SWNOVELXO Chapter 140
Chapter 140 – This was bound to explode eventually. Not just them, but most of the residents who had experienced it believed so.
They had been running non-stop and even at this moment, they continued to expand their territory and increase their population. The speed was incomparable to just a few months ago.
As they progressed and overcame the invasion of bugs and wars with surrounding factions, their enemies weren’t just in reality.
The wider their activity radius and the greater their presence became, the more enemies showed up.
“Are there hunters keeping an eye on us?”
“Indeed. I’ve heard so too, by chance.”
Before things went awry, Riena, who was having alone-time since Jun-young didn’t call her, had already received a tip-off from one of the hunters.
Local factions had appeared to keep an eye on hunters catching mutants based on knowledge passed down from senior hunters like Naroo and Dune.
They were said to provoke without reason, not hiding their hostility, and were clearly attempting to snatch away their prey.
“Why is that? As far as I know, aren’t hunters supposed to work together to catch those mutant monsters…?”
“True, but in the end, they catch prey to make money, right? Plus, it seems our hunters are quite skilled.”
The hunter nodded at Riena’s question. Indeed, the Arin Tribe hunters were skilled. They sent out warriors who had awakened their skills and even changed jobs into hunters, giving them practical experience and strength compared to regular hunters.
Thus, competition became impossible, and seeing the Arin Tribe hunters doing so well made some local hunters harbor ill intent.
“Do you have any plans to respond?”
“Since he hasn’t said anything yet, I decided to report to Chieftain Balun and slightly adjust the hunts. Lately, competition among ourselves has heated up a bit.”
In response to Riena’s inquiry about their response, the hunter scratched his head as he answered.
Choosing a slightly more moderate method was fine since hunting was meant to raise the hunters’ skill level and ultimately, the real deal was about buying or selling equipment.
This was merely a story from three days before things went awry.
Having to juggle numerous matters in both the screen and reality, he hadn’t even noticed this minor detail.
“Those treacherous guys ambushed us while alone!”
“Eventually, they crossed the line. It might have been a minor quarrel, but this is outright lethal.”
When the injured hunter finally tumbled out to the village after being attacked, those gathered around Balun were furious and gritting their teeth. Riena, whose face had hardened upon hearing the news, was no exception.
“So remember everyone, what our true purpose is. The days of merely struggling to survive are over. We are those who hold a great mission.”
Balun spoke solemnly to the villagers, including Riena. Their purpose had clearly shifted from worrying about food and invasions day by day.
“We are steadily moving forward even now from various places. With proper fortifications, homes, expanding farmland, and growing warriors… all of this is in harmony with His will. And that also includes punishing those who dare to hinder us. We’ve fought and defeated numerous monsters and repelled thousands of raiders. We’ve negotiated with kingdoms beyond the walls that we couldn’t even dream of in the past. Moving forward, we aim to unify these grasslands and become a kingdom that stands shoulder to shoulder with surrounding ones. Perhaps, we could see even more than that.”
“But Chieftain, we don’t yet know His intentions. That world can only be entered through His grace. What if He doesn’t desire revenge?”
Some worried at Balun’s words about their achievements. Their concern was rational, as what mattered most to them was His will to bring them miracles.
“Then we must follow. Surely, He has His considerations.”
Balun replied clearly. There was no need for excessive worry. Naturally, upon learning this, he took the paladins with him for retribution.
The Arin Tribe’s paladins, guardians of their kin, began to earn a fearsome reputation in both reality and within games for unconditionally retaliating against enemies.
“Hans! Is it really okay to be so relaxed?! We initially intended just to intimidate them, but now…”
“Shut it. Thanks to that, they probably got the message. They’ve been too arrogant.”
The moment he brought the angry paladins here for revenge, Hans, a member of the Scorpion Clan who had been antagonizing the Arin Tribe hunters, snapped at an anxious companion while tracking prey.
“Those guys were the ones who disrupted order first. Who even are they to act brazenly, monopolizing prey without knowing where they came from?”
Hans grumbled while gripping the large sword he was holding.
Indeed, since the arrival of the Arin Tribe hunters, they had taken a considerable amount of prey. But that was the result of success over legitimate competition.
While they caught one, the hunters caught two or three with their superior skills.
Ultimately, it was a fight over food, thus there were also supporters of their actions, yet many were wary of this triggering conflicts among hunters.
“The leader knew the truth but chose not to say anything. So just let it go, Pol.”
Heading towards his companions gathered in the clearing, Hans mentioned his agreeing leader and patted Pol’s shoulder.
Since it was agreed upon by the leader, Pol could no longer argue.
“All right, since we’re here, let’s head back. The harvest is good. Maybe it’s because ‘those guys’ are gone.”
“Returning is fine too. They probably know their place now.”
The large, balding leader chuckled as he looked at the harvest piled high in cartloads. It was true that the moment the Arin Tribe hunters stopped hunting, their share increased.
“Uh?”
However, just as they were about to head back to the village, a plume of thick smoke rising along the road caught their eyes.
The leader scratched his head. The excellent eyesight of archers revealed who those galloping on horseback toward them were.
“Those guys, surely…!”
Unlike the hunters wearing equipment made from by-products of mutants, those approaching were adorned in flashy, gleaming silver armor, rare in this region, and their appearance was familiar.
“It’s them!”
Hans reflexively shouted in shock.
Indeed, they were charging straight at the Scorpion Clan without stopping even after recognizing them. They showed no intention of slowing down, making their combat intentions clear.
“B-block them! Block them!”
“Shoot arrows!”
Acting rapidly on the leader’s command, they hastily prepared for battle. Those who could hurriedly shot arrows while others grabbed their weapons.
However, they were hunters, not soldiers.
While they were well-versed in battling gigantic monsters, fighting against fellow humans could not compare to the Arin Tribe paladins who had just returned from warfare.
The arrows they shot were blocked entirely by swinging swords, spears, and magic barriers.
Now, the earth-shaking hooves were right in front of them.
“W-wait! Wait…”
Seeing the charging cavalry without hesitation, the leader shouted in horror, but the enraged paladins merely flashed their eyes in disregard.
Barely rolling away from Riena’s sword, what he saw was a huge hammer swung by a raccoon soaring through the air.
*
“I never thought I’d be doing PVP in this game.”
My face stiffened as I muttered. The opponent hit by my character’s swinging attack flew away like a bloody mess.
The feeling of impact was completely different compared to battling monsters.
It was rather similar to Dark Blood. After all, I had experience fighting against people there.
“You little…!”
Right away, some guys charged at me. I quickly dodged their attack with a roll and immediately got up, delivering a hefty horizontal strike that shattered their leg bones.
It seemed I had some talent for this game. Fighting against seasoned hunters wasn’t as hard as I expected.
“—! —!”
However, even my character’s dazzling moves felt weak compared to the incoming paladins.
Riena’s fierce strikes that could slice through trees and ground were powerful enough to intimidate in any world. Others were the same.
Each one of the paladins had come through tough trials among the elite of the Arin Tribe warriors.
No extras, NPCs mentioned in the story could possibly win. The intense battle itself ended in under a minute.
The paladins maneuvered on horseback, sweeping away the Scorpion Clan hunters who had been resisting and rolling on the ground in pain.
“W-who’s the instigator? Who is the instigator!? It’s definitely not me!”
The leader of the Scorpion Clan, who had been battered by my attack and was now sporting a bruised face, frantically looked around while holding his broken front tooth.
Ultimately, a pale young man was dragged and tossed onto the ground.
In life-and-death matters, loyalty was of no concern.
‘Should I execute him or not? Of course, I should.’
With the choice rising in my mind, I chuckled feebly.
If it was the obligation of the residents to fight the bugs, then it was mine to protect and help them grow.
If I don’t boldly make a decisive move in such a situation, they’ll inevitably doubt their own judgments even if they are right.
It’s indeed burdensome, but sometimes one must do what must be done. Like the residents, I’ve also changed a lot compared to the past.
“A- no! Don’t…!”
I took control of the character directly. In reality, it wasn’t anything grand. I was merely moving the mouse and keyboard to manipulate the character on screen.
I could see the opponent scream as my hammer came down on him in the game, but I gritted my teeth and pressed the attack key.
[Achievement Unlocked: Judgment (1)]
At the same time, an unexpected achievement was unlocked.
It was an achievement that demonstrated what the kneeling figures now perceived my recent actions to be.
‘Looks like this kind of thing will happen often.’
I had an instinctive feeling that such occurrences would happen frequently in the future. My contributions in this game world were vital and absolutely not something I could give up on.
Naturally, aiming for peaceful relations was the goal, but if the opponents had no desire for that, there was only one method.
In those times, I and the paladins would act without mercy.