ALL NOVEL Chapter 49
Chapter 49 – The Winds of Change (9)
“I got it! I got it!”
‘Did we win?’
The gigantic spider, screaming in agony, slowly fell to the ground, oozing its bodily fluids.
The residents who had fought in this life-and-death struggle watched with tense faces from beyond the screen, sensing victory.
As the dead bug’s corpse turned to a murky ash and scattered, all that remained on the ground were a few by-products, including its venomous fangs.
They had truly caught the bug.
‘Not enough. Is this a fundamental problem?’
However, while everyone else cheered joyfully, Riena, who had played the biggest role at the center of it all, looked down at her sword with a stern expression. This battle left her unsatisfied.
While the skills she had mastered in the game were indeed powerful techniques, she felt there were limitations in facing a giant monster like the bug, unlike similarly sized raiders or glitches.
“Is this really the end?”
But there was no time to relax just yet. Goor, a warrior and one of Rakum’s companions, scratched his head and pointed toward the end of the dark passage that remained obscured.
It didn’t feel like they had reached the end just because they had taken down the leader; the eerie atmosphere lingering in this dim cave was still very much present.
“You’ll know once you check it out.”
Agreeing with that suggestion, Barun regained his composure and urged the party forward. They readied their weapons and began to venture deeper into the cave.
“There are still more.”
Riena, at the front, was the first to sense multiple presences. Just as they had anticipated, the struggle against the monsters seeking to devour the world was not yet over.
“So, this really is it. Their nest!”
“Here come the little ones!”
They quickly found themselves in a panic at the sight unfolding before them. At the end of the passage lay a massive cavern. Under the faint glow of luminescent stones, swarms of small spiders crawled around, with their eggs scattered haphazardly.
[Bug lv 0]
Still not matured, they were larvae. Recognizing new enemies, the larvae saw them as adversaries and charged forward, provoking a clash between the startled residents and the enraged baby spiders almost instantly.
*
‘This will need some help.’
Though they were just baby spiders, they were comparable in size to large dogs or wolves. As the dark brown-bodied creatures collided with the panicked residents, I had been watching attentively, never letting my guard down, and swiftly grabbed my mouse to switch the screen.
These baby spiders may be bugs, but at level 0, they didn’t seem too strong. They were at best similar to the recently appearing level 2 glitches or even weaker.
Seeing Riena’s sword easily slice through several with her skills, I thought the armed residents, with their ample combat experience, would manage just fine.
“—?!”
So, I hurriedly drew the residents, busy with their own tasks in the village, and dropped them in front of the bug nest’s entrance. I worried they might not understand my intentions and fretted over how to convey my will, but luckily, the residents began to chatter excitedly and quickly gathered a few brave souls to take action.
They rushed to grab any weapon they could—if they had none, they picked up nearby branches to make makeshift clubs, leaping into the dungeon. It was surely dangerous, but they didn’t need to take the front lines themselves.
Just throwing stones from behind would surely help the warriors that had gone in first.
“Clear the main content is really tough.”
Seeing the residents join the warriors and fight together made me sigh, as I couldn’t help but chuckle. As expected, their participation greatly assisted the confused warriors, who regained their footing thanks to the numerical advantage.
The purpose of this grand system, weaving together our two different worlds, was simply one: to fend off monsters known as bugs.
The nomadic residents from the grasslands certainly have their share of beasts and hostile tribes. However, ultimately, the main content of this system is the battle against the bugs.
Everything revolves around the fight against the bugs, and whether it’s gathering spoils from fighting enemies in-game or expanding influence by battling foes in reality, it’s all just a stepping stone for that. It’s how it was designed from the start.
[Bug Nest Destroyed]
As a reward for our hard work until now, one of the main contents had been conquered.
The residents had completed the task of sweeping away the base of those who had been indiscriminately assaulting them, creating nests for mass reproduction.
[Achievement Unlocked: Nest Conquest (1)]
[Achievement Unlocked: Stage of Progress (1)]
Amidst the cheers of the residents as they watched the spider corpses pile up and slowly disappear, various messages acknowledging their contributions appeared on my screen.
Most of the rewards were points. Indeed, if one actively participates, it’s unlikely to ever run short on points.
[Bond Strengthening Token]
“What’s this?”
However, there was one reward whose meaning eluded me. Naturally, I clicked it to find out what it was.
[Reward granted for achieving a close-knit bond between user and guardians.]
The description was brief. The bond strengthening token, awarded for achieving the stage of progress, serves to enhance the bond between me and the residents, having worked together to achieve this development.
But how exactly?
[Document Program Activated]
As I hesitated, not quite understanding, a program appeared on its own in front of me—one typically used for word processing.
The blinking cursor on the empty page dazzled my eyes. What on earth was I expected to do with this?
[Enter the names of the guardians here]
As I silently observed, the program kindly explained how to use it.
‘Names?’
However, even after hearing that explanation, my hand hesitated to move. That name they wanted me to input could not simply be just anyone’s name.
It meant I was to name the group that had migrated here and formed a bond with me.
“What should I call them?”
As my thoughts froze, I let out a chuckle. Instantly, a myriad of words darted through my mind.
*
“Everyone, let’s head back. Did we gather what we could?”
“Yes, Chieftain.”
“Then let’s leave. This isn’t a place we want to linger.”
By the time enough cleanup at the bug nest had been completed, Barun, satisfied after a well-deserved rest, rose with his staff and instructed the residents to return.
The fatigue was apparent on everyone’s faces, but they were smiling because of their victory. The warriors who had entered first, along with the other residents who had rapidly joined to help them, began to file out of the nest.
“Good work today.”
“It was, well… just what we had to do.”
Riena praised Shura, who had fought alongside her at the front lines, rubbing his head affectionately.
Being the village’s only warrior and possessing some innate talent, Riena had garnered the most resources from the start, making her undoubtedly the strongest at this point. But Shura, who had only recently awakened to his true talent, had undoubtedly become stronger than your average warrior now.
‘…Am I being overlooked after all?’
Someone observed Shura’s impressive performance. Rasen, Rakum’s younger brother. Having been caught by his mouse while working in the village, Rasen had fought hard alongside the others.
Yet the strength of an ordinary boy could only barely allow him to take down a single baby spider by teaming up with adults.
Compared to the agile girl Shura, using her former assassin skills to weave through spiders and slash at the foes rushing from all sides, he felt weak.
For a spirited boy who dreamed of becoming a warrior, it was an image he couldn’t easily ignore.
“Don’t be too down. You’ll surely be able to awaken your mana too.”
“But what if I never gain mana?”
“Even so, surely that one will bestow grace upon you. You still have your chance.”
Noticing his younger brother’s dejection, Rakum pat him on the back with a wry smile. Even Rakum, who had taken pride in being a warrior, was feeling the shock of seeing the level Riena and Shura exhibited today; his feelings were hardly different from Rasen’s.
‘Of course, I want to be chosen by that one too. I want to become as strong as Riena. Still, just having this opportunity is something.’
As Rakum stepped outside the nest, he looked up at the increasingly darkening sky with a bittersweet smile. Until now, he hadn’t received any meaningful assistance.
Yet, Rakum believed that just by properly joining Balun’s tribe, blessed by the land’s mystical spirits, he had received a sort of opportunity.
In the past, he wouldn’t have seen any chances to grow here since he couldn’t devote himself solely to training.
“Hmm? What’s that?”
And at that moment, while Rakum was absentmindedly gazing at the sky, his eyes widened at the sight above.
Even Rakum wasn’t the only one seeing it. Rasen, standing beside him, and the other residents all looked up in unison, buzzing and murmuring about what it could be.
“C-Chieftain?”
“O-Oh!”
Barun was awestruck at the letters becoming clearer in the sky.
This was undeniably not just a natural phenomenon but something descending from the spirits caring for them, he intuited.
“Quick, to the village! Hurry!”
Barun urged the residents as he dashed towards the village. Typically, he would pick them up with his mouse and carry them along, but now, completely preoccupied with the document program, he was unaware that they might panic about any potential problems and ran quickly.
“What is that, Chief? We haven’t done anything.”
“It’s certainly the will of that one.”
By the time they arrived, the village was already in an uproar. All the residents had come out, collectively gazing at the sky and chattering in confusion.
The letters shimmering against the dark sky were both a source of bewilderment and anxiety—was it punishment or blessing?
‘What on earth… erk?!’
As he faced their gazes, Barun, now equally perplexed, stared into the sky, sweat trickling down his brow.
Suddenly, he felt something invisible brush against him. It was a familiar sensation, akin to when a mouse lifted him.
“This… this is.”
Simultaneously, his eyes widened in astonishment. As something flowed into his mind, the jagged characters in the sky gradually started to become readable.