Chapter 3
Chapter 3
“What… is this?”
“What are you talking about?”
“This. This right here.”
I pointed at the translucent window, but Tabin only tilted his head, apparently unable to see it.
“Can’t anyone else see this?”
“I don’t know what you mean. I don’t see anything at all.”
“Me neither.”
The others couldn’t see the translucent window either.
So it only appeared to me.
Was this some kind of magic I had only heard about?
Actually, it looked less like magic and more like the system window from a game.
[Correct! I am the system that will help Miss Aileen adapt to this other world!]
As if it had read my mind, the message in the translucent window changed.
[The tutorial has just ended. As a reward, you will receive 3,000 points!]
“Three thousand points?”
[Yes! If you collect points, you can purchase the items you want from the System Shop!]
“What’s the System Shop?”
“Aileen, what are you staring at and muttering to yourself about?”
Tabin asked in confusion.
The villagers were also looking at me strangely.
Of course they would—no one else could see the system window.
“I’m going to the bathroom for a moment.”
Using the bathroom as an excuse, I hurriedly left the area.
Even as I walked toward a secluded place with no people around, the translucent system window kept floating in front of my eyes.
“So, what’s this System Shop?”
[This is it!]
The translucent window flashed and suddenly expanded until it was almost as large as my upper body.
“What is this?”
When it said System Shop, I didn’t expect it to literally be like a game shop.
But why were they selling tools like saws and hammers?
This was too…
“Good.”
The equipment in this world was so terrible that I had been extremely frustrated.
If I had just had a proper saw, I could have finished the triangular roof in two days.
“If I buy this, can I actually use it here?”
[Of course. The item will be summoned immediately after purchase!]
Oh, nice.
Then first I’ll buy the saw I need most urgently—
“What? Why does a simple household saw cost ten thousand points?”
[Prices reflect the real-world market! ˃ᴗ˂]
Then don’t reflect them!
The hammer and other items were also expensive, apparently reflecting real-world prices.
With three thousand points, the only thing I could afford was a box of nails.
“Maybe I should at least buy this.”
The nails in this world were inconsistent in both length and thickness, and they were expensive on top of that, making them almost unusable.
So even this would probably help.
I pressed the purchase button.
The points were deducted immediately, and a box of nails dropped right in front of me.
So it really did summon the item instantly.
“How do I earn more points?”
[By completing quests.]
“Quests?”
The moment I said that, the shop window closed and the quest window appeared.
[Tutorial. Earn recognition from the villagers.]
[Reward: 3,000p]
So this was the tutorial quest I had just completed.
Quests were divided into main quests and sub quests.
The main quest had chapters from Chapter 1 to Chapter 10, but only Quest 1-1 was currently visible.
[1-1. Save the villagers from the monsoon.]
[Reward: 7,000p]
[※ Please complete the sub quests first.]
“So the main quests unlock in sequence?”
[Correct. You’re quick to understand!]
“I used to be obsessed with games.”
I never expected that to come in handy like this.
Maybe that saying was true—people should learn anything they can.
What sub quests were there?
[Q. Help repair Marianne’s house.]
[Reward: 700p]
[Q. Fix Hanson’s cowshed.]
[Reward: 500p]
Compared to the main quest, the rewards were small.
Well, of course. They were probably easier.
“But if I complete all the main quests, is there some kind of special reward?”
Most games had something like that. Maybe this one did too.
[Of course! You will be able to return to your original world!]
“I don’t want that.”
Even if things were a little inconvenient, living here peacefully was better.
At least I didn’t have to worry about money.
The system window filled with “……” as if it had been caught off guard by my answer.
[…Even if we make you rich, you still wouldn’t want to return?]
“Rich?”
[Yes. We will tell you the winning lottery numbers.]
Oh. That was a little tempting.
[Once you become rich, you can throw your resignation letter in Manager Park’s face—the person you hate so much.]
“Deal. Absolutely deal.”
To accomplish something I had long wished for—something I had desperately wanted even right before I died.
Just imagining it made my heart race.
[Then please do your best to complete the quests! (´･ᴗ･`)]
Leaving behind a bright smiling emoticon, the system window disappeared.
However, the quest window remained visible.
“The main quest hasn’t unlocked yet, so I guess I should earn points by doing sub quests.”
After all, the more points I had, the more items I could buy in the System Shop.
“Alright. Let’s do this.”
I clenched my fist in determination.
I will definitely return to my original world and throw my resignation letter in Manager Park’s face.
Belheim was notorious for its extreme weather.
In summer, the city suffered from relentless monsoon rains. In winter, it was buried under heavy snowfall.
Because of this, Belheim’s officials prepared countermeasures every year, but unless one was a god, it was impossible to completely prevent natural disasters.
As a result, during this season, the nerves of Belheim’s lord, Calix Krauvel, became especially sharp.
And when the lord was in a bad mood, the officials working under him suffered terribly.
They all desperately hoped that this summer would pass without major damage.
But just like every year, damage reports kept coming in.
In fact, the scale of damage was even worse than last year.
The faces of the officials gathered in the meeting room were dark.
They kept their mouths tightly shut like mute statues, watching the lord read the report.
“……”
With every page he turned, the lord’s gaze grew sharper.
If looks could kill, the officials would have been torn apart dozens of times already.
After examining even the map marking the monsoon damage, Calix Krauvel slammed the desk.
Bang!
The heavy sound echoed through the meeting room like an earthquake.
The desk made of solid oak wood cracked under the force.
The officials who had witnessed the monstrous strength of their lord turned pale.
Someone say something.
What are we supposed to say here? If you have something to say, you say it!
“M-My lord…”
Amid the silent exchange of glances, one brave official carefully spoke.
“We prepared as best as we could, but natural disasters are difficult to prevent…”
“I know that. So shut your mouth.”
At the chilling command, the brave official immediately fell silent.
“……”
Heavy silence returned.
Calix stared at the map showing the damage.
The lord’s castle and the districts where nobles lived were protected by magic, so they suffered almost no damage.
But the districts without magical protection were hit severely.
The farther toward the outskirts, the worse the damage became.
“…So we couldn’t stop it again.”
Calix muttered in a grim voice.
Then his eyes suddenly narrowed.
Looking more closely, there was one outer district that had no markings at all.
It was the small village where hunters lived.
Three days had passed since the monsoon rains that had poured down for over ten days finally stopped and the sky cleared.
“Aileen. The lord wishes to see you.”
Early in the morning, armored knights suddenly arrived.
Still unwashed, I was dragged along and looked around blankly.
Expensive paintings and ornaments hung on the walls.
A magnificent chandelier sparkled from the impossibly high ceiling.
The sofa I was sitting on was so soft it could easily serve as a bed.
A maid even brought sweet tea and cake, politely asking me to wait a moment before leaving.
“If they’re treating me like this, it doesn’t seem like I was brought here because I did something wrong…”
Then what was the reason?
“Oh, maybe he summoned me to ask about the triangular roof and how to make drainage channels.”
After all, once rumors spread that those two things had prevented monsoon damage, requests started pouring in from people asking me to build them for their own villages.
And yesterday, carpenters from the largest workshop in Belheim came to visit.
“A girl made this? I don’t believe it.”
“Exactly. Build it once in front of us. I want to see if you really made it.”
It was obvious they were pretending to verify it so they could steal the technique.
Even if they had politely bowed and asked, I might not have told them.
Yet they came at me like that.
Of course I refused.
When things didn’t go their way, they left angrily, saying we’d see about this later.
Honestly, people here and back in my world were the same—when things didn’t go their way, they threw tantrums.
I had worried about what they might do.
But I never expected the lord’s knights to appear the very next day.
Could the person who sent those carpenters have been the lord?
Maybe when they failed to figure it out, he decided to summon me directly.
What should I do?
It would be difficult to refuse the lord’s order.
Knock knock.
As my thoughts spiraled one after another, the door opened with a light knock.