Elias cracked his knuckles, a grin tugging at the corner of his lips.
"Let's get to building."
Then he paused.
And frowned.
"…Wait—I don't even know how to build."
Back on Earth, he hadn't even built a Lego house, let alone done any real construction work.
He scratched the back of his head awkwardly, then quickly opened his system interface and navigated straight to the Shop. Without wasting any time, he filtered the list to show only what he needed.
Before long, a single option floated up in front of him:
> • Basic Construction Knowledge – 120 KP
He bought it without a second thought.
A soft chime echoed as a new notification popped up:
> ✅ You have purchased: [Basic Construction Knowledge]
Total Karma Cost: 120 Points
Note: Item added to [Inventory]
Elias looked at the screen and willed his inventory open. In a blink, an old, yellowed scroll appeared in his hand. As he held it, another message followed:
> Would you like to learn [Basic Construction Knowledge?]
[Yes] / [No]
He chose Yes immediately.
The scroll crumbled into dust that floated upward, gently pulled into his forehead. Elias stiffened for a moment as a stream of basic construction knowledge flowed into his mind. It wasn't too much—but just enough to get started.
> ✅ You have learned: [Basic Construction Knowledge]
[New Craft Skill Unlocked: Construction (Lvl 1)]
"Now we're talking," Elias said with a grin as he opened up his status screen.
---
> STATUS WINDOW
Name: Elias Ashbourne
Level: 2
Class: Undead Summoner
EXP: 10 / 300
Health: 180 / 180
Mana: 142 / 142
> [ATTRIBUTES]
Strength: 47
Agility: 61
Intelligence: 57
Endurance: 40
Willpower: 45
Attribute Points: 3
> [TALENT & SKILLS]
Unique Talent: Legendary Extraction
Base Skills: Undead Awakening, Undead Summoning
Skills: Shadowmeld, Smoke Veil
*Craft Skills: Cooking [Lvl 1], Construction [Lvl 1]
> [SPECIAL TRAITS]
Commander's Bond
> [RESOURCE POINTS]
Extraction Points (EP): 13
Summon Capacity: 1 / 5
> [SYSTEM CURRENCY]
Karma Points: 4,620
---
(*In case you noticed, the craft skill is a new addition. Originally, I didn't plan on including it, but after some thought, I decided to start adding it from this chapter onward.)
Elias grinned again.
But that smile didn't last long.
He still had a lot more to spend, and thinking about it wiped the grin off his face. Shaking his head, he returned to the system shop and searched again—this time for woodworking.
A moment later, a new option popped up:
> • Basic Woodworking Knowledge – 150 KP
He bought it without hesitation.
> ✅ You have purchased: [Basic Woodworking Knowledge]
Total Karma Cost: 150 Points
Note: Item added to [Inventory]
He willed his inventory again, and another scroll appeared in his hand. As expected, the system gave him a choice:
> Would you like to learn [Basic Woodworking Knowledge?]
[Yes] / [No]
"Yes."
The scroll dissolved just like before, and the knowledge flowed into him. Again, not advanced, but a solid foundation.
> ✅ You have learned: [Basic Woodworking Knowledge]
[New Craft Skill Unlocked: Woodworking (Lvl 1)]
"Nice," Elias muttered.
He flipped back to the shop and opened the Blueprints section. Dozens of options appeared before him.
> • Basic Wooden Shack Building Blueprint – 100 KP
• Basic Wooden Shack Building Blueprint (Evolvable) – 1,000 KP
He paused.
The price difference didn't surprise him.
Evolvable Blueprints were on a whole different level, and he understood that.
Why? Because instead of tearing down a structure to upgrade it or spending more resources to renovate it, buildings created using Evolvable Blueprints could grow stronger with time—level by level. They were long-term investments, and worth every Karma Point.
Still, they weren't what he needed right now.
First of all, he didn't have enough karma to spare.
But more importantly, his territory was still developing. Soon, people would start settling here, and the number of residents would grow.
When that time came, most of the current buildings would be removed and replaced with more permanent ones like taverns, inns, and so on.
So for now, he wouldn't waste precious points on something temporary. Evolvable Blueprints would only be used for structures that were meant to stay for good—like a barrack or similar long-term buildings.
With that thought, he ignored the evolvable option and kept scrolling until something else finally caught his attention.
> • Two-Story Wooden Residence Blueprint – 800 KP
Elias nodded.
"This is what I've been looking for," he said to himself, focusing on the option. The next moment, the details expanded before him.
---
> • Two-Story Wooden Residence Blueprint – 800 KP
A sturdy two-story wooden building with seven rooms in total:
• 4 rooms on the ground floor
• 3 rooms on the upper floor
• Stone-supported foundation
• Reinforced timber frame
Requirements:
> Construction Skill: Level 1 (minimum)
Wood × 300
Stone × 60
---
"This is the one," Elias muttered, and without wasting time, he went ahead and purchased it.
> ✅ You have purchased: [Two-Story Wooden Residence Blueprint]
Total Karma Cost: 800 KP
Note: Item added to Inventory
He nodded in satisfaction.
But he wasn't done yet.
Elias quickly returned to the system shop and began a spree of purchases.
> ✅ You have purchased: [Basic Construction Kit]
Total Karma Cost: 350 KP
Note: Item added to Inventory
> ✅ You have purchased: [Basic Woodworking Kit]
Total Karma Cost: 400 KP
Note: Item added to Inventory
> ✅ You have purchased: [Stone ×60]
Total Karma Cost: 300 KP
Note: Item added to Inventory
More and more notifications popped up as he continued buying nails, rope bundles, and other necessary tools for his construction project.
His Karma Points were dropping like water from a leaking bucket.
"It hurts. God, it really hurts," Elias groaned each time a new deduction appeared. He clutched his chest dramatically, as if the pain was physical.
But he kept going, telling himself it was all for the good of his territory.
By the time he stopped, he had spent over 3,000 Karma Points.
With a long sigh, he finally dismissed the interface.
The clearing around him was still and calm. The morning sun now stood high in the sky.
Vael remained nearby, standing silently.
Elias turned toward him and narrowed his eyes, a thought crossing his mind.
"Let's not waste that brain of yours," he said with a small smirk.
With that, he activated Commander's Bond.
> [Would you like to share the following Craft Skills with your summoned unit: Vael?]
Construction (Lvl 1)
Woodworking (Lvl 1)
> [Yes] / [No]
Elias didn't hesitate and selected Yes.
The bond flared with energy. In the next moment, the skills were transferred.
Vael, who had been still as a statue, suddenly flinched. His brow twitched as a wave of knowledge rushed into his mind. He tensed for a moment, but then relaxed once he sensed no danger.
He tilted his head slightly and stared at Elias.
Elias returned the look with a small nod and smile. "We start soon—but first…"
He cracked his neck and turned away.
"I need more wood."
---
Moments later…
Elias stood before a Timberwood Tree.
Its bark was rough like hardened armor, the branches long and twisted, reaching up nearly three stories high. The trunk was dark brown—almost black—and the leaves above were jagged, casting broken rays of sunlight down through the canopy.
He stared up at it and stretched out his hand.
"Here goes nothing."
> Would you like to extract the Timberwood Tree?
Cost: 2 Extraction Points
[Yes] / [No]
He chose Yes without hesitation.
> [Basic Extraction triggered.]
A red vortex spun to life in front of his hand, pulling softly at his mana. The air trembled faintly.
The Timberwood tree shimmered—vibrated—and in the next moment, it disappeared completely, swallowed by the vortex.
A soft chime followed.
> [Extraction Complete.]
You have received:
×12 Wood
Note: All items have been added to your Inventory
Elias let out a short sigh and shook his head.
"Only twelve, huh?"
Still, he wasn't surprised. Basic Extraction didn't give high yields. At this rate, he'd fall far short of the 300 wood he needed. He could only hope to trigger a Perfect Extraction next time. Or at least an Advanced Extraction. That would help a lot more.
He glanced at the spot where the tree had once stood.
There was no mess, no cracked roots, no upturned soil. Just a faint outline where the tree had been—as if it had simply vanished from the world.
Elias sighed again and turned away, eyes narrowing in focus.
There were still six Timberwood Trees to extract. And they weren't going to extract themselves.