A Village Appeared on My Desktop

---

Chapter 172 – Boundary (2)

Those who had already made it this far could do anything. This was one of the facts I was trying hard to keep in mind.

These guys could act outside common sense anywhere and anytime.

‘Are the games alright?’

The first thing I checked was the games that had been activated so far. It had been a while since I confirmed that the Bugs could infiltrate the games as well.

While they seemed to have some limits in the game world, as their interference with us had not escalated too much, you never know.

Games with various genres and backgrounds… If the Bugs could freely occupy those, it would indeed be a sweet deal for them.

Imagining facing Bugs who had acquired skills and abilities from those worlds, just like us, sent chills down my spine.

“Hmm, so there’s nothing wrong yet?”

Running the games, I focused my mind and searched for traces of the Bugs while collecting information. I particularly checked places like Creature Hunting, Dark Blood, and Hyper Field, where there’s a cohesive world context.

Even I felt that those places, being ripe for the taking, already had histories of Bug infiltration.

“—?”

At this very moment, the residents working in the games seemed to question my actions, but I couldn’t explain everything to them.

‘Well, they must be too busy to pay attention given their urgency.’

Despite my efforts, I found no traces of the Bugs in the games. Judging by how desperate they were to abandon their base and flee, they clearly couldn’t spare any resources for other schemes.

So there was only one thing left. To deliver a final blow in the Land of the Elves before they regained their strength.

I didn’t know how much effort it took to relocate, but seeing them head toward the Land of the Elves while engaging in fratricidal conflict suggested they couldn’t possibly do it multiple times in a row.

“—? –!”

‘In that case, I need to boost our Elves as much as possible before that.’

While our allies were rearranging their forces in a short span of time, I brought talents that could follow in Eve’s footsteps into the game world. There were only a few for now, but considering the firepower they would gain from going through this FPS game, even a few would be a big help.

*

“E-Eve, what in the world is happening?”

“Everyone, calm down. This is their choice.”

The sudden turn of events was surely shocking for the Elves. They had been abducted while going about their business without a care.

Even though they were confirmed as allies by the Master Program, it was a natural response to be confused and wary.

“Do not be on guard. I mentioned this before, right? This is the place.”

The silver lining for them was that Eve was with them. As someone who had experienced everything, Eve knew that this was the will of the Guardian Deity and that they could gain new power here.

Thanks to her calm persuasion, the few Elves who had fallen into this place managed to regain their composure.

‘I still haven’t persuaded the King. I have to convince that person… but this place feels a bit different from when I first came here.’

Having reassured her kin, Eve looked around. The situation was somewhat different from when she had first arrived.

The place they were currently in was a peaceful city with no signs of enemy assault.

Eve had seen the place before, but for the other Elves who were experiencing it for the first time, their jaws dropped at the sight. A city made up of massive buildings and structures was completely alien to them.

“Eve, is this person…”

In the midst of it all, one of the boys selected among the Elves noticed someone approaching and called out to Eve.

Dressed in a black suit with a helmet covering his face was a playable character. She recognized him and flinched.

“Wow, a lot of them. This is even better. Our strength is increasing.”

He was not alone, though. Following behind him was the researcher Luna, who, upon seeing Eve and the surrounding Elves, had a grin on her face.

As a key player in the alliance’s research team, she was delighted at the prospect of producing more Slayers.

‘There are parts similar to the game and parts different, but we have no choice but to go on.’

Watching the scene unfold from beyond the screen, he decided to leave it to the flowing situation and moved his character.

There were definitely aspects that had been overlooked or deemed unimportant by the game that were emphasized now, but what they were currently playing was not just a game. They were thrust into a world.

Deciding to consider it a sort of exchange, he did not hinder Luna’s proactive actions, as she was merely a guide character in the game.

“Let’s head to the lab. We need to inject the nanomachines and perform upgrades that we couldn’t do last time.”

“E-Eve, this human is…”

“Just follow. They granted me this power. If you don’t trust me, then trust them.”

As Luna spoke, the Elves tensed up, but Eve made her decision. Having already gone through it once, there was no reason to hesitate.

Eventually, the Elves had no choice but to follow her lead and that of Luna.

‘If we can gain strength here, it might help persuade the King.’

“Alright. Since everyone is filled with talent, the modifications will be done in no time.”

Inside the Slayer lab, a place that only appeared in the game as a description, Eve looked at her kin receiving nanomachine injections with a worried expression.

Luna stood beside her humming, excited about new Slayers that would add to her achievements, but Eve was gripped by the pressure of having to persuade the raging Legion after their retreat. She was convinced this was an opportunity.

The figure standing next to her felt the same way. Although he was temporarily distracted from the game and focused on other tasks, he was still aware.

“Eve’s dilemma.”

He was reading Eve’s struggles—the Elf King Legion going mad for revenge against the Bugs.

But that was the Bugs’ scheme. Even if Legion led the army to hunt Bugs, the widely spread Bugs were sacrificing a few kin to amass abundant resources and nutrients.

‘Can Riena persuade them? Right now, Eve isn’t here. But if we take Eve away, there’s no one to lead the remaining Elves.’

He shifted his gaze from the game to another screen. There, he saw Riena riding toward the Elf city.

Riena needed to persuade Legion to officially form an alliance and carry out joint operations. Of course, that was only possible if Legion agreed to the alliance.

‘They keep fighting and winning, but it’s meaningless. It’s just a ruse. They need a major war rather than trivial victories.’

Knowing too well about the enemy, he was convinced this was the enemy’s ploy to corrupt Legion.

“We’re almost there.”

Thanks to this, Riena, now tasked with a significant mission, arrived near the Elf city in the dim dawn with her companions.

The atmosphere was markedly different from last time. The place, which had been on the brink of falling to the Bugs, was now filled with a warm energy.

“Who’s coming?”

“It’s that human from before. He says they have something to discuss regarding the Black Monsters as previously arranged.”

“Hm, I think I know what they’ll say. But will the King see them now?”

One of the Elf elders, Seria, had a troubled look on her face as she scanned her surroundings upon hearing news that Riena had arrived.

The atmosphere among the Elves was tense. Many were adamant about driving out the wicked enemies led by King Legion, but some were worried that things were getting overheated.

Seria was one of those, but those who opposed her would explode with anger, asking if they would hesitate to fight while the enemies were tainting the Sacred Land.

“Still, wouldn’t it be okay to fight together? It’s not like we’re lacking in strength.”

“I know very well. Including the King, it’s clear their pride has been deeply wounded. They won’t want to borrow strength from humans.”

The problem was that even if the humans wanted to fight alongside them, they would be met with opposition.

To make them accept reality, the Bugs needed to overpower them so they could admit defeat, but as everyone was already aware, the Bugs were purposely deceiving them.

After a fierce battle, they would purposely lose, draining the Elves’ strength while feeding them false hope.

“Let them in for now. If we can persuade them, we might be able to fill the gaps where we’re lacking.”

Seria used her authority to allow Riena and the Arin Tribe to enter the city.

Just like last time, the humans entered the city, gaining the attention of all the Elves. This was the complete opposite of the scene when Eve and Luna arrived in the city of the Arin Tribe, drawing attention.

“The King is out, and will return in the afternoon.”

“In that case, may I discuss our agenda with the Elder in advance?”

Upon hearing that Legion was away for war, Riena revealed her intentions to Seria.

“We want to fight alongside the Elves. Those monsters that suddenly invaded are originally our enemies too.”

“I see…”

“There’s no room for hesitation or doubt. Even if it seems like they’re gathering now, it’s all smoke and mirrors. Unless we sweep away their main stronghold, they will keep growing their numbers from the shadows without rest.”

“I think the same as you do. Let’s speak to the King.”

As Riena proposed their desire to fight together, Seria nodded. Ultimately, the final decision rested with the King, the heir of the sacred royal family.

So they waited for Legion to arrive.

As Seria had said, Legion returned in the afternoon with the army they had marched with.

‘Could that be the by-products from the Monsters?’

Riena observed the proud Elves returning with trophies, frowning at what they were admittedly showing off.

These were by-products of the Bugs that she had seen far too many times. Undoubtedly they were useful resources, but without the crafting techniques of the Hunters, they held no particular value to the Elves.

Yet their proud display of these seemed a bit off.

“…That’s only a few dozen worth.”

“Let’s at least talk first.”

Riena pressed down on Shura’s head, who muttered next to her.