SWNOVELXO Chapter 152
Chapter 152 – Storm (2)
“Hurry up! Move the supplies north!”
On a plain where there was nothing, a myriad of people now lived, and everything that existed there was created together with the transcendental beings who bestowed miracles upon them.
That place was now in an uproar. It was a commotion to transport supplies such as weapons and food to the battlefield.
Hunters and warriors were gathering materials from games and bugs, while artisans produced equipment in bulk from their workshops to supply all those fighting at the front line.
Those with the farmer trait were rapidly growing herbs and food as well. The fighters at the front and those perfectly supporting them.
A united system encompassing all of this was functioning diligently. Without this system, the residents would not have been able to endure and would have rather self-destructed.
Moreover, the system they created was not limited to just this place.
From systems specialized in procuring equipment for combating the bugs to systems that provided resources like food and iron without reserve, and systems that endowed warriors with skills to make them stronger, etc.
The system they proactively built and nurtured spread through Lee So-Yeon as a kind of strategy guide, allowing numerous users to directly apply it to develop their own residents without trial and error.
“C-Commander! Look over there! They’re targeting the defense turrets and the mages!”
However, if that system remained idle, it would inevitably be eliminated. This was because monsters existed solely to break down the robust system they were creating.
“Warriors! We’ll hold them off. Hurry and take your positions!”
Rakum, who became the commander and was directing the defense, moved both himself and the waiting warriors to confront several special variants that had breached the defensive line to kill the defense turrets and mages responsible for firepower.
The bugs also showcased a new tactic, exploiting weaknesses in their reckless charge, relying on numbers and mass. Now, developing a new system to stop that was the residents’ duty.
“Wait a minute. If you, the commander, go there, then who will lead the army?”
“The fight here is such. The stronger warriors should step forward!”
As Rakum raised his spear, determined to go himself, the artillery brigade commander of the royal army was taken aback, unable to comprehend why the commander-in-chief would personally head to the front line.
However, Rakum resolutely shook his head. The battle here. With that one sentence, the artillery brigade commander, who had been perplexed and fidgeting, fell silent.
Until a moment ago, he had been disdainful of the Arin Tribe warriors, but now, upon seeing the mass of bugs rushing in, he’d literally lost his mind.
“…Let’s go.”
Seeing the artillery brigade commander at a loss for words, Rakum charged forward with the warriors to confront the enemies.
Unlike the previous variants, these special variants, born from imitation of the Arin Tribe warriors, were small in size but possessed incredible capabilities against people.
To stop those moving as a kind of special strike team to breach the defenses and assassinate key targets, warriors were absolutely necessary.
“Big brother!”
“Rasen, unleash your magic quickly. I’ll hold this one off.”
Rasen nodded at Rakum, who stood in his way. The enemy that had crawled this far to kill Rasen raised their weapon, refusing to step back.
‘It’s not the first time facing someone like this.’
Gritting his teeth, Rakum began to swing his spear while using his skills.
Rakum already had experience fighting such foes. Reviving the memories of past encounters, he viewed the enemy before him not as a monster but as a seasoned warrior, not letting his guard down, thoroughly raising his tension.
*
“Is it fortunate there’s minimal damage?”
The enemies had arrived with new strategies to assault our defenses, but it seemed our warriors were responding adequately.
I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead as I watched Rasen summon a gigantic storm of lightning that swept the area.
The effect of the newly learned grand magic was formidable. I could see countless bugs getting swept away and dying.
The bugs had deployed special troops to kill Rasen, and it was no empty move.
Their skills seemed to be increasing as the data piled up, and the warriors were gradually accumulating damage. Unless one had considerable skill, they couldn’t withstand it alone.
‘I’ve achieved my goal, so please let the damage be minimal.’
The royal army fighting alongside us had long since lost their composure. Since everyone was giving their all as one, all I could do was hope for minimal damage.
[Achievement Unlocked: Archenemy (2)]
[Achievement Unlocked: Brotherhood (15)]
[Achievement Unlocked: Slayer (24)]
…
One silver lining was that, just as expected, the achievements piled up as the war progressed.
Every time we defeated the newly emerged enemy variant, every time an allied soldier sacrificed themselves for another, every time we killed bugs in hundreds… countless conditions for achievements were automatically attained without me even being aware.
[Points: 34,500P]
Thanks to that, the achievement points were piling up rapidly. If I had my way, I’d want to gather even more, but regretting it after losing due to hesitating would be useless.
“—, –!”
Our allied forces fought exceptionally, using the sacrifices of comrades as a foothold to repel the enemy’s onslaught. Thanks to the swift warriors, the mages who had been unleashing firepower and the turrets being attacked by the enemy were all blocked.
Up to this point was a victory I had anticipated and deemed necessary.
It was just like the numerous battles we had faced before.
‘Those guys!?’
However, for those who had sharpened their blades, this level of offensive was too weak. As if to affirm my thought, the bugs retreated a step and prepared a new type of assault.
“—!”
“–, —!”
They had immediately opened gates indiscriminately in the rear area to initiate a disruption operation.
I didn’t know how many gates they could manipulate freely, but new invasions had begun in areas distant from the fortress and the First Village, where our forces were stationed.
Many residents, who had been working hard in their places to support the fortress, rushed to evacuate to safer locations.
“Don’t!”
However, no matter how alert one was, it was absurd to respond to this kind of surprise attack without taking any damage.
As I witnessed a few residents being murdered by the enemy’s attacks targeting those farming, my grip tightened on the mouse.
‘Did they intend this?!’
This wasn’t just a simple diversion attack. Now that even special species wielding swords had appeared, I thought perhaps what they truly aimed for was this very moment.
To maximize the impact while all our nerves were directed toward the front area.
“How dare you.”
My voice trembled as my gaze fixed on the screen. I couldn’t help but feel boiling rage.
How long were we going to continue falling for their sneaky maneuvers? These monsters, without a shred of conscience, kept trying to take advantage of us, and I couldn’t let that go unpunished.
[Activation of Desktop Annihilation Level 3]
Thanks to the points I had accumulated, I could activate a new power. My own weapon to punish those wicked and arrogant monsters.
“—!”
The bugs that opened gates and attempted surprise attacks moved to massacre the residents fleeing into the castle. Even though defensive turrets were installed in the city, their numbers paled in comparison to those in the fortress.
“Die.”
At that moment, it was fine. I could fill in that lacking ‘firepower.’
Desktop Annihilation Level 3. It was a machine gun.
The machine gun moved along with my mouse, becoming a massive cannon descending from the sky in the screen.
‘Ugh.’
There was no sound, but the machine gun must have made a fierce roar. The following sight was even more spectacular.
Countless bullets literally turned the ground upside down. I intended to sweep them away before the bugs got any closer to the residents.
Glitches, of course, and bugs with solid carapaces and large sizes, even special species with excellent mana manipulation, were all mercilessly mowed down in front of the bullets.
“Worth the money.”
Looking at the screen, I had no choice but to say that. The power of Desktop Annihilation that I purchased at a hefty price was, as the residents in the screen expressed, a kind of authority.
“—…”
After the machine gun obliterated the bugs along with the surrounding terrain, as things calmed down a bit, the residents slowly approached, alternating their gaze between the horrific scene and the sky.
Everyone had a look of shock. In reverse, if I were in their shoes, I would’ve been astonished too.
I wondered what the bugs beyond the gate thought upon witnessing this spectacle. Surely, they could come over more, yet they didn’t crawl out anymore and shut the door.
‘It’s not a fundamental solution. I need a way to make them stop this nonsense and confront us head-on.’
However, my expression remained grave. I realized that I needed a proper method to stop the bugs.
“But how?”
As I felt the anger rising at how the Master Program was not quickly recommending suitable programs or games, I clenched my head. I still had a considerable number of points left, but opportunities were few.
If I activated a program or game that ended up being ineffective and failed to obtain what was needed, and because of that, residents died and I lost…
Maybe that was what the bugs wanted. For me to trip over my own feet.
‘Frustrating.’
I couldn’t rely on anyone for help. I was the one walking at the forefront of a path that no one knew. Those who followed behind me enjoyed following easily by using the methods I discovered, but such luck wasn’t permitted to me.
– You may not have heard the news.
It was at that moment that Lee So-Yeon spoke up first.
– A user who was engaged in a campaign in Russia for quite some time has been confirmed dead. Though there hasn’t been any outbreak of bugs, it’s clear that the bugs he was facing will somehow flow into the world.
“Looks like there’s nothing we can do.”
– That’s right. There’s little we can do individually. But during that process, a counter-argument arose. Requesting the release of that person’s records for the sake of the world’s safety from various countries was met with a refusal. Their reasoning was that they have ways to stop the bugs’ gates.
“Is that really true?”
For her, it was merely conveying the current situation, but my eyes widened at the information in the chat.
It was because they had uncovered what I currently wanted the most.