A Village Appeared on My Desktop

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Chapter 88 – The Devourers (8)

‘Could it really be like this? Was the human world always like this?’

Until just now, R’tai, who had left, had also been astonished every day. Especially since the sight of the Arin Tribe, who had not communicated for quite some time, was shocking indeed.

The existence of real Guardian Deities, the world of the game opened by those deities, and all the various abilities and resources brought from that game.

Particularly, Herson, who had directly witnessed the being known as the Avatar of God, was now completely moved, to the point of exaggeration. He was especially touched by Balun’s words about taking on the Bugs as a mission and not caring about anything else.

Status and race did not matter. Here, they were all comrades fighting against monsters.

“Are you really thinking of settling here? It’s just humans. It would be better for us to build a house nearby and live together.”

“We have no idea when and where the Black Monsters will appear. It’s safer here, where a wall is being built. And… they won’t be hostile to us. So we should recognize and accept them. Are we in a position to choose between hot and cold right now?”

Herson’s wife, who looked like a small human woman, expressed her anxiety, but Herson shook his head.

It was natural to feel anxious with strange races surrounding them, but Herson believed in the faith they showed. Even if he could see it as something miraculous, as long as they served the Guardian Deity as a true God, they would not be hostile to those fighting alongside them.

“I have already been empowered by that being.”

Herson looked down at his hands. Touching the blocks harvested from the game and experiencing the sensation of actually installing them was a fantastic experience even for Herson, an experienced blacksmith and miner.

The desire to further enhance this power was also swirling within him.

‘First, I’ll create the wall. It’s for our sake as well.’

After awakening his Architect trait, Herson was put to work on the wall’s construction. He was able to utilize the experience he had from being in charge of construction in Dwarf Village.

“Thank you. You’ll be a great help.”

The existing personnel, including Morin, who were put together for the wall construction, welcomed Herson grandly, regardless of him being of a different race.

They were already exhausted from piling stones every day, yet the bond they had built made the transporters, who were also acting as architects, willingly accept him into their group.

“Did Dwarves also build castles?”

“Rather than building castles, they often dug into the mountains to create villages there. Sometimes, villages were even inside the mines. This is truly… impressive.”

Climbing the stairs constructed during the building process, Herson stepped onto the wall and marveled at the vast grassland that stretched out before him.

It was a landscape unlike anything from where the Dwarves lived.

‘What if this place gets trampled by them too?’

That thought weighed heavily on his heart. The enemies were already thriving, and it was a fact that they would come pouring in.

Having already lost his hometown to an unexpected attack once, Herson could not help but imagine the worst.

“We won’t just sit back and let this happen.”

Just then, Morin, who understood his feelings, nodded and pointed to somewhere. There, a group of humans leaving the village was running north.

“We need to hunt down as many of those creatures as we can and search for any other survivors.”

“Of course, if it’s what that being desires.”

While Herson was meeting with Morin, Rakum was called out with the warriors who had been farming the Essence of Monster in the Underground World.

Other warriors were sent into the Underground World. They were currently mastering the skills they had obtained in the hunting mode of Dark Blood.

Realizing the meaning behind it, they donned their gear with resolute expressions. The serious-looking one watching the monitor on the other side was trying to control those to keep an eye on the enemies appearing in the north.

“Excluding Riena, the ones here are the strongest warriors trusted by that being. And indeed, they are.”

Skill levels were truly skill levels; the more experience gained, the higher they went. It was only natural for those who had started receiving investments earlier to be in the lead.

It was now their chance to show the strength they had built up.

“First, we’ll make a base there and hunt the enemies.”

A group composed of 10 warriors and around 100 soldiers set out. Their first task was to establish a base.

To achieve this, miners and a few transporters who could change the terrain were also put into action.

‘It won’t be difficult. It’s just like hunting monsters as usual.’

Rakum, who was leading them, tried to calm his nerves. It sounded grand, but in reality, it was no different from what he already did. Whether in the game world or now, they were merely fighting monsters.

‘It’s my chance to prove myself.’

Shura, who was moving along with him, felt the same way. The strongest warrior, Riena, was not called this time, and Shura was burning with a desire to catch up to the admirable warrior Riena.

“The remaining points are about 1,500.”

He was observing all of this.

Having decided to send residents to fight the enemies, his mind was filled only with thoughts of how to gather points to activate the new game. This situation seemed impossible to withstand without something new.

*

‘What can this game allow us to do?’

Watching the residents establish a base in the place where I had previously rescued the Dwarves, I contemplated the new game that was set to activate.

It was a common genre of tower defense games. If we were to go into that game world, we would likely be fighting against the same hordes of enemies.

The question that arises here is what exactly we could bring back from that game.

What I hoped for was to be able to set up the defense towers appearing in the game there as well, but whether that would really be the case was uncertain.

‘Are they also waiting for the right time? Even with so many troops amassed?’

I zoomed in on the screen to confirm the swarming monsters at the nest. There were at least hundreds of Bugs visible. Furthermore, that nest might not be the only one.

Yet they, despite having such a large number of troops, were not moving. It was as if they were waiting for the right moment.

Thus, we had to fight before they finished all their preparations and burst out.

“—.”

Surely, it wouldn’t just be me who knew that fact. I witnessed Rakum, who had received command from Balun, moving with a small group of soldiers.

Their intention to scout the area was clear. Without even riding horses, they began to approach near the Bugs’ nest, traversing the forest trail.

So far, no enemies had approached them. With the multitude of Bugs on this screen, it was impossible to pick them out with a mouse, so I had to prepare to smash the desktop instead while simply watching.

‘Of course, they’d notice.’

The moment they spotted the Bugs’ nest, the Hive, which they had previously failed to observe due to their encounter with the Dwarves, the Bugs raised their antennae and detected their allies.

Like sentinels, numerous Glitches, which had been roaming the area, quickly crawled toward them, lifting their jaws.

“I need to earn points…”

Anxiously, I watched their battle.

With points needed, a fight against enemies is essential since it’s the most assuring way to earn points.

[Achievement Unlocked: Defeat 10 Hive Guards]

In reality, there were achievements hanging just as I had predicted. Armed residents, still relying on skills and equipment from their investments, easily dispatched the sentinel-level Glitches.

‘Just a little more and we’ll be there.’

Once the base is completed, Balun would likely invest in more troops to engage in combat. Since the number of enemies could grow, they would have to continue fighting regardless.

It was my job to help with that plan.

“–, —.”

The next day, Balun indeed sent additional troops as expected. The base that had been built by digging into the ground and stacking walls was roughly established.

Stockpiling supplies in the base and continuously sending troops to provoke the enemy sentinels, capturing them was the main strategy for our forces.

‘Could they really keep losing like this?’

While intermittently dropping chainsaws on the enemies’ base, I nervously watched Rakum leading hundreds of soldiers provoke the Bugs.

As the soldiers shot arrows or spears made from the bones of the mutants, they could pierce through the Glitches’ carapaces and deal damage.

If a stronger Bug appeared in the meantime, the warriors would step up to take it out.

I was confident that Shura and Rasen, who tore apart and exploded the giant, sturdy-headed Bug, were gradually learning methods and tactics to deal with the Bugs.

After all, they had already had considerable experience in battles against monsters within the game.

‘Why is it so quiet?’

However, the Bugs from the Hive showed no reaction even as their sentries were continuously taken down by our forces.

It was a stark contrast from when they first sent a large number of troops to confront us.

“–, —.”

While this was good news for us to earn points and buy time, it was also something concerning. Upon hearing the local reports from Rakum, Balun appeared deep in thought with a serious expression.

There was a possibility that the enemies were hiding something while circling around, but on the flip side, it could also mean they were in a state where they couldn’t show themselves.

“—.”

Ultimately, it seemed that Chief Balun had made a decision. If they were to fight anyway, it was best to decide to strike while the enemies were unable to muster their full strength.

‘In the end, it’s war again.’

Seeing the multitude of individuals arming themselves, I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. There was no other choice. If my duty was to help them, their duty was to fight.

Through the game, I had nearly resolved issues of time or resources, allowing them to engage in a war that would otherwise have considerable risks with relative ease.

‘No, there’s no need to involve Riena.’

I opposed Balun’s thoughts of sending Riena along and instead plucked her back into the world of Dark Blood.

It was a choice I had agonized over. However, in the position where I had to manage not only Riena but also numerous residents and the entire tribe, having too much dependency on Riena would be entirely inefficient.

While Riena is strong, she is still just one individual. So, while they fight, I will play games with Riena and continue to grow them. That would be far more efficient.

“–.”

Balun stared blankly at Riena, who was once again pulled into the sky, but he soon nodded.

True to being the person who had the strongest faith in me, he always respected my choices and prioritized them.

“I want to give something again.”

In reality, though I’d never exchanged a word with the man, I held a high level of trust in him. Just like the symbolic sword he carried, I smiled at the thought of wanting to give him a gift as he acted as a substantial center to control the tribe.