RGRB 45

RGRB

Chapter 45 – The Village Chief’s Shop

‘Village Chief’s Shop?’

“What’s this supposed to be?”

Aren called Alfredo over to ask. The butler straightened his outfit before replying with his usual composure.

“It’s exactly what it sounds like, sir — a special shop only accessible to the village chief. You need the emblem to use it.”
“Really?”

Aren checked the item.

[Village Chief’s Emblem]
Grade: B
Description: A mark that certifies one as the chief of a village.
All will recognize you as the rightful leader.
Affiliated Village: Small Village
Usage Restriction: Aren
Durability: ??? / ???

No additional effects.
It looked like a simple medal — nothing flashy.

“By the way, I see you’ve named our village Small?”
“Yeah.”
“Hmm…”
“Why? Don’t like it?”
“Well, for a village name, Small Village sounds a bit—”
“It was the name of my father’s workshop. He’s… gone now.”

Silence fell. Alfredo stiffened, adjusting his collar with a bead of cold sweat rolling down his cheek.

“On second thought, it’s a wonderful name. Much more heartfelt than Lete or Regrian. ‘Small Wood’ — it’s beautiful, really.”
“Right?”
“Absolutely.”

When Aren seemed appeased, Alfredo finally exhaled in relief.

“Anyway, now that you’ve checked the emblem, let’s open the Village Chief’s Shop.”
“Alright.”

[You have opened the Village Chief’s Shop.]

[Village Chief’s Shop]

Expand Palisade: 300 points
Move Building: 100 points
Inn Blueprint: 300 points
General Store Blueprint: 300 points
Clothing Shop Blueprint: 300 points
Guard Post Blueprint: 300 points
Restaurant Blueprint: 300 points
Tavern Blueprint: 300 points
…

“So they sell building blueprints here?”
“Yes. You can still draw them yourself or find them like before, but that takes too long. This system is a time-saver for busy chiefs like you.”

A convenience feature for those managing growing villages.
Aren nodded in agreement as he scrolled through the list.

“That’s pretty handy. So I can move building locations too?”
“Yes. You can’t just tear everything down and rebuild every time, can you?”
“True. But what are these points?”
“They’re your village’s Fame. As your village becomes known, you earn Fame — and you can spend it here. Just remember, if your Fame drops to zero, it’s very hard to recover. Always keep at least 1,000.”

‘So it’s like a point shop in a mobile game.’

“And how do I gain Fame?”
“Publicity, sir. Make people remember Somok Village. The more it’s talked about, the more Fame you earn.”
“…That sounds strangely stressful.”

He still didn’t have a clear grasp of how it worked, but he decided to experiment later.

“Then why not test it out right now?”
“Test what?”
“The Palisade Expansion. Since your house level increased, your sphere of influence should’ve grown too. Let’s see it in action.”

‘Can’t get a new feature and not test it.’

Aren was about to head outside, but Alfredo stopped him.

“No need, sir. You can see it from the terrace upstairs.”
“Oh, right.”

Aren climbed to the second floor, stepped onto the terrace, and opened the shop interface.

[Would you like to expand the palisade to your current sphere of influence?]
“Yes.”
[300 points will be consumed.]

As the points vanished, a soft light rippled along the village walls.
The wooden barriers surrounding Small Village began to extend outward — slowly but surely.

“…It’s expanding.”
“Indeed.”
“But… wow, it’s really slow.”

The growth speed was far below Aren’s expectations.

Meanwhile, elsewhere…

[You have entered Small Village.]
“Oh! Whoa, look at that! The village has a name now?”
“Yeah! There wasn’t any notification before, but looks like it’s official today.”
“Small Village, huh? Definitely sounds like a player-made name. Different vibe from NPC towns.”

Visitors chatted as they crossed the new threshold.
Unlike Lete or Regrian, the new name gave the place a distinct identity.

“So a player really claimed this place, huh?”
“Must be. Small… sounds Korean? Or maybe Chinese? Either way, not English.”

The name sparked curiosity — it even let players guess the nationality of the mysterious village owner.
For the first time, a sliver of information about the hidden chief had leaked to the public.

Then one player paused mid-step.

“Wait… something feels off.”
“What do you mean?”
“I dunno… doesn’t the layout look different?”
“Some new buildings, yeah, but we saw those getting built earlier.”
“No, it’s not that. It’s just… something’s changed.”

He couldn’t explain it, but an uncanny feeling tugged at him.

“Hold on… that wall — was it always that far out?”
“I don’t think so… or maybe it’s just me?”

Whether real or imagined, the village seemed wider than before.

[Palisade Expansion Completed.]

“So it’s done?”
“It would appear so.”

The barriers had extended to match the area under the chief’s influence, though so gradually that few noticed the difference.

‘Still, not bad.’

“I’ve been short on space for new construction — now I’ve got some breathing room.”

Aren opened the management window.

[Village Fame: 1,700]

He had used 300 points for the expansion, lowering the total.

‘I was going to rearrange some buildings too, but that might drain my points. I’ll save it for later.’
“Hmm? What are you planning to do next?”
“What else? I built the house — now I have to furnish it. It’s way too empty.”
“You just finished building it… aren’t you tired?”
“Nope. Not at all.”

Just imagining the empty rooms filled with furniture he crafted himself made his hands itch with excitement.

“Hah…”

Alfredo sighed, watching Aren work with genuine joy.

“You really are hopeless…”

And yet—

Seeing Aren so happily at work stirred something in him too.

‘Could it really be that fun? Maybe I should—’

Smack!

“Ow! What am I thinking!? I’m a butler! Not a carpenter! A butler, Alfredo! Remember your role!”

He rubbed his stinging cheek, reaffirming his identity with a nervous laugh — and a small sigh of relief.

“Phew… that was close. I almost got swept up in it. I’m a butler, not a builder… Just getting dragged around like this is exhausting. Let’s just work as much as I’m paid for.”

Alfredo barely managed to hold onto his identity and made a firm resolution.

But what he didn’t realize yet—
was that he was slowly, quietly, but unmistakably being drawn into Aren’s world.

* * *

[A Player-Conquered Village! A Name Is Born! Small Village!]
[Small Village! Is the mysterious player behind it Korean? Chinese? Or Japanese??]
[Major guilds are desperate to locate the player who claimed a village…]

The Illusion community was in an uproar.

A once-abandoned village, now given a name, had set off a frenzy.
People began speculating about the nationality of the player who’d claimed it.

– Could it be a Chinese player?
– Doesn’t sound Western at least.
└ “Given the name Small, I’d say it’s definitely Asian.”
└ “But seriously, who is that carpenter?”

– Come on, it’s gotta be Korean. Koreans dominate gaming!”
└ “Still, China’s population can’t be ignored. They’ve got numbers.”
└ “Don’t underestimate Korea.”
└ “Yeah, but compared to China’s population? Haha—plus, Korea’s got that low birth rate.”
└ “Ouch, hit with facts…”

Speculation exploded.
There were even self-proclaimed analysts dissecting the name Small.

[‘Small Village’—What does the name signify? Let’s look at the Chinese characters.
It uses 小 (small) and 木 (tree). When people name something, it often reflects their identity.
Could it relate to his occupation? A carpenter perhaps…?]

– Ah, here we go again, another armchair analyst.
└ “But hey, that one actually makes sense.”
└ “‘Small’ because he’s a carpenter? That’d be wild.”

– Wait, I think I passed that village once.
└ “For real? What did you see?”
└└ “He was sawing and hammering—building a house by hand. No blueprint.”

– LOL, no blueprint? That’s impossible.”
└ “Are you sure that was a player?”

– What if that user’s actually an AI?
└ “Whoa, AIs pretending to be players now? 😂”
└ “The end of the human era is here, folks.”
– AI theory confirmed. 😂
– If it’s not AI, then that person’s insane.
– Someone please find out who he is—I’m dying of curiosity.”

And so, the name ‘Small Village’ etched itself deep into the Illusion community.
Its creator’s identity remained a mystery—
but one thing everyone agreed on:

“That place… is definitely something special.”

* * *

While the community buzzed with rumors,
the man at the center of it all—Aren—

was quietly…

Tap, tap, tap. Swish…

…hard at work crafting furniture.

His once-empty house was now slowly filling with hand-made pieces.

Ding!

[You have completed ‘Warm Oak Dining Table.’]
[Star’s Hand, Star’s Crafting skill experience slightly increased.]
[You’ve gained Job Experience.]
[You have completed a Masterpiece.]
[Dexterity +1]

‘Stats are leveling up nicely.’

Aren’s physical and crafting stats—strength, stamina, dexterity—had steadily improved as he worked.

“Check.”

[Warm Oak Dining Table]
Grade: B
Description: A sturdy oak dining table crafted by a skilled carpenter.
It carries warm memories of shared laughter and meals.
Forged by the hands of a true artisan.

Durability: 2,250,000 / 2,250,000
Options:

Food Effect +15%
Food Duration +30%
Satiety Decline Rate –30%
[Delicious Meal]: Improves food taste by 40%.
<Hidden Option>
[Table of Purification]: Detects poison in food and partially neutralizes it.

“Nice.”

Aren ran his hand over the smooth surface of the finished table.
The clean polish gave a satisfying tactile feel.

‘That’ll look perfect over there.’

One by one, furniture began filling the house—
and at last, it truly felt like someone lived here.

‘This should do nicely.’
“Guess I’ll make spoons and chopsticks next.”

A happy smile spread across his face.

‘This is fun!’

To most people, crafting like this would seem boring—
but for Aren, shaping wood with his own hands brought pure joy.
The thrill when a piece turned out just right—
it was a satisfaction no other feeling could match.