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

The soldiers were equipped with fine iron weapons.

Even more shocking was the scene of Attila delivering the promised supplies to Bjorn and other Theodore soldiers.

Attila surrendered a large amount of food, weapons, and livestock piled up on several wagons, which were important resources in this land and were considered strategic materials.

"Even if you bought us as slaves, you shouldn't have to pay such a high price."

This is precisely what puzzled Galon.

Even if Theodore deceived them and sold them as slaves to this tribe called Cindan, there should have been a fair price.

Although he didn't want to diminish his own value out of pride, Galon knew very well that in their current weakened state, they were far less valuable than the supplies Attila had just delivered.

"Slaves? Don't say that. You are one of us now. The merger or division between tribes is not uncommon on this grassland."

"Then what about the supplies we just handed over to the chieftain's subordinates?"

Galon learned the reason by talking to a Saurian soldier who called himself Rick.

"It's just paying a referral fee."

Attila provided so many supplies on the condition that they submit to Theodore.

"I can't understand it. We don't have many soldiers, and we have a lot of elderly people and children. Under the current circumstances, how could we possibly be worth it..."

"You can think that way, but I assure you, don't underestimate your own value. That man could discover valuable talents even in children or the elderly. Ultimately, people are the most important thing, and that's the truth we learned from that man."

Seeing Galon's bewildered expression, Rick grinned and pointed in a certain direction.

Galon noticed that his fingertip was pointing to the sky and couldn't help but laugh awkwardly.

The immigrants, having not yet witnessed it firsthand, all looked on as if they could not understand the language of Aurora.

"This is insane, absolutely unbelievable."

But as they continued forward, they finally approached the moment when they could see the village of Aurora.

Almost all the immigrants, including Galon, stared in shock.

Because beneath the cascading galaxy of the grassland, they were greeted by a majestic city wall unlike anything they had ever seen on this grassland.

The glittering minerals on the city wall resemble another constellation, weaving a dazzling pattern in the darkness.

Whether child or old, everyone has a place to use their talents. This is because everyone possesses different abilities. That is precisely why people are the most important.

The immigrants are quickly integrating after settling in.

Galon finally understood the meaning of Rick's words when they first met, and after seeing it with his own eyes, he quickly understood.

This is by no means simply about solving the problem of food and clothing, or about debating which type of neighborhood housing to commission; it is a completely different kind of determination.

"How's work going?"

"Yeah, my senior even praised me for my rapid progress. I didn't even know... I actually have this kind of talent."

The son of Galon, who returned at dusk, was only a boy of fifteen or sixteen.

Although he was already an adult at this age, his father, Galon, was still secretly worried.

But the boy was full of energy; it turned out he had just completed special training to hunt monsters and mastered the crafting techniques.

It was the mentor who discovered his potential through the status bar outside the screen who trained the son of Galon to become a blacksmith.

"Senior Ava said that as long as you learn material processing, you can graduate and go directly to work in the workshop."

Due to the limited capacity, most residents will come out to show off their talents after learning the necessary skills in the game.

The first female dwarf to become a creator, Ava, along with her successors, "graduated" and left the game in this way.

Later, with Attila's support, they built workshops in the village to create special equipment for the entire tribe.

"Since you're satisfied... that's enough."

Galon smiled bitterly as he watched his son's retreating figure.

His son, who was naturally gentle and not suited to be a warrior, has now become a capable member of the tribe, and that alone makes him very content.

Although the fact that the former chieftain’s son had become an ordinary laborer might cause resentment, Galon, his son, and everyone around them didn’t care.

"So what if he can't be a soldier? My son has won the favor of that esteemed official."

In Aurora, there is no longer a distinction between noble and lowly professions.

Because all those assigned work are lucky individuals personally appointed by the guardian deity, who are able to fully utilize their talents.

Whether they are miners who can easily dig the earth with a swing of a pickaxe or transport workers who carry collected materials to build facilities, they are all chosen ones who have received divine miracles.

The simple and strict system of identity on the grasslands—chieftain, warrior, and commoner—is completely inapplicable here.

"You're clearly exhausted, but you're not taking a break."

"But literacy lessons are only just beginning."

Galon's son had just returned home from work in the game world, but he went out again without sleeping, all to study writing.

Whether they were technical learners or ordinary residents, after experiencing the convenience brought by literacy, everyone worked hard to learn to read and write.

Although it was already night, the glowstones collected from Minecraft were emitting a rainbow of light, illuminating every corner of the village shrouded in darkness.

"...They're here! It's the enemy! The enemy is pouring out of the crevice!"

But it seems that today's class cannot continue.

Panicked people rushed outside, plunging the already chaotic village into complete disarray.

The guards standing on the city wall, shouting warnings, were the first to discover the Zerg invasion.

In fact, the Zerg and Glitch units that emerged from the sudden crack have already begun climbing the walls.

With the main force stationed at the northern fortress, the villages could only be defended by those who remained behind.

"Grab your weapons! East city wall!"

Galon, gritting his teeth and gripping his longbow tightly, also picked up his weapon.

As members of Aurora, while obtaining food, technology, and shelter, they must also fulfill a single obligation: the duty to defend against the enemy.

"Father!"

"You and your mother stay home! The mission the guardian spirit has given you is to make these arrows, not to fight!"

Galon pushed his son aside, grabbed an arrow made from the bones of a malfunctioning body, and charged toward the city wall with the others.

The guards on the city wall are shooting arrows to stop the Zerg from climbing.

Whether it's the Zerg or the Xenomorphs, the enemies all look like beetles or cockroaches.

Braving the barrage of bullets from the defensive turrets, they used their powerful appendages to climb the high walls. Suddenly, their tentacles shot out and pierced several archers, wrapping around them and dragging them down from the city wall.

"Absolutely disgusting."

With gritted teeth, Galon fired an arrow, hitting the exposed side of the flank with pinpoint accuracy and shooting down a malfunctioning creature.

Almost everyone who sees these creatures for the first time is shocked; they are described as beasts yet are far too cold and mechanical.

"Oh! That person has come to help!"

A giant, semi-transparent chainsaw descended from the sky, spinning violently and shredding large swathes of insects clinging to the city walls.

Although enemies close to the residents could not be cleared for fear of accidentally injuring them, it was enough for the residents.

"It's almost over. Hang in there a little longer."

"Yes, you're right."

When Galon was patted hard on the back to encourage him, he nodded absentmindedly, something he had never experienced as a tribal chief.

But it didn't feel bad. Because everyone was working together to fight the enemy.

Although they joined here relatively recently as immigrants, they have long since become one.

Galon, his blood boiling, fought even more fiercely, for himself and for everyone.

"ah."

What happened next was that he was struck hard by the spiked forelimbs of the enemy outside the city wall.

◆◆◆

"Are they a different species from ant colonies? How could they coordinate such an attack?"

Although the enemies who destroyed the dwarf kingdom and multiplied have taken root in the north, the rear is not a safe place either.

"Small groups of enemies kept harassing them as they sprang out from the intermittently opening fissures, and over time they also discovered hive fissures from which they would swarm out."

The battle continued.

This will certainly continue in the future.

"Sacrifices... are ultimately unavoidable."

Even with chainsaws being used, there were still casualties.

The residents kept upgrading their defenses.

Even with such towering city walls built, it still couldn't stop them.

People who died instantly before he could treat them with the vaccine.

I naturally feel bad every time I see them.

Lin Miao once worried that she might become numb.

But it seems impossible to get used to it.

In fact, getting used to it might actually make things worse.

There's no other way but to build more defensive towers or upgrade them.

Because of being busy with the northern fortress,

Almost no resources were invested in village defense towers.

If only I had built more defensive towers back then...

Perhaps this would reduce the sacrifices.

This fear made him unable to resist fiddling with the newly upgraded defense tower with the mouse.

Lin Miao's choice was like a divine revelation to them.

It was regarded as absolute truth.

But he was just an ordinary person, no different from them.

The main force will set off tomorrow to rescue the dwarf survivors.

At this moment, Lin Miao had a sudden thought: should she stop their pointless behavior?

In search of the dwarven survivors, they venture into the unexplored mountains, where the enemy is sure to be entrenched.

This is no easy task. Just look at how the village's best talents were all gathered to participate in this matter; they are truly important human resources.

Helson, who discovered the survivors in the mountains, was even a little hesitant, worried that he might have made things worse.

"There's no need to worry so much. If we've truly made the wrong choice, that lord will certainly stop us."

"But this is far too dangerous, to save those of our people whose fate is unknown..."

Seeing Helson's concerns, Lillie shook her head: "I know very well how important it is to fight evil and save the people."

Her strong support for the search and rescue operation stemmed entirely from her experience in the game world.

Although it was essentially just a background story written by someone, it was a true story that she had personally experienced.

Now, fighting evil and saving people is a matter of course for her.

"Ready to go, all personnel may depart immediately."

At this moment, the hunter Thorfinn came to report that preparations were complete.

The fact that Thorfinn, who should normally be fighting in creature extermination missions against giant mutated monsters, is here is proof of their all-out effort.

They came together to make full use of the abilities they had learned in different game worlds.

"While searching for survivors is important, your life and the lives of your companions are equally important. If you sense danger, do not hesitate to turn and run."

"I've got it."

Attila, who hadn't slept well due to news of the monster attack on the village the night before and had dark circles under her eyes, told Lillie, who was about to set off, not to linger in battle during a critical moment.

Whether as a father or the clan leader, the blow would be unbearable if Lillie and other core members were all wiped out.

The power of the guardian deity they worship is not limitless.

A misjudgment can lead to irreparable consequences.

No abnormalities have been detected so far.

He also zoomed in on the screen to its maximum size, carefully observing the enemy's movements.

No enemy has been spotted so far, from the destination mountain range to the midway point.

The enemy's numbers were drastically reduced, clearly thanks to the residents' advance to the vicinity of their lair and subsequent mopping-up operations.

"According to Herson's testimony, the dwarves likely retreated into caves in the mountains to put up a last stand. After all, they were experts at digging mines and burrows."

"Haven't found any clues yet?"

"There are currently neither enemies nor any trace of dwarves."

This reconnaissance team was the elite of the village. But this didn't just mean they were exceptionally strong militarily.

Although Lillie is nominally leading the team, she is not the one walking at the very front.

Thorfinn, a special hunter, stood at the front of the group, holding his tools and intently surveying his surroundings.

This is one of the basic hunter skills that Thorfinn learned from Monster Hunter. It is a detection skill that can track and lock the location of enemies when used with a detector that detects the magic power of malfunctioning objects.

The porters, carrying loads of prop-like food, followed closely behind, organically combining and applying the abilities they had learned in different game worlds.

"There's not even a decent trace; this situation is actually quite unsettling."

As Lillie moved forward under Thorfinn's guidance, she kept looking around.

There is no trace of fierce fighting in this pristine mountain range that has not yet been damaged.

There are only two possibilities: either the insects hid too well and couldn't find the dwarves, or the dwarf survivors have all been wiped out.

"Take a look at this. At first glance, it looks like tracks left by a wild animal, but it's not. These are tracks deliberately created using tools."

But not long after, Helson, who was traveling with them, spotted their compatriots. It was a mark left at some unknown time, where a small shrub had been neatly cut down.

"It must be somewhere nearby."

At least their existence was confirmed. The expedition team, fearing to alert the survivors, dared not make too much noise and continued their search deeper into the mountains.

"Oh dear, this reaction... it's probably a big one."

Thorfinn's ears suddenly perked up, and the detector in his hand reacted at that moment.

This intense reaction couldn't possibly have come from a small dwarf survivor. Thorfinn realized it was a reaction on par with the giant malfunction and clicked his tongue in astonishment.

After all, there is only one type of massive being in this area that can rival the glitch monsters in the game.

"It's them!"

A swarm of malfunctioning creatures and an insectoid monster emerging from a nearby nest dodged trees, climbed over rocks, and were making their way up the hillside.