The Book of Creation

The Book of Life emitted a brilliant glow.

Mu-hyuk checked the newly acquired skill from the messages that followed.

It broke through the limitations he had before.

What satisfied him most was point 2.

The ability to create and control monsters up to 50 levels higher than his own character.

Nice.

It was more than satisfying enough.

Smoothly, he lifted his head and looked at Sung Min-woo.

The man was still maniacally focused on the hunt.

"Hmm."

Mu-hyuk pondered for a moment before rising to his feet.

He began massacring the dark spirits alongside his summons.

Sung Min-woo glanced at the rapidly scrolling messages and let out a wild laugh.

"Kuhahaha! Come on, bring it!"

It seemed his frenzy would continue for a while.

*

After two days of hunting, Sung Min-woo had raised every spirit's stats by 10 each.

With strength, agility, stamina, knowledge, and wisdom all up by 10, their overall power had surged dramatically.

But he still needed to boost each by another 5.

In the meantime, Yerin and Kim Ji-yeon had returned from completing their quests and joined in, speeding up the hunt a bit more with their help.

"Hey, how many left?"

"Uh, about 12 now?"

"We might finish today."

"Yeah. Seriously, thanks. If it was just me, I might've been stuck here for over two weeks."

"Two weeks? You'd have been here a month."

"Yeah, probably."

Sung Min-woo shuddered at the mere thought.

"Ugh, let's hurry and wrap this up."

They resumed hunting the dark spirits.

The sun that had risen set once more.

And a single moon rose to illuminate the darkness.

"Uwaaaah!"

Sung Min-woo let out a triumphant shout.

"It's done!"

He had raised all the spirits' stats by 15 each. Now, if he leveled up his main character to 205, the spirits would undergo their second evolution.

"Ha, that was exhausting. Let's go now."

"Okay!"

"Skeleton Warhorse summon."

Dreaming of that day, he mounted the warhorse.

"Oppa, where to now?"

"Hmm, we could spend contribution points, or save a bit more. Oh, gotta stop by the village too. And I mentioned it yesterday, right? I got invited to a banquet. No restrictions, so you could come along. Or I could go alone. And..."

"And?"

"Gotta head back. To the Kairon continent. Got a linked quest too."

Of course, the real reason was something else.

The hidden powers on each continent.

To claim them for himself.

"First off, what about contribution points?"

"Hmm, nothing I really need."

"Me neither."

"Wanna save more then?"

"Sounds good."

Everyone agreed to hoard them.

"Alright. Column Village first then."

"Okay!"

Column Village after so long.

He wondered just how much it had grown.

A short while later.

As Column Village came into view in the distance.

"Whoa."

"That's it, right, oppa?"

"Yeah."

Sung Min-woo, Yerin, Mu-hyuk.

All three gasped in unison.

Kim Ji-yeon looked stunned too.

The one time she'd seen Column Village—when she'd come to meet Mu-hyuk—it had been tiny and quiet, incomparable to now.

But now, tons of people milled about the outskirts.

"Seriously packed with people."

He could roughly guess the reasons for the booming foot traffic.

First, as player levels rose and more kept playing steadily, hunting grounds spread out naturally.

Second, because it was Mu-hyuk's village as chief.

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Some probably thought there might be player perks; others eyed scraps of benefit.

Third, Column Village itself might have developed into a surprisingly livable spot.

Good hunting spots around decent villages were always bustling.

Maybe all three combined.

Well, let's check it out.

Has it grown to expectations?

Village status window.

As he thought it, a hologram appeared.

Mu-hyuk's eyes widened slightly.

Population...?

It had been around 1,000 when he left—now 5,000.

A full fivefold increase.

Fame up too, security average.

It really changed.

The closer they got, the stronger that feeling grew.

Buildings on the verge of collapse before were now expanded, clean, and sleek.

"Oh, nice."

As he admired them while strolling through the village.

"Hey, Chief!"

"Chief?"

"The chief's here!"

Some villagers spotted Mu-hyuk and approached joyfully. He smiled back at the familiar faces after so long.

"Good to see you."

Players nearby halted too.

"Mu-hyuk?"

"Wasn't he on Kairon continent?"

"Guess he's back."

"Staying here a bit?"

"What do we care? Let's hunt."

"Who knows? It's practically a small city now. Might snag a spot if we play nice."

"Crazy."

Mu-hyuk overheard but ignored them.

"Anyway, seen the steward?"

"Oh, old man Rakak?"

"Yeah."

"Dunno. You know?"

"Probably at the northern construction site."

Mu-hyuk nodded.

"Catch you later."

"Yes, see you, Chief!"

He glanced at the waiting trio.

"Stick together? Or..."

"Hmm. We got nothing else."

"Yeah."

"Hang in the village or hunt nearby then. I'll chat when I'm done."

"Okay."

"Oppa, see ya later!"

"Sure."

He watched them go, then turned.

Headed slowly north to the construction site.

There he is.

Amid bustling workers, Rakak stood with arms crossed. Mu-hyuk slipped behind him, masking his presence fully.

"Ahem."

Rakak turned at the cough.

"Hm? Oh, uh...!"

His shocked expression.

"Ch-Chief!"

Rakak beamed and welcomed Mu-hyuk warmly.

"Where on earth have you been? We were so worried with no word from you!"

"Sorry. Had to cross to another continent..."

"Well, you're back safe—that's what matters."

"Thanks."

Mu-hyuk looked around.

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"Village has grown huge."

"We worked hard. Didn't want to disappoint you on return."

Rakak's sincere words stirred needless guilt.

Been too neglectful.

But for quests, he had to go to Kairon continent. A fitting item came to mind.

Magic communication orb.

With that, they could stay in touch even apart.

Such a simple thing.

Regret for not preparing it sooner.

Time to pay more attention.

Thinking that, he toured the village with Rakak.

"Changed this too."

"Looks good."

"Trainees for village security here. Oh, that building was rickety, so we expanded..."

His detailed explanations made the changes click instantly.

The village had grown tremendously.

"Chief, long time!"

"Grandpa Rakak!"

"Heh, kids. This is the chief. Greet him."

"Hello!"

From the villagers' bright faces, he realized one more thing. It wasn't just the village that had changed.

The people had too.

In a very positive way.

*

Mu-hyuk decided first to expand the village's scale.

He selected yes.

He waited for Rakak to speak.

"Oh, Chief."

"Yes."

"Time to become lord now."

Mu-hyuk smiled.

"Another expansion, huh."

"Exactly. Then we can call it a small city. You'll be Lord, not Chief."

"That saturated, eh?"

"Of course."

"Then let's expand. A small but solid city—properly."

"Got it. I'll handle it. Just check progress occasionally."

"Yeah."

Having expanded to large village once before, Rakak would manage without micromanaging.

Once expanded, build a few structures, raise building level to 5.

Then instruct new builds, visit Hemil Empire for the banquet.

Grab a magic communication orb on the way.

Then off to Kairon continent.

They reached the village center.

"Yohan!"

"Ah, Grandpa Rakak. Oh, Chief?"

After quick greetings, Mu-hyuk gave him an order.

"Favor—gather everyone."

"No worries."

Yohan dashed off.

Soon, idle villagers streamed north.

At Rakak's command, they bustled efficiently.

In moments, fences tore down; stronger, taller ones rose, expanding the village.

Pace suggested completion by noon tomorrow.

Mu-hyuk watched briefly, gave Rakak a heads-up, and slipped away quietly.