A Village Appeared on My Desktop

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Chapter 168 – System (8)

“Are you saying that colony-type creatures have appeared on Earth too?”

– It’s not confirmed yet, but if the intelligence agencies of various countries have verified it, then it can’t be false. Their growth rate is alarmingly fast, so we need to prepare.

“Understood for now.”

Lee So-Yeon’s sudden contact brought heavy news. Despite my attempts to block them, the creatures were expanding their forces around me.

If they have reached the colony-type stage, their growth speed is beyond comparison with before.

‘Is there a way?’

I had speculated and prepared myself for this long ago. The residents on the screen only needed to fend off the bugs they faced for their mission to end, but my situation was slightly different.

If I personally manage to complete my mission splendidly but fail around me, I would once again find myself in danger.

My efforts to actively share information through Lee So-Yeon and help others stemmed from this very concern. However, that kind of approach wouldn’t provide fundamental help.

“No, first I need to resolve the immediate situation.”

I shook my head vigorously to clear my thoughts. I instinctively considered future responses, but that was not the stage to think about yet.

The residents were gathering their strength, preparing for confrontation with the enemies. At this moment, focusing solely on that was the right choice.

“—!”

The first battle that heralded the start erupted properly. The allies, caught off guard by our artillery fire, charged fiercely towards the bugs, with Riena leading the charge straight into the enemies’ nest.

The enemies, who had only honed their siege techniques, displayed completely inadequate defensive tactics. A considerable number of foes rushed out to intercept us, but it was simply a battle of brute force.

There was hardly any effective defense utilizing terrain features or establishing a frontline to hold.

‘If we can continue to fight, we can win.’

Having witnessed the difference in combat power firsthand, I predicted that as long as our stamina held out, we would triumph. Thus, it was my job to assist in conserving their strength as much as possible.

Creating defense turrets in the areas we occupied and summoning winds imbued with buffs was one of those tasks.

“– —!”

‘It’s awkward for us to be capturing enemy territory too, but it’s somehow working out well.’

Under Balun’s command, those in charge of different sections were thoroughly executing their roles, gradually capturing the nests of the intended targets.

By minimizing the screen as much as possible, it became easier to observe those movements. It was hard to believe that a fierce war was occurring in such a quaint and charming setting.

However, when I zoomed back in, that picturesque view transformed into a hell filled with screams and furious shouts.

‘Were we somewhat prepared for a counterattack?’

In the midst of it all, I saw bugs quickly flying towards our side from another screen.

A swarm of flying types, ranging from small raptors to aircraft-sized creatures, was heading into our rear to strike.

This was precisely the moment I thought it was time for me to act, so I grabbed the machine gun I had been saving.

I intended to wipe them out with this strike, which the residents marveled at as judgment descending from the sky.

*

“Ugh. What is this…”

“Calm down! The Guardian Deity’s thunder protects us!”

As he thought, the sound of gunfire and flashing lights ringing from above to the residents felt like the thunder and lightning of their Guardian. The louder and more chaotic it was, the more the residents cheered.

Countless bullets sliced through the air, tearing apart the bodies of the flying creatures, and the few that barely survived were quickly picked off by the waiting mages’ magic.

“Wow, this feels refreshing.”

One soldier, holding a trembling spear, seemed overly excited and giggled as he looked around.

From the horrifying enemy nest, grotesquely mutated monsters continued to spring forth, but they were using their bodies to create walls and securely defend them.

As they held firm, our attacks would burst their heads or incinerate their bodies. Occasionally, there would emerge huge beasts and tough ones that couldn’t be affected by magic, but skilled warriors were there to hold them back.

“See, they can’t do a thing while we can!”

The defense turrets sprang up in the blink of an eye. Healing injuries and replenishing mana with winds. It was so overwhelming that anyone could see we were winning.

“If this continues, we really will win… cough!”

“Lomun! Quickly, healing potion!”

Of course, there were still steady casualties during this process. Some fell victim to enemy poison, bit off, or were stabbed and impaled.

They supported and saved as many as they could, pushing desperately forward one step at a time.

And with each step they took, the ground was piling up with the corpses left behind by the enemies.

“This, this place used to be the city hall.”

“How dare those monsters defile this place!”

Having advanced, they recached the heart of the nest. The center of the nest was a sizeable building the dwarves had used as city hall.

Riena, along with all the dwarves who had come here with determination, gripped her sword silently at the sight.

Countless writhing cocoons and unknown production facilities covered the ground, floor, and walls, still squirming even at this moment.

Some of the countless foes they had battled thus far emerged from here.

‘Are there really no special variants left?’

Surveying the surroundings, Riena drew upon the abundant mana still in her body. The foes she was most wary of were the special variants mimicking the Arin Tribe.

Unlike other variants, those gave her an instinctive sense of fear. She needed to root them out quickly before they grew stronger.

“There are no special ones around. This is their entire force!”

At least none of those were visibly present now. Whether that was because there truly weren’t any or if they were hiding to seize an opportunity was beyond consideration.

“Disappear!”

She unleashed the swirling golden mana, cleaving through the nest that was filled to the brim.

The bugs, unable to withstand Riena’s divine power, began to rapidly crumble and disintegrate, and the remaining remnants seemed to have received an order to quickly turn and flee.

“The enemies are retreating. Their numbers seem few, but should we pursue them!?”

“No. First, let’s secure this place as our stronghold. Then we strike as many places as possible before they regroup.”

Those participating in the combat cheered regardless of affiliation or race, but the command staff, including Balun, had no time to rejoice as they hurriedly directed the troops.

Establishing the old city as a stronghold was not overly difficult. The defense turrets constructed under Balun’s guidance added more robust firepower.

So, it was more crucial to eliminate the scattered bugs around us for now than to build walls and create a fortress.

“Remove all the nests of the enemies on this line. After that, we will move deeper inside.”

“The capital of the Dwarf Kingdom…”

As Balun showed the map, Riena sighed softly. If things proceeded as planned, the only thing remaining was the suspected stronghold of the enemies.

“This area will already be within their sight. However, since we can’t scout ahead, they probably cannot see what lies before us, so I believe we must attempt a reconnaissance.”

“Can we handle it? That place is the stronghold among strongholds. Casualties are inevitable.”

“… I believe we must take that risk.”

Res, one of the reconnaissance leaders, argued to Balun that they should scout to the enemy’s stronghold so Jun-Young could see it too.

By saying so, Jun-Young’s ability to view the screen was limited to here. That was because they hadn’t scouted yet.

“Do the others feel the same way?”

Balun inquired with the other reconnaissance leaders. They all flinched a little, but they could not deny that reconnaissance was necessary.

The fact that they could provide support only if it was within Balun’s sight was significant.

“Let’s select some courageous individuals. Also, let them know there will be great rewards.”

In the end, Balun decided to undertake the risky reconnaissance. It was called for volunteers, and quite a number of scouts gathered.

While the promise of rewards was one factor, there was a sense of duty in their eyes.

It was the result of building trust diligently together with him and Balun all along.

*

“…”

Deep underground, the place that once symbolized the brilliant civilization of the Dwarf Kingdom.

Yet now, the dwarves’ pride and achievements were transformed into horrible and grotesque nests, every great hall and magnificent sculpture turned into one.

The Arin Tribe, as well as those unseen beyond the screen, inhabited the deep unseen places. There thrived countless monsters living for a singular purpose.

And the being ruling this place was a true monster, one that had undergone evolution after evolution without pause.

A massive brain filled the enormous space. This colossal neural body existed solely to think, and was currently immersed in calculations and thoughts.

The cause lay in the recent onslaught by the Arin Tribe, which had pushed them to the brink. It was true they too had evolved while pushing back against them. However, the Arin Tribe, with its strong allies, had grown slightly quicker.

With their growth having slightly surpassed, the neural body needed to devise a method to defend against the Arin Tribe’s impending onslaught.

“…!”

Finally, the calculations yielded results. No, they couldn’t win.

With the resources and land they possessed now, they couldn’t hope to stop an opponent at their peak.

“D, e, c, ision.”

Once a calculation was reached, actions were swift, and there was no hesitation or deliberation. Approaching the neural body was someone trudging over, having just broken free from their cocoon—a new variant. Remarkably closer to humans, they let out coarse human words through the cracks of their split carapace.

“Ti, me.”

The neural body, along with all surrounding troops, needed time to escape.

Realizing this, the neural body commanded this new type of variant to buy them time. Simply buying time wasn’t that difficult.

Soon, a swarm of bugs soared into the sky from their nest.

These flying types carried or transported larvae filled with venom. Using low Investment to extract high efficiency, they intended to disturb the enemies continuously with poisonous gas terror to gain time.

Although they would be purified by paladins or potions, it still proved quite effective against enemies who had to huddle together.