Episode 24. Built the Guard Unit
At the Red Storm Guild headquarters,
Bianca, who had been running around looking for the first player to own a village, returned empty-handed again today.
It had already been a week.
“Sigh… no luck again today.”
In front of the guild master’s office,
Bianca sighed deeply as she stared at the door.
‘Ugh… how much more scolding will I get today?’
Thinking it was better to get it over with quickly, she took a deep breath and went inside.
“Master, I’m back.”
“Bianca? You’re back.”
Brandy, the Red Storm Guild master, looked up from paperwork.
His indifferent gaze seemed to understand the situation without more words.
“Still no leads?”
“No…”
“You’re not the only one. Other guilds haven’t found him either.”
“But there should have been some clue…”
Bianca bit her lip in frustration.
Brandy rubbed his chin and asked.
“Have you investigated the users working in that village?”
“Yes. But it’s completely clean. I checked myself — obvious beginners. They seem like carpenters, and their gear looks below level 30.”
“Hmm… What about that carpenter user?”
“I tried asking multiple times, but they don’t seem to know anything. They even get wages via NPCs. They’re cautious.”
Brandy tapped the desk with a finger.
Bianca hurriedly added.
“I’ve been watching for days. They only build. No other activities… Sometimes making chairs or tables, but that’s natural for a carpenter.”
“Do they go elsewhere?”
“To Lete Village. Mostly just to buy materials.”
Bianca looked frustrated and added.
‘Such a stubborn person. Logging in only to build, buy materials, build again… Is this game really that fun?’
Brandy fell into thought.
A user owning a village that even big guilds couldn’t take.
They wanted to recruit him at any cost, but so far no clues.
Then, Bianca hesitated and spoke.
“Could it be… that user is already in a guild?”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s odd with no clues despite so much searching. No matter how cautious, could a non-affiliated user hide so perfectly?”
“Keep looking.”
“Using the carpenter as a front, giving cash only via NPCs… too suspicious.”
Brandy nodded after a pause. It was reasonable.
‘If a powerful guild supports him…’
Very possible.
If they made sure no clues ever surfaced,
the guild would have to be quite large.
“Keep searching. Find out who’s helping him.”
“Sigh… okay. But if you never find him, what then?”
Brandy’s mouth curved slowly. His eyes gleamed coldly.
“What else? There’s only one way.”
“…No way.”
“Take it by force. As always.”
Bianca’s eyes glinted at that.
She looked like she was loosening up after being tense so long.
“Good idea! I’ve been stressed lately anyway.”
“Then investigate properly. Don’t let your guard down.”
“Yes~ Got it~”
Little did they know —
the clue was already right before their eyes,
held in the hands of that carpenter building every day.
At the same time, many users gathered in Arlen’s village.
Their goal was mostly to buy items from the clothing store and take out the potato stew.
“Ah… this is the item! Wow, wearing it under armor is so comfortable!”
“The options are insane.”
“Potato stew is so delicious! Before, the place was packed and we couldn’t go in, but takeout is a godsend.”
“True. Whose idea was takeout? Hats off~”
“Let’s pay quickly.”
“Okay.”
A user opened their bag to pay gold for the potato stew.
But,
“Huh? It’s gone! Gone!”
“What’s gone?”
“The gold!! Someone stole my gold!! No! I worked so hard to gather it!!”
Someone had stolen gold.
Chaos broke out around.
The user tried to catch the thief but it wasn’t easy.
‘Fool! Do you think you can catch me just like that!?’
“Hehe… wow, how much is this~”
The thief laughed slyly while gathering gold from the user’s bag.
This was a thieves’ paradise.
In other villages, thieves caught like this get dragged to the guardhouse.
But not here.
‘There’s no guard unit!’
Without guards, it didn’t matter if one got caught.
It was literally a thieves’ world.
“Wow~ 10 gold? That’s tasty~ No wonder I can’t quit being a thief.”
He laughed while collecting gold.
“Why toil hunting and grinding? Just a quick swipe like this.”
He couldn’t understand why others worked so hard when money came so easily.
The thief’s greedy eyes searched for the next target.
Then he saw a tempting user.
‘Hmm… Let’s try that one.’
[Used Steal skill.]
[Good luck positively affects the skill.]
[Agility positively affects the skill.]
The thief’s hand quickly moved to grab gold from the user’s bag.
Then,
Grab!
A fierce grasp caught him.
[Someone interfered.]
[Steal failed.]
[Luck, Agility – 1]
[Steal skill’s experience slightly decreased.]
“Ugh!”
Steal failed.
While it had the advantage of stealing others’ items, failure meant losing stats and skill experience.
“Damn! Who dares interfere with me…”
The user grew irritated and lifted his head.
“Who dares interfere…”
At that moment, he couldn’t continue.
His vision was filled with a massive shadow.
‘…What? Is the wall moving?’
He thought so briefly, but it wasn’t a hallucination.
The figure before him was too huge to be human.
At least 2 meters tall.
Muscular like a rock.
Thick hands in black gloves firmly gripped his wrist, slowly squeezing.
Though just held, his wrist bones screamed in pain.
Meeting eyes sent chills down his spine.
Short hair, thick scars on the face, and, above all, a deep piercing gaze.
Just eye contact made his heart clench.
Terrifying to the point of suffocation.
“…Are you the one who interfered?”
Polite words slipped reflexively from the user’s mouth.
The man said nothing and silently stared down.
The sheer pressure crushed the user’s skin.
‘…I’m screwed.’
The thought flashed in the user’s mind.
The air screamed he had to bow and offer all his possessions immediately.
“Wh-who are you?”
“Me?”
“Yes. Are you from a guild… or…”
“I’m Hanseol, the guard captain.”
“What?”
“Hanseol, guard captain.”
Yes. He heard distinctly.
He had played enough games to doubt, but could swear he heard correctly.
‘But that face… guard captain?’
“What’s your problem?”
“N-no! Nothing!”
It was a waste of talent.
Look at that face.
Just a glance made one want to give everything away.
A face that commanded collecting fees.
‘And those muscles… wow… insane. How does one get such muscles?’
But the important thing wasn’t the muscles now.
The important thing was the user was caught stealing by the guard captain.
‘I have to get out… at least free this hand…!’
“Ugh!! Uwaaaahhh! Huff… I… can’t move.”
The user struggled, but couldn’t budge Hanseol’s grip.
“Please… can you let me go this time? I’ll behave from now on, please?”
“No negotiating with criminals. Take him away.”
“Understood.”
“Hey!! What!? Let me go!!”
At Hanseol’s order, waiting guards seized the user and dragged him to the guardhouse.
The important thing was that their bodies were also as sturdy as Hanseol’s.
“Ahh! Don’t touch me! You’re pressing my chest!”
“Haha! My pectorals seem to like you.”
“What nonsense is that!? Let’s go. I need to work on my lower body.”
“Please spare me! I won’t do it again!!”
The thief flailed but was led to the guardhouse.
Hanseol looked around.
Now was the perfect time to speak with all eyes on him.
“I am Hanseol, appointed directly by the village chief as guard captain. From now on, I’m in charge of village security. If anything happens, come to the guardhouse. I’ll deal with it all… Ah, no, I’ll handle it moderately… very moderately…”
“Did you say deal with it?”
“No. You heard wrong.”
Hanseol glanced around and spoke quietly.
“Come to the guardhouse and I’ll take care of it directly. With love. Strong and firm love…”
…No one asked further.
Lawlessness.
A day of peace had come to Arlen’s so-called thieves’ village.
Ding!
[Quest ‘Sage’s Words Are Truth!’ cleared.]
[Appointed an outstanding talent as guard captain.]
[Resident satisfaction +20%.]
[Resident dissatisfaction –20%.]
[Crime chance in the village decreased.]
[Village security stabilized, immigrant arrival probability greatly increased.]
[Guards patrol directly, further reducing thief NPC spawn chance.]
[Reward enhanced.]
[Experience gained.]
[Level up.]
[Multiple Title Condition Met – ‘Guard of This District!’]
[Guard of This District!]
Grade: C (Multiple)
Effect: Strength +1
Village crime chance –10%
Immigrant arrival chance +10%
The quest succeeded.
But the message wasn’t over.
[The guards love the guardhouse you made.]
[They praise you for making comfortable facilities for them.]
[Guard morale rises.]
[Guards patrol passionately and do their best to protect security.]
[Resident satisfaction +10%.]
[Additional rewards granted.]
[Guardhouse maintenance cost –10%.]
Arlen opened the guardhouse management window.
[5-Minute Response Guardhouse LV. 1]
Grade: C
Description: A guardhouse remodeled by a highly skilled carpenter to make life comfortable for guards who diligently work to protect the village.
Building for village security.
Guards: 10/10
Guard Captain: Hanseol
Maintenance cost: 318 Gold
Durability: 1,529,981/1,530,000
Options: Durability reinforcement.
Max guards hireable +5
Resident satisfaction +10%
Village security rate +10%
<Hidden Option>
Village fame +10%
Due to Star Design, title options, and quest rewards, maintenance costs dropped about 25%.
Arlen scratched his cheek.
“Building many structures is nice, but maintenance costs are way higher than I thought.”
“It can’t be helped. Maintenance is essential resource for village upkeep.”
He could manage for now but worried it would get harder as more buildings arrived.
He needed to find a way before that.
“Still…”
Aren’s gaze landed on residents who smiled relieved after the guard captain arrived.
“Good job.”
“When I first saw him, honestly, I thought it was a mistake.”
Alfredo spoke frankly.
Though his first impression was fierce, Hanseol was much more reliable.
‘Not bad.’
The village was peaceful again today.
Time passed.
Aren received an unexpected visitor.
“Yu, Yuel? What are you doing here…?”
“Please help me, Arlen!!”
Ding!
[Quest ‘Lord’s Secret Request’ has been created.]
