A Village Appeared on My Desktop

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Chapter

“More work is piling up…”

I muttered vacantly while grabbing the mouse.

If you think about it, I’m just like a freelancer. There’s no set time for work or rest. My working hours change depending on my mindset.

When the peaceful atmosphere lasts, I can enjoy leisure and find stability just like the residents, but when war breaks out, I become busy too.

No matter how well they manage on their own, there are now important tasks that I cannot ignore in their lives.

“—.”

Right now, it’s just after a large-scale battle for supremacy over the grasslands. Although it ended a bit precariously due to the intrusion of bugs, we secured victory.

After a war, I always handle the same things: collecting and checking the spoils.

Of course, the spoils I check are different from what the residents gather. First, there are the numerous achievement points earned during the battle.

Defeat a set number of enemies, win against multiple opponents, capture several enemy soldiers, and so on—various and trivial achievements pour in after each battle.

[7550P]

I sweetly collected them but decided to leave them unused for now.

There are many things I want to try and activate, but from my previous experiences, I’m sure the moment will come when I need to spend those points.

‘Surprisingly, there are few prisoners. There’s nothing I can do about it right now.’

The soldiers Luke mobilized were decent troops collected from the tribe. Although we captured prisoners, since they are soldiers, our population won’t increase drastically like it used to.

The population will probably meaningfully grow once Balun conquers the tribes of the soldiers captured.

“What? Is that it?”

I scratched my head, bewildered by how quickly the work was done. The most complex and nerve-wracking task is sorting the newly joined residents and assigning them based on their talents.

Thanks to the low number of prisoners, I didn’t have to do that just yet.

‘I can’t interfere with the diplomatic matters going on inside.’

While I watched Balun conversing with the rescued delegation as others cleaned up the battlefield, I decided to shift my focus elsewhere.

Though I became less busy, it didn’t mean I had nothing left to do.

Like steadily playing Dark Blood with Riena, I had to take a look at the things I had postponed because I was busy or thought something else was more important.

‘I can’t just leave it as is.’

The first thing I turned my gaze to was the newest game that had recently been activated.

The fact that I could forcibly manipulate the residents on the screen in case of emergency proved useful in saving the delegation during this war, yet I hadn’t played it even once since acquiring that ability.

[Placement Available 0/8]

The game required 8 participants. This game has quite a grand scale both in terms of setting and mechanics; I wondered what the placed residents were expected to do.

Moreover, I had no idea if I should include someone with such talents.

[Warrior Shun, Dwarf Warrior Marsun, Warrior Tiri…]

I filled all slots with 8 warriors. I didn’t include Riena or anyone already occupied with their tasks.

Riena, next to Balun, seemed calm on the surface, but her visible fatigue was over 70%.

Even with the power of a Paladin, it seemed she couldn’t escape mental fatigue.

“Just to be safe, let’s dip our toes in.”

I couldn’t keep postponing, so I decided to open the game, taking advantage of the slight free time. It might provide me with new support, especially since I’m using the defense turrets and various buildings of Glory Tower.

“—? —-!”

“—!”

Upon the sudden call, I grabbed the 8 warriors with the mouse and tossed them into the game, triggering the activation by the master program.

‘Wait, could this be?’

As I started the game reminiscent of one I had slightly played as a child, I felt a jolt. Originally, this real-time strategy simulation game mainly focuses on competition with other users.

However, there was also content that could be enjoyed solo, namely the campaign where you completed missions following the game’s story.

“What, what is this?”

A few tiny figures on the screen approached us—or rather, they approached the warriors I had placed.

They were soldiers in full body armor holding guns, desperately trying to escape after being cut off from the main force.

The sci-fi full-body suits they wore were in stark contrast to the armor worn by the warriors.

‘It’s identical.’

I flinched at the scenery unfolding on the monitor. The landscape embedded in my memory suddenly came to life.

Hastily, I turned on a campaign攻略 video and returned to the game. The game had launched, but I had no separate playable character.

Just like the game, all 8 warriors I input along with 4 soldiers had to be commanded and controlled by me.

“Damn it, is this really the time for this!? We need to evacuate now!”

“They’re chasing us! Just run for now!”

When the warriors with spears glanced at the soldiers with guns, their reflexive reactions led them to aim their weapons at each other in shock. They yelled in terrified voices that something was chasing them and insisted on running away.

‘I had a tough time in the frontier against those guys.’

Recalling the original story, I moved the mouse. The words spat out by the panicked soldiers were like words spoken directly to me.

I dragged them all at once, repeatedly clicking to move them to the opposite side.

“Hurry! You too!”

“—-?!”

The warriors seemed surprised that their bodies moved according to my commands and had the same stunned expressions.

But guiding their escape with mouse clicks wasn’t too difficult a concept; there was no way the campaign could end just by running away.

“Shit! It’s an enemy!”

“We have no choice. We fight!”

A large monster hidden in the ground suddenly emerged, breaking through the barren earth. It was a black carapace monster resembling a scorpion.

Now that I think about it, it has similarities to the bugs.

‘I have to take that one down too.’

Once I master how to control the units, it would be time to learn how to attack the enemies.

Though I have no idea what will happen next, I pressed the attack key to give commands to those I was controlling.

“What the hell are you doing!?”

The space soldiers in the game, firing their rifles, were horrified to see the warriors.

The spear-wielding warriors dashed forward to fulfill the attack order, while those who transformed into Mages or Druids displayed their magic and spells.

‘This is going well?’

My control is, to put it kindly, at a level that can’t be praised, but thanks to the super high-performance AI that moves on its own, I easily took down the enemies without much difficulty.

*

“Chieftain, we’ll send those who are ready back to Village 1 first.”

“Do that. It seems impossible to finish everything today.”

While some companions were currently flying to uncharted territories somewhere in space to fight giant space monsters, others busied themselves with the aftermath.

However, Balun was getting increasingly fatigued as he directed all these operations.

“It’s better for all of you to rest today. I would like to guide you safely to Village 1, but since there’s also a path to get there, it’s best for you to rest here.”

Balun advised the kingdom’s delegation to rest in this place. Village 2 was still less secure as the castle wall wasn’t completed, but they planned to keep the main force stationed.

“Alright. Uh, I mean great. I’ll follow your lead.”

The Vice Minister, the representative of the delegation, nodded with a slightly tense face. What they had seen today was shocking, but with only a few left alive, the delegation was too vulnerable to survive without the protection of the Arin Tribe.

Even if they didn’t like it, they had no choice but to obediently follow Balun’s suggestion.

‘It’s unfortunate that there were casualties, but now our justification is even stronger.’

Of course, not everyone who survived felt a sense of reluctance. Rihar, while feeling sad, also felt a sense of relief.

It clearly proved the danger posed by the bugs and the strengths of the Arin Tribe in his eyes.

The alliance between the kingdom he desired and the Arin Tribe stepped one step closer.

“…”

And aside from Rihar, there was another person who followed the words of the Arin Tribe without suspicion.

Leo, captain of the guard, who was only recruiting the kingdom’s finest knights and was also a noble from a promising family.

His eyes remained fixed on Rihar and the Vice Minister as they discussed countermeasures with Balun.

“Um.”

Finally, a chance arose. As he was moving to rest at the assigned spot, Leo mustered his courage and approached her first.

She was speaking to a black-haired girl in similar armor, still clad in her armor.

“What can I do for you?”

Riena responded with somewhat cold eyes. Though lacking emotion, she was somewhat tired at that moment.

“I’m Leo Dyke from the Dyke family.”

He started with a self-introduction, his voice trembling. He had many thoughts, but now that he was facing her, his words got tangled.

Who are you? How did you acquire such power? Who is your master? Are you the strongest warrior Rihar mentioned?

How could someone like you exist in the territory of barbarians? Where did you obtain such armor, and why do you wear it? Can you read? How old are you? And so on.

“You don’t need to thank me.”

“Uh, what?”

But before he could speak again, Riena opened her mouth first. Leo flinched at her unexpected words.

‘Did I take it for granted?’

Only then did Leo realize that he had been unconsciously looking at her with a bias related to the barbarians.

As Balun’s only daughter, she was essentially the heiress of this great tribe. She was not someone from the kingdom’s nobility who could be treated with disdain.

“No. That’s not right. I thank you for helping me.”

Changing his tone, he courteously bowed, and Riena accepted it.

“I was astonished and couldn’t take my eyes off your sword from the moment I first saw it. As a knight, I want to know about it. Can you give me an answer?”

“I could give an answer, but it probably won’t mean much to you right now. Everyone here, including myself and Shura, attained this level thanks to the grace we received from that person.”

“That person?”

“The one I have decided to dedicate my entire life to.”

Riena placed her hand on her chest with a faint smile, looking into his wide eyes.