Episode 99 – Predation and Evolution (9)
“We should give rewards and rest to those who have just completed the construction of the wall, but the situation is a bit urgent. “By capturing three enemy nests, the area to protect has expanded.”
“It’s okay, Chief. Isn’t this for everyone’s benefit in the first place? Above all, we are willing to work if it is what He wants.”
“I’m not planning on putting up a wall around the entire village like a village, so it won’t take that long. It is enough for a wall to literally act as an obstacle. “If a wall blocks the way, the defense towers he has given us will unleash their firepower and join us in annihilating the enemies.”
Varun gathered together the porters and builders, including Maureen and Kherson. The goal is to build a fortress to make the land they have won this time into their perfect territory.
This is because I realized that fighting bugs, especially those ants, is a bit of a waste of money. It may be a bit difficult, but you can only win the war if you protect the territory once you have taken it.
For that, the power of those who could build structures using blocks with the abilities gained in the game was desperately needed.
The miners, who outnumbered the haulers, had already started digging and compacting the nearby ground with pickaxes.
“There are high mountains in the west, so they can naturally form a wall. To the east it extends to the river. “They don’t have the ability to cross the river yet, so if we build a wall there, it will become a strong base.”
When Varun saw that the number of workers had naturally increased by accepting additional immigrants, he explained how he would build a fortress here.
Until now, they had not been able to build a proper wall due to lack of space, and the limit was to build a fortress in the form of a dot to hold on, but after the construction of the wall in the village was completed, there was more space, and they wanted to use that power.
If they block the road with a line barrier, the area beyond becomes completely their land. Varun planned to use the land thus secured as a complete front yard.
It was a plan that was possible thanks to the continued expansion of the population and, above all, the existence of defense towers that could reliably defend the area without consuming manpower.
“Chief, is there any news from my other compatriots?”
At that time, Kherson cautiously opened his mouth.
Varun sighed softly after hearing Kherson’s words.
I said I would definitely secure it if I found traces of the dwarves, but I haven’t found any traces yet.
“Some equipment that appears to belong to the dwarves was found in their nest… but I don’t think we’ve found any corpses or living people yet.”
“This is a change to our territory, but it won’t be that big, so why?”
Kherson slumped to his feet at the not-so-hopeful news.
The only dwarf survivors so far are him and his family. Although traces are rarely found, no living dwarf survivors or even corpses have yet been found.
There was no way any corpse would be left behind due to the actions of bugs that took all the life around them as food, but everyone around them just looked at them and kept their mouths shut.
“I found the traces! “It’s a damaged village!”
“Is that really true!?”
But is it still because they moved forward, taking over the bug hives one by one?
As I increased the surrounding reconnaissance range, there was nothing I found.
Kherson, who was building a new wall with blocks, hurriedly ran to Varun in response to an urgent report from the front.
***
“It’s just a ruin. Unfortunately.”
I can see how happy the dwarf survivor, Kherson, is.
His captured mood may appear in the status table, but it is revealed in his facial expression without the need to look at the status chart.
But when I checked the screen, I couldn’t help but smile bitterly out of sadness.
He would be happy to find traces of his people, but when I zoomed in on the screen, I saw that the dwarven village was already empty. There was still no sign of survivors.
There is a hive near the village, and there are sentries roaming around the village.
Even if there were survivors, they would not have been able to survive unless they fled like Kherson.
“—…”
The scouts led by Riena fought against the enemy guards and reached the village.
Among them was Kherson. They arrived at the village, but were devastated to see the empty ruins.
The only traces that remain are those of the enemies who occupied this area.
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Kherson’s wish to find traces of his surviving compatriots was not fulfilled. The residents who had brought him here were also looking at him with pity as he sat down.
“—?”
“–, —!”
But then. Kherson, who was sitting down in despair, seems to have found something on the ground.
While I was playing games with the game window up for a moment, something happened and Kherson was frantically searching the ground, urgently calling out to the others.
‘Is it a trace?’
To me, it just looked like an ordinary trace.
Of course, it is a little different from the traces left by bugs, as if something had been dragged along, but it does not seem like a special trace.
But Kherson saw something and discovered something.
As he hurriedly walked along the trail, he pointed somewhere with the tip of his finger. I zoomed out and moved the screen in the direction he pointed.
What he pointed to was a nearby mountain. His eyes twinkled with confidence, as if there was something there.
‘This is an achievement engraving.’
The moment I first rescued the Kherson family, I remembered my achievement of rescuing the dwarves.
With the Dwarf Kingdom already destroyed, rescuing more Dwarf survivors is sure to give you points along with achievements.
For me, who was worried about adding points here and there, the opportunity to achieve achievements was an opportunity I couldn’t easily ignore.
‘Dwarves have talents unique to dwarves. That talent helps us.’
There were a total of three dwarf survivors we rescued. Kherson and Eva. And their young children.
They all had characteristics.
The sample is still too small to make a hasty conclusion, but even now that the number of hidden talents that can be discovered by activating various games has increased, the probability is high compared to the fact that 5 out of 10 people of the Arin race, a human species, do not have any characteristics.
Their race or origin did not matter to me. After all, if you have a common enemy, you are a comrade.
They also have to endure that much to be able to fight against crazy monsters called bugs.
“I think it would be right to ask for it.”
My head started pounding and I bit my lip.
Rescuing dwarf survivors increases human resources, but the enemies in the area have not yet been cleared.
If you deploy troops to save them and make great sacrifices, you only end up losing money instead of benefiting.
‘They must be worried too.’
I’m not the only one with this concern. After hearing the news, the leaders of the Arin tribe, including Varun, gathered together and were having a heated discussion.
Kherson, who discovered the possibility of a survivor, could not bear to strongly appeal his opinion and just sat outside.
In the end, the intentions of Varun, the tribal leader, are important, but Varun kept his mouth shut and only listened to what others were saying.
My fingers were itching to see that. If I actively direct actions, they will follow what I say.
However, the reason I hesitated in making a decision was because there were some things they knew better than me.
Even when I zoomed in on the screen, the mountain Kherson pointed to was just an ordinary mountain.
“–, —.”
Still, they quickly made a decision. Riena’s will seemed to be strong in the process.
The evidence was that several warriors and soldiers, including Liena, began to form a special force to rescue the dwarf survivors.
A mission to search for possible dwarf survivors. It was added to the new mission table of building a wall based on defense towers and creating a fortress to prepare for enemy invasions.
If my predictions are right, they will probably start their activities early tomorrow.
I wanted to ask the people who are currently in the hero training center to go with me when they come out, but I don’t think that would be possible because it would take some time. The faster the search for survivors, the better.
“…The dwarves have already been destroyed. So what about the elves here? “Are we not ruined yet?”
At the same time, my attention naturally turned to the folder containing the files that can replace the desktop.
Obviously, there were other places in the folder other than the northern land, which was the territory of the dwarves.
I don’t have the time to project elsewhere right now, so I can’t do anything about it, but if I have the time, I think I should check that out as well, so the work to do didn’t decrease and kept piling up.
“Uh, uhh.”
While the residents on my desktop are forming expeditions, building walls, and farming resources. Time continued to pass and it became a dark evening.
Today, after sitting in front of the computer all day, I forced myself to twist my body and stand up.
Sitting in front of the computer as soon as I open my eyes early in the morning, and waking up briefly as the sun sets is my new lifestyle pattern that matches the activities of the residents.
As the residents’ activities decrease in the evening, I used this time to do household chores or take care of any overdue work.
“hello.”
It was while I was wasting my time eating the delivered meal that I received a phone call from my home. I cleared my throat and cleared my voice.
“Okay, then. I’m doing well at work. You don’t ask for money. What would happen if I quit? “It’s not that dangerous here, is it?”
Official bug announcement. That was the problem. I desperately complained to my parents who were worried about me going to work every day.
Actually, it’s been quite a while since I started staying at home instead of going to work, but I can’t help it.
Because there are really people in the monitor that I need to take care of. Now the number is in the thousands, so the scale is no small feat.
‘I’m more worried about my family.’
Full-scale erosion of bugs. I’ve been on high alert ever since I was almost killed by a tentacle sticking out of a monitor, but at this point, it’s not just me.
It’s unsettling because you never know when and where those monsters will kill other users and burst into reality and build a nest.
-I decided to step forward. If we share our accumulated experience and strategies, new users will benefit, and fewer of them will fail their missions and leak bugs.
“Are you sure it’s okay?”
-I already told my parents.
In that situation, Soyeon Lee contacted me saying she would step forward. It was something that suited her personality and was absolutely necessary.
Since I was told my identity would be kept secret, I had no right to stop her actions in the first place.
-Of course, if that happens, transactions and meetings between us will be limited.
“It can’t be helped. “I have no choice but to put on my cloak again and go find it.”
-You won’t have to do that. Because I will establish a company and demand our legitimate activities from the country. There is no need for government support like in the United States. Because it’s obvious that they’re trying to put a leash on him under the pretext of providing support. If you set up a company like that, you can hire you as one of the employees.
But Lee So-yeon was a bolder and more amazing person than I thought.