Desolation of Column Village
The state of the village didn't look good.
It couldn't have looked good, of course.
But he hadn't expected it to be this devastated.
Mu-hyuk hurried inside.
There wasn't even an NPC standing guard.
"Hoo."
No one was wandering around. He walked a bit further into the village, and only when he reached the middle did he spot a small child huddled in a corner.
The child stared up at the approaching Mu-hyuk.
"Mister, you can't stay here."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"If you stay here, you'll all die."
"All die?"
"Like my mom and dad. Hurry up and run away from here."
Mu-hyuk was momentarily at a loss for words.
"What about you?"
"I have to protect it."
Mu-hyuk fell silent before finally managing to speak.
"How did your parents pass away?"
"They were protecting me."
"From who?"
"From the monsters that showed up a few days ago."
The reason for the village's dwindling population was revealed.
Monsters had invaded.
A village under constant threat.
He surveyed the surroundings.
It was inevitable.
If even the main gate wasn't properly guarded, what about the other areas?
Moreover, its location was poor—all four directions, east, west, south, and north, were close to monster spawn zones.
He lowered his head and looked back at the boy.
"I'll be fine."
"Why?"
"I'm strong."
"Strong? Stronger than the monsters?"
"Yeah, strong."
The child's eyes widened.
"Then... can you drive them away?"
Column Village, A Child's Request
📍 A child living in Column Village has asked you to drive away the monsters.
🎁 Pre-reward: Candy
🎁 Post-reward: None
Stunned for a moment, the boy rummaged in his pocket.
"Here, I'll give you this."
"Ah..."
"It's candy. Mom gave it to me to eat sparingly..."
The child's eyes reddened.
"If you drive away the monsters, brother, I can give it to you."
Then he looked up with burning eyes.
"Please get rid of the monsters. Avenge them for me."
A single piece of candy, wrapper still intact.
And the longing it held.
He couldn't bring himself to refuse.
"Yeah, I'll do it."
"Really?"
"Really."
With his answer, he clicked Yes.
You have accepted the quest 'Column Village, A Child's Request'.
The boy shouted loudly.
"Thank you!"
"But how will you know if I've avenged them or not?"
"I believe you will."
"Just... believe?"
"Yes, I'll believe. Then I can find the strength to keep going."
"..."
He gazed at the child for a moment before asking belatedly.
"Alright, keep believing. But to get revenge, I need to meet the village chief too. Where is he?"
"The house in the center."
"Thanks."
The chief's house was in even worse shape than the others. When he knocked carefully, the door creaked open as if it might collapse any second.
"Who might you be?"
An elderly man peered out.
"I'm Mu-hyuk, the one who's been assigned to take over Column Village from now on."
He handed over the document.
The chief read it down.
"Oh...!"
His eyes widened, and he started to rise to bow in greeting.
"No need."
"Still..."
"Really, it's fine. I'm just an outsider anyway."
"An outsider, I see."
"Yes."
"Even so, now that you're the chief, I must pay my respects. I'm Rakak."
Their positions had switched in an instant.
Rakak, the former chief, now an ordinary citizen.
Mu-hyuk, the new chief.
Instead of a full formal bow, Rakak knelt on one knee. Afterward, Mu-hyuk sat comfortably across from him and asked various questions.
"...How is it?"
"Monster invasions, financial ruin, and above all, poor public safety."
"Hmm."
Things he'd already anticipated fully.
"What should we tackle first?"
"Food and water, first and foremost."
In other words, they had nothing to eat.
"That's the priority. Only then can we do anything."
You need to eat to gain strength.
With strength, people can work.
Food, then.
To solve that, he needed to scout the surroundings first.
It'd be great if there was something useful.
"I'll be back in about 30 minutes."
"Understood, Chief."
Being called "Chief" felt awkward, tickling his skin, but what could he do?
He'd have to get used to it.
After leaving Rakak's house, he wandered the area. At the same time, he opened the settings, accessed the Illusion homepage, and adjusted the transparency.
Map search.
Detailed settings: Column Village.
The village and its surrounding terrain appeared.
"Hmm."
Looking closely, there was vast land to the north. Naturally, monsters swarmed around it.
At least the monsters were low-level—that was a small mercy.
Heading right led to another village under the Hemil Empire, and down to one under the Hamma Kingdom.
The monsters in between were fairly strong.
Left was mountains.
Bamburk Mountains.
Bamburk...?
Mu-hyuk caught a faint thread of memory, something on the tip of his tongue.
Ugh, there's something... not huge, but noteworthy.
Just that level of something.
"Ah...!"
He remembered what was in the Bamburk Mountains.
An iron mine!
A small but solid mine was there. Common enough that it wasn't top-of-mind, but precisely because of that, a foundational ore.
Iron ore.
Yes, definitely.
He was certain there was an iron deposit.
If he developed that...!
It would provide steady power for territory growth.
But development required manpower, and to motivate that manpower, food was essential.
Maybe we can use the northern land.
There was the monster subjugation issue, though.
After pondering a few ideas while studying the map, he returned to Rakak.
"You're back, Chief."
"Yes."
He brought up the thoughts he'd had.
"The northern land..."
"Yes, couldn't we plant something there and grow it?"
"The soil is fertile, certainly. But the monsters nearby are the problem."
"I'll handle the monsters."
"You will, Chief?"
"Yes."
"Hmm, if the monster issue is solved, there's nothing we can't do."
"Then I'll go clear the monsters first. Don't worry, I'll handle it thoroughly. In the meantime, think about what to plant in the northern land—what would be best. And after the monsters are gone, we'll need to build fences, so gather some workers too."
"Understood."
Before pulling gold from his inventory, Mu-hyuk checked Rakak's status.
Fortunately, loyalty was high, and the specialty appealed to him. He seemed spry for his age, so consulting him on village management for a while should be fine.
"Ahem, take this."
"This is...?"
"It's not much. 50 gold."
"50 gold...!"
To the people of a small village, 50 gold was a considerable sum.
"Use it to feed them for a while. We'll till the land and try growing something in the meantime."
"Ah..."
Rakak's eyes widened.
"This is truly fortunate."
He murmured in a low voice, but Mu-hyuk heard it.
"A fine man has come to our village. Now the villagers might live like people again. Thank you."
Feeling awkward, Mu-hyuk cleared his throat and left the house.
*
He opened the territory status window again.
Pressing down on Column Village brought up even more detailed info.
Ignoring that, he scrolled to the bottom, where a quest only the chief could receive appeared.
Feed the People of Column Village
📍 The 871 residents of Column Village can't even get a proper meal. Make sure they eat their fill, even if just for one day.
🎁 Reward: Territory fame increase, citizen loyalty increase.
Since he'd already entrusted the gold to Rakak, this quest should be doable too.
You have accepted the quest 'Feed the People of Column Village'.
He skipped a few more quests.
Found it.
The hunting quest he'd been aiming for.
Monsters Threatening Column Village
📍 Column Village is always under monster threat. Eliminate the monsters to dispel the anxiety and fear gripping the village. Rewards increase with more monsters killed.
🎁 Reward: Territory fame increase, citizen loyalty increase, vitality increase.
Because he planned to clear all the monsters around the northern territory right away.
"Skeleton Warhorse Summon."
Riding the warhorse north revealed the fertile land. He stopped there and looked around—numerous monsters were prowling nearby.
There were hardly any users.
Probably because the monsters were low-level.
No matter.
The monsters from the southern and western mountains were strong anyway.
Once the village grew, users would flock to hunt them. That influx would bring money, and the village would expand naturally.
"Skeleton Summon. Giant Cyclops Summon. Dark Spirit Summon."
Shaking off idle thoughts, he summoned his minions and sent them in all directions.
Wipe them out.
After issuing the command, he sat and pulled out disposable crafting tools. Amid the endless screams of monsters, Mu-hyuk swung his hammer.
*
Today, the views on one homepage post were rising at an insane rate.
5th, 4th, 3rd.
It shot straight to 1st in an instant.
Someone posted a screenshot.
Another screenshot went up.
All sorts of chatter kept pouring in.
Meanwhile, Mu-hyuk was still crafting.
Clang, clang!
His summons crushing the surrounding monsters.
Kieeeeeek!
Even as monsters screamed, his hands didn't stop.
Truly ruthless.