RGRB 43

Chapter 43. Working on My Own Home (1)

“This is…”

“What’s wrong, sir?”

“It says here that I have to build the Village Chief’s House LV.2?”

“Ah, the population must have grown quite a bit. Well, it’s no wonder—after all those residential wooden houses you built.”

“And once I build this, I can give the village a name. What’s that supposed to mean?”

Maybe it was because it had been so long since such an opportunity appeared, but Alfredo straightened his clothes and spoke with a spark of excitement in his voice, recalling his butler’s pride.

“A name is identity. Many functions only unlock once you have a proper name.”

“Really?”

“Yes. For starters, you’ll be able to establish a guild.”

“And I can’t right now?”

“No, sir. Think about it—who would want to establish their guild in a nameless village? A guild has pride, too.”

“Fair point.”

Aren nodded.
After all, who would want to go to some random countryside spot with no name?
At the very least, a name draws attention—and people.

‘Giving the village a name… it’s more than just labeling it.’

“And when you build the Village Chief’s House LV.2, your influence will grow as well, my lord.”

“What’s the benefit of having more influence?”

Perhaps it was because it had been a while since he got to show off his knowledge, but Alfredo’s cheeks flushed slightly with excitement.

“You’ll be able to expand the village. Just look around—compared to Lete Village, the scale of ours is still much smaller.”

“That’s true.”

“If we raise the level of the Chief’s House, we can build a much larger settlement.”

The Chief’s House was the landmark of a village.
If the landmark was small, its influence radius was narrow.
But if it was large, the influence would spread much farther.
That was how a village chief could gradually expand their territory.

‘So that’s how it works, huh?’

He’d learned something new.

He’d been wondering how to expand the village since it was already packed with homes—
and now, he finally had the answer.

“So how do I raise the level of the Chief’s House?”

“It’s simple. The current grade is D, right? You just need to upgrade it.”

“To C?”

“Yes.”

Just a straightforward upgrade.
The Chief’s House level corresponded to its grade.
Simple and clean—just the way Aren liked it.

“Alright then…”

Aren turned to look at the Chief’s House.
It was the very first building he had made here, the starting point of his new life in this land.

“How should I remodel it? Should I start by stacking another floor on top?”

When he first heard he needed to raise its grade,
he thought about demolishing the upper structure and adding a second story.
But that alone didn’t feel like enough.

‘More importantly, the load direction would be off.’

Overbuilding without reinforcing the foundation only shortens a house’s lifespan.
The current Chief’s House was designed as a single-story building.
If he added another floor now, it wouldn’t last long.
That wouldn’t do.

“No shoddy construction. Not in my vocabulary.”

Aren closed his eyes, sinking deep into thought.
Then, not long after, his eyes snapped open with a gleam.

“Ah.”

“Did a good idea come to you, sir?”

“No. There’s something I have to do first.”

“What is it?”

“I have to go to work.”

* * *

Company lunch break.

While everyone else had gone out to eat, Juhyeon was still at his desk, completely absorbed in something.

“What are you doing?”

Minsoo, who had just returned from lunch, set down a packet of instant coffee beside him.

“Thanks.”

“What’s that? Drawing?”

“I’m sketching a blueprint.”

“You skipped lunch to do that?”

Juhyeon nodded.

“You should at least eat something.”

“I’m not really hungry—I’ve been thinking about this.”

“It’s not just because today’s menu was spinach soup and mackerel stew?”

“…”

“Anyway, why are you drawing that here at work?”

“I got a quest.”

Taking a short break to clear his head, Juhyeon sipped his coffee and explained the situation:
how he met the elves, repaired the altar, encountered the World Tree’s will, raised his affinity, and was even gifted a villa—
and now, back in his village, he had to construct the Village Chief’s House LV.2.

After listening to everything, Minsoo’s first words were:

“I’m so jealous.”

“What?”

“I said I’m jealous, man!! You met an elf!? Wait—hold on… is this you!?”

Minsoo quickly pulled out his phone and showed him a video.

It was a stream by a content creator named Han Yurim, who was also visiting the Green Forest Village—
the same place Juhyeon had been.

“Here! The player getting a gift from the elf—that’s you, right?”

“Ah, yeah, that’s probably me. It got a bit noisy around there… I didn’t realize someone was streaming.”

“No wonder! Dude, this clip is blowing up.”

“Why? I just visited the elf village.”

“Why? Because even veteran players haven’t managed that, and you—wait… you’ve only been playing Illusion for two months, right?”

‘Illini.’
That was the nickname for new players who had just started Illusion.

Minsoo couldn’t believe it.
A complete newbie had managed to pull off something that even long-time veterans couldn’t.

‘Seriously… that’s insane…’

“Here, check out the community boards.”

He grabbed Juhyeon’s mouse and opened up an online forum.

[A Player Appears in the Green Forest Elf Village! Who Are They?!]

The elf… smiled?
I’ve never seen that elf smile before… so they actually can smile?
└ You’ve never seen it? I have! They lift the corner of their mouth a bit.
└ Excuse me… wasn’t that a smirk? Does that count as a smile?
└ No way! That elf smiled brightly at me once—definitely not sarcasm!
That player’s getting a gift from the elf? What did they even do to raise their affinity that high?
What’s the player’s ID?
Isn’t that work gear they’re wearing?
Why can’t we see their face? We should be able to from that distance!
└ Broadcast settings—if “portrait rights” are enabled, player faces are blurred except NPCs.
How high does your affinity have to be for an elf to smile and give gifts? I barely get a sliver from finishing quests!
└ Right? Elf affinity is brutal to raise… how much did this player grind?
└ At least we’ve seen it’s possible. I’m off to the Green Forest questline starting today.
└ Same here.
└ So if my affinity goes up, an elf will smile at me too!?! I’m in!!

The video had thousands of comments and was ranking among the top 3 most-viewed posts.

Juhyeon stared at the screen, speechless.

“That popular, huh?”

“That popular,” Minsoo said flatly. “Because of that video, players are swarming the Green Forest trying to raise their elf affinity.”

“Wow…”

“You lucky bastard. First the village, and now the elves…”

Kim Minsoo looked at Joohyun with an expression that was half admiration, half envy.

He couldn’t deny that he was jealous — but at the same time, he was glad to see his friend finally enjoying Illusion.

There was a time when Joohyun’s face had looked lifeless at work, but these days there was color in his cheeks again.

‘It’s nice to see… but damn, it still stings a little too much to congratulate him sincerely.’

Caught between envy and pride, Minsoo chose silence.

“Anyway,” he said after a pause, “now that your village’s making money, how about quitting the company for good?”

“Hmm… I’d like to,” Joohyun admitted.

Every time the section chief scolded him, he had to fight the urge to throw his resignation letter in his face.

‘Not yet. It’s too early.’

“I still have loans to pay,” he added. “I need to settle those first.”

“Yeah, good call. A lot of people quit for Illusion and ended up broke. Be careful.”

Joohyun nodded silently.

“Alright, I’m heading off. Don’t overdo it.”

“Got it.”

When Minsoo left, Joohyun bowed his head over his design sketches and fell deep into thought.

Yes — that was it.

‘If I add a fence here, and zigzag the stairs along this side… then maybe…’

He nodded firmly and began reworking the blueprint.

* * *

After work, Aren logged into Illusion. His first task: demolish the village chief’s house.

They couldn’t expand the structure, so starting from scratch was the only option.

“Let’s break it down.”

“Understood.”

Both of them grabbed demolition hammers and began to destroy the house with enthusiasm.

Building was hard — but tearing down was easy.

[You have demolished the Village Chief’s House (Lv. 1).]
[Star’s Demolition skill EXP has increased.]
[20% of used materials have been recovered.]

With Star’s demolition skill, the building came down in seconds, and a portion of the resources was restored.

“Alright, let’s pack everything up.”

“Master Aren,” said Alfredo, pouting, “I must remind you, I am a butler.”

“Of course I know that. Why?”

“…Nothing.”

Alfredo sighed and helped clean up the debris. After a few tries, clearing rubble was practically routine.

“Then, shall we rebuild?”

“How do you intend to design it this time, sir? Similar to before?”

“No.”

Aren shook his head.

“The last time, I rebuilt it because Rex asked for repairs. But this time… there’s no reason to stick to the old design.”

The only reason he had kept the previous structure was to fulfill Rex’s request. Truthfully,

“That wasn’t my style.”

“Your style…?”

“The village chief’s house — it doesn’t have to look like that, right?”

“Indeed not. The chief’s presence defines the house, not the other way around.”

His words were oddly philosophical.

“A village chief’s home is wherever the chief resides.”

Aren smiled.

“Then I can design it my way, as long as it meets the rank requirement?”

“Yes, Master Aren. As you wish.”

That was all he needed to hear. Aren’s heart began to race.

He would build his own home.

This wasn’t just another building — it was his house.

“How do you plan to make it?” Alfredo asked nervously.

“Oh, I’ve already got it all figured out.”

Aren pulled a folded sheet of paper from his pocket.

Alfredo’s eyes widened the moment he saw it. He flipped the paper several times, disbelief washing over his face.

“This isn’t a blueprint… it’s a disaster plan!?”

He bolted, screaming.

Of course, Aren caught him within seconds.

“Why are you running?”

“Because you’re insane! A two-story house? With a basement!? How do you expect us to build this? I refuse!”

“It’s easier than it looks. Just a little hard work.”

“No! I’m a butler, not a construction worker!”

“A butler helps his master, doesn’t he? Come on, let’s start.”

“This is exploitation! Labor abuse!”

“Then go ahead and report me. You got anyone to call?”

“…”

“Didn’t think so. Now, back to work.”

“…Hngh…”

* * *

A week passed.

Every evening after work, Aren poured all his energy into the project.

His house.

He was building his dream with his own hands.

Others might have said he was overdoing it — but Aren’s smile never faded.

He was giving it everything he had.

‘Naming a village… it’s not just a title. It’s proof — proof that this place, this home, is mine.’

[Construction of the Village Chief’s House complete.]
[Incredible achievement unlocked!]
[You have successfully built a B-rank house without using any skills!]
[Village Chief’s House Lv.1 → Lv.3]

“Huh…”

He had aimed for C-rank, but somehow ended up with B.

Maybe he’d overdone it a bit.