Chapter 187
Chapter 187
Early morning.
Although the air in February was still cold, the biting chill unique to midwinter had disappeared.
The weather had begun to thaw little by little. It was proof that winter was coming to an end.
I put on my training clothes and lightly jogged along the grazing farm.
On one side of my vision, the wooden fence flowed past in a blur.
And on the other side—
Woof, woof-!
A large white dog wearing a flower crown, Shuck, was running beside me.
“Is this pace good enough?”
Woof-!!
Shuck was so energetic and active that whenever I went jogging, I would summon him like this and run together.
‘This is actually a pretty good jogging course.’
The ground was covered in grass.
Every time my foot touched the ground, I felt a soft rebound, which meant less strain on the body. It was optimal as a running course.
Breathing in the faint scent of soil, I looked around.
A grazing farm stretching out with green fields.
But since the weather was still cold, there wasn’t a single animal outside right now.
When spring came, I planned to release animals here and let them roam freely.
‘Now that the operating rights to this place are completely in my hands.’
While proceeding with the island purchase contract with Rapin, I had also discussed the livestock shed’s operating rights.
Just as I had promised Professor Ruber, I acquired full operating rights to the livestock shed and the surrounding land.
Roughly 20,000 pyeong.
About the size of nine soccer fields combined.
‘I wanted to secure the operating rights before getting scolded for modifying the shed however I pleased.’
While living in the shed, I had made quite a few alterations here and there.
Strictly speaking, it was no different from unauthorized modifications without the Academy’s approval.
And yet, the Academy did not hold me accountable.
Whether they had simply neglected it or knowingly turned a blind eye, I couldn’t tell.
In any case, things worked out well.
There were no additional disciplinary measures, and now that I had the right to modify the shed freely, I no longer needed to watch the Academy’s reaction.
I planned to renovate the shed properly.
‘Managing the island and fixing up the shed… I’m going to be pretty busy.’
It felt like my workload had suddenly increased, but I couldn’t just avoid it or put it off.
The benefits the cultivated island and improved shed would bring me were obvious.
Even if it was bothersome, it had to be done.
‘…By the way, is Rapin keeping up?’
I glanced back.
Rapin, dressed in training clothes, was following me at a steady pace.
‘There’s a bit of distance between us, but she’s steadily keeping up.’
Just a month ago, she would have struggled to even keep her body upright, gasping for breath as she ran.
“Haah, haah….”
Her breathing was more stable than before.
Her posture didn’t collapse, and her steps were steady.
Rapin was finding her own pace. It was noticeable progress.
This daily morning jog wasn’t just for improving my stamina—it was also to increase Rapin’s lung capacity.
“How is it? Can you run more?”
“Yeah. There’s only one lap left, so I won’t give up. I’ll finish it.”
Rapin answered in a slightly breathless voice.
When we had first started jogging, if I spoke to her, I would only get incomprehensible sounds in return instead of an answer.
But now, she seemed to have enough composure to speak while running.
‘Maybe she’s pushing herself harder because Shuck’s running with her?’
Woof! Woof-!
Shuck moved closer to Rapin and barked as if cheering her on while she was drenched in sweat.
“Yeah, I’ll try my best.”
…Before I knew it, we had completed the final lap. That was today’s jogging quota.
I handed a water bottle to Rapin as she wiped sweat from her forehead with a towel.
“You feel it too, right? You’re getting better at running.”
“Yeah. But…”
Rapin nodded while drinking water.
Then she lowered her gaze and lifted one foot.
She was wearing pale milky-white boots. The surface shimmered softly like butterfly wings, and thin threads intertwined naturally around the ankles.
“The shoes are light and cushioned. I think I run better than before because of these.”
“Do you like them?”
“Yeah. They’re my favorite. The best shoes I’ve ever worn.”
Rapin couldn’t take her eyes off them as she spoke.
“Since Billet made them for me, I’m going to wear them for the rest of my life.”
“If you wear them that much, they’ll wear out.”
“Ah.”
She froze.
I had meant it as a joke, but Rapin seemed to take it seriously.
She took off the shoes, shook off all the dirt, and hugged them tightly to her chest as if they were something precious.
“…Then if I do this, they won’t wear out for the rest of my life, right?”
“That’s my fault. If anything happens, I’ll repair them. So don’t worry and just wear them.”
“Okay.”
Rapin nodded and put the shoes back on.
As I looked at them for a moment, a hologram appeared in my vision.
Blessed Thousand-year Silk Knot Lightweight Boots
Shoes crafted from silk extracted from the cocoon of the Thousand-Year Butterfly Larva and leather from the Ice Rishi Bear.
They were the very first equipment item I had made as soon as I obtained the silk. It had taken me two full days to craft them.
‘I felt it even while making them. They were incredibly light.’
That was thanks to the silk fabric.
That didn’t mean they lacked durability, either.
These boots were just as sturdy as thick leather boots.
Even for Rapin, who tended to move rather violently when using her ability, there was no need to worry about durability.
Because of her ability’s nature, she consumed a lot of stamina and had to move quickly. She needed lightweight equipment.
That was why I chose shoes as the first silk-crafted item.
Judging by how much Rapin liked them, it seemed like a great success.
‘Maybe I should make a belt next?’
The belt worn with the Yggdrasil Academy uniform used metal and thick leather, making it fairly heavy. It would be good to reduce that weight even a little.
‘Giving Rapin all these items… it kind of feels like I’m raising a game character.’
Before I knew it, Rapin was using the equipment I had made one by one.
Anyway… it was time to begin the usual daily routine.
“Rapin, let’s go.”
“Okay.”
After a simple breakfast, we started working at the livestock shed.
Once we finished washing down the shed and distributing feed to the livestock, our morning tasks were done.
By now, I was completely accustomed to working in the shed like a farmer, and since Rapin helped too, we finished much earlier than usual.
“Huu…”
Perhaps tired, Rapin lay down on the pile of straw as soon as we entered the storage room.
Not just today—she often fell asleep in the corner of the shed’s storage on the stacked straw.
I had given her blankets and a sleeping bag, but compared to a soft bed, it couldn’t have been comfortable.
As I watched Rapin lying on the straw, I recalled the bed at the inn in Kirhen where we had stayed not long ago.
‘It was nice….’
The soft sensation that seemed to embrace your whole body.
A bed that made you feel like you could fall asleep the moment you lay down.
‘If I had never experienced it in the first place, I wouldn’t have noticed the difference.’
That bed was on a completely different level from the hammock I used.
Rapin had liked the inn’s bed too—she had wrapped herself in the blanket like a caterpillar and curled up inside it.
I suddenly asked her,
“Rapin, are you going to stay in the dorm next semester?”
“…?”
She tilted her head.
“No, you come here to sleep all the time. If you’re going to stay here anyway, I was thinking of building a house near the shed.”
“…A house?”
Rapin, who had been lying on the straw, shot upright.
“Yeah. A two-story house. I’ll give you your own room. I’ll make a bed and a desk too.”
With the System’s help, building a house and even good furniture wouldn’t be difficult.
Since I had the ability to make them, there was no need to insist on just the storage room or hammock anymore.
Rapin’s eyes sparkled with interest.
“I think I’d like that. When will you build it?”
“I’m not building it right away. There are things I need to do first. I’m planning to build it after organizing the island to some extent.”
“The island….”
Rapin repeated the word as if savoring it.
She had been saying she wanted to go to the island.
“Since we’re talking about it, want to go take a look together? If you’re tired, we can go later.”
“I’m not tired. Let’s go now.”
Rapin, who had been sprawled out on the straw, immediately answered and stepped toward me.
Judging by that reaction, all her fatigue had vanished.
‘She wanted to go that badly… I should’ve brought her earlier.’
I walked over to the oil drum placed in the corner of the storage.
“Follow me in.”
And I stepped inside the drum.
A remote island.
A gloomy gray sky that looked like it could pour rain at any moment.
The island’s climate was the complete opposite of the Academy’s bright weather.
“It’s been a while. Everything’s the same.”
Rapin looked around the trees, then crouched down as if she had noticed something and placed her hand on the ground.
At that moment, a squirrel ran toward her.
It climbed up her hand and settled on her shoulder.
“Hello.”
Starting with the squirrel, animals like raccoons and woodpeckers began appearing one by one.
It was almost as if Rapin had some strange affinity that attracted animals.
While playing with them, Rapin blinked as if remembering something.
“I wish Karin had come too.”
Her voice carried a hint of regret.
The three of us were always together.
“She’ll be back at the Academy in a month. We can come together then.”
“Okay.”
Rapin nodded and turned her gaze back to the animals.
I leaned against a nearby tree and opened the System.
Eliminate the monsters in the Central Area of the Island.
Deal with the traces of the fire.
Create the Second Forest Farm and a base.
I had to complete all three to receive the reward, Primordial Bond.
‘The problem is whether I can finish before the egg hatches.’
Primordial Bond could only be used on the egg.
Once it hatched, it would be useless.
The expected hatching time was approximately three weeks from now.
‘So I have to finish everything within three weeks.’
I already had a rough plan in mind.
‘If I build a small log cabin on the island and cultivate the surrounding land, that should complete Quest 3.’
As for the traces of the fire, with Rapin and the Spiritual Beast’s help, it would be much faster than doing it alone.
‘That leaves the monsters.’
At that moment, unfamiliar text entered the corner of my vision.
Eliminate the monsters in the Central Area of the Island
Progress 17%
‘…Was there always a progress percentage?’
I didn’t remember that information.
There was even an oddly specific number—17%.
I asked the System,
“If the progress has increased, does that mean the number of monsters has decreased?”
Of course~! Every time a monster is eliminated, the progress increases! When it reaches 100%, the quest will be complete!
“Then can you tell me when the progress started increasing?”
It started increasing yesterday~!
‘…Yesterday?’
I hadn’t even come to the island for several days, let alone hunted monsters.
‘Then why did the progress increase? Did the monsters attack each other and wipe themselves out?’
If not…
Just as that thought formed—
Fwrrrng-!
A silver-furred deer burst out of the forest in a frantic rush.