Episode 42. Returning Home
Having decided to return to the village,
Aren was resting in the villa while Lena prepared for the trip.
“Status window!”
[Status Window]
Name: Aren
Level: 47 EXP: 19.47%
Class: Carpenter of the Stars
HP: 4,300 / 4,300 MP: 1,300 / 1,300
<Stats>
Strength: 42 + 7 Vitality: 38 + 5 Agility: 11 + 14 Wisdom: 10 + 3
<Special Stats>
Dexterity: 207 + 71
Unassigned points: 7
“So the quest gave a lot of experience, huh?”
By repairing the altar and completing the quest, his level had risen to 47.
His strength, vitality, and dexterity had also improved through the process.
Aren allocated all his remaining points into dexterity and closed the window.
Some time later—
Knock, knock, knock.
“Aren? Are you ready?”
“Yes, I’ll be right out.”
He opened the villa door and stepped outside,
standing on the magic circle Lena had prepared in advance.
“If I stand here, this will take me back to Lete Village?”
“Yes! I’d send you directly into the village if I could, but… I’ve never been there myself.”
“That’s fine.”
Lete wasn’t far away—walking from wherever he arrived wouldn’t be a problem.
“Oh, but I’ve been curious about something.”
“What is it? You can ask anything!”
“You came all the way to Lete Village to find me, right?
How did you even know I was there?”
That question had been bugging him.
When Lena and the elves first appeared in Lete Village,
it was obvious they already knew Aren was there.
“Oh, that? We heard it from a human who visited our village.”
“From who…?”
“A man named Rex.”
“Rex…?”
Rex—the beginner guide NPC of Lete Village.
The same man who had entrusted his house repairs to Aren,
then left the village entirely.
Aren hadn’t expected to hear his name again here.
“He told us that a Carpenter of the Stars had appeared in Lete Village,
and that we should seek his help.”
“Then… what happened to him?”
“Not long after that, he left.”
Kiera added quietly,
“Come to think of it—!”
Lena suddenly narrowed her eyes, glaring sharply at Kiera.
“It was that human, wasn’t it!? The one who gave you tobacco, Elder!”
“Gasp! H-How did you—!”
“I thought it was strange! The day after that man left,
I found tobacco in your house and suspected something fishy!!”
“I-I can explain…”
“No excuses! If I catch you smoking again, I’m really going to get angry!”
“Alright… alright…”
Kiera pouted, lips sticking out like a scolded child.
“Honestly…”
“Hahaha…”
“Sorry you had to see that embarrassing scene.”
“Not at all. I actually found it kind of cute.”
“By the way… why is that man wearing a mask with an X on it?”
Lena pointed at Alfredo,
who stood there wearing a mask marked with a large X, sulking.
“I had to silence him. Last time, he kept saying weird things…”
“…”
Indeed—Aren had put a mask on him to stop any nonsense from slipping out.
“Really? But I thought his stories were fun…”
“Hahaha… W-Well, we’ll be going now.”
“Ah! Right! Got it.”
Bzzzzzz!
The magic circle began to glow.
Lena waved at Aren as light enveloped them.
“Then I’ll see you again next time~! I’ll come visit someday!!”
Aren nodded.
The light grew stronger,
and in the next instant, they vanished from the village.
“Yaaawn… no customers again today. Well, that figures…”
Yuel, a member of the Lete Village Carpenter’s Guild, yawned loudly.
Unlike other professions, carpentry wasn’t popular among players,
so the guild was almost always empty—
not even a fly buzzing around.
‘It’s been days since they left… When are they coming back?’
She thought of Aren and Alfredo,
who had been taken away by the elves.
They should’ve returned by now, but it was taking longer than expected.
‘I hope nothing bad happened…’
She worried briefly,
but reminded herself that outsiders revived even if they died—
so it should be fine.
“Oh well, I guess I’ll just do that thing again.”
Her eyes sparkled as she pulled out her hobby.
A 5,000-piece puzzle.
It was her new favorite pastime—
perfect for killing time during slow days.
“Hehe… I’ve been working on this for a week,
and now I’m this close to finishing!”
Only one piece left to complete it.
“Just one more piece to go!!”
With a triumphant grin, she lifted the final piece—
But then—
Flash!
A brilliant light burst forth,
and two figures materialized right on top of the table.
“Is this the Carpenter’s Guild?”
“…”
It was Aren and Alfredo.
Their teleport had apparently locked onto the wrong coordinates—
and the table beneath them collapsed under their weight,
scattering the nearly completed puzzle into chaos.
“Is that… a puzzle? Wait, Yuel…”
Aren’s eyes widened when he saw her frozen in place.
“Why… why are you crying?”
Yuel’s lips trembled as she whispered,
“My… one… week…”
Clang, clang, clang!
[Residential House Construction Completed.]
[You have followed all construction guidelines perfectly.]
[Completion Quality + 10%]
[Material Durability + 10%]
[Maintenance Cost – 5%]
Back in the village, Aren immediately began building residential houses.
Thanks to the World Tree’s Work Hammer
and the Spirit’s Work Clothes,
his construction speed was on another level compared to before.
“With this pace…”
He checked his quest progress.
[Objective: Build additional wooden houses. (12 / 20)]
“Almost there.”
The end was in sight.
“Um… if there are any houses left—”
“There are plenty. You can move into any you like.”
“Thank you.”
With the growing number of new settlers,
each completed house attracted more people.
Aren kept building nonstop.
“It’s great that the work is faster now…”
“But it’s still exhausting.”
“Agreed! The new lumber mill helps with supplies,
so we don’t need to go all the way to Lete for materials,
but the workload’s just too much!”
There was simply too much to do.
Constructing residential houses required flattening the ground,
laying foundations, raising beams—
repeating that process again and again.
Doing it once or twice was fine,
but after ten times, the fatigue piled up fast.
“At least the hammer and the clothes make it a little easier…”
The items truly worked wonders.
A task that used to take several days
could now be finished in just half a day.
“I never understood why people went crazy over rare items before—
but now I get it.”
They were that good.
Still, he was starting to feel his limit.
“Should I hire more people? Or maybe there’s another way…”
He struck the final blow with his hammer—
Ding!
[Wooden House Construction Completed.]
[Strength + 1 | Vitality + 1 | Dexterity + 2]
[Skill Level Up!]
[Star Construction Lv. 1 → Lv. 2]
[Star Design Lv. 1 → Lv. 2]
“Already leveled up?”
“Ah, it must be the hammer’s effect.”The World Tree’s Work Hammer had an option that increased carpentry-related skill experience gain by 20%.
Thanks to that, his skill levels rose quickly.
“Let’s see…”
While checking his skills, Aren noticed a special option in Blueprint of the Stars.
[Blueprint of the Stars LV. 2]
Grade: A
Type: Active
Experience: 3.14%
Description: Allows you to check the structure and efficiency of a building through virtual simulation before construction.
Mana Cost: 100
Cooldown: 10 seconds
Effect: Building completion rate +11%
Material durability +11%
Resource consumption –11%
Maintenance cost –6%
Grants special options to miniatures.“Special options?”
Aren’s eyes gleamed for a moment.
It felt like there was an important hidden function.[You have completed the production of a Residential Wooden House Miniature.]
[You have gained job experience.]
[You have obtained a Residential Wooden House Miniature.]“Check!”
[Residential Wooden House Miniature]
Grade: D
Description: A miniature built by a skillful carpenter for residents.
When used at a designated location, it provides a guideline.
Usage Condition: Aren
Durability: 1/1
Option: When used, foundation construction is automatically completed.“The foundation… gets built automatically?”
Aren squinted at the miniature.
This wasn’t just a convenience feature.“…So now, even the foundation work is automated.”
The Blueprint skill was steadily evolving into the hand of a true craftsman.
When he placed the miniature on the ground, a holographic projection appeared—complete with a finished foundation.
“Truly? Finally! You mean… we won’t have to dig anymore?”
Alfredo threw his hands into the air, overwhelmed with joy.
“Starting today, the shovel goes straight into storage! Just looking at that thing makes my back hurt!”
“You got a grudge against your shovel or something?”
“I did. A deep and bitter one.”
Aren chuckled softly as he examined the foundation.
Its durability was fine, and the level was even.
It was stable enough to build upon immediately.‘With this… the workflow will be drastically shorter.’
Construction speed increased dramatically.
Skipping the groundwork meant that even eight houses could be built within a week—
something that would’ve been unimaginable before.‘…Still, can’t overwork them.’
Aren glanced at Alfredo’s back.
Even without the shovel, stamina was still limited.‘Better stock up on some medicinal herbs before he breaks down.’
Ding!
[Would you like to rent it out?]
“Yes.”
[You have rented it out.]
A moment later—
“Um…”
“Go inside.”
“Thank you.”
New settlers quickly filled the houses.
Just as Aren nodded in satisfaction, another system message popped up.Ding!
[Quest ‘The Settlers Who Came to the Village’ has been cleared.]
[You have successfully built a Residential Wooden House without using skills.]
[Rewards will be enhanced.]‘So the Blueprint’s foundation work doesn’t count as a skill activation…’
Not a bad outcome.
[You have gained experience.]
[You have leveled up.]
[Strength +2, Stamina +2]
[Dexterity +10]
[You have obtained 20 Gold.]
[Your title has evolved.][Novice Village Chief → Intermediate Village Chief]
[Intermediate Village Chief]
Grade: A (Unique)
Effect: All stats +2
Gain experience through taxation.
Settler arrival rate +25%
Village productivity +10%The title had evolved one step further.
But the messages didn’t stop there.[Your village now has more than 20 wooden houses.]
[The population has exceeded 100.]
[The village grade has increased.]
[Construction of Village Chief’s House LV.2 is now available.]Aren immediately opened the village management window.
[Village Management]
Chief: Aren
Chief’s House: LV.1
Tax Rate: 5% (Adjustable)
Population: 120
Visitors: 2,165[Notable Information]
Resident satisfaction has increased due to the appearance of neighboring villages.
Some dissatisfaction detected due to lack of amenities.
Ding!
[Quest ‘Construct Village Chief’s House LV.2’ has been created.]
[Construct Village Chief’s House LV.2]
Grade: D
Description: The population has exceeded 100. It’s time for this village to have an official name.
Upgrading the Chief’s House will allow you to give the village its name.Success Condition: Construct Village Chief’s House LV.2
Reward: Experience, Village Naming Rights, Increased Settler Influx
Failure Penalty: Possible resident dissatisfaction and departure[Will you accept?]
Aren closed the window and quietly nodded.
He had earned the right to name the village.
But—
He couldn’t give it that name just yet.First, he needed to finish the Village Chief’s House.
[You have accepted the quest!]
