Rook felt it halfway through reinforcing the watchtower stairs.
A dull, hollow ache low in his stomach.
He paused, hand braced against the railing, and exhaled slowly.
Hunger.
Not panic hunger.Not starvation.
The kind that reminded him he wasn't running on adrenaline anymore.
He climbed down and returned to the cabin, sitting at the table as he opened the System interface.
[Talent Points Available: 2]
The panel hovered expectantly.
He could have poured them into Strength. Vitality. Made himself harder to kill.
That wasn't the problem.
The problem was that people needed to eat. And if this place was going to last—if he was going to last—it couldn't depend on scavenged rations and luck.
Rook navigated to the Engineer class panel.
Submenus unfolded.
[Engineer – Development Talents]
— Construction Optimization
— Resource Yield Efficiency
— Structural Integrity Scaling
— Basic Automation Logic (Locked)
He selected Resource Yield Efficiency.
[Talent Allocated.]
[Passive Effect: Resource output increased by 10%.]
Then Construction Optimization.
[Talent Allocated.]
[Passive Effect: Construction time reduced.]
No fireworks.
Just leverage.
Rook closed the panel and opened the Global Shop.
The interface flickered, syncing.
He filtered by Blueprints → Sustenance.
The list was short.
One entry pulsed faintly.
[Blueprint Available: Tier 1 Farm Plot]
— Requires Territory Control
— Produces staple crops
— Scales with labor input
— Compatible with Automation
Rook checked the cost.
Affordable.
Barely.
He didn't hesitate.
[Purchase Confirmed.]
[Blueprint Acquired.]
The hunger in his stomach sharpened, as if reacting to the decision.
Rook stood and stepped outside, surveying the valley with new eyes—not as land, but as output. Sunlight. Soil depth. Water proximity.
"This solves it," he murmured.
The System didn't comment.
It didn't need to.
Rook rolled his shoulders once and headed for the clearing near the stream, blueprint already unfolding in his vision.
Next, he would eat.