17 – The Beginning of Progress (7)
“He’s still not back?”
“Y-yes. All the scattered ones have returned with the loot, but only a few of Ur’s people, especially Jon, haven’t returned. There’s no news from them at all.”
“That’s strange.”
Upon hearing the news, he stroked his beard. Ur was among the most experienced and capable warriors among his people. There was no way that such a skilled warrior would fail to capture a small group of fugitive civilians.
He never even considered the possibility that the trusted warrior had been overpowered in turn by a force of unknown strength, a stronger and younger warrior who had received help from an unknown power.
“Could there have been any issues in the process of capturing the prisoners? Hence the delay.”
“It could be due to the fluctuating terrain of the Maus lands, but even so, if that were the case, at least one reliable person should have been dispatched to establish contact.”
He stood up and paced around. Coolly stating that losing communication for a mere one or two tribes was not a significant issue. After all, he was the formidable chief of a powerful tribe, commanding over hundreds of warriors.
Beyond the confines of his dwelling, his eyes observed a village that had grown several times larger than before. It was the result of gaining strength through conquering and assimilating neighboring tribes.
“But it’s not enough. To overcome others in the vicinity, I need more power, more warriors.”
Despite forming a tribe much larger than his father’s or grandfather’s, he still considered it insufficient.
Partly driven by his own greed, it was also an inevitable choice. To survive here without being devoured, he had to become a predator, turning the tables on those who sought to prey on him.
“The warriors desire more plunder, and with the stabilization almost complete, it seems it’s time to move again.”
“In that case, where do you plan to attack this time?”
“To the west, north, and south, there are tribes and kingdoms stronger than us. So, the direction is east. We’ll attack from the vicinity of the most recent target.”
Once again, he planned a campaign of plunder. Given that their size had been inflated by pillaging and invasion, they had reached a point where they couldn’t maintain their stature without further plunder.
Moreover, the recruited and persuaded warriors also needed loot, and battles had to continue to bind and control them as one unit.
With such events happening across the vast grasslands, safe lands were disappearing, and the weak, unwilling to yield, had no choice but to flee deeper into distant lands.
“Look there. Could those be wanderers?”
“It seems so. They’ve noticed us.”
And some of them had already encountered the residents who had established themselves.
Following Barun’s orders, a reconnaissance team sent from the village approached them on horseback. The beggars, shocked by the appearance of soldiers armed with high-quality steel weapons and armor, couldn’t muster the courage to escape and instead cowered, begging for their lives.
“Calm down, everyone. We won’t harm you. Where are you from?”
“We come from a tribe near the Ruth Mountains. But we don’t know where this is. We just fled forward to escape pursuers.”
They seemed to have given up. All they wanted now was a bit of mercy from those before them.
However, the village scouts, who were also refugees, did not treat them harshly as ordered by Baron.
***
“It seems like the inter-tribe war is not going to end anytime soon. The 7 people the scouts found today had fled from where they were living,” said one of the scouts.
“…It’s certain that they will eventually come to this place,” Baron replied.
Baron welcomed the people brought by the scouts into the tribe and had them testify to Riena as well.
Their testimonies, filled with fear and terror, only strengthened her resolve. She was convinced that they needed to strengthen themselves before another trial befell them.
“Today, should I go to that castle?”
Riena prepared herself, putting on her armor. She was certain that he would call for her today. She believed so.
“Ugh.”
And soon enough, her belief became a reality. It felt as if her body was being pulled somewhere as soon as she finished her preparations, as if someone had been waiting for her to be ready.
When she opened her eyes again after closing them in the fierce storm, she found herself in a completely different place, not the bustling village but the save point she had left yesterday before entering the ruined village.
He was already there, as if it were obvious.
“Oh, hello?”
Upon seeing her startled expression, he casually raised one hand and waved it. It was a greeting using the emotion expression function.
Realizing that the gesture was a form of greeting, she awkwardly raised her hand and waved back.
Since he had no way to express anything other than the predetermined emotion, he simply stood still and watched her imitate his greeting, clearly feeling a strange sense of joy.
“As expected.”
After exchanging greetings, he pointed his sword towards the village, or more precisely, the castle.
Having come prepared, she drew her sword from her waist. It was not the iron sword she had been using, but the steel sword she had obtained as a tutorial clear reward along with skills.
His sword, pointing towards the village, was also the same item. In the first place, the reward for clearing the tutorial was two swords.
“Them again?!”
The mist-shrouded, desolate village, where not even the common stirrings of small creatures could be sensed, was entered by the two staggering figures.
For her, who had lived her entire life in the scarcity of the plains, the village and the scenery of the castle offered an exotic and mysterious atmosphere surpassing the desolation. Unfortunately, reality did not grant Riena the luxury of leisure.
Ghostly soldiers, resembling rotten corpses, emerged from the broken houses and barns, growling as they faced her.
Without a second thought, she joined the fight alongside him, who was preparing for the battle as if it were a matter of course.
Her mindset had changed since the first encounter with these creatures. Though they were initially horrifying monsters she had never seen before, they now felt like annoying minions.
The basis for this feeling was the power she had gained. Beyond merely enhancing her physique, there was a rough force erupting outward, dodging the enemy’s spears and swinging her sword.
As her yellowish sword flickered and released shockwaves, the ghostly soldier attempting to block with an old wooden shield was thrown back with a strong recoil.
The skill that granted her power surpassing reality to the player gave her an even stronger force.
“Is it not over yet?”
However, her confident expression, as she easily dispatched several ghost soldiers attacking her, did not last long.
Suddenly, dozens of enemies converged from all directions, and she couldn’t help but be overwhelmed.
“Ah!”
Upon this, the one who had fought alongside her until just now turned without hesitation and ran towards an alley. Naturally, Riena had no choice but to follow him.
***
“Is it left from here? Yes, it is.”
In games, there’s always a standardized route. No matter how distorted it may be, it seems that route isn’t completely shattered.
Following the walkthrough, I progressed through the game, leaving behind endless enemies to find my way while running away.
Although Riena, equipped with skills, had considerable combat power and easily overcame the battles, I had already confirmed that she couldn’t fight forever. In the first place, fleeing was the way to proceed here, so there was no reason to push her limits.
“A save point and a bunker to be used as a base.”
[Image Link] (Insert image link here)
Ranking first, I looked at the strategy, and it wasn’t difficult at all. Even in the intricate and medieval-style town, I easily found my destination.
A place with a thick door, resembling a church building at first glance. Without hesitation, I entered there and found a passage leading to the interior.
Blocking the passage after Rienna entered was the first task accomplished. Indeed, the quest that came to mind as the actual mission, finding a safe place, was achieved, and a potion was rewarded in my inventory.
“––, —?”
She, who was catching her breath, seemed quite surprised. Startled by the sounds from outside, she even went as far as covering her mouth.
This place is some kind of safety zone, so monsters shouldn’t be able to enter, but who knows. For Rienna, those creatures are real monsters.
‘I need to find clues here.’
According to the strategy, I was supposed to find clues here on how to enter the castle. Knowing the location already, I immediately went up to the second floor and found clues in a small hidden room.
[Priest’s Diary]
It was a small book. The diary, translated to show me its contents, was written in diary format about how this town was occupied by one of the seven boss mobs in the game, Demon Lord Talas.
Honestly, the game story was beyond my interest. To me, it was just a common game story. I was only focused on progressing the game to gain experience, equipment, and skills for Rienna.
So, I decided not to do any side quests or stories left around the town.
‘…What about you?’
From Noble mtl dot com
However, when I got everything I could and came out of the room. I thought that my perspective might be wrong.
“—.”
She turned awkwardly, smiling when she realized I was looking at her. What Rienna was looking at was outside the window, the corpses of a dead woman and a child.
It had been quite some time since they died, but due to the curse that descended on the village, the bodies were preserved in the state they were in when they died. It’s not just those bodies. In the village and inside the castle, the corpses of the dead are abundant. If the story progresses as I know, those corpses will become enemies and attack us.
‘She said she lost her family except for her father, Baron.’
Knowing the situation glimpsed through her concerns yesterday, I could guess what emotions she might be harboring right now.
I also remember her appearance when she was talking to the NPC we met for the first time yesterday. To me, everything is inside the monitor, but to her, this place is reality itself. It’s impossible for her to consider it a game just because I think it is.
‘I have to do what I can for now.’
After telling Riena to follow me, I took the lead.
But right now, the priority was to proceed with the conversation. Our goal was to prepare to enter the castle, where the boss and enemies were abundant. The boss must already be aware of our presence. Going underground at this moment was to avoid the crowded ghost soldiers and make preparations.
“—!”
And so, beneath the church, we encountered another monster. A ghoul, one of the small fry like the ghosts, but slightly stronger.