Chapter 5

With that, the backlog of letters she had been writing came to an end.

The next morning, Keena woke up with a headache, vowing never to drink again.

"Ah..."

Is this what it means to let oneself go with alcohol? she thought, her face weary as she went to the well to wash her face. There, Ritt was filling a bucket with water from the well, chanting "unshounsho."

As Ritt was about to lift the bucket, she noticed Keena.

Ritt was comparing the bucket and Keena, but then decided to prioritize the guest and offered the bucket. Keena stopped her, saying, "It's okay, Ritt-chan, you're working. I'll do it myself."

"But... but..."

"Besides, did you put this on? Do you like it?"

"Yeah!"

The "this" was a star-shaped hair accessory. It shimmered in silver and changed to blue or green depending on the light. It was an item she had brought out of the warehouse yesterday, a type of armor with a defense of 1 and poison resistance. Since it suited Ritt, she had given it to her as a souvenir.

Keena patted Ritt's head, who nodded with a big smile, and walked to the well, smoothly drawing water.

Looking at the cold, clear water, Keena muttered, "Maybe I should use hot water instead."

【Magic Skill: Add Warm Water: Start】

Invisible light poured from her palm, instantly warming the water in the bucket to about 42 degrees. Ritt's eyes widened at the sight of the steaming bucket, and she clapped enthusiastically as Keena dipped a towel into it.

Marele, who had come to complain about her daughter's slow work, tilted her head at the strange scene.

"Huh, there's even a magic like that?"

"I'm sorry, I disturbed Ritt-chan's work..."

Marele, taken aback, replied, "It's fine. Keena, you look like an idol from the tavern now. The villagers greet you warmly and even share their pies with you. Since there are few young women in the village, you've become like a granddaughter to the elders."

Keena, who had given up on mentioning her real age, accepted this role. It was like being a companion to the elderly in a hospital. She was used to it and felt fine.

"Hmm, it's quite convenient. Can we use this magic too?"

"【Warm Water】 magic... Well, you need to know the fire magic 'Ia' and 'Ia Ra' and the water magic 'Outa'..."

"I get it, I get it! I don't have the time to study magic at my age."

Marele waved off the few magic skills Keena listed, counting them on her fingers. Even if the villagers gave up something for Keena's scroll creation, it was unclear if they could learn the skills. If they could, it would be like those in the construction industry having construction-related skills. It couldn't be said that they had none.

Thinking about this, Keena was met with a wry smile from Marele, who patted her shoulder and left. At the same time, Rottler entered through the open door, carrying something in one hand.

"Good morning, Keena-chan. I brought the bear's horns you asked for yesterday."

"Is it okay? Aren't they a valuable source of income for the village?"

"Don't worry. You were the one who hunted it, so it belongs to you."

The village, located on the outskirts of the Felskairo Principality and on the outer trade route of the Riedale region, had nothing particularly notable. Therefore, they sold grains, hunting game, and furs to the merchant caravans that came every few months and replenished their daily necessities.

"Hmm, should I hunt another one?"

"No, no, no, there's no need for you, who aren't a villager, to do that."

"But, I've been helped a lot by the villagers, and I want to show my gratitude."

As Keena proposed this, looking at the two horns tied with a rough rope, Marele's hand patted her head.

"You don't need to worry so much. You're a guest, and everyone is just being kind without expecting anything in return."

"Right, Keena-chan, you said yesterday that helping someone in trouble is a given."

"...But, it feels wrong to just receive kindness without giving anything back..."

This was a selfish desire of Keena, who had been in a hospital for four years after an accident, unable to do anything. Her uncle, cousins, nurses, doctors, other hospitalized children, and elderly people visited her during her free time between games, helping her not to curse her situation or the loss of her parents. Now, it was too late to repay them.

"Well, just do what you like. We have no complaints living in this village."

"Right, you're right, wisdom comes with age. You said something good... bup!"

"You, get to work! Stop dilly-dallying!"

Marele, who had chased Rottler away with a tray and a shout, turned to Keena with a smile, patting her back and telling her not to worry, then went back inside.

Keena, playing with the bear's horns like a ball, walked around the village, sitting on a rock by the roadside and watching the villagers working in the fields. The question on her mind was, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

A map window appeared in her field of vision. It showed the route from the Silver Tower to the village, which Keena had taken yesterday, and the surrounding area. It was a bird's-eye view of the village, similar to a satellite image.

"Key-chan?"

'I created a map like the border. Next, increase the range of movement and create a detailed map.'

"Well, I guess that's the only way. Still, this village seems familiar, doesn't it?"

The houses were clustered in the center of the village, surrounded by fields. Keena, who had a vague memory of something similar, thought hard and finally recalled it.

"Oh, it's the starting point of the offline mode."

The VRMMORPG Riedale had both online and offline modes, with different starting points. The online mode started in the capital of the player's country, while the offline mode started in a randomly placed border village. By completing the villagers' requests, the village eventually turned into a fortress. It was a gateway for players to acquire 15 magic and 30 skills during the process.

In Riedale, players could not obtain any skills other than the basic seven magic without completing quests. Only those who completed all 4000+ quests could earn the title of Skill Master. However, obtaining even one skill through scroll creation disqualified players from the title. This hidden disadvantage made the Skill Master title a trap set by the developers. Once a skill was obtained, it could not be discarded, and the quest would not appear if the player had the skill.

Keena, who had been a beta tester for Riedale, was one of the few who knew this. However, those who joined the game after it had gained popularity were unaware and dropped out. The developers quickly removed any information about this from the internet, so only the first batch of players knew about it. Veteran players lamented the wasted effort.

Why not develop this village like the offline mode village?

This thought crossed Keena's mind.

"But, it might be a bother again..."

As Keena muttered to herself, a villager working in the fields called out to her.

"Hey, Keena-chan. What brings you to the fields?"

"...Huh? Oh, I was thinking if there's anything I can do to help the village."

Keena's words made the villagers working in the fields exchange glances and burst into laughter.

"What, what's with that reaction?"

"No, no, Keena-chan, you're a guest in this village, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, the village is our job, not yours."

"You don't need to worry about it, Keena."

The villagers, laughing heartily, told her this, leaving her no choice but to bow and leave. She crossed her arms and looked up at the sky, mentally reviewing the skills she had.

There were a wide variety of skills, from the most basic to the most advanced. Some were used only once in a quest and never again, like the 【Magic: Warm Water】. Others were necessary to obtain higher-level skills but were never used after acquisition. Some were useful but had issues, like the 【Construction: Castle】. Only a fraction of the skills were frequently used.

The technical skills included not only 2500 creation skills but also tactical, active, passive, and special skills.

Keena walked around the edge of the village, passing the wide field where carriages used to wait, and ended up behind the inn. There, she saw Ritt drawing water from the well again. Since Marele had told her not to interfere with her daughter's work, she could only watch. She was worried as Ritt struggled with the well rope.

Keena thought, "I should give her a bracelet with the 【Strength Enhancement】 effect, but first, I need to change the well's structure." An idea popped into her head.

A simple wooden water wheel, similar to the one installed in the fortress kitchen during the village's development, came to mind. A hand pump would be ideal, but there wasn't enough metal. Instead, she thought of a hybrid of a water wheel and a caterpillar track, powered by a hand crank and gears, to draw water and channel it through a pipe.

The construction would require a small amount of metal and a large amount of wood. This could be placed on top of the existing well, making it easy to remove if it broke.

"Alright! Action is better than hesitation. I'll ask Marele for permission."

Keena suddenly burst back into the inn, saying, "I want to modify the well!" Marele, confused, listened to her explanation about a device that would make it easy for anyone to draw water, but couldn't understand it at all. However, seeing Keena's unusually lively and enthusiastic demeanor, she reluctantly agreed.

"Got Marele's permission! Yay!"

"Hey, Keena! Aren't you here for lunch!?"

Keena, jumping around like a fish out of water, came to her senses at Marele's call. Breakfast and dinner were included in the one-night stay, but lunch was extra. Keena, finding it troublesome, offered 20 silver coins, saying, "Just return the difference when I leave," but Marele insisted, "If that's the case, you should have lunch properly."

Feeling embarrassed, Keena's face turned red as she finished her lunch and circled the well, staring at the item window. The problem was the lack of materials. She needed more wood, which in a farming village would be firewood. She would have to gather it herself.

"Hmm, I guess I have to cut down some trees?"

Thinking about the forest from yesterday, she wondered if she could cut down trees even after asking for permission. Then, she realized something.

"Oh, right! There are broken trees from the bear hunt."

Recalling the scene of the bear's unexpected flight, Keena decided to go to the site from yesterday.

On the road, trees were toppled like dominoes. One of the trees at the front was missing, probably taken by the villagers. She thought one whole tree would