[Congratulations! You've earned 220 XP. You currently need 1280 XP to reach the next level!]
Darren woke up to the sound of Sasa's voice. Over time, he realized he was starting to get used to that voice. If Darren had to define Sasa based on her voice, she might be around 165 cm tall, with shoulder-length brown hair. Her face would be beautiful, with almond eyes that smiled when she did.
"Allow me to help you, Your Highness. I'm feeling very refreshed after eating those apples yesterday."It was early morning when Darren heard Callum speak. Surprisingly, he thought he was the only one awake.
Their first night camping in the grasslands had gone safely. No wild animals had come near the campfire they made. Nor did any bandits, though Darren wasn't so sure anyone would want to rob them. After all, they had nothing valuable.
Money? Not a single coin. Food? Just apples—apples that Darren was sure could be found all over the forest. It would be even scarier if someone forbade them from eating those apples.
Darren was certain—it would cause a serious problem for the small community he was trying to build.
He took a deep breath. The village air was still refreshing. Darren would never find air like this in the city, especially not back at his house in a stinking, narrow alley that only ever smelled like sewage.
"What can you do, Cal? Could you make weapons if we only had limited materials?"
Evan, who was still lying next to Darren, had apparently woken up. Maybe everyone else was awake too, but the cool morning air made them a little lazy.
"Umm... probably not. We'd need a lot of materials, including raw iron," Cal replied, doubtful due to the lack of supplies. Everyone fell silent again, enjoying the peaceful morning under the gradually brightening red sky.
Thanks to Darren and Evan's teamwork, they had managed to clear the grass from the area. They even gathered plenty of branches and successfully made a fire to keep everyone warm through the cold night.
Sleeping outdoors without a roof was a big risk. Thankfully, it hadn't rained that night. The forest was a great camping spot, but the risks were much higher, and Darren wasn't ready to take responsibility for someone dying because of his poor decision.
Darren sat on the ground, now cleared of weeds. He looked at his five companions, who were already awake. Evan and Cal sat across from him. Not long after, Leon, Kael, and Elric also sat down.
"This is my first time sleeping on the ground with no roof," Evan said, gazing at the now brightening sky. The campfire had gone out, leaving only trails of smoke.
"I've never slept like this either," Leon added.
"I keep imagining us getting caught in the middle of a storm," said Elric—or El, as they usually called him. Darren considered what might happen if they were trapped during a storm.
There would be no neighbors to help them. Like it or not, Darren had to be self-sufficient in this grassland. They had to build a proper shelter. Especially if they were stuck here for a long time.
"Your Highness, should we build houses here? We have a huge supply of wood. We could use it to build many homes," Kael offered an idea to Darren. But Darren's goal had never changed—he wanted to get out of this world. He was still busy thinking of any possible way to return. "I studied construction before joining the Royal Military."
"I agree, Your Highness! We could survive storms and heat if we work together to build a settlement!"
[Next task: Build homes for the villagers. If successful, you'll earn 150 XP.]
Everything stopped for a moment. Darren stood up and looked around. He wanted to know where the pause or exit button was—the one that could take him back home. He jumped into the air, but nothing happened.
"Take me home!" Darren shouted, demanding that the Developer return him to his world. "Hey! You bastard! Take me back to that stinking house!"
There was no answer.
[Enjoy the game, Your Highness.]
Darren sat back on the ground. He was losing it. How could he not have a chance to go home? Clutching his hair, he was overwhelmed by the idea that he couldn't exit this game.
"Yes, we do need houses!" El agreed. Everything resumed as if nothing had happened. They were talking again, and the sound of water from the forest returned.
"How much wood do we need to build a shelter? Would fifty logs be enough, Kael?" Evan asked, joining the conversation.
"It should be enough. But we'll need more planks for the walls. I can't make them alone—I'll need your help to prep the wood and dig the foundations." Darren watched Kael, who seemed to know exactly what he was doing.
Darren had no idea how to build a house in this game world. He didn't even know what their house should look like. The only thing he could picture was a roof made of coconut leaves.
"But we won't find coconut leaves here," Darren voiced his doubt. Building a house surely needed a lot of resources, and Darren was beginning to wonder if he could gather everything they needed.
"Don't worry, Your Highness. I once made a roof using layered dry leaves. Yesterday, we cleared a bunch of dry leaves and just threw them away. We can use those as roofing," Kael replied, eyes shining.
Kael's enthusiasm for construction showed in his many solutions. He truly seemed experienced in this field.
At least Darren had one person he could rely on for construction. Kael would probably learn even faster if Darren needed him to build something more complex.
"Oh! What if we made an axe out of stone? We'll definitely need a strong axe for cutting things," Darren now looked to Cal, who also seemed excited by their building plans. Their shining eyes told Darren they weren't that worried about living in this unfamiliar place.
"I agree! How about we eat breakfast first?" Evan stood and stretched his arms, like he had yesterday. It seemed like a habit he had long before they met in this world.
"Wait!" Darren stopped everyone just as they were about to head into the forest. They had all been sick recently, so why were they suddenly so energetic about working today? "Building houses will take a lot of time, right? Why don't we gather supplies and head to the nearest village instead?"
Darren knew the game's mission was to develop this uninhabited land. But he needed to find the best opportunity to escape. Darren had another life beyond this game—he couldn't just stay here forever.
"I have a reason to stay, Your Highness," Evan was the first to respond. Alright, Darren wanted to hear him out. "I have no reason to return to the city."
"As for me," Leon raised his hand to the height of his face, "I think as long as we stick together, life will be easier. Besides, this place is beautiful—there's a river and mountains."
"But we can't make money just by standing around here! Who's going to spend money in a place where no one passes through?!" Darren stood, frustrated by Leon's reasoning based on beauty alone.
They needed to survive, and Darren wasn't prepared to live off apples for the rest of his life.
"Should we become bandits? I know a bit of self-defense," Elric chimed in, pushing Darren over the edge with frustration.
"Fine," Darren turned to Kael and Cal, who hadn't spoken yet. "What about you two? Do you also want to stay here?"
"In the city, we have no money. And here, we also have no money. So what's the difference?" Kael's response left Darren defeated.
If no one wanted to head to the nearby village, Darren would do it himself.
"Enough! I'll go alone tomorrow morning!" he declared before disappearing into the forest.