A Village Appeared on My Desktop

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Chapter 233 – The End and the Beginning (3)

“When will I gather all this…?”

The 100,000 points felt distant, and although I had more than half initially, gathering the remaining half wasn’t easy.

He checked the points displayed on the screen, forcing a bitter smile as he packed his equipment once again. Even if it was slow, the points were steadily accumulating.

He wasn’t doing this alone, so it seemed that gathering the targeted 100,000 points wouldn’t be too far off.

The world on the screen had already stabilized, so there was hardly any urgent help needed while spending points.

“About 60% of the planned branches have been completed. We are currently selecting replacements for those who have been initially dispatched there.”

“There shouldn’t be any major problems, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct. Reports indicate that only the weakest monsters have been found.”

In the sacred place where the headquarters of the Order was located, Riena received reports from various regions.

She successfully spread her forces across the continent as planned. They cooperated with the locals to monitor for the appearance of bugs, rushing to eliminate them at the first sign.

Including the most active Kingdom of Baruk, nearly 60% of the continent had already established their branches and were carrying out missions.

‘It seems the bugs have completely lost their strength. But we can’t let our guard down.’

Although the powerful forces that had evolved beyond colonies were completely wiped out after their defeat, the bugs hadn’t vanished entirely. Just as they had suddenly appeared to attack in the past, glitches began to show up across the entire continent.

The residents were doing their utmost to prevent the bugs from growing into glitches.

“Then is the ‘Pilgrimage’ still ongoing?”

“Yes. There are numerous people across the continent wanting to naturalize with us, and he is confirming their sincerity and talents, continually guiding them here.”

“That’s only natural. The Tribes of the Grassland are limited in number, and our responsibilities have now expanded across the continent.”

Nodding at the report, she acknowledged that the pilgrimage referred to those whom Junyoung selected and dispatched into the game from the Empire or other kingdoms.

After a series of events, Junyoung’s presence had already spread across the continent.

Of course, not everyone believed and followed him, but those who had received direct help from him or someone like Riena had become as devoted and reverent as the Arin Tribe.

Junyoung brought those with talent among them to the sacred site, allowing them to gain abilities and items within the game.

So those trained individuals spread out across the continent to assist in dealing with the civilization and bugs.

Riena’s plan required a massive number of talents, which couldn’t be filled solely by the Tribes of the Grassland.

At that moment, these individuals proved immensely helpful. Despite differences in land and culture, they shared a common value. Dispatching locals who were well-versed in the region made managing the branches significantly easier. This way, Riena steadily accumulated points while achieving accomplishments.

“Urgent report! A small tribe alliance in the north of the Empire opposed the establishment of the branch and attacked the Order’s envoys!”

“In the southern Empire, a black monster that seems to have grown has been discovered!”

The process wasn’t smooth sailing. There were certainly rough obstacles.

“W-will you go personally?”

“If I need to educate the foolish leader, then I must go. If he won’t listen, I’ll suppress him on the spot.”

Riena willingly moved personally in such cases. There was hardly anyone left in this land who could stop her.

Even if there were conflicts and clashes, if she stepped in, it would be resolved ‘one way or another.’

“Is that what was reported last time?”

“Yes, it is. It appears to be the forms of the avatars shown by him.”

While moving, Riena caught sight of something in the plaza and couldn’t help but admire it softly. White marble pillars, mined and installed by miners and transporters, were being sculpted by artists from the Kingdom of Baruk.

There were grotesque creatures, a raccoon standing on two legs, and knights clad in full armor.

These were sculptures of the guardian deities whose identities remained largely unknown, based on testimonies of the avatars they displayed in the game world.

Those who had never entered the game could now witness what they had only heard stories about, and they offered even more worship and praise towards the sky.

*

“At least the response is quicker now.”

“That’s because the main force fights well.”

I arrived at the location where the gate had opened and bugs were rampaging to destroy people and their belongings. Coincidentally, I ran into Lee So-Yeon.

She too had come out holding her weapon, a staff, just like me. It seemed she had found her bearings after recently winning against the bug swarm.

“You’ve seen it already, right? As the bugs grow stronger… our allies do too.”

She shrugged her shoulders.

We had already eliminated all the enemies that emerged through our joint attack. Before the panicked people who had fled returned, we managed to carve out a moment for a secret conversation in this empty alley.

“Based on what we’ve seen, as the power of the bugs gets dispersed, the strength invested here must inevitably lessen.”

“It means the users watching over this place are also trying their best.”

As the all-out war against the bug swarm began, users from Earth seemed to also be accumulating points, helping guardians like Kim Eun-Ha in various ways.

They provided opportunities to obtain items or sent them to training grounds to become stronger warriors.

This yielded results, and through the harsh process of repeating rigorous training and real battles, the guardians from Earth were continuously growing stronger.

The once timid guardian I had rescued, Kim Eun-Ha, now appeared on the news as a ray of hope at the front lines.

It seemed the fearful person who had tried to grab onto me was now gone.

“When I was first caught up in this, I felt utterly helpless and frustrated… but it’s hard to believe we are managing to resolve and piece things together. Both the screen I’m watching and here. Of course, I know it’s not over yet.”

“I understand.”

As we talked, Lee So-Yeon’s voice trembled and her expression shifted, perhaps overwhelmed by emotion.

She was someone who became a user around the same time as me, so she had to physically tackle issues with limited knowledge.

Had she made just one wrong choice, the residents would have been swept away and her body would have been torn apart by bugs that had crossed into reality.

But in the end, both she and I had survived and made it this far.

“We deserve it. After struggling through each moment under constant threats to our lives, we should receive suitable rewards. Especially you, with your great achievements. Thanks to you, a multitude of users across the nation and the world have saved their lives.”

“Even I was able to endure because of you.”

I genuinely thought she was remarkable. At a young age, she had become renowned not just domestically but also globally, becoming a crucial figure.

There were even rumors that she had surpassed her elder uncles and brothers to become the most important person in her family.

However, when I said that, she looked at me with a strange smile.

“Is the plan unchanged? To gather 100,000 points to activate the game and go see the residents ‘in person.’”

“Perhaps… all that has happened until now has existed for that purpose. It’s not a simple relationship between me and them.”

I had already told Lee So-Yeon about the Master Program I could activate with 100,000 points, which was recommended for the game. I was gathering points diligently for it.

She, too, showed great interest, having strong bonds with her residents.

“That’s probably ‘that person.’ The beautiful black-haired angel summoned to the mortal realm during the descent.”

“The one I’m most grateful to.”

Mentioning Riena, she chuckled. There was a glimmer in her eyes and a twitch at her lips, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, Lee So-Yeon kept her lips sealed.

Instead, it felt like she was subtly changing the subject.

“So, what do you plan to say when you finally meet that person, the being you’ve only looked at until now?”

“To be honest, I’m not sure. Will she recognize me? If she doesn’t, should I insist on revealing who I am? Once we actually meet, what on earth should I say?”

I had imagined meeting the residents, including Riena, countless times, but now that it was gradually becoming a reality, my head started to get tangled.

If I reveal who I am, there’s a possibility they might treat me awkwardly. I had been fine with being revered when outside the screen, but if it were the same when meeting in person, it somehow didn’t sit well with me.

‘Is it the one-sided familiarity that bothers me?’

Thinking it through, I realized I knew a lot about them, but they knew almost nothing about me. That difference seemed to be the problem.

If so, it would be best to take the time to bridge that gap.

“It seems people are coming. As always, they’ll disappear without revealing their names, right?”

“I don’t like troublesome matters.”

The signs of activity around began to increase. It was the sound of armed forces returning with the evacuated people.

Though I had done this multiple times, I always opened the portal and concealed myself around this time.

“Until a stable system is established in preparation for a full-scale war against the bug swarm, the special law I proposed will be passed, officially recognizing emergency arming and activities for users. So don’t worry about it being illegal.”

“Actually, I’ve hardly protected my identity while acting…”

“And I’ll support you. Hurry up and gather points so you can achieve what you want.”

Lee So-Yeon smiled as she sent me off to open the portal. Caught off guard by her sudden declaration of support, I stared at her blankly.

“After all, our reality is here. Since it’s a completely different world, there’s no need to pay attention. There’s nothing to lose.”

Amid her playful smile, I caught a glimpse of a glimmer in her eyes.

I couldn’t quite understand the intention behind her words, but instinctively, I felt that her gaze resembled that of a hunter eyeing its prey and flinched.

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A village appeared on my desktop. Chapter 234