Day 3 of Planned Construction
The Chief's House was finished by mid-afternoon.
It wasn't fancy, but for something built in only a few days, it felt solid—real. The house consisted of a single main room centered around a stone fireplace, its chimney expertly extended through the roof by Timber using carefully stacked stones and packed clay to seal the gaps.
A separate sleeping area held a simple bed frame made from lashed logs and woven vine rope that was surprisingly comfortable. Nearby sat a modest workspace complete with a desk and shelves—an addition Kaira had stubbornly insisted on.
Of course, there was also an adjacent bathroom.
The roof had been thatched with layered bark and broad leaves, waterproofed using a resin mixture Timber had somehow produced from his own bark secretions. Combined with the fieldstone foundation, the entire structure had a rustic, almost medieval cottage appearance.
Far better than my crude shelter.
[Construction Complete: Chief's House]
[Achievement Unlocked: "First Foundation"]
[Reward: +50 SP, Skill: Basic Construction Lv.1]
[Territory Expansion Now Available!]
[Current Requirements Met: 100 SP (✓), 1 Building (✓)]
[Remaining Requirement: 6 Inhabitants (Currently 5/6)]
[Current SP: 702]
"So close," I muttered, staring at the notification. "Just one more person and I can expand."
[Patience, Human. Rome wasn't built in a day, and your pathetic little settlement won't be either.]
I couldn't tell if ChatZero was being sarcastic or genuinely advising me.
Hmm...
Yeah, definitely sarcasm.
Anyway—
With the house complete, we turned our attention to the rice field.
I'd purchased the Rice Seedlings (x50) from the shop for 5 SP. Now came the part where we actually had to plant them.
[Current SP: 697]
The area near the well had already been cleared and prepared. The soil there was naturally rich, dark and damp beneath the surface. Its proximity to the water table helped, though maintaining consistent watering would still matter.
"Kaira, have you ever farmed before?"
She shook her head. "I'm a merchant's daughter. I've seen farms, but never actually worked one."
"Then I guess we're learning together."
The afternoon disappeared into repetitive labor.
Bend. Dig. Plant. Cover. Repeat.
Fifty seedlings took far longer than I'd expected, and by the end of it my back was quietly protesting every movement.
Still, there was something deeply satisfying about the work.
Each seedling represented future food. Future stability. A future where survival wasn't decided one hunt at a time.
This wasn't just surviving anymore.
This was building something.
Napoleon supervised from nearby, occasionally pecking at insects foolish enough to wander too close.
Timber helped keep the soil moist with water drawn from the well, his vines functioning as a surprisingly efficient irrigation system.
By evening, the rice field was complete.
[Rice Field Established]
[Estimated Growth Time: 25–30 days to maturity]
[Current Food Production: Minimal (Hunting required for sustenance)]
[Side Quest Updated: "Food Security" – Rice cultivation in progress]
Standing at the doorway of my new Chief's House, I looked over my tiny domain.
Fifty meters in every direction.
A proper well.
A house with a fireplace and fieldstone foundation.
A rice field.
One rooster.
One Forest Troll.
And somehow… progress.
Honestly, that was already far more than I'd expected to achieve.
Day 4 of Planned Construction
Today…
I rested.
For the first time since arriving in this world, I actually allowed myself to rest.
No construction. No desperate scrambling to survive.
Just… existing.
The morning passed quietly as I checked the rice field, crouching beside each seedling in search of growth that realistically shouldn't have appeared yet. Still, the routine felt strangely comforting.
Kaira spent part of the day helping organize the interior of the Chief's House, arranging supplies and setting up the workspace she'd insisted we needed.
We tested the fireplace soon after.
Timber had genuinely done excellent work.
The chimney pulled smoke upward cleanly, the stone retained warmth beautifully, and before long the room carried the cozy crackle of burning wood.
"You know," Kaira said while arranging tools onto a shelf, "this is actually kind of nice. Quiet. Peaceful."
"You miss your family?"
Her hands paused.
"...Yeah."
The single word came quietly.
"But they think I'm heading to the Academy. They don't know I got separated from the caravan." She gave a small shrug, though it looked forced. "I'm sure they're worried, but… I'll get there eventually. Right now, I'm just glad to be alive."
"When you do leave," I said carefully, "would you spread word about this place? Once it's actually a village, I mean."
She looked at me. "You really think people would come live in the Great Jura Forest?"
"Outcasts might. People with nowhere else to go. Adventurers looking for opportunity."
I met her eyes.
"Everyone deserves a second chance, right?"
[How noble. I might actually vomit if I had a digestive system.]
Kaira laughed softly.
"Alright. When I leave, I'll spread the word. Though honestly? I don't think anyone would believe me."
Fair point.
The afternoon drifted by in comfortable silence.
Napoleon took dust baths near the house as though he owned the clearing, his feathers gleaming beneath scattered sunlight.
Timber quietly patrolled the territory's perimeter, his hulking presence strangely reassuring.
And somewhere out there…
Pride was doing whatever Pride wanted to do.
[Loyalty: 10% (Pride)]
I tried not to think too hard about it.
That evening, sitting beside the fireplace while flames danced across the fieldstone walls, I pulled up my status window.
STATUS WINDOW:
Name: Marfin
Age: 16
Race: Human
Rank: Initiate ★★★
HP: 100/150
Stamina: 78/150
Special Trait: Gravity Manipulation
Special Ability: Beast Taming
Soulbound Ability: Writer's POV
SP: 697
Summons: 2 (Napoleon, Pride)
Tamed Beasts: 1 (Timber)
Territory: 50m radius
Buildings: 1 (Chief's House)
Skills:
Teamwork Tactics Lv.1
Basic Construction Lv.1
"Not bad for only a few days," I murmured.
I closed my eyes, listening to the crackle of fire and the distant sounds of the forest beyond my territory.
Tomorrow, I'd need to figure out how to get that sixth inhabitant.
Maybe another beast to tame.
Or maybe someone else would stumble into my territory like Kaira had.
Day 5 of Planned Construction
I woke to Timber's urgent voice echoing across the clearing.
"MASTER! MASTER! SKY! SOMETHING FALL!"
I bolted upright instantly.
Morning light slipped through the gaps in the thatched roof—it was early, barely past dawn.
"What?!"
I stumbled outside without wasting another second.
Against the pale morning sky, something was plummeting.
Too fast.
Too erratic.
It tumbled through the air like a broken kite, wings struggling desperately to stabilize itself.
Black scales.
Crimson veins.
"...Pride?"
The Wyvern crashed into my territory with earth-shaking force.
The impact exploded dirt, shattered branches, and sent debris flying in every direction. I felt the tremor through my feet, and several of the rice seedlings flattened beneath the shockwave.
I broke into a run.
Napoleon burst from the house in alarm, crowing loudly.
Kaira emerged moments later, instinctively reaching for the short sword she had kept from her caravan days.
Timber was already there, vines spread protectively.
When the dust finally settled, my stomach sank.
Pride looked ruined.
His obsidian scales were torn and scorched, deep gashes carved across his flanks. One wing bent at an unnatural angle, its membrane shredded in multiple places. Burns marred his hide, and the crimson veins running through his body looked less like natural markings and more like glowing wounds.
His breathing came in strained, painful gasps, smoke escaping weakly with every exhale.
And somehow—
Still clinging to his back—
Was a boy.
He looked around my age, maybe sixteen or slightly older, dressed in battered practice armor covered in fresh gouges and burn marks. A longsword rested against his back, etched with glowing blue runes faintly pulsing beneath dried blood.
The boy slid off Pride's back and collapsed to one knee.
"You…" he rasped. "You're… Marfin?"
I froze.
"...How do you know my name?"
He coughed hard before weakly jerking a thumb toward Pride.
"It kept saying it," he said between breaths. "'Need to return to Marfin.' 'Must reach Marfin.' Over and over like some damn mantra."
My eyes shifted back to Pride.
Home.
Despite all his arrogance… despite how much he acted like I wasn't worthy of him…
He had still come back.
Back to me.
Maybe home wasn't a place.
Maybe it was simply where someone chose to return when everything else went wrong.
In this unfamiliar world—
Maybe I was the only thing Pride trusted enough to return to.
And if he trusted me…
Then I had to return that trust.
"ChatZero. High-grade healing potions. How much?"
[50 SP each. For injuries this severe on an Elite Four-Star creature, you'll need at least three. Maybe four to be safe. The boy needs one as well. However, you don't have high-grade potions in the Level 1 store.]
"I know. But didn't you say the store works like a merchant? Meaning it'd still sell them—just at a premium."
[Analyzing...]
[Analysis complete.]
[Correct. However, they will cost double.]
"Fine. Just buy them!"
I purchased five immediately.
Four for Pride.
One for the boy.
The moment the transaction finished, 500 SP vanished.
[Current SP: 197]
Painful.
But seeing Pride barely breathing made the decision easy.
Without hesitation, I uncorked the potions and poured them over Pride.
The effect was immediate.
Torn flesh sealed shut. Burned scales restored themselves. Twisted bones shifted back into place.
Within moments, Pride stood whole again.
Relieved, I tossed the last potion toward the boy.
He caught it cleanly and drank without hesitation, his injuries disappearing almost instantly.
Only then did I finally approach Pride.
"The jungle must've been crazy, huh?" I smiled faintly. "You alright?"
[Loyalty: 10% -> 34%]
He only stared at me.
Then, unexpectedly, he lowered his head.
I gently placed a hand against his face.
It was warm.
No—
Hot.
Like touching the edge of a contained inferno.
[Loyalty: 34% -> 54%]
That was when the boy finally approached.
"Pride really seems attached to you," he said, sounding genuinely amazed. "It's honestly kind of heartwarming seeing a beast tamer bond with something like—"
He paused.
"...Actually, what is this thing?"
I blinked.
"A Wyvern."
He frowned immediately.
"A what?"
I shrugged.
"Anyway. What's your name?"
"Aldric," he said after catching his breath. "Aldric Vane."
He hesitated before straightening slightly.
"Elite Five-Star. Swordsman."
Then—
He stopped.
His expression shifted.
My vision suddenly turned crimson.
[Minor Disaster Impending]
Objective: Defend the SafeZone for 15 minutes.
Reward: 1 Epic Summon Ticket
Penalty: Death.