Chapter 5: The First Shelter

Chapter 5: The First Shelter

Day: 3

Population: 4
Food Stores: Very Low
Wealth: 300 G
Status: Amateur Herbalist

“Let’s keep it coming!” Eldric shouted as he swung his axe into the wood.

Edwin hauled smaller logs over his shoulder back toward camp, while James sat nearby, twisting vines into makeshift rope.

In Eldric’s mind, a structure slowly took shape—

A small cabin.

He could see it clearly, piece by piece, as if a 3D model was being assembled before his eyes.

A book surfaced in his thoughts.

The Silent Architecture of Wood.

A technique from the East—building entirely through interlocking joints, without a single nail.

“We should reinforce it with vines…” Eldric muttered.

That’ll hold better.

The three of them worked tirelessly through the night.

At one point, Edwin paused and glanced at Eldric.

Despite his still-weak body, Eldric was working just as hard as the rest of them—sweating, lifting, cutting.

Not ordering.

Working.

Edwin smiled.

“James! Don’t lose to Eldric!”

Before long—

“Ta-da!”

A small structure stood where there had once been empty ground.

Small Cabin Unlocked! — Comfort +20
A simple wooden cabin built with interlocking joints and reinforced with vines. Enough to shelter four people.

The three of them collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily.

“Good job, guys… we did it,” Eldric said between breaths.

“I’ll make lunch after this. So enjoy your rest.”

The moment those words left his mouth—

Edwin and James froze.

A dark shadow seemed to fall over their faces.

Flashback—

A bubbling pot.
A smell that should not exist.
The infamous Regret Soup.

Back to present.

Edwin slowly turned to James.

“…Ahh, it’s okay, Eldric,” he said quickly. “You must be tired. Let me cook this time.”

“Yes,” James added immediately. “We still have some leftover ingredients.”

Both of them smiled.

“...Hehe.”

“...Hehe.”

Eldric narrowed his eyes.

“Hmmm… alright then.”

He stood up and stretched.

“Meanwhile, I’ll take a look around.”

Eldric turned his gaze toward the newly built cabin.

This should be good enough.

It’ll keep us warm at night… and dry if it rains.

Francis should recover faster here.

His expression slowly grew serious.

What worries me most…

He looked toward the distant forest.

…is if that bear decides to follow us here.

The wind rustled through the trees.

Eldric decide to go to the forest where he first encounter Edwin and the others.

He looks at the surrounding area.

Eldric crouched near the tree.

His fingers traced the claw mark.

The claw marks weren’t normal.

The bark hadn’t just been torn—

It had been cut.

Clean. Deep.

As if something sharper than steel had passed through it.

“…That’s no ordinary bear.”

Hmm.. a trail…

He clutch his wooden axe closely to his chest and follow the trails.

It leads to the bushes that Eldric has found earlier. Where the Berries and wild plant is abundance.

Eldric crouched near the berry bushes.

Half of them were already crushed.

Not by humans.

He looked at the claw marks on the trees.

Then at the ground.

Then at the forest beyond.

“…We didn’t find a treasure.”

He stood up slowly.

“…We found its territory”

Hmmm.. we still got work to do.

Back at the camp, the smell of a proper meal drifted from the cauldron.

“Eldric! Food’s ready—come, have a seat!” James called out excitedly.

He handed Eldric a wooden bowl.

“Smoked fish?” Eldric asked, surprised.

“Yup,” James grinned. “Some leftovers from our supplies. We figured it would take about two weeks to get from our village to Ashford City, so we prepared a few.”

“Two weeks!?” Eldric froze.

“Haha… that’s actually the shortest route,” Edwin said with a laugh.

“If we take the normal road, it’s safer… but much longer.”

He pointed vaguely toward the forest.

“The path through here—the one where we met you—is dangerous. You also have to cross a rocky mountain pass.”

“The road there is narrow. Bandits love to camp in places like that.”

James shrugged.

“But we were desperate for money… so we took the risk.”

“And that’s where we met you.”

“I see…” Eldric murmured, lost in thought.

He lowered his gaze to the bowl.

Then he took a bite.

…

His eyes widened.

Tears slowly began to stream down his face.

“Eh… Eldric?” Edwin asked, confused.

“Huhu…” Eldric sniffed.

“…It’s so good.”

He clutched the bowl like it was treasure.

“This might be the first proper meal I’ve had since coming here…”

” with tears on his eyes.

“Haha glad you liked it. There is more so take second!” says james.

The fire crackled softly as the three of them sat around it.

For a moment, no one spoke.

Eldric quietly finished the last bite of smoked fish, still holding the empty bowl like it meant something.

“…So,” he finally said, looking up.

“What’s Ashford City like?”

Edwin leaned back slightly.

“Big,” he said. “Bigger than anything around here. Stone buildings, proper roads… markets full of people.”

“The city’s protected too,” James added. “Guards. Knights.”

“You can find anything there… if you have coin.”

Eldric’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“…And if you don’t?”

Edwin let out a dry laugh.

“Then you don’t last very long.”

Silence settled for a moment.

Eldric stared into the fire.

Big city… opportunities… but also risk.

He stood and walked over to Francis, carefully changing the bandage and applying more crushed mugwort to the wound.

“…What about Narfolk Village?” he asked.

Edwin shrugged.

“Small. Poor. Just enough to survive.”

“No real protection,” James added. “No opportunities either.”

Eldric nodded slowly.

Then—

A thought formed.

Clear.

Simple.

Dangerous.

He helped Francis drink the recovery mixture, then looked at the two men.

“…Then why not stay here with me?”

They blinked.

Eldric gestured around the camp.

“This place may not look like much now… but one day, it’ll be something.”

He grinned.

“Who knows? Maybe even Ashford City won’t compare.”

“Hahaha—” Edwin burst out laughing. “What are you, drunk already?”

James shook his head, smiling.

“We’d love to,” Edwin said, his tone softening. “But we have families back in Narfolk.”

“We work to support them. It’s a small village—everyone knows each other.”

“I can’t just leave them behind.”

Eldric paused… then chuckled.

“Yeah… that’s fair.”

He clapped his hands once and stood up.

“Alright! Now that our bellies are full—let’s get back to work!”

Eldric and the others got back to work.

This time, they weren’t just chopping wood.

They began shaping medium-sized stakes—each one sharpened at the tip and bound tightly together with vines.

Simple Fence Unlocked! — Protection +10

Eldric stepped back and looked over the area.

“…Hmm.”

His eyes scanned the ground carefully.

“James. Edwin… dig here.”

The two men paused and looked at each other.

“…Why?” James asked. “What are we even making?”

Eldric didn’t answer immediately.

He drove the stake into the ground and stepped back.

His eyes drifted toward the forest.

The trees stood still.

“…Just in case.”

Hello Readers, this is Sir Shuusaku. Thank you for reading this chapter. I am excited to bring you into this world and hope that you enjoy the many adventure to comes.

If you enjoyed my work consider dropping a like & follow and comment your thought below. I love to read them !