A Village Appeared on My Desktop

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Chapter 234 – The End and the Beginning (4)

“They found another nest of those creatures. That’s already the 115th zone.”

“Still, looking at how they’re being pushed further east, it’s clear they’re losing ground.”

“Well… we’ve fought long enough that we should see some results by now.”

The one who spoke first chuckled at the response from Kim Eun-ha, who was checking her equipment. The full-scale war that had begun and the ongoing battles had been so brutal and intense that even those who disliked it were forced to grow in a short period.

Like Kim Eun-ha, who was just a rookie guardian and a former Chinese restaurant owner, he too had become a veteran with numerous achievements by now.

“Experts say we’ve found a balance. The harder we fight, the weaker the bug attacks on our homeland become.”

Their contributions could be confirmed through visible metrics. While they had wiped out a fair number of nests, the bugs investing more forces to hold them back naturally led to a decrease in their utilization of gates.

That alone was sufficient motivation to keep fighting. Although it was the user’s will that provided help and direction to them, ultimately, this was the only way to protect their homes and families.

Humans are creatures of adaptation, and since the bugs appeared, they had adjusted, causing people to gradually become accustomed to this war, which seemed likely to continue for some time.

“This person is still roaming the world. They estimate he’s quite a high-level user, but what exactly is his purpose?”

In the midst of this, he grinned as he saw something. When Kim Eun-ha took an interest, he showed her the phone he was looking at.

“This person…”

The person in the video on the screen was someone familiar to her. A strong individual who had saved her life. The black cloak and mask were tools and symbols that thoroughly concealed his identity.

While they fought enemies on the front formed to seek out nests, this mysterious man moved stealthily, continuously battling the bugs trying to retaliate through gates and protecting people in the process.

“Is it simply a sense of justice? That seems difficult. He’s different from us.”

“Of course, there could be other reasons. Just as we think of him, he likely has many people looking up to him.”

Kim Eun-ha smiled faintly. Those who understood the relationship between users and guardians could see something different.

In fact, her guess was correct. The reason he was so active was certainly because he had something he needed to gain.

But ultimately, it didn’t matter what the reason was. Countless lives had been saved by his hands, and many powerful foes had been eliminated.

That alone made him a hero. His achievements were undeniable, and many, including Kim Eun-ha herself, admired him.

“I’m still lacking a lot.”

With a raised smile, she assessed the opponent’s competence. This hero was also the goal she set for herself.

Having experienced compressed real combat in a short time, she had shed all her clumsiness and was now a fully-fledged veteran, but she still sensed her own shortcomings.

“Our styles are different. Is it even possible to catch up?”

“Raw power isn’t everything.”

And it wasn’t just raw power that mattered.

Undoubtedly, that hero was once an ordinary new recruit who knew nothing, but now he had grown to the point where someone would aspire to be like him.

The positive influence that such a hero emanated would spread through the people and grow larger. If that happened, the world would surely become safer.

*

“It seems everyone has adapted now.”

“It was only a matter of time. They couldn’t help but get used to it.”

The capital undergoing many changes. Now an Order headquarters impacting the entire continent, this place had become a bustling metropolis with people from various regions, but there were still those who originally lived here.

Rasen, who had begun to go outside, was no different.

Having suffered a severe injury, losing one arm in the last battle, Rasen barely escaped with his life.

And knowing who was responsible for that injury, Shura was now visiting Rasen daily whenever her duties as a paladin allowed.

“Looks like your mission ended without any incidents.”

“The numbers were a bit high, but they were just low-level larvae. Traveling through the gate didn’t take long.”

Shura chuckled at Rasen’s words regarding the prior mission.

With reports of numerous glitches appearing, she had ridden for a whole day, taking two portals to deal with them in her last mission.

“Perhaps the things we’ve been through were so enormous that now it feels peaceful.”

The two stepped outside their home together into the street. The system Riena had aimed to create was taking shape, and chaos was slowly fading away as order began to reemerge.

In this place, Rasen found himself disoriented, having stepped outside after months. This area was indeed more turbulent than anywhere else on the continent, yet paradoxically, Rasen accepted this atmosphere as peace. In the grasslands where he used to monitor the opposing tribe, there were no longer raiders or monsters.

The foes who lived to slay them were now being hunted and eradicated, appearing significantly diminished.

“It’s definitely peaceful compared to what we experienced. We’ve changed so much since the first time we met.”

Shura nodded deeply in agreement with Rasen’s words. Having lost everything, including her parents, in chaos, she was essentially experiencing this kind of order for the first time.

Standing right in front of it, and having contributed significantly to it, she couldn’t help but feel strange about it.

“It really has changed a lot. You too.”

Rasen glanced at her. He recognized that so many events had occurred in rapid succession that it didn’t feel like such a long time, but in actuality, it hadn’t been that long.

However, during their growth periods, even a short time could bring about great change. Both of them had grown taller and changed significantly since their first meeting.

“Look over there. Those people seem to be from the Empire.”

At that moment, Shura pointed towards a group of people dressed in unusual clothing, being guided by someone who seemed to be a priest from the Order across the giant castle gate and into the city.

“They’re from the southern Empire. All of them have received his revelation.”

Shura directly asked the priest, and as expected, they were the ones Jun-young had personally selected to bring into the game.

Now, with the tribes of the grassland nearly all validated, aside from the newly born children, most of the newcomers were outsiders.

“I heard that if you go over there, you can see his avatar in person. Is that true?”

“That may be the case, but from what I’ve heard, lately, he seems a bit busy with other matters, and the avatars have been less visible. Still, the predecessors and locals will guide you well, so there’s no need to worry.”

The most attention-grabbing were the guardian deities’ avatars, proudly displaying their forms as large sculptures.

Numerous people couldn’t help but be interested in the rumors that various avatars would personally lead them.

However, upon hearing this question, Shura shook her head with an awkward expression. The frequency of avatar appearances had plummeted recently.

Considering the gatherings of people at gates or the rare opening of portals, it was clear the guardian deity was still monitoring them, but for some reason, the avatars had gone quiet.

They had no way of knowing that this was because Jun-young was busily engaging in external activities to earn points.

“Well…”

“Don’t make such a disappointing sound. Just receiving this revelation means that he is watching over you. Do you really think it’s common for him to directly move his avatar to meet you?”

The priest soothingly consoled those who were feeling let down.

The conversation naturally transitioned to the experiences Shura and Rasen had firsthand with the avatars, and the two shared their tales with a strangely elevated pride, recounting their encounters.

The simple discussions about the avatars and the information about bugs in the world were turning into hot topics spreading across the continent.

“But, I must admit, I’m a bit disappointed. I don’t think he’ll call us again.”

“Don’t say that. I’m sure there are those he would summon before us.”

While such words were exchanged, Rasen sighed dejectedly, and Shura shook her head as she mentioned Riena.

“If something happens, I’m sure the Saintess will be the first to be called.”

Given that Jun-young hadn’t been playing the game much recently, he had interacted little with residents, including Riena.

As a result, they had been able to focus on the necessary tasks in reality.

However, both Shura and Rasen, as well as anyone who had once played with Jun-young’s avatar in the game, were dreaming of that moment to come once again.

“What if he never looks for us again?”

“That’s something I would accept humbly as his acknowledgment, but… to be honest, I just don’t know.”

Slowly, a sense of unease permeated the conversation. Especially those who had been there since the beginning and had gone through all sorts of experiences with him felt it keenly.

While the growing influence and rapidly increasing number of people to care for was certainly a positive development overall, it also meant that the guardian deity’s attention was diluted.

“Surely, the Saintess can’t possibly not seek us out.”

Despite having casually said so, Shura was internally cautious.

Others might not know, but she believed that Riena would come looking for him.

But like others, Riena was simply focusing on fulfilling her duties in reality and, since the game world stabilized, had not been called upon separately.

“Have faith and wait. Regardless of anything, he would never abandon us.”

When Riena said this as Shura cautiously broached the subject, she smiled wryly and patted Shura’s head.

Riena had a firm belief that she would meet him again someday.

With such conviction, there was no room for doubt, and Shura kept quiet.

[Current Points: 101,000]

“Ha, finally. Finally, I’ve gathered them all…!”

That belief was not misguided.

After months of gathering points obsessively following the final battle against the resilient bugs and acquiring hints for the master program.

Jun-young and the residents on the screen had united their hearts to accumulate points and had finally reached their target.

[Activating VR Chat Program]

With no time to relish the moment, he activated one of the programs he had aimed for using the master program.

Now, no one could predict what would unfold. He merely stared at the screen with a tense face.

A village had appeared on my desktop, Chapter 235.