“There, there! Wait a moment, everyone gather back. Before you go, I’ll hand out clothes. Change into these, and from now on no other clothes are allowed, so don’t wear anything else.”
If only there were a way to fix that damned “sho” of his. Sehyun let out a long sigh as he watched Kim Gapjun pull clothes from his inventory and distribute them to the villagers.
The clothes being handed out were the villagers’ casual wear, granted as part of the reward for founding the settlement. Brown plain shirts and black pants — initial support items that came with a small “unity” stat bonus. Wearing them continuously gave a tiny increase to unity. Maybe two points every hundred days.
It simply meant they would work together a little more smoothly.
“Hyung, let’s go get ours too.”
“Alright.”
Everyone had already been dissatisfied with their outfits. Lee Jaeyoung was still in his school uniform, Baek Dohyun was wearing a full suit, and Gwak Junghan, who had completed Awakening, was in his race’s traditional clothes. Still, he insisted on putting on the casual clothes for the sake of uniformity.
“And why are you brats here?”
“You should give us some too.”
“Me? Why? Why waste them on people who aren’t even my villagers? Hah! Then become residents.”
He had said nothing when they lined up, but the moment they reached out their hands, he immediately turned snide. On top of that, he kept chuckling to himself, as if he had seen something ridiculous.
Sehyun’s eyes suddenly narrowed in an almost gentle way as he watched, then he spoke smoothly, still holding out his hand.
“Listen here, Mr. Australopithecus. If you keep acting like this, I’ll just head to another village. I could reveal your location and share meals with them. Then our dear Pithecus here will be sleeping soundly at night, won’t he? Out there, people are probably tearing each other apart in competition right now…”
“You son of a bitch! Fine, take them! Take them! And stop with that damn ‘Pithecus’ crap!”
“Well, what can I do if that’s what you look like.”
“Wh-what?!”
“Actually, looking closer, you might even be Homo habilis.”
“Urgh! My neck, my neck’s cramping!”
While Kim Gapjun clutched the back of his neck, Sehyun coolly snatched the clothes and turned his back without hesitation. Lee Jaeyoung, Gwak Junghan, and Baek Dohyun hurried after him.
“Here, each of you take one. The size will adjust once you put it on.”
“Thank you, Sehyun-ssi. I’ll never forget this favor as long as I live.”
“Hyung, are you going to change here? Can’t we do it inside?”
“Hm, the fabric looks cheap.”
Hearing each temporary resident’s comment as they accepted their clothes, Sehyun waved his hand dismissively, leaving them to it. Then, caught by Jaeyoung tugging his sleeve, he was dragged back into the hut.
When he came out freshly changed, belt tied tightly around his waist, Gwak Junghan and Baek Dohyun were already outside. They too had put on the casual clothes, holding their original outfits in hand.
Rolling up his sleeves, Sehyun muttered in passing,
“Put those in your inventories, don’t throw them out. You never know what might happen.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Here, your assignment chart.”
“You didn’t get this yourself, did you…”
“It was given by the Daegong. Don’t get the wrong idea.”
Taking the chart from Baek Dohyun, Sehyun lowered it so Jaeyoung could see and began reading slowly.
Fortunately, their wishes were answered. Sehyun and Jaeyoung were placed together in Group 3, while Baek Dohyun was in Group 2. Each group had five people, four groups in total.
“Do you two have any thoughts about Awakening?”
“What about you, Baek Dohyun-ssi? It’s a sensitive issue for everyone, so you should speak first.”
As if expecting the question, Baek Dohyun turned his back without a word, heading toward the well where breakfast was being prepared.
“He doesn’t seem easy to open up.”
“Well, look at the situation.”
Just as Sehyun had warned, Baek Dohyun tossed his old clothes into the fire pit instead of storing them in his inventory. His cold, unhesitating back looked heavy with stories.
But Sehyun was not the type to meddle in everyone’s lives. He could barely manage to feed himself.
“Let’s go eat too. Jaeyoung, you must be hungry?”
“Uh… no, I’m okay.”
“Don’t be silly. It’ll probably be thin porridge today, since it’s the first day. We’ll eat it with bread.”
Patting Jaeyoung’s back, Sehyun walked toward the savory smell with Gwak Junghan. The situation was suffocating, but it was, in a way, an easy place to live without thinking too much.
If they could just do their assigned tasks, help one another, and build the village, it would have been fine. But Elix never allowed that.
Because invasions happened as easily as eating meals. Mid- and low-ranking empires fought constantly, scrambling for territory and bullying newcomers to secure advantageous positions.
So many players pushed themselves recklessly to grow their empires, never realizing it was the road to ruin.
“…This tastes awful.”
The words burst out from everyone’s mouths the moment they tasted it. Calling it porridge was generous — it was closer to water, with a sour taste like vinegar. It seemed made by soaking mixed grains Kim Gapjun had handed out, but something strange had been added. The result was a mess of unpleasant flavors. It was foul.
It wasn’t just Sehyun’s group. Groans echoed from all around, but no one threw theirs away. Everyone instinctively understood they had to eat.
Sehyun pinched his nose and swallowed it down in one gulp. There was no choice. The morning food procurement team had returned empty-handed from fishing.
“When is your turn, Junghan-ssi?”
“Ah, dinner. I’ll make sure to bring back something hearty.”
At least dinner would be better. Seeing Gwak Junghan’s grim determination brought to mind fratricide, but Sehyun said nothing, only took Jaeyoung’s untouched bowl and forced it down, handing Jaeyoung bread in exchange.
“If it could stay like this… it wouldn’t be bad.”
“No. Absolutely not.”
“Yes, I know. Still… it feels like living modestly here, just doing what needs to be done, might be okay. It’s safe, and people are adjusting. There’s no need to seek out danger.”
A bitter smile lingered on Gwak Junghan’s lips. Sehyun did not misunderstand him. But only someone who knew nothing about Elix could say such things. Tomorrow. Tomorrow, he would painfully learn how foolish that thought was.
Even so, Sehyun did not dislike Gwak Junghan for it.
“Junghan-ssi… I can’t do much, but if you need someone to talk to, I’ll always listen. If something is weighing on you, tell me.”
“You truly are a good person, Sehyun-ssi.”
“Seems only to your eyes.”
Shedding his gloom quickly, Gwak Junghan drained the porridge in one go. His unflinching face was impressive — unless his race had lost its sense of taste. It was a plausible thought.
That revolting, vinegar-scented water-like porridge.
It was their first meal in the village, and one no one wished to eat again. Perhaps that was why, afterward, everyone began to work harder on their own. The food procurement teams stood out most, their determination to catch fish so fierce it could be felt from a hundred meters away.
The errand teams were no less intense, marching into the forest with great barrels on their backs, as if ready to drag back a wild boar.
Seeing the chief laughing in the distance, Sehyun suspected he had deliberately given them vinegar porridge. Why else would he be so pleased?
Unfortunately, lunch was the same vinegar porridge. Those who refused to eat were forced back by Gwak Junghan’s sense of duty, and thanks to him, by evening everyone was able to sit with a fish in hand.
All eyes on Gwak Junghan were like those on a hero. Understandably so — if not for him, they might have been scouring the woods all night for a boar.
Yet even as the others ate gratefully, Gwak Junghan’s face was dark. He held no fish, only stared down at his empty hands, as if measuring something.
In the end, he spent the meal without food. He didn’t even look resentful. The moment dinner ended, he turned and went straight back to the quarters.
As Sehyun gnawed on fish, his eyes briefly followed that broad back. But only briefly. He soon turned back and ate.
What seemed like it would drag on ended sooner than expected. When Sehyun later handed Gwak Junghan a toothbrush he had pressed Kim Gapjun into making, the man finally spoke.
“You’re offering counseling?”
“Yes. Is that a problem?”
“No, not really… I’ll brush my teeth first.”
Holding the toothbrush wet with water in his mouth, Sehyun stepped outside again. When he returned, Gwak Junghan was sitting at the door, his expression even darker than during dinner.
So Sehyun led him discreetly to the lakeshore behind the village.