"Urgh... Huff... Huff..."
Hours have passed, but Axel's work was barely halfway done.
After all, he was more of the indoors type and not the athletic kind. His meager strength could barely lift the five-meter-long, triangular, wooden barricades he needed to set a perimeter with.
To add, Navi didn't even help him out one bit, not even giving him tips and tricks.
[If I just tell you all you need to do, then you'll end up relying on me for everything, right?]
His words did sound logical, so Axel did his best without help... Little did he know that using the inventory's Store and Fetch function, he could've arranged the barricades much more easily, using less energy.
But well, it was Navi's fault for making it seem like he's the one controlling putting in and pulling out items through the inventory, though... And intentionally at that. Axel should be able to do the same too as long as he tries it.
"Fuck..."
But that's something he would learn in a few hours, not now.
"Ah, I give up... These barricades are way too heavy!"
After the crafting through the Harem Settlement System, he was expecting barricades made of dried-up wood that was brittle and could break with the slightest touch. However, to his surprise, the barricade looked as if fresh wood had been used for it, just like with the spear.
There's not even a shadow of the material used, the near-rotten logs he picked up here and there!
And being made with "fresh" wood also means it was fucking heavy. The entire five-meter-long barricade probably weighed close to a hundred kilograms. Well, since it'd work to block off incoming monsters, being hefty is better, but...
"Setting it all up is fucking hell!!!"
He was fed up and gave up on the barricades. Instead, he decided to work on the tent first.
This one was simpler, as the parts were singular and light. Easy to assemble. He just had to stick one two-by-two on either side, then add one more horizontally as the beam. After that, he just had to set the two boards diagonally on each side and...
"Done!"
Just as the name said, it was a "simple" tent. One that would be taken down in seconds if a storm came. No, a strong gale should be a more worthy opponent for it. But this much should be enough to protect him from the elements... especially the harsh heat from the blazing sun.
Axel crawled inside, basking in the slightly cooler shade of the new tent. "Finally, a short breather..." He sighed in relief.
Working under the sun sapped his stamina.
The entire place was so barren that the chances of finding food or water randomly were just as good as winning the lottery. Given that he currently had no available food or drinks, not even a drop of water, he had no choice but to persevere.
If not for the polluted-looking clouds in the sky, there's no doubt that Axel would've turned into a dry husk by now.
Just like that, while juggling work and rest, time passed...
...
"Finally done..." Axel sighed, watching his handiwork.
The area he barricaded was quite small. Since he had 10 of those barricades, he formed them into a regular shape... A pentagon spanning ten meters on each side, with the tent in the middle.
Of course, it's not like he had a compass to measure all corner angles. As such, one corner had to "adjust" just to fit the entire barricade. Still, it was "roughly" a regular pentagon.
Each barricade was roughly as tall as he was, made of a triangular frame with one side pointing out, the edge sharpened to intimidate.
The gap between each "spike" was just enough for a wooden spear to slip through. It wasn't wide enough for monsters to enter through it. As such, there's no worry of their going over or through the barricades.
"The only concern I have is its durability, but..." Axel shook his head. "Not like I can test it, anyway. I don't even know how strong the monsters would be."
With a shrug, he straightened his gaze to the west, watching as the sun disappeared.
The sky moved from orange to purple as the night drew closer. His grip on the spear tightened, anxiety burning in his heart.
As a source of warmth and light, he made a small bonfire with a single processed "branch" and the dried branches he picked up. With that, even as the night falls, he shouldn't lose sight of the enemies approaching him.
[Nervous? Well, by the system's timer, they should appear any moment now.]
Navi spoke after a long silence. His tone no longer sounded sarcastic but rather solemn. As if he were praying for Axel's success in silence...
[Do your best. But don't worry. Even if you fail and die, I can still find other contractors on Earth to help out... Though I'm not sure how many years into the future that would be.]
...Or not. Navi was just silent to let Axel focus and not make basic mistakes!
"Fuck... Knowing that I'm replaceable is really messed up." Axel sighed, lamenting his situation.
"But I will fight... Not to save the world or anything grand, but for my survival!"
A powerful gust of wind blew across the barren land, creating a dust cloud that limited vision for a moment.
"Grrr..."
"...!"
But before the dust settled, Axel began hearing some groaning sounds, along with hefty, dragging footsteps through the rough ground.
[They're here!] Navi said, almost excitedly so. [Zombies!]
The last bit of light from the sun faded, ushering in utter darkness. Only the light from the campfire shed light within the pitch-black world.
The next moment, figures started appearing. The color of flames slightly tinged them with red when they appeared.
"One, two... Ten... Fuck!"
And soon enough, Axel took a step back in horror. "Isn't this way too many?! What is this, some B-grade zombie movie?!"
Filling his view was a large swarm of zombies. They looked as you would predict, humanlike with tattered clothes, partially decomposing, stinky bodies. Skin tinged with an unhealthy green, and eyes that barely functioned.
"OoOohH..."
Soon, the sound of their groans became louder. Not only that, but even their stench filled his nose, making him want to hurl whatever he had left in his stomach.
[What are you doing, standing there like an idiot? These zombies wouldn't kill themselves, you know? And the barricade isn't indestructible either!]
Navi, seeing Axel stand dumbstruck, shouted.
Thankfully, the zombies were dumb.
They only know how to advance, grab what's within reach, and push or move around obstacles. Seeing the barricade, the zombies began circling it.
But as expected, soon enough, all sides became congested, filled with zombies.
They couldn't bypass the barricade, so they just took the last option they had... push against the barricade!
The heavy wooden constructs started releasing loud creaking noises, inducing Axel's anxiety even further.
"Fucking hell...!" Axel returned to his senses. "I-I just have to do it, don't I?!"
He shouted, almost as if trying to chase away his cowardice.
Axel grabbed a spear nearby, holding it tight in his hands, and...
"RAAAAGH!"
Took a big step forward.
He thrust the spear with all the force he could muster. The sharpened tip bypassed the barricade and hit one zombie. Luckily enough, it hit the eyes, bypassing the skull and hitting the brain.
The zombie groaned before its body dissolved into a gooey mess on the ground. A magical sight, but disgusting nonetheless.
"I... I...!"
However, Axel paused.
The sensation of the spear going through flesh was vivid in his hands. He felt the slight resistance and vibrations from the moving "target" fully.
"Urp...!"
In the end, after experiencing various shocks, he threw up.