"I am a bricklayer."
"I, a woodcutter."
"Hunter."
I couldn't hide my smile. It seemed my luck was better with the civilization '???' than with the 'generic' one. Despite all the unknowns and mysteries, things were starting to look more promising.
"Perfect. You, go with the others to cut wood. You, we need to start building the first house as soon as possible; we can't let three months go by without it being ready. You're the expert, so I leave the guide in your hands. And you… help the others or explore the area, but don't wander too far. This place doesn't sit well with me, and I don't want anyone to be in danger."
I gave instructions to the three men, who followed my orders without much enthusiasm, their apathetic demeanor showing through.
I still couldn't fully grasp that these people were like villagers straight out of horror stories. How was I so sure? While reading about them, I remembered the description from a book whose cover I was copying just before appearing here. Perhaps that was what caused this cosmic error, or maybe the real mistake was me. Either way, I had to leave that thought behind. It was time to focus on work… even though I had no idea what else to do.
I knew nothing about survival, medieval life, or giving orders. I approached the bricklayer, who was studying the land for the house construction. Not far away, others were setting up the tents: three from the cart pulled by the donkey and two from the cart pulled by the pony, totaling five.
I offered to help; I didn't want to be idle. I knew it would be difficult, but my future depended on it. Although I tried to get involved, I realized that they actually knew much more than I did. Soon, I understood that some of my decisions weren't the best, and I gave them the freedom to act according to their experience. Someone took care of the animals, letting them loose from the carts, something I had completely forgotten about.
...
Night fell, and we had managed to set up three of the tents, enough to spend the first night. However, the work didn't end there. Some stayed to light the fire, while the others stored supplies inside one of the tents. Construction materials were left in boxes outside, but food and other climate-sensitive items were stored carefully.
Dinner was simple: part of the provisions from the cart and some berries collected during the day. Though brief, I was able to learn a little more about the people accompanying me: their names, where they came from, and something about their trades.
When it came time to sleep… a big problem arose. We organized watch shifts, though I knew the risks were minimal at this initial stage. Still, this place continued to give me a feeling of oppression. Knowing I was associated with an unknown civilization and remembering the villagers from Dracula didn't provide much comfort.
Sleeping was complicated. Not only due to the lack of a comfortable bed, but also because of the cold, which, although mitigated by furs and blankets, was still present. And then there was the anxiety… the constant feeling of being in a surreal situation. I didn't manage to fall asleep until late at night, while my companions seemed to have no trouble drifting off.
When dawn broke, I was still asleep, recovering lost sleep. Upon waking, I realized I was the only one left in the tent. I stepped outside and saw everyone already busy with various tasks. Shame washed over me.
That same morning, I faced the second biggest problem since I arrived here: the bathroom. We had nothing remotely resembling a toilet, and the fear of being seen prevented me from relaxing enough to go. The idea of venturing into the woods didn't appeal to me either, not only because of the natural dangers but also because of the supernatural horrors that could be lurking there.
Despite the discomfort, I asked how they handled such needs. They pointed me to a secluded spot, far enough from the camp to maintain privacy but not so far that I would lose sight of it. Armed with one of the shovels from the camp, I set out to dig a hole. It was undoubtedly the least pleasant experience when nature was calling.
I took longer than I would have liked due to the awkwardness of the situation, and the subsequent hygiene was anything but simple. Such is the reality for those who sought to establish their own empire; not everything is glory. After covering the hole, I returned to the camp with the intention of discussing the urgent issues we needed to address immediately.
I called everyone for a meeting and emphasized the urgency of obtaining water, as we couldn't waste what we had on tasks like the one I had just completed. The woodcutter, hunter, and fisherman set off to explore in search of the nearest water source, while the others stayed behind to work in the camp. The bricklayer halted the construction of the house as a precaution, in case we needed to move. The rest of us focused on immediate tasks, such as sorting resources, gathering firewood, and collecting any food or useful materials in sight.
I took an axe and prepared to work as a woodcutter for the first time in my life. I had never chopped down a tree; the closest I had come was splitting already-cut logs. I watched my companions, who, although not experts like the woodcutter who had gone to explore, knew more than I did. The distribution of the trees was curious: on the outskirts of the forest, the trunks weren't very thick, perhaps the width of a head, but as you ventured a little deeper, the variety increased, and some were truly impressive.
The recoil of the axe with each swing forced me to pause for a moment in between. The damned tree was not easy to cut, and clearly, my lack of skill was the main reason. My companions worked at double my speed. Managing to fell a single tree left me exhausted, and that was just the beginning; I still had to split it into smaller pieces or drag it back to the camp.
I returned to the camp exhausted, acutely aware of the difference between my subordinates and me. I was neither prepared nor accustomed to a life like this. Now I better understood why we, the outsiders, were granted additional benefits; without them, most would struggle to overcome the challenges of this new world.
Now that I'm taking a break, I think it's a good time to reflect once more on the rules of this place.
The "level," as such, is something that only affects foreigners, and it manifests as a way to represent the assimilation of our class with ourselves. Unlike the natives, we can easily elevate and advance toward new evolutions or class combinations, while for them it is more challenging, or rather, normal difficulty.
You see, some classes follow evolutionary lines, moving from point A to point C, with B in the middle. There are also branches that allow you to take different paths. The subject of classes is interesting: there are higher-level classes that, if you have the right means, you can access directly, skipping the previous ones. However, this entails losing the accumulated benefits of the earlier classes.
For example, imagine two people: Subject 1 chooses Class A, while Subject 2 opts for Class C, skipping Classes A and B. Subject 2 gains a more powerful initial ability and can train in a strong class from the start, giving them an early advantage. Subject 1, on the other hand, begins with a weak class and less impressive abilities, but over time progresses to Class B, accumulating the benefits of Classes A and B, becoming stronger in the long run.
Therein lies the dilemma. In the short term, Subject 2 has the advantage, but in the long term, Subject 1 can surpass their rival thanks to the combined skills. However, taking a direct evolutionary line also has its price: for Subject 1, improving Class C will be three times more difficult than it was for Subject 2.
Racial traits work, some similarly and some differently. They can also evolve and have their own evolutionary lines, but they don't improve with level. Each racial trait has unique methods for improvement. That's why I didn't acquire the trait [Transylvanian Villager] because it didn't offer immediate benefits for me as an individual, although it could be useful applied to my people for better leadership. Plus, I didn't know how to improve it.
...
Six hours had passed when our explorers returned safe and sound, which was a relief. We offered them water and some food while we awaited news.
"Leader, we found a small stream of water not far away, about an hour to an hour and a half of walking. It's within the forest, but most of the way is clear terrain."
"How big is it?" I asked.
"It's a shallow river; an adult could cross it without drowning. It will serve us, but if we face a prolonged drought, we won't be able to rely solely on it."
"Well, do you think it's suitable to build our base here?" I asked the group.
"Moving everything will consume time and energy, and if we plan to build more structures, I would suggest staying where we are but directing future constructions toward the river," replied the bricklayer.
"We can use the carts to transport water," commented the weaver.
Thus, it was decided how we would solve the water problem. We resumed the construction of the first house and the installation of the other tents. Although we had five tents for three people each and there were only nine of us, we could still use them as temporary storage. These tents were quite good: resistant to both damage and weather, an item that any empire or person in general would desire. However, they had a significant drawback: all the tents given to the participants of [Found Your Empire] had an exact lifespan of one year. After that, they would disappear without a trace.
That's one of the reasons I want to start construction as soon as possible. The first house is essential, and we must have it ready within three months, as there will be an event that will require it. Among the resources we obtained from the boxes (although not everything was in boxes; there were also, though to a lesser extent, leather bags, pots, and some items wrapped in cloth), we had enough material to build a decent house. However, after discussing it, we decided that the best course of action would be to use as few of those resources as possible and take advantage of the available natural materials, reserving the others for when we want to build a more decent house in the future.
My life was hard, but I didn't have many options. The nights were difficult to endure, and when I got up, I had to work. Well, it wasn't strictly mandatory; I could sit and watch the others, but that would be foolish.
Everything was new, yet at the same time simple. It could easily become repetitive for some. Perhaps the only thing that helped me adapt was the daily exhaustion, which allowed me to get used to having a more regular sleep pattern at night.
What really stood out as an event happened on the third day of being here. While giving orders, I achieved something I had been waiting for: my first class in the civilization '???', although it wasn't exactly what I expected.
[Class added to the record: "Slave"]
When I saw it, I was surprised. Yes, indeed, many empires have similar systems of slavery, so it wasn't really shocking, but that I obtained it before any normal job class was what was surprising. This civilization was dark.
Anyway, with this class, I could fill that pending void I had. It wasn't the most pleasant choice: becoming a slave. However, thanks to certain legal loopholes, I would technically be a slave to myself; only I could give myself orders or revoke my status. Unlike other classes, the slave class is not easy to change, but I had nothing to lose. It was one more skill, and if I obtained another class in the future, I could always change it.
=====
[Lyricus]
Race: [None]
Class: [Worker (2/100)], [Slave], [Leader (2/100)], [Slave Master (1/100)]
--/--
Skills:
>Jack of All Trades (Common)
>Little Leader (Common) [5/5]
>Lesser Master (Silver) [3/3] [0/2]
>Fatigue Resistance (Diamond)
--/--
Ranking/Title: [None]
Region/Territory: [Unknown Land]
Civilization: [???] [Generic]
Domain: Small Camp
=====
"Diamond!" I shouted excitedly, and then I remembered something important that I hadn't considered.
You see, as I mentioned earlier, if you have a skill you've already developed in this world, you will automatically acquire it. But if you gain it through a class, the level will be random. This is true most of the time, but with an interesting particularity. There's a chance to obtain a skill among the first four levels (from "Common" to "Gold"), however, if you're lucky, you might start with a skill of a higher level, though it's very rare.
There are 301 special slots: 1 skill of mythical level, 50 of legendary level, and 250 of hero level. These slots are exclusive to each skill. If you're fortunate enough to be in that small group, you will be one of the few in the world with a higher-level skill. However, with millions of people, I didn't expect to get lucky; perhaps a small hope in my heart, but it died after receiving only common skills.
But then there are the diamond-level skills. There's a total of 1000 slots per skill, although it's not exactly 1000 people in the world; it's 1000 people per civilization. In my case, I belonged to the civilization '???', a completely new one, in which I was the only member. This automatically placed me within those 1000 slots.
I was ecstatic. This meant that if I acquired other classes in the future, I could have the same advantage. Although I'm not sure if this only applies to the first class or if it also applies to future ones.
--/--
[Resistance to Fatigue (Diamond): Reduces fatigue by 25%]
--/--