Chapter Three: Completing the Quests
Two to three hours had passed since humanity's arrival in this world. Across the regions of other Lords, some — like Kaiden — were trying to adapt, gathering resources and facing challenges head-on. Others were still huddled in their huts, trembling with fear. And some had been foolish enough to step outside their region's boundaries — a decision that proved fatal for many of those brave enough to try.
Though everyone had started from the same line, their fates were already beginning to diverge.
...
Kaiden was not thinking about any of that right now. He was carefully reading through the system notifications.
"Another quest done... nice!" Kaiden cheered with enthusiasm as he watched the Bronze Treasure Chest settle into his inventory. His eyes drifted back to the loot notification from the slain monster.
"So Origin Points are earned by killing monsters... I remember that one of the Lord's Crown upgrade requirements was 4 Origin Points, which means I am still one short. On top of that, killing monsters drops blueprints," he muttered as he walked toward his victorious soldiers. The battle had been easier than expected — the simple Protective Barrier strategy had proven its worth.
"You both did an outstanding job!" Kaiden praised them generously and patted his soldiers on the shoulders.
Rob scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed grin. "I did not really do anything, my Lord — just flailed around like a clown."
"No, no — I watched your performance. You drew the monster's attention completely, which gave Golan a golden opening!"
Golan responded with characteristic seriousness: "It was the Lord's wise plan that made the battle this easy."
"Hahaha~ Do not flatter me — it was the force behind that spear thrust of yours that made it this easy." Kaiden waved his hand, laughing. He knew Golan was flattering him, yet he felt genuinely pleased on the inside.
He turned his gaze to the monster's carcass, now lying within the region's boundaries. He steeled himself and stepped forward, touching it cautiously.
The moment his hand made contact, an interface appeared:
[Salvage the carcass? Yes / No. Note: Salvaging will yield a portion of the carcass's basic resources. All gains will be automatically deposited into the Lord's Inventory.]
"Huh?" Kaiden was caught off guard by the prompt. He had only been curious about what a creature this massive felt like — he had not expected touching it to reveal something new.
He selected Yes. The carcass vanished, leaving behind nothing but bloodstains, and a new notification appeared:
[Salvage complete. You have gained: Wilderness Lizard Meat (Common) x22 units, Wilderness Lizard Fang x2]
Kaiden felt pleased seeing the meat stack up in his inventory. He would figure out what to do with the lizard fangs and the Carpenter Workshop Blueprint he had earned from the kill later.
Now that he had dealt with the carcass, he ordered his soldiers to begin patrols within the region and handle any similar monsters that approached using the same method.
As for Kaiden, he had something more pressing to take care of. He pulled out the Treasure Chest and examined it. It was a small, lightweight cube made of bronze, with rough edges — small enough to hold in one hand.
At that moment, a familiar interface appeared:
[A Bronze Treasure Chest has been detected. Open it?]
When Kaiden confirmed, the chest dissolved into glowing particles that scattered and disappeared, and a new prompt emerged.
---
Opened. You have gained:
Wood x60 units
Stone x60 units
Iron x20 units
Water Bottle (2L) x6
Grilled Fish x3
Residential Hut Blueprint (Common) x2
---
"Hell yeah! Hahaha — I am rich!" Seeing his inventory fill up with food, water, resources, and blueprints sent a wave of pure joy through him. Kaiden had no family, no partner — practically a man without a care in the world.
...
"Completing quests makes me happy~" he hummed a random tune as he pulled up his remaining quests.
---
1 — Resource Gatherer
Details: Collect 20 units of Stone and 20 units of Wood from within your Region.
Time Limit: 24 hours
Reward: Roasted Chicken x2
2 — First Upgrade
Upgrade the Lord's Hut for the first time.
Time Limit: 24 hours
Reward: Apprentice Blacksmith Workshop Bundle Blueprint
3 — Name Your Region
Choose a fitting name for your nascent Region.
Time Limit: 24 hours
Reward: Random Region Aura
4 — The First Step Toward Dominance
Upgrade the Crown to the next level.
Time Limit: 24 hours
Reward: Physical Enhancement Fruit x1
---
They were all straightforward quests — the Crown upgrade perhaps being the slightly harder one.
The easiest by far was naming the Region. He thought for a moment and looked out across his land. All he found was barren ground with a few scattered trees.
For some reason, that sight irritated him. So he named his Region: The Fertile Lands.
[System Alert: Once a name is chosen, it cannot be changed. Confirm naming choice: Yes / No?]
Seeing the warning, Kaiden hesitated for a moment — then gritted his teeth and confirmed.
[System Alert: Your Region has been successfully named. Note: The new name that will appear in messages and transactions from this point forward is: "Lord of the Fertile Lands."]
Another notification followed, sent from his Region Talent:
[Quest 'Name Your Region' completed! Reward acquired: Random Region Aura]
[Congratulations! You have acquired the Aura: "Lucky Gatherer."
Description: When collecting resources within your Region's boundaries, one additional unit is added for every twenty units of the same type collected.]
Kaiden felt pleased. The bonus was modest, but its cumulative effect over time would be massive.
Speaking of resources — the second easiest quest was the Resource Gatherer. It seemed the resources he had pulled from the Treasure Chest did not count, since he had not personally gathered them from within his region.
So he walked toward the Lord's Hall. In the distance, he could already see two piles stacked in front of the building — one of stone, one of wood — each reaching as high as a person. A clear sign of the villagers' diligent work.
- You have gained +26 units of Stone.
- You have gained +22 units of Wood.
- Lucky Gatherer activated: +1 Stone, +1 Wood.
[Quest 'Resource Gatherer' completed! Reward sent to Lord's Inventory: Roasted Chicken x2]
"Good to see the Aura's effect kicking in already... Oh~ Monster meat, grilled fish, and roasted chicken? This is definitely better than instant noodle cups!" Kaiden's mouth watered as he eyed the growing spread of food in his inventory. He had the strange feeling he was going to eat better here than he ever had back home.
"Now all that is left is upgrading the Lord's Hall." He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and pulled up the building's information panel.
---
Building Name: Lord's Hall (Level 1)
Description: The Lord's place of residence.
Upgrade Requirements:
- Wood x20 units
- Stone x15 units
---
He had more than enough resources, so he chose to upgrade immediately. A white light washed over the small hut, expanded slightly, then faded — revealing the new hut before him.
It was a little larger than the old one. Still rough around the edges, but sturdier. At least it no longer looked like it would collapse at the first gust of wind.
[Quest 'First Upgrade' completed! Reward sent to Lord's Inventory: Apprentice Blacksmith Workshop Bundle Blueprint x1]
"Another one done — but what exactly does 'Bundle' mean?" Kaiden was curious. He had seen the word twice now — once with the Carpenter Workshop, and again here. He opened the blueprint's information panel.
---
Blueprint Name: Apprentice Blacksmith Workshop Bundle
Description: Includes a basic blacksmith workshop building, and comes with an apprentice blacksmith.
---
Kaiden's face lit up. "Perfect! With this workshop, I will not need to worry about my stone axes and pickaxes breaking anymore!"
The moment he thought about constructing the blueprint, a ghost image of the building appeared on the ground before him. He could reposition it freely using his thoughts alone — it reminded him of the building games back in his old world, and that familiarity put him at ease.
As a programmer, Kaiden was meticulous by nature. He chose not to place the workshop near the Lord's Hall where he slept — he did not want the noise of a smithy disturbing him — and moved it a fair distance away. His region was small, so the chosen spot was not truly far, but it was enough.
[System Alert: Build at this location? Yes / No?]
[Note: Be aware that after a building is constructed for the first time, relocating it will require spending Origin Points based on the building's tier and size.]
'Oh... so there is a setting like that,' Kaiden muttered, not dwelling on it for long. He selected Yes, and a familiar white light wrapped around the ghost structure. It took only a few seconds before the light faded and a primitive blacksmith workshop stood in its place, its entrance open.
A bald, broad-framed man in his thirties stepped out — muscular, wearing simple linen clothes — and dropped to one knee before Kaiden.
"Hook, long live the Lord!"
"Rise. Our nascent region needs a blacksmith like you." Kaiden delivered the line he had prepared and glanced at the man's status panel.
---
Name: Hook
Profession: Apprentice Blacksmith
Description: Given the right materials, he can craft basic tools such as pickaxes, shovels, and axes, as well as some of the simpler weapons. Do not expect much from anything more complex — he is, after all, only an apprentice blacksmith.
---
Kaiden spoke with Hook and asked how long it would take and how many resources he would need to produce iron axes and pickaxes.
"To answer my Lord's question — it takes roughly three to four hours to produce a single axe or pickaxe. As for materials, I need around two units of iron each... though I should mention, for a proper handle, you will need a carpenter."
"Understood. Take these ten units of iron and start with one pickaxe and one axe. As for the handles, do not worry about that." After speaking, Kaiden waved his hand — and a few seconds later, a primitive carpenter's workshop materialized beside the blacksmith's.
"Masmar, long live the Lord!"
"Rise." Kaiden glanced at the carpenter's status panel. It was much the same as Hook's, differing only in profession. He then asked what the carpenter needed to produce the handles.
The carpenter answered:
"My Lord, a medium-thickness tree branch works best — ideal for crafting handles."
"Understood. I will have one of the villagers send you what you need. Once the handles are ready, pass them along to the blacksmith's workshop." Kaiden said, gesturing toward Hook's shop.
"Understood, my Lord."
...
Kaiden left the blacksmith and carpenter to their work, then headed toward the villagers who were busy cutting down one of the region's few trees and relayed the carpenter's requirements to them.
He checked his inventory and found he still had two Residential Hut Blueprints remaining. Each hut could house four villagers. He built them side by side, at a distance from both the blacksmith and carpenter workshops.
Kaiden looked out across his region. Buildings were beginning to fill it, one by one — and a deep, quiet satisfaction spread through him.
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End of Chapter Three