As I pressed yes, an interface hovered before me almost instantly.
[Territory Expansion — 100m -> 200m]
[Requirements:]
[300 SP ✓]
[2 Buildings (2/2) ✓]
[9 Inhabitants (Currently 7/9) ✗]
[Scanning expansion zone...]
[New Territory Preview:]
Northern quadrant — dense woodland
Western quadrant — swamp extension
---
I stared at the preview for a long moment.
More swamp.
Of course it was more swamp.
I had expected as much.
With a quiet resignation, I closed the interface,the kind a man wears when he has already drained one swamp and is fully prepared to drain another.
"Two more inhabitants… to expand."
That was the gap between where I stood and the next threshold.
Two more living beings.
Or perhaps… I could simply summon them.
I still had one Normal Summon Ticket and an Epic Summon Ticket sitting in my inventory.
I intended to use them.
But first, the results of these ten days deserved acknowledgment.
---
The morning was clear. The twin moons lingered faintly against the pale blue sky as the sun slowly climbed above the treeline.
I walked through the territory at an unhurried pace until I reached the structure we had finished constructing the day before.
The Storehouse stood solid at the northeastern edge of the cleared farmland.
Beside it, the farmland stretched in organized rows—dark, rich, and faintly gleaming with the vitality of soil that had waited centuries for this purpose.
I crouched near the nearest row and examined the leafy greens.
Ten days ago, they had been nothing more than seeds pressed into the earth by my own hands.
Now they stood in confident clusters, broad-leafed and vibrant, their color so rich it almost felt intentional.
[Leafy Greens: Day 10 of 10–14. Harvest window opens in 0–4 days.]
Behind them, the root vegetables swelled beneath the surface. The soil lifted slightly around each plant, pushed upward by steady, unseen growth.
[Root Vegetables: Day 10 of 15–20. On schedule.]
At the center, wheat grew in clean, disciplined rows, already reaching my knees.
[Wheat: Day 10 of 20–25. On schedule.]
The rice remained slower—short, dense, and quiet in its progress.
[Rice: Day 10 of 25–30. On schedule.]
And at the northern edge, near Lys's cave, the medicinal herbs.
Small. Delicate.
Yet unmistakably alive.
[Medicinal Herbs: Day 10 of 30–35. Enhanced growth detected — nature energy influence confirmed.]
I straightened and looked over the entire field.
It was… peaceful.
The quiet reward of effort made visible.
"Not bad," I muttered.
---
[Not bad? You cleared a swamp, built a Storehouse, survived ten days of Juvenile-rank monster waves, ascended two stars, and grew enough food to eliminate starvation as a concern. But yes. 'Not bad.' Very measured of you, Mortal.]
"Zero… was that a compliment?"
[It was an objective assessment.]
"It sounded suspiciously like a compliment."
[I will not be having this conversation.]
I grinned faintly and made my way toward the well.
The materials from ten days of Juvenile-rank combat had been sitting untouched in my inventory. Construction had taken priority—I hadn't had the time to process any of it properly.
Now, I did.
I sat at the edge of the well and opened the store interface.
Scaled Raptor hides—flexible, heat-resistant.
Spine Boar cores—dense with alchemical potential.
Marsh Crawler carapace segments.
And more.
Still unfamiliar. Still new.
I sold everything without hesitation.
---
[Processing...]
[Sale complete. Thank you, dear Seller. We hope to acquire more of your fine ingredients ^^]
[SP received: +2,513]
---
I paused, staring at the number.
Then checked my total.
[SP: 5,260]
"Hehehe."
The sound slipped out before I could stop it.
"Zero… I'm rich."
[...…]
"Rich," I repeated, a little more enthusiastically.
[Contain yourself. It is embarrassing for your age.]
"Nonsense. Money is neutral. Who doesn't love money?"
[It is not mon....]
"Whatever it is,I am rich. Bwhaha."
After a brief and entirely unproductive exchange, I stood and made my way toward Lys's cave.
That was when I heard voices.
One was childish and another familiar.
Timber crouched at the cave entrance, his massive frame too large to fully fit inside.
Lys sat before him.
Her large amber eyes watched him closely. Her grey-green hands rested quietly in her lap. Her dark hair remained wild, though slightly less tangled than before.
On one of his broad vines, Timber held something out to her.
A small collection of smooth river stones..pale grey, rounded, worn by water.
He must have gathered them while clearing the swamp.
"Timber found these," he said, his voice careful, reduced—smaller than his size allowed. "When water left. Thought… Lys might like them. Smooth things are… nice."
Lys stared at the stones for a long moment.
Then, slowly, she reached out and picked one up.
She turned it in her fingers.
"…Why?" she asked.
Timber tilted his head, considering the question with visible effort.
"Timber… doesn't know. Timber thought Lys like it."
A brief silence followed.
"They are smooth," Lys said quietly. "Thank you."
She picked up another.
Then another.
Carefully, she arranged them in a small line beside her.
Her gaze lingered on them.
"…I don't understand," she said softly. "Why are you all so nice to me? I don't have anything to offer. So why?"
Timber only tilted his head again, the question clearly beyond him.
"Master's orders… Timber obeys."
"Master…" she repeated, as if testing the word.
"Marfin… Sama… that is Master," Timber said, forcing the unfamiliar sounds,It must have been difficult for him to pronounce.
Lys went still.
Then, slowly, her gaze shifted,past Timber.
Toward the treeline where I was hiding.
Toward me.
It must have been some kind of sensor type ability.
---
"…Remember this," she said calmly. "I did not ask for your help. Nor did I ask for your concern."
Her fingers continued to move over the stones, but her words were no longer meant for Timber.
"Yet you still helped me. You showed concern."
....
"I do not understand why."
Her voice remained steady.
"My parents always taught me that those with ulterior motives are the ones who offer unconditional kindness. That it is bait… used to lure, to break, to take."
Her grip tightened slightly.
"You do not seem like a bad person."
A brief silence.
"But I could be wrong. Humans… are venomous."
Her gaze lowered.
"We were taught from a very young age to stay far away from them."
....
"Still… if I assume you are an exception…"
Her voice wavered, just slightly.
"…then you must want something from me."
"Perhaps you believe Forest Sprites possess great treasures."
"Or perhaps… you seek that so-called thousand-year spiritual refinery root the cultivators speak of."
Her voice faltered.
"The one they… slaughtered my people for."
Silence pressed down.
"I do not have it," she said quietly. "We never did. It was nothing more than a myth."
Her voice began to fracture.
"And yet… we paid the price."
A breath.
"Why?"
Her hands trembled.
"Why were we the ones to suffer for something that was never real?"
Her voice broke.
"How is that fair…?"
The words came apart at the edges.
"Cultivators… those disgusting cultivators… they—"
Her voice collapsed into itself.
Then, just as quickly—
She stopped.
She inhaled.
Wiped her eyes.
And straightened.
---
"That… is beside the point."
Her voice returned, controlled, composed.
"What I mean is this."
She gathered the stones in her hands.
"You have given me something I did not ask for."
"A chance."
"A light."
Her gaze lifted again.
"I may not be much right now. But Forest Sprites grow quickly. We grow stronger with the territory we inhabit."
A pause.
"If you help me…"
Her voice softened.
"…then in a year, perhaps two… I will repay you."
"I swear it."
Her head lowered fully.
"I swear it upon Yggsdril."
She prostrated herself completely.
---
"Marfin-sama… please."
"Help me grow stronger."
"I beg of you."
[Ding!]
[The Forest Sprite "Lys" has submitted her will to you.]
[Would you like to tame her?]
[YES || NO]