Chapter 6: The Hidden Field and the Path of Efficiency
Day Three began with a wet nose touching Kael's cheek.
He cracked one eye open. Noir was sitting inside the tent, staring at him. The massive panther took up half the available floor space.
"Morning, Noir," Kael groaned, pushing the sleeping bag down. "You know, usually people get a guard dog. I have a guard... A Panther."
Noir let out a low chuff, then turned and squeezed out of the tent flap.
Kael followed him out. The morning air was crisp. He stretched, his spine cracking in three places. He checked his status.
[Current Mana: 120/120]
[Physical Status: Healthy. Strength increasing due to Spirit Meat diet.]
"Okay," Kael rubbed his hands together. "Today, I need wood for the floorboards. Lots of it."
He picked up his Durable Steel Axe and decided to scout the area slightly to the west of his clearing. He hadn't explored that way yet, and he didn't want to cut down the trees that were providing shade for his future porch.
He pushed through a thicket of ferns, with Noir trotting silently at his heels like a shadow.
After walking about fifty meters, the dense wall of trees suddenly broke.
Kael stepped out of the shade and blinked.
"Whoa."
Ahead of him was a natural glade. It was a massive, open field of wild golden grass, swaying gently in the wind. It looked to be about an acre and a half—maybe two. The sun hit this spot perfectly, bathing it in warm light.
Kael walked into the field. The soil here wasn't covered in roots; it was deep, dark, and soft.
"This," Kael whispered, kneeling to crumble the dirt in his fingers. "This is farmland."
He looked back toward the direction of his house. He could barely see his construction site through the thick belt of trees that separated the two clearings.
His brain started working.
"I need wood to finish the house," he muttered. "And eventually, I'm going to want to plant crops here. But I don't want to haul vegetables through a dense forest every day."
He stood up, a grin spreading across his face.
"Efficiency."
He looked at the trees standing between him and his house. There were about twenty medium-sized trees blocking the direct line of sight.
"If I cut these specific trees down," he gestured with his axe, "I clear a direct road from my front door to my farm. And I use the wood from the 'road' to build the floor and furniture."
"Killing two birds with one stone," Kael said to Noir.
Noir tilted his head. 'Why kill birds with stones? You have magic.'
"It's a figure of speech, buddy. Let's get to work."
Kael walked to the first tree in the line. It wasn't Ironwood. It was a different species—the bark was lighter, almost silver, and it smelled like cinnamon when he chipped it.
[System Analysis: Silver-Bark Aromatic Cedar.]
(Note: Excellent for furniture. Repels moths naturally. Smells great.)
"Jackpot," Kael laughed. "My floor is going to smell like a spa."
He swung the axe.
THWACK.
The sound echoed through the forest.
Kael fell into a rhythm. Swing, recover. Swing, recover.
It was hard work, but he approached it methodically. He wasn't just hacking wildly; he was felling the trees so they landed in a neat line, creating the edges of his future path.
After the first tree fell, he stopped to process it immediately.
"System, I need a tool for stripping bark and branches efficiently."
'Create: Machete. Logic: Balanced for rapid swinging.'
[Cost: 5 Mana.]
He used the machete to hack off the branches.
"I won't waste these either," Kael panted, piling the branches to the side. "The thick branches will be fence posts for the farm. The thin twigs are kindling for the stove. Zero waste."
He worked through the morning and into the afternoon. The pile of Silver-Bark logs grew high. The pile of "fencing material" grew even higher.
Slowly, a straight, wide corridor opened up in the forest. Sunlight flooded the new path, connecting his house site to the golden field.
By the time the sun was high overhead, Kael was shirtless and dripping with sweat, but he looked back at his work with immense pride.
"Look at that, Noir," he pointed with his axe.
You could now stand at the foundation of the house and look straight down a beautiful, tree-lined avenue into the sunny field.
"It looks like a driveway," Kael wiped his face. "A driveway to my future farm."
He sat down on one of the freshly cut cedar logs. The smell of cinnamon and sawdust was overwhelming in the best way.
"Okay," he took a swig of water from his canteen. "Now I have the wood. But turning round logs into flat floorboards with just an axe is going to be a nightmare."
He looked at his Mana. He had plenty left.
"System," Kael said thoughtfully. "Can I create a Stationary Table Saw?"
[Calculated Cost: 400 Mana.]
[Error: Insufficient Mana.]
"Right. Too complex. Electric motor, spinning blade... too much."
He thought simpler.
"How about a Large Two-Man Crosscut Saw? The kind lumberjacks used."
[Cost: 15 Mana.]
"I can afford that," Kael nodded. "But it's a two-man saw."
He looked at Noir. The panther was currently batting at a butterfly, looking very un-deadly.
"Hey, Noir. You have super strength, right?"
Noir stopped and looked at Kael.
"You want to help me with some woodworking?"
The Shadow Panther stared at the human. The human wanted the Apex Predator of the Western Woods to... pull a saw?
Noir stood up and puffed out his chest. 'If the Overlord commands it, I shall conquer the wood.'
"I'll take that as a yes," Kael grinned. "Let's make some floorboards."
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