The system's notification blinked insistently before Arya:
[Level 2 Shelter Facilities]
[Bedroom: Wood ×500, Fur ×20, Sand ×10]
[Living Room: Wood ×500, Stone ×100, Fur ×30, Sand ×50]
[Storage Room: Wood ×300]
[Bathroom: Wood ×50, Stone ×10, Sand ×6, Iron Ore ×10]
(Note: Selecting the expansion option includes a 10-liter water tank: Wood ×100, not counted as a facility.)
[Stove: Wood ×30, Stone ×50]
[Fireplace: Stone ×30, Sand ×10, Water ×2]
[First Floor Outdoor Platform: Wood ×50 (Small), Wood ×100 (Medium), Wood ×200 (Large)]
[Second Floor Balcony: Wood ×50 (Small), Wood ×100 (Medium), Wood ×200 (Large)]
(Note: Selecting a balcony includes a door: Wood ×10, not counted as a facility.)
[Second Floor Terrace: Wood ×100, Vine ×10 (Small), Wood ×200, Vine ×20 (Medium), Wood ×400, Vine ×40 (Large)]
(Note: Selecting a terrace includes a floor-to-ceiling sliding door: Wood ×100, Sand ×300, not counted as a facility.)
Each time the Shelter is upgraded, three facilities can be chosen for construction. Please choose carefully.
Arya clicked her tongue. "Mandatory, huh? Karim really enjoys this system."
She scanned the list. Choosing only three facilities would make prioritizing difficult. Then, she noticed a faint arrow at the bottom of the interface. Curious, she flipped the page.
[Alchemy Array detected in Shelter. Survivor presumed to be an Alchemist. Construct an Alchemy Workshop?]
[Apprentice-level Alchemy Workshop: Wood ×50, Stone ×50, Iron Ore ×30, Sand ×10]
Arya froze. Could it really be detecting the array she had drawn and practiced on the wooden floor? Apparently so. This facility was mandatory, yet she had no Iron Ore. A quick scan revealed none was available for purchase.
Wait… maybe someone she knew had it. A face flickered in her mind. She quickly accessed her friends list.
Arya: "Do you have Iron Ore?"
Shang Chuan: "Yes, how much do you need?"
Arya: "Forty units."
Shang Chuan: "300 basic units. Sending now."
She didn't haggle. To an alchemist, materials were more important than price. Albert had always said, "An alchemist never worries about money. Money is just numbers; materials are power."
Within moments, Shang Chuan sent all forty units. Arya also received thirteen extra boxes of test tubes—valuable trade goods in her eyes. With everything in hand, she began the upgrade.
She immediately selected the three facilities: Bathroom, Second Floor Terrace (Large), and Alchemy Workshop. Beds and sofas were unnecessary—she had a mattress. Cooking was time-consuming and distracted from study. Storage rooms and first-floor platforms could wait. Her selections focused on practicality: hygiene, herb drying, and alchemical work.
With sufficient materials confirmed, Arya clicked "Construct."
Smoke curled from a first-floor corner, accompanied by hammering and clanging. The same echoed on the second floor. Arya watched quietly, resisting the urge to interfere.
[Ding! Congratulations to individual 'Arya' from Sector 666's Abandoned Forest for being the first to upgrade her Shelter to Level 2. You have received one self-selected reward.]
Before Arya could inspect the results, the World Will's voice rang in her ears.
"Holy… she upgraded her Shelter to Level 2 in just two days?"
"You lack sophistication. With all the materials she accumulated, this is expected."
"She practically monopolized the market. Level 2 is a given!"
"Still, a reward is unusual."
"Imagine sleeping soundly tonight knowing you've upgraded to Level 2."
"@Arya, share a picture of your Shelter!"
"@Arya, don't hide it! The funds came from everyone's collective effort."
"I envy her talent."
"Collective funding? Genius word choice."
The voice stirred the sleeping and semi-awake alike. Arya, however, remained unaware, engrossed in choosing her reward.
Unlike the previous day, this reward offered slightly more options: Tools, Magic, Items, Knowledge. Arya didn't hesitate. Knowledge was permanent; everything else was fleeting. She clicked Knowledge.
A flood of options appeared: Basic Handicrafts, Basic Cultivation, Basic Husbandry, Demonology, Monster Illustrations, Basic Magic Tool Manufacturing, Basic Beast Taming, Basic Celestial Studies, Basic Astrology, Basic Meteorology, Basic Mechanics, Basic Enchanting… The list was overwhelming.
Arya's mind teetered on decision paralysis. What did she truly need? She scanned the list with her principles in mind.
Finally, her gaze fixed on Basic Potionology. That would directly enhance her alchemical ability. With a calm breath, she selected it.
The upgrade completed swiftly. The Shelter, now Level 2, gleamed with new facilities. The Bathroom offered cleanliness, the Second Floor Terrace allowed herbs to sun-dry efficiently, and the Alchemy Workshop stood ready for her experiments.
Arya walked through the space, inspecting each addition. The air smelled faintly of wood and stone dust. Sunlight filtered through the terrace's sliding doors, casting warm patterns on the floor where her herbs would rest. Her workshop was compact but functional. The bench, array, and shelves were perfectly arranged for an apprentice alchemist.
She glanced at her inventory: all necessary materials were accounted for, her tools and containers in order. Her mind raced with potential experiments. Each herb, each mineral, could be transformed into a potent potion. She felt a thrill at the thought of testing new formulas.
Time was precious. Arya prioritized her studies over leisure. The mattress sufficed; the sofa could wait. Cooking was unnecessary for now; quick meals could sustain her. She needed results, not comfort.
The terrace promised more than sun exposure—it was a mini-laboratory for her botanical studies. Herbs needing to dry or be ground into powders could be arranged by sunlight and airflow. Arya already imagined the various tinctures and mixtures she could prepare.
The Alchemy Workshop, her core facility, pulsed with potential. Apprentice-level equipment was basic, but the essentials were covered: distillation, grinding, and basic elemental transmutations. For her, it was a treasure trove. Each new experiment was a step closer to mastery.
Even as night fell, Arya could not rest. Her mind lingered on formulas, ratios, and reaction sequences. She imagined boiling herbs into potions, observing color changes, and testing effects. To an outsider, this would seem obsessive; to her, it was joy.
The Shelter's new status had other effects, too. Notifications from the World Will continued. Curious messages from other survivors appeared intermittently. They envied her efficiency, her ability to upgrade rapidly, and her growing collection of materials. Some asked questions, others expressed awe. Arya ignored them. Interaction could wait; mastery could not.
Selecting Basic Potionology as her reward was a conscious decision. Tools and materials were replaceable, knowledge was eternal. This book would deepen her understanding of potions, allowing her to create more sophisticated mixtures and elevate her alchemical craft.
She flipped the pages, absorbing theories and techniques. Each section offered practical insight, from extraction of essences to stabilization of volatile compounds. Arya realized she could improve her current methods, increasing yield and reducing waste.
Hours passed unnoticed. The world outside her Shelter continued its rhythm, but inside, Arya was in her element. The Level 2 Shelter was more than just upgraded rooms; it was an enabler of her goals, a space designed to maximize her growth as an alchemist.
By the time she paused to rest, the Shelter was a reflection of her priorities: efficiency, functionality, and potential. Comfort was secondary; knowledge and capability were primary. The Terrace, Bathroom, and Workshop stood as symbols of her deliberate choices.
Arya's first night in the Level 2 Shelter was not for sleep but for planning. Potions, herb cultivation, and alchemical experiments filled her thoughts. Tomorrow, she would start testing formulas, tracking reactions, and cataloging results meticulously.
The reward, the new facilities, and the book on potionology all converged into a single truth: Arya was no longer a passive survivor. She was an alchemist with a purpose, equipped with tools and knowledge to thrive in a world of challenges.
As dawn approached, Arya finally allowed herself a brief moment of satisfaction. She had transformed her Shelter into a true hub of alchemical potential. Every wall, every shelf, every sunlit terrace plank was a step toward mastery.
Her journey was only beginning, but the Level 2 Shelter was the foundation. With knowledge as her guide and the world as her laboratory, Arya would carve a path unlike any other survivor.