A Village Appeared on My Desktop

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Chapter 166 – System (6)

“Isn’t it a bit too much to just stay cooped up in your room? You’re already fragile as it is.”

When I briefly stepped outside, my younger sibling, lying on the sofa in the same position as always, spoke up without much thought.

“…It’s important work, so it can’t be helped.”

I let out a hollow laugh, grabbed some water, and headed back to my room. While there was some merit to my sibling’s concern for my health, it was also rather pointless.

I’m not the type to fall apart just from sitting for a while.

Even if my body did deteriorate, there was nothing I could do about it now. The number of residents I had to look after was increasing, and my responsibilities were growing, making my workload busier.

‘It will end someday. And it won’t be too far off.’

Sitting in front of my desk with the water, I stared blankly at the screens.

This had been a constant thought since I first learned of the Bugs’ identity and the mission I had to undertake. The thought about the end of this work, specifically.

My duty as a User was to nurture the Guardians to prevent the Bugs’ incursion.

But there was no mention anywhere about whether there was an end to that prevention, nor did any User know.

What if this back-and-forth dragged on for ten years, fifty years? What happens if I get into an accident or die of old age afterward?

‘There is an end. No, I can create an end.’

So I believed there was an end. The method to block the Gates of the Bugs had already been developed. If we could push back the enemy’s base and continue to increase our safe zones, eventually Bugs would become extinct in the lands where the residents live.

We would win this competition.

That’s why the ongoing war was crucial. It wasn’t merely a battle for survival; it was about completely driving the enemy out of this world.

“—, –.”

Riena, having triumphed over the enemies on the screen, was encouraging others while panting. Normally, she would be recuperating and conserving her strength, but now she had to push a little harder.

‘Now it’s our turn.’

Though reality wasn’t a turn-based game, as long as resources weren’t infinite, the concept of turns undoubtedly existed. Once we defended against the enemy’s schemes, it was now our turn.

Having checked all the revealed screens and confirmed there were no issues, I left the residents to their own judgments.

Balun and Riena gathered the soldiers and headed north right away. Even in the still-contested north, our allies were holding their ground, slowly gaining momentum.

If they joined the expedition as planned, the Bugs, now revealing their cards and becoming the defenders, would have to fend off our attack instead.

‘We cannot give up our turn.’

Both I and the residents already understood this. The Bugs could repeatedly attack us and hand us the turn, but they could recover quickly and easily; we could not.

If this one attack failed and the turn passed to the enemy, we wouldn’t be able to recover from the damage and would face annihilation.

“Should I stop them?”

Once I reached that train of thought, hesitation began to bloom in my heart.

What if we just stayed defensive and gathered more strength instead of attacking? This weakness came from a desire to save up a bit more.

-It’s definitely a strategy with its pros and cons. If we succeed, the enemy, stripped of bases and focal points, would plummet to mere mobs; but if we fail, we are doomed.

“Should we stop then? It’s not about anything else. If I lose, the Bugs I’m holding back will spill out into the world. They are far more advanced than any enemies reported so far.”

Even after making up my mind, I wasn’t a machine, and controlling my emotions was far from easy. So I sought advice from those around me.

The first person I reached out to was Lee So-Yeon, who understood me better than my own family. Although she’s younger than me, she’s now an important figure in our society and might shed light on aspects I hadn’t considered.

-You’re not wrong, but I think the outcome would be the same even if we leave them alone. Their rate of growth is something I empathize with. I can guarantee they will get stronger faster than us.

“That is true. They’re trying to mimic not just our appearance but our skills as well.”

-If we keep repeatedly blocking them without cutting off their air, eventually we will be caught up to, and defeat will become inevitable. Moreover, in that case, far worse monsters will emerge than the ones we face now.

Her points were valid. Delaying time could very well play into the Bugs’ favor. As we grew stronger, so did they.

If we lost to the creatures we helped evolve and grow, they would emerge in a form that couldn’t even be compared to what we face now.

‘Is this an intentionally designed system aimed at this from the start? It starts to make sense.’

Realizing the Master Program’s intentions, I sighed softly. We had to develop the Guardians faster than the enemies evolving from mere beasts to combat-ready foes and end this in decisive confrontation. That was the right course of action.

In life, challenges and trials are something you must inevitably face. Acknowledging that, I didn’t stop the residents.

In the first place, it was the residents who were determined to launch a counterattack against the Bugs first, not me.

They were the ones more in danger and had more to lose than I did. So, I placed my trust in them.

*

“Where has Eve gone? I heard she appeared and saved our soldiers in crisis.”

“She said she needs to go back to her hometown. She’s going back to persuade the Elf King. She said we need to properly ally and counterattack.”

“I truly hope she succeeds in persuading him.”

Balun bitterly smiled upon hearing Riena’s words. He could understand why the Elves were still wary, but it didn’t make sense to him logically.

You must not give the Bugs any time. They recognized they had to retaliate and hit hard when they saw an opportunity.

“Rakum, are the casualties severe?”

Having arrived in the north over the Portal with soldiers, excluding the dead and injured, Balun sought out Rakum, who had just finished battling.

As Rakum was busy tending to the situation, he sighed in relief upon seeing them. He had heard the Central was under attack but hadn’t had the resources to assist anyone.

“It’s not negligible, but it’s not too severe either. We survived by simply holding out inside the fortress as we did before.”

“Everyone must be struggling. But a chance has come for us. Not just to take revenge on them but to eradicate this evil once and for all.”

Balun informed Rakum of the expedition’s plans. Those who heard the news did not hesitate, as it was already expected.

“Will the artillery brigade from the kingdom also join the expedition?”

“Hmm, their stated mission is to defend the fortress, but I can always ask.”

The conversation naturally shifted to the artillery brigade they had been fighting alongside.

Originally, the mission of the artillery brigade sent from the kingdom was to remain at the fortress and see if the claims made by the Arin Tribe were true, rather than engaging directly in the Bugs’ lair.

“It would be better to ask through Rihar.”

Even though he’s from the kingdom, Balun had come to trust Rihar completely and instructed him to inform the artillery brigade about the expedition.

Rihar nodded as if it was to be expected.

“Do you think they will agree?”

“I’m not sure. But one thing is certain: there are more within the artillery brigade who, like me, now believe that we must eradicate those Black Monsters.”

Rihar replied with a grin. The fact is that there’s a more straightforward way to gain their agreement than endlessly trying to persuade them with words.

“Are you here? But it seems a bit bustling outside, even after the battle has ended. Is there something going on?”

“Yes, there is.”

Rihar immediately sought out the artillery commander. The commander, aging day by day due to each battle, was pouring another drink into his cup with tired eyes.

Knowing he was drinking not for enjoyment but for survival, Rihar kept silent.

“The creatures that attacked this time have dealt the last blow. It’s as if they’re making their move before we could.”

“So, attack is the best form of defense, huh? Those monsters are surprisingly clever.”

“Then shall we fall for their trick?”

Rihar subtly informed him that the Arin Tribe was likely to initiate a counterattack, as they had anticipated. To his surprise, the commander merely sighed without expressing any strong reaction.

“I thought I had gained some experience in real combat after all this time, but the time spent here has been a shock in itself.”

Looking outside the tent with a cup in hand, he appeared visibly worn out. The fight against the Bugs had taken such a toll, and getting accustomed to it was far from easy after just a few skirmishes.

Unlike the Arin soldiers, he was an outsider, and that weighed heavily on him.

“I wonder if believing in the Guardian Deity of this land would help me feel better. No matter how I think about it, the warriors and soldiers here can only fight those monsters so valiantly because they have faith within.”

As he pondered this, he caught sight of Riena and the Paladins passing by the tent. They were instructing and informing the warriors of the fortress.

“They’re called the Saintess here, right? The powers they truly hold are similar to those of renowned priests or paladins.”

“Well, seeing it in person certainly makes that claim undeniable. They constantly stand at the forefront, turning the seemingly impossible battles against monsters into victories. Her light holds power over enemies while providing healing to allies — truly divine.”

Rihar nodded in agreement with the commander’s remark. There lay a clear difference between those who followed the Guardian Deity and those who didn’t.

The existence of something you could rely on and believe in had a force that was far stronger than Rihar had anticipated.

“We too want to hear a firm answer. I am a soldier of the kingdom loyal to our king and cannot swear fealty to anything else, but if we truly fight, we might bring down divine favor upon us. If I could hear such confirmation from the Saintess, I and my soldiers would gladly participate in the expedition.”

“Well, I don’t know how that will turn out, but I’ll make sure to convey it to her.”

Rihar was taken aback by the sudden proposal but soon nodded.

He couldn’t ignore a sincere confession like that.

“Are you asking if she will also look after the kingdom’s artillery brigade?”

Rihar conveyed that to Riena. Upon receiving that unexpected question, her eyes widened slightly.