberately aiming for that and infiltrating the game, it was an extremely cunning and efficient action. The residents could no longer grow without the game.

“Trust me. Whatever lies ahead, I will definitely overcome it.”

To him, Riena spoke cautiously. Naturally, her words couldn’t be heard over the monitor.

‘She means to trust me.’

However, looking into her earnest eyes, he eventually placed his hands back on the keyboard.