"Knock" "Knock"
"Cayne!"
The loud voice jolted me awake. Rubbing my eyes, I got off the stone bed.
It was hard, but sleeping without fear for the first time in a while had made me oversleep.
Opening the door, I found Lucas standing there.
"Good morning, Cayne! Looks like you had a great sleep." His tone was refreshingly upbeat.
"Morning... Yeah, it felt good having a solid roof over my head." I was still groggy from being pulled out of my dreams.
"Sorry to wake you, but it's time for the assembly in Village hall."
"Village hall?" I asked curiously.
...…
Five minutes later, I stood in a large open square filled with people—around a hundred in total.
Given that the village population was about 120, I assumed some were guarding the outskirts.
The square was bustling. Long stone tables covered in food and drinks filled the space—fruits, vegetables, juice, and meat.
The sight reminded me of Viking-era feasts. This level of abundance meant the village had fully exploited its surroundings.
Still, this grand banquet was likely a one-time event, meant to gain everyone's trust.
Despite the food, the feast had yet to begin. Everyone was waiting for the main attraction.
Then, a commotion started. Entering with measured strides, clad in the finest leather armor available, was the ever-handsome Alexander.
Behind him followed his usual entourage.
The seductress, Sara, still dressed in her revealing attire.
The shy girl, Ruth, in her usual reserved demeanor.
The scowling, stocky Mary—probably irritated at how everyone was enjoying the fruits of their labor.
And finally, the ever-background Mark, the least noticeable of them all.
Alexander reached the head of the main table, picked up a stone goblet, and tapped it with a spoon.
Clink, clink.
"I know we all have much to discuss, but that comes later. First, let's enjoy this breakfast and celebrate our gathering!"
With that, he downed the contents of his cup. No wine, of course—just juice.
A resounding cheer followed, and the feast began.
Food in this world was a luxury no one could afford to reject.
The others devoured it like starving ghosts.
Even though my group had been well-fed thanks to Jia, I wasn't about to turn down free food.
The difference was—I at least had some table manners.
Once everyone had eaten their fill, Alexander rose again. This time, his speech was more detailed.
He explained the village structure. Everyone had to contribute according to their skills—combat being the most valued, followed by unique or essential talents.
The higher one's contribution, the closer they would live to the village center, which was supposedly safer.
Incentivization through security.
Smart.
The five groups of people were headed by the council of five as he called them. They were Alexander and the four people behind him.
Alexander was the leader and headed everyone else.
Sara was the foxy one. She oversaw internal working of the village, maintaining order and other similar aspects.
Ruth was the one with birthmark. She conducted exploration outside the village.
Mary was the fat one, the strategist. She was in charge of the various people with different occupations, to improve their ability to contribute. To increase efficiency is her work.
Could she be the first capitalist in this world.
The last one was Mark. He was in charge of external safety and killing animals for food and gathering essentials.
Everything sounded well-structured, but I had lingering questions. Hopefully, they'd be answered soon.
The meeting concluded with Alexander instructing everyone to record their skills and choose a group. Contribution was mandatory, though easy jobs were available.
A massive flat stone was used for registration. Practical, considering paper was non-existent.
If they had proper documentation, I might've considered becoming an honest worker.
Instead of rushing, I waited at the back of the line, observing.
The stone was tilted so no one could see the skills of previous people, guess they are not making it public knowledge.
...…
The distribution of everyone was like this.
Alex was chosen for the Ruth's exploration team.
Jia, became as a matter of fact member of Mary's team, guess bird's of a feather flock together.
Her {Memorization} was very helpful for Mary though.
Everybody was chosen similarly.
Steven was taken very importantly, if I had to guess, they may want him to reinforce the stone buildings. His {Masonry} will be very helpful.
I also noticed that Mary and Sara were taking same members for their teams. Their cooperation is very close, and they appear to have a good relationship.
I had noticed very few good people joined Ruth's team. It was like every good person was taken by others.
There was a sort of tacit understanding. A silent power play.
It was not apparent on the face of it. If I had not been using {Calculation} skill to focus on numbers of people joining each team I would also not notice.
This helped me make a decision.
Reid though was standing separate along with two three more people. I had a guess regarding them.
My turn soon came, I mentioned two skills. {Quick hands} and {Archery}.
I politely declined. "I want to join the exploration team."
A ripple of surprise went through the crowd. Why would I willingly pick the most dangerous job?
Mark frowned slightly. "Are you sure?"
I nodded firmly.