Kayl leaned back against the rough wall of his newly built shelter, the last of the apples in his hand. The day had been long, and his body ached from the encounter with the Grifflet and the hours of manual labor. Still, the small cabin provided a strange sense of security, a barrier between him and the unknown dangers of the world outside.
His gaze shifted to the peasants who continued to gather resources, their movements steady and purposeful. Kayl had expected them to be little more than drones—mindless workers—but the longer he watched, the more he noticed small details that hinted at something deeper.
One of the peasants, a young man with short-cropped hair, paused in his work to inspect a tree before chopping. Another carefully stacked the wood he'd collected in neat rows, muttering quietly to himself. They weren't mindless. They were…aware. Maybe not fully independent, but they could think. Or at least, they could think enough to work without constant instruction.
Interesting.
Kayl stood and approached the peasant who had been stacking the wood.
"Hey," Kayl said, his voice hesitant. He still wasn't entirely sure how to interact with them. "Can you speak?"
The peasant stopped, looked up at him, and nodded. "Yes, Master."
Kayl blinked, surprised by the response. "Can you tell me what you're doing?"
"I am gathering wood, Master," the peasant replied. His voice was simple, lacking emotion, but it carried enough intelligence to show he understood the task. "We need wood to build more structures and for fire."
Kayl rubbed his chin. The peasant hadn't been told about fire. It seemed the summons had some level of problem-solving ability—basic, but more than Kayl had expected. "Good thinking. What about the others? Can they talk too?"
The peasant nodded again. "We can all speak and follow your commands, Master."
Kayl looked around at the other peasants, who were diligently going about their tasks. "If I don't give you direct instructions, what will you do?"
"We will continue to gather resources or perform basic tasks," the peasant replied. "We do not require constant instruction."
Kayl smiled. That was a relief. Managing everything on his own had been overwhelming enough. The fact that the peasants could handle resource gathering and simple tasks without him micromanaging was a significant advantage.
"Alright, keep it up," Kayl said, patting the peasant on the shoulder. The peasant nodded and returned to his work without further comment.
Currency and the First Purchases
Kayl opened the system interface, curious about the 20 gold he had earned from completing the shelter and hunger quests. A new menu appeared, showing his current balance:
"Current Balance: 20 Gold"
As he continued scrolling, he found that the currency was broken down into three types: copper, silver, and gold. Gold was the highest tier, followed by silver, and then copper.
"1 Gold = 100 Silver. 1 Silver = 100 Copper."
This meant he essentially had 2000 silver, or 200,000 copper, which seemed like a lot until he saw the cost of various upgrades and units. For now, he was starting off relatively wealthy for his needs, but he knew this would change quickly.
He navigated to the system store. The interface displayed a list of available items for purchase with his newly acquired currency:
• Peasant Summon (5 Copper each)
• Basic Tools (20 Copper)
• Weapon Upgrade: Stone Spear (50 Silver)
• Basic Farm Blueprint (10 Silver)
Kayl skimmed the list, mentally calculating the conversions. Most of the cheaper items were listed in copper, and the more advanced upgrades were in silver. He decided to hold off on any big purchases for now, but he made a mental note to consider the Basic Farm Blueprint—he needed to secure a sustainable food source sooner rather than later.
Alright, time to prioritize. First, I need more workers. Five peasants are good, but I'll need more to expand faster. He quickly purchased three more peasants, spending 15 copper. They shimmered into existence just as the first group had, ready and waiting for his orders.
"Spread out and gather more resources," Kayl commanded. The new peasants immediately joined the others, their basic intelligence guiding them to start chopping wood and collecting stone.
Investigating the Light
The soft glow of dusk settled over the clearing, and Kayl remembered the faint light he had seen earlier in the forest. He had pushed it to the back of his mind while focusing on survival, but now that the essentials were in place, curiosity gnawed at him.
I should check it out. It could be another person… or something dangerous. Either way, I need to know what's out there.
He grabbed his stone axe and a small bundle of the apples he had collected earlier. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. "Keep working," he told the peasants. "I'll be back soon."
The trek through the forest was eerily quiet. The fading light cast long shadows on the ground, and every sound seemed amplified—the rustling of leaves, the snap of twigs underfoot. Kayl moved carefully, trying to stay alert.
After what felt like an hour of walking, the faint flicker of light appeared again—this time closer. He crouched down behind a thick tree and peered through the underbrush.
There, in a small clearing, was a campfire. And around the fire sat three figures. They were dressed in tattered clothes, their faces worn and gaunt. Two of them appeared to be asleep, while the third kept watch, his hand resting on a crude spear.
Kayl's pulse quickened. Survivors?
He couldn't tell if they were friendly, but their rough appearance and the makeshift nature of their camp suggested they weren't well-off. Still, they had weapons, and that made them a potential threat.
As he crouched there, debating his next move, the system chimed softly in his mind.
"New Quest: First Contact."
"Approach the survivors cautiously. Forming alliances may lead to future benefits, but be wary of danger. Quest Reward: 50 Copper, Basic Trading Post Blueprint."
Kayl's grip tightened on his axe. First contact. The system seemed to want him to approach them, but there was no telling how they would react. The reward was tempting—a trading post could open up new opportunities for supplies—but he needed to be smart about this.
Taking a deep breath, Kayl stood up slowly, his axe at the ready but lowered. He took a cautious step into the clearing, the crackle of leaves underfoot alerting the man by the fire.
The man's eyes snapped to him immediately, and he stood, spear raised defensively. "Who goes there?"
Kayl raised his hands in what he hoped was a non-threatening gesture. "I'm not looking for trouble," he called out. "Just… looking to talk."
The man narrowed his eyes but didn't lower his spear. Behind him, the other two figures stirred, waking from their sleep and quickly taking in the situation. One of them, a younger woman, scrambled to her feet, her hand reaching for a small dagger.
"We've got nothing to trade," the man said, his voice rough and wary. "Move on."
"I'm not here to take anything," Kayl replied carefully. "I just want to know what's going on. What is this place?"
The three of them exchanged glances before the man spoke again. "You're new, aren't you? That means you've got the system."
Kayl blinked in surprise. "You know about the system?"
The man snorted. "Everyone who shows up here does. Means you're trying to build something. Kingdom, village, whatever. Just like the rest of us."
Kayl's heart skipped a beat. The rest of us? He had suspected there were others like him, but this was the first real confirmation.
"I only just got here," Kayl said cautiously, lowering his hands further. "I don't know much about how this place works."
The man eyed him suspiciously, his grip on the spear loosening just slightly. "You'll figure it out soon enough. Everyone's in the same boat when they first arrive. One minute you're minding your own business, and the next, you're dropped in here with nothing but a system to keep you alive. You're lucky you found us before the creatures did."
Kayl nodded, understanding more with each word. "What's your name?" he asked.
The man hesitated, his gaze flickering to the others before he answered. "Duran. That's Tessa and Rael," he added, gesturing to the woman and the younger man by the fire.
Kayl offered a small nod. "Kayl. I don't mean any harm. I'm just trying to get by, same as you."
For a moment, silence hung between them, the tension thick in the air. Then, after what felt like an eternity, Duran lowered his spear. "Alright, Kayl. You can sit by the fire. But don't get any ideas. We've got nothing worth stealing."
Kayl breathed a quiet sigh of relief and approached the fire, the warmth immediately easing the chill of the forest night. He sat across from the group, still keeping some distance.
"So," Kayl began, "how long have you all been here?"
Tessa spoke up, her voice soft but tinged with weariness. "A few weeks, maybe more. It's hard to tell. The days start blending together after a while."
Rael, the younger man, nodded in agreement. "We've been moving from place to place, trying to find somewhere safe. The creatures out here aren't like anything we've ever seen. They get worse the further out you go."
Kayl's mind raced. Weeks? He hadn't considered the idea of being here long-term. So far, he had only focused on surviving each day, but it sounded like this world wasn't going to let him leave anytime soon.
"What kind of creatures?" Kayl asked, his thoughts drifting back to the Grifflet.
"Depends where you are," Duran answered, poking at the fire with a stick. "You've probably seen some of the smaller ones, like that little lion-bird thing the system loves throwing at newcomers. But there's worse out there. Much worse."
Kayl swallowed, his grip tightening on his axe. He had barely survived the Grifflet—he wasn't sure he was ready for anything worse just yet.
Duran continued, "The further you go, the more dangerous it gets. People like us—we don't stand a chance out there without a lot more help. That's why we're laying low for now, looking for allies, resources… anything to give us a fighting chance."
Kayl thought about his growing camp, the peasants he had summoned. Allies. The word lingered in his mind. The system had been pushing him to build, to grow, but he hadn't considered the long-term possibilities of expanding his influence. If these people had been surviving out here for weeks, maybe there was a way to form an alliance.
Before he could voice the idea, the system chimed again:
"New Quest Update: Offer assistance to the survivors. Forming alliances will increase your kingdom's strength. Quest Reward: 50 Copper, Basic Trading Post Blueprint."
Kayl hesitated, weighing his options. The trading post blueprint could be a huge advantage, but forming an alliance with people he barely knew carried its risks. For all he knew, they could turn on him the moment they felt threatened.
But then again, he wasn't in a position to refuse potential allies—at least, not yet.
"I have a camp not far from here," Kayl said, watching their reactions carefully. "I've got a shelter, some basic resources. It's not much, but it's safe. If you want, you can come with me. We could help each other."
Duran exchanged glances with Tessa and Rael. The younger man looked hopeful, but Tessa's expression remained wary. Finally, Duran spoke.
"Why should we trust you?" he asked, his tone skeptical.
Kayl held his gaze. "Because I've got the same system you do. I'm just trying to survive, and I know that's easier with more people around. You're not safe out here on your own. The creatures will keep coming, and eventually, you'll run out of food or get caught in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Duran stared at him for a long moment, then sighed. "Fine. We'll come with you. But if anything happens, if you try to screw us over—"
"I won't," Kayl cut in. "You have my word."
Duran nodded, though his eyes remained hard. "Alright then. Lead the way."
Kayl stood, his heart pounding as he realized what he had just done. He was bringing strangers into his camp—potential allies, but also potential threats. Only time would tell which one they would become.
Together, the group packed up their meager belongings and followed Kayl through the darkened forest, the flicker of the campfire slowly fading behind them. The system's quest notification hovered in the corner of his vision:
"Quest Complete: First Contact. Reward: 50 Copper, Basic Trading Post Blueprint."
As they neared the edge of his camp, Kayl felt a strange mixture of hope and uncertainty. The shelter stood in the clearing, the peasants still working quietly in the distance. It was small, barely more than a starting point, but it was his. Now, with the survivors joining him, his kingdom was about to take its first real step forward.
But with new allies came new challenges—and Kayl had the sinking feeling that this was just the beginning.