[STATISTICS]
[AUTHORITY LEVEL: Commoners (480/1500 XP)]
[STRENGTH: D (70/1500 XP)]
[COUNTRY: Small Village (Money: 0/10,000, Villagers: 5/25)]
[SUPPORT: (Public: 95/100(%), Politics: 0/100(%))]
[UPDATE: Level: +45 XP, Strength +60 XP]
As part of the house-building activities, they finished cutting the planks in one day. After that, they had to dry the wood for two days until it became usable for making the roof.
While waiting for the wood to dry, they used the time to cut pine trees, which were also left to dry and used to make bows. The same wood was used to make arrows as well.
By this point, they had completed roughly thirty-five percent of the roof that would cover their future home. At the very least, a small part of it already shielded them from the heat, although Darren couldn't guarantee that it would protect them from the rain.
The good news was that Darren felt happy seeing Mia and Thalia helping to make the bows. The two girls wanted to take part in the group, even though their eldest sister strongly refused to stay.
In front of the campfire they made, Darren watched his friends laugh together with Mia and Thalia, who were exchanging stories. His gaze then fell on a girl who wasn't particularly disturbed by their jokes. She seemed lost in thought, blending into her wandering mind.
Thinking about that girl, Darren found Luna somewhat strange. He knew Luna came from the same world as he did. But why did everyone seem to experience different effects?
From the beginning, Darren had remembered nothing after entering the game world. Luckily, he was smart enough to hide a lot of things. The only person he felt close to was Evan. The other four weren't close to Darren. It made sense that he didn't recognize them. What he feared most was Evan starting to realize that he wasn't the real Darren.
Darren and Luna should have become close friends. Not close in the way most people would assume! Darren just thought they could share stories about how hard it was to crack the game.
Darren knew the girl's mission couldn't be much different from his. Both of them had to finish the game. That should have been the case, but Darren's doubts grew every time he saw how cold Luna acted toward him.
Had he done something wrong? It didn't feel like it. Especially not after he saved her from Uncle John, as told by Thalia and Mia.
It wasn't that Darren regretted it—he didn't regret saving any of them at all. He just couldn't help but wonder, seeing Luna's harsh attitude toward him. Would it have been better not to save them at all?
Several times, Darren glanced at Luna, who remained busy watching her surroundings. She still showed no interest in joining the lively conversation. Even though her youngest sibling sat beside her, Luna looked resigned as she let her younger sisters interact with everyone. No wonder they got along so easily—Darren knew they were all close in age.
Darren, Evan, Kael, and Elric were all twenty-three years old.
Luna and Cal were both twenty-two.
Mia, Thalia, and Leon were all twenty.
Only Rhea had a significant age gap from the others. The little girl was ten years old, and the nearest age gap between her and her siblings was ten years.
Darren knew everyone was open to accepting the Everglow family. Especially after they learned about the hardships the family went through after losing their parents. Darren empathized with the chaos they had endured. It wasn't too different from the struggles everyone here faced.
For that reason, Darren wanted to unite everyone for their shared hope. He was optimistic that he could finish this game in the best way possible, especially with his track record in managing his family's business. Luna should at least give him a chance to prove himself.
Luna Everglow might be worried that staying here wouldn't be safe. Darren had been worried, too. He had lost count of how many times he fought boredom by eating the same meals every day. He struggled with thoughts of leaving his friends behind and tried not to care. But Darren knew the only way out of this game was to complete it.
Maybe Luna was a victim, too. Just like Darren, who had no idea he was pulled into this game without his consent. That's why Darren wanted to gather all the victims, as many as he could, to work together and finish this game.
Darren wanted to forget about Luna for a moment, the girl who gave him such a headache. There were still many other tasks that made him sigh heavily just thinking about them. What else could it be, if not the game's missions, that forced him to find many ways to ensure the people in this game world could live better?
"Everyone, thank you for your hard work today," Darren said amid the sound of insects filling the quiet night. He appreciated everyone who had helped him make the bows before they left for Mierre-Park the next morning. "Today, we've produced about ten bows and a hundred arrows. I'm very grateful to Thalia and Mia, who willingly helped us make the bows."
The blooming smiles of Mia and Thalia made Darren smile back. Seeing the two girls open up brought him a bit of relief. Rhea was also very close to Evan, who was often caught playing with her. Especially when they played with the horses and made Rhea laugh quite loudly. Only Luna still needed Darren to reach out so she could blend in with the others.
"After this, I'll head to Mierre-Park to sell all the bows. When I get back from Mierre-Park, we'll be able to eat bread again." The enthusiastic cheers from everyone made Darren smile shyly. "Oh, and we'll bring back ten people who will work for us. They'll help us at the bow and arrow production site."
"Are we going to lose our jobs?" Leon asked afterward. Darren noticed the worry on Leon's face, which was something he didn't need to fear. No one would lose their job. Everyone would surely stay busy preparing for the winter in the next few months.
"We'll start building the house seriously. We must make sure to finish this house within the month and prepare for the winter," Darren said during their conversation.
"Boss, when it comes to selling goods in town, will we take turns, or will only specific people go?" Cal asked during the talk.
"I never mind if we all take turns selling in the town. But my priority is to make this place a community of traders. If possible, I want to turn this place into a new town."
Luna laughed at Darren's ambitious statement. Maybe to her, Darren was a joke—only Darren believed in such a big dream.
"Is something wrong, Miss?"
"Quite ambitious. My advice is you lower your expectations. I don't want to find you crying in the forest because your ambition failed," she said. Darren could hear the cynicism in Luna's voice. It was obvious she didn't believe in Darren's ambitions.