A Village Appeared on My Desktop

---

Chapter 222 – The Last (2)

“We’ve already been blessed. Don’t worry and cast it!”

At the start of the battle, as the lightning struck from the sky, smashing into the rushing enemies, they too began their assault.

The first to attack were the mages with their grand magic. As several mages unleashed skills they had learned in the defense game, the ground forces of the enemy were swept away all at once.

“Doesn’t seem to affect those guys, huh?”

Meanwhile, Rakum clicked his tongue at the variant creatures, who unlike the typical infected being slaughtered, raised a murky mana barrier to defend against magic.

Grand magic was designed to wipe out enemies over a wide area, but it wasn’t effective against particularly strong foes.

“Fire!”

Of course, grand magic wasn’t all they had. The variant enemies that survived the grand magic were hit hard by archers and mages on floor, their defenses shattered, causing them to crash down.

Moreover, even if they managed to breach the fire net, the warriors firmly holding their ground weren’t going to budge easily.

‘We can do this.’

Rakum faintly smiled at the scene. Countless people had prepared meticulously for this very moment from various places.

They had come this far, willingly sacrificing themselves, so there was no reason for defeat.

“Commander, look over there!”

Thanks to that, the bugs began to reveal one by one the cards they had up their sleeves.

Towards the direction they intended to break through—the imperial palace—a massive barrier made of the bugs’ characteristic murky mana began to rise slowly.

“What on earth is that?”

Junyung, who was watching from the other side of the screen in a tense state, also clicked his tongue in disbelief. They had tried everything—lightning, machine guns, even chainsaws and hammers—but the barrier covering the palace remained intact.

“It doesn’t seem to break even under considerable firepower. Conversely, it means there’s something crucial inside that must be protected at all cost. That place is surely their stronghold.”

Watching this, Rakum gained an insight.

Since they couldn’t easily break something that even the screen couldn’t shatter, there was no need to recklessly charge in and hit it.

“So what do you plan to do?”

“You don’t have to break that barrier to get inside. I’m glad we brought the miners and transporters along.”

Rakum turned back to smile at Rasen, whose face had paled right after casting the grand magic.

There were the Arin Tribe miners and transporters who possessed superior abilities to any engineer, following the battle.

Having learned traits from the game, they had the unique ability to change or create geographical features, defying the laws of physics.

“The miners will start digging tunnels from now on. Transporters, set up a makeshift encampment here. We will enter the palace through the tunnel beyond that barrier.”

With the enemies twisting their formations, they twisted their own plans once again.

The miners quickly pulled out their picks and began to dig into the bare ground.

The ground was shaped into standardized blocks, instantly deepening and advancing forward. If they continued straight, a pathway leading right into the bugs’ constructed barrier would form.

“Considering past experiences, they’ve surely got more tricks up their sleeves.”

“It’s impossible to predict all that. Even if something happens… we can only trust that person. If we hesitate, we will ultimately lose.”

Rakum didn’t deny the subordinate’s words about remaining worries. He simply trusted and left everything outside their capabilities to fate.

*

‘What on earth is inside? There are too many blind spots to know their intentions.’

He kept an eye on the enemies while observing his allies starting to dig the tunnel. The enemy forces scattered around the palace were steadily gathering here.

Before the tunnel was completed, the residents had to face the enemy’s amassed troops.

“Oh no, are they really pulling back?”

Amidst this, he turned briskly to the screen where alarms blared, letting out a sigh. The imperial army attacking the elves chose to retreat.

As the elves adopted guerrilla tactics to buy time, the bugs, who had already taken command of the expeditionary forces, decided to end this inefficient war.

‘The Emperor has completely fallen for the bugs.’

The Emperor’s decision to attack the elves was his own indiscretion, unrelated to the bugs. His withdrawal indicated that his will no longer mattered in this crisis.

“Why did they decide to turn back after making good progress?”

“They realized, I suppose. Even if they completely occupy this place, there’s nothing for them to gain.”

Eve bit her lip at her companion Bala’s words. While other elves cheered, claiming their resistance had triumphed, Slayer Eve couldn’t bring herself to smile easily like the others.

Because she knew the bugs would never give up.

‘Now that I can breathe a sigh of relief, the elves must be mobilized too.’

In truth, the real war hadn’t even begun yet. While the empire remained unaware, the bugs were using every means possible to combat their archenemies, the Arin Tribe.

Junyung too began gathering his forces.

The elves he had personally brought into this world and nurtured were among that very strength.

“Do we really have to go? Even though they’ve retreated, who knows when they might come back? If you aren’t here, this land and the young World Tree may end up as mere candles in the wind.”

“We have no choice, Elder. The black monsters must be captured before they devour humans and this world, growing even larger.”

Elder Seria expressed concern as Eve prepared to leave and lead the Slayers to support the Arin Tribe.

However, Eve shook her head. Instinctively, she realized how crucial this moment was.

It was the same as when the Arin Tribe had staked all their assets to eliminate the bug swarm. Now, the scale of the war had genuinely expanded to envelop the entire continent due to the bugs’ machinations.

If they lost in this massive conflict involving all the forgotten races, only death would await them. It would be strange not to step forward if they had the strength to do so.

“I will definitely win, protect this world, and return to work toward restoration.”

Eve and the Slayers, hoisted by the nape of their necks, dangled their limbs yet sent a solemn farewell to those left behind.

‘No need to hold back.’

Taking a deep breath as he mobilized the recovered elves back into battle, Junyung decided it was time to see this through. After all, everything they had done thus far was for this moment.

Mining resources within the game, sending residents to awaken their powers, crafting items and equipment.

All those efforts and achievements would return to meaningless if they lost this battle.

“You have all been saying it for a while, right? We must stop the enemies that have appeared in our hometown. The black monsters.”

“Don’t worry too much. We will return alive.”

Junyung evacuated everyone who had been present in the game. They had stockpiled enough resources, and now they needed every available hand.

Among them were hunters Dun and Naru, who had been active with Tina, an NPC and local from Creature Hunting.

“Yeah, I’m going to relax for once, so make sure to come back alive. Honestly, I’d love to help too.”

“Help… you’ve already done plenty. If anything, monitoring and dealing with any black monsters that might appear here would be the best help to us.”

Tina, already aware of the situation, wanted to sincerely assist them by taking her companions along, but as a game character, that wasn’t feasible.

Dun chuckled and reassured his concerned companion.

Instead, there was definite hope that overcoming this crisis could lead to real peace at last.

‘The ones controlled by the bugs are leading their armies towards the grasslands. We must stop them too.’

Without knowing such detailed circumstances, Junyung was determined to maximize every ounce of potential by exploiting everything he had gathered thus far.

It was a war spanning the entire continent on screen. He had to pay attention to the wars erupting within the empire while also keeping an eye on other areas.

First, to defend against the foreign invaders pouring in from the grasslands under the Empire’s orders, Junyung mobilized the dwarves who were busy restoring their hometown.

“The one who saved our race has now asked for our help. Does it make sense to refuse? Even our humble power should lend support.”

Herson, one of the dwarves, persuaded his kin after receiving Junyung’s directive. In reality, it was less of a persuasion and more of a rallying speech closely.

Among the dwarfs who had been rescued after losing their hometown, none opposed the Arin Tribe and Junyung.

“Let’s bring our weapons. They aren’t coming for us, so it’s unlikely they’ll come this deep. We need to protect their vacant villages and cities since their forces are largely occupied overseas to conquer the Empire.”

“Let’s do it. After all, without them, how are we supposed to acquire vital resources and food?”

Now having formed a critical interdependent relationship, the dwarves gathered supplies and dispatched their army.

While it was just a few hundred soldiers, the heavy infantry corps of dwarves blessed with traits and skills from Junyung were strong.

They had fought valiantly against the bugs, so they certainly wouldn’t lose to any foreign human invaders.

‘Support troops from the Kingdom of Baruk are arriving too. With that, can we breathe a sigh of relief on the main front? It seems the bugs can’t afford to participate with their elite forces here.’

After confirming the movements of the dwarves and quickly flipping through the screens, he let out a sigh of relief. The countless seeds sown had finally borne fruit.

The forces coming to strike at the Arin Tribe’s stronghold in the grasslands were a coalition of foreign races backed by the Empire, their commanders clearly infected by the bugs, but the truly horrifying variants hadn’t appeared in large numbers yet.

Thanks to that, it seemed manageable with the remaining forces at the main base, the support troops from the dwarves, and reinforcements from the Kingdom of Baruk.

“It’s a race against time.”

While swiftly navigating the screens and providing all the help he could, he shifted his gaze to the most crucial screen with a grim expression.

In simultaneous battlefields, the moment the balance of even one side breaks, everything could shake violently.

Given that he could not afford to allow the bugs more time, he trusted the residents and kept an eye on the unfolding situation.

“My desktop has become a village.”