Chapter 8 – "The Spoils of War"
The village was alive with the sounds of victory. Fires burned in the hearths, warriors sharpened their blades, and the villagers whispered excitedly about what had happened.
Reinhardt, however, sat alone in his hut, his sword resting across his lap. His body was exhausted, but his mind raced with possibilities.
They had won. They had secured weapons, food, and horses. But this was just the beginning.
Their village was still a mess—poorly defended, lacking real infrastructure, and without a sustainable food supply.
He needed to start building.
Discovering System Points
Reinhardt sighed and mentally called upon the system.
"System… how do I build?"
[System Response: Would you like to access the Building Interface?]
"Yeah."
Suddenly, a new blue window appeared before him, displaying multiple categories:
[Building Shop]
Basic Structures: Huts, Storage Sheds, Market Stalls
Military: Watchtowers, Barracks, Training Grounds
Infrastructure: Roads, Wells, Granaries
Advanced: Guilds, Magic Towers, Castles
At the top of the menu, he noticed something shocking.
[System Points: 1,500,000,000 SP]
His jaw nearly dropped. 1.5 billion?!
"Wait… where did all this come from?"
[System Explanation:]
1 Billion SP granted by Divine Favor (God's Gift)
200 Million SP gained from transmigration process
300 Million SP gained from achievements (First Kill, First Victory, Bandit Leader Defeated, Village Secured, Kingdom Foundations Set, etc.)
Reinhardt leaned back. He had a literal fortune to work with.
"Why the hell didn't you tell me about this sooner?"
[System Response: You never asked.]
"…I hate you sometimes."
[System Response: Understood.]
He sighed, rubbing his temples.
"Alright, let's use it wisely."
Building the Foundation
The first step was fortifications. The village had no walls—just some broken fences. If another attack came, they'd be helpless.
He scrolled through the defensive structures and selected a basic wooden palisade.
[Wooden Palisade – 500 SP per meter]
Encircles the village with wooden spikes.
Offers basic protection against bandits and monsters.
"Buy it."
[System Notice: Constructing…]
A faint golden light spread across the village borders. Moments later, thick wooden stakes emerged from the ground, forming a solid wall around the settlement.
The villagers, who had been minding their own business, screamed in shock.
"WHAT IN THE GODS' NAME?!"
"Where did this wall come from?!"
Gerrick, the old village leader, stumbled out of his house, mouth agape. "M-My lord, what just happened?!"
Reinhardt simply smirked. "Our village just got its first real defense."
Among the villagers who had witnessed the event, one young woman stood out.
She had long silver hair, bright green eyes, and wore tattered robes that once belonged to a scholar. Unlike the others, she wasn't screaming—she was staring directly at Reinhardt, curiosity burning in her gaze.
After a moment, she walked up to him.
"You…" Her voice was soft but filled with intensity. "You did this?"
Reinhardt raised an eyebrow. "You're not freaking out like the others."
She adjusted her round glasses. "I am… internally. But my curiosity outweighs my fear. I must ask—was this magic? Or something else?"
Reinhardt smirked. "Something else."
The girl's eyes lit up with excitement. "Fascinating…"
Gerrick, still shaken, cleared his throat. "Ahem. My lord, this is Elara, our village's former scholar. She was in charge of maintaining records before the old lord abandoned us."
"A scholar, huh?" Reinhardt said, glancing at her. "And what do you think of this?"
Elara pushed up her glasses. "I think… you are someone who will change the world."
Reinhardt chuckled. "I plan to."
Now that the walls were up, it was time to improve food production, housing, and the military.
He opened the Building Shop again.
[Basic Housing – 1,000 SP per house]
Small wooden homes that provide shelter for villagers.
[Granary – 10,000 SP]
Stores food to prevent waste and famine.
[Barracks – 50,000 SP]
Trains soldiers and improves defense.
He purchased ten houses, a granary, and a barracks.
The villagers watched in awe as houses materialized one by one, their roofs forming in seconds. The granary appeared next, a large stone structure perfect for food storage. Finally, the barracks stood tall, a symbol of their growing strength.
The entire village erupted into cheers.
"WE HAVE HOMES!"
"OUR FOOD WON'T ROT ANYMORE!"
"WE HAVE A DAMN ARMY NOW!"
Elara crossed her arms, nodding. "You truly are fascinating, my lord."
Reinhardt grinned. "This is only the beginning."
System Evolution – Assigning Professions
Now that they had buildings, it was time to assign proper jobs.
He opened the "Village Management" tab in the system.
[Assigning Professions]
Farmers: 12 villagers → Evolve to Skilled Farmers (10 SP each)
Hunters: 5 villagers → Evolve to Skilled Archers (15 SP each)
Blacksmith: 1 villager → Evolve to Forgemaster (50 SP)
Reinhardt selected all upgrades.
[Professions Assigned!]
The villagers who had been simple farmers suddenly felt newfound knowledge surge into their minds. The hunters became deadlier, and the blacksmith felt a surge of inspiration.
"I-I understand metallurgy so much better now!" the blacksmith cried. "I can make better weapons!"
Reinhardt smirked. "Good. Because we're going to need them."
By the time the sun set, the village was unrecognizable.
Walls protected the settlement.
People had proper homes.
The military was forming.
Food production had increased.
As Reinhardt stood atop the village wall, he saw the hope in their eyes. These people, once broken, now had a future.
And this was just the first step.
Elara appeared beside him, her silver hair glowing in the moonlight. "You've built something incredible in just a single day, my lord."
Reinhardt grinned. "Give me a few years. We'll have a damn kingdom."
And with that, the foundations of his empire were set.