Chapter 103 – Survivors (3)

“Miss Lee So-Yeon. So you are the… User? You’re the one raising strange beings on the computer and doing that?”

“Guardians. Right. We fight against the Bugs together and grow stronger.”

“I saw the video you sent, but could you possibly prove it again here?”

“It’s not difficult.”

In this secretive place, where intermediaries were not allowed, those present held considerable prestige in the Republic of Korea.

Yet neither the President, nor the Congressmen, nor the Ministers were the protagonists of this gathering.

As the main figure in such a place, Lee So-Yeon forced herself to rise, suppressing an unprecedented level of pressure and tension.

Her older brother, Lee Ho-Myung, who wore a worried expression, passed her the Staff he was holding. She took the Staff and summoned a crackling orb of lightning to show the people.

This was no illusion or graphics. While it was currently just floating, once she commanded it, this sphere of lightning would unleash a powerful electric assault in front of her.

Everyone present had already seen the recorded footage of it.

“Wow…”

“Proof is sufficient. Now let’s discuss the next steps.”

People murmured and looked at her with curious eyes. To some extent, this attention was what she, an aspiring entrepreneur, had desired. Therefore, Lee So-Yeon confidently accepted their gazes.

“There have already been areas affected by those so-called Bugs. While our country is still relatively safe, the future is uncertain. Even if we can deploy the army to deal with them, I believe it’s wise to devise various strategies.”

The young President, now in his second year of office, focused on the power Lee So-Yeon possessed.

Until now, the world typically dealt with the invaders emerging from the Otherworld by mobilizing the military to suppress them.

Certainly, guns and cannons were effective against Bugs, so it wasn’t to the extent that the world was collapsing under their appearance; however, mobilizing an army to bombard and shoot within one’s own territory was risky in itself.

“Furthermore, reports state that the holes from which the Bugs emerge can only be closed by users like Miss Lee So-Yeon…”

“That’s correct, Mr. President.”

“At the very least, I believe the government should provide support. It’s not without precedent, so it shouldn’t be impossible.”

The President proposed national support to Lee So-Yeon. The openly suggested method mirrored the case in the United States.

Massive support comes with corresponding responsibilities. Of course, from the user’s standpoint, this method is much more reasonable than forcefully subjugating them to the state.

“Thank you for your initial proposal, but I would like to offer a slightly different suggestion.”

However, Lee So-Yeon had already resolved to reject such control before she came here. It was possible because she was not in a position that required national support.

There was a possibility of retaliation. Nonetheless, she had faith in her stance.

*

“It’s surprising that the idea of creating a company and dealing with the country was accepted all at once.”

-Politicians and bureaucrats were strongly opposed, but the President was receptive. By providing options, new users can join without burden, and only through their voluntary participation can we reduce damage.

As Lee So-Yeon, who said she felt drained, recounted the experiences she had while I struggled in front of my computer.

She had directly brokered a deal with the nation about Users, Bugs, and the future expansion of this matter.

New users awakening will emerge without regard to class, gender, or age, just like me and Lee So-Yeon.

Their tendencies will also vary widely. Some may refuse to fight even in dire situations, while others may actively seek out battles.

Lee So-Yeon’s logic that such burdens should not be placed on those who would naturally have responsibilities and obligations following extensive support—but rather they should be able to receive rewards based on their performance—struck a chord.

My worries about possibly needing to wear a hermit’s cloak to secretly approach the President were unnecessary.

“Didn’t you ask about me?”

-Actually, you were a huge help. Of course, they inquired, but some like Jun-Young feigned ignorance, which made it even more apparent that a company was needed.

Even cloaked, I had revealed myself to the people once, so I asked about myself.

As expected, there were discussions about me. My undisclosed identity was an irksome and bothersome presence to them.

However, unfortunately for them, I will continue to keep my identity hidden. Even though I only heard about today’s events through Lee So-Yeon, I felt a choking sensation.

‘But that doesn’t mean I’m neglecting my duties.’

The User’s duty is to cultivate and manage the residents within the screen.

After ending communication with Lee So-Yeon, I again looked at the desktop.

I placed the talented Dwarfs among the newly joined ones into the game to awaken their traits, while the village continued to run smoothly, as always.

“Long time no see. Did you come back because the chaos in the city has subsided? Your partner didn’t come with you.”

In that state, I launched a game. The game I started was Dark Blood. However, this time it was just me, without Riena. Riena was fast asleep.

“You want to buy armor? Shouldn’t be hard.”

The reason I started the game was to meet the Armor Artisan that can be found in Chapter 2.

After the quest, the Armor Artisan became a sort of merchant character who sells various equipment to players. Particularly as the chapters progress, the range of available equipment expands.

A variety of gear for different classes. Among this gear, there were items with special powers like Riena’s armor, which we obtained as a quest reward.

“You have an eye for good items. This armor has strong magic resistance. It’s comparable to the Paladin Order’s armor.”

Money was piling up effortlessly. The countless enemies that residents hunted daily in combat mode were all accumulating into my character’s coins.

I splurged part of that money to purchase a piece of armor. It was a female armor similar to Riena’s. Though originally it wasn’t supposed to look like this, it was also… modified by a mode.

“But your partner already has a good piece I’ve given. Who are you planning to give that to? Surely you’re not wearing it?”

I shook my head dismissively at the Artisan’s unnecessary remarks, putting the armor into my inventory and stepping away.

The reason I bought this armor in the game was not to wear it on my character, but to give it to Shura.

‘I need to push them as much as I can.’

I intended to support the Paladin Order formed by Riena and Shura.

A knight order serving me? That sounded like a huge burden, but if it helped them fight, I was willing to offer myself up.

‘What will happen, I wonder? Will it continue to grow or be kept in check?’

The management of the Paladin Order fell entirely on Riena. Depending on her choices, the order could either flourish chaotically or be managed more strictly and grow little.

Personally, I preferred the latter. As much as I planned to support them, residents would all want to join the Paladin Order, but that would place a burden on them.

“–, —!?”

The next day. I summoned Shura into the Dark Blood world instead of Riena.

The reliable warrior girl, who had achieved various successes, was still a girl who needed to grow, now startled upon falling into an unknown place, with a terrified expression as she kept her guard up.

“—!?”

‘She’s overly startled?’

As I approached and patted Shura on the back, she yelped and stumbled, almost falling over.

Knowing how this girl fights against enemies, I found her reaction quite unbelievable.

‘The size should adjust automatically.’

I raised my thumb, and it seemed she was calming down a bit, so I took out the armor set I had purchased from my inventory.

Since it had been fine in terms of size when given to Riena, I expected the item would resize accordingly once again.

And just as anticipated, the armor in her hands shrank perfectly to fit her body.

‘Please survive for a long time.’

Seeing her gratefully thanking me, I smiled bitterly.

I’ve seen residents die more than once, but there were certain characters that held special meaning to me or bore important roles.

Shura, whom I had seen from the very beginning, was one of them. Each time I saw this girl, who once fought with anger and hatred, grow, I couldn’t help but feel invested.

“I hope nothing happens today.”

After escorting Shura back to the village, I yawned and tried to rise to prepare breakfast.

The Northern Land was quiet now, and the village where the residents began their activities, along with the surrounding lands, had not sounded any invasion warnings.

[Enemy Invasion]

“Uh?”

But just as I was about to rise, an alert suddenly popped up on the monitor.

Sitting back down quickly, I hurriedly scrolled through the screen. The alert rang from where residents had set up an outpost and sent scouts to regularly patrol the area.

The soldiers stationed there alerted us.

‘Garhan’s Soldiers?’

On the opposite side of where the outpost is located, I saw several individuals riding horses, desperately galloping toward the left side of the screen.

I right-clicked on them for information and looked at them with a sullen expression. Although they appeared as enemies with a red border, their condition seemed far too pitiful to qualify as foes.

I had been on the verge of striking down my hammer but decided to wait a moment. After all, there were only a handful of them, so it didn’t seem like our allies at the outpost would suffer.

“—!”

As anticipated, before long, our scout soldiers discovered them and raced towards each other. They had equipped weapons in case of emergency, but it seemed they wouldn’t need to use them.

Upon seeing our troops, Garhan’s Soldiers urgently shouted something and stopped their horses. In that process, they bore no weapons at all.

‘What are they discussing?’

While I had adapted to most situations, not being able to hear their trivial conversations could be frustrating at times.

It seemed they heard something unusual, as the faces of Garhan’s Soldiers turned pale while our soldiers’ expressions turned to confusion.

“They’re taking us?”

Afterward, our soldiers quickly began discussing amongst themselves and set off toward the village with those who arrived. They wouldn’t have acted like this if it were merely a trivial matter.

This meant something significant was happening.

I quickly clicked on one scout who rushed to inform them and swiftly moved them to the village.

“–!?”

“–, —!”

That soldier, upon arrival, clutched their dizzy head and ran to Balun, repeating what he had heard like a parrot.

Balun, while unable to conceal his surprise, quickly set his face firm, ready to take action.

[Chieftain Balun’s Dilemma]

“It’s here.”

As I hoped, Balun began to hesitate over this dilemma. Watching him, I started to understand what had transpired.

 

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