A Village Appeared on My Desktop

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Chapter 2

52 – Clash (2)

“I can’t believe I can’t wield a sword… I’ve held a sword my whole life…”

“It’s a special power, Rasen. It’s not something everyone can learn. You’re special, and the fact that that person recognized you, don’t be too sad.”

When the one who had guided my brother to the opportunity for a class change stepped away, Rakun looked around in awe at the game world he had only heard about from Balun while glancing at his younger brother, Rasen, and chuckled.

The little kid had only been able to swing the lightest sword for a few years at most since he’d grown up, and, sure, it was unfortunate that he couldn’t use the sword he had practiced so hard with, but the tribes of the grassland valued special powers like shamanism much more highly than the martial arts that warriors typically learned.

“It doesn’t seem like shamanism. It’s a bit different.”

“A different power?”

Of course, the power Rasen obtained through his class change was a bit different from the shamanism they knew. Fittingly named magic, it resembled the magic of the indigenous people living beyond the barriers rather than shamanism.

Rasen instinctively realized this as he automatically acquired those skills.

“Anyway, it doesn’t matter. You received the choice of that person, and now you have power. Let’s go outside. We need to check this out ourselves.”

“…Yes!”

From outside, the faint sounds of wailing wraith soldiers could be heard. Upon hearing that, Rakun suggested to Rasen that they go outside and fight.

There was no way Rasen would refuse. He was somewhat worried that the awakening might not be what he wished for, but it was unnecessary concern.

His life’s goal was to follow his brother and become a strong warrior, and after the series of recent events and witnessing the exploits of Shura, a girl his age, he earnestly hoped for a miracle like that to come to him.

“Yikes!”

Of course, he flinched and took a step back in surprise at the sight of the undead wraith soldiers, looking like rotting corpses, but his strong brother was right beside him.

“Use the power you received from that person with confidence. Here they come!”

Seeing the wraith soldiers leave their safety zone and charge at them while growling, Rakun easily smashed the skull of the first one that rushed him with a spear.

‘It’s hot.’

Almost simultaneously, a magic skill erupted from the staff that Rasen raised. Fireballs shot forth in quick succession.

Seeing the hot fireball streak past his face and explode while taking down the wraiths made cold sweat roll down Rakun’s back.

His younger brother, whom he thought was still weak for a man, had just unleashed something so powerful.

“Looks like you had a good experience.”

“The wraiths you mentioned were those monsters. But I didn’t see any big skeleton wraiths. Rasen got tired too quickly.”

“If you keep doing this, you’ll learn how to control it and naturally get better. I did too.”

The brothers returned to the village after hours of combat, completely exhausted.

Balun chuckled at their appearance, weapons in hand, having experienced what he had gone through.

Both of them were so caught up in the thrill of their newly gained powers that they had carelessly exhausted all their stamina and mana, leaving their faces pale.

“Next time, don’t waste too much power. The monsters there keep coming back no matter how many you kill, so killing them isn’t our objective. Always maintain some spare strength.”

“Ah…”

Balun gently advised them. Rakun, realizing the meaning behind his words, nodded. Keeping spare strength meant leaving enough to remain capable of at least surviving the next fight.

They naturally had to be ready to face predators or bugs that might attack at any time.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“We also have emergency potions, so don’t worry too much. Just rest well today. It shouldn’t be too eventful,” Balun encouraged them to take it easy. In truth, there were methods they could use if a real emergency arose. One of the primary roles of lower potions that could be farmed during hunting mode was to restore consumed stamina and mana.

They just had to be careful because the quantity was limited.

“The wall construction has already progressed this much! It wasn’t long ago when we came here.”

“With two capable people, the speed doubled.”

As Rakun was about to head home, he admired the stone block wall visible in the distance.

The three-meter-high, one-meter-thick stone wall was quickly being erected by Morin, who had the Transporter trait, alongside a companion who had awakened a similar trait, encircling most of the village already.

Though it was just a wall level for now, Balun, who had seen parts of such construction in the game, was confident that it would one day become a massive and grand castle wall.

“But I feel sorry for those working hard, but we may have to tear it down again.”

“Excuse me?”

“If new people join us, we’ll need to expand.”

Balun scratched his head and murmured this. He was genuinely thinking about sending troops to negotiate with a new sub-tribe discovered by scouts, so if they joined, the wall would need to be expanded.

*

‘It seems easier than I thought to increase the population.’

Right after Rasen and Rakun underwent their class change, I was removing the mouse from the game outside of chapter 2 while packing my bags and transporting the scouts I had gathered to take them near the other tribe they discovered along with Riena.

At the same time, I kept an eye on the situation while continuing the game.

As before, the forces under Balun’s command were cautiously approaching the tribe members to attempt communication.

“—?”

“—.”

The reconnaissance team, explaining their objectives, offered gifts to persuade them.

The serious-faced middle-aged man, who seemed to be their chief, was pondering hard, but seeing the faces of the others observing him, it seemed the matter would go positively as Balun intended.

‘Are we finally surpassing 300 in population? We really need to shed the title of a small tribe.’

If they joined, the population would exceed 300. With the generous supply of materials I provided through the game, the small tribe that had only started with around thirty members grew significantly in such a short time.

There was no hindrance in their unity, perhaps because they spoke the same language and shared similar cultures even while being antagonistic or competitive.

“—, —!”

“Alright.”

It seemed the chief ultimately made a decision. He shouted something toward the gathering tribe members, and everyone cheered, while the reconnaissance team sent by Balun bowed in agreement.

In that moment, they shifted from being neutral, allowing for the control of the mouse once more.

Once they finished preparing for the move, I thought about shifting them over with the mouse while continuing to move my character and progress in the game, stealing glimpses at the screen.

“The barrier breaking and demons crawling out is a definite fact. Yet, those foolish ones deny it.”

In the game where Riena and I were progressing through Chapter 2, a sub-quest to enhance skills was proceeding without pause, even while I was momentarily focused on something else.

“—?”

“They’re scared. They fear losing the power and wealth they hold because of such upheavals.”

The NPC boosting player skills was an old paladin, pushed aside due to corruption in the order. He had been ostracized for speaking the truth.

Thanks to Riena naturally engaging with the NPCs, he was now mumbling out lines that weren’t in the script.

“If you two are truly hunters who hunt demons, I can assist you. But you must prove your skills.”

Still, the quest progressed normally. The paladin announced that if they passed his trial, he’d grant them power to help them in hunting demons, which was the core of the sub-quest.

“Now, come at me. You can both attack if you want.”

Though an old man, his muscular frame stood as he drew his sword. Riena, looking startled, glanced at me, but I had no intention of hesitating. I immediately swung my weapon, sending a crackling bolt of lightning toward him.

“Ugh!?”

Originally, the player was supposed to face him alone. However, in this situation with no such rules, he had to withstand the combined assault of both Riena and me as proclaimed.

“Y-you’re pretty capable…”

It seemed he slightly underestimated Riena. Her growth was steep due to her not only utilizing this game but also having endured harsh battles in reality, receiving multiple investments.

The basic strategy was for me to provide support with magic from a distance while she pressured the opponent from the front. The green energy bursting from her sword as she sliced through large tree branches left deep scars on the ground.

In that exchange, he was the one overwhelmed.

The paladin, renowned for his diverse and challenging patterns, which earned him the nickname “Newbie Deleter” among rankers, eventually had to admit his defeat when he was cornered against the wall.

“—.”

“Haha, you truly are a fierce female knight.”

Riena stomped on his shoulder, keeping him down on the ground, forcing him to concede and drop his sword.

“This is the celestial legacy bestowed upon paladins. I bestow it upon you. Please continue to fend off the demons in place of the oblivious hogs of the order.”

He handed over the promised reward. It was a potion for enhancing skills. However, there were two of them. Normally, they only gave one.

“—…?”

Riena handed one of them to me. It seemed that receiving two celestial blessings resulted in her getting two rewards.

After a moment of consideration, I took it and enhanced my character. To keep up with her in support, my character needed to grow stronger.

“I’m sincere. I don’t know what your intentions are in hunting demons, but I’ve seen brighter hope than those pompous paladins of the order.”

“—.”

As we were about to leave, the paladin gave us a last tired look. When Riena responded with something, he nodded approvingly, as if he found satisfaction.

For him, everything was part of the reality he existed in.

The entity placing all its hope in my game character—it’s a strange feeling to watch. To me, this was merely a means to an end.

‘For Riena, all of this must be experience.’

I glanced over at Riena walking beside me. Someone as strong as her absorbs everything and makes it her own.