A Village Appeared on My Desktop

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Chapter 28 – Trial (8)

‘Is this really happening?’

It seems there are some unexpected upsides after all. A profit I could have never imagined. I grinned as I looked at the money that appeared in my account. It’s not a huge sum, but it still felt good.

“Is that really yours? You don’t have to tell Aunt about it, do you?”

“It’s really mine. If there’s a problem, I’ll cut ties and report it immediately. I’m innocent here.”

My cousin, who helped with the disposal, was looking at me with a strange expression. He knows me too well. It’s a realization that while family can bring comfort, it also has its discomforts.

Of course, I’m proud in front of the world. The gold ring I just sold isn’t just something from this world; it’s worth my life or my hourly wage.

The issue isn’t solely about money, but at least I’ve solved one problem. If I keep progressing like this, I might be able to resolve some of the many other issues, like unnecessary time consumption.

For instance, I could buy a firewall program to prevent creature bugs if I had enough points.

“Oh right, since I’m here, can you help me with this one thing?”

Just then, my younger sibling called out to me as I was about to head home. She needed help moving stuff from the warehouse.

I had no reason to refuse my close cousin’s small request, so I accepted. The item to be moved was a heavy-looking box located in the corner of the warehouse.

“Wait a second. That thing’s pretty heavy; we might need two people…”

“Yeah?”

But when I tried to lift it alone, it didn’t feel heavy at all. My sibling, who had brought gloves fearing for my hands, was left speechless looking at me.

That’s when I remembered the trait I had just acquired. The special power that Riena had.

The source of her ability to swing a heavy iron sword like a windmill and face monsters despite her slender figure.

“Have you been exercising lately?”

“Hah, who does that these days?”

“The one who said they’d rather die than do it suddenly?”

The cousin, who regularly hits the gym and has a taller, more muscular build than me, muttered as he watched me while we moved the box.

Lately, I had felt less physically drained and healthier compared to before, but suddenly realizing it could show, I decided to be cautious about it.

“Maybe resting today would be best.”

On my way home, I opened the front door and sighed while thinking about sitting back in front of the computer.

The residents who had gone off to war were just returning. The new arrivals needed time to adjust, and Riena must have accumulated a lot of fatigue, so I decided not to take her into the game world today.

‘As expected.’

When I turned on the monitor, just as I expected, the residents were bustling about the village, doing their own things.

The newcomers seemed to be setting up tents using wood and animal hides, prioritizing their own shelter first. The seniors were providing tools and materials, making the progress quite swift.

“—.”

Instead of Balun, I saw Riena managing the newcomers alongside the existing residents. The village, which looked like just a tiny dot on my desktop, has grown to more than double in size.

“What’s this, an invasion?”

However, just as I was about to enjoy a cup of coffee while watching that peaceful scenery, I caught sight of a problem that had exploded in a sandbox game involving Balun and the residents.

One of the monsters in the game, goblin raiders, had attacked the residents. Although they fled due to the residents’ fighting capabilities, according to the game system, their assaults wouldn’t stop with just one attack.

‘Gotta keep an eye on this.’

I hurriedly logged into the game, regretting that I had neglected this place while immersing myself in the second game I was playing with Riena.

This area is crucial for the livelihood of the residents. Moreover, the resources that can be acquired here are not limited to just iron or food.

Considering the freedom it offers without a fixed path, it paradoxically has great potential. While other games may have a somewhat predetermined conclusion, this game feels like something I have to carry all the way to the end.

“—!”

“–, —!”

As I approached, the residents recognized me and greeted me with surprise. Understanding their hearts, I nodded in acknowledgment, repeatedly sitting and standing in response to their greetings.

‘Simply providing them with items isn’t enough.’

Watching them, I felt it was time to start shaping a more concrete management strategy.

It was inefficient for me to step in and set things right every time an issue arose.

While this place responsible for resource production was important, helping the residents, including Riena, grow stronger in another game was equally essential, so this place should ideally be managed by the residents themselves.

Thinking about it, as active programs increase and incidents rise, the placement and cultivation of residents would become even more critical. I needed to start paying attention now.

‘Should I increase their numbers?’

Currently, the game is at activation level 2. The total number of residents I can place is 8. By paying 2000P, I can raise the level, which will likely increase the number of placements and provide more obtainable functions.

[Placement count: 8/16]

[Server uptime increased]

[Obtainable traits increased]

After upgrading to level 3, several functionalities were added. Thanks to that, I spent nearly all the points earned from the war victory achievement, and the plan to gather 10,000 points to purchase the desktop breaker would have to be postponed, but I deemed this course of action right for now.

Now, all that was left was to allocate residents to the newly opened slots. Fortunately, there were many newcomers, so I clicked on each of them to check their information.

I didn’t have high expectations. There were no warriors among them, nor did anyone seem particularly outstanding.

‘Capture app, handy!’

The capture app I activated to diagnose Riena’s condition proved quite useful. It revealed their latent traits not visible at the moment.

With this, I could select and place only those most likely to awaken without having to test each one.

*

“Everyone, just eat! Even if the roof is only half made, it’s enough to sleep through the night.”

“Oh, wow. Rice and… so much meat. How’s this even possible?”

The moment he disposed of the gold ring he received as an offering, the sun was already setting in the evening. However, the bustling village was just now lighting up and getting ready for dinner.

Especially the newbies, who were pushing themselves to build houses to avoid sleeping in the dew, marveled at the food prepared by the existing residents.

For them, it was high-quality food that was hard to come by.

“How in the world did we get this food? Looking around, there didn’t seem to be any arable land and not many livestock.”

“I already told you during the day, but it’s thanks to the guardian deity protecting this place.”

One of them looked at Les with disbelief. In response, Les chuckled and pointed to the portals in the village square.

“I haven’t been there myself, but I hear there’s a new world beyond there. A world made entirely of cubes, where night and day are short, plants grow instantly, and beasts are everywhere.”

“Then can I go there too?”

“That’s uncertain. Only those chosen by Him can go there and gain special powers.”

Les even mentioned that those who went to that place gained mystical abilities—like the power to dig into the ground, easily cut down trees, and carry or stack heavy stone blocks.

There was no reason not to believe; the evidence was all around them.

“Huh?”

But at that moment, a sudden turn of events began. As everyone was finishing their meals, somebody felt something strange and started to touch their body.

“Ah?! No way!”

Immediately afterward, several people started being pulled up into the air all at once. The shocked crowd screamed as they panicked, with those around trying desperately to throw ropes or pick up sticks to pull them down.

However, the force lifting the people was so strong that no matter how hard they tried to pull them down together, it was futile.

“Everyone, calm down! This means He has chosen those people!”

In the midst of the swift chaos, Riena stepped forward to reassure them. She had already experienced this situation several times.

“Th-They disappeared…”

“What do you mean, ‘chosen’?”

Soon, the people sucked into the air vanished without a trace. They had moved into the game.

Riena intuited that they would meet Balun in the game and explained this to the bewildered residents.

“I understand His intention. As the tribe grows, it was bound to happen.”

“Did the new members gain power?”

“They were all tired, so I decided to skip today. I plan to go again at dawn. We’ll bring weapons too.”

When Balun returned to the village, he actually brought back the 8 missing tribe members. He had already realized his intention to deploy additional residents.

“We’ve already made an initial strike against the strong tribe in this area. There were no survivors to silence us, but if their activities expand, we could meet them. We need to prepare for that day.”

“We’re doing enough already.”

“No. Riena, it’s not enough. We must grow stronger. Accept the power He gives.”

Balun, his mustache trembling slightly, grabbed Riena’s shoulder and said.

“Just like I, who had no power, became able to wield mana through His grace—over in that world, there doesn’t seem to be anything impossible. So, now that we have more manpower, I plan to seek that power starting tomorrow.”

“The monsters in the cave I faced weren’t easy opponents. I’ll help you.”

“You need to go with Him to another place. There’s no need to waste your strength here.”

Using his experience, Balun declared that he would search for boss monsters to hunt and awaken new powers.

She tried to stop him, flustered, but Balun’s determination was solid.

‘What I can do.’

Having fought only for the tribe until now, the warrior Riena felt the need to change her thinking.

In the end, to protect everyone, she needed to become a warrior who serves a greater will, not just that of the tribe.