The night mist in South Glade had barely lifted when Kaito reached the Timber Assembly Workshop.
Despite its plain wooden exterior and modest shingle roof, the place hummed with quiet purpose. Sawdust clung to the air. Every few seconds, the rhythmic sound of axes striking logs or hands sanding planks echoed from within the wide open barn doors. Rows of lumber were stacked in careful grids, each labeled with grade and grain type, and a few NPC workers in brown overalls and forest-green sashes moved efficiently through their tasks.
This was one of the earliest Life Guild extensions added to South Glade, and while most players treated it as little more than a flavor location or occasional crafting hub, Kaito knew better.
This place—hidden beneath its humble surface—held one of the earliest Honor-based mechanics.
As he entered, the scent of pine and resin hit him immediately. A few NPCs looked up, some offering polite nods before returning to their work. Toward the back, a wide man with a thick brown beard and reinforced gloves stood over a long workbench, hammering wooden joints into place.
[Timber Workshop Overseer: Durian Oakshield – Level 20]
The overseer noticed Kaito's presence and gave a short grunt of acknowledgment.
"Well met, traveler. Looking for lumber, tools, or work?" he asked, voice deep and steady.
"I'd like to contribute," Kaito replied without hesitation.
Durian's bushy brows lifted. "You want to volunteer? You're not like the others—most of the lads only show up when they need a new bow handle."
Kaito smiled slightly. "I'm not like most players."
A faint shimmer ran through the interface.
[Hidden System Triggered – Honor Action: Community Support – Timbercraft Division]
[You may contribute either:
– Materials (Tier-graded logs)
– Manual Labor (Work Orders)
– Coin Donation (Automated Production Boost)]
Kaito selected the third option—Coin Donation.
The panel expanded, revealing a table:
– 10 Silver Coins = +1 Honor Point (limited to 100 points)
He immediately added 10 Gold Coin as donation amount.
[Confirm Donation: 10 Gold Coin to Timber Assembly Workshop?]
[Confirming…]
[Success – Honor Points +100]
[Honor Rank Up – Citizen → Knight]
[Honor Rank Progress: Knight (180/500)]
A subtle blue light wrapped around Kaito as the title updated over his head.
He was just 320 points away from hitting the next rank.
But Kaito wasn't done.
"I'd also like to help with manual labor," he said aloud, and Durian's eyes twinkled.
"Now that's rare," the man chuckled. "Let's see what you've got."
A prompt appeared.
[Work Order Assigned: Sand and Sort Grade-B Planks – Estimated Time: 30 Minutes]
[Reward: +1–15 Honor Points, +Crafting Proficiency, +NPC Affinity]
Kaito rolled up his sleeves and moved to the side table where a stack of rough-cut boards waited. His hands moved efficiently, shaving edges, applying resin, sanding grain in one direction only, and inspecting the durability lines. The process wasn't gamified like in most MMOs—Glory required actual input. He could feel the resistance of the wood, judge its alignment by eye, and rhythmically press down as he refined each piece.
Durian occasionally passed by, humming in approval.
"You've done this before?" he asked
"In another life," Kaito replied cryptically. He was referring to his martial training, which gave him a natural edge in manual tasks like this where precision and control are paramount.
After thirty full minutes of precise sanding and stacking…
[Work Order Complete – Performance Grade: A]
[Honor Points +10]
[NPC Affinity with Durian Oakshield +15]
[Crafting Proficiency +20]
[Honor Rank Progress: 190/500]
Durian approached and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "If you keep showing up like this, you might just earn yourself a Craftsman's Token. Not many get those, you know."
Kaito smiled faintly. "One more task."
The overseer whistled. "Alright then. Let's make it an advanced one."
[Work Order Assigned: Construct Load-Bearing Joint Beams (Complex Type C)]
[Estimated Time: 1 Hour]
[Reward: +2–20 Honor Points | Bonus: Unlock special woodcraft reputation title on S-rank]
Kaito's eyes gleamed. "Accepted."
He reached for the blueprint on the side table and immediately began working.
...
The blueprint was complex, depicting interlocking joints that could support over three tons of dynamic load. It wasn't a simple crafting minigame. Instead, it required precision alignment, torque pressure application, and proper sequence layering—just like forging, but with a different rhythm.
Kaito quickly examined the blueprint, analyzing stress points, wood grain flow, and dowel alignment. Then he moved.
He selected a stack of high-tensile hardwood from the side—something with dense rings and minimal knots. Carefully placing the timber on the sawhorse bench, he started the process.
Step one: Carving mortises and tenons into the base.
The system didn't assist with ghost lines. Instead, he had to manually align the pieces using hand tools—digital chisel and hammer gestures synced with the workstation's motion recognition grid.
[Progress: 12%...]
Sweat beaded lightly along his jaw.
The Whisper Flame may have made forging easier, but here, it was just him and the wood.
Bang. Slice. Chisel. Press.
Each motion became part of a silent rhythm.
Durian watched from the side, arms crossed, saying nothing but occasionally nodding in approval.
[Progress: 37%... Performance Grade: A-]
He didn't pause. Shaving the joints down to an exact fit, he used micro-lacquers from his inventory to smoothen the inner channels, ensuring zero warping during future expansion.
Then came the most delicate part—joining and pressurizing the beams.
If aligned incorrectly, the simulation would flag the structure unstable. And if he failed now, the entire progress would be nullified.
Kaito lined up the wooden arcs, held his breath, and activated the auto-press mechanism. A faint hum filled the air.
[Compressing... Please Wait]
The entire workstation trembled for a second.
[Compression Successful. Final Alignment: 99.7% Accuracy]
[Performance Rank: S]
[Work Order Complete – Honor Points +20]
[NPC Affinity with Durian Oakshield +25]
[Crafting Proficiency +60]
[Reputation Title Unlocked: Timbercraft Assistant]
[Bonus: +1 Crafting Attribute (Precision)]
Durian walked over, clapping him on the back with a weighty hand. "Now that's the kind of work we don't forget."
He handed over a small wooden emblem.
[Item Acquired: Timber Token]
"A few more of those," Durian added, "and I'll recommend you for the Forest Steward's Permit. That comes with some… privileges."
Kaito nodded, tucking the token into his inventory.
He checked his panel again.
[Honor Points: 200/500 | Honor Rank: Knight]
That was enough for now.
But Kaito wasn't done with donations yet.
There were many coin donation menus scattered across South Glade—each tied to a different civic location: the Masonry Division, the Tailor Guild, the Education Hall, and the Town Chapel.
First, the Tailor's Guild — home to seamstresses, fashion designers, and cloth traders.
Next, the Miner's Exchange — a guild managing rare ores and excavation tools.
Then, the Public Archives — a location responsible for maintaining historical scrolls and knowledge-based tasks.
And at last the Town chapel home to many orphans, In each, he donated 10 Gold Coins—the maximum allowed—and received 100 Honor Points per location.
And his Rank rose again.
[Honor Points: 600]
[Honor Rank: Baron]
With this, his Civic Presence stat became active—an invisible mechanic that boosted NPC responsiveness, quest availability, and hidden interactions. He even noticed some of the shopkeepers nodding more politely now, their speech slightly shifting to address him as "Sir".
Kaito grinned. "Let's see anyone catch up with this."
In his previous life, This mechanic—public image reputation—was notoriously hard to farm. Most players had ignored it, chasing dungeons and gear. But the moment they entered the city and went to buy land then they understood it's importance but then they could not go back to the towns.
With nothing left for the day, he made his way back to the inn.
Inside, the polished stone corridors gleamed under lanternlight. His room overlooked the central well, where a couple of players were busy bartering with a craftsman NPC.
Kaito cracked his neck.
"Time to log out."
[Logging out…]
[Confirm? Y/N]
[Y]
The world dimmed.
The simulation flickered.
And a moment later, the cabin's soft white lighting replaced the digital world of South Glade, grounding him once more in reality.
Stretching his limbs, Kaito exhaled—and smiled.