Volume 1: The Foundation of the Abandoned
Chapter 2: The Engineer of Flesh (Part 2)
The next morning, Ren stood on top of a pile of rusted scrap metal, looking down at his new "Kingdom."
It was depressing.
The village consisted of three tents made of rotting leather that smelled like wet dog, a fire pit filled with ash, and a "well" that was just a muddy hole in the ground.
"S.U.G.A.," Ren sighed, crossing his arms. "Give me a rating. How bad is it?"
[Civilization Rating: F-minus. Sanitation: Non-existent. Defense: A stiff breeze could destroy this settlement. If you stay here, you have a 90% chance of dying from dysentery before a monster even attacks you.]
"Dysentery. Great. A Demon Lord dying of diarrhea. That's not going in the history books."
Ren clapped his hands. "Alright, everyone! Line up!"
The goblins scrambled out of their tents. Since Mogs (now the massive Iron-Skin Goblin) was treating Ren like a god, the others followed suit. They lined up in a trembling row.
Ren paced in front of them like a drill sergeant.
"Listen up. We are not living in trash anymore. If I'm staying here, we need walls, we need water, and we need beds that don't have bugs in them."
"But, My Lord," Pip (the small thief goblin) raised a scrawny hand. "We are weak. We can't chop the Iron-Wood trees. We can't lift the heavy stones."
Ren grinned. "You don't need muscles. You have me. S.U.G.A., activate [Talent Scan]."
[Scanning Subjects...]
Ren walked down the line, a blue holographic interface popping up over each goblin.
He stopped in front of Pip.
[Subject: Pip. Strength: Very Low. Dexterity: S-Rank. Hidden Talent: Precision Knot Tying & Trap Disarming.]
"Pip," Ren said. "You're in charge of binding. Gather all the vines you can find. We're making rope."
He moved to the small, shivering blue Slime, Nina.
[Subject: Nina. Combat: None. Unique Trait: Porous Body. Hidden Talent: Water Filtration.]
"Nina," Ren pointed to the muddy water hole. "Jump in there. Absorb the dirt and spit out the clean water. You are now our water purifier."
"B-Bloop!" Nina chirped happily and hopped into the mud.
He stopped at the Skeleton, Bartholomew, who was politely standing at attention despite missing his lower jaw.
[Subject: Bartholomew. Stamina: Infinite. Pain Receptors: None. Hidden Talent: Excavation.]
"Bartholomew. Here is a shovel. Dig a trench around the camp. Don't stop until I say so. Since you don't breathe, you don't need breaks."
The skeleton gave a jaunty salute and began digging with robotic speed.
"Mogs!" Ren turned to his tank. "You're with me. We're going to build a house."
For the next six hours, the wasteland echoed with the sounds of construction.
Ren stood before a pile of broken carriage wood and scrap metal they had scavenged. Normal carpentry would take days. Ren didn't have days.
"S.U.G.A., activate [Structural Synthesis]. Target: Scrap Wood + Mud + Bio-Adhesive."
[Affirmative. Initiating Construction Mode.]
Ren slammed his hands onto the pile. The purple light flared again. The rotting wood splintered and reformed, fusing with the mud to create a dense, concrete-like material. The scrap metal twisted, forming support beams.
In ten minutes, a sturdy, bunker-like cabin rose from the ground. It wasn't pretty—it looked like a block of grey stone—but it was solid.
"Whoa..." The goblins gasped.
[Skill Proficiency Increased. You can now craft 'Reinforced Shack'. Current Mana: 40%. Warning: Host needs calories. Suggesting lunch break.]
"Agreed," Ren wiped sweat from his forehead. "Mogs! Bring out the rest of that boar meat!"
Just as the smell of roasting meat began to drift through the camp, a sound cut through the air.
BOOM.
A massive tree on the edge of the clearing exploded into splinters.
Ren spun around, his hand instinctively going to the bone knife at his belt. "Enemy attack?"
[Alert. High-Energy Signature detected. Threat Level: A-Rank. It's not a monster. It's a Humanoid.]
Emerging from the dust cloud was a woman.
She was tall—taller than Ren. She had skin the color of crimson sunset and long, wild red hair that flowed like fire. Two long white horns protruded from her forehead. She wore tattered leather armor that barely covered her scars, and in her hand, she dragged a massive Greatsword that looked like a slab of raw iron.
She was breathtaking. And terrifying.
"A Human?" she rasped, her voice rough. She stumbled forward, her golden eyes burning with rage. "A Human... ruling over goblins? Turning them into slaves?"
She lifted the massive sword with one trembling arm and pointed it at Ren.
"I am Vera! The Red Blade! I will not let a filthy human colonizer defile these lands!"
Mogs roared, stepping in front of Ren. "Do not speak to My Lord that way, witch! I will crush you!"
"Wait, Mogs," Ren held up a hand. He squinted at her.
[Analysis: Subject 'Vera'. Race: Red Ogre. Status: Heavily Injured. Rib fractures detected. Mana depletion: Critical. Stomach Volume: Empty for 3 days.]
"You're going to kill me?" Ren asked calmly.
"I will... I will sever your head..." Vera took a step forward, swinging the sword.
The swing missed Ren by five feet. She spun around from the momentum, stumbled, and her stomach let out a growl that sounded like a dying bear.
GRRRRROOOOOWL.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Vera froze. Her face turned a darker shade of red.
"That... that was my battle cry!" she yelled defensively.
[Observation: That was the sound of a digestive system screaming for help. She is about to faint in 3... 2...]
"I challenge you..." Vera swayed on her feet, her eyes losing focus. "...to a duel... for that... piece of meat..."
Her knees buckled. She collapsed face-first into the dirt with a heavy thud.
Ren stared at the unconscious warrior princess.
"Is everyone I meet in this world starving to death?" Ren sighed.
"My Lord," Pip whispered, poking Vera with a stick. "Is she dead? Can we eat her gear?"
"No," Ren rubbed his temples. "Pick her up. Put her in the new cabin. And Mogs... cut an extra slice of boar. We have a guest."
[Notification: You have acquired 'One Unconscious Ogre'. Romance Route Flag triggered? Probability: 15%. Survival Difficulty increased.]
"S.U.G.A., stop narrating my life like a dating sim."
End of Chapter 2.