Chapter 121
I stopped building the house for a moment and looked around.
‘A door, huh…….’
I had to choose and set up a passage, a ‘door,’ that would connect the livestock shed with this place.
‘Since I can’t install a drum in the subspace……. Should I make a door myself?’
While I was worrying about that, what suddenly caught my eye was a large tree.
The tree looked old, darkened as if it had aged, and right in the middle was a large hollow.
It was big enough for a person to enter. I stepped inside without much thought.
Fortunately, I didn’t need to lower my head to get in.
Though narrow, it gave me a cozy feeling.
‘……Could this be used as a door?’
For some reason, I liked it. I stepped out of the tree and stared at it directly.
Then, before my eyes, a system window began to flicker.
Passage designation complete!
‘It really worked?’
I blinked and turned my head toward the tree.
Before I knew it, a golden aura began to glow inside the tree’s hollow.
Before entering, I looked up for a moment.
Sunlight seeped faintly through the dense branches, but the sky was invisible.
‘Even if Professor Ruber is monitoring, he’s not doing it obsessively, so this should be fine.’
As long as I didn’t do something conspicuous, like using ‘Shurk’s ability’ that cloaked the body in darkness and allowed rapid movement, there wouldn’t be a problem.
‘And here, I wouldn’t even be visible.’
By design, the surveillance was carried out only from the sky.
In a place like this where the sky was blocked, slipping into a tree wouldn’t raise suspicion.
‘Let’s go in.’
As I threw myself into the tree’s interior, my vision instantly shifted.
It wasn’t exactly cozy…… rather, it felt as if I had moved into a narrow iron mesh.
When I looked up, the familiar ceiling of the livestock shed’s storage room came into view.
I was inside the drum of the shed.
“……I’m back.”
So, the drum and the large tree were now connected as a passage?
I climbed out of the drum, straightened my clothes, and looked around when—
“Haa……”
A deep sigh from Rupina drifted in from somewhere.
Since I had hired her to take care of the livestock shed while the exam was in progress, it was only natural that she was here.
“Villed, that bastard, expanded the shed for no reason and just made more work.”
My ears tickled.
I already knew the setting that Rupina revealed her true nature when alone, so I wasn’t offended.
“Damn it, I couldn’t even sleep, if it weren’t for the money I’d never…….”
At that moment, I locked eyes with Rupina who had just entered the storage.
“……”
“……”
Time seemed to freeze for Rupina.
“Is it okay for you to say such things to your employer, Staff Rupina?”
When I responded with a solemn expression, Rupina began to tremble all over.
“……Huh? Wha–what?”
Maybe because of the shock, her eyes looked unfocused.
Before long, tiny droplets welled up at the corners of Rupina’s eyes.
“Y-young master? Huh? Weren’t you supposed to be…… taking the Comprehensive Exam……? Why are you here……? Ah, what did I just say…….”
Eventually, Rupina began to babble like a broken robot.
If I teased her any further, she might really cry, so I stopped there and threw myself back into the drum, returning to the forest of the exam site.
‘Anyway, now that I’ve confirmed they’re connected. I should get back to building the house.’
Just as I was stepping out of the tree, I bumped into Lapin holding some fruit.
Lapin tilted her head.
“Why did Villed come out from there?”
I shrugged my shoulders and opened my mouth.
“This place is connected to my livestock shed.”
“Oh.”
“So I went to the storage and said hello to Rupina.”
“Oho.”
Just like how I had used the drum in the livestock shed as the entrance to the sea farm, Lapin seemed to understand that this tree was now connected to the shed.
After a short sound of admiration, she gazed into the tree with interest.
“Can I go say hello too?”
“Since it’s during the exam, just say hello and come back right away.”
When I answered, Lapin nodded.
In truth, not just anyone could use the passage.
For some reason, only the people I permitted could travel through it.
I looked at Lapin with the thought of granting her permission.
“I’ll go.”
Lapin stepped into the tree, tap, tap, and soon disappeared.
Not long after, she poked her head back out.
I asked first.
“What did Rupina say?”
“She squatted down, muttering ‘I must have seen a hallucination,’ and then when she saw me, she just lay down flat.”
“Hmm…….”
She already looked sleep-deprived earlier, but thanks to Lapin, she’d finally get some rest.
‘Anyway, if it’s connected to the shed…… then I’ll be able to return here even after the exam ends.’
I felt glad knowing the forest farm hadn’t been built in vain.
‘Just like the sea farm, I’ll be able to keep using it.’
Even these days, I managed the sea farm every day through the drum.
It wasn’t anything complicated—just simple tasks like clearing away trash.
In return, I earned points daily, and on rare occasions, I’d receive rewards as precious as pearls.
‘Then, what about the forest farm……?’
As I wondered that to myself, the system popped up a new window as if answering me.
When cultivating in the Forest Farm, the growth, taste, and nutrition of certain crops increased dramatically!
‘……Certain crops?’
If it was crops that grew well in such dense forests, mushrooms that thrived in cool shade were the prime example.
There were also herbs, cherries, broccoli, and lettuce……
It seemed far more efficient to cultivate them in the farm rather than forage for them.
‘If I get the chance, it might be worth trying.’
Of course, farming would normally take a long time, but I had a special ‘spirit beast’ with unique abilities.
‘If Spirit Grass that normally required years could grow fully in just a month, then mushrooms and fruits would grow quickly too.’
It looked like I wouldn’t have to worry much about food during this exam.
“Villed, I’ll go pick some more fruits.”
“……Go ahead.”
After parting with Lapin, I continued building the tree house.
‘Now that the floor’s done, it’s time to build the walls.’
There would be four walls in total.
‘One side for the door, another for a window, and the remaining two completely sealed with wooden walls.’
Since I couldn’t get glass here, I planned to make a wooden window that could be opened and closed.
I first cut the timber.
I framed it with sturdy beams and nailed vertically cut planks onto them.
I fixed these vertical pillars at each corner of the tree house.
‘A simple structure like this is probably best for the frame.’
Between each pillar, I fitted the planks one by one, cut precisely to size.
Thanks to the system, the measurements seemed to be exact, which was a relief.
I nailed the planks tightly so no gaps remained.
Repeating the process twice, two walls were complete.
For the third wall, I left an open space for the window.
It was square-shaped, about the size of four adult male palms.
‘This should be good enough.’
I peeked outside through the hole.
It was just the right size for keeping watch and letting in air.
I made a window frame first, then carved planks for the window itself.
‘Now the issue is the hinge.’
I needed a rotating axis to attach to the edge of the frame and the window, allowing it to open and close.
Normally it would be made of metal, but obtaining metal materials wasn’t possible here.
‘Since there’s no iron, should I try making it from wood?’
I whittled a long, straight wooden rod.
I carved small grooves at the ends of both the window plank and the frame, then set the wooden rod across them.
This rod would serve as a makeshift hinge.
The window now swung open and closed smoothly on that hinge.
It was a little stiff at first, but when I pushed it, it creaked and opened naturally.
‘That should do for the window…….’
Next, it was time to build the wall with the door.
The process was not much different from the window.
I built the wall, leaving space in the middle for the door.
Then I set grooves into the frame and door, fitting in a sturdy wooden rod.
‘Now let’s see how it works…….’
I pushed the door to test it.
With a faint grinding sound, it opened and closed.
‘That’s plenty satisfying.’
All that was left was the roof.
‘What kind of wood would be best for the roof?’
As I pondered, something caught my eye—a white tree.
It stood out starkly from the black and brown trees around it.
I approached and touched its bark.
‘A birch tree, huh…….’
Birch bark contained oils that made it waterproof.
‘Plus, it doesn’t rot easily and insects avoid it—this could be a good choice.’
I decided to strip birch bark to use for the roof.
I picked up a hand axe and carefully peeled the bark from one birch tree.
‘It comes off like paper.’
The birch bark was very light.
When peeled wide and thin, it looked easy to fold or layer.
‘If I layer them like tiles so water flows down from the upper bark to the lower bark, it should work well.’
I built the roof frame first.
Using thin planks, I created a triangular slope structure, attaching it at intervals.
Then I layered the birch bark from bottom to top.
The bark stacked tightly and held firm.
From a glance, it covered everything cleanly without gaps, and when I checked inside the house, no sunlight leaked through.
‘So, is this complete now…….’
Although the tree house was finished, it felt a little empty.
‘Right. Since there’s nothing inside, it feels bare. I’ll need to add a sleeping bag and a lamp.’
I took out a sleeping bag and a lamp from the subspace and set them inside.
At last, it felt like a cozy shelter.
I climbed down the ladder and looked at the tree house from outside.
It looked a bit rough since I had built it quickly.
But somehow, that roughness made it blend more naturally into the forest.
There was still one finishing step left.
‘I need to waterproof the walls with oil…… but extracting oil is a complex process and would take too long right now.’
It would be better to prepare oil after the exam and finish it then.
I sat inside, opened the window, and gazed at the darkening sky.
That was when I heard footsteps running toward me.
“Villed! Villed! Look! There are so many fruits around…….”
Karin came running with a bright face, her arms full of fruits.
When our eyes met, her steps halted. Thud, thud. A couple of fruits dropped from her arms.
But Karin’s gaze was not on the fallen fruits—it was fixed on the tree house.
“You already finished it……? Wow……. It’s just like the tree houses I saw in books! Can I go inside?”
“As much as you like.”
Hearing my answer, Karin carefully set the fruits down beneath the tree supporting the Tree House, then climbed the ladder.
She cautiously stepped inside through the door.
The lamplight illuminating the room reflected softly in Karin’s eyes, and warmth began to spread through the small log house.
We finished a simple meal with the fruits that Karin and Lapin had brought.
After tidying up, the sun had already sunk low, and night had fallen.
‘Normally I’d light a campfire…… but I should refrain here.’
Lighting a fire in the forest was dangerous.
Not to mention, the smoke from the fire couldn’t be ignored.
That smoke would be like announcing my position to everyone around.
I stood up and spoke.
“Everyone, sleep early tonight.”
“Yeah, you must be tired too from building the house.”
Karin, who had spoken brightly, wrapped her arms around herself and shivered lightly.
“Now that it’s night, it feels a bit chilly…….”
At Karin’s murmur, I replied indifferently.
“There are two sleeping bags in the house, so each of you can use one.”
“Thanks for the thought. But how did you even get sleeping bags?”
“Don’t worry about that.”
When I answered like that, Karin stopped prying into their origin.
Instead, she tilted her head slightly and asked.
“But if there are only two sleeping bags…… what about you?”
“I’m fine with that.”
I gestured at the hammock I had already set up on a nearby tree.
“I’ll be there, so make sure you rest well while you can.”
“Still…… are you sure? Without a blanket, won’t it be cold at night?”
“I don’t get cold easily. I’ll get some rest now. You two play a bit and then sleep.”
As I started walking away, they called out together.
“Yeah, sleep well!”
“Good night.”
Then they climbed up the ladder into the house.
I approached the hammock and jumped into it, lying down.
The familiar, soft swaying unique to a hammock felt very comfortable, just like always.
‘As expected, this is the most comfortable for me.’
Using my arm as a pillow, I gazed at the starry night sky.
‘……After tonight, all the trainees will become enemies.’
The real survival among 600 people was about to begin.
‘Most of them will have formed teams.
For us, that was actually fortunate.
If all 600 fought separately, the chances of encountering enemies would be much higher, but since most moved in teams, we only had to be careful about roughly 100 teams.
With fewer numbers, the chance of anyone discovering this place was much lower.
‘If we’re lucky, the survival will end without running into a single team.’
Monsters mainly lived in the central area, and defeating them earned points.
That was why the trainees would be moving toward the central zone.
There was no reason to stay in the outer area where monsters didn’t appear.
‘Those who don’t care about competing for the higher departments will remain here.’
Students at the bottom like us would likely be hiding quietly around the island’s outskirts.
‘Yeah, it’s best if things stay peaceful like this…….’
Just as I thought that and slowly closed my eyes—
Ding―!
A sharp notification rang from the system.
‘What……?’
I opened my eyes and glanced at the system window, instantly sobering up.
You’ve discovered an Animal Friend!
An Animal Friend is within a 3 km radius!
Hurry and find it before it gets away!