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

Lin Miao stared at the screen, her mind filled with surprise: They actually finished preparing to move in just one day?

This morning, Lin Miao got out of bed at a rare leisurely pace.

He walked to the computer as usual, only to find that hundreds of residents on the screen had basically completed all the preparations for moving.

This is very much in line with the characteristics of grassland dwellers, who don't carry much luggage.

Under Attila's orders, everyone acted with extraordinary speed. Lin Miao also discovered that, for some reason, many of the new residents who were originally neutral had now turned to the side.

Lin Miao sighed softly and muttered to herself, "Looks like it'll take some time."

He gripped the mouse, selecting as many tribespeople as possible who were ready, while holding down the left mouse button to select them, dragging them across the screen, and began to bring them back to the main village in batches.

Moving hundreds of people requires repeating the operation many times.

Although they could arrive on their own, Lin Miao still wanted to lend a hand with this small matter, since there were more troublesome problems in front of him than moving people.

Lin Miao frowned and muttered under her breath, "How am I supposed to confirm them one by one?"

He has now gradually moved from the stage of taking care of villagers one by one to the stage of needing collective management.

Checking the residents' condition, classifying them according to their talents, and then assigning them to suitable positions is crucial for the development and growth of the tribe. However, it is impossible for him to complete such a huge workload by himself.

Therefore, he needed the assistance of tools. As the mouse moved across the rapidly changing desktop backgrounds, Lin Miao's gaze remained fixed on one particular icon.

That's a spreadsheet program from Microsoft. If you integrate it with the system, it will definitely unlock special features, just like other software.

Spreadsheet program: 1500 pages

For a non-game application, this price isn't cheap. But with his current abundance of achievement points, the investment is definitely worthwhile.

Lin Miao muttered to herself, "Anyway, I'll keep using it in the future."

After a brief hesitation, he finally activated the program. This wasn't a system recommendation, but rather a feature he activated based on his own judgment and belief that it had genuine practical value.

[Enter information about the captured resident]

Fortunately, his judgment was correct. The function activated by the system provided exactly the utility he had been dreaming of.

After transporting all the residents who were to be relocated to the vicinity of the main village, Lin Miao used only one capture operation and file open command to enter all the residents' information into the spreadsheet program.

Looking at the data in the table, Lin Miao secretly calculated: if everyone completes the awakening, there could be more than thirty warriors alone.

While the immigrants were disoriented and unloading their luggage, Lin Miao had already easily accessed the compiled resident information and begun the sorting process. Those who could awaken as warriors, and those who could acquire production traits such as miners or farmers, were all clearly categorized by him.

The program's functions go beyond that; it can draw charts to represent the growth status of categorized objects, visually display residents' current status with icons, and even has a precise location tracking function.

Of course, due to the large number of new arrivals, even if the classification is completed now, it is impossible to awaken everyone immediately.

After all, the materials needed for awakening are far from sufficient. Therefore, in order to gather these materials, the veterans in the tribe have no choice but to continue their arduous journey.

Lin Miao knew that Attila, as the chieftain, needed to rest and had to handle the tribe's complicated affairs, so he simply couldn't spare the time. There was nothing that could be done about it.

This time, he only brought Bruno and Rosette to Minecraft.

Lillie is being taken to the world of Dark Souls, so she has no one with her.

Mista's fatigue level was too high, so Lin Miao let him stay in the village to rest.

The other warriors were put into the hunting mode of Dark Souls in order to complete their class change.

Bruno and Rocher, who had arrived at the village early and had rested well, were clearly in high spirits in their status bar.

Although the two were already recognized as warriors in the tribe, Lin Miao felt that they were still too immature when looking at the boy on the screen giving him a clumsy salute and the girl next to him scolding him. So he initially planned to act with them.

Lin Miao looked at the screen and thought to himself: No matter how you look at it, the monsters in this game don't seem that strong. With the skills they have now, they can easily handle the enemies in the underground world.

He controlled his game character, holding an alloy pickaxe in his angular hands, and waved to the two men, signaling them to follow.

This pickaxe was made by him using a file converter to reprocess the villagers' property. He has been optimizing this type of tool ever since he created the iron pickaxe.

The entrance he led the two to was one that had been specially built during their frantic digging.

Sparse torches illuminated the scene that resembled the entrance to an underground city, causing Bruno and Rose to feel somewhat flustered. However, the two still followed the character controlled by Lin Miao closely, descending the angular stone steps and heading deeper into the underground.

Lin Miao thought to herself: Since they aren't miners and can't destroy the blocks in the game, once we get to the second floor, we'll block the way to the third floor.

This randomly generated underground world is modeled after a dungeon and uses a layered structure. The deeper you go, the stronger the enemies become, which is somewhat similar to the previous insect hive. Today, only Bruno and Rose are traveling together, so Lin Miao only plans to take them to the second level where the weakest enemies will appear.

As Lin Miao controlled her character to smash the stone bricks blocking the entrance with a pickaxe, the monster inside spotted them and began to approach, roaring. Bruno and Rose both cried out in alarm and instantly gripped their weapons.

That was a monster known as the Skeleton Colossus. At first glance, it appeared as a cute little creature made of tiny bones, but when the frightened Rosie and Bruno approached with their weapons, it instantly transformed into a hideous monster pieced together from skulls, its eyes gleaming with an eerie blue light.

Lin Miao made up her mind: Of course, I should be the one to take the hits.

He immediately controlled his character to rush forward, swinging his sword to meet the monster.

Compared to the materializable monsters, his extremely simple character model, though it could only clumsily swing its arms, felt neither pain nor could it be killed in one hit.

Rosie and Bruno were stunned for a moment when they saw the character blocking their way, but they immediately realized what was happening.

Just as Lin Miao was drawing the monster's aggro and enduring the attack, the two of them immediately launched their own attack.

Rose's backhand slash with her short sword and the lightning bolt shot from Bruno's staff both struck the monster's body precisely, blasting it to pieces.

Although it was a bit of a disappointment that no monster essence dropped this time, Lin Miao didn't care.

This area is known for its high-level monsters that drop essences. Once they get used to the controls, they'll be able to work together seamlessly to hunt monsters in this new hunting ground, even without my help.

Lin Miao rubbed her temples and couldn't help but complain in a low voice, "Ugh... my head is spinning."

Although a spreadsheet program can be used to create a classification table that categorizes residents according to their characteristics and status, making all the information clear at a glance, this table is not a panacea.

As Rosie and Bruno, two warriors who had accumulated enough experience, began to get used to hunting monster essences in the dungeon, Lin Miao, who had temporarily quit the game, didn't even have time to catch his breath.

Lin Miao had to select suitable personnel from the suddenly crowded crowd and assign them to various positions. When necessary, she also had to personally operate the game to assist them in completing their work.

He placed resource-gathering residents such as porters, miners, farmers, and woodcutters into Minecraft; while those warriors who surrendered were transferred to the Dark Souls system to change jobs and learn skills.

Lin Miao stared at the densely packed list of residents on the screen and muttered to herself, "It's simply not enough..."

Even with these arrangements, manpower was still stretched thin.

The influx of new members has overcrowded the town, leaving very few job opportunities available for them. Even after upgrading his Minecraft game from level 3 to 4 and adding 48 new players due to the increased population and the need for more resources, it still wasn't enough.

Lin Miao stared blankly at the screen, muttering to herself, "I need a new game."

His fingers traced the game icons arranged on the table. He knew very well that if various programs were tools that provided him with auxiliary functions, then games were the core means he used to help the residents grow.

When activities like farming, hunting, and animal husbandry, which originally occupied most of their time, can be replaced by the game world, they need new jobs to fill their spare time.

Just then, Lin Miao looked at the completed resident list and suddenly let out a soft, puzzled exclamation: "What's this?"

A resident with an unusual condition appeared on the list. To be precise, it wasn't a physical abnormality, but rather that he was experiencing some kind of intense distress.

The resident's name was Lael. Lin Miao didn't recognize the name, but when he clicked on the highlighted name in the list, a middle-aged man marked with a yellow border appeared clearly in the enlarged background image amidst the bustling crowd.

Rael, a robust middle-aged man, was standing in front of a pile of items, having a serious discussion with others.

Those items were all familiar to Lin Miao: black carapace fragments, spikes gleaming with poisonous light, and dark red minerals resembling hearts—all byproducts of the previous hunt of the demonic insects. The demonic insects' corpses would turn to dust and dissipate after death, but these distinctive parts would always remain.

[Lael's Troubles as a Tribal Member: Although Chief Attila instructed him to keep the product safe and study its uses, even as a skilled hunter and leatherworker, Lael is helpless against the powerful magical byproducts of the insectoid race.]

Lin Miao looked at the prompt, stroked her chin, and murmured, "Hmm..."

When residents are deeply troubled, Lin Miao gains the ability to read their thoughts.

Using this ability, he figured out why Rael looked so serious, and then crossed his arms and fell into deep thought. How could he solve this problem? Using file converters or similar methods was simply not going to work.

[Recommended Hunting Action Games]

Just then, the system suddenly started running after a long hiatus. This system, which had clearly known for a long time that spreadsheet software was very convenient but had always remained silent about recommending it, finally took the initiative to make a recommendation.

Lin Miao looked at the game name recommended by the system and thought to himself: Monster Hunter.

The game recommended by the system is a third-person action game similar to Dark Souls, but the core content is quite different.

Unlike Dark Souls, which focuses on leveling up and strengthening skills through repetitive monster hunting and boss battles, this recommended game leans more towards a progression-based gameplay where players continuously engage in boss battles, obtaining materials by defeating giant monsters to upgrade their equipment.

Ultimately, games are just a means to an end. From this perspective, this game might not only be able to deal with the derivatives of these glitch entities, but also teach residents practical skills for fighting giant monster-level glitch entities.

Lin Miao immediately made up her mind: Let's get started.

The game activation fee is 3000P. After deducting the emergency funds that must be reserved, the points are just enough.

Lin Miao finally made up her mind and activated the game.

Although he still had other games on his mind, he figured that if he unlocked them one by one, he would eventually be able to play them all.

[Deployable personnel: 0/2]

Upon seeing this restriction, Lin Miao couldn't help but click her tongue and mutter to herself, "Damn, that's so stingy."

The first phase only allows deployment of two people, but unlike Dark Souls, there are no chapter restrictions here. As long as you accumulate enough points to unlock the next phase, you can increase the number of deployable personnel. Anyway, betting all your combat power isn't a good strategy; you always need to leave some people to defend your base.

Lin Miao stared at the screen, a dilemma forming in her mind: Who should she take with her?

Most importantly, it is necessary to select a pioneering team that can take the lead in paving the way for this unfamiliar world.

The vanguard must be able to quickly and thoroughly grasp the rules and characteristics of the new game, so for now, he can only choose experienced players who have already proven their abilities.

Among the bustling new villagers, Lin Miao chose Lillie, who was watching over the new immigrants.

Although he felt a little sorry for her working non-stop, he couldn't find anyone more reliable than Lillie.

Attila was busy with his duties as chieftain, and Mista and the others had other tasks to complete, so they couldn't spare the time.

Looking at the game's launch screen, Lin Miao couldn't help but sigh: How many years has this game been around?

He took Lillie and started the game. He had played the previous games during his student days, but this was the first time he had seriously played the latest installment in the series.

◆◆◆

Suddenly being pulled into the sky and then violently thrown into a completely new world, Lillie was already used to this kind of situation.

She clicked her tongue, casually shook her armor, and stood up.

Lillie looked around and asked in a low voice, "Where am I?"

This place was completely different from the city she had been in during the second chapter of Dark Souls, and it wasn't the world of Minecraft made of blocks either, but she wasn't alarmed; she was already used to this situation.

Since it was the person she trusts most who led her here, there must be a deeper meaning behind it.

Soon, a rustling sound came from beside her as she stood still.

Lillie looked toward the source of the sound and was taken aback. Approaching her was not the burly, masked knight of the Dark Souls universe, but a completely unfamiliar, furry creature.

Lillie suppressed her confusion, bent down to examine the approaching creature, and murmured, "Could it be... that person?"

Just as she bent down to examine it, the Felyne that had come close nodded, drew its sword from its waist, and began to make random gestures in the air.

Looking at the Palico character she was controlling through the monitor, Lin Miao couldn't help but complain frantically, "Are you kidding me? Why am I a mascot instead of a playable character?"

Lillie, of course, had no idea that the Palico waving its short claws in front of her was being controlled by someone behind the screen, nor did she know that person was currently in a state of utter despair.

Lin Miao bit her lip and muttered to herself, "...But what needs to be done still needs to be done."

He controlled the Palico character and led the way forward.

Lillie followed silently behind, her devotion stemming from the deep trust they had built up over their journey together so far.

However, her gaze was fixed, as if bewitched, on the fluffy tail behind the wiggling of the Palico's rear end, and the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned, without her even realizing it.

Just then, the approaching tremors began to violently shake the forest they were in, causing the ground to shudder. Lillie gripped her sword hilt tightly, gasping in alarm, "Could this be...?!"

Lin Miao, observing everything through the monitor, remained quite calm, thinking to herself: "The start is just like a game."

The problem is that this is no longer just a game, but has become a tangible reality. The predetermined process may not proceed as planned, something they have already experienced deeply in previous games.

Lillie, hastily drawing her sword, gasped in astonishment as she looked at the colossal creature that had crashed through thick trees and pushed aside massive rocks: "It's so big?!"

Although its reptile-like appearance wasn't disgusting, its enormous size instantly reminded her of game glitches.

However, unlike the malfunctioning creature with its cold, mechanical feel, this monster in the game is ultimately just a wild beast.

Lin Miao stared intently at the snarling giant lizard on the screen, yet remained calm and composed, knowing full well that reinforcements would appear to help the newbies when they were in danger, and that the matter would be resolved quickly.

Lillie didn't care about any of that. She looked at the monster rushing towards her, clicked her tongue, and swung her drawn sword down with all her might.

As the magic power surging from her heartbeat transformed into momentum, the skills she had learned from other games were released in an instant, a cross-shaped slash that tore through the void and accurately struck the monster's body.

This attack was powerful enough to cut a towering tree in half, but the lizard was only seriously injured because it was the first time it had encountered such an attack, and it did not immediately lose its fighting ability.

Lillie grinned instead, gripped the hilt of her sword again, and said in a low voice, "It's just big."

This wasn't the first time she'd fought such a behemoth; after all, she was born a warrior.

In ordinary combat, she always suppresses herself to protect others or carry out missions, but the fighting spirit against powerful enemies and the desire to prove her growth by defeating them always boil within her. And the game world is the perfect place for her to unleash this fighting spirit.

Just then, a clear shout pierced the air: "Danger!"

A thick arrow pierced the air and struck the lizard on the head as it was about to pounce on Lillie again.

The arrow pierced through the blue scales and embedded itself deeply in the monster's skull. The lizard, struck in a vital spot, staggered a few steps before collapsing to the ground with a thud.

Lillie remained in her sword-wielding stance, looking in surprise in the direction from which the arrow had come.

Lin Miao stared at the familiar face on the monitor, took a sip of her coffee, and muttered to herself, "It's here."

Approaching, carrying a specially made longbow larger than her upper body, was a muscular girl with bronze skin. She glanced at the fallen Barroth, then at the longsword in Lillie's hand, and couldn't help but mutter, "What the hell? How could she possibly wound a Barroth with that toy-thin sword?"

Lin Miao noticed that her lines were completely different from what she remembered, and thought to herself without showing any emotion: The script has changed after all.

Tina's gaze refocused on Lillie, and she raised an eyebrow, saying, "Your outfit is really strange; you look more like a knight than a hunter."

Lillie paused, then asked, "What's a hunter?"

She glanced at the reaction of the feline beside her and took the initiative to continue the conversation.

Lin Miao did not stop them. According to the flow of the conversation, the originally planned beginner tutorial event seemed to be about to be triggered.

Tina shrugged incredulously, then suddenly laughed and said, "Are you kidding me? Having a Palico as a companion, yet you don't know what a hunter is... Ah, if you've always lived inland, you probably wouldn't know."

She then began her explanation. Although it went completely off track from the start, it was still a beginner's tutorial, and that's how it began.

As Tina naturally guided them forward, she explained at length, "Long ago, when the Demon Realm collapsed, the overflowing magic caused many creatures to mutate into monsters. If we don't keep hunting these guys, those of us living in the outside world won't be able to survive."

Lillie frowned and asked, "...Are you referring to that giant lizard from earlier?"

Tina nodded and replied, "That's right, it's a monster mutated from an ordinary lizard; we call it the Sand Dragon."

The girl who called herself Tina continued to talk incessantly about the rules of this world.

Lillie first wrote down all the things that were difficult to understand at the moment. She knew very well that as long as she memorized them, it wouldn't take too long to understand them.

Lillie silently analyzed the situation: the mutants they were talking about were monsters different from the malfunctioning ones. But perhaps the skills to hunt these monsters could be an asset in our fight against the malfunctioning ones.

She clearly realized that the faulty entities and these mutants were different kinds of monsters.

When Tina explained the hunters who specialized in killing these mutants, Lillie instinctively realized that she might be able to master the techniques for fighting giant, monster-level malfunctions, just like she had learned skills before. She had already grasped how to cleverly utilize the gap between the game world and reality.

Tina suddenly turned around, smiled at the two of them, and asked, "Do you also want to become hunters?"

Lillie paused, somewhat bewildered: "Huh? I didn't say anything... Ah."

She quickly realized that Tina was talking to the Palico next to her.

Even when Lin Miao acted as a knight, he communicated with NPCs in the game in the same way. Although Lillie regretted that she couldn't hear that person's voice, she was already content to be by His side at this moment.

Tina smiled and continued, "Anyone can become a hunter; there are no real restrictions. In any case, if you're not strong enough, you'll just get eaten by your prey."

Lillie watched her companions rush off to dismantle the Sand Dragon in the distance and asked, "How strong was that Earth Dragon just now?"

Tina chuckled smugly and replied, "Someone like me, an A-rank hunter, can easily handle this."

Lillie didn't really understand the concept of this level, but she knew very well that Rank A was already a fairly high level.

Even in the original game, Tina, who appears as an important NPC, is a powerful hunter.

Lillie stroked the lingering sensation on the sword hilt, silently comparing it to that of the black spider: Is it similar?

She compared the Barroth she had just encountered to the spider-like monster she had hunted in the insect hive before. In her own judgment, the sense of oppression she felt from this Barroth was almost the same as that from the giant spider wielding a highly venomous weapon.

Just then, Tina pointed to the end of the forest and said with a smile, "Our city is just ahead."

They traversed the dense forest and finally came into view the city built around the hunters.

Although the city layout was exactly the same as in the game, Lillie still stared wide-eyed in surprise at the urban landscape, which was completely different from the medieval fantasy style of Dark Souls.