Episode 24-Ordeal (4)
“It seems difficult to go any further, so why not take a rest here?”
“I will do that. “I’m a little concerned that there’s nothing around.”
“No need to worry about that.”
Hearing the other person look around, he grinned and raised the old tree staff in his hand. As soon as he hit the mana-filled object on the party, a faint wave of mana spread out, scattering an unknown power throughout the area.
“What on earth is that?”
“It’s a detection spell. “Whether it’s a demon beast or an enemy, you’ll know when it approaches.”
“…It’s comfortable. That witchcraft thing. “Your contribution in this expedition is certainly considerable, so the tribal leader will greatly reward you.”
The other person looked at him smiling with satisfaction and expressed a small admiration. In fact, this is not the only power he showed.
His name is Garon. He was said to have learned magic from an unknown wise man.
Rather than being afraid when he saw the marauders who were attacking his tribe, he said he would show off his power and after joining the same team, he actually used strange spells to help them on their expedition.
His power was obvious, so he was already being treated as an excellent warrior and was quickly using it to increase his position.
“I’m taking a break here! “Get everyone ready!”
While talking with Garon, the captain who was leading the marauders ordered his subordinates, who were leading more than a hundred prisoners, to spend the night here.
And immediately a fire was lit and a camp was created. Camping with the night sky as a ceiling and the ground as a blanket was familiar to them.
“Oh, no! “Let go of this!”
“sister!”
“You will tolerate it to a certain extent, but tell them to behave in moderation. “It is all the property of the tribal leader.”
It seemed as if it was natural for some of the trusted senior warriors among the leader’s subordinates to touch the prisoners they had captured and dragged away.
Even though the leader warned them to do it in moderation, he did not stop them from doing what was almost customary. Those who fight for their lives always need an opportunity to vent their desires.
In fact, he even gave Garon a look asking if he didn’t need you.
“I don’t have the strength to do anything useless, but there’s something I want to experiment with, so I’ll give it a try.”
From Noble mtl dot com
Garon, grinning, accepted the offer and had anyone choose a prisoner. The unlucky subject was a middle-aged woman trembling with fear.
“The powers I learned from him are not just about summoning fog, creating a surveillance net, or breathing fire.”
He then pointed his cane at the woman and a shocking scene followed.
“What on earth did they do?”
“Some kind of curse.”
The captain and everyone around him were shocked at the sight.
The woman hit by the curse blinked, twisted her body, trembled, and became a puppet following his instructions.
“Even if you are a strong warrior with mana, you have no choice but to be helpless. The warriors of the plains may have strong bodies, but they do not know how to strengthen their minds. As if magic were preventing us from defeating those hiding within the walls.”
Garon’s confidence was considerable. He believed that with his strength, he could overpower even the flying and crawling warriors.
‘Evil devil…!’
Of course, his confidence made others, especially the victims of his power, harbor intense hatred and even greater fear.
The same was true for her, trembling among the prisoners. A girl sheds tears as she sees the villagers she knew being killed or violated by marauders, cursed and turned into puppets whose egos have collapsed.
However, reality is extremely cruel, and in the end, everything turns out the way those in power want. No matter how much they beg to be saved, no one helps the losers. Even if you win against the marauders, they will only become new marauders.
That kind of despair was the most fatal. And when your mind is completely broken like this, you no longer have any thoughts of resistance and become assimilated into their slaves.
At least in the next generation, they will become one tribe with the marauders and be able to take advantage of their strength.
***
“Ugh…”
Fortunately, the morning was no different from usual. Instead of receiving a wake-up call from a strange tentacle, I woke up on my own on the living room floor and naturally got up and headed to the room where the computer was.
A soft bed that doesn’t look like it will be used for a while and a computer that’s still turned on. When I turned on the monitor, of course the residents had already begun their activities.
Since we have become inseparable from those who are watching the screen, checking to see if anything has happened every morning before going to work has become a new routine.
Thanks to this, I have also memorized some of their routines. For example, going out to nearby rivers and forests to collect drinking water and food, or preparing for necessary construction work in the village.
“what.”
But today they showed a little different appearance than usual.
Rather than making things with tools or going foraging with farming tools, they began to arm themselves with iron armor that they had stored up, arm themselves with sharply maintained weapons.
‘You decided to attack and it was today?’
Last night, when I remembered the troubles of the tribal leader, Varun, whom I had seen before going to bed, I was so embarrassed that I froze before putting on my pants.
They clearly said they would attack the enemies near the village first, but that could not have happened in just a few hours.
From the barding worn on the horses, the silver iron armor they wear, and various weapons. These are all items I made in the game.
Although they were able to mine resources after awakening their characteristics, I was the one who ultimately combined them to create items they could not make. They plan to use it to go to war.
It wasn’t a choice I couldn’t understand. As Varun thought, it was necessary for their growth.
‘Can’t I see?’
Liena was also seen wearing a helmet and riding a horse. It seems like literally every warrior who can fight is willing to step forward.
I can see that they are planning to head west, to the left of the monitor. And the battlefield will take place outside the desktop screen currently displayed on the monitor.
Half worried and half interested, I sat down on the chair without even putting on clothes. Isn’t it natural to want to watch? If they, my guardians who protect me from bugs, fail, it would be a huge blow to me.
[Fully explored area, skipping possible]
“huh?”
However, as they rode out all at once, I moved my mouse to the left and tapped on it just in case, and something came to mind.
[Western Plain (1)]
When I double-clicked the thing that came to mind, the screen changed. Literally my desktop has changed.
Of course, the various programs and icons on the desktop remained the same, but I was speechless when I saw the screen with a view that I had never seen before.
Literally a plain to the west of the grassland where the village is located. To the far north, I can see forests and mountains, and to the south, where I can see, there is only a continuous plain. There is nothing yet. This is probably the place the village scouts check out every day.
‘It’s coming now.’
When I turned back to the screen where the village was, I saw cavalry on horseback approaching this place.
If you don’t actually zoom in, you can see them, the size of ants on the monitor, soon entering the western plains (1) from the right side of the screen.
‘no way?’
At this point, it is natural to look at the screen elsewhere. I moved the mouse to the left side of the monitor again.
[Western Plains (2)]
Then again, the screen flipped over and a new meadow landscape unfolded.
‘there is.’
I found something there. People crowded together in the middle of the plain. When you roll the mouse wheel to zoom in, you can see numerous armed soldiers and prisoners shaking in fear. These are the marauders whom Varun decides to attack, and those whom he takes prisoner.
[Dedicated program required]
Just in case, I touched one of the soldiers holding a weapon with the mouse. However, even though there was information about Gnar the Marauder and his martial arts skills, it was impossible to pick him up.
‘What is a dedicated program?’
I sighed when I heard that some conditions were needed. It was not yet clear whether the problem was the location or the people.
[Guardian hostile entity discovered, desktop destruction recommended]
[Wallpaper Destruction: 10000P]
“…?”
The biggest problem is that the program recommended by the master program is desktop destruction, a name that even I have forgotten since elementary school.
It was absurd why this program was installed on my computer that I bought just a year ago, but its existence was an even bigger shock.
A crude game or program that literally scratches and destroys the desktop of my computer using various tools. This is something that young children will really enjoy. But now there are people and enemies living on my desktop.
If it goes as I expected, it means that I will be able to intervene with them more actively, not just in the game.
‘I don’t have enough points?’
However, it is difficult to unlock and activate it right now. It costs points to upgrade activated games, and it costs points to maintain them, so the only points I could manage to save so far were about 2000P.
Even if you use something like an anti-virus program, it continues to be consumed.
“I’m really sorry. “I think I need to use my annual leave urgently today.”
First, I picked up my phone and told the company that I was using my annual leave. Looking at the speed at which the residents were running their horses, it seemed like a fight would break out around lunchtime today.
This is an important fight for me too. Even though I couldn’t help right away, I still wanted to watch.
“—, –.”
‘We’re almost there.’
When I zoomed in, it seemed like Varun and other residents already knew the location of the enemies.
They sent out scouts first to check on enemies they had not even dreamed of, and were gradually following behind the enemies who had begun to move.
It was difficult to predict how they would fight. I didn’t know anything, it was a world where monsters and superhumans existed.
‘Do you think you can win?’
But I expected them to win. Because they absorbed everything I had supported in the game world so far and seemed stronger than the enemies.
The weapons and armor looked better this way. Didn’t they even fight and win against the terrible monster Bug?