Monster Construction Methods
The Silent Forest of the North, shrouded in thick dawn mist. Adventurers including Gail and Rick stepped into it with eager strides. Gail carried an axe, while Rick pulled a large cart.
"Bro, we've come pretty far from the wall. You sure it's okay just with us?" Rick asked in a trembling voice.
He'd been thrilled to hunt treants with his axe earlier, but now he seemed scared without backup adventurers.
Gail sighed, wondering when this kid would man up.
"This area's been cleared by Hans's crew every day lately, so no worries. Guildmaster Walter said it's a safe zone with no monsters."
"Ah ha! If Hans-hyung, who hit gold-rank adventurer just months ago, says it, I believe him!" Rick chimed in with a bright smile.
That made Gail's stomach twist a bit.
"Yeah... sorry I've been stuck at silver for ten years. Damn it."
"Joking, joking. I've always relied on you more than any gold-rank. People don't know 'cause we're just doing manual labor these days."
"Ha! Thanks for... even saying... that?"
Gail, leading the way, halted abruptly.
Crack! Creak!
From beyond the mist came the distinctive footsteps of treants.
The party instinctively reached for weapons on their backs, tensing up.
"Eek! Bro! Safe zone, my ass!? I ain't believing Hans-hyung ever again starting today!"
"Calm down! The guildmaster gave me a solar magic stone. We can escape if we have to...!"
Gail stared ahead, sweat beading on his brow.
Bursting through the mist was a horde of massive, terrifying treants.
But their behavior was odd. They were using branches and vines to hurriedly transport their own dead kin somewhere.
"...What the hell are they doing?"
The rising sun burned away the mist, illuminating the adventurers and treants clearly.
"Kreek!?"
The treant horde locked eyes with the adventurers.
The moment Gail reached for the solar magic stone in his pocket—
"Kreek! It's—it's already morning! Kreek!"
Gail doubted his own ears. Had a tree monster just spoken human words?
"Kreek! Screw-up!"
The treants bolted into the depths of the forest like rabbits, not looking back. Their awkward-looking legs moved with shocking speed.
"...."
Silence fell over the forest, true to its name.
Gail muttered with a dumbstruck face.
"Maybe 'cause I haven't had the princess's meat stew lately, I'm hearing shit."
"You too, bro? Sounded like those trees were talking and running away to me."
"Nah, must've misheard. Treants talking? They're not goblins."
The adventurers stood dazed before stepping deeper into the forest one by one.
They were here to work, after all. No labor, no pay.
Soon, they found an area lined with countless treant corpses.
"What if... they're playing dead to trick us?" Rick asked, gripping his axe tightly.
Gail slowly shook his head.
"Nah... Northern treants instinctively avoid sunlight. Look at 'em. They're taking the morning rays head-on and not twitching."
The Wailing Swamp had been perfect for treants—sticky and humid, thanks to the boss monster controlling the weather.
But the Silent Forest now was too dry overall for them. Not even that lush anymore.
Gail cautiously approached and nudged one with his foot. It made a clear, crisp sound.
"Stone dead. Not a trace of mana left."
At his confirmation, the terrified adventurers' eyes lit up.
"Jackpot...! We can just pick these up!?"
"No wonder the pay's low. We'll profit if we haul all day."
As everyone buzzed excitedly, one dazed adventurer slapped his knee.
"I got it! The treants totally surrendered to the duke's knight order's might!"
"So they piss themselves and run at the sight of humans!?"
"Makes sense! We saw it ourselves—the treants getting sliced helplessly by axes blessed by the princess!"
"Long live Duke Kailan!"
Blindly praising the Northern Duke had become their sport and hobby, oblivious to witnessing Pochi's tearful subcontracted labor site.
It was a sad tale that brought tears to the eyes, but in this freezing North, there wasn't much else to entertain them.
"Hey! Quit yelling and load the carts!"
"Man, these are super light. Hope the wind doesn't blow 'em away?"
"Don't jinx it. This is our future home."
As if brushing off the talking treant encounter as unworthy of a tale, the adventurers hurried with their day's work.
Wintervalt New City construction site.
Today, the harmonious ducal couple strolled arm-in-arm through the center of the site, radiating such a pink aura that onlookers might mistake them for a date rather than an inspection.
"Good! Bring the mortar!"
At Viscount Arzen's command, workers poured a special mix of slime mucus and soil between steel timbers.
"Good! Stop!"
In less than a minute, a miracle occurred. The slime mucus hardened, perfectly bonding the steel woods.
"The duke's mixing ratio is even more precise than the old formula... Truly a man worthy of endless respect!"
Slime mucus wasn't just for joining timbers. Pouring it over stone walls filled every uneven gap, sealing out the North's biting winds perfectly.
Viscount Arzen stroked the hardened wall, practically moaning.
"Ahh...! Revolutionary! Your Grace! Where on earth did you learn these techniques!?"
"Heh heh. Glad you like it."
Monster construction methods, perhaps? Every material was cheat-level, so even novices built houses like magic.
"Bro! This wall's done!"
Rick, the southern adventurer who'd stamped his face on Kailan through subjugation and labor, proudly thumped the wall.
"This thing's no joke! Wanna test how tough?"
Rick channeled mana into his fist and punched the slime wall.
Thwack!
"Gaaah! My hand!!!"
Rick rolled on the ground screaming. A bit too playful, but hilarious from afar.
'Well, you need guys like him to keep the site running.'
No dust rose from the wall, but Rick writhed for a while.
"Bro! Even a hammer won't dent this."
"Yeah. It's our future home!"
Kailan nodded approvingly at the mindset. Rick, tears streaming, looked happy too.
Proud his future city would be the continent's sturdiest.
"Next materials! Roof by tonight!!"
The instant results were addictive; workers toiled with glee.
That night.
The ducal couple overlooked the site from atop a building.
Both the North's lord and its people knew no moderation in work.
"Shine on them all."
Eleanor clasped her hands, floating a sun overhead. Golden light banished the dark, spurring the workers.
"You've worked hard, Eleanor. Here, warm tea before we head back."
Kailan draped a coat over her shoulders and handed her a steaming cup.
"Thank you, Your Grace."
Eleanor sipped deeply.
"Thanks to Your Grace's benevolence, Wintervalt becomes the continent's finest city. Look at the people's vigor."
"Heh heh. How could this be my merit alone? It's your radiant magic and support. Without you, Wintervalt's spring would never come."
The couple meshed perfectly, no boredom ever.
Kailan auto-praised his wife with a pleased grin.
'Heh heh! Steel wood—no worries about bugs or rust!'
Zero maintenance costs! Slime insulation saved residents on heating too.
Hundreds of sturdy homes rising before his eyes looked like golden-egg-laying geese.
'Haha! True generational unearned income!'
Kailan suppressed his leaking smile, gazing seriously at Eleanor.
They leaned in together.
"Ah... Your Grace...."
A forehead kiss turned her earlobes red. The artificial sun blazed brighter.
"The princess cheers us on! Double the work for double pay!"
Kailan embraced Eleanor's waist, staring Central Continent-ward.
'Gunter of the Golden Scale Merchants, was it? Bet he's got a hilarious face hearing our news.'
That fool who'd borrowed high-interest loans now drowned in worthless inventory. Obvious without seeing.
'Should've known his place before stretching.'
Kailan smiled coldly, downing his tea.
The day continent's gold flooded Wintervalt was near.