Chapter 105
Chapter 105 – Survivors (5)
“I don’t think I can break this right now.”
After parting with Regnor, I maneuvered my character and headed to the city with Riena.
If it were a real game, I could binge-play and clear all the chapters in a day or two, but with Riena, that was quite a stretch.
I had to align all my actions with her. I couldn’t just run around all day, skip quests, or skip dialogues.
Well, this was definitely not an ordinary game.
It might sound odd coming from someone sitting in front of a monitor, tapping on a keyboard, but that was the reality.
“So today, let’s just relax.”
Smirking, I directed my character to change direction.
Originally, I intended to make some progress today, but the news I heard right before made me change my mind.
There was a high probability that chaos would ensue outside again.
If that happened, Riena, being the strongest warrior in the village, would have to step in and fight. Considering her personality and the role she played, she would fight more dangerously and fiercely than anyone else.
I decided to make it easier for her to focus on that. It was a moment of respite and gift in what could be called the calm before the storm.
Whether she would actually accept it as a respite, however, remained to be seen.
“Would you like a drink?”
“—?!”
The place I brought Riena into was the tavern that sold food and drinks in the game. Her tense expression, following me, began to look increasingly bewildered as we entered the cozy yet bustling interior and met the laid-back owner.
She obviously didn’t think I had actually brought her here to eat and drink.
“Well, I have the right to.”
Thanks to the hardworking residents who grind away in hunting mode, I had saved up quite a bit of money for her.
Being the sharp girl she was, she seemed startled and flustered at first, but soon her trembling hands grasped the cup filled with alcohol, staring at the treats she wouldn’t have tasted among the Tribe of the Grassland.
“—…”
I wasn’t sure if she knew anything about alcohol, but at least I hadn’t seen her drink it while I was watching. Her wide-eyed reaction suggested it was her first time tasting hard liquor.
“There aren’t many places we can have fun.”
Seizing the moment, I decided to check out other places too.
No quests, no fighting. This city, serving as the backdrop for chapter 4, had such a system well-established.
If I could heal her like this, I was all for it.
Seeing her eyes sparkle with excitement, I resolved to use features like this actively in the future.
*
“So these seeds are from a tree that produces sweet fruits.”
“That’s right. Ahem, I barely managed to acquire juice made from those fruits; it’s exquisite.”
“I’m curious about that drink I’ve only heard about. It shouldn’t be too hard to fetch a cup.”
At the same time Riena was in the game, others had just returned from it.
Balun chuckled at the seeds Naru, the hunter, and Dune had brought from creature hunting.
Murmurs of unsettling news had stirred up anxieties, and he found it amusing to work hard for more sweet beverages.
“The fruit tree isn’t the only thing.”
Misinterpreting Balun’s statement, Naru cleared his throat and pulled out something else. They were seeds too—specifically, various herbs used by hunters.
“I thought that if we had farmers, they might be able to grow these seeds.”
“Indeed. If farmers can assist, large-scale production would be feasible.”
Balun’s eyes sparkled at the words of the hunters. Just as miners could dig up the ground in one swing, farmers with their farmer traits could plant and harvest crops at a rapid pace.
If they could cultivate useful herbs that way, they could produce them in massive quantities in no time.
“It’s not hard to try, so let’s go now.”
Though it was late, Balun wanted to test it immediately. It wouldn’t be difficult—just bring a farmer into the sandbox crafting space and plant the seeds.
“Then I’ll give it a shot.”
Rouson, the tired farmer who had just finished a hard day’s work and was about to sleep, entered the game world again through the rift at the village center with a bewildered look on his face.
Barun, Naru, and Dune, who had not been able to enter the game, waited anxiously in front of Rouson for the outcome.
‘Just do as we discussed.’
Even though it was night outside, the day was quickly turning here. Now used to this, Rouson grabbed a hoe and headed to the farmland.
He then sprinkled the real seeds—quite different from the game’s seed items—into the soil.
“Give it water, and also some fertilizer.”
He moistened the soil with a watering can and sprinkled out the fertilizer made from monster by-products. This was the farming method in the game, different from actual farming, only the ones with the farmer trait could do.
‘…This isn’t working?’
However, despite finishing all his tasks, the seeds didn’t sprout. Even if it were another crop, enough time had passed for it to have grown and be ready for harvest.
Sighing, Rouson reported this fact to Balun. Trusting in the farmer’s ability, everyone was naturally disappointed.
“D-don’t worry too much. Even if it doesn’t grow quickly, it should be able to grow normally, right?”
“Then again, the seeds we brought are from another world. Isn’t it obvious they can’t thrive in a square world?”
As Rouson was trying to comfort them, Dune suddenly widened his eyes and declared there might still be a way.
The seeds were sourced from creature hunting, bringing the game item along. Dune made a valid point that trying to put that into another game, sandbox crafting, might not work.
Items were interactable regardless of their sources, but seeds were, after all, living beings.
“Shall we try it in reality?”
Barun accepted that suggestion and instructed Rouson to plant the seeds in this real land.
Just as miners and transporters could use their skills here, farmers could fully employ their skills in this place as well.
However, farmland would occupy space and could be a weakness, which is why it had been deliberately created in the game.
“C-can’t believe it. They sprouted!”
Following the plan, after plowing the ground in Barun’s yard and planting the seeds, Rouson jumped in surprise.
Unlike the game, the seeds truly sprouted. With this, they realized they could grow crops brought from the game in reality.
“I heard from Tina that hunters maximize their combat power with herbs and also heal wounds, so if those herbs can grow well and be harvested in bulk, it would greatly help those fighting against the black monsters.”
“That’s good, but what I’m most relieved about is that we’ve gained another weapon.”
As Naru spoke excitedly, Barun nodded in agreement. He too felt good at the moment.
“A weapon?”
“Because war isn’t the only answer. We must fend off the monsters gathered in the north that destroyed the Dwarf Kingdom, while simultaneously avoiding war with the western factions as much as possible.”
I hope Garhan, who we’ve already forged a bond with, emerges victorious, but if it doesn’t happen, Barun wanted to maintain a friendly relationship with Luke, who would soon be the new chieftain.
What could be useful in those circumstances were wares for trade. If they could avoid war and obtain what they wanted, there was no reason to go to war.
“Oh, if news leaked that we have precious items, wouldn’t they set their eyes on us?”
“If they can’t discern that much, then we’ll end up fighting.”
In fact, Barun’s thinking was somewhat out of place in this grassland. They were more accustomed to pillaging than trading.
Keeping worst-case scenarios in mind, Barun resolved to prepare thoroughly.
“By divine selection, I shall demonstrate the magic passed down from the mage [Restra].”
Then, the next morning, amid the bustling residents, Rasen stood on the wall, holding his staff toward the outside.
‘I’m curious. How will it manifest?’
Even while yawning from barely opening his eyes early in the morning, he sat in front of the monitor alongside the residents, watching Rasen’s performance.
He was trying to showcase the skills learned from the Hero Academy.
‘It was hellish.’
Rasen shuddered at the memories of what had transpired within the Hero Academy. He had been welcomed by the mage [Restra], who forcibly injected knowledge into his brain, trapping him in a virtual space to train and master it.
The hero they forged, Rasen, aimed his raised staff and expended most of his mana to cast a massive spell into the air.
“Wha—what in the world?!”
“A picture appeared in the sky!”
All the residents gasped at the sight of the enormous magic circle they had never seen before. A magic circle, dozens of meters in diameter, floated in the air and began to glow brightly.
“F-fall down!”
As Rasen, pale-faced from mana exhaustion, shouted, numerous fiery arrows rained down from the magic circle.
A grand display of high magic bombarded the wide land with a single strike. Even Balun, who had seen his fair share of things, couldn’t help but drop his jaw.
“Are you alright?”
“I-I can’t move after firing this. I’m completely drained of energy…”
Having cast the immense magic, Rasen collapsed, needing support, but Balun instinctively felt that even as a one-time use, this grand magic would be a formidable weapon.
‘Preparations are going strong. I hope I won’t need to use it, but even if I must fight, I have no intention of losing.’
Balun supported Rasen and led him down from the wall, biting his lip as he glanced toward the western horizon.
His odd intuition urged him to keep a watchful eye on the west.
‘What’s this, another group is coming?’
And ultimately, Balun, the battle-hardened chieftain, was proven right.
Just days after Garhan’s soldiers had come, he saw figures running from the western border once again while managing the residents by staring at the screen as usual.
‘R’tai.’
He picked the only ally among Garhan’s soldiers and transported him straight to the village in one go.
Having urgent news, R’tai landed in the village and immediately called out to Balun.
“What’s going on?!”
“B-Big trouble! The chieftain has finally collapsed!”
Seeming somewhat in a panic, R’tai trembled and nearly shouted as he saw Balun.
Upon realizing the event his intuition had warned him about, Balun shut his eyes tightly.
