A Village Appeared on My Desktop

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Chapter 180 – Borderline (10)

“I can’t believe you can awaken to that level… it’s amazing.”

“I never thought of it either.”

Lee So-Yeon, whom I met in person after a long time, was astonished by my story of completely clearing a game and helping one of the residents, Riena, surpass her limits.

‘I never thought she would actually descend as a true angel.’

When Riena, who returned from the game world, literally descended, even the elves present, including me, were astonished.

At that moment, Riena truly resembled the hero from a game trailer.

Until now, all the items I had obtained were things that any real player could get, but the Celestial Blessing’s Noble Wings that Riena obtained at the last moment was a blessing that existed only in the settings.

“I can’t quite grasp how my residents could reach that level… but it seems that to completely drive out the bugs, they must reach that point, which makes me a bit anxious.”

“In my opinion, awakening beyond a certain level ultimately depends on them. All we can do is guide them to that threshold.”

I advised Lee So-Yeon, worrying that her residents weren’t at that level yet, that the future is unknown to anyone.

To be honest, I hadn’t done much for Riena. No matter what Riena thinks, the fact that she fought and grew on her own is clearly her achievement.

From the beginning, our role is not to manipulate them like puppets but to become friends and battle alongside them. I always strived to keep this fact in mind.

“They are not game characters or NPCs. If you treat them as disposable or pushy, that would be a disaster.”

As the number of users increases, many, including myself, are frequently discovering and sharing information and functions by activating various programs and games.

In the process, many methods have been developed to engage more directly with the residents. The real-time strategy simulation game I discovered is similar.

Using it, I can control the residents directly with my mouse.

I see this as a great tool to use in emergencies, but some users are undoubtedly trying to use this feature to perform everything themselves.

It’s hard to pinpoint why they act like that. Is it simply because they don’t trust the residents or do they genuinely want to feel like gods themselves?

“To be honest, I want to block them. You can’t face the enemies like that. They’re not some great pro-gamers, how on earth can they control countless residents simultaneously in different places?”

“I think the same, but there’s no way to enforce it besides recommending. It’s impossible to catch them doing that secretly at home.”

“They will surely regret it. I believe that the true intention guided by the Master Program is to collaborate together.”

At first, there were many uncertainties and doubts. I was alone initially, and it was only natural.

But now, I was confident in myself. My method is correct. Those who choose a different path from mine will pay the price, good or bad.

“News keeps blabbering about the same things, but is there anything different?”

As we were about to part, I changed the subject.

This meeting was a rare opportunity as I had managed to spare some time to hand over the items I had brought today.

Officially considered the first user in Korea, she had quickly become a significant figure in the government, knowing much more than me, who simply hears news.

“There isn’t much that’s different. The only thing that’s troubling me is that even though we attempted to wipe out the enemy’s nests with bombings, they might still not have been completely uprooted?”

“Really? Even after such a clean sweep?”

“Bugs evolve to adapt to their environment. The ones that appeared on Earth are likely the same.”

Lee So-Yeon, who seemed to be searching her memory, spoke seriously.

To eliminate the colony-type bugs that first appeared on Earth, several countries utilized gunpowder weapons to clear the ground, but she maintained that it wasn’t safe until they confirmed the total annihilation of the enemies by deploying ground forces.

“I know that users who set various types of natural scenery as their backgrounds encountered different kinds of residents. The civilization and traits of residents varied according to their environment, such as elves living in the desert, snowmen in the snowy mountains, etc. Likewise, bugs gradually change according to the environment.”

“Bugs that adapt to the Earth’s environment would possess different strengths?”

“Absolutely.”

“That sounds quite terrifying.”

Just looking at myself, and hearing stories from other users, it seems there’s no other world as developed as Earth.

It could feel that way due to the differences in races or civilizations, but one thing for sure is that if bugs evolve to the point of easily ignoring these sheer firepower shells and missiles, that would be quite dreadful.

“I don’t know if they’re watching the monitor, but users observing Earth might have a tough time ahead.”

I chuckled and looked up at the sky.

Although I am revered as a divine being by the residents on the screen, I’m just an ordinary human, and to someone, I’m merely an ordinary resident marked as neutral.

*

“Who on earth are they talking to…”

Outside the building, in a cafe that seemed ill-suited for secretive actions, a man pretending to be just a regular customer sat there, watching the building and chuckling.

The receiver he held was completely useless. What had been working perfectly was suddenly broken. No matter how advanced the technology, it was utterly useless against a barrier utilizing magic.

Knowing this, Lee So-Yeon didn’t mind whether there were eavesdropping devices or cameras nearby. After all, she could block everything during critical moments.

‘Someone is definitely meeting periodically. Is it that person?’

Since the devices had malfunctioned, all he could do was use his imagination to speculate.

He had a rough idea of who Lee So-Yeon was meeting.

As soon as he learned that a user from Russia, who was also feeding her secret information to win her favor, found a way to block the Gates of the Bugs, an unidentified assailant had stormed the facility alone.

That assailant snatched someone with incredible skill and peculiar abilities, extracted the desired information, and then publicly revealed it through Lee So-Yeon.

While Lee So-Yeon insisted it was an accidental discovery, that lie only works for those who don’t know the truth.

Both the one supplying the information and the attacked side couldn’t possibly remain unaware of her connection to that assailant.

‘Who on earth is this? I’m sure they’re from within the country, but there’s no way to know anything more.’

However, no matter how hard he racked his brain, he couldn’t grasp any clues. Every time the devices he had on her malfunctioned, he kept searching with keen eyes yet he found no remarkable figures.

With the technology possessed by regular folks, there was no way to discover someone donning the Cloak of Concealment, which merely obscured his presence.

“Phew, this is unsettling.”

As he calmly slipped out of the surveillance network, Jun-Young took off the cloak in a nearby building restroom. Without the cloak, he just looked like an ordinary man.

‘With more guardians appearing on Earth, relying solely on a cloak for activities seems a bit tough.’

The Cloak of Concealment, though a rare item, isn’t infallible. If the opponent has keen senses, they can detect the obscured presence.

Having once been spotted by a guardian while active in Russia, he didn’t put his absolute faith in the item.

“Where have you been?”

“I went to check. Don’t come in, I need to work again.”

Returning home, he sighed when he saw his younger sibling sprawled across the sofa as usual and headed to his room.

Nothing significant was happening on the screen. Since the Arin Tribe began to urgently rescue the elves, the bug’s assault had somewhat paused.

“The will of the World Tree will continue. But that time…”

“He is the finest farmer blessed by that being. Have faith.”

One hopeful thing was that the seed of the World Tree, which was barely salvaged, had been handed over to the farmers of the Arin Tribe.

Farmers who had acquired traits in the game world possessed the ability to grow crops rapidly.

Chieftain Balun decided to utilize their strength to revive the World Tree.

Even the priests of the elves, who usually would never entrust anything to humans, silently handed over the seed of the World Tree in this desperate situation.

“We will set this place as the predetermined location.”

The place where the seed would be planted became the fortress, now the only safe zone.

Nervous farmers prepared the ground ahead of time and planted the seed with anxious faces. Both humans and elves watched anxiously.

“Unbelievable. The sprout has emerged!”

The effect manifested immediately. What should have taken years to sprout appeared in just a few minutes.

The newly grown sprout continued to grow bit by bit. The elves were once again taken aback as their common sense crumbled.

Elder Seria, who was experienced, and Eve, who had returned from various experiences, were both the same.

“At this rate, we might be able to attempt a reconnection within a year or two.”

“A year or two, you say?”

However, upon hearing the delighted words from Seria, Chieftain Balun let out a small sigh. Although it was true that the timeline had significantly shortened from decades or even centuries, it still felt too long.

A year is a lengthy time for the bugs to completely overhaul their biology.

“I doubt we can rely on the World Tree.”

“I think the same. We should follow through with the plan.”

At Riena’s resolute words, Chieftain Balun nodded. Though he had tried to maintain some calmness, it had failed, and now he had to move tightly.

“If we don’t resolve this within that year, who knows what kind of schemes they might devise? The fate of our race hangs in the balance, so now the elves must join us.”

Chieftain Balun officially proposed an alliance to the elves on the spot. None of the elves, including Seria, could refuse this offer.

The circumstances had changed drastically compared to when the World Tree was thriving and the city unscathed.

‘We are left with no options now. We have no choice but to trust and assist them.’

Seria, suddenly made the representative, glanced toward Eve. Already deeply faithful and blessed with various boons, Eve nodded her head to urge the choice.

“Thank you very much.”

“We are comrades fighting the same enemy; that’s the only important fact.”

Chieftain Balun was delighted by Seria’s choice and emphasized that they were only going to fight together. While there were those who despaired, there were no elves opposing this.

“Now it’s time to counterattack.”

With the alliance formed, all that was left was to launch a proper counterattack. Believing he had saved most of the elves he could, Balun immediately issued orders to his forces. He, too, remained silent in a manner that seemed to endorse Balun’s choice.

A village appeared on my desktop – Chapter 181.