SWNOVELXO Chapter 137
Chapter 137 – Iiiij (7)
“It’s such a big issue that it’s clear we don’t have a definite answer yet. But one thing is certain: everything we’ve seen and experienced here is a clear fact, and we will convey it as it is.”
After several days of repetitive meetings and touring the Fortress of the Northern Region, it was now time for the delegation to return. They were returning early due to the loss of many members in the attack by the bugs, but unlike at the beginning, everyone now showed goodwill and trust toward the Arin Tribe.
Although they had not clearly defined whether they would truly form an alliance or how they would cooperate, all of them had achieved their own objectives.
“I definitely want to see you all again if the opportunity arises.”
“…Let’s hope so.”
Despite having captured attention with the gunpowder weapons at the last moment, Leo could not hide his disappointment at failing to charm Riena. Thus, the delegation left the village under the protection of the Arin Tribe and began their journey south once more.
“I’m glad things seem to be going well. If we cooperate with them, it will surely be a great help.”
“Will it really be helpful? I grew up hearing how abundant and developed the forces beyond the wall were, but they don’t seem to have any superior aspects compared to us.”
“That’s a short-sighted view, Riena. Rihar told us that they have several times more population than we do.”
Barun shook his head at Riena’s words, which seemed indifferent toward the people of the kingdom. After all, they were individuals who had already laid down foundations and developed them centuries ago, while they were just beginning to build theirs.
“The ‘kingdom’ system they have created is something we can’t easily imagine or conceive. Right now, we’re struggling to find a way to efficiently govern burgeoning tribes, aren’t we? We can’t depend on the Guardian Deity for everything.”
This was the issue that Barun had been grappling with lately.
Starting from a small tribe to a chieftain and now heading beyond that to a larger scale, he needed a way to govern and manage the many people gathering under him.
Until now, it had been made possible by the various games intervening through Junyoung, providing abilities and resources that they brought in. However, those were not all-powerful.
There were definitely areas where they were lacking, and Barun had to fill those gaps to become a ruler.
“The existing methods won’t work. I need, no, we need the kingdom’s approach.”
He didn’t want to give local tribes autonomy and govern them indirectly like the previous chieftains. He had determined that such a method could not stand against the enemy—the bugs.
For this reason, Barun desired a strong central authority like that of the kingdom or the empire.
“It’s a child’s duty to be independent without relying on their parents.”
In this process, even though he was venerating beings known as Guardian Deities, he did not intend to depend entirely on the gods. It was also in line with the Grassland Tribe’s custom, which prioritizes self-reliance as its most important value.
“What will you offer them if you obtain those things from the Kingdom of Baruk? They won’t help us for free.”
“If the delegation plays its role correctly, it will be advantageous for us in negotiations. They also know this, so they won’t make unreasonable demands. So, Riena, let’s get back to doing what we need to do.”
Building a proper kingdom is a grand strategy that takes time to unfold. However, they still had many pressing problems to address.
First, they had to take as much territory and residents as possible before Luke, who had retreated, reorganized.
They needed to create villages and pastures for the absorbed residents to settle and live in. It was also necessary to produce and assign miners, transporters, farmers, etc.
Meanwhile, they had to prepare for battles with the bugs, so Riena began to understand why Barun aimed to establish a proper administrative system.
It had become too much for Barun or a handful of executives to handle all the work.
*
“Do you want to try touching a gun?”
“I don’t know if you do, but for us, it’s a very fascinating object.”
As busy outside as inside was bustling too.
The warriors who had returned to the game to clear the campaign openly gazed at the guns held by Rodwell and the soldiers.
Following Riena’s orders after hearing about the firearms from the kingdom’s delegation, the soldiers who had been outside the game while the warriors had been battling against numerous lesser monsters thus far felt slightly tense due to their sudden change in attitude.
After all, they had seen those warriors defeat many ruckers, and no matter how many guns they held, they didn’t think Arin tribe warriors could handle them.
“Here… I have it. Although there isn’t much remaining ammo.”
Ultimately, Rodwell handed over the gun he had been holding to Shun. Shun scratched his head and awkwardly grabbed the gun with his hand.
‘Oh, what a treat.’
All of this scenery was visible in Shun’s eyes as he played the game. Since what Rodwell said as a game character directly appeared on the screen, he could roughly infer the conversation they shared before immediately pulling Shun out of the game.
“W-what!?”
“Where did he go!?”
As soon as Shun exited the game, there was only the spot where he had disappeared and the rifle that had dropped to the ground.
The soldiers were thrown into confusion, and the warriors were startled as well.
“Calm down. It must surely be the will of the Guardian Deity!”
At least the Arin tribe warriors were able to reduce the chaos by attributing it all to the will of the Guardian Deity. In reality, Shun soon reappeared before them.
Then, he hurriedly began to pat himself down, searching for the gun. But the gun had not gone out with Shun and remained exactly where it was from the start.
‘Damn. As expected, it’s not treated as an item.’
Watching from the screen, he clicked his tongue. Residents couldn’t just take everything from the world of the game.
What they could take out were only items that were originally treated as items in the game. The rifles of the space soldiers were no exception.
‘It seems the only way to get a gun is this way.’
Having resolved this tidbit in his mind, he moved the mouse, continuing the game while glancing at another monitor beside him.
One game that had not yet been activated by the Master Program. This game was an FPS game where various firearms could be purchased with in-game currency that was treated as “items”.
“Commander! Communication has been restored!”
“Is it because we’ve gotten closer? We really aren’t far from the development headquarters now!”
At that moment, the communication device they were holding was back online. It meant that the first stage of the campaign was nearly complete.
“So many ruckers lying in wait here destroyed the main force, but at least the development headquarters should have defensive facilities, so we should be fine.”
“Man, what a struggle. Leaving our hometown to develop a land swarming with monsters.”
“Well… it’s all for survival.”
Even though it was a game, it was an undeniable reality for those living inside it. The soldiers of the development headquarters and the Arin tribe warriors continued their journey together, building a bond of sorts.
To the soldiers, the Arin tribe warriors were crucial benefactors, while to the warriors, the soldiers were those that the Guardian Deity had appointed to look after them, so it was a natural outcome.
‘I’ve heard a lot, but I still don’t get it. I’ll just forget about it and report it to higher-ups.’
Of course, the Arin tribe warriors who had suddenly appeared before the soldiers were beings that defied common sense. They could even be called aliens without exaggeration.
After some pondering, the soldiers gave up trying to think about it entirely and only wanted to hurry back to the headquarters.
‘They called themselves the Arin Tribe. They looked just like humans, but there were also short races known as dwarves among them. They serve an enigmatic transcendental being referred to as the Guardian Deity and possess a spirit-like power called mana, displaying incredible physical strength enough to crush the carapace of ruckers.’
However, it was a foregone conclusion that the incident would trickle down to the Space Federation, with Sergeant Rodwell and other soldiers who returned safely unable to keep their lips sealed about it.
[Campaign Stage 3 Clear]
[Increased controllable personnel]
‘Is this what I can glean from this game?’
While doing so, Junyoung, who was operating them by clicking the mouse, smirked with every reward he received for clearing the stage.
The aim of the game is control. The more stages he cleared, the more residents he could control.
It wasn’t just about increasing numbers either.
The warriors he commanded discovered that as they gained experience points, their movements as one unit became more intricate and faster.
“That’s impressive.”
“Thanks to him, we can move in unison.”
The warriors on the front lines felt a thrill from the experience. With the ability to move as if they were one body with a companion right beside them, their destructive power doubled.
“This is quite convenient.”
Like Barun, the rapid increase in the number of residents made it nearly impossible to keep track of each one individually with the mouse.
However, with the enhancement of this control ability, he wouldn’t need to keep gripping the mouse. A simple command would allow him to move residents wherever he wanted or force them into action.
‘Am I already building my third village?’
Having hurriedly completed Village 2, Barun mobilized transporters and miners to construct new villages.
Since there were too many tribes taken from Luke, building a huge city to crowd them together had become nearly impossible.
Instead, Barun was directing the creation of several smaller villages and commanding the establishment of facilities and defenses there. It had become viable due to the massive increase in manpower.
[Bug Emergence]
“They’re here! The Black Monsters are targeting the construction site! Hurry and fend them off!”
In the process, they faced no shortage of interruptions.
Using a deceitfully powerful technique called a Rift, bugs suddenly attacked, continuously harassing the Arin warriors, prompting the residents to hurriedly create paths and form units to slay the bugs that emerged.
‘Is this taking too long?’
Watching this unfold, he realized there were quite a few needs among the residents and began to ponder. The most immediate issue he observed was transportation limitations.
The sight of druids transforming to fly or riding horses appeared too slow as he swiftly swept past the screen.
[Would you like to save your screen?]
“No, is this possible?”
Curious, he right-clicked on the desktop and was surprised to find he could save the current desktop file.
By utilizing the desktop file function he had activated previously, just like when he opened a portal to the Fortress of the Northern Region, it became possible to overlay the saved screen onto another screen.
Though it cost 1500P to change the desktop once, it didn’t seem extravagant when considering it as a payment for creating a kind of warp portal.
‘Connecting two screens that I might not use much from the wasteland… isn’t that a real warp gate? Why didn’t I think of this sooner?’
He was about to attempt something drastic that would make any mage faint and possibly fall backward while fiddling with the mouse.