Chapter 49. Nothing Beats a Beer After Work!
[Reckless: Man, that was so satisfying! You should’ve seen Section Chief Lee’s face after you quit—he was just frozen there! The expression was priceless!]
[Aren: That bad, huh?]
[Reckless: Heh, I figured you’d want to see it, so I took a picture~ (photo)]
“Pfft!”
Aren couldn’t help but laugh when he saw the photo Reckless sent.
The man’s face—completely stunned and blank—was just too funny.
[Reckless: Anyway~ nice work. Thanks to you, I got to enjoy the show.]
[Aren: Sure.]
[Reckless: Still… I’m jealous. ㅠㅠ You’ll be gaming late, sleeping in… living the dream… sniff…]
[Aren: Then why don’t you quit too?]
[Reckless: With my credit card bills and loan payments? Not a chance… haaa…]
Even through the whisper chat, Aren could hear the raw envy in his friend’s tone.
They chatted for a while longer before wrapping it up.
‘Hmm… so, what now?’
He had quit his job.
But life still required money.
‘There’s still debt to pay, and a loan hanging over my head. Things have been tight, but…’
He glanced at the monitor and smiled faintly.
“Maybe now, it’s possible.”
For the first time, he had the freedom to focus entirely on the game.
His plan was simple.
‘Just keep doing what I’ve been doing.’
Build up the village, expand it bit by bit, and watch the profits roll in.
That alone would earn far more than his old salary.
‘And if I start crafting and selling furniture too…’
Aren’s mental calculator clicked away.
If the numbers kept climbing like this…
‘I might even get that place back.’
The workshop that had gone to auction—his father’s workshop.
After his father passed away, unpaid penalties and loans forced it to be sold off.
It was the place that had always smelled of wood and sawdust,
the place where his father had spent nights carving in silence.
Dusty, yes—but to Aren, it had been the warmest place in the world.
‘If things keep going like this, I can get it back.’
* * *
[Small Village Management Panel]
Village Chief: Aren
Chief’s House LV.3
Tax Rate: 5% (adjustable)
Population: 120
Visitors: 33,112
Resident Satisfaction: 79%
Resident Dissatisfaction: 42%
[Special Notes]Residents are struggling with stress after work.
Hired workers are having trouble returning home after work.
“Hmm.”
Aren opened the management panel.
He always made a habit of checking the data regularly to manage the town efficiently.
“Something wrong, Master Aren?” asked Alfredo.
Aren frowned. “Alfredo, what do you do when you’re stressed?”
“Me? Hmm… I don’t think I really get stressed, but if I did… What about you, sir?”
“Me? When I’m stressed… I make something.”
“Make something?”
“Yeah.”
Aren nodded.
He’d always used crafting as a way to decompress—moving his hands, shaping something tangible.
“Isn’t that just your normal work? Does that really relieve stress?”
“It does. You’d be surprised how much better you feel when you focus on making something. Wanna try it?”
“…No, thank you.”
Alfredo shook his head with an exasperated sigh.
“Well, that’s no help. You don’t know either?”
“No, sir.”
Aren crossed his arms. “Then how do I deal with this problem…”
Just then—
Ding!
[The residents’ stress levels have risen sharply.]
[Resident satisfaction -10%.]
[Resident dissatisfaction +15%.]
[Quest generated: ‘Stressed-Out Villagers.’]
[Quest: Stressed-Out Villagers]
Grade: D
Description: The residents’ stress has reached dangerous levels.
You must find and implement a way for them to relax.Objective: Reduce resident stress.
Reward: EXP, +200 Village Reputation.
Failure Penalty: Resident satisfaction decreases.
[Accept this quest?]
Aren sighed. “Guess I don’t have a choice.”
He opened the whisper chat again.
[Reckless: A way to relieve stress? Of course there is!]
[Aren: And that is?]
[Reckless: Booze! You blow off work stress with alcohol, obviously!]
‘Booze, huh… Not really my thing, but…’
He remembered his father again—how after finishing a piece,
he’d share a drink with friends right there in the workshop.
That had been his way of letting go.
‘Now that I think about it…’
Aren opened the Village Chief’s Shop.
[Village Chief’s Shop]
Fence Expansion: 300 points
…Restaurant Blueprint: 300 points
Tavern Blueprint: 300 points
…
A tavern.
He stared at it for a long moment.
‘Should I buy it?’
He still had enough reputation points to spare.
After some quick math, he made up his mind.
‘Let’s do it.’
[You have spent 300 points.]
“What did you just buy?” asked Alfredo.
“Tavern blueprint.”
“A tavern… alcohol, then. Not a bad idea. I agree, that could help ease their stress.”
“Right?”
Aren grinned and activated the blueprint.
[Tavern Blueprint registered.]
[You can now construct ‘Tavern’ using the skill Star Design.]
“Alright then—let’s get started.”
[Skill activated: Star Design Lv.4]
He set up his workbench and began assembling a miniature model.
His hands moved quickly, controlling the wood grain, balance, and structure with meticulous care.
[Skill: Star’s Hand Lv.6 responds.]
[Precision work efficiency greatly increased!]
[You are entering a focused state.]
His concentration deepened as he adjusted the blueprint to his liking—
shifting support beams, refining textures, tweaking the overall flow.
‘Keep the wood type… move this pillar here… change the tavern’s layout to flow better…’
The more he worked, the stronger his focus became,
until he was lost completely in the craft.
And then—
[Construction complete: ‘Inkwood Tavern.’]
[You have exceeded the quality of the original design.]
[Star’s Hand, Star Design, and Star Insight experience increased.]
[Your exceptional craftsmanship has improved the result.]
[The miniature’s quality rank has increased.]
[You have gained professional experience.]
[Your remarkable focus has further enhanced the result.]
[You have created a perfect masterpiece!]
[The ‘Ink scent’ miniature is of superior quality.]
The miniature was complete.
Since he’d already made one before, it didn’t take long this time — a few tries and he was done.
And once again, the item’s grade rose twice.
“Check!”
[Miniature of the Ink-Scented Tavern]
Grade: B
Description: A building miniature crafted by a highly skilled carpenter who poured his memories into the work. A piece infused with the breath of craftsmanship.
Effect: When used at a designated location, provides construction guidelines.
User Restriction: Aren
Durability: 1/1
Option: Upon use, the foundation of the building is automatically completed.
“Oh, that turned out great, right?”
“Huh…”
“What’s wrong?”
“No, nothing at all.”
Another B-grade.
The first time, he might have written it off as luck.
But twice in a row? Could that still be called luck?
It’s skill.
Did Aren even realize?
Just how remarkable the thing he’d done truly was?
If someone else had seen it, they probably would’ve shouted, “No way! That’s cheating!”
He really is something else…
Perhaps because he served such a master,
Alfredo found himself wanting to see it —
to see just how far Aren could go.
And to witness that end,
he decided he’d stay by Aren’s side no matter what.
To see Aren standing at the top.
“Alright, let’s get building. I came up with this new structure — a bit tricky, but if we work hard for a few days, it’ll be done.”
“…”
“We’ll need a lot of wood too. Better grab some from the lumberyard… and nails… huh? What’s with that face?”
Alfredo looked at the complicated guideline before him and felt his earlier resolve begin to crumble.
Should I… run?
He could already see it —
himself suffering beside Aren all the way until the man reached the top.
* * *
“Ugh, I couldn’t get a bag again!”
“Same here. I’ve lost count of how many times now. So frustrating!”
“The Black should just drop more bags!!”
“This is a player town, remember? Complaining to the company won’t do anything.”
“Yeah? Then… the village chief should drop more bags!!”
Two players, disappointed over their failed purchases, decided to walk around the village of Somok to cool off — when they came across an interesting sight.
“Wait, is that…?”
Thud! Clack!
Scrape—shh!
They spotted Aren, hard at work constructing a building.
Was he building something again?
Their eyes gleamed with curiosity.
Having never seen real construction before, they found the process fascinating.
“What’s he making this time?”
“Judging by the size, it looks pretty big.”
Neither had any knowledge of architecture, so even watching closely, they couldn’t tell what it was.
Then—
“Hmm… let’s put a pillar here… and hammer the nails like this.”
Aren appeared, carefully setting a pillar before driving nails into it with a hammer.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The steady rhythm of hammer strikes echoed.
His focused expression and fluid movements made the two players blush without realizing it.
He looks… kinda cool when he’s concentrating.
And now that I think about it, he’s kinda handsome too…
In Illusion, avatars could be adjusted,
but only up to a 10% difference from one’s real appearance — to prevent crimes.
In other words, even here, you had to be naturally good-looking to look good.
He’s definitely handsome, then!
The two of them couldn’t take their eyes off him.
He looked genuinely happy —
hammering, sawing, shaving wood smooth with a plane.
Even to those who had no interest before,
it looked fun.
He really enjoys this…
Maybe I should try it sometime, too?
But while Aren worked joyfully, Alfredo — hauling planks nearby — was a portrait of misery.
Sweat beaded down his forehead,
his shirt smeared with dirt and sawdust.
He let out a weary breath and stretched his aching back.
“That butler… looks exhausted…”
“He’s an NPC, right? Not a player?”
He looked utterly drained.
The blank, distant stare —
the subtle despair of questioning why he was even here.
“Alfredo. Move that one over there. What are you doing?”
“…Understood. On it.”
Dragging his tired body, Alfredo lifted the planks and shuffled to the spot Aren indicated.
Lifelessly.
The two players clenched their fists unconsciously.
“Y-you can do it…!”
They just couldn’t help but cheer.
That defeated back somehow demanded sympathy.
* * *
Time passed.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Now that Aren had quit his job,
he could devote himself entirely to the project —
and the tavern was completed faster than expected.
This is fun!
With nothing else to distract him,
he was completely absorbed in the joy of creation.
And when he drove in the final nail—
[Construction of the Ink-Scented Tavern has been completed.]
After several days, the tavern was finally done.
Aren stood proudly before the finished building, admiring his work—
Ding!
[Reckless: Aren!! Help me, please!!]
A sudden message popped up.
Aren tilted his head.
“What now… what kind of mess did he make this time?”
Dusting off his work clothes,
Aren stood up.
