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

"It's actually true. Although just the fact that it flew here is shocking enough."

Just as Attila had predicted, Mista, who had been with his people, rushed toward Attila with an incredulous expression.

His voice was filled with excitement; anyone would have the same reaction upon seeing a sword that had fallen from the sky and whose forging principles were completely incomprehensible.

"That lord desires our prosperity. He surely hopes we will grow in number and become stronger, which is why he bestows such a reward upon us. What reason do we have to refuse?"

Attila was even more pleased with Mista's reaction to the immigration representative.

As the tribal chief, he knew better than anyone that what was most needed to unify the tribe was strong power and prestige.

Attila did not consider himself a ruler with great military power, but at this moment, behind him stood an invincible supreme being who recognized him and bestowed upon him power.

"Since the guardian deity is protecting us, there is even less reason for us to sit idly by and wait for our doom. We must take the initiative to strike before other forces expand."

"Um?"

But the hot-blooded warrior Mista was more radical than Attila, and he firmly believed that if there were truly transcendent beings to help them, they could now defeat those growing forces.

"Of course, we should seize any opportunity that comes our way."

This is a good opportunity; voluntary participation is clearly more efficient than mandatory orders.

"But please wait a moment, perhaps that person has other plans."

In reality, Attila, the tribal chief, was not the real decision-maker in terms of personnel deployment. He knew that the true decision-maker was watching everything, so he planned to wait until that person had completed the arrangements according to his wishes before taking action.

"What are you daydreaming about, Bruno?"

"Ah, no...it's nothing."

After the two sides reached a satisfactory agreement and completed the merger, they experienced the commotion of a divine sword falling from the sky. Now, for the first time, Mista's tribe has joined the village for dinner.

Bruno, Mista's younger brother who still retained a boyish air, absentmindedly poked at his plate. It wasn't a meager meal, but a sumptuous dinner made with abundant grains and high-quality meat.

"Isn't this great? To be honest, I was on tenterhooks all the time before, fearing that the raiders would attack." Whether he noticed Bruno's thoughts or not, the middle-aged man next to him chuckled as he wolfed down his food.

Even so, my elder brother was the first to bow his head and submit...

Few could understand Bruno's feelings at this moment; he was deeply resentful that his brother Mista had surrendered to Attila without putting up any real resistance.

Although Attila generously accepted Mista's tribe, he naturally did not share power; Attila was the sole chieftain.

Now that they were united, Mista was no longer the chieftain who led the tribe; at best, he was just an official.

Bruno knew, of course, that Mista, as the clan chief, had made the most efficient and wisest choice based on the current situation and the terms of the negotiation; it was just that the boy still carried the recklessness and passion typical of his age.

Because of my usual strong sense of pride in my brother, I feel it even more now.

"Enemy attack! It's a black monster!"

The sudden commotion occurred right after everyone had finished their meal.

Despite the absence of any unusual sounds, the villagers panicked and shouted that the enemy was attacking. The new immigrants, including Bruno, were all bewildered.

"Brother, brother!"

"Bruno! Hide!"

Mista, who had just become a member of the tribe, hurriedly grabbed his weapon and rushed out.

Bruno stared blankly at the running crowd, hesitated for a moment, and then cautiously moved out of the village to try and see what was coming.

"What...what is that?"

Thanks to this decision, Bruno saw clearly what was attacking the village. It was neither a raider, nor a wild beast or monster common on the plains.

It was a huge black monster—or rather, a giant worm.

Those who see them for the first time, like the Mista people who just joined today, can only describe them in this way, while the villagers, as if it were commonplace, skillfully pick up their weapons to fight.

"Chief! What are these monsters?!"

As usual, without warning, Mista suddenly encountered a malfunction and was caught in a fierce battle. He turned pale and asked Attila for help.

"The Black Calamity Beast... is a monster that dwells in this land, and we must fight it."

Only then did Attila explain the information about faulty and defective entities to Mista and the newly joined tribal members.

"To actually fight a monster like this... this..."

"Of course, how can it make sense to receive that person's favor without paying any price?"

As they were about to eliminate all the suddenly appearing malfunctions, Mista, who hadn't heard about it beforehand, panicked a little, but Attila shook his head and asked: What's the problem?

Whether it's a divine sword falling from the sky or arriving at its destination instantly through the void using unknown forces, it's only natural to pay a corresponding price for a clearly received favor.

"Mista, think about this carefully. This isn't just about fighting monsters; it's about considering what we can gain from this battle. After all, we're bound to fight no matter where we go."

Attila skillfully threw out bait to prevent Mista from suggesting leaving again.

The so-called cost means that there will be a gain after paying the price.

Mista was, after all, a warrior who revered strength. It was impossible for him not to be tempted by the idea of ​​a power that could break the laws and make warriors stronger.

"Chief, I completely understand what you mean."

"That lord would not turn a blind eye to a warrior like you, and will surely bestow upon you special powers. If you are willing to accept, then please fulfill your duty."

Mista finally suppressed his chaotic emotions and decided to fight first, since there was no way to escape now that he had decided to join anyway.

"They've appeared over there too! Monsters are heading towards the village!"

But this time the incident will not end with a single attack, as it has now, on the west side of the village where the soldiers have gathered to fight and in the far north—from where the enemy also emerged.

"This is terrible! We need to retreat back to the village!"

A panicked Attila hastily ordered his warriors and soldiers to retreat to the village. They never expected that the enemy would launch successive attacks from completely opposite directions at different times.

"What on earth happened?"

With gritted teeth, Attila raised his handprint staff at the malfunctioning beings who had attacked the village.

Normally, in a crisis, that person would have used their strength to grab them and throw them to the scene of the incident, but at this moment, that strength remained dormant.

Since mouse control is not disabled when dealing with faulty or corrupted objects, this concern is reasonable enough.

"It's the clan leader's magic!"

"Protect the villagers! Get out of the way!"

The Druid's ability [Thorns] was activated, and thorny vines that spewed from the ground lashed out at the malfunctioning tentacles that were lunging at people, and then wrapped around their bodies.

Fortunately, the soldiers were not too late. They rushed into the battlefield before the enemy could cause damage and once again successfully killed the monsters and protected the village.

"Waaah, waaaah..."

Of course, there were also critical moments, just before the soldiers rushed back.

Bruno, who personally took up his sword to fight the malfunctioning creature that had infiltrated the village, staggered backward when he actually faced the monster.

That was no ordinary monster. It possessed an eerie quality, as if it didn't belong to any living being, a pure emptiness itself.

Bruno, who had admired his elder brother, the tribe's top warrior, since childhood and diligently practiced swordsmanship, hesitated in the face of a real enemy.

"Get out of my way."

The moment the malfunctioning body opened its jaws and its whiskers lunged at Bruno, who was frozen in fear.

Bruno was saved by a girl who rushed past him.

The moment her dual short swords glowed red, her body vanished, leaving only afterimages, before reappearing behind the enemy's mangled corpse.

Rose, an ordinary girl who awakened her talents through special methods, will perfectly showcase the skills she honed by hunting undead monsters in the game on the real battlefield.

"Really...?"

Bruno, who had collapsed to the ground, stared blankly at Roche, who had reached the level of a mature warrior. This was completely beyond the realm of common sense.

◆◆◆

"Wow, this is a huge mess!"

The emergency seemed to have been dealt with, and I took advantage of a break to do some housework before coming back. In a short time, the world on the monitor screen had become a complete mess.

The residents have just finished fighting the malfunction and are now busy cleaning up the mess.

It seems the enemy has even invaded the village; one of the houses has collapsed.

Fortunately, it seems no one died. Although there were some injured, no one was seriously injured to the point that Lin Miao needed to treat them with a vaccine.

"As expected, it's impossible for me to keep monitoring them continuously."

Lin Miao sat back down in her chair, her face tense, staring at the people enlarged on the screen.

In the past, I would have definitely blamed myself for not doing my job well, but now my thoughts have changed somewhat.

It's impossible for him to stay in front of the screen 24/7 without interruption, even if he were to quit his job.

Humans need to sleep, use the restroom, and engage in social activities. It's unreasonable from the outset to require players to constantly monitor everything.

"It should be designed so that they can overcome crises on their own."

Looking back at the experience of operating this wondrous program to date, the system's intention has remained consistent: to enable the residents, as guardians, to grow stronger, whether as a collective or as individuals.

Just like gradually unlocking restrictions to enhance automatic mode.

The more she cared about them, the more anxious she became, but if Lin Miao tried to take care of everything, she would break down first.

"But now I can finally catch my breath."

Although her role seems important right now, Lin Miao will actually have less and less to do as the proportion of residents in the system increases.

The annexation of other tribes to expand the population was precisely for this fundamental purpose.

Lin Miao had already put the mere LV1 malfunction attack incident behind her and continued the work she was doing before making room for him.

This work involves investigating and recording information on all residents, including new members.

People possess all sorts of talents.

It doesn't matter if those talents are buried because they lack innate magic and have no opportunity to blossom.

Because Lin Miao can awaken them.

"Miners, farmers, woodcutters, porters, martial artists, marksmen... there are quite a lot."

Talents come in many varieties.

Some can awaken on their own, while others can only awaken through a game world connected by the system.

"Prioritize training porters and combat personnel."

Lin Miao judged that there was a priority among these talents.

For example, there are porters like Maureen who are now forced to build cities alone, or warriors who need to fight against the enemy.

Fortunately, there are several new members who possess this kind of talent.

Lin Miao adjusted the arrangements so that they could awaken their abilities first.

To awaken those who cannot contain magic, one must obtain the essence of monsters, thus requiring regular hunting trips.

"..."

Despite the attacks by malfunctioning entities, thanks to the careful guidance of predecessors like Attila, none of the newly arrived residents fled.

Lin Miao, who was getting ready to go back to work after the weekend, didn't have anything to worry about as she watched them busy at work.

The system for residents' activities has taken initial shape. As long as no unexpected variables occur, after get off work, it's like playing an idle game; all you need to do is solve a few accumulated problems that are waiting to be processed.

This pattern now seems to have formed a fixed cycle.

"It went pretty smoothly."

Finally, Lin Miao took out her phone and launched an application. This program, which could remotely view and control the computer, successfully connected and allowed her to browse the desktop status.

If it's really urgent, just use this to confirm.

I'm reluctant to quit my job because I finally found one during these difficult times, but if I really can't manage both... I'll probably have no choice but to resign.

In short, the matters on the table are more important now, since the loot collected by the residents can still generate income.

What started as a single gold ring inevitably amassed more and more spoils as their power grew and their territory expanded.

◆◆◆

Mista did not understand Attila’s delay in giving instructions to the new recruits until dawn.

As Attila said, the tasks assigned to them were not of their own choosing.

"It's all true! A world really exists where everything is made up of square boxes!"

"As long as you cross that eerie crack in the center of the village, you can reach another world!"

Those chosen to be placed there all described their experiences with undisguised shock.

This is exactly the same reaction as those of their predecessors who experienced these things much earlier.

Attila grinned: "Those worlds are the secrets and gifts we possess."

Mista nodded blankly: "Now I understand everything."

After learning about the rich resources of the Attila tribe and the secrets of genius warriors like Roche, Mista was filled with admiration.

If all of this is true, then staying here to fight monsters of unknown origin is perfectly reasonable, and he feels it is entirely worth the effort.

Anyway, they were all people who had left their hometowns and wandered around, so they had long been mentally prepared.

"So, are we going to continue living here as planned?" Even Mista's brother Bruno, who had previously harbored resentment, changed his mind.

The desire was so blatant that Mista chuckled, noticing it: "Judging from your expression, you seem to really want it, Bruno. You looked so reluctant at first."

"I also want to gain that person's approval..." Bruno said, then abruptly looked away.

For Bruno, the power Rochet displayed last night was a shock in itself.

Moreover, hearing that Rose was originally an ordinary girl without magical talent, just like himself, ignited his desire to become stronger as well.

"good."

Attila watched this scene with satisfaction, for it would be troublesome if someone left due to pressure after learning the truth.

However, just as Attila had predicted, the weaklings, with nowhere else to go, decided to stay and fight together, tempted by the appropriate rewards.

"There's no time for leisure now; it's been confirmed that both the raiders and the black monsters are continuously getting stronger."

"So, what should I do?"

"I expect that sir will summon us this afternoon. It would be a waste of time to just wait around until then, so let's do what we can."

Attila pointed to the horses in the stable and answered Mista's question: "Lillie, you've noticed it too, haven't you? The monsters that have appeared are gradually getting stronger."

"Yeah, we have absolutely no idea what kind of guys will appear next."

"We can't stop as long as those guys keep getting stronger."

Attila mounted his horse and gave Lillie a serious look.

Although they couldn't see the status bar, those who were actually fighting could feel that the enemy was gradually getting stronger.

Compared to LV1 faulty entities, LV2 and LV3 faulty entities are not only larger and stronger, but their numbers are also continuously increasing.

Compared to the last time when a momentary mistake prevented the revival of the eroding entities, these malfunctioning entities, which are like cubs, are relatively easy to deal with now. However, if time is allowed to pass, the consequences are unpredictable.

Of course, as the enemy grows stronger, the number of armed warriors and awakened individuals on their side is also increasing, but right now they haven't even been able to deal with the malfunctioning nests that have appeared near the village.

"Therefore, I believe we must use our time efficiently."

Based on his past experience, Attila had grasped certain patterns.

Since she wasn't in the game world 24/7, Lin Miao would take the initiative to direct people's actions during her free time.

His personal horseback patrol of the surrounding area at this moment was also for this purpose.

"According to Mista's intelligence, more tribes are heading from the east where we are. We need to find them before they are swallowed up by other forces."

Attila gathered dozens of cavalrymen and issued reconnaissance missions to everyone, including himself.

Their primary goal is to find other survivors who have fled there, like the Mista tribe.

Previously, they were so busy protecting their village that they couldn't even spare the time to patrol the surrounding area, but now that their numbers have increased, they finally have the resources to take the initiative.

"This is not my own decision. Do you see? This is all the will of that lord."

Attila raised the divine sword he had been given. Although it was merely a flashy but inefficient weapon, its symbolic meaning was deeply imprinted in everyone's mind.

The people, who had reaffirmed their resolve, quickly dispersed.