A Village Appeared on My Desktop

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Chapter 41 – The Wind of Change (1)

“—.”

Chieftain Balun, with a determined expression, instructed the residents to arm themselves. Given that the opposing tribe had become our neighbors, it seemed like a natural response to be cautious.

I, too, woke up early, rubbing my eyes and took my seat in front of the monitor, watching them prepare.

‘They must give me Achievement Points, right?’

After all, this was the first time the residents would encounter the opposing tribe since settling down. There was no way they wouldn’t reward me with points.

Currently, I had 7000P, and with just a bit more, I could activate the desktop smash feature, allowing me to intervene directly.

“–?”

The residents were likely more anxious than I was. I noticed one of the armed soldiers, Res, asking Balun something with a serious expression.

Then Balun suddenly pointed his finger at the sky. I flinched at the sight of that finger.

‘Did he think I instructed him to do that?’

Res nodded solemnly, seemingly in agreement with Balun’s words. He seemed to have understood that I wanted to convey the information I had provided about the opposing tribe’s situation last night through Riena.

I found joy in simply watching them; I wasn’t expecting anything in return, but they appeared to regard me as someone special, which must have been effective. From my perspective, a growing power among the residents was not an incorrect interpretation, but it also made me uneasy that they might undertake burdensome tasks.

“—!”

Still, it seemed to help Balun, the leader, to feel that ‘I gave the instruction.’

Gathering the people and shouting while pointing at the sky, the soldiers moved without hesitation, as if united in resolve.

That’s enough. After all, everything was for their benefit, so it made sense to utilize my existence if possible.

‘Could it be that we’re really going to fight?’

As the residents began galloping across the dew-kissed grasslands, I stayed put, watching the scene unfold.

Although it’s in their nature to plunder and absorb the weak in the harsh land, I was curious whether Balun and Riena would make such a choice. If they didn’t intend to raid, I wanted to see how they would react to the neighbors nearby.

For now, I thought we could dispense with needing to fight. I was sure there were ways to subjugate the opposing tribe without violence.

*

“They’ve already caught on. Should we pursue?”

“No, I’d rather avoid war if possible.”

Just then, as he watched the scene unfolding with interest outside the monitor, Balun and the residents reached the grasslands where Riena had visited last night.

The opposing tribe wasn’t foolish either; they were already aware that their scouts had spotted the residents, who quickly turned tail and ran.

“If we can become one, that would be great.”

“If that’s what he wishes.”

Balun murmured absentmindedly, and Res nodded in agreement.

When Balun first heard this news from Riena, his heart raced with excitement. He thought this might be a chance to accelerate the stalled growth of the tribe.

Though he was empowering them through various programs and game functions, Balun honestly felt it was still insufficient.

Their numbers were too few, and the process of gaining strength through the game was painfully slow.

‘To solve all this, we must have even more people than we do now.’

Balun reached the same conclusion as the one monitoring them outside. The way to break through this slow growth they had faced was to have a larger population.

If there were more companions to help with building a castle or entering Bug Nests to fight enemies, efficiency would increase dramatically.

“Then what method do you intend to use to persuade them?”

“If he also desires our growth, we possess special power. I believe that alone is enough to convince them.”

In response to Res’s question, Balun answered with an unwavering voice.

In truth, they had something to offer. Various resources like quality weapons and food, as well as blessings that awaken talents.

Especially, everyone living on the grasslands desired stable food supplies, making it a resource that often prompted plunder and war.

And they could cultivate that food freely in another world. It was a method of farming that the indigenous tribes, adept as they were, couldn’t replicate.

‘There’s no reason to fight. In the end, it’s all for survival.’

Since Balun’s objective was to merge the tribes, he certainly wanted to avoid conflict. Yet, he also wanted to achieve this by any means necessary.

After all, his goal was undoubtedly also what the being that endowed them with countless blessings desired.

“It seems there’s a misunderstanding.”

Res, who had been watching the front line, sighed as he stated this.

As Balun and his soldiers began to slow down, approaching the village in the distance, they saw the opposing tribe’s people, already prepared for combat.

“Brother, there are too many enemies. Moreover, they’re armed…”

“Nothing has been decided yet.”

The opposing tribe had also seen the soldiers led by Balun, and they froze. Among the non-combatants they evacuated, some began to cry, anticipating a grim outcome.

Having fought against hostile tribes and raiders, they could guess to some extent the level of the unidentified army approaching them.

‘How can they come fully armed? Was there a tribe like that in this area? Surely not beyond the wall?’

Chieftain Rakum, who had personally led the scouts the previous night, clenched the bow in his hand, biting his lip. The enemies, adorned in glimmering silver armor, appeared stronger than any opponents he had faced before.

If they confronted them directly, the damage would surely be significant.

“If only there were no misunderstandings!”

But just then, Balun, stepping forward, shouted to make contact with them.

“I don’t wish to fight. I have many things to learn and discuss, can we talk?”

“Talk?”

At Balun’s words, they murmured among themselves. Even the determined Chieftain Rakum flinched.

“Why should we believe you when you’ve come with armed soldiers? Who are you, and what do you truly want?”

“If I had to explain, I would say we are neighbors.”

Balun smiled slightly at Rakum’s reaction and stepped forward while holding his staff. Without weapons like swords or bows in hand, he appeared to lack any intention to fight at all.

“Brother!”

“If we can resolve this through conversation, it makes sense for us.”

Rakum sensed he needed to step forward to converse for the sake of his tribe. Balun’s strategy of intimidating them with heavily armed soldiers seemed to have worked.

“We are but a small tribe that has recently moved here.”

“I know. We are the same. I am Chieftain Balun.”

When the two finally got close enough to speak, Balun confidently introduced himself first.

“Are you saying you can provide food, weapons, and livestock? That can’t be true. This place is barren land with nothing.”

“It’s understandable that you doubt me, but the evidence is here.”

Recognizing Rakum’s tribe as a common small tribe, Balun got straight to the point. He proposed to support everything required in exchange for merging their tribes.

Resource allocation issues would typically be much simpler to think through, but it posed no problem for Balun, who had a resource-rich background.

Naturally, Rakum was skeptical, but Balun tapped on the high-quality armor he wore.

“If we could live as mere neighbors, I wouldn’t have made such a proposal. But as the young chief you know, it’s a harsh era for those who are few and weak.”

“That’s true, but…”

Balun knew he had to make this merger work and did everything he could. While Rakum remained skeptical as a chieftain, he couldn’t ignore the armed force Balun had brought.

‘If I refuse, they will attack.’

Cold sweat dripped down Rakum’s back. For him, Balun’s actions were no different from those of other tribes, aiming to increase his power.

He merely chose a more moderate approach, not resorting to brute force to subjugate or plunder.

Refusing this offer and choosing to fight felt futile in every way.

‘Is this the moment of choice? But even if it is, there’s only one choice I can make.’

Looking at his tribe members, Rakum sighed deeply inwardly. They were undoubtedly all weary. If this fate would come to pass someday, perhaps it would be wiser to seize this chance for the sake of everyone.

“If you accept us as true members, we will cooperate as is.”

“We are all in the same situation. I am no different from you. I have simply received grace from ‘that being.’”

“Th-that being?”

Ultimately, Rakum decided to accept Balun’s proposal based on his judgment as chieftain.

He also expected that Balun wouldn’t treat them roughly if he were similarly a chieftain wishing to grow his forces.

However, he couldn’t hide his confusion when that being was mentioned. Who could this powerful and composed chieftain be referring to when he spoke of ‘that being’ cautiously?

“After all, if we come together, you will eventually encounter him, and you will have no choice but to follow that being.”

Seeing Rakum’s perplexed expression, Balun smirked. There was no need to explain complicated matters with words. The god he believed in was a real entity, not some mythical figure appearing in legends. He believed he could just show them.

[Tribe Growth – First Merger: 3000P]

“Whoa.”

Indeed, that being was currently gazing wide-eyed at the accomplishments Balun had achieved through his bold decisions. By expanding the tribe’s power smoothly without any military conflict, he had been recognized for his contributions.

‘Was this the answer after all?’

Feeling a little excited, like the residents, he smiled faintly while watching the screen. Balun had completed the task successfully, and he was undoubtedly pleased to receive such rewards.

‘Now, I need a way to convey that what we’ve done is right and that we should continue this path.’

He rummaged through the desktop, moving the mouse hurriedly. He desperately wanted to inform the residents that today’s achievements were the correct way he had wished for and that they had done well.

[File Transfer Program]

Among the already activated programs, what caught his eye was the file transfer program. He had previously used it to receive the spoils offered by the residents. However, the functions of this transfer program were not limited to just that.

‘I can give them something too.’

File exchanges were not one-way; it was clearly mutual. His mouse pointer hovered over the send button.