Natasha desperately needed Mana.
Although she could currently mobilize only one percent of the power of her Talent, Storm Monarch, the wind blade it generated was more than enough to instantly sever a wolf's head. That level of lethality was comforting, but it came at a heavy price. The Mana consumption of her Talent was terrifyingly fast, leaving her with barely enough energy left to use the Gathering Art.
During this time, she had relied almost entirely on trading meat for materials in order to upgrade her Level Two Shelter. That was exactly why she made such a firm promise when she saw food that could continuously restore Mana for a full ten minutes.
Sixty times the natural recovery rate.
It was ridiculous.
And Rogers hadn't even fully developed yet. This reminded Natasha strongly of Arya's early-stage Crude Magic Potions. The similarities were too obvious to ignore. Once Rogers improved further, she would almost certainly become another Arya-type figure.
Supporting her was a small price to pay. At worst, Natasha could send over a wolf or even a cow every single day.
Rogers: "Yes, yes!"
When Rogers heard that someone would be providing her with crafting materials for free, her face immediately lit up with a dazzling smile.
This meant she only had to head out once a day to gather herbs or wild vegetables. The danger she had to face while wandering outside dropped sharply. That alone made the deal worth celebrating.
Natasha: "Wait for me."
After sending that message, Natasha stood up. She rolled her shoulders, adjusted the collar of her coat with both hands, and walked out of her wooden house without another word.
The next day.
After waking up, Arya immediately began preparing for her potion-brewing process, just like she had done the day before. Since she had already processed a large amount of herbs in advance, she could save a great deal of time.
However, she wasn't in a hurry to start brewing yet.
She walked over to the Magic Desk and reached out to silence the sharp, piercing beeping sound. Then she opened her storage interface and quickly scanned the contents.
Every single material needed for the Level Three Shelter had already been gathered.
Without hesitation, she decided to upgrade her Shelter first. After all, today was the final day of the novice protection period. She had no idea what would happen when the eighth day arrived.
The earlier she upgraded, the safer she would feel.
A glowing prompt appeared before her eyes:
[Do you wish to upgrade to a Level Three Shelter?]
"Yes."
Another panel unfolded.
[Please select your Shelter upgrade direction]
[Option One: Expand the Tree Cave Shelter threefold.]
[Option Two: Expand the Tree Cave Shelter twofold and add a third-floor area.]
Armed with prior experience, Arya chose the second option without thinking.
A detailed list of facilities appeared in front of her:
Level Three Shelter Facilities:
Bedroom: Wood ×500, Fur ×20, Sand ×10
Living Room: Wood ×500, Stone ×100, Fur ×30, Sand ×50
Storage Room: Wood ×600
Stove: Wood ×60, Stone ×100
Fireplace: Stone ×300, Sand ×100, Water ×20
First-Floor Outdoor Platform (Small): Wood ×50
First-Floor Outdoor Platform (Medium): Wood ×100
First-Floor Outdoor Platform (Large): Wood ×200
Third-Floor Balcony (Small): Wood ×50
Third-Floor Balcony (Medium): Wood ×100
Third-Floor Balcony (Large): Wood ×200
Note: Selecting a balcony automatically included a matching door for Wood ×10. The door was not counted as a facility.
Third-Floor Terrace (Small): Wood ×100, Vine ×10
Third-Floor Terrace (Medium): Wood ×200, Vine ×20
Third-Floor Terrace (Large): Wood ×400, Vine ×40
Note: Selecting a terrace automatically included a floor-to-ceiling sliding door for Wood ×100 and Sand ×300. The sliding door was not counted as a facility.
Bathroom Expansion: Wood ×500, Stone ×100
Note: Choosing the bathroom expansion automatically provided a 50-liter water storage tank (Wood ×100) and an automatic heating system requiring e-grade monster crystal cores ×20. These additions were not counted as facilities.
Apprentice-Grade Alchemy Workshop (Expansion):
Wood ×500, Stone ×500, Iron Ore ×300, Sand ×100
Note: Selecting this option automatically granted a 100-liter storage tank for Wood ×1000, which again was not counted as a facility.
Each Shelter upgrade allows you to select three facilities for modification. Please choose carefully based on your needs.
Arya let out a soft, helpless sigh.
"So this is the trick."
People always said free things were the most expensive, but she hadn't expected such an obvious progressive pricing trap. Some facilities had increased their costs by almost ten times compared to before.
After staring at the list carefully, Arya made her final decision:
✅ Storage Room
✅ Bathroom
✅ Alchemy Workshop
She had no real choice.
The extra conditions were simply too good to refuse. No one could resist an automatically heated shower in a dangerous and filthy survival world. And no alchemist alive would reject a 100-liter water tank.
Anyone who brewed potions regularly understood how terrifying the water consumption could be.
Running back and forth every single day for water was exhausting. Even when wearing her Moonstone Dagger, she could only carry two buckets of water at once.
Now, with an extra 100 liters of storage, she could work comfortably for at least two full days.
And that was where the real problem began.
After completing the Level Three Shelter, she was completely out of building materials.
Arya let out a slow breath.
"Phew…"
Inside another Shelter, Roy, who had just woken up, pushed open his window to let fresh air circulate.
His Shelter was built directly into a mound, resembling something straight out of a fairytale—a cozy hobbit-like home.
On the very first day after being forcibly transported into this strange world, he had spent time scouting the surroundings. The area around his house was densely covered with trees, offering excellent concealment.
This place wasn't meant to protect him from monsters.
It was meant to protect him from people.
As a business elite, Roy understood human greed better than most. He trusted monsters more than humans.
What he still didn't understand was why the world will had assigned him such a whimsical, fairy-tale-like Shelter. At first, he had complained quietly, but by now, he had completely adapted.
Now, relying on his C-grade Talent, Roy monitored commodity prices every single day at his Magic Desk.
Apart from heading out once every hour to use the Gathering Art and deplete his Mana while searching for supply chests, his main survival strategy in this new world was simple:
Buy low.
Sell high.
Exploit gaps.
After washing his hands in stream water, still slightly damp, he casually tidied his hair and sat down at the Magic Desk.
Today, he needed to begin another round of market operations.
Once today's workload was complete, he planned to upgrade his Shelter to Level Two. That would prepare him for the end of the novice protection period.
As a merchant, he had more than enough supplies to upgrade directly to Level Three if he wanted to.
But he understood a key rule of survival:
"The nail that sticks out gets hammered down."
Merchants lived for profit, not fame. Even if there were rewards for ranking or attention, they meant nothing compared to long-term survival.
He wouldn't take unnecessary risks until he had secured enough capital to dominate the market.
Roy took a deep breath and then noticed his friend list blinking.
He opened it.
His vision darkened.
Arya: "Do you allow credit?"
Roy stared at the message in silence.
Is anyone going to explain this? It's early morning, and someone is already asking for credit before I've even technically opened for business.
He sighed inwardly.
But he couldn't ignore her.
She was his biggest client.
He had no choice but to smile through the pain.
Roy: "Others can't, but you can. The price increases by five percent per day."
He felt a dull ache in his chest as he sent it.
Arya: "No need. Help me collect everything on this [List]. I'll give you 100 Apprentice Magic Potions tonight."
Roy opened the list and scanned it carefully.
Wood ×2700
Stone ×600
e-grade monster crystal core ×20
Iron Ore ×300
Sand ×100
She wasn't asking for anything extreme.
It clearly looked like she was preparing to upgrade to a Level Three Shelter.
Based on current black market prices, he could earn at least a sixty percent markup if he handled this correctly.
A major client really was a major client.
Her spending habits were outrageous.
Wasn't this already considered opening for business?
Roy adjusted his glasses slowly and began typing at the Magic Desk.
The market was open.
And this time, the profit would be enormous.
End of Chapter 27