Episode 100 – Predation and Evolution (10)
A grassland tribe treated as northern barbarians by neighboring kingdoms, empires, and other powers. The frontier of the ‘true north’, which is treated as a frontier even by its own tribes.
The reason people began to live in what was originally a land of beasts was because of the complex and chaotic chaos of the grasslands. It was a natural phenomenon.
However, it was far from natural for the immigrants to come together and gradually increase their size.
‘Nonsense. The warchief is deceiving us. What on earth is there in that barren place?’
Garon, the chieftain of the small tribe, who tried to bow down to Warchief Garhan. He was very dissatisfied now.
They surrendered at best, but Garhan bundled them up with other small tribes and sent them to the northern border. They say that if you go there, you will be able to live without starving.
Since they were the weak ones who bowed in first, they were forced to comply, but there were many complaints. Anxiety spread among everyone that Garhan was trying to force them into a corner and abuse them.
The northern border is a land where no one lives. barren land. Unknown land. Because that was common sense.
“Boss. I brought it. “These are the new immigrants.”
“You worked hard, LeTai. “Let’s hand over the promised supplies.”
But little by little, that anxiety began to be replaced by other emotions. It started with the appearance of Varun, who led the Arin soldiers.
‘Who the hell is it?’
Of course, they were surprised that a wealthy tribe lived here, but what surprised them most was the attire of Varun and the people he led.
Varun, who had just returned from the northern battlefield, was wearing a helmet and armor made of bones from the strong mutant Drake series, and the soldiers were all armed with high-quality iron weapons.
Moreover, he was shocked to see Varun handing over the promised supplies to Garhan’s soldiers, including Letai.
This is because large quantities of food, weapons, and livestock piled up in several carts were handed over. These were all the most important resources in this land, treated as strategic materials.
‘Even if they bought us as slaves, there’s no way they would have paid such a high price.’
That was the part that confused Garon. Even if Garhan deceived them and sold them as slaves to this tribe called Arin, it was worth a reasonable price.
Because of his pride, he did not want to diminish his own value, but Garon was well aware of the reality that his powerless value was insufficient compared to the supplies that Varun had just handed over.
“Bought as a slave? Don’t say that. You are now part of us. “Isn’t it that rare in this grassland for tribes to merge or split up?”
“Well, then, what are all the supplies that were just handed over to the Warchief’s men?”
“I just paid for the introduction.”
Garon learned the reason while talking with an Arryn soldier who gave his name as Les. Varun only gave a lot of supplies to Garhan on the condition that they be guided by him.
“I don’t understand. “There are not many warriors, and there are quite a few children and elderly people, so we cannot afford to pay that much in this situation…”
“You might think so. But I assure you, don’t look down on your own value too much. He recognizes precious talents even in a child or an old person. In the end, people are the most important. That is the understanding we learned from Him.”
Les grinned at Garon’s bewildered reaction and pointed somewhere with his hand. Garon smiled awkwardly when he saw that the fingertips were pointing towards the sky.
The immigrants showed that they did not understand what the Arin people were talking about because they had not yet seen or experienced it firsthand.
‘This is crazy. Nonsense.’
However, the moment they walked and walked and walked until they got closer to where the Arin village could be seen. Garon, as well as most of the immigrants, widened their eyes and were shocked.
This is because a towering barrier that cannot be seen in this grassland was greeting them beneath a cluster of stars that seemed to pour down on the grassland.
The brilliant luminous stones on the wall were embroidering the darkness as if they had become another star.
‘Both children and the elderly have something to do. Because everyone has different talents. That’s why people are the most important.’
After migration, when immigrants quickly blend into one.
Garon came to understand what Les had said to him at the time of their first meeting, which he had not properly understood. Once you see it and experience it for yourself, you can’t help but understand it.
From Noble mtl dot com
It was a matter of resolution that was different from simply worrying about the food issue, which I no longer had to worry about, or worrying about which block and how to build the house I would live in in the future.
“Did you do a good job?”
“yes. I also received praise for the rapid increase. “I didn’t even know that I had this kind of talent.”
Garon’s son, who returned at sunset, is now in his mid-teens and still a child. Of course, once he reached that age, he was treated like an adult here, but his father, Garon, was deeply worried about his son.
However, the son had a bright expression on his face because he had been involved in creature hunting and learned production techniques just before that.
He recognized potential talent by looking at the status chart off-screen and made Garon’s son a father-in-law.
“Eva, my senior, said that as long as I learn how to process materials, I can graduate and get a job at a workshop.”
Because there was a limit to the number of people who could be deployed, most residents acquired the necessary skills in the game and then went back outside to display their talents outside.
Eva, the female dwarf who became the first creator, as well as all subsequent creators, learned the skills in that way, ‘graduated’, and left the game. Later, with the support of Varun, they created a workshop in the village and produced special equipment to supply to the entire tribe. .
“It looks like you’re satisfied, so that’s it.”
Garon smiled bitterly at the sight of his son. I was satisfied with the fact that my son, who thought he had a naturally weak personality and did not have the qualities of a warrior, had become a reliable member of the tribe who could do his part.
Of course, he might be dissatisfied with the fact that the child of a man who was once a tribal leader had become a mere worker, but Garon, his son, and no one around him cared.
‘What if I’m not good at being a warrior or a soldier? My son was chosen by Him.’
Among the Arin people, there is no such thing as a noble profession. This is because those who are assigned work within the tribe are those who were directly appointed by the guardian spirit and whose talents were brought to life.
The miners who dug deep into the ground with a single stroke of a pickaxe and the transporters who built buildings and facilities by holding and moving the blocks they mined were all chosen by God, who bestowed miracles.
The simple yet firm caste system of the steppe – tribal leader – warrior – ordinary person did not apply here.
“You’ll be tired, but you won’t rest.”
“But class starts now.”
Garon’s son returned home after finishing his work in the game world, but instead of falling asleep, he left home again. It was to learn writing.
People learning technology as well as ordinary citizens realized how convenient it was to learn writing and made an effort to learn it.
Although the sun had already set for a long time, the luminescent stones collected from sandbox crafting were shining in various colors, illuminating every corner of the darkened village.
“…am! It’s the enemy! “Enemies appeared from the crack!”
“what!”
But I felt like it would be difficult to participate in today’s class. When they ran out in fright, the town, which was already turned upside down, fell into chaos.
It was the guard who climbed on top of the barrier and shouted that a bug had appeared. In fact, many bugs and glitches that appeared through a one-time crack began to climb up the wall.
“Take up arms! “It’s the eastern wall!”
Since most of the main force is in the northern fortress, the village must be defended by those who remain. Gritting his teeth, Garon also raised his weapon, the bow.
The only duty given in exchange for becoming a member of the Arin tribe and receiving food, technology, and housing. It was the duty of protection to fight against the enemy.
“father!”
“You stay home with your mother. “Your job given by the guardian spirit is to make these arrows, not to fight!”
After separating his son, Garon took an arrow made from the mutant’s bone and ran to the castle wall with the others.
Already on the castle wall, guards were shooting arrows and fighting the climbing bugs.
“aaah!”
Enemies, regardless of bugs or glitches, generally resemble beetles or wheels.
As they climbed the high walls of the castle on strong legs, taking bullets from defensive turrets, they spewed out tentacles and pierced and wrapped around some of those who were shooting arrows, knocking them down.
‘It’s absolutely terrible.’
Gritting his teeth, Garon fired an arrow that hit the side of the carapace that was not covered, causing a glitch to fall.
Few people who saw them for the first time were not shocked. They are too cold and mechanical to be beasts.
“Oh oh! He helps!”
A huge translucent chainsaw summoned from the sky spun powerfully and pulverized many of the bugs stuck to the castle walls.
Although we couldn’t kill those that were close to the residents for fear of getting caught, that was enough for the residents.
“Not much time left. little bit more.”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Garon nodded absentmindedly at the sound of someone patting his back and encouraging him. This is something I never experienced during my time as a tribal leader.
But I didn’t feel bad. Because everyone is united as one to fight against the enemy. Although they had only recently joined here as immigrants, they were already one.
Garon, whose blood boiled, fought more aggressively. For yourself and for everyone else.
“ah.”
It was immediately after that that the enemy’s barbed front leg, which had climbed up the castle wall, struck him.
***
“Are they a different species from ants? “Did they cooperate with each other to carry out this attack?”
The enemies that destroyed the Dwarf Kingdom and arose in large numbers were already settled in the northern land, but that did not mean the rear was safe.
Small-scale enemies jumping out of cracks that suddenly open constantly harass us, and over time, bug nests were discovered that they would jump out of.
The fight continued. It will continue in the future.
‘It’s impossible for there to be no victims.’
They even used chainsaws to help, but there were still victims.
People who I couldn’t stop even though the residents continued to develop and built such high walls, they died instantly without me having a chance to cure them with the vaccine program.
Of course, I feel uneasy every time I see those people.
I was worried about whether I could get used to it, but I didn’t think I would get used to it, and if I did, it might just become a problem.
‘The only option is to build or upgrade more defensive turrets.’
Because we were so focused on the northern fortress, we could barely invest in defensive turrets in the village.
If I had installed more defense turrets, the sacrifices might have been reduced. I was afraid that I might have made the wrong choice and that was the result, so I fiddled with the belatedly upgraded defense turrets with the mouse.
My choice is a holy directive from God to them. It is considered absolute. But I am also just a human being, no different from them. Tomorrow, key personnel will go on an expedition to rescue the dwarf survivors, and I was wondering if I should stop it now.