"Maybe I'll start farming," Ryan said, stepping outside his cabin. He opened the Zone Tab, selected Farm Zone, and assigned rows of land for garlic, onion, tomato, and a larger section for rice.
As soon as he confirmed the zones, a holographic hoe appeared in his hands, and a message popped up:
[ Please proceed to till the soil. ]
"Of course. It's not gonna be easy," Ryan said, gripping the hoe. He got to work, his Level 7 Plants Attribute making the task quicker and more efficient. The soil turned easily under the hoe, and within an hour, Ryan had tilled the entire farm zone.
"Hooh, that was fast," he said, wiping sweat from his brow. "Guess having a high Plants level pays off."
Another window appeared, this time with three smaller bags of holographic seeds (garlic, onion, and tomato) and one larger bag of rice seeds.
[ Please plant the seeds in their designated zones. ]
Ryan got to work, carefully planting each seed in its assigned row. The process was straightforward, and within 20 minutes, he was done.
As he finished, a cheerful chime rang out, and a new achievement notification appeared:
[ Achievement Completed: Green Thumb
Plant your first crop.
Rewards: 5 Customization Points ]
"Nice!" Ryan said, grinning. "Now that that's finished, I'll just wait for these to grow. Let's check the research table."
He walked back inside and glanced at the research table. "Normally, in the game, the research table has to be occupied for it to generate research points. But I guess that doesn't matter now," he said, shrugging.
The system popped up with a message:
[ Host, it does matter. If you occupy the research table, the research speed increases by up to 25%. ]
"Oh, really?" Ryan said, raising an eyebrow. "Well, that does help a bit. But I can still choose not to occupy it and do other things instead."
Just then, the research table chimed, and a notification appeared:
[ Research Complete: Plank Crafting ]
Ryan opened the Research Tab and scanned the available options. His eyes landed on Smithing, and a grin spread across his face.
"Smithing it is," he said, tapping the option. "This'll open up more crafting alternatives. Guns, tools, maybe even armor. Let's do it."
The system displayed the requirements:
[ Smithing
Required:
Research Points: 600
Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Prerequisites: None ]
Ryan confirmed the research, and the progress bar appeared:
[ Researching: Smithing
Time Remaining: 1 hour 30 minutes ]
Ryan opened the Structure Tab, eager to see what new options Plank Crafting had unlocked. His eyes lit up as he scrolled through the updated list.
"Alright, let's see what we've got," he said, grinning.
Under the Walls section, he noticed a new addition beside the Wooden Log Wall:
[ Plank Wall ]
[ Plank Window Frame Wall ]
[ Plank Wooden Doorframe ]
"Nice! Now I can finally add windows and doors to the cabin," Ryan said, nodding in approval.
He moved on to the Floors section and saw that Plank Floor had been added, with four design variants to choose from.
"Plank floors, huh? That'll make the cabin feel more finished," he said, already imagining how it would look.
Next, he checked the Doors section and found Plank Door, which came in three design variants.
"A proper door! No more walking through an empty frame," he said, laughing.
The Windows section now included Plank Window, which could be added to the Plank Window Frame Wall.
"Windows! Finally, I can let some light in," Ryan said, his excitement growing.
He then moved to the Furniture section and saw that a variety of new plank-based furniture had been unlocked:
[ Wooden Plank Table ]
[ Wooden Plank Chair ]
[ Wooden Plank Bench ]
[ Wooden Plank Coffee Table ]
...
"This is awesome," Ryan said, scrolling through the options. "I can finally make this place feel like a home."
Finally, he checked the Production Tab and noticed a new addition:
[ Plank Cutter Bench ]
"A Plank Cutter Bench? That'll make it easier to produce planks in bulk," Ryan said, nodding. "Definitely building that next."
He closed the menu and looked around his cabin, mentally planning his next steps.
"Alright, first things first," he said, clapping his hands. "I'll start by adding the floors. Then I'll build the windows and doors. After that, I'll craft some furniture and set up the Plank Cutter Bench."
He opened his inventory and checked his wood supply.
[ Wood x80 ] [ Slot 2 ] [ Slot 3 ]
"I've got enough wood for now, but I'll need to gather more soon," he said, nodding. "But first, let's get to work."
Ryan opened the Production Tab and tapped on Plank Cutter Bench, placing the transparent model on another section of the wall. The system displayed the requirements:
[ Requirements:
Wood x10
Iron (Ore, Ingot, Scrap) x5 ]
"Uhh… shit," Ryan muttered, scratching his head. "Where am I gonna find iron in these lands?"
The system popped up with a helpful message:
[ Host, you can dismantle equipment or tools for iron scraps. You can dismantle them on the crafting bench. ]
"Really?" Ryan said, his eyes lighting up. "Well, that's convenient."
He quickly placed his only iron sword on the crafting bench. A holographic menu appeared with several options:
[ Upgrade ] [ Repair ] [ Dismantle ]
Ryan hesitated for a moment, then tapped Dismantle. The iron sword glowed and transformed into a pile of iron scraps.
"Ugh… it's a necessary sacrifice," he said, sighing. "I'll just have to craft a new one later."
He gathered the iron scraps and moved them to the Plank Cutter Bench's required resources, adding in 10 wood logs. The system prompted him to begin the assembly process.
"Another minigame, huh?" Ryan said, rolling up his sleeves.
He carefully assembled the table parts, following the holographic guides. Once the structure was complete, he placed the iron buzz saw into the designated slit. The Plank Cutter Bench glowed and materialized, solid and ready to use.
"Now that's finished," Ryan said, stepping back to admire his work. "Let's check you out."
He touched the bench, and a window popped up:
[ Wood Log Slot (1 log) ] = [ (3 Planks) Output ]
"Hmm, one log gives three planks. That's not bad," Ryan said, nodding. "But I really need to gather more wood this time. Next project: cabin overhaul. But first, let's convert 50 wood logs."
He opened his inventory and dragged the wood log icon toward the Wood Log Slot, adjusting the number to 50. Another window appeared:
[ Please manually spin the wooden handle. ]
The handle on the left side of the bench glowed, indicating where Ryan needed to interact. He grabbed the handle and began spinning it. The bench whirred to life, and the wood log magically hovered toward the spinning buzz saw.
Ryan watched in fascination as the log was sliced into perfect planks, the process smooth and efficient.
"This is awesome," he said, grinning. "Much better than doing it by hand."
As the planks piled up, Ryan's mind raced with plans for his cabin. "Floors, walls, furniture… this is gonna take a lot of wood. But with this bench, it'll be way easier."
He continued spinning the handle, the rhythmic motion almost meditative.
After what felt like hours of repetitive spinning, Ryan's arms were on fire. His breath came in ragged gasps as he finally stopped, leaning heavily on the Plank Cutter Bench.
"Hooh… dayum," he panted, wiping sweat from his forehead. "This is tiring. My arms are dead. I'd really like to have an electric buzz saw real soon."
He glared at the wooden handle, his determination flaring up again. "WAAAAAHHH… I WILL NOT SUBMIT!" he shouted, gripping the handle and spinning it with renewed vigor.
But even his stubbornness had its limits. After a few more minutes, Ryan stumbled back and collapsed onto the ground, his arms trembling.
"Haah… haah… it's finally done," he said, looking up at the sky.
He turned his head toward the Plank Cutter Bench, where 150 planks sat neatly stacked in the output slot. A small smile crept onto his face despite his exhaustion.
"150 planks… not bad," he muttered, pushing himself up. "I'll do the floors later. That cutter drained me."
Ryan dragged the planks into his inventory, the system automatically organizing them into stacks.
[ Wood x20 ] [ Planks x150 ] [ Map of the Region ] [ Rabbit Meat x15 ]
[ Rabbit Fur x12 ]
He staggered to his feet and made his way to the edge of the river, his legs feeling like jelly. The cool breeze and the sound of flowing water were a welcome relief.
Ryan crouched by the riverbank, cupping his hands to scoop up some water. He drank deeply, the cool liquid soothing his parched throat.
"Ahhh, that's better," he said, splashing some water on his face. "I needed that."
He sat back, leaning against a tree and staring at the river. The sun was beginning to set, casting a golden glow over the water.
"Today was… productive," Ryan said, closing his eyes for a moment. "Floors, walls, furniture… I'll get to it all tomorrow. For now, I just need to rest."
He glanced back at his cabin, the unfinished walls and floors a reminder of the work still to come. But for now, he was content to sit by the river, letting the sound of the water wash away his fatigue.