Episode 12 – Harp Repair (1)
A week had passed.
Clack, clack, clack!
[You have completed construction of a Residential Wooden House.]
[‘Hand of the Stars’ and ‘Star’s Construction’ skill EXP have slightly increased.]
[Strength +1]
[Dexterity +2]
[You have gained job experience.]
[Your level has increased.]
“Phew…”
Arlen brushed the sawdust from his hands and straightened his back.
Another house finished.
‘Having a construction skill really changes the pace.’
Before acquiring the Star’s Construction skill, a single house took him an entire day.
Now, it took just half a day.
Thanks to Strength Boost and Stamina Boost, he could work longer with less fatigue.
Skills were amazing.
And with Observation Boost, he could spot and fix things he would have missed before.
He was still human, after all — prone to mistakes.
But that skill allowed him to catch what his eyes might otherwise overlook.
The title bonuses also helped his Dexterity, Strength, and Stamina grow faster whenever he worked.
“Mm, this one turned out nicely too.”
Arlen inspected the new home.
It was solid and well-built — satisfying work.
‘Alright then…’
[Would you like to rent this property?]
“Yes.”
He listed the house for rent and opened his status window.
[Status Window]
Name: Arlen
Level: 15 (EXP: 0.75%)
Class: Carpenter of the Stars
HP: 2,500 / 2,500
MP: 1,300 / 1,300
Attributes
Strength: 23 + 5
Stamina: 20 + 5
Agility: 11 + 3
Wisdom: 10 + 3
Special Attributes
Dexterity: 101 + 31
Unused Stat Points: 3
He’d reached Level 15.
He hadn’t even fought monsters — just built houses, and the levels came naturally.
‘And my stats—strength, stamina, dexterity—they’re all skyrocketing.’
He’d built ten wooden houses so far.
Given his Carpenter of the Stars job, leveling and stat growth were a natural reward for the work.
‘No need for hunting. This is much easier.’
Arlen invested his remaining stat points into Dexterity and opened the Village Management window next.
[Village Management]
Chief: Arlen
Chief’s House: Lv. 1
Tax Rate: 0% [Adjustable]
Residents: 36
Visitors: 37
Special Notes: None
Taxes were still at zero.
Setting taxes too early—before proper infrastructure—would only stir resentment among residents.
“Taxes are a double-edged sword. Raise them, and income grows—but so does dissatisfaction. People will leave.”
“I know.”
Arlen understood all too well.
Taxes were like rent.
He’d seen it before—landlords in prime areas who raised rents out of greed, only to end up with empty buildings.
‘That happened in Hongdae and Sinchon, didn’t it?’
Greed killed entire districts.
‘No greed. I’ll collect taxes later.’
“The problem is…”
“You’re broke, aren’t you?”
“Exactly.”
He sighed.
He wanted to build more homes, but had no money left for materials.
‘Should I chop some trees myself?’
He could, but it would take too much time.
Maybe later—just not now.
‘Then there’s only one option left.’
“I’ll make furniture and sell it.”
He’d earned money before that way—selling chairs.
It was time to do it again.
A smile spread across his face.
His hands itched for work.
Building houses was satisfying, but making furniture was another kind of joy.
‘What should I make this time? A few more chairs? Or something else…’
“Chief.”
“Hmm?”
One of the new settlers approached cautiously.
“What is it?”
Arlen spoke with casual authority—following Alfredo’s advice that a village chief should project dignity.
“A dignified chief keeps the villagers at ease,” Alfredo had said.
“There’s a problem… with the well we use for drinking water.”
“The well? What kind of problem?”
“It smells strange. I think something’s wrong with it.”
There was an old well in the village.
Arlen had repaired and reinforced it himself, even adding a pulley.
It had been working fine until now.
“Let’s take a look.”
“Yes, sir.”
He and Alfredo walked toward the well.
“Hmm…”
Even from a distance, a rotten fishy odor stung their noses.
When they drew up a bucket, brown sediment floated in the water.
“It’s probably an underground water issue.”
[Ding!]
[New Quest: ‘The Strange-Smelling Well’ has been generated.]
[Quest: The Strange-Smelling Well]
Rank: D
Description: The village’s well has begun to emit a foul odor. The problem seems to originate from the connected underground water source. The villagers are suffering. Solve the problem quickly.
Objective: Resolve the well issue.
Reward: Experience, Title, Reduced Dissatisfaction.
Failure Penalty: Increased Dissatisfaction, Decreased Reputation.
[Would you like to accept the quest?]
A quest appeared.
Failure meant higher dissatisfaction and possible resident departures.
He couldn’t afford that.
‘This is my village now. I need to manage it properly.’
Even if he’d become chief by chance, Arlen wasn’t going to slack off.
‘I haven’t even collected rent yet!’
Who didn’t like money?
Everyone dreamed of becoming a landlord someday — Arlen included.
“We first need a safe water supply.”
“I know. The question is—what’s wrong with the groundwater?”
Information. That’s what he needed.
If Rex were still here, the old village chief could’ve figured it out quickly.
But Rex was gone.
‘Should I dig deeper? But will that even help? Or maybe…’
Then it struck him.
‘U.L’
Yuel had once told him—
when Rex had commissioned her for work, he’d also shared many stories about the village.Maybe one of them was connected to the well.
Arlen began walking.
“Chief, where are you going?”
“To Lethe Village.”
If anyone knew something, it would be Yuel.
“Then I’ll come with you—”
“No, you stay here.”
“Huh? But…”
“You’ve got work to do, remember?”
“Work…?”
Arlen handed Alfredo a shovel and pointed toward an open patch of land with a smile.
“Level the ground over there. I’ll handle the foundation work when I’m back.”
“…”
Alfredo silently cursed his luck.
He really had met the wrong boss.
‘First, I’ll deal with the well problem—then I’ll make some furniture to earn money.’
Back in Lethe Village, Arlen organized his plan mentally.
He looked around the town.‘It’s definitely different from mine.’
Unlike his abandoned settlement, Lethe Village had all the necessities.
There was plenty to learn from here.‘We’ll need new palisades, maybe a guard post too… and beyond that—’
As he sorted his thoughts, Arlen arrived at the Carpenters’ Guild.
It was quiet.
Almost empty.Just looking at it showed how underappreciated the carpenter profession was—both in reality and in the game.
He couldn’t help but feel a bit bitter about that.
“Yuel.”
“Huh? Oh! Arlen! Welcome! What brings you here today…?”
“I came to ask something, but…”
He tilted his head.
Yuel, who was usually cheerful and lively, looked strangely exhausted.
Her eyes were dull and heavy.“Are you okay?”
“Me? Why?”
“You look… tired.”
“Ah… that’s because…”
Yuel scratched her cheek awkwardly.
“A commission came in, but I haven’t been able to complete it.”
“A commission?”
“Yes. It’s from a noble… Want to take a look?”
Arlen nodded.
If he wanted her help about the well, he’d better help her first.“This is it.”
She showed him a harp.
The moment Arlen saw it, his eyes lit up with faint recognition—and a bit of delight.
“A lever harp, huh.”
The harp’s frame had a beautiful walnut grain and elegant coloring.
“The wood used… is walnut, right?”
“You know about harps?”
“A little.”
He remembered—
back in his father’s workshop, there had once been a customer with a harp like this.
He’d helped his father with a few of those repairs.“Hm?”
Thanks to his Observation Enhancement, something caught his eye.
“There’s a crack here. That would definitely ruin the sound.”
“Ugh… That’s exactly the problem. The nobleman asked me to fix it.”
Yuel sighed deeply, eyes clouded with fatigue.
“I’ve been trying my best, but it’s my first time dealing with an instrument like this.”
“Ah…”
“I even asked a few other outsiders for help…”
There weren’t many carpenters in the game, but a few players had still chosen the class.
Yuel must’ve contacted those she knew.“How did that go?”
“They all said it was impossible. The special ability requirement level is too high.”
‘Special ability requirement?’
He checked the harp’s details.
[Broken Lever Harp of Hamel]
Grade: S
Description: A lever harp once used by the bard Hamel.
It was damaged in an unfortunate accident and can no longer produce sound.
It must be repaired to be usable again.Requirements: Level 150+, Strength 100+, Finesse 120+
Durability: 0 / 1,000,000
Options: [None][You have examined the Broken Lever Harp of Hamel in detail.]
[To repair it, you must have ‘Instrument Repair Lv. 15’.]
[You do not possess this skill.]‘An S-rank item.’
Its durability was completely gone, and it had no visible effects or options.
‘And it needs Instrument Repair Lv.15… figures.’
Yuel sighed again.
“Ugh… that noble keeps coming every day demanding progress. I’m seriously losing my mind.”
“You’ve been dealing with him a lot, huh?”
“Constantly! He just shows up out of nowhere. If I see that old geezer again, I might scream…”
“Hmm.”
Arlen studied the harp closely.
He didn’t have the Instrument Repair skill.
Normally, that meant this was impossible—But…
‘I’ve built and repaired things before without the right skill, haven’t I?’
He could still build houses, fix furniture—skills only made it easier, not possible.
Which meant…
‘Even without the skill, I can still do it.’
The harp’s main problem was the fractured frame—it was what distorted the resonance.
If he fixed that, it would sing again.“Would you like to entrust this to me?”
“What? Entrust it? You mean—you can fix it!?”
“I’ll have to try first, but… I think I can.”
“But you don’t have the special skill…”
“Skills make things convenient. They don’t make them possible.”
“Oh…”
“If you’re worried—”
“No!”
Yuel suddenly grabbed his hands.
Her eyes sparkled with desperate hope.“Please! I’m begging you!”
Her voice was earnest—almost pleading.
It wasn’t hard to imagine how much stress she’d endured because of this harp… and that noble.Her expression practically screamed:
‘Please let me go home on time!’
Arlen chuckled softly.
“Well then… I’ll give it a try. But—”
He gently pulled his hands free and smiled brightly.
“What about the repair fee?”
“Huh?”
“Nothing in this world is free.”
After all—
he deserved to get paid.
