ALL NOVEL Chapter 11
Chapter 11 – The Beginning of Progress (1)
“I really can’t take my eyes off this.”
On a lazy weekend morning where there’s no need to go to work, I collapsed onto my bed last night, and as soon as I opened my eyes, I was back at my computer.
Even back in the days when I was deeply immersed in gaming, I would do the same, but this time it’s a bit different. This isn’t just any game.
Yesterday, I unlocked the second stage of the game and made it available for the residents to use it freely. They already confirmed that they could gain abilities in the game under the name of traits, but the game is filled with various dangers like terrain and monsters.
As I slept and left them unattended, I hurriedly checked the screen as soon as I turned it on, worried that something might have happened to them.
“Is everything alright?”
I mumbled, moving the mouse to observe them scurrying around in a small corner of the vast grassland backdrop. The number of residents had increased, making it hard to count all of them, but their expressions and atmosphere gave me enough info to understand if anything had happened.
“—.”
“–, —.”
Fortunately, they seemed to be in good spirits, attending to their tasks. It didn’t seem like anything major had occurred.
Most of them were busy gathering materials to build houses for the newcomers, cooperating to construct makeshift homes out of tents.
Given the number of dangers they faced, I thought it might be better to find quality materials to build proper structures rather than slap together shoddy fences. But then I realized it wasn’t just about resources.
No matter how good the materials are, without the skills, they could make nothing. It seemed they needed skills more than resources.
[Number of connected residents: 8/8]
I turned my gaze to another section of the screen. The game remained active, with the eight residents still working hard, including mining, which was now their crucial resource line along with food.
“–, —!”
Especially, Kun, who had developed the miner trait, and a few others, seemed so inspired by the set of iron armor I created yesterday that they willingly headed to the mine to explore for iron ore.
Monsters approaching as if wanting the same miner trait were being held off by Riena, fully armed in armor, while they enthusiastically mined away.
“This is a bit overwhelming.”
As I logged into the game and moved my character, a wry smile crossed my face. My sudden appearance startled them, and they all bowed their heads and greeted me in unison.
Seeing Riena bowing her head cautiously like the rest of them, it felt like a huge contrast to our first encounter when she had been treated like a monster. However, this kind of treatment was a bit too much for me.
I just wanted to help them, not to be treated like royalty.
“Let’s get to work.”
I picked up a pickaxe and started mining minerals around the mine just like the others.
As I took the lead, the residents returned to their tasks as well. However, since Kun was the only one with the miner trait, the others had to take frequent breaks before they could even finish mining a block.
“Today’s goal is to gather as much iron ore as possible.”
I glanced at their struggling figures and set my own goal.
In the game, iron was a common yet crucial resource that could create all kinds of mid-tier weapons, tools, and armor. For the residents lacking the necessary skills, it was an extremely valuable resource.
At the very least, I wanted to equip those who would take on the role of warriors completely. I had no idea how much digging it would take to arm dozens of them, though.
“—!!”
“Ah.”
And just as we moved deeper into the earth, something appeared before us.
A cave goblin shaman, a type of boss monster that only appears at a certain underground height.
It looked just like a small cave goblin draped in a leather cloak and wielding a wooden staff, but it was a strong adversary that even I, who hadn’t prepared properly due to sharing my resources with the residents, couldn’t fight off.
I sighed in exasperation and stopped Riena from engaging. I then pulled out a pile of stone blocks from my inventory and quickly blocked the path it was approaching from.
“—, —!”
Riena looked at me with wide eyes as if to say she could fight, rallying her strength.
Of course, the power she demonstrated was substantial, but based on the circumstances—this creature could lead multiple subordinates and even inflict a special curse debuff—I judged it unwise to engage it directly.
“Did she understand?”
As I slowly shook my head to indicate no, she seemed flustered but eventually bowed her head low. She looked a bit defeated, but my priority on safety remained unchanged.
*
“More iron! Over here!”
“It’s getting a bit tiring now, though.”
With a frantic shout from one of his comrades, Kun rushed over and began mining the iron ore discovered by his ally. Gradually, the iron block started to break apart.
As the jagged block shattered, iron fell to the ground in a heavy downpour. They carried those hefty minerals back to our central HQ, where they were stacking up.
“I need to gain a trait too; it’s way too difficult with just two of us.”
“There’s no helping it. It’s not something you can just wish for.”
Kun’s companion sighed as he darted around. No matter how hard they wielded their pickaxes, it wasn’t easy to acquire traits.
There were three others who came along with Kun and Riena to the mine today. Out of them, only one had gained the miner trait after mining all day.
“Should we head back?”
“It’s about time to go. We need to eat, and everyone is exhausted and on the verge of collapse.”
Not long after, he pointed at the mine entrance while sucking up the iron they’d collected.
Understanding his intent, the residents packed their tools and headed outside the mine. It was time to return to the village and rest.
“At least if we repeat this a few times, we should be able to get more iron.”
“That’s still not enough.”
Though their bodies ached and they felt sore from the hard work, hope shone through their chatter.
It was a stark contrast to when they had been forced to leave their hometown and settle in this strange land with no choice.
“You all did well.”
Upon arrival inside the walls, Chief Balun greeted them, having created a large farmland and penned livestock behind a wooden fence with the remaining residents.
“Recently, Dark, who has joined our tribe, has also gained the same strength as me. It seems mining is indeed a crucial condition.”
“Rousse, who has been harvesting matured crops and plowing to expand our farmland, has gained a mysterious power too. With a hoe, the surrounding area is tilled in an instant.”
Gathered inside the walls, they shared news of their accomplishments. Traits weren’t limited to miners. Rousse, who tended to the fields, had gained the farmer trait. They discovered there was some condition to acquiring traits, but it didn’t guarantee that everyone would receive a trait just by performing the same task.
“Each person has their own… assigned roles.”
Balun glanced over at the far-off resources and spoke. It was impossible to utilize the resources harvested in-game directly. Ultimately, his touch utilizing the crafting table would be necessary for any of it to be used.
In reality, he was busy combining all the items harvested today into finished products.
“Are we saying we have no talent, Chief?”
“I’m in the same boat. With limits on how many can come, if we can’t gain anything here, it would be better for others to join instead.”
Balun judged that those without traits should simply return to the village, allowing those with potential to come instead.
It was a stingy statement, but for them, who were short on resources, it was a necessary choice for efficiency.
“The issue is how to convey this well.”
Watching him at the crafting table, Balun struggled with that thought. While he was grateful for the help, he wondered if they really had the right to ask for more.
If he were to get angry and kick them out, their future would vanish.
“Take a look at this, Chief. These are things we made from the mined iron.”
“It seems we can equip over twenty people.”
Unaware of Balun’s worries, the tribe members could only admire the shiny iron weapons he had created.
As they returned to the village with those items, everyone was naturally astonished and murmured in awe. They had things that their tribe hadn’t possessed even in their prime.
“I can’t hold my curiosity. I need to know how you got these.”
“Calm down. Of course, we mined the iron ourselves this time, but…”
Naturally, the residents were eager to hear what had transpired beyond that crack allowing only the ‘chosen ones’ to pass through.
With nothing to hide, they began to tell their adventure stories, exaggerating a bit along the way.
“What is this?!”
Thanks to that, when he returned home after a long day of missed meals and chores, he nearly spat out the coffee he was drinking at the sight of the monitor.
The residents participating in the game were gathered in a circle, drawing their game characters in the dirt and excitedly explaining something to the others.
[Achievement Unlocked: Initial Faith]
[Initial Faith: 500P]
‘Faith, huh?’
And it didn’t end there. The moment his efforts and achievements were passed around among the residents, an alert from the Master Program popped up saying one achievement had been unlocked.
[Glitch occurred at level 2]
“Oh no!”
The problem was that this achievement had triggered something.
As if waiting for the right moment, an alert about a glitch changed the atmosphere.
As the sun began to set, casting its glow over the village brimming with chatter, black monstrosities spawned from thin air and began to approach.
“Again, those black monsters are back!”
“Everyone grab your weapons. Arm up!”
With a shout alerting everyone, the now anxious residents rushed out of the village, donning their newly acquired weapons and armor to face the oncoming threat.
Despite their mutual panic, the situation was different than before. Unlike the time when they lacked any decent weapons, they now had newfound strength.