LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 155
Chapter 155 – Storm (5)
“You know, it might sound strange to say, but this is a surprisingly simple method. So please, believe me.”
“It’s not a difficult task. I can just verify whether what you say is true or false on my own.”
Grabbing Anton, who was trembling as he spoke the truth, I pulled out my laptop from my bag and opened the screen. The points were still stacked in the thousands. No matter what he said, I could check most of it right here.
“So you’re a user.”
“Why else would I be obsessed with this information? You don’t know how many people live in here or how much they depend on me.”
Seeing his reaction, he murmured in surprise, but I couldn’t help but snicker. Since I was already moving so drastically, I decided to accept that part of my information would leak out.
The fact that I was a user wasn’t particularly groundbreaking information.
“You probably know this, but Ivan was quite a prophetic user in our country. The government both aided him and kept him under surveillance. Then, an accident happened, and while we dealt with the bugs that killed Ivan, we obtained the data he was hiding. That technology that restricts the bugs’ movement was something Ivan had acquired not long ago.”
Anton spilled everything as if he wasn’t even required to, and it seemed he might have been forced to keep quiet until now.
“So the surveillance program, in other words, the hacking tool, became the defense barrier against the bugs’ attacks?”
“If the bugs are literally bugs, then wouldn’t the similar entity be the one who knows their system best?”
What he said was shocking. The program that Ivan activated with the Master Program was, none other than, a hacking tool used for hacking.
The vaccine program and firewall program were already known to serve functions like healing or defense against real-life invasions, but now a program with new functions was revealed.
“Is that really the case? As far as I know, hacking tools come in a variety of types.”
“Absolutely. All users in our country have activated it. And this is just my opinion, but even if you use a different hacking tool, the function will likely be the same. In the end, what’s important about the programs used with the Master Program is their ‘purpose,’ right?”
Anton touched on a point I hadn’t considered. As he said, the Master Program changes and applies whatever programs it activates at will.
Many games that enhance the residents operate in a similar fashion.
There are countless RPGs overflowing in the world, but once activated by the Master Program, regardless of the game’s name or background, they often focus on characteristics and tend to conform to similar points.
[Hacking Tool: 5000P]
‘The price is outrageous.’
Listening to Anton, I downloaded a common hacking tool floating around the internet and attempted to register it with the Master Program.
The price, which was higher than many standard games, seemed to validate its performance.
[Operational Range: 10 Squares]
The hacking tool manipulated by the Master Program became a defense program existing for me. Its role was to thwart the bugs’ shenanigans and create a safe zone where their gates couldn’t open.
The default number of squares provided was 10. In other words, it could make 10 desktop backgrounds impervious to bug invasions.
“…Alright. Since I’ve confirmed that what you said is true, I’ll let you go home now.”
I steeled my heart, but I was slightly trembling, grateful that it was ending here.
While I fought off those who charged at me during Anton’s abduction, fighting each other and torturing them unilaterally were entirely different matters.
“Wait a moment, I…”
“Just forget about today.”
Opening the portal back to where we had originally been, I shoved him back inside before closing the door behind me.
Instead, I opened a portal leading to my home.
Once I returned home and closed the portal, the familiar and serene scenery unfolded before me, making everything that had just happened seem like a dream.
*
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, really.”
As Riena looked up at the sky, waiting for a reply from the Elf King, Eve, who was tense, asked her about it.
Riena shook her head, stating it was nothing.
However, in truth, Riena’s intuition was remarkable; she sensed that right now was the exact moment the one who had gone far to gather information was starting to establish safe zones away from the bugs’ gate attacks.
“They’re asking us to come inside.”
“Go on. It should be fine. Ah, probably.”
At that moment, a soldier who had received a command from the Elf King opened the castle gate that led them into the city.
Eve, pretending not to be the most nervous, took the lead in guiding the humans. The warriors of the Arin Tribe, including Riena, confidently rode into the city amidst the gazes of the many Elves.
‘It’s enormous.’
The first thing they saw was the gigantic tree in the heart of the city. The holy tree revered by the Elves, the World Tree.
At the size of that tree, which they had never seen in their lives, their necks craned to their limits.
“Huh?”
But before they could reach the royal palace right in front of the World Tree, a group of Elves was already approaching them.
Eve recognized the figure at the forefront.
“That person is Lord Region, who is currently our king.”
She informed Riena of his identity. With a stern expression, he welcomed the humans not in a proper reception room but on the street with his guards.
“I can’t take these unreliable ones near the World Tree.”
“Unreliable? We are the ones who helped you when you were on the verge of collapse.”
“That assistance was not requested.”
Riena clicked her tongue at the familiar gaze filled with distrust and vigilance. Eve was also starting to sweat nervously.
If the king didn’t cooperate, their alliance had a high chance of failing.
“So I demand an explanation. Who are you people, and where did you come from that you could come into this land without knowing anything?”
“That much should be disclosed. It will help in making correct judgments.”
Fortunately, there was no immediate outbreak of armed conflict. Seeing the eyes of the Elves demanding an explanation, Riena forced a smile.
Though they pretended to be strong in this tense atmosphere, the ones who were genuinely uneasy and troubled were the Elves. The fear of being assaulted by unidentified monsters charging en masse was a shock they couldn’t easily shake off.
Riena knew that there was no compromise with bugs, so as long as she conveyed the truth correctly, the trapped Elves would have no choice but to extend their hands to the Arin Tribe.
‘Am I explaining this well?’
Back home, he was also watching the conversation between Riena and Elf King Region through the screen. Though he still couldn’t understand their words, he could gauge the atmosphere and predict the flow and outcome of the conversation.
“That’s absurd. I’ve never heard of such insane monsters. There hasn’t been a case like this in history.”
“There’s no need to bring up history; you’ve seen it with your own eyes, haven’t you?”
Region was at a loss for words at Riena’s statement. The group of monsters they saw was a calamity distinct from any monsters they had known until now.
Region’s eyes trembled. It was hard to believe that all the humans’ claims were lies; they had clearly witnessed and felt many things with blood and lives at stake.
—I’ve confirmed the information. I will officially announce it. So that as many people as possible can receive help.
“Please do.”
Meanwhile, Jun-Young relayed the information he had extracted through threats to Anton straight to Lee So-Yeon.
Upon receiving the information, Lee So-Yeon decided to disclose that they could partially thwart the bugs’ assaults using hacking tools to the whole world.
What had been fiercely guarded as a state secret to get ahead in the competition was stolen within a day.
‘So please, make a wise decision.’
Feeling a sense of liberation, having completed his task, his gaze was drawn to the Elf King Region on the screen, who was wildly flapping his mouth as if he didn’t know what to do.
If the Elves made the wrong choices, he certainly wasn’t going to passively accept that.
His mouse, ready to grab a machine gun if necessary, was fully prepared to actively move, much like how he had kidnapped the opponent to gather information.
“For now, I’ll believe your words. We have all seen what those monsters are.”
“If that’s the case, we can have proper cooperation…”
“However, strengthening the cooperation is premature. We still cannot trust you.”
Region admitted the words of the Arin Tribe but withheld his proposal for a genuine alliance.
“As Eve said, you saved the villages in the West that were under attack. Very well. I’ll allow you to rebuild those villages and station troops there. But beyond that, do not move soldiers within our territory.”
“You will regret this when the intensity of their assaults lessens. We should attack their nest together.”
From the Elf’s perspective, it was a groundbreaking acknowledgment. They trusted their words and even allowed them to set up within their territory.
However, Riena looked at the Elves with a frustrated glance for adopting such a lukewarm stance after providing them with validation.
“Let’s give it some time for now. My kin need a little more time.”
“There is nothing more precious than life.”
“Humans, that means your subordinates should rest as well, shouldn’t they?”
Eve gently interjected, stopping Riena.
Riena couldn’t refute that. The Arin Tribe, having been constantly fighting, was certainly getting weary. Most importantly, their base had also been cut off from reinforcements for quite a while as they battled enemies coming from all sides.
“Just keep in mind this. This land is undeniably your land, Elf, and it is you who must protect it.”
Eventually, Riena, having waited for an order while looking at the sky and receiving no response, felt content with this extent and brought the first meeting to a close.
As she turned to leave confidently, many Elves looked on at her back.
After so long since the trade with humans had been cut off, the Elves viewed the humans with curiosity, just as the humans gazed in wonder at them.
At that moment, Riena was solidified in the minds of the Elves as the representative image of humanity.
“Although the city has survived, there are many villages, like ours, that were attacked. We must save them too.”
“The Elf King has spoken, so we will not act.”
“I know. I believe our army will step in to resolve this.”
Eve, having played the mediator to somehow bring everything to a conclusion, followed behind Riena and glanced back.
Her eyes were filled with worry about whether their kin would be able to fight competently without the Arin Tribe’s aid.