*
Thud!
– Can I just place it here?
– No, not there, next to it. Yes, yes, place it there and I’ll confirm it for you.
After finishing their hunt in the dungeon, the low-rank hunters and a group of orc skeletons arrived at the slaughterhouse, pulling out the massive corpse of a big boar one by one.
High-quality meat, supplied in hundreds of quantities each day, filled the shelter with the constant smell of grilled meat.
Normally, such actions wouldn’t be allowed in areas densely populated with monsters, but since they were effectively surrounded, it expressed a confidence that if anyone wanted to come in, they could try.
– Should we eat some too?
– What!? Eating monster meat will turn you into a monster!
‘…’
Of course, there were some who refused to eat monster meat. There had once been a wild rumor that eating monster meat would cause a loss of self-control and turn your blood black, and that influence still lingered.
Since they were providing sustenance, it seemed like they weren’t too hungry, but starting tomorrow, the supply of sustenance would be halted, so it wouldn’t be long before those enduring would change their stance.
Click-click-
After finishing my task, the squad of skeletons lined up in front of me.
Contrary to worries, the orc skeletons were able to enter the dungeon.
There was no resistance when passing through the gate, and even inside the dungeon, they demonstrated diligence by continuing to fulfill their purpose as my summoned creatures, capturing big boars, large snakes like Prosphidi, and even those horned rabbits that hadn’t been discovered recently.
However, it wasn’t without its problems.
Throughout the back and forth between the dungeon and the shelter, there were always big and small accidents, most of which were due to orc attacks.
Once, a group including an orc warrior and dozens of fighters led to a disaster where most of the low-rank hunters lost their lives.
Naturally, my beloved skeletons also incinerated along with them.
‘But it’s not like we should prepare for orc warriors who show up like beans in a drought.’
Still, the number of hunters volunteering for the food supply unit actually increased.
It was much safer than the battles at the boundary of the sanctuary where chimeras or orc warriors appeared daily.
‘Such accidents can’t be helped. Still, things are going better than expected. It’s almost frightening how smoothly things are going.’
As long as they weren’t orcs of the warrior level or ogres, or chimeras that occasionally popped up, we had little trouble.
Furthermore, as Yeon-hee recovered and was able to summon ‘White Dragon’ again, the defense of our shelter became even more solid.
But even so, the reason we couldn’t easily break away from the boundary of the sanctuary was still due to absolute numbers.
‘There are just too many.’
When I first returned, there were maybe around 10,000, but now, around 20,000-30,000 orcs surrounded our shelter.
Even after killing them daily, it was still so.
If our humanity could be in a state comparable to awakened ones like orcs, we wouldn’t be so helplessly overwhelmed.
Regardless, they became increasingly cautious as time passed, especially with the inclusion of orc sorcerers; this phenomenon was becoming even more pronounced.
When S-rank hunters or summoned beasts appeared, they quickly pulled back their forces.
It seemed that the intelligent and self-controlled sorcerers were able to rein in the otherwise restless orc warriors.
There were several facts I learned while guarding the sanctuary for a week.
First, one negative piece of news about this world.
When I had sought out Yeon-su, the presence of the erosion-type monster that appeared riding on Maeng Seong-yong’s shadow was one.
It had rapidly begun eroding the surroundings, and it was now visually noticeable that over 30% of Bukhan Mountain had turned pitch black.
Conversely, a positive point is that its rate of erosion has been gradually slowing down.
“They say that the rate of erosion is proportional to the number of orcs,” said an A-rank hunter from the Guardian Guild, catching the attention of nameless hunters who were resting.
“Is that a verifiable fact?”
“They discovered that the trend graphs of the erosion rate inversely correlate with the graphs of orc numbers collected by high-level officials.”
“So other places are seeing a decrease in orc numbers?”
“Seems so. I can’t say why the monsters are accumulating only on our side…”
“That can’t be true. An acquaintance of mine who is near the fortress of Vulcanus said that they haven’t even killed a fraction of what we’ve killed.”
“Of course. Here, there’s Hunter Lee Yeon-hee, so we continuously replenish our ranks, but it’s different elsewhere. Considering all factors including recovery time for injured, resource supply, it must be tough anywhere else.”
“But why are so many monsters coming our way? Is it because of the meat smell?”
“Rather, we’re killing so many orcs that it might be orcs strengthening their forces toward us. It’s more likely than them coming just because of the meat smell.”
“I heard other places are also securing food supplies just like our shelter. The food supply unit told me that the number of hunters encountering monsters in the dungeon has been rising sharply.”
“Regardless, it’s most likely that reducing the number of orcs is definitely related to the erosion. Numbers don’t lie.”
“Is that so…?”
While I thought it was a plausible claim, in my memories from my past life, it had nothing to do with it.
‘I didn’t know an elongated monster at the center would conduct erosion, but I’m sure that as the erosion area widened, the rate decreased.’
It was no different from the Great Beast Devouring Creeper expanding its territory in North Korea.
At first, it rapidly grew, but when we infiltrated, it barely expanded a few steps each day.
‘Everything has its limits. But the problem is that these erosion-type monsters will keep appearing. I wouldn’t be surprised if erosion is already starting in other areas.’
And that would appear through the gates opened by the orc reconnaissance team.
Slowly, over months or years, they would gnaw away at the territory bit by bit.
– Mom, I need to go to the bathroom. Bathroom.
– Should I go with you?
– No, I can go by myself!
Hearing the childish voice, I turned my gaze to see a boy around 6-7 years old confidently heading toward the public restroom.
The boy entered the temporarily built restroom, which was reasonably constructed, and his waste miraculously vanished into the ground.
– Hehe, the poop disappears like magic!
After finishing up, the boy, seeing the object he created vanish, wore a proud expression as if he had become a sorcerer.
The boy’s waste would be transported beyond the boundary of reality, to be used as nutrients for the sanctuary.
‘Non-awakened ones are solidifying the sanctuary themselves!!’
What an amazing defensive system this is!
While the durability metric still wasn’t visible, it was clear that the defensive power of the sanctuary was continually strengthening.
Of course, only a few, including myself, knew about this mechanism.
No need to explain further.
In an age overflowing with magic and mystery, one convenient point is that such anomalies don’t require lengthy explanations.
As Yeon-hee’s summoned creatures and the hunters’ abilities to counter orcs improved, I was able to invest time in decorating the shelter.
I had started the project of making a studio-sized house using ‘Dark Stones’ two days ago.
There were quite a few construction experts among the non-awakened ones, so the work was surprisingly smooth.
“Originally, we would use a bulldozer to dig the foundation, then cast it and cure with concrete, followed by installing insulation materials like urethane foam before doing the electrical work…”
‘… ?’
I had heard the overall process of building a house multiple times, but it just didn’t sink in.
If I were getting more stupid from not having a brain, it would be a real crisis.
“Just follow what we ask you to do.”
Following the words of Manager Park, appointed as the best expert among the relevant personnel, the hunters and orc skeletons including me just nodded in agreement.
The work was divided into two tracks.
I sliced the dark stones to the necessary sizes, while the other hunters proceeded with the adhesive to create the container-like houses.
On one side, heavy machinery was still in use for traditional foundation work, and curing was already underway in the area where the foundation had been dug.
“Sprinkling this powder will harden it quickly.”
The powder Manager Park showed me was something I had heard of.
It was ‘Phyliria’, a plant commonly found in dungeons; when dried and finely ground, it significantly shortens curing time.
There was some disagreement among workers midway about whether to do the electrical work or not, but the conclusion was that we would try laying electrical lines in some of the houses.
Of course, the final decision was made by me, who was hiding behind Yeon-hee for final approval.
‘This shelter… we’re going to be using it longer than expected.’
Living in an open space can be more stressful than one might think.
Creating a small nest for comfortable sleep is incredibly important for maintaining security.
Of course, I hadn’t even considered electrical work as a part of that.
– Isn’t building houses a bit overboard?
– I don’t know, but it’s nice to have. But would the owner of all those houses be Hunter Lee Yeon-hee?
– I guess so. How much rent would it take to live there? Would they want a security deposit?
– Would they just let us live for free?
– Nothing in this world is free. Wake up from that dream.
– So, I need to do something too… this is a big deal.
– The weather’s warm, so I think I’ll just stay outside. How can I live in that mysterious black stone?
‘…What? What’s wrong with the black stone? It’s surprisingly cozy.’
Surprisingly, the opinions of the residents about building houses were split down the middle.
For those who desperately wished to escape the current situation and return to their original nests, the houses under construction could feel like a grim reminder of a dismal future.
‘…Time will sort it out.’
Right now, what I do might seem pointless or a reckless waste of resources, but one day I will be praised for my foresight.
– Whoa whoa whoa! Hey! What are you doing wasting that water!
– S-sorry!
– Seriously, people need to be more careful. Do you know how precious that water is!
The man being scolded by the work leader was absurdly spreading ‘Irmana’s Water’ thinly between stones.
Once precious recovery water was now being used as an adhesive for dark stones.
The goddess Irmana’s power of fusing different elements into one was incredible, allowing even dark stones to stick together.
Amazingly, it was the goddess Irmana herself who hinted at this usage.
‘I’m serious. I heard it.’
Of course, it wouldn’t be difficult to find cement in a country where the reconstruction boom has lasted for decades, but Manager Park concluded that the ‘Irmana Method’ he named was indeed much more efficient than traditional methods.
‘Good.’
Thanks to the Great Evil One Bin Chi-seung yielding the [Sanctuary of the Boundary], our shelter began to spread quickly as a stronghold where one could live a more human-like existence, though not necessarily the safest in the nation.
Perhaps that’s why, at the entrance made of ‘Dark Stones’, about 300 refugees were hoping to move in and were waiting in line.
Non-awakened ones, having no specific roles, took it upon themselves to mediate and manage the refugees’ needs and requirements.
They stepped up voluntarily without me even asking.
– Can’t you do something for my baby? He hasn’t eaten for two days!
– I told you, it’s packed here. I saw your kid eating enough to make his belly stick out!
– But with so much space, let us squeeze in a little! You’re even roasting meat!
– Don’t you feel sorry for the child? He’s exhausted from avoiding monsters and can’t even move.
– Please wait. We are trying to find a way for everyone to survive. We’ve already provided sustenance, but if you keep insisting…
‘Hmm…’
The clash between those wishing to enter and those trying to maintain the existing order was likely to continue for some time.
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