NOVEL NEXT Chapter 215
Chapter 215 – Struggle (5)
“Ha.”
Riena’s stamina isn’t the only thing that’s finite. The zombies, at least, didn’t come in infinite numbers. The horde of zombies that had been pouring in endlessly began to dwindle little by little.
Riena let out a small sigh under the burden of slowly regenerating stamina as she watched the zombies falling to the ground from the bullets firing behind her.
The stamina burden from launching powerful skills using mana and swinging her sword cannot be compared to the act of pulling a trigger to fire a gun; yet, he was the only character in this world derived from a game.
Even though there was a stat limiting her actions, that stamina didn’t decrease by shooting a gun.
“I’ve really taken them all out.”
He paused the mouse and chuckled at the screen. The terrifying waves of zombies had transformed into countless corpses lying at the feet of their overwhelming strength and firepower.
[Achievement Unlocked: Zombie Massacre (1)]
He had accomplished an achievement that was difficult to achieve in solo play, starting with nothing but a car.
“Just grab the remaining ammo and head out. There’s still time.”
He sneaked a glance outside the game window. Riena was unaware, but he was also managing the desktop amidst his gaming.
He had seen the refugees joining the Encampment of the Arin Tribe, confirmed the problems happening within the Kingdom of Baruk in real-time, and was also watching the external forces gathering to invade the grassland.
“Who’s that?!”
At that moment, as Riena diligently loaded ammunition and weapons into the car, she sensed another presence and hurriedly drew her sword, aiming in that direction.
It was a presence approaching them, but it felt different from the indiscriminately rushing zombies.
‘Humans.’
Her eyes widened. The four survivors, each holding a feeble weapon like a baseball bat, had desperately come here.
The survivors’ eyes flickered as they gazed at Riena, who was clad in shining silver armor radiating a soft golden hue and wielding a sword.
Just as the zombies had been swept away by her unreasonable power from another genre, the survivors were feeling a strong sense of alienation from her existence.
“Ah, survivor NPC… No, they wouldn’t be NPCs anymore. Just like people from another game.”
He murmured in admiration as he witnessed this from outside the screen.
Confronting a part he hadn’t thought about. It wouldn’t be a problem if it were just a game, but this world was no longer simply a game.
“Uh, um…”
The first to suggest coming here, one of the survivors, Oh Chan-Woo. He tried to speak to Riena but was left speechless.
His mind couldn’t grasp what he had just seen.
Months had passed since this world had started down the dreadful path of destruction, and though they had been fighting back against zombies with the guns they had somehow acquired, they never imagined meeting a beautiful female knight wielding a sword in shining armor.
‘It’s like something out of a fantasy game.’
Seeing her fight would have only strengthened that impression.
Though her wings were currently tucked away, the sight of her unleashing sword energy and unleashing skills was beyond explanation.
‘What should I do?’
At the same time, Jun-Young’s mind was working quickly. In games, survivor NPCs could either be valuable allies providing useful skills and supplies or enemies attempting to backstab or rob you.
It was likely the same now. Of course, even if the survivors turned out to be enemies, it was hard to imagine them dealing a scratch to Riena standing right next to him; they were in desperate need and too busy with their own matters.
“P-please help us!”
“Please!”
And at that moment, the survivors, led by Oh Chan-Woo, began begging Riena.
In a hopeless apocalyptic situation where endings no longer existed, they couldn’t let go of the glimmer of hope they had barely found.
Even if they didn’t know Riena’s true identity, the weary survivors instinctively wanted to move under that light.
‘Ignoring them would be the easiest option. I don’t particularly need anything from raiding the military base right now.’
Even though it was happening on the screen, he had a history of dispatching numerous people with his own hands.
He also had experience from reality where he had killed and dealt with people. The heart he had developed through that process was no longer easily shaken by ordinary events.
‘Should I leave it to Riena after all?’
However, he forced a bitter smile at the sight of Riena looking at him.
Remembering the times when they first played that hardcore RPG together, he recalled why she could never pass up side quests.
In this special ‘world’ influenced by the Master Program, he, as the player, ironically wasn’t the main character.
The only player in the world was merely a bystander, and it was those living within it and the residents being implemented who drove the story of the world.
‘Are you leaving the choice to me?’
Riena showed no significant reaction and instead seemed to have realized his intentions as she turned toward the survivors.
They had played games together enough times already that Riena naturally turned to the survivors.
“We have a purpose to hurry on our path. If you cannot accompany us for that purpose, we cannot travel together.”
“Uh, where exactly are you going?”
“To find a way to heal this plague.”
The survivors were taken aback by Riena’s words. Yet, she followed up with an even more shocking statement.
The plague she referred to was something different, but for the survivors, it was the zombies crawling all around them.
“I will join you. Whatever you are doing, it’s better than starving to death trapped inside a building.”
“Hey, you…”
Oh Chan-Woo was the first to say he would follow. Even the other hesitant companions were surprised.
But they had no choice from the start. The moment they had jumped out in search of any sliver of hope, all that remained was to take action. That hope wouldn’t come to those who remain idle.
“I’ll go too! I’m Kim Sun-Young. I used to be a nurse.”
Eventually, following Oh Chan-Woo, the young woman who bit her lip was the first to express her agreement, and one by one, they decided to comply with Riena’s request.
“My name is Riena. You all might need that iron cart.”
“Eh?”
Riena smiled faintly at the survivors joining her as they introduced themselves, and pointed at the car parked next to Jun-Young.
Clearly, a regular SUV was far too cramped for everyone to fit in. A vehicle was essential for traveling together.
“I-I was a driver! Wait a second.”
Fortunately, one of them began operating a truck left abandoned at the base, using their military experience.
*
‘Wherever they go, they shine and lead those who gather towards salvation.’
The feeling I had while watching them bustling about inside the screen was genuinely hope.
I already knew that the people moving in there weren’t much different from my younger sister, who was watching TV outside while I scratched my belly, and others out in the world.
We too were beings being watched by someone inside that screen. The only difference was our position.
That’s why I couldn’t help but cherish Riena more than anyone else.
I’ve seen too much already. From the game Dark Blood that taught her what faith and belief are, to the bugs that popped out of reality.
To save the worlds inside the screen was to save me and my own world too.
‘I’m not sure if the survivors will be of help or not.’
I watched the survivors freely raiding the ammo depot and warehouse.
Riena definitely wasn’t accepting them to use them as pawns or subordinates.
She simply did it because it was the right thing to do and what she wanted. And I had no intention of opposing that.
‘After all, acquiring a vaccine isn’t done just once. We need to occupy the facilities and continually supply materials for mass production.’
The plague that the bugs had spread was rapidly spreading, leveraging its infection characteristics. There’s no way a mere vaccine acquired as a reward item would suffice, and it was clear that it would take quite a while to work on this game as well.
If I could solidify the survivors as firm allies, it would undoubtedly be a great help.
“—!”
Then, preparations were nearly complete. The military truck, ready to depart, caught up with the vehicle we were in.
I might meet other survivors, but for now, I steered the car toward our predetermined destination. That destination was precisely a facility where we could acquire vaccines.
“Is it okay to leave her inside alone?”
One problem was that I couldn’t spend all day just playing this game.
I would have to log out intermittently, and having grown this much, I wondered if it would be okay to leave Riena inside for a while.
[Danger Detected: Northwest Plain (5)]
[Danger Detected: Castle of Baruk (7)]
-Would it be possible to meet? I have something I want to show you in person.
The reasons cluttered across the screen.
“–, —!”
I pulled out the desktop destruction option and rained bullets and lightning down on the enemies attempting to invade our territory, egged on by the bugs.
Then I turned the screen toward the Castle of Baruk and warned the courtiers who were clamoring to rescue the king, who had imprisoned himself due to parasite infection, without even knowing the circumstances.
“Is it true? Have you found a way to clear the parasites?”
-Precisely, it’s a method of identification.
And I replied to Lee So-Yeon’s contact.
A method of detecting parasites that had secretly made their way into the body. The sight of my eyes widening at that revelation was unavoidable.
The fact that parasite bugs had cunningly evolved was already common knowledge, and not just me, but many users were striving to solve it.
Under each person’s circumstances, they had found their answers through the numerous games and programs recommended or developed by the Master Program.
“Let’s hurry as fast as we can. I’ll go tomorrow. Right away.”
Even if it wasn’t a complete eradication method I was aiming for by playing this game, finding a way to uncover the hidden parasites was a significant discovery.
With no reason to hesitate, I immediately set up an appointment. However, it wasn’t going to be right away.
My time to rest is increasingly getting limited these days, compounded by the growing workloads. My increased stamina and potions were helping me endure it, but there were limits.
As much as I wanted to go right away, I needed to sleep to alleviate the mental fatigue that had been piling up.
A village has formed on my desktop. Chapter 216.