A Village Has Appeared on My Desktop

10 – Sudden Visit (10)

‘If they can freely open up, they can farm on their own.’

The reason for setting this goal was simple. The moment they repelled the intruders, recruited new tribe members, and achieved the achievement, the points in possession instantly exceeded 1,000.

The second-stage reward of the game that appeared at that moment seemed quite appealing.

The reward was the freedom for them to roam within the game even when I was absent. Once I confirmed the fact that they could not only receive items I give in the game but also consume experience points to evolve their characteristics, becoming their own entities, it became a necessary condition.

‘Right now, I need a lot of resources. It’s better to go all-in on this game than unlocking some other unknown game or program for no reason.’

Absorbing those who flowed in from the outside almost doubled the number of residents. And if the population could increase like that, the need for resources would inevitably increase as well.

Essential items such as food, weapons, various materials, all could be supplied using this game.

Even if the population increased further, it would be a great help if they could freely borrow the power of the game themselves.

“–, —!”

‘I need to break other achievements as quickly as possible.’

Continuing to move my character, I stopped for a moment, panting, as I turned around to see who was calling me.

I was guiding them to the cave terrain where I had mined ore for them to achieve the points for the task.

However, it was a continuously dark and dangerous place. It was not a place to be trifled with until they gained experience and strength by facing various monsters appearing there.

“—…”

Soon, we stood in front of the entrance to the mine.

As I pointed to the place, Koon and Riena, looking pale, gazed at it, catching their breath. They did not seem to have any connection with the mine.

It seems that the instinctive fear of entering a large cavern swallowed by darkness was triggering their reluctance.

After all, it’s not strange for some of the players of this game to intentionally adjust the difficulty level due to fear of entering dark places or being scared of monsters, so it’s not unusual for them to feel fear when facing reality.

“This way.”

Mumbling to myself, I hoped that my determination to trust and follow would be conveyed as I carried a large number of torch items to illuminate the surroundings and headed in first.

***

“R-Riena, I’m not sure if this is really okay. No matter how you look at it, this place…”

“I can’t help it. I have to do as I’m told.”

As he expected, Riena and Koon had aversion to entering the dark cave. Especially Koon was so anxious that he was trembling with a pickaxe tightly held in both hands.

Riena, who was also shivering at the chilling cries coming from both outside and inside, at least had the strength to protect herself, so it was less for her.

“I think this is what you were told to mine.”

As he descended somewhat, he set up a torch and pointed to something with his pickaxe.

It was none other than a sparkling crystal, one of the mineral resources exposed on the surface. Koon hesitated for a moment, then swung the pickaxe in his hand while keeping an eye out.

“Wow, it’s really light.”

As he worked as a miner, his unique characteristics were on display, and it was as if he were a game character, easily digging up solid minerals as if they were nothing.

The angular blocks turned into scattered fragments on the ground, and all Kun had to do was to strike the next block with his pickaxe.

Kun, quickly intoxicated by the mysterious power activated in his body during mining, didn’t realize how hard it was and just dug up all the crystals in front of him.

“What kind of power is this exactly? I’m still overflowing with energy even though I’m breaking these hard rocks.”

“Aren’t you afraid at all? It’s as if something is changing my body in this strange world.”

“Even if that’s the case, isn’t it beneficial for all of us? I rather like it.”

Seeing Kun seemingly intoxicated by that power, Leana sighed as if she couldn’t understand. She herself was worried that the experience points absorbed into her body during hunting might cause problems, hence her concern.

But Kun had a different perspective from her. If changing like this with this unknown power was helpful for the team, that was enough for him.

Upon hearing him, Leana trembled in shock. She realized that she had underestimated herself.

“Now it’s my turn to step up, isn’t it.”

As she said that, he swung his angular arm and lightly struck her.

Startled, she turned around to see a grotesque monster slowly creeping towards them.

One of the game’s monsters, the Cave Goblins. Seeing the monster resembling a large goblin approaching them while wielding a sword, Leana realized her role.

“Yes. I have no choice but to trust and fight.”

While Kun mined various minerals and achieved accomplishments following his map, Leana also drew her sword to protect and fulfill the achievements, engaging in battle with the monsters.

Swiftly dodging the venomous fangs of the approaching goblin and slashing it in half with her sword in one breath, she held her breath and kicked the goblin’s body that was spewing venom from its wounds.

[Basic Achievement: Cave Goblin Elimination]

It wasn’t just the giant goblin larger than a large dog. Armed with crude bone bows and bone arrows, enemies unique to the cave appeared one by one, emitting eerie cries as they rushed towards her.

She deflected the arrows shot by the monsters with pale skin, red eyes, and childlike stature, and she also killed all the cave goblins who attacked her without understanding the reason.

In fact, for her, a warrior awakened with mana, facing ordinary monsters rather than boss-level creatures was not difficult in one-on-one combat.

The excitement of battle continued to rise, and the accumulating mana teased her mood.

Unconsciously, she found herself effortlessly cutting down nearly thirty monsters one by one.

“Shield…”

The one who had crafted a torch for Rienna, illuminating the entire cave by placing them around, handed her something he had made.

It was a large shield made by combining iron and wood. Understanding that this gift meant to keep fighting as she was now, Rienna took a deep breath and once again tightly grasped the sword, which started to emanate its glow.

She no longer cared if the sword broke. As much as she pierced through, Kun, who was behind her, would discover additional resources, and if he mined them, she could obtain an iron sword again.

[Achievement Points: 2000P]

And as they fought with all their might in the dark cave mine, the accumulated points unexpectedly surpassed the goal of 2000P.

***

[Stage 2 Activation]

‘Primary goal achieved.’

As soon as he filled the points, he activated the game to the next stage. There were no immediately noticeable changes, but there was undoubtedly a transformation.

“Look at this, Chief. It’s growing very fast… huh?”

“What happened inside?”

The moment he manipulated the master program in the mine, registering four additional residents in the game.

Ruso and Barun, who were farming near the portal, noticed the change and rushed into the shelter in surprise.

“Chief!”

“Where on earth is this?”

And they were shocked to see the residents appearing in front of the portal. Not understanding English and being dragged into this strange world like they were a few days ago, the residents were bewilderedly scrambling around.

“As expected, this was the answer.”

Barun, upon seeing those figures, gained a firm conviction in his heart that considered this game as his hope. A place that could provide resources to fill the lack in themselves.

Though it was reality, this peculiar world, not quite real, was a land of opportunity for them.

“What happened, and what kind of place is this? I’ll explain.”

In an effort to explain to the confused tribe members who had changed their tone, Barun began calmly showing an attitude as if it were nothing.

There was no chance that the residents, genuinely frightened, would doubt Barun’s words, so he calmly took charge of them, naturally handing tools into their hands.

“That person has taken Koon and Leana to another place for now. If we do something before they return, they might view us favorably and even reward us.”

“Is there really such a being? Running on the ground with tremendous speed, forging iron swords in an instant, effortlessly creating this huge barrier, and swiftly pushing away the giant rock mountain?”

“Anyway, we’ll have plenty of chances to see for ourselves when that time comes.”

However, in the process, Barun’s in-game character, seen strictly through his perspective, had become a transcendent existence showing numerous miracles.

The tribe members murmured in disbelief, but there was no avoiding trying to doubt and distrust this, as it was only natural.

Eventually, they went outside the wall, still bright unlike the sunset, wielding shovels, axes, pickaxes, and spent their time beating the angular wood, digging the ground, and mining exposed rocks.

“There! He’s coming!”

Such actions continued until he returned with Koon and Leana.

When he appeared, everyone who had momentarily stopped working watched his movements with tense faces.

Contrary to Barun’s testimony, he, with strange features all over, looked around at the residents who were working quite interestingly.

“I wish I could convey praise, even if I want to.”

Unlike the character with no expression to read emotions, he was actually in a quite pleased state now.

There was no reason not to be happy when the residents worked with enthusiasm on their own. However, with this character’s body, communication was impossible, and there were limits to expressing emotions through gestures.

“The easiest thing is this.”

Glancing at the residents watching themselves on the screen, he chuckled and opened the crafting table on the spot.

The most certain and easy way to express emotions to them. It was giving gifts, made from the iron ores he mined at the mine today.

Placing iron ore on the crafting table, he instantly created something and spat it out on the ground.

In the game’s graphics, they were armor pieces that were beyond shabby.

However, when it reached the hands of the residents, miracles happened.

“It’s an armor made entirely of iron. Unbelievable.”

“I got an iron armor!”

A full-body iron armor. It was several times harder to obtain than weapons for them, more precious than gems or gold.