Chapter 9: The Guide Rail and the Board Factory
The morning sun of Day Four rose, casting long shadows across the "construction site."
Kael sat on a stump, staring at the mangled log from yesterday. He held a notebook (created for 1 Mana) and a charcoal pencil. He was sketching.
"Okay, let's analyze the failure," Kael muttered, tapping the pencil against his chin. "Problem A: Noir is too strong. Problem B: I am too weak. Problem C: The saw blade is flexible, so when we get out of sync, it buckles."
He drew a stick figure of a cat pulling a saw.
"I can't teach a panther to have the finesse of a master carpenter in one day. So, I need to remove finesse from the equation."
He looked at his new Intelligence stat: 45.
His brain felt sharper than before. Ideas connected faster. He visualized the saw moving back and forth. If he couldn't trust their hands to keep it straight, he needed a machine to do it.
"I don't need an engine," Kael realized, his eyes lighting up. "I just need a track."
He flipped the page and started drawing a new design.
It was a Sawing Jig.
A metal frame that would clamp onto the log. Inside the frame, there would be a lubricated slot—a track—that the saw blade would slide through. The blade would be locked in place. It could only move forward and backward. No wobbling. No bending.
"And for Noir..." Kael sketched a harness. "Biting the handle is bad for his teeth. He needs to use his shoulder muscles."
He stood up, feeling the rush of inspiration.
"Noir! Wake up! We're opening the factory!"
Noir, who was sunbathing on the unfinished floor frame, opened one yellow eye. 'Are we going to fight the wood again? I hate the wood.'
Kael approached the pile of resources. He needed iron. He didn't have raw iron ore, but he had Mana.
'System, create: Saw Guide Frame. Logic: Adjustable width, lubricated steel track, clamps for log stability.'
[Cost: 25 Mana.]
A heavy, U-shaped steel contraption materialized. It looked industrial and sturdy.
'System, create: Beast Pulling Harness. Logic: Padded leather, fits a large feline, attaches to saw handle.'
[Cost: 10 Mana.]
Kael approached Noir holding the leather straps.
"Okay, big guy. Put this on. It's like a backpack."
Noir stood up suspiciously. He sniffed the leather. It smelled like cow. He allowed Kael to buckle it around his massive chest and shoulders. It fit perfectly.
Kael clamped the Guide Frame onto a fresh Silver-Bark Cedar log. He slid the Two-Man Crosscut Saw into the steel slot. It clicked into place. He attached the other end of the saw to Noir's harness with a sturdy rope.
"Alright," Kael took his position on the other side of the log. "The rules have changed, Noir. You don't need to be gentle. You don't need to time it perfectly."
Kael grabbed his handle.
"When I say pull, you just lean back. The machine will keep it straight. Ready?"
Noir tensed his muscles.
"PULL!"
Noir leaned back.
SHHHHHH-UNK!
The sound was completely different from yesterday. Instead of a screech, it was a deep, aggressive tearing sound. The saw blade, trapped in the steel guide, couldn't bend. It tore through the cedar wood with terrifying efficiency.
"PUSH!" Kael yelled, driving his weight forward.
Noir stepped forward. The saw slid back.
"PULL!"
SHHHHHH-UNK!
"PUSH!"
SHHHHHH-UNK!
Sawdust began to spray like a fountain. The smell of aromatic cedar filled the air.
"Yes! Look at that!" Kael shouted over the noise. "We're cutting!"
It was working. The guide rail took all the skill out of the job. It turned the task into pure cardio. And for a High Human and a Level 35 Shadow Panther, cardio was easy.
They found a rhythm. Back and forth. Back and forth.
In ten minutes, the first slab of wood fell away.
Thump.
Kael inspected it. It was a plank. A rough, heavy, glorious cedar plank. It wasn't perfectly smooth—it would need sanding—but it was flat and straight.
"We did it," Kael wiped sawdust from his eyes. "Noir, we're geniuses."
Noir looked at the plank, then at the sawdust covering his black fur. He sneezed. 'I did the work. You just shouted words.'
They kept going.
Once they got the hang of it, they became a machine.
Clamp the jig.
Shhk-Shhk-Shhk.
Plank falls.
Adjust the jig.
Shhk-Shhk-Shhk.
Plank falls.
By the time the sun was high in the sky, the "driveway" logs had vanished. In their place was a neat, towering stack of fifty cedar planks.
Kael collapsed onto the grass, his chest heaving. His arms burned, but his Mana was regenerating fast.
[Skill Level Up!]
[Lumberjack: Lv 2 -> Lv 3]
[Collaboration: Lv 1 (New Skill!)]
"Collaboration?" Kael laughed breathlessly. "I guess that counts."
He looked at the stack of wood. That was enough to cover half the floor of his house.
He looked at Noir. The panther was licking the sawdust off his paws, looking annoyed but strangely satisfied.
"Hey," Kael said, sitting up. "I promised you a reward if we finished this. I can't keep giving you just meat. You're an employee now."
He thought about what a cat—even a giant monster cat—would want.
"System," Kael visualized. "Create: Giant Grooming Brush. Logic: Stiff bristles for thick fur, ergonomic handle."
[Cost: 2 Mana.]
Kael crawled over to the giant cat. "Come here."
Noir froze as Kael reached out. The beast had never been touched by a human before, except when Kael put the harness on.
Kael ran the brush down Noir's back.
Scritch-scratch.
Noir's eyes widened. His back leg started to twitch involuntarily.
The bristles dug through the thick undercoat, scratching that itch that no tree bark could ever reach.
Scritch-scratch.
A low rumble started in Noir's chest. It grew louder. And louder. Until it sounded like a diesel engine idling.
The dreaded Shadow Panther of the Silent Death Forest rolled over onto his back, exposing his belly, his tongue lolling out.
"Yeah," Kael grinned, brushing the beast's flank. "Good job today, partner."
They spent the rest of the afternoon like that—the terrifying "Overlord" grooming his "Calamity Beast" amidst a pile of freshly cut lumber.
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