A Village Appeared on My Desktop

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Chapter 9: An Unexpected Visit (9)

“No way, this is insane.”

Events have been erupting on my desktop almost daily. I wanted to scream at my monitor, asking what on earth was happening, but here I was, unable even to change my desktop background.

Upon closer inspection, it seemed there was something on the west side, or rather, the left side of my desktop. The monstrous glitch that emerged from within my computer came from the south, but similar to the last wolf invasion that came from the west, the words “external invasion” were now appearing.

“—!”

“—, –!”

Naturally, Barun, who had hastily returned, and all the residents were flustered and panicking.

But I had equipped them with supplies from the game world. Armored with steel weapons, bows, and arrows, the villagers hurriedly dashed out of the village to run toward those fleeing.

[Street Rat Shun]

[Trait: -]

[Placement: -]

The ones being chased popped up as street rats, marked by a purple border when I checked their info with my mouse. It could mean neutral, but even when I tried to aid them quickly, the left-click wasn’t registering.

[Pillager Ur]

[Trait: Martial Arts]

[Placement: -]

The pursuers were the same; however, they bore a red border like other enemies, signaling their hostility.

And the colossus named Ur, who looked quite formidable, had traits similar to Riena.

All I could do was watch. If it were the gaming world, I could control my character to intervene, but now I was left hoping that the supplies I had provided would make a significant impact.

‘Still, there are more of us.’

Seeing the villagers on horseback, both men and women, showcasing their excellent mounted archery skills while firing the bows I had given them, I thought we might stand a chance.

At the same time, I could see the puzzled faces of the enemies. Did they really not expect such a fierce resistance? Perhaps they were completely unaware that a village was even here.

After the number of attackers, which barely exceeded ten, began to falter, falling one by one from their mounts due to our counterattack.

“—!”

Now, the most formidable foe remained. The enemy leader, Ur, wielded his spear with superhuman strength, knocking aside all the arrows.

Furious, he aimed his spear at the street rats before him, and the street rats caught between the villagers and pillagers trembled helplessly.

By looking at Barun’s expression, it was clear he was concerned about the street rats. He wanted to save them. But the moment they entered enemy territory, it became impossible for me to lift them with my mouse.

*

‘Going in openly would be pointless.’

While everyone was holding their weapons tightly, nervously shouting at each other, she galloped in from behind and immediately dismounted, assessing the situation. Since the crowd was overly tense focusing only on each other, she could carefully lower herself and hide in the tall grass, then slowly turn and sneak away.

‘Are you telling me to fight?’

With an anxious heart, my successive mouse touches felt strangely encouraging to her, unintentionally boosting her confidence.

Mistaking that encouragement as a call to fight, she bit her lip and stealthily moved, determined to keep herself hidden. The enemies, utterly tense, had their perception narrowed momentarily, failing to spot Riena as she slipped away to the side.

‘I can do this.’

Eventually, silently and without a sound, she approached the back of the enemies and cautiously drew her bow. The arrow she wielded, made of steel, was a high-grade item crafted by combining steel pieces and wooden shafts.

It had the power to pierce the heart of an unsuspecting enemy.

“Chieftain!”

“Quiet. Wait for Riena to act first.”

Barun and the other companions certainly noticed Riena slowly emerging from the bushes, bow at the ready, as they continued to face the pillagers.

“Now!”

And right after that, Riena dashed forward, unleashing a volley of arrows that struck the backs of those near Ur.

Simultaneously, the villagers released their arrows, and as Ur, startled, looked back, he saw Riena, sword drawn, fiercely driving her blade into the ground.

“When did… Ugh!”

Before Ur could fully turn and swing his spear, Riena leaped from her mount toward him, deflecting his spear with her sword and thrusting her knee squarely into his face with all her might.

The clash of their warrior bodies exploded in shockwaves, and the two tumbled to the ground, instantly drawing weapons against each other.

“What a punk, how dare you!”

‘My body feels light. My training is really paying off.’

Despite being ambushed and bleeding, Ur was confident in his skills, but as he realized Riena’s sword, which looked unimpressive, had blocked his spear and countered his movements, disbelief washed over him.

On the other hand, Riena felt certain in her own abilities. The experience points gained from hunting monsters in the game world had directly translated into her strength in reality.

‘I’ve cut him.’

In a thunderous clash that others wouldn’t dare to interrupt, Riena emerged victorious.

She blocked all of the enemy’s spear assaults and, when exposed, swiftly sliced through Ur’s neck, making him bleed.

“You did well. You’ve won. He’s dead.”

“Should we have captured him?”

“There was no time for that. It wasn’t necessary.”

Barun approached her, panting as she stared at the fallen enemy’s corpse on the ground, patting her back.

What had erupted in an instant was a short, fierce battle, concluding in their victory. All that remained were the corpses of the pillagers and the wary street rats.

“Though we acted in haste, it seems like it’s time to talk now.”

Barun, as the chieftain, stepped closer to the trembling street rats. After all, they had been wandering as street rats until just recently.

“I’ve never heard there was a village here. We just fled after being discovered…”

“To be honest, we also haven’t settled here for long.”

Barun spoke with an elder who appeared to represent the street rats. However, that elder named Loose was merely the oldest among them; he was not their leader.

Their leader was dead. The thirty or so street rats who had run here were merely survivors of a disbanded tribe.

Barun, who had directly suffered from the escalating pillaging and wars between tribes, felt uncomfortable listening to their words, which echoed his own.

“Though the chieftain just settled here and is struggling, we see you as strong individuals armed with steel weapons and well-fed livestock. Your character seems leagues above the other crazed tribes, so please accept us, Chieftain. We will pledge our loyalty.”

“We are…”

Barun looked bewilderedly at the street rats, who had all knelt to him simultaneously, declaring they would submit as loyal subordinates.

Right now, Barun’s tribe did not have the luxury to increase their numbers. But at the same time, a thought flickered in his mind that maybe it was possible.

Having just experienced the miracle of turning the impossible into reality, if that miracle could sustain itself and continue to grow, adding more members wouldn’t pose an issue.

And of course, the increased population would become the fundamental strength of the tribe. Barun deeply understood how crucial population numbers were.

“I’ve never absorbed tribe members from other tribes, but now that I’ve lost everything and am in this predicament, what if the pursuit party realizes it’s been annihilated? Won’t they send reinforcements here again? That worries me.”

“The mysterious force present here. Its will is clearly on our side.”

As Barun muttered worrying about the new tribe members joining their ranks, Riena approached to inform him about the events she had experienced.

Without that evident force backing them, the successful ambush and victory wouldn’t have been possible.

If that power would protect them, it created a strong sense of assurance.

“That power, along with those from the squared world, is something that will empower us. We have to make every effort to harness what we can.”

They remained unaware that the power lifting them with the mouse pointer and the game characters were the same individuals.

Nonetheless, they were well aware that those were their allies. In a situation where everything was lacking, it was a lifeline that they had to utilize.

“They are calling us again. This is already the second time today.”

“It could be because we rushed out.”

Then one of those lifelines summoned Barun and the villagers back into their world once again.

Now, rather than resisting it, they headed toward it eagerly.

The new villagers were startled by the sight, yet when the original residents explained what they would gain from it, they stared wide-eyed at the black crack standing in the middle of the village.

“Am I… supposed to harvest?”

“It seems they want us to follow.”

As the villagers reentered the game, the one waiting promptly began to direct them with gestures.

Having witnessed the war unfold on their desktop, he too was anxious. Equipping the villagers with more supplies became his foremost priority.

He handed out fertilizer to one of his team members, Russo, indicating the crops they had grown and repeatedly gesturing for them to harvest and sow seeds. It meant they were to do the same.

At the same time, he poked Riena and the miner Kun in quick succession, pointing toward the wall. Riena realized that it was a signal for them to follow.

‘There’s no reason to hesitate.’

Actually, now manipulating his character to lead Riena and Kun out beyond the wall, he intended to rack up achievement points as much as possible today.

[Stage 2 Activated: 2000P]

[With Stage 2 activated, additional resident placement is possible, and residents can autonomously open up.]

This game, linked with the master program, needed to progress to the next level. For more resources, it was an absolutely necessary process.