A Village Appeared on My Desktop

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Chapter 47 – The Winds of Change (7)

Late at night, even the most workaholic people couldn’t stay in the office at this hour due to regulations.

Yet, in a dark corner of the office, there was still a sense of life. Someone was sitting in front of a computer, grumbling away instead of heading home.

“I’ve got to smelt the extracted iron ore with coal… Ugh, why is this so complicated?”

The protagonist of this scene was a young woman who looked exhausted and haggard. She stared blankly at the screen, muttering under her breath as her fingers fidgeted on the keyboard.

Every movement felt awkward. She had little connection to computer games throughout her life, so this was bound to be challenging.

Moreover, this wasn’t her home; it was the office. Thanks to that, even when she was engrossed in the game, she occasionally lifted her head to glance around anxiously.

“Lee So-Yeon, what are you doing, seriously? Everyone else has clocked out.”

“Mind your own business.”

Someone approached her just as she was. She noticed them in advance and quickly powered down the monitor.

But that person ignored her request and came right beside her, looking down at her sitting dumbfounded in front of the turned-off computer with a face of disbelief.

Naturally, it was reasonable for her older brother to worry about his younger sister staying late at the office. What’s more, she had recently messed up her business and had just barely managed to slip into their father’s company.

“Stop this strange behavior. You asked for any position and got hired; what are you doing hanging around here?”

“T-this is completely different…!”

Her brother’s words ignited her anger, but as she opened her mouth, she soon fell silent. She couldn’t bear to explain why she was in this situation.

‘If I keep talking, they’ll just think I’m crazy.’

Her mind recalled that incident from days ago. When a change occurred on her computer screen that displayed a tranquil plain as its background.

Even when she spoke to those around her about the little people who appeared inside the screen and the work they were doing, no one could find anything odd about her monitor.

It was a change that only she could see. Being the composed person she was, she completely gave up on asking for help from others, including her brother who was now sitting beside her.

‘Only that person can…’

In such circumstances, the only remaining hope she found was someone else, whose name and face were foreign to her.

Following the tips from that person who got embroiled in this bizarre phenomenon before her, she installed the game and linked it to the Master Program, communicating with the residents on the screen through the game and assisting them.

The image of the residents celebrating her resource contributions was still vivid in her mind. They had suffered greatly from the recent monster attacks.

“Go home. Don’t be late tomorrow.”

“J-just wait a minute. I need to take the computer with me.”

As he glared at her with intensity, she realized she could no longer stay. She hastily tried to dismantle the computer. She needed it at home to continue.

Such antics would surely be baffling to anyone unaware.

‘I can’t live like this. I need to focus on one thing.’

Feeling the harsh gaze of her brother burning into her back as she packed the monitor and CPU, she bit her lip.

Although she was currently just a bottom-tier employee who got in through the backdoor, having lived as part of a wealthy family, she held no real affection for this job she had entered almost out of desperation.

If it required her to seize the special opportunity and connection that had come her way, she was ready to abandon this job without a second thought. She had the ability and resources to do so.

‘I must meet that person directly. Even if I can’t reach the point of working together, at the very least I have to gather more information.’

With that intent, she decided to meet ‘that person’ whom she could call her senior and only ally.

‘Is it because I dropped out of school and my first business failed that I’m so shaken right now?’

Of course, her brother merely let out a small sigh as he watched her determined expression, hugging the monitor tightly in the back seat of the car he was driving.

*

“—, —.”

As the scouts returned one by one with my help, Barun didn’t sleep and gathered a few people at his home.

Among them were the warriors including Riena. They were considering making an attempt on the Bug Nest.

I too supported their decision as I watched from outside. The Bug Nest remained quietly in place, but I felt uneasy about when issues might arise there.

‘Six members. That’s the best we can do right now.’

It looked like there were six people attempting to invade the Bug Nest. Barun, Riena, and Shura were joined by Rakum and two warrior companions from his side.

While the others had already been assigned in the game, promoted, and gained their skills, the remaining three hadn’t received any assistance from me yet.

To deploy new personnel in Dark Blood, a game that allowed for class changes in combat roles, I would need to clear Chapter 2 with Riena. Nevertheless, since they appeared to be experienced warriors rather than newly awakened beings like Barun or Shura, I wasn’t overly worried.

“Ugh, is this it for today?”

As their serious meeting wrapped up, with stones laid out on the floor for tactical discussion, I minimized the screen back to its original size and twisted my body.

During the night when most of the residents were sleeping, there was hardly any significance in keeping watch.

-Can you contact me now?

A message arrived at that moment. As I was tidying up around me, I settled back down at my desk upon seeing it.

“What’s going on? Did something happen?”

-No, the game installed just fine, and I’m seeing good effects. Thank you.

The person who messaged first claimed they had installed the game as per my advice and were observing its benefits.

Relieved as my suspicion was confirmed, I felt grateful for everything turning out well.

-I think we’ll have ample opportunities to collaborate in the future. Though for now, I’ll be on the receiving end of help.

“If we can help one another, that’s great.”

-That said, I’d like to show my gratitude in some way. Are you open to meeting in person to discuss everything we’ve gone through and what lies ahead?

However, the way this was brought up sparked my surprise. To suggest such a bold meeting!

‘Whoever this is, let’s not go bouncing into arranged meetings blindly, especially these days.’

Naturally, I raised my guard. It wasn’t that I was particularly afraid of meeting people; it was because both of us weren’t ordinary individuals.

-Please, allow me to show my appreciation.

However, the person persisted. I sensed a powerful will in their attitude to take risks for something. After all, just like me, they didn’t know who I was either.

“Alright, let’s meet.”

After a moment of conflict, I glanced at the black cloak tossed on the bed and sent my affirmative response.

I was captivated by the mystery surrounding this stranger’s ‘gratitude’ and thought it would be useful, especially since I had just acquired another safety mechanism today.

“I’ll choose the time and place.”

I had no intention of meeting in an ordinary setting like a café. We weren’t meeting to discuss business, after all. The other person seemed a bit hesitant, responding slower but eventually confirmed.

‘Is she a woman?’

From our exchanges, I tried to predict the identity of my contact. Strangely, they also revealed little information, leaving me with almost nothing certain.

The only thing I could guess was that the way they spoke sounded feminine.

‘Have I watched too many movies?’

After work the next day, instead of heading home, I set out for another location.

The place I chose for our rendezvous was in the outskirts of the city, a wooded hill that you reach by car. I hadn’t imagined they would actually agree to such a request.

‘Guess I should arrive a little late.’

After getting off the bus, I pulled the black cloak hidden in my bag from behind a nearby building. It would catch attention if seen by modern people, but I quickly activated the power hidden within the cloak.

“Hello?”

The effect of the Cloak of the Recluse was instantaneous. A puppy tied up in the yard that was barking at me turned confused, glancing around, and a passerby walked by without even noticing my greeting.

After all, they were likely just an ordinary person drawn into this strange situation, so they wouldn’t be shocked to see me wearing the cloak.

‘Is that her?’

I started to ascend the hill. Since my body had grown stronger after inheriting Riena’s superhuman traits, I found even this amount of exercise easy. In fact, I could climb faster than an average person.

That meeting time had already passed by a few minutes, and perhaps she was already there waiting.

“Who are you even meeting with?”

“No one has shown up yet.”

However, just as I was getting closer to the rendezvous point marked on my phone’s GPS, I froze upon spotting a duo hidden as they watched the meeting spot.

Although I was openly trekking up the trail, those concealed figures remained vigilant, and naturally, they couldn’t see me.

‘That’s her.’

There she was, where they were looking at. A young woman dressed in black, nervously clutching her cellphone, her expression clearly anxious.

I instinctively realized she was the one who had contacted me the previous night.

‘Seems like she prepared something after all.’

Though startled, I didn’t halt my steps. Surely, she would have given the matter some thought if she was being summoned to a hill by a stranger.

The two sturdy men, whose firm physiques suggested they could easily overpower someone like me, gave off an air that hinted at their skilled backgrounds, whether they were acquaintances or policemen.

The problem was that I had brought something from the game world that transcended their common sense. Without them noticing, I slipped right past the vigilant guards and approached her.

“You don’t need to worry too much. I’m not here to harm you.”

“Eek!?”

As I fully approached her, I let up on the power I had infused into the cloak and slightly lifted my invisibility to whisper in her ear.

To her, it would feel as if a voice suddenly came from thin air.