A Village Appeared on My Desktop

---

Chapter 161 – System (1)

‘I should be able to spare at least a minimal amount of time.’

He looked at his younger brother, who was lying comfortably on the couch, watching TV and giggling, with a strange expression.

He still hadn’t properly mentioned what he was doing. That had been his decision after some consideration. The bugs and he were already sworn enemies, akin to mortal foes. They couldn’t survive unless they killed each other.

In such a scenario, his defeat would mean that foes far more evolved and developed than the bugs others were facing would be unleashed upon the world. It was a matter of life and death for him and a potential danger to the world.

‘It’s not an overestimation.’

He believed he was correctly assessing his opponents. He was certain he wouldn’t be able to stop the bugs that had grown by fighting against him at their current level.

Therefore, discussing the aftermath of his defeat was meaningless. This world would either meet its demise or suffer a substantial blow anyway.

Other users, including Lee So-Yeon, as well as those who had made this Earth their stage, still seemed lacking in his eyes.

“You know why you ended up here instead of living alone in your place. Of course, it’s safer here than being on your own, but if those crazy monsters come out, I can’t protect you. So if I say to run, don’t look back and just flee, got it?”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

Thinking that he might have time to send his brother to safety even if a crisis hit, he made the same promise several times.

She had no clue what her brother was actually doing and didn’t take it very seriously, but he succeeded in getting her to nod regardless.

‘Of course, I hope it doesn’t come to that… It would be great if I could finish them off in the screen.’

He clicked his tongue and quietly entered his room. He decided not to think about defeat. The bugs he faced were strong, but the residents he was nurturing were also strong.

Like before, he would fight alongside them.

“This is dreadful…”

“Behold. These are the parasite monsters. Riena mentioned them before. She fought against demons infected by this parasite. No matter how excellent Luke was as a warrior, the courage he just displayed was beyond common sense. We must finish this before these things spread into reality!”

It was indeed an opportune moment. With Luke’s self-destruction, the Arin Tribe had completely taken control of the area and no longer had to worry about the rear.

The incursion paths of the bugs had long been blocked one by one. Of course, he, along with Barun, who was examining Luke’s corpse and the parasites, was convinced that this was the time for a counterattack.

“Will it take a bit of time to completely dominate the West? There are still quite a few who are resisting.”

“Of course, it’s true that stabilizing that place will also take effort. But compared to then, we have grown significantly. Our strength allows us to manage two tasks simultaneously.”

Winning a war didn’t mean it was over. A sizable amount of manpower and time was needed to clean up afterward. However, unlike the worried subordinates, Barun concluded that they could do both simultaneously to save time.

He was confident that the Arin Tribe had grown to that level.

“…Although it would be tough in the current way.”

As their size increased, a new system was required. It was physically impossible for the small number of executives, including Barun, to lead and oversee everything as they did now.

To evolve from a tribe into a proper civilization or nation, they ultimately needed a solid governmental organization.

And once that government was established, it was common sense for a king to be in charge of it.

“Become the true king of the grasslands, Chieftain.”

“That’s right. You are our representative fulfilling a sacred duty. No one can say otherwise. Once our kingdom is established, the tribes currently resisting us will naturally return to their kin and kneel.”

Regardless of rank, the executives of the Arin Tribe requested Barun to rise to the throne and govern them.

The emergence of an unified force on the grasslands had been a concern for everyone around, but for them, it was different from Luke, who claimed the throne without justification and wasn’t treated particularly well.

What justified their claims was that they were the ones fighting against the unparalleled enemy—the bugs.

First and foremost, no one within the Arin Tribe opposed Barun’s declaration of a kingdom.

Even if they lost family members and parts of their bodies in battle against the monsters, they had long been united in pride, believing they were chosen to protect the world.

“We should ask our king, but I doubt he would refuse. You are our allies.”

Having solidified their inner strength, the next step was to gauge the external reaction. The only elf present, Eve, inadvertently nodded in agreement.

Although she wasn’t the representative of the elves, there was no reason for them to get involved in matters occurring in a place that wasn’t their homeland.

“Of course, we support the king of the Arin Tribe.”

Dwarf survivors, who joined forces with them to avenge their kin and reclaim their homeland, also supported the kingdom’s establishment without hesitation.

“Your Majesty. Establishing a kingdom in the North…! Looking back through history, when the barbarian tribes there grew strong, the borders were a constant source of trouble!”

“Calm down. Didn’t the artillery brigade mention in detail what tasks they were assigned? Given their significant role, there’s no reason to oppose it.”

Perhaps the most crucial point was that the neighboring Kingdom of Baruk, which had already formed a solid civilization long before them, was also in a mood to recognize the Arin Tribe’s declaration of a kingdom centered around their king.

The testimony of the artillery brigade had a profound impact. The panic and shock they experienced during their first intense battle against thousands of bugs were precisely detailed in their reports, causing a substantial impression.

Initially, the king and a few ministers had aimed to use the grassland forces to keep greater threats at bay, so they could hardly ignore this.

“Think about the gifts to send to the one who will be king. The results have shown that interacting with them will yield benefits, so there’s no harm in strengthening our relationship.”

Moreover, the Kingdom of Baruk had had a taste of goods brought from within the game’s world through trade with the Arin Tribe.

Herbs that didn’t exist in this world, magical armor and weapons, food rapidly cultivated by farmers, and so on.

Thinking of those benefits left the opposing ministers speechless.

‘Maybe I should let one through soon?’

Eventually, all their lingering doubts faded as he saw the long line of the Kingdom of Baruk’s delegation and opened a portal leading south, causing them to disappear entirely.

*

“I never thought such a day would come in my life.”

“Maybe it was predetermined from the moment I first met him.”

“I thought that managing the tiny tribe I inherited from my father would be enough. When I failed that too… I thought everything was over.”

Barun smiled bitterly while looking at Riena. Perhaps it was because he had experienced too much in such a short time; he couldn’t quite remember those days when he first settled in this land with nothing.

He was filled with nothing but melancholy and despair. The only reason he didn’t show it was because of Riena and the people of the other tribes.

“Like the tiara you’re wearing. I believe this item was gifted by him. If tasked with such duties, there’s no choice but to perform them faithfully.”

Barun fiddled with the necklace around his neck and the crown on his head. The pattern on the necklace, gifted by the guardian deity using points, had become their symbol.

Barun was different from Luke. He thought his rise to the throne was purely due to being assigned a mission. That mission, of course, involved following the orders of the guardian deity watching over them.

‘That’s right. All of this is thanks to His grace.’

Riena, escorting Barun, her father and now king, for the coronation ceremony, looked down at the area beneath the castle walls.

It was the place where they first settled and the holy site they had to protect—a place targeted by the bugs and connected to God—which had now grown larger than an ordinary city.

At that location, numerous people had gathered. All of them were loyal to them and simultaneously served the same existence.

“Let’s get started. It’s best to finish this quickly. Don’t we both have mountains of work ahead?”

The coronation ceremony began shortly thereafter. Members of the delegation from outside, as well as key figures who should have been working inside the game world during normal times, all attended the solemn event.

At the same time, it was a turning point where history was about to change. Those who had been puffing themselves up suddenly found themselves overwhelmed and corrected their postures when they realized this.

“Ah.”

At that moment, Riena let out a small sigh as she felt the power carried in the gentle breeze.

Of course, it wasn’t only them who were witnessing this important scene.

[Achievement Unlocked: Great Beginning (1)]

[Achievement Unlocked: Opening the World]

[Reward Selection Available]

“I knew this would happen.”

He smiled with satisfaction as he observed the achievements flashing before him from beyond the screen.

The struggles and life-and-death struggles they had endured were for the purpose of stopping the bugs, but on the other hand, they were also a test of their qualifications to survive.

The result was this. Those who passed the test splendidly had achieved great accomplishments.

“Working from home, huh? What, are you investing or something? How many monitors do you even have? Sitting in the dark, chuckling to yourself.”

“You’re still the same even as you grow older. Knock and come in.”

He shooed away his younger sister, who had tried to barge in, and continued observing the residents. Actually, this wasn’t the end. It was closer to the beginning.

“Everyone’s probably feeling a bit nervous, but unfortunately, we have a mission entrusted to us, and fulfilling it is our duty.”

Right after the coronation ceremony ended. Barun, who had settled in the land that became their holy site and the capital of the kingdom, immediately began his duties as king.

The grand conference room and throne created in just two days under the direction of Dwarf Herson, who had awakened the architect trait, weren’t that large yet, but he had shown them how to build using videos he found online for the royal family.

“We hadn’t been able to launch a proper offensive until now. But now the time has come. It’s time to reclaim the land we lost to them.”

Barun declared to all assembled, including the main executives he had chosen to help with administrative duties, as well as the envoys who had come from afar, that they would attack the bugs.

Since it was a matter most people expected, the reaction was not intense.

“Is it really okay? I’m worried that we might be poking a hornet’s nest unnecessarily.”

“It’s not a hornet’s nest; it’s a tumor. If left alone, it will surely spread and eat away at us.”

The person who spoke up with a worried voice was an envoy from the Kingdom of Baruk. Barun shook his head with a faint smile at his words.

“We will root them out before they multiply.”

If they leave the nest alone, it only grows quickly, stronger, and in greater numbers. That was a trait of the colony-type bugs. Those who already knew that swallowed their saliva nervously.

“What about the elves? I think we should attack that side as well before it’s too late.”

“About that…”

Barun turned his gaze toward the elves positioned on one side. The person who came with Eve was not sent by the Elf King Legion but was a friendly village chief named Luna.

The Elf King was still wary of them.

“We will attack to rescue our kin and reclaim our land. However, it seems proper coordinated strikes will still take some time. It seems the king and the central council still underestimate the black monsters.”

Luna found it hard to provide a definite answer. After all, the will of the decision-makers, King Legion and the central council, was more important. Although Barun looked at the elves with a strange expression, he didn’t speak up.

“Riena. Must you stay with the elves and the paladins?”

“I don’t think that’s necessary. If needed, the deity will give further instructions.”

“In that case, return here. We need the power of the paladins.”

Barun called back Riena, who was with the elves. He planned to put everything into delivering the final blow.