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

"..."

In the dimly lit room, even though less than an hour had passed in real time, the sun had already set, as if it were a game.

Thanks to this, bright stars and the moon have begun to appear in the desktop world.

But Lin Miao just sat there blankly, as if she had just experienced a storm.

To be fair, he had only played the game by himself for a short while, but the consequences that ensued were anything but easy.

"It feels like having a virtual pet."

Lin Miao sighed and closed the game window, looking at the desktop.

The residents were happily roasting the meat they had brought back from the game world.

That was meat that Lin Miao had given them. It wasn't a game prop, but the meat of a real animal.

Not only meat, but the stone swords forged for them from hastily collected materials were also transformed into real swords and held intact in their hands.

[Until next opening time: 19:42:11]

[You can spend 100P to extend the opening hours]

Actually, releasing them out of the game was not Lin Miao's original intention.

Although they and the others did need time to rest, the timing of when that strange portal would open after its usage period ended was entirely up to the system.

Paying 100P would allow early access, and Lin Miao roughly understood what that meant.

"Since it's possible to bring resources from the game into reality, that is, into that tabletop game, unlocking it requires not only points but also an additional cost."

The game even popped up a message about assigning residents, and now you can't even play alone anymore.

[List of Confirmed Achievements]

The required points can be earned by the in-game residents themselves. For example, by defeating a monster for the first time, hunting 100 monsters, or collecting rare ores.

"This is insane."

Lin Miao smiled wryly and shook the mouse haphazardly.

In order for those residents to continue to survive here—no, in order for them to become stronger, it is necessary to utilize this system.

At first, I didn't notice because I was too busy, but now I realize that what they have is really too meager.

Lin Miao temporarily put aside the fundamental question of "why do I have to consider this kind of thing?" and recently even seriously and carefully considered countermeasures to the point of doubting whether she had ever been so serious before.

"Are you happy now, all for a few pieces of meat?"

What comes into view is their happy dining scene.

Although they were only watching through the screen, they devoted more attention and thought than any other game could.

If you simply treat it as a game, perhaps you can think about it more easily.

"I don't know, let's leave it at that for now."

After much deliberation, Lin Miao finally made a decision.

Let's call it a day. Anyway, there's not much we can do before the next game starts.

[External intrusion occurred]

Just as Lin Miao finished her work and was about to turn off the monitor and go to sleep, a new event was suddenly triggered in the desktop world.

It's a pack of wolves.

As a notification of an external intrusion appears, a pack of wild beasts resembling wolves gradually emerges from the left side of the desktop and traverses the grassland.

Compared to the wolves Lin Miao knew, these wild beasts had exceptionally thick forelimbs.

They bared their teeth and approached the villagers sitting around the campfire, seemingly unafraid of the flames and the crowd.

"—, —!"

The villagers, naturally panicked, grabbed their weapons. Although most of them were just simple equipment like torches or sticks, they couldn't just sit and wait to die.

"It's no use."

Lin Miao tried to click on the wolf pack with the left mouse button, but just like when dealing with the malfunctioning entity before, there was no response, and he could only be an observer as before.

Seeing their tense standoff, Lin Miao couldn't help but hold her breath.

Lillie, in particular, who was standing at the very front with her sword, froze, seemingly afraid that her rash actions would endanger her companions.

"—!"

Lillie, especially, who was standing at the very front with her sword in hand, froze completely. She dared not make the slightest move, for fear that a single mistake would cause her companions beside her to get injured as well.

— The battle erupted suddenly in silence.

Whether the wolves had finally completed their probing or they had intended to strike first, the beasts suddenly pounced together.

Lillie swung her sword to meet the attack, and with a flash of light, she cleaved the wolf's head that pounced in front of her in two.

In an instant, Attila and the others were also drawn into the melee, fighting fiercely with the beasts.

Blood splattered everywhere, and shattered internal organs gushed from the gruesome wound.

Someone was viciously bitten, and a heart-wrenching scream echoed all around. Enraged comrades, their eyes red with fury, pounced on the wolf to avenge their wounded comrade, hacking its body to pieces.

This is a life-or-death battle.

As if bewitched by an invisible force, Lin Miao stared blankly at the real and tragic scene before her, which was unedited and without any mosaics, and a thought involuntarily surfaced in her mind.

As expected, my initial assumptions were... too naive.

The fierce battle that took place late at night did not last long.

The pack of wolves, which pounced on the enemy like their tails were on fire, was eventually wiped out by the residents who had fought to the death to protect them.

But the price of victory was equally heavy—many were wounded, several tents were wrecked, and Lillie's iron sword was riddled with nicks and cracks.

Seeing everyone gritting their teeth and bandaging their wounds to stop the bleeding, Lin Miao felt a pang of pity.

But now his points are all gone, and he can't even perform the most basic treatment.

He could only endure this helplessness for the time being, waiting for the game to reopen tomorrow.

◆◆◆

Last night's experience was different from the first day. From dawn to daytime, it still shakes Lin Miao's heart. Even her female boss sitting opposite her asked with a wry smile.

"Lin Miao, what's wrong? You seem distracted."

"Oh, it's nothing."

"It's about time to get ready. Let's call it a day."

Finally, it was time to leave work. Lin Miao left the company smoothly and immediately turned on her computer as soon as she got home.

[00:04:17 remaining until the next opening]

It just so happens to be the time when Minecraft reopens.

When Lin Miao was not around, the villagers seemed to be going about their own business, but the atmosphere was not good.

The wounded were in poor condition, and Lillie, whose sword was even broken, looked gloomy.

Only Chieftain Attila touched the black portal that had appeared in the center of the village with a serious expression, perhaps realizing the power of that portal.

"Although I really wanted to tell them that this was the correct answer."

After taking a deep breath, Lin Miao immediately started the game when the time was up.

We can't afford to waste time like we did yesterday, frantically trying to accomplish nothing.

Lin Miao prayed that they would understand what the correct answer was, and summoned the four people who had been summoned to the game world yesterday once again.

"—?!"

As expected, they panicked this time too, but seeing Attila quickly regain his composure and urge his companions to calm down, Lin Miao was once again convinced that he was indeed qualified to lead the village.

"Let's start with resource collection and integration."

Lin Miao casually tossed an item that had been made on the worktable to the group of people who were looking at him with a mixture of wariness and curiosity.

It was a stone shovel, an ordinary digging tool.

He picked up a shovel himself, pushed open the stone house door, and gestured for everyone to follow.

Fortunately, the other party quickly understood his intention and obediently followed him out.

Lin Miao personally dug up a clod of earth with a shovel in front of the stone house as a demonstration.

"Very good, continue like this."

Lin Miao, who was operating the mouse and keyboard, couldn't help but chuckle softly.

Despite their different languages ​​and appearances, they surprisingly worked together seamlessly.

When Lin Miao finished digging a piece of land and pointed to the land next to it, the man named Allen immediately understood and began to dig.

Unlike Lin Miao, the soil they dug up was not in the shape of a cube, but a small window still popped up to indicate that it was considered a valid achievement.

Basic treatment: 100P

Lin Miao used the 100 points earned from this achievement to treat the injured resident before his condition worsened.

"Next up are the stones."

There was no time to rest. This time, Lin Miao handed the pickaxe to Attila and pointed to the exposed rocks on the ground.

Attila moved faster than the others; he swung his pickaxe and smashed the rock, and the achievement notification lit up the instant the rock shattered.

The others looked bewildered, completely unable to understand what Lin Miao was doing, but since he always used meat as a reward, they quickly realized Lin Miao's intention.

Let's give them ironware as a reward today.

Afterwards, Lin Miao continued to wander around the surface where the portal had been created, teaching them various kinds of knowledge and helping them complete achievements.

The ultimate goal is to enable them to use iron items.

After all, these people, who seem to lack both metal resources and technology, need iron weapons and armor most right now.

It's getting dark.

But in reality, less than 20 minutes had passed when the game world was completely bathed in sunset and night had fallen.

Meanwhile, monsters that only spawn at night began to appear in the wild, emitting eerie howls.

To Lin Miao, it was just a piece of data on the monitor, but to the residents, it was a strange and terrifying monster in a strange world.

Lin Miao led the panicked group into the stone house and closed the door first.

But we can't lock everyone in the stone house just because it's dangerous.

Lin Miao originally planned to go out at night to collect necessities, but before that, she had to complete achievements that could only be accomplished at night. This way, she could continuously consume points to extend the time.

"—?"

As Lin Miao watched Lillie slowly approach, she trembled violently and staggered backward.

Lin Miao drew his sword and gestured to her. It was an invitation for her to go out together; he wasn't sure if she understood.

Lillie stood still, her eyes trembling slightly before she immediately nodded with a resolute expression.

She stopped her companions who wanted to dissuade her, picked up her sword, and followed Lin Miao out.

[Basic Achievement: First Zombie Kill]

Lin Miao wanted her to achieve something by killing the black zombie that kept howling around the stone house.

She's one of the weakest monsters in the game, but with her attack power that can take away half of a character's health in one hit, she should be able to suppress them instantly.

"That's right."

Two zombies lunged at them. Lin Miao swung her sword and marked one of them, leaving the other one to deal with.

In the instant of her confrontation with her opponent, Lillie decapitated the game monster, now a real zombie, made up of pixelated blocks, with a single blow.

A clean and decisive strike, as if this level of attack was utterly insignificant.

Basic Achievement: Kill 10 Zombies

At this level, it shouldn't be a problem to move on to the next stage now, right?

There were just too many enemies to eliminate, so Lin Miao led her around the stone house.