By the time Yu returned to the cabin, darkness had completely fallen.
Only a faint trace of deep violet light remained along the horizon.
The wilderness was noticeably colder at night.
Wind whistled through the gaps in the dilapidated cabin, producing a mournful sound like a lost child crying outside.
It was more than a little unsettling.
Yu first stored the resources they had gathered from the Grassland inside the Starter Core.
[Dandelion]
[Wild Leek]
[Stinging Nettle]
There were not many, but something was better than nothing.
At the very least, they could supplement their meals with vegetables.
Next, he deposited all forty-seven Wooden Planks gathered from today’s logging.
Seeing the stack of materials filling the Storage grid gave him a reassuring sense of security.
Yu had always possessed a slight tendency to hoard resources.
Once everything was stored, he did not rest.
He summoned the Starter Core’s interface and switched to the [Crafting] tab.
The page was simple.
Only a handful of basic blueprints were currently unlocked, including one item he urgently needed.
[Crude Wooden Hammer]
[Required Materials: Wooden Plank ×1]
[Use: Basic construction and repair tool.]
Yu selected [Craft].
A faint light flashed, and a simple hammer appeared in his hand.
Its head had been carved from a Wooden Plank and looked surprisingly solid.
It felt heavy in his grip.
Although crude, it was perfectly usable.
Yu walked to the eastern wall, where the cold wind entered most severely.
He raised the Crude Wooden Hammer and lightly tapped the edge of a damaged plank.
Ding!
A translucent control interface appeared over the damaged wall.
At its center was a square [Material Slot].
Beside it was a long [Repair Progress Bar], currently displaying zero percent.
‘Just as I expected…’
Yu immediately understood.
Repairing the cabin worked exactly like construction in a game.
With a thought, he withdrew one Wooden Plank from the Starter Core’s Storage.
The plank transformed into streaming light and entered the [Material Slot].
Yu raised the hammer again, aimed at the wall, and struck with force.
Thunk!
This time, the impact was solid.
New wood appeared from thin air around the damaged section, causing the cracks in the wall to shrink.
‘This really is convenient.’
Yu continued swinging the hammer in a steady rhythm.
If he had to measure, cut, and repair everything as he would in reality, his mediocre craftsmanship would take forever and undoubtedly produce a horrifying result.
This method might be somewhat unscientific, but efficiency mattered more.
Thunk!
Thunk!
Thunk!
The rhythmic hammering echoed through the small cabin.
Wood chips and dust fell with every impact, but under the system’s power, the wall became visibly sturdier and more complete.
The drafty gaps sealed shut, while newly formed planks covered every hole.
Yu concentrated entirely on repairing the wall, temporarily forgetting both time and exhaustion.
Behind him, Marin could finally rest her legs after walking all day.
She carefully examined the filthy floor and pouted.
Still, she found a relatively clean corner near the Starter Core’s light and sat down.
“Heave-ho…
I’m exhausted…”
Marin muttered quietly before bending down and removing the indoor school shoes from her feet.
She casually kicked them aside, then struggled to pull off her short black socks.
A pair of slender, pale feet was immediately exposed to the air.
They were beautifully proportioned, with smooth arches.
After walking all day, her toes had turned slightly pink.
Each of her ten small, rounded toenails had been carefully painted with sparkling pink polish.
Marin sighed in relief and began massaging her aching soles and ankles with both hands, occasionally releasing a comfortable murmur.
Her gaze unconsciously drifted toward Yu as he worked on the wall.
His back was not particularly broad, yet the constant movement of his arms and his focused posture gave him a steady, dependable presence that made her feel safe.
Sweat had soaked through the fabric covering his back, outlining the muscles shifting beneath it with every swing.
As Marin continued watching him, her cheeks suddenly began to feel warm.
She hurriedly looked away and lowered her head to continue massaging her feet, but her heart inexplicably beat several times faster.
Thunk!
With one final heavy strike, the eastern wall’s [Repair Progress Bar] reached one hundred percent.
The entire wall was transformed.
Every hole and gap had vanished, replaced by rough logs fitted tightly together.
It remained crude, but it was now a complete wall capable of blocking the wind.
The cold draft from that direction stopped instantly.
Yu released a long breath, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and turned around to inspect the cabin.
What entered his vision made his breath catch.
Marin was sitting cross-legged on the floor.
Because of her posture, her already shockingly short skirt had ridden even higher, nearly reaching the top of her thighs. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
At the edge of the shadows beyond the Starter Core’s starlight, a glimpse of sexy black lace appeared and disappeared beneath her skirt.
Marin seemed completely unaware.
She remained focused on massaging her delicate feet, whose nails were painted pink.
Her toes curled slightly without conscious thought.
‘Am I really seeing black…
lace?’
Yu’s throat suddenly felt dry.
‘Is Marin truly this defenseless, or does she not see me as a “threat” at all?’
He forced himself to look away, cleared his dry throat, and turned toward the next wall awaiting repair.
‘This isn’t the time to get distracted.
I still have three walls and a roof to repair.’
Making their Shelter safe and comfortable was his highest priority tonight.
‘Anything else can wait until later.’
Thunk!
Thunk!
Thunk!
The hammering resumed, now even more forceful than before, as if Yu were trying to smash every inappropriate thought from his mind.
Time passed amid the repetitive labor.
One wall was repaired, followed by another.
When Yu hammered the final Wooden Plank into the last hole in the roof, he finally lowered his nearly numb arm.
He straightened his back and surveyed the cabin, filled with a powerful sense of accomplishment.
It was different now—completely different.
The walls were still made of rough logs, and the roof remained low, but all four walls were intact and the roof was tightly sealed.
The wind was completely shut outside, leaving the cabin far quieter than before.
Only the faint hum of starlight flowing within the Starter Core disturbed the silence.
Yu released a long breath.
Exhaustion washed over him like a tide, but his mood had relaxed considerably.
He turned toward Marin in the corner.
The Starter Core’s gentle glow surrounded her.
She had stopped massaging her feet.
Now she hugged her knees against her chest, rested her chin on them, and quietly watched him.
Her red eyes sparkled beneath the starlight, reflecting Yu’s figure within them.
When she noticed him looking, a brilliant smile immediately blossomed across her face.
“You fixed it, Yu-kun!
That’s amazing!”
Her clear, melodious voice carried a cheerful warmth that seemed capable of healing the heart in this oppressive environment.
As Yu looked at her smiling face, even the pain in his arms seemed to ease.
He nodded, the corner of his mouth rising slightly.
“Yeah.
For now, we finally have somewhere livable.”
…