Chapter 44 – Building My Own Home (2)
The company The Black, which ran Illusion, was in turmoil.
In the control room, Team Leader Kim Jun-ha of the 1st Operations Team stared at the monitor in disbelief.
[Unbelievable Achievement Unlocked!]
[You have successfully built a B-rank house without using any skills!]
[Village Chief’s House Lv.1 → Lv.3]
“This… is that even possible?”
His eyes were full of confusion.
According to the system design, the Village Chief’s House could only grow in stages — D → C → B → A.
Even if Aren built something exceptional, the system should have capped the level at 2.
Yet somehow, his house had skipped a stage and jumped straight to Level 3.
“Is this… a design error? Kyung-tae, check for bugs first.”
“On it.”
A bug? Impossible.
A game managed by dozens of supercomputers shouldn’t have bugs like this.
But Kim Jun-ha had no choice but to question it.
After a few keystrokes—
“…Nothing’s wrong.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. System reports no issues. Not a bug.”
“Then how the hell did the rating jump like that?”
“There’s an answer from admin.”
Oh Kyung-tae opened the message from the system administrator.
[The house’s craftsmanship is so exceptional that it naturally achieved a higher rank.]
[No illegal programs detected.]
[Also, how the heck did he do that?]
The last line was the admin’s personal comment — they were just as curious.
“So basically… it’s Level 3 because the house was too good?”
“The Village Chief’s House is special — its level depends on its quality.”
“Huh…”
“It might also be because he didn’t use any active skills.”
If he had used a skill, no matter how well he built it, the system would’ve capped the result at C-rank.
But Aren had done everything by hand — no skill automation.
“But he did have that Star’s Hand passive, right?”
“That only improves physical precision a bit — it doesn’t build for you.”
Which meant the system had reflected his pure craftsmanship exactly as it was.
“Fixing the altar was already impressive, but now this? The Village Chief’s House too?”
Jun-ha couldn’t help but be impressed.
“He’s completely beyond the norm.”
Kyung-tae asked, “Should we take action? Maybe a review or restriction?”
“Why? He didn’t cheat.”
“No, sir.”
“Then he’s a valuable customer. Don’t you dare touch him.”
Kim Jun-ha glanced at the monitor, where Aren was reading the message on his own screen.
‘That player… could he even reach the Tower someday?’
He smirked.
“No… that’s probably too much to expect.”
But a strange feeling lingered — a spark of excitement, as if this player might one day exceed every expectation.
* * *
[Unbelievable Achievement Unlocked!]
[You have successfully built a B-rank house without using any skills!]
[Star’s Hand EXP greatly increased.]
[Skill Level Up!]
[Star’s Hand Lv.5 → Lv.6]
[Star’s Architecture Lv.2 → Lv.3]
[You have gained profession EXP.]
[Level Up!]
[Strength, Vitality +2]
[Dexterity +10]
“Status window.”
[Status Window]
Name: Aren
Level: 49 (EXP 19.47%)
Class: Star’s Carpenter
HP: 4,800 / 4,800 MP: 1,300 / 1,300
<Attributes>
Strength: 47 + 7 Vitality: 43 + 6
Agility: 11 + 14 Wisdom: 10 + 3
<Special Attributes>
Dexterity: 234 + 71
Unassigned Points: 2
“Wow…”
All that just from building one house.
Strength and Vitality +2, Dexterity +10, and even a full level-up.
He had worked harder on this one — but still, this was a massive reward.
‘Might as well invest the leftover points into Dexterity.’
He distributed the points and closed the window.
Looking up at his creation, Aren smiled.
“It turned out great, didn’t it?”
“Haah… Worth the pain, I suppose,” Alfredo sighed. “You have no idea how much labor went into this.”
Digging foundations, sawing wood, hammering nails for days — exhaustion was written all over his face.
“At least we skipped the basement, right?”
The basement had been omitted. Aren wanted to build one, but Alfredo had nearly mutinied over the idea, so they postponed it.
“That’s not something to brag about…” Alfredo muttered, shaking his head.
Aren clapped his hands. “Alright, let’s check it.”
[Village Chief’s House Lv.3]
Rank: B
Description: A Village Chief’s House built from spirit-infused wood by a carpenter of extraordinary skill. The village’s influence has increased.
Owner: Aren
Durability: 5,550,000 / 5,550,000Options:
• Maintains optimal temperature
• HP recovery rate during rest +900%
• MP recovery rate during rest +900%
• Fatigue recovery rate +100%
• Immigration chance +20%
• Chance of special visitors +15%
• [Spirit’s Breath]: +20% wood output from sawmills
• [Spirit’s Touch]: Restores 10 durability per hour<Hidden Option>
• Taxes +30%
As expected of a B-rank house, its stats were incomparable to the old one —
even the durability had skyrocketed.
‘Must be because I used Spirit Wood — the bonus effects are amazing.’
Aren opened his Star’s Bag. Inside were piles of shimmering green lumber — all gifts from elves in Green Forest Village.
‘Typical elves… giving wood as presents.’
Even when he tried to refuse, they somehow managed to slip chunks of spirit wood into his arms before walking away.
He chuckled.
‘Yep. Definitely elves.’
Meanwhile, Alfredo gawked at the house’s options in disbelief.
“B-rank…? These stats are insane.”
Just by resting here, HP, MP, and fatigue recovery skyrocketed.
It was, without exaggeration, the perfect Village Chief’s House.
“What’s this Special Visitor thing?” Aren asked.
“Ah, that refers to spirits or fairies.”
“Spirits? Fairies?”
“Yes. Occasionally they appear, bringing blessings and energy to the village.”
“Heh… interesting.”
Aren knew Illusion had spirits, but not fairies.
Now he couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if one actually visited.
‘If I can raise the chance, I should max it out somehow.’
“Let’s go inside.”
“Yes, master.”
They entered the Village Chief’s House.
As soon as they opened the door, the scent of freshly carved wood filled the air.
The first floor was still empty — a few chairs and a simple table stood in the center, unadorned wooden walls surrounding them.
By the entrance, a small shoe rack held Alfredo’s muddy boots.
On the table sat an unopened tea kettle, still wrapped.
It wasn’t messy, but it didn’t feel lived-in yet either.
“Now that it’s done, it does feel a bit bare, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah. But that’s easy to fix — we’ll fill it in later.”
Aren stepped across the floor.
The Spirit Wood gave off a pleasant bounce and warmth under his feet.
The second floor was simpler still — a single bed, an empty bookshelf, and a small terrace.
“Perfect.”
Aren smiled, his mood light and easy.
When he stepped out onto the terrace, a pleasant breeze brushed over his entire body.
Warm air filled the room behind him, wrapping him in a deep sense of satisfaction.‘My home.’
He ran his hand over the wooden railing of the terrace.
He had finally achieved one of his dreams — to build a house with his own two hands.‘I thought it was impossible…’
When his father passed away and he’d had to sell the workshop, Aren thought that dream had died too.
He never imagined he’d fulfill it through a game.Even if it wasn’t real life—
‘It still feels good.’
It wasn’t a bad feeling at all.
Maybe that’s why, from deep within his chest, a familiar longing began to stir —
the desire to try building a real house someday.He didn’t have the time, money, or land right now.
But if life ever gave him the chance again, he thought it might not be such a bad idea to try.‘Still… feels like something’s missing.’
“By the way, where’s Alfredo?”
Snapping out of his thoughts, Aren headed downstairs to find his companion.
There he was — unpacking his things in the biggest room.
“What are you doing?”
“Aren, can I use this room? I heard it’s first come, first served…”Aren’s eyes narrowed.
Alfredo froze, then hurriedly began stuffing his belongings back into his bag with a sheepish whine.
‘I’ll decorate this room properly later.’
“Anyway…”
Aren pulled up his message log — the one he’d postponed checking while admiring the new house.
[You have successfully built the Village Chief’s House.]
[You can now assign a name to your village.]
[Would you like to name your village?]“Yeah.”
[Please enter your village name.]
Aren paused.
He had to choose the first name for his village.
He’d thought about picking something random, but this was the place he’d be living in.
He couldn’t just name it carelessly.“So… what should I call it?”
As he pondered, a memory surfaced —
his father’s old workshop.
He could still see the sign that hung above the entrance.
A familiar name from his childhood, now shining vividly in his mind.(Small Wood)
His father’s hands, patiently carving each tiny piece of wood.
The quiet boy beside him, watching every motion in awe.
He could still recall the air, the scent of pine, and the sound of the hammer echoing in the room.He’d built countless structures so far, but naming one…
that was something new.“Those small, patient hands ended up building an entire village.”
Aren nodded slowly.
“Alright then. It’s Small Village.”
[Registration complete.]
Aren lifted his head and looked up at the sky.
‘Dad… I named it. After your world of craftsmanship.’
With that cherished name engraved in his heart, he took a deep, steady breath.
[Your village management window has been upgraded.]
[You have gained 2,000 Fame.]
[Small Village Management]
Village Chief: Aren
Village Chief’s House: Lv. 3
Tax Rate: 5% (Adjustable)
Residents: 120
Visitors: 2,910
Resident Satisfaction: 90%
Resident Dissatisfaction: 55%
Village Fame: 2,000[Special Notes]
Residents are inconvenienced by a lack of shops.
Residents are pleased that the village now has a name, giving them a stronger sense of belonging.
When Aren opened the management window, he noticed that far more information was available than before.
‘Now I can see satisfaction and dissatisfaction levels… and what’s this?’
“Village fame?”
A new category had appeared.
He was about to call Alfredo to ask what it meant when—
[You have obtained the Village Chief’s Emblem.]
Something resembling a badge appeared in his inventory.
And right after that—
[You can now access the Village Chief’s Shop.]
