ALL NOVEL Chapter 18
Chapter
18 – The Beginning of Progress (8)
“The pattern is roll and attack, pause for a moment… Ugh, what’s the point of this right now?”
I tried to move my character to defend according to the previously studied ghoul behavior pattern, but the problem was that this was a narrow and dark underground passage lit sporadically by torches on the walls.
This game was originally designed for solo play, and the map and monsters were created for that purpose as well.
Riena and I attempted to face the enemy together, but in this narrow passage, the monster could only get close to Riena.
And the monster that confronted Riena became a real-life creature, no longer a predictable monster with a set pattern.
“Ugh.”
I sighed as I watched my character get kicked by the ghoul climbing the walls and rolling on the floor. Such flashy action sequences did not exist for that ghoul mob.
‘Do I have to do this alone?’
I sighed, watching Riena face the ghoul just a step away. She was a true warrior, unconcerned with patterns.
No matter how unpredictable the enemy’s attacks were, she countered them using her instincts.
If I wanted to deal with any upcoming bosses or mid-bosses according to strategy, it meant I would eventually have to try alone, but given that the purpose of this strange game was to help the growth of residents like Riena, it seemed meaningless.
“—!”
While I was lost in thought, the undead beast rampaging on the walls and ceiling was struck by a golden light swung by Riena’s skill, losing one arm and collapsing to the ground.
Her combat ability was impressive. At that moment, I felt certain that transitioning into a ranged or buff-oriented role would be beneficial when fighting alongside her.
“—.”
Confirming the achievement of the first ghoul kill, I approached her to express my intention to move forward by pointing my finger ahead. She smiled faintly and nodded.
I wondered how much health she had left. Unlike the spectral soldiers she usually dispatched in one blow, the battle with the ghoul was quite fierce.
If more than two or three of these things appeared at once, the fight would surely become difficult, and her recovering health would bottom out.
‘This is too hard. If only we could communicate, or if I could see her detailed status.’
Knowing that no more monsters would appear here, I walked backward while watching Riena.
In the place where the horrific undead monster had just come from, I could see her limbs trembling, eyes wide as she watched me walk back steadily without any sign of instability. She seemed inclined to obey my words. She fights when I say to fight, and she flees when I say to flee.
Moreover, no matter how hard it was for her, she still tried to follow my orders, even at the risk of overexertion.
I understood why to some extent, but it was a serious problem. Everything was for her, not for me.
[Capture App Recommendation]
[Capture App Activated: 1000P]
In my eyes, one particular program recommended by the master program caught my attention on the desktop. In fact, the notification for this program had popped up even before I started this second game, but I had merely brushed it aside without a second thought.
[Achievement Points: 1100P]
As I halted, my hand twitched over the mouse.
Currently, the achievement points I had gathered from the first and second games had already reached 1100 thanks to the second game, which awarded numerous achievements. I could easily link the capture app to the master program if I set my mind to it.
‘What on earth?’
The question that arose was what possible use a program that captures and saves screen images could have right now. However, considering how everything linked to the master program had become strange, it didn’t seem impossible.
After all, it was absurd to play the solo mode of this game with two people.
[Capture App Activated]
In the end, I went for it. In this hardcore second game, my life was worth one, and Riena’s life had always been one. A mechanism for more certain and safe progress was necessary.
[Target Capture Possible]
‘Will this work?’
Like I usually do when using the program, I used the new creation feature to capture the screen, specifically capturing Riena standing obliviously on top of the game.
To my surprise, her image appeared accurately on the program.
[Chief’s Daughter Riena]
[Trait: Martial Arts (Growth Rate 85%), Leadership (Potential)]
[Deployment: Dark Blood]
[Overall Fatigue: 78%]
[Mana: 42%]
[Emotion: Confusion, Doubt]
“Oh.”
Alongside the photo came additional information. In addition to the info that appeared with a right-click on her, more details such as fatigue and mana were revealed.
It even showed what emotion she was currently feeling. Unaware of my reasons for stopping as she walked back steadily, she was feeling confusion.
‘Today, I should activate just the first device ahead, which is the easiest difficulty and then leave.’
Looking at her condition, it seemed unlikely that I could carry out my plan to prepare everything for entering the castle today. It would be better to send her home to rest before her fatigue increased further.
*
“Ah…”
The game shut down. Eventually, Riena completed her schedule just before her fatigue hit its limit and returned to her village in the desktop environment, while I too, sighed and dropped into my chair, eventually returning to my room.
I felt a bit dazed. I might have never focused on a game so intently in my life. I skipped meals again. Having sat in front of the computer all day, I had no desire to eat anything.
‘I’m going to gain weight.’
After ordering food and closing the delivery app, I blankly stared at the desktop. I’ve been lacking exercise anyway, not to mention spending every free moment on the computer lately.
While waiting for the food to arrive, I wandered around capturing residents using the newly activated capture app. I could easily learn names and traits just by right-clicking, but capturing gave me more detailed information.
It was especially fascinating to see growth rates of traits and the hidden traits marked as (potential).
Unlike Riena, who had traits from the start, Kun, who awakened his traits in the first game, only had a growth rate of 22%.
Although he had mined over a thousand blocks in the first world, what happens when that reaches 100%? Some traits have revealed their awakening conditions, while others haven’t, but if I use this well, it might be possible to awaken traits in many more residents in the future.
‘I wish someone would capture me too.’
As evening fell, the villagers, bustling and occupied with their own tasks, didn’t even notice the passage of time as they wound down and prepared to sleep. I laughed bitterly while eating a late meal.
If I could apply the capture app to myself, I would finally know what talents I possess.
“Ah, I have to go to work tomorrow.”
As I sat there blankly, the fact that I had to work tomorrow hit me hard.
Feeling my body become heavy all of a sudden, I got up from my seat and headed toward my bed to sleep. It was right next to my computer desk, so all I had to do was get up from the chair and throw myself down.
Surprisingly, I fell asleep easily. Engrossed in the game, I had accumulated quite a bit of mental fatigue.
If I open my eyes now, it will surely be the morning of tomorrow.
*
“Has it already gotten this late?”
“Time to switch shifts. Nothing seems off?”
“Yeah.”
In the time when only the moon and the stars seemed to pour light onto the grassland, soldiers yawning and stumbling came close to the soldiers on guard at the watchtower.
“Wow, it’s amazing. A watchtower like this appears in an instant.”
“It’s a miracle.”
The watchtower they set up with a ladder was a bit special. At first glance, it looked like just a giant wooden post. But upon closer inspection, it became apparent that it was made of uniform ‘wooden blocks’ that could never exist in nature.
These uniform square cubes were built using the Transporter trait, allowing the resident who could now handle resources like a player to create a demonstration facility.
“I’m feeling more tired today.”
“Are you too? Working on the fence was tough today.”
Even though they successfully finished their shift in the newly built watchtower, the two soldiers struggled to shake off their drowsiness as they nodded off.
“Why don’t you sleep first? I’ll wake you up soon, and then I’ll sleep.”
“That sounds good.”
In the end, they decided to take turns sleeping. The problem was that the soldier who volunteered to stay awake started nodding off as well.
If they hadn’t dozed off, they might have detected something in advance. If they had detected it ahead of time, they could have taken measures easily.
[Lv 1 Glitch Occurred]
[Cocoon-type Glitch, chance of evolving into a Bug: 85%]
The glitch appeared quietly. Unlike the ones that had appeared before, it was merely a cocoon pulsating with a faint purple glow without any means of attack or defense. At this point, it might be suppressed with a single arrow.
However, the soldiers who started snoring together failed to detect the cocoon and passed their time.
[Lv 1 Bug Occurred]
And so, just as dawn broke, the cocoon cracked open. The first thing to crawl out of the split cocoon was a dark, tar-like creature emitting a pulsating tentacle.
The tentacle did not head toward the village. The Bug, now fully grown, could no longer see the residents of the village as its nourishment.
The tentacle reached out into empty air. Yet, it pierced through an invisible wall, slithering away beyond that point.
“Ugh…”
The Bug’s tentacle groped around, searching for its target. It traveled over keyboards, mice, and desks all the way to the floor. As time passed, the tentacle grew thicker and firmer, now thicker than a human finger.
And finally, the tip of the tentacle touched the leg of Jun-young.
Until that moment, he had no idea of the identity of the creature wrapping around his legs.
[Bug Rampage]
“What, what the hell! Crazy!”
The tentacle suddenly tightened its grip, lifting his body. Simultaneously, awakened by the forced motion, he screamed with a cracked voice at the shocking sight visible with the brightening morning sunlight.
Black tentacles spewed from the monitor, pressing down on his body and writhing to break free from the monitor.
‘No way.’
An overwhelming force that couldn’t be resisted by human strength. As the tentacle coiled tighter around his neck, threatening to crush it, he flailed and struggled in midair.