Chapter 238 – The Affected Ones (1)

“Doesn’t it seem like the number of mutants has dropped a bit lately? I mean, sure, if you go deeper into the areas, they’re still there.”

“It probably hasn’t meaningfully decreased. If it feels that way to you, there must be another reason.”

In a tavern within the city, hunters gathered to unwind from the day’s fatigue over food and drinks. Two ordinary hunters, grumbling like everyone else, were no different.

Burning their energy hunting mutants for their living, they had no choice but to take hunting seriously.

“It’s because the stronger ones are sweeping the achievements. Who’s going to say anything? They can do it because of their own abilities.”

A hunter named Tom shook his head with a chuckle at his companion’s words.

Hunters ultimately compete to catch their prey. It’s an unspoken tradition to hunt based on one’s abilities without meddling in each other’s affairs, so no one dared to complain. However, it wasn’t impossible for strong teams to wipe out all the game if they banded together.

Still, it was equally impossible to voice any complaints about that situation.

The rivals had effortlessly become the strongest guild in the area, and their might was potent enough to push aside existing forces.

Now, they had become the central power of the city. Just a short while ago, they were a bunch of outsiders, but purely through their prowess, they had become the representatives of the local hunters.

“Look over there. They’ve arrived.”

Amidst all this, Tom nudged his companion, gesturing discreetly toward the entrance. A few people had entered the tavern, clearly there for food and drinks.

Though their outfits were similar, made of armor and gear crafted from mutant by-products, their appearances were distinctly unique, representative of various races and tribes.

“If we drink again, Tina might say something.”

“Don’t worry, Tina drinks just fine. Besides, today isn’t just any day. It’s the day we show the newcomers around.”

With their carefree attitudes, June and Naru strolled into the tavern and ordered drinks as if it were second nature. For them, the assorted fruit wines were a rare delicacy in this game-like world.

“Once you try it, you’ll never forget it.”

June giggled as he glanced back. New hunters had recently arrived in the area. Having proven themselves in the first region, these newcomers wore expressions of nervousness as they entered the second region.

This was how the Arin Tribe was expanding their foothold in this world. Even amid external warfare, they were diligently hunting to obtain resources and equipment that could only be found here.

As a result, they had surpassed the level of mere outsiders and had become significant figures in the area purely by their skills.

Though the outside world had regained some stability, the new system established in the external world still required more resources, prompting Junyoung to continue managing the game-like world.

It was only natural that the influences would spread to other realms, as the residents didn’t restrict or control themselves.

“Do you know why the deity moved an avatar to bring you directly to this city?”

“Yes, it means the two of them are going to higher regions, right?”

“That’s right. This area is now your responsibility.”

June and Naru exchanged glances and smiles at the newcomers they would be leaving behind. They were soon setting off for the higher region with Tina. Having accumulated their strength and experience, they were now certified high-level hunters.

Whether it was bugs or mutants, skilled hunters had already mastered the art of tackling larger monsters.

Now it was time to pass this territory on to their juniors. If they expanded their influence like this, the Arin Tribe would quickly grow their power.

“We had some freedom thanks to Tina and her companions. But, I think you should get along better with the locals. Eliminating potential future enemies while simultaneously making allies can be tricky.”

Naru advised the juniors to build close relationships with the locals. This was sincere advice borne from his extended experiences living in this foreign world.

No matter how much they had grown into a formidable hunter group, they were still lacking compared to the locals in certain aspects.

If they could befriend the locals instead of confrontationally opposing them, they might solve that problem.

“But how are we supposed to approach them?”

“We can help them as much as we need help from them. If you use that wisely, it won’t be difficult.”

Naru gave them a hint, referring to a special equipment he had received from Tina, an item pulled from the Dark Blood hunting mode.

They could simultaneously possess and exchange items from different game genres, which was an incredible advantage.

Perhaps with that small trade, they could completely change this world.

“I’ll keep that in mind. I’ll try as you advised…”

The juniors widened their eyes as if they had realized something and nodded in agreement.

A moment was dawning where new elements were slowly seeping into this world of creature hunting. The first step might seem trivial, just small gifts or minor items.

Yet no one could have anticipated how these trivialities would become the source of major upheaval in the future.

*

“How are the herbs doing, Darsoon?”

“Fortunately, they’re growing well. Not sure if it’s the weather or the soil, but at least the conditions are right, so that’s something.”

In the outer regions of the northern continent, the dwarves were busy restoring their hometown. A place once filled with bug nests was once again becoming the dwarves’ land.

They were undertaking various initiatives to bounce back, all thanks to their cooperation with the Arin Tribe.

In fact, the game-like world was gradually changing due to the residents slowly bringing back items from the external world, but this place saw the most significant impacts.

Diverse elements from various worlds were converging in one place, born anew.

“It seems these herbs can only be grown in our land. I wonder how much they’ll be worth.”

Dwarf Darsoon grinned as he scanned the wide field of herbs before him.

He had been acknowledged by Junyoung and was a farmer with the farmer trait acquired through Sandbox Crafting. Utilizing his abilities, he could rapidly cultivate crops from the land.

However, the recently received herb seeds refused to thrive, even with the farmers’ strength. Simply tapping into their intellect wouldn’t create the conditions necessary for growth.

Ultimately, the Arin farmer tribes considered discarding the herbs, but Darsoon decided to take them and plant them in his homeland, eventually succeeding in producing a harvest.

“Quick, gather the other farmers. If we harvest the seeds and plant them in bulk, we could sell this rare herb for a lot of money.”

“Sounds good. I’ll mention it in the meeting today.”

Darsoon intended to sell these herbs to fund the restoration of his homeland.

Not long ago, this would have been an unthinkable notion. Obtaining seeds from outside humans, planting them, cultivating them, and then selling them for profit would have been a massive shock to dwarves who traditionally sought isolation.

‘After going through such dreadful experiences, wouldn’t it be more strange if they didn’t change?’

But like others, Darsoon didn’t mind. He had already gone through so much with humans. War, loss, victory, and more.

They had shared both joys and sorrows throughout that process. Transcending races, they had already become comrades.

Among the dwarf survivors, no one feared or was vigilant against humans anymore. Rather, interactions with humans and other races increased, and there were even those who aspired for more.

“Are you taking that to the temple?”

“This is the first harvest from our land. Everything it took to get here is akin to a blessing from the deity.”

Darsoon made his way carrying some of the herbs harvested for the first time. The dwarven city, nearly restored, was now dotted with newly built structures.

One of those was a temple established by the Order. While its main function was to detect and track bugs occurring nearby, it also served as a place for worshiping the Guardian Deity.

‘It’s interesting how things that couldn’t grow even a bit to the south can thrive in the dwarves’ land.’

The herbs offered to the sky by Darsoon reached Junyoung in reality through a file converter activated by the Master Program.

As he picked up the herbs lying before him, he smiled. Numerous game items that had begun to be used and adapted by the residents had gone through similar processes to find their way into his hands.

“These have properties that warm the body and restore vitality. Hmm, it might be useful.”

Reading the description of the herbs, he felt satisfaction over what had likely been replicated in reality. After all, having more marketable items was advantageous for him.

He had been receiving considerable rewards from Lee So-Yeon for bringing her such items.

But this was merely a minor gain. For him, it was just a handful of coins, yet these things stacked upon each other were causing upheavals in the screen world.

‘The system that Riena conceived requires massive maintenance costs. It’s ultimately the special products that come from that game world that will cover it.’

Riena and Balun hadn’t recklessly come up with unrealistic ideas. Things considered rare and fascinating on Earth were viewed the same way in that world.

Thanks to the surplus supplies that had once been utilized in the all-out war against the bugs now spreading out into the world, they could amass significant wealth.

It was because of this wealth that the Order, centered around Riena, could build and maintain power across the entire continent.

And the items spreading during that process were changing the world.

Many began to show interest in Junyoung, wanting those items, or even switched sides entirely to support them.

He no longer needed to rely on baseless intimidation tactics.

‘This is fun.’

With the ability to observe countless areas through multiple screens, he felt joy witnessing a world transforming because of him.

The burdensome weight of confronting bugs transformed into the exhilaration of watching everything unfold.

While he didn’t truly think of himself as a god, the affection that had started from those who appeared on his desktop was gradually spreading to the entirety of that world.

After all, he had been spending as much time in that world lately as he was in reality.

.

A village has sprouted on my desktop, 239th episode.