Chapter 7: Building the Foundation
The combat assessment finished at exactly noon. As soon as Instructor Hara dismissed the class, Ran packed his training gear into his bag and headed straight for the exit, keeping his head down.
Ken and Leo hurried to catch up with him at the massive gym gates.
"Hey, Ran, wait up!" Ken called out, panting slightly as he jogged over. "Leo and I are going to check out the apprenticeship stalls before the recruiters pack up. You should come with us. We can help you find a security guard job that accepts Normal-type souls before graduation next week."
Ran shook his head, offering a warm but apologetic smile. "I can't, guys. I have to head home right away. I have some heavy chores to help my parents with, and I want to give this Concentration Pill to my dad."
Leo sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Alright, man. But don't give up, okay? You survived Hara's test today. That proves you aren't useless."
"I won't give up," Ran promised.
He waved goodbye to his friends and hurried out of the school gates. He felt a little guilty for lying to them, but he couldn't exactly tell them he was rushing home to rule his own private dimension.
When Ran opened the front door of his apartment in the western slums, he froze in surprise. The tiny living room was still cramped, but the atmosphere had completely changed.
Mia was jumping all over the place, giggling and munching on a huge, thick chunk of roasted meat. Aurora was sitting at the table, eating a plate of fresh, colorful vegetables. It was the first time in years Ran had ever seen his mother look so happy, healthy, and full of life while eating.
Randolf was sitting right next to her. He pulled a massive piece of cooked steak from a platter, stuffed it into his mouth, and grinned broadly when he saw Ran walk in.
"Son!" Randolf said, his mouth still half-full. "I did it! I went to the Trading Plaza during my lunch break and sold that Spiritual Grass to a discreet merchant! I got fifty silver coins! I bought real food, fresh vegetables, and some more supplies for the house. Now hurry up and eat so we can get back to the island!"
Ran stood at the door and couldn't help but smile. Seeing his family so lively and full of energy made his chest feel incredibly warm. The dark circles under his parents' eyes were already fading. This was what a happy family was supposed to look like.
He didn't waste any more time. He threw his bag in the corner, washed his hands, sat down with them, and ate like a starving wolf.
A half-hour later, with their stomachs full, the family gathered in a circle in the living room. They held hands, and Ran mentally triggered the system.
With a familiar swoosh of displaced air, the apartment vanished, and they reappeared in the Private World of Sayfrid.
The afternoon sun was still high in the sapphire sky, warming the white sand. Since they were already registered players who had bought basic clothing, they didn't spawn naked this time. They were still wearing their scratchy, brown linen tunics.
"Alright," Ran said, gathering his parents and sister near the edge of the jungle. "Before we start working on the base, there is something you need to know. My Martial Innate Soul... it isn't actually fully awakened yet."
Randolf and Aurora looked completely surprised.
"What do you mean, Ran?" Aurora asked, tilting her head. "The holographic screen at the stadium said you had a Basic Orb."
"The orb is just a shell, Mom. It's a key to this world," Ran explained, pacing slightly on the sand. "My true soul is still locked inside me, asleep. To wake it up, I need to buy a specific item called an Awakening Stone from the System Store. It acts as a magical catalyst. But there is a small problem: it costs five hundred credits."
"Five hundred?" Randolf scratched his chin, doing the math. "How do we earn that many credits?"
"We can sell resources directly to the system store," Ran said, pulling up his floating blue screen. "According to the knowledge book I consumed yesterday, we can also sell to Beast Merchants on this island. The beasts here are highly intelligent and build their own villages. But searching for a merchant in the deep jungle is way too dangerous right now. Our safest bet is to farm resources right here on the beach and sell them to the system."
Eager to help, the family immediately got to work.
To harvest wood and stone efficiently, they needed real tools. Ran walked over to the four wooden workbenches they had built yesterday. He opened the free blueprint menu and unlocked the basic Axe and Knife designs. They didn't have a blacksmith forge, but the magical workbenches allowed them to craft these simple tools automatically using basic stones and branches.
For the next four hours, the beach was filled with the sounds of hard, honest labor.
Randolf and Ran chopped down trees with their newly crafted stone axes. Because Randolf was a carpenter by trade, he knew exactly where to strike the wood so it would fall cleanly. Aurora and Mia gathered loose stones, thick vines, and large palm fronds, sorting them into neat, organized piles near the workbenches.
Because of their new Level 10 and Level 15 stats, they didn't get tired easily. They worked three times faster than normal human beings, their muscles absorbing the strain with ease.
By the time the sun began to set, casting a beautiful, fiery orange glow over the ocean, they stood back and looked at their work with immense satisfaction.
Their small camp had completely transformed:
* The four Workbenches were now lined up in a neat, professional row under a small palm-leaf roof to protect them from the rain.
* A sturdy, self-made wooden Table and four matching Chairs sat in the center of the camp.
* A brand new wooden weapon rack stood near the table, holding ten crude Axes, ten wooden Shields, and ten sharp Spears for defense.
* Most importantly, a thick, wooden Perimeter Fence now encircled their entire beach camp. It was only four feet tall, but it was a great starting point to keep wild animals out during the night.
Ran opened his system interface. He selected all the excess wood, stone, and vines they didn't need and clicked 'Sell'.
Ding!
A notification popped up, showing his credit balance soaring. Ran quickly paid off his 100-credit clothing loan, leaving him with 600 credits. He immediately purchased the glowing white Awakening Stone, which materialized in his digital inventory.
With his loan cleared, the rest of the family suddenly gained access to the System Store on their own screens. They started browsing the floating item lists with wide, curious eyes. Mia was bombarding Ran with a hundred questions a minute.
"Brother, what is a Fire Scroll? Why is this sword glowing red? Can I buy a pet dragon?" Mia babbled, pointing at her screen.
Ran laughed, waving his hands to calm her down. "If you want answers, use the remaining credits to buy the Basic Knowledge Book. It costs one hundred credits. Once you consume it, it will explain everything about the system, the items, and the multiverse."
They all agreed and purchased the books, instantly consuming the golden light.
As the knowledge flooded their minds, the System calculated their shared experience points from the massive crafting and base-building session. Because of Ran's "Family" passive skill, the EXP wasn't divided; it was duplicated for everyone.
Ding!
* Ran: Reached Level 10. (This meant he had two locked skills waiting for his soul to awaken).
* Mia: Reached Level 10. (In the real world, children had to wait until they were fourteen to awaken. But seeing her high attributes, Ran realized her body was strong enough to awaken early).
* Randolf: Reached Level 15.
* Aurora: Reached Level 15.
The family gathered around their newly built dining table, sitting on the sturdy wooden chairs. The table was piled high with delicious, glowing red cherries they had gathered from the jungle edge.
As they ate the sweet, energizing fruit, they discussed their next steps.
"According to the knowledge book, we don't have to just forage," Randolf said, examining a cherry seed. "Since we are near the forest and the coast, the soil here is incredibly rich. We can actually plant these seeds and cultivate our own food supply right inside the fence."
Aurora smiled, gently patting Mia's head. "That sounds wonderful. Mia and I can handle the farming tomorrow. We will make sure we always have fresh, magical food to eat."
"I'll help you, Mom! I have a green thumb!" Mia cheered, her mouth full of cherries.
"Good," Randolf nodded, his expression turning serious as he looked at the dark jungle. "While you two handle the farming, I am going to focus entirely on building our defenses. We need to make this fence taller and thicker. Now that I am Level 15, my physical strength is incredible. I can carry much heavier logs without breaking a sweat."
Ran leaned back in his chair, feeling the cool ocean breeze on his face. He reached into his pocket and felt the heavy, pulsing weight of the Awakening Stone.
"And I'll focus on weapons," Ran said, his eyes shining with determination.