Strategy game? Then I'll have to control you properly.

"Lillie, Roschel's magic!"

"Although this is unprecedented, it seems we must find a way to vent our frustrations."

Attila stared in astonishment at the murky mist seeping from Roselle's body.

Upon realizing the true nature of the ghost soldiers, Lillie's face tightened when she saw them in the distance.

"If it's working this well, should I go grind for experience points?"

Lillie, dragging Rosie, whose magic was about to go berserk, hurriedly rushed towards the group of wandering soldiers.

The undead naturally regarded them as enemies, roaring as they charged forward with their twisted weapons.

Lillie and Roselle each took up their weapons to fight, but it was not Lillie who shone brightly, but Roselle who wielded short swords that were only about the length of her arms.

Luo Xie's movements were completely natural, as if she had been through many battles. Even though she came from a remote, uncivilized tribe, her fighting prowess was ridiculously high.

Lin Miao, who had completely released the keyboard and was now focused on the monitor, wore an interested smile.

In order to provide resources, weapons, and power to the desktop residents who must fight against extradimensional monsters that threaten their own safety and the safety of their surroundings, he decided to operate efficiently using information and programs that only he could see and manipulate.

Souls obtained through PVP, much like monster essences awakened through artificial magic, are miraculous substances that can rapidly increase the experience points of residents unfamiliar with new powers.

"Can you... bestow such a miracle upon others as well?"

At that moment, Attila, who was watching Rosette go mad from being unable to bear the power within her, cautiously spoke to Lin Miao's motionless game character.

Attila had long regarded this seemingly ordinary knight as an equal to the gods they worshipped from the outside world.

"Um……"

Of course, Lin Miao couldn't understand Attila's words; he was just using the mouse to fiddle with the voice chat program that seemed to allow him to hear residents' voices once activated.

But language barriers don't mean that feelings can't be conveyed. As long as you're sure the other person is a human being like yourself, you can at least guess what they want.

"Thanks to your great kindness, our tribe, which was on the verge of extinction, has been supported to this day, but it is far from enough. We are threatened by many and powerful enemies, and we have only just taken the first step."

To survive this struggle, we need more warriors, more miracles. Though it may seem shameless, we implore you to continue to protect us. We are willing to pay any price!

After Lin Miao saw through the girl named Rose's talent and fully awakened it, Attila, who witnessed the whole process and was trembling with fear, bowed deeply to Lin Miao.

To Attila, Lin Miao was nothing short of a god. This was because Lin Miao had already performed miracles that defied common sense and the laws of nature more than once.

Now that things have come to this, this is the lifeline we must grasp tightly—no, it is a thousand times more important than that!

"Since we're already in the same boat, there's no need to say anything more."

Lin Miao roughly understood the meaning from Attila's burning gaze and actions, but at this moment she could only smile bitterly through the monitor.

Even if Attila hadn't pleaded like that, Lin Miao had already planned to dedicate her time and energy to the residents.

After all, those residents who suddenly appeared in the desktop world were both a means of protecting their lives and the ultimate source of joy in witnessing their growth every day.

Before learning that the beings called "Erosion Bodies" could invade reality, Lin Miao simply observed and helped the residents out of pure interest and enjoyment.

The longer you spend observing them, and sometimes the longer you act together in the form of games, the stronger and more solid the feelings that grow within you become.

"……Thanks."

When Lin Miao, who had been standing quietly gazing at them, suddenly raised his arm and gave them a thumbs up, Attila nodded repeatedly in gratitude.

Attila already knew the meaning of this action from Lillie.

"How is Rose?"

"I was overwhelmed by the force and overexerted myself, which led to exhaustion. Once I've had a good night's sleep and woken up, I should be able to regain control."

About an hour later, Lillie returned to Attila's side with Roselle, who had gone berserk due to her inability to control the boiling energy and had finally collapsed from exhaustion.

Although Attila himself also needed to train, he had a feeling that it was time to stop today.

"This kind of thing will probably happen again in the future. In order to be able to explain it to the Awakened in the future, we need to get used to it as soon as possible."

Attila had already devised a plan in his mind. Since the man who had performed so many miracles was certain that he would help them, he felt it was necessary for his side to cooperate with the other party's plan as well.

"Father, what are your plans next?"

"We need to increase the tribe's population and explore more distant places, but first we must ensure the safety of our tribe."

Back in the village, Attila revealed a cunning smile, as if he had been planning this all along.

Even though it was already night, he still summoned one person.

"Chieftain, did you look for me?"

The one who answered the call was Maureen, who was also working diligently in a world filled with blocks today. After finishing her dinner, Maureen showed a slightly puzzled expression when Attila summoned her.

"I called you here for no other reason than that I need to rely on your strength."

"My power?"

"The ability to transform and transport heavy construction materials into block shapes."

Attila refers to Maureen's awakened "Porter" trait. It's the ability to carry, transport, and even install blocks in their original form after harvesting them in the block world.

"Seeing you build the watchtowers these past few days has shown me a potential. How about using this ability to build a castle to protect our village?"

"A city, a castle?!"

Maureen's eyes widened upon hearing this. For her, "castle" was far more than just a simple word.

For them, who were accustomed to a nomadic life, a sturdy fortress or castle was simply a symbol of a people settling in a foreign land.

Grassland tribes naturally had little affection for walled city structures. Although they could make a living by building castles, they neither knew how to build them nor had any need to, so they simply belittled and despised them.

"We now have that power."

But Attila made the decision with certainty, and this was the moment for them to embark on evolution.

"They're actually going to build city walls? Me?"

In the world of Dark Souls, having witnessed the magnificent stone city that even incorporated fantasy elements, the castle that Attila needed was not actually that grand.

It was merely a suggestion to build a stone wall around the village to an insurmountable degree.

Maureen was so excited by the suggestion that she couldn't sleep all night.

The castle, which one would never see in their lifetime unless they set foot on the outskirts of the grasslands and which only existed in legends, can now be built by one's own hands—this fact feels like a dream.

"That means it would require a lot of stones."

"There's no need to worry about that; the rocks extracted from the mines have already piled up into mountains."

"It seems we need to start by preparing the materials."

So at dawn the next day, while her companions headed to the portal to enter the game world and collect resources, Maureen also began her own project.

After explaining to miner Allen that a large amount of stone was needed, Maureen first set about transporting the stored stone to the village.

Taking advantage of the porter's properties, the stones mined by the miners are quickly transformed into miniature bricks the size of cubes.

Maureen picked up these stones, which had been greatly reduced in size and weight, and put them into a leather bag, easily carrying dozens of them at a time.

"We need more."

Maureen poured the bricks from the sack into the tent that served as a warehouse, and casually wiped the sweat that was running down her chin.

Since these stone bricks didn't take up much space when stacked up, she moved them repeatedly until the warehouse was filled with stone bricks from the game world.

The real challenge is just beginning. Moving the stones isn't the problem, but actually laying them up in reality is a real physical task.

"It's difficult to stack five blocks at a time? Well, that makes sense, considering how big those rocks are."

"That lord can pile up countless stones in an instant without changing his expression; I am truly far inferior to him."

When she heard her companions express their surprise that she could only lay a few bricks each day due to her limited physical strength, Maureen shook her head with a wry smile.

The person she met in the game world could pile up as many stones as they wanted without any limit, but reality was completely different. Even after gaining a similar ability, Maureen still found that person's feat awe-inspiring.

"But it can always be completed if we put in the time. As long as there are city walls... the village will be safe. No matter how hard it is, we must protect this place."

Having made up her mind, Maureen slowly began her work. As someone who had fled when her village was attacked by raiders, she was willing to pay any price to protect her village with her own strength.

"So they're up to something, huh?"

Maureen's actions naturally did not escape Lin Miao's notice when she returned home from get off work.