The Master Builder System

Lisa stared at Finn, her brows slightly raised, her lips parted like she couldn't quite believe what she had just heard.

"Wait… so it's true?" she asked. "You're the one who made all of this happen? The buildings? The food?"

Finn gave a small nod. "Yeah. That was me."

Lisa blinked. "But… how?"

Finn shrugged. "Honestly? I don't know. It just… happened. One moment I was me, and the next, I had this power. I didn't ask for it. But it's here."

He paused, then smiled faintly. "Maybe it's like what your father always said. About fate. About strange gifts coming to people at the right moment."

Lisa's eyes lit up. "You mean what my father used to call fateful encounters?"

Finn nodded. "Yeah. That."

Lisa looked away for a second, her smile softening. "I thought he was just telling stories. I always worried he was filling your head with too many tales." She looked back at Finn, eyes bright. "But if this is real… then maybe he was right all along."

She stepped closer. "So? Did you really meet something—or someone—that gave you this magic to build?"

Xabi, who had been sitting quietly nearby, looked over. He hadn't asked before. Not in detail. To him, the 'how' never mattered as much as the 'who.' And when he found out it was Finn, that was good enough.

Still, now that Lisa had asked, he leaned forward, curious.

Lisa noticed his interest and turned to him. "Wait. You already knew?"

Xabi nodded once. "I did."

Lisa raised a brow. "And you're not surprised?"

He looked away. "Not really."

Finn chuckled, but didn't comment on Xabi's odd expression. He had always seen Lisa as an older sister. Someone kind, smart, and always trying to look out for others. If anything, he was just glad she didn't seem afraid of him.

Lisa turned back to him, a small smile tugging at her lips.

"So," she said in a playful tone, "when we met in the Reading Hut… you already had this power and said nothing?"

Finn scratched the back of his neck. "You didn't ask."

She laughed. "That's not an excuse!"

Then she leaned in a bit, eyes narrowing teasingly. "So… the food buildings. That's your doing too?"

Finn gave a sheepish grin.

"Yeah. That was me too."

Lisa's smile widened, but she said nothing for a moment. She was still trying to wrap her head around it.

The quiet boy she once taught how to read, write, and count… was now the one reshaping the entire village.

Lisa leaned forward again, her eyes sparkling.

"So about the school... can you really make it happen?"

Finn nodded. "Yes. But I'll need four more teachers to join you."

Xabi raised an eyebrow. "Why five?"

Finn blinked. He was trying to think of a reason when Lisa jumped in, "Well, if that's the case, I believe my parents can help. They taught me everything I know. Sometimes they even taught you too, right, Finn?"

Finn smiled. "Yeah… that's true."

Old Thom had always taught him things without making it feel like a lesson. Whether they were walking to the river or watching the stars, he talked about numbers, directions, and problem-solving.

It was strange, but it stuck with him more than anything he read in books.

Lisa looked thoughtful. "I can ask a few more people to join us. I'm sure someone in the village would want to teach."

But Finn had a different idea. "I was thinking… maybe I should build the school first. Then we'll make an announcement. Whoever's interested can apply to be a teacher."

He thought quietly for a moment.

Maybe the system would give him a robot helper for school too. And maybe, just maybe, he could assign the teacher role like a job. He could even create rules and structure with the system's help.

Just then, his stomach growled again.

Xabi chuckled. "Right. I promised to cook for you, didn't I?"

He stood up, rolling his shoulders. "Alright, let's get this done."

But just as he turned toward the kitchen area, there was another knock on the door.

Xabi groaned. "Who is it now?"

He opened the door, only to see Tessa, Rata, and Tora standing outside with grins on their faces.

"Oh great," Xabi muttered.

The three of them smiled wider. "We know."

Xabi raised an eyebrow. "Know what?"

"We heard," they said in unison, eyes glinting.

Before he could stop them, the three barged in and plopped down around Finn like excited kids at a campfire.

Tora leaned forward. "Is it true?"

Rata chimed in, "You're the one who made all the wonders?"

Tessa added, "The walls? The food? Everything?"

Finn just blinked, frozen.

Xabi came in behind them and gave each of them a light knock on the head.

"Oi. You three. Give him space."

"Ow!" Rata rubbed his head.

"That hurt," Tora muttered.

"Why always the head?" Tessa complained, still holding her scalp.

Finn stared at them, unsure if he should laugh or be impressed. These were supposed to be young warriors. Yet here they were, getting scolded like children.

Xabi shook his head. "These three love eavesdropping, especially when Old Hann used to come here to talk to me about becoming a real leader."

The three of them gave sheepish grins.

Lisa chuckled. "Just let them be. If they've heard it already, there's no use hiding it now."

She stood and looked at the kitchen space.

"I'll cook something for everyone. We've enough ingredients from the one you brought and mine. I'm sure my parents won't mind. They've gotten their food shares too."

"Thank you, Lisa!" the three guests said together.

"Lisa's cooking?" Xabi looked like he was about to float.

But Finn's face suddenly turned pale.

Xabi noticed right away. "Hey… what's wrong with you? You look like you just saw a ghost."

Finn slowly shook his head, eyes fixed on the kitchen. "No. I've never seen one… but this is scarier."

Tessa, Rata, and Tora all stiffened. They weren't exactly afraid of beasts, but ghosts? That was a different story.

"If it's scarier than a ghost," Rata whispered, "what in the world is it?"

Finn raised a shaky finger and pointed toward the kitchen. "Xabi… for the love of this village… You better go help her cook."

Xabi blinked. "Wait, what? Why?"

Finn hesitated… then whispered, "Lisa is a bad… no, a terrible cook."

All three of the guests gasped softly.

They turned toward Lisa, who was now humming happily, holding a knife like she was about to invent a new cooking technique.

Tora leaned in and whispered, "She can't be that bad."

Finn looked them dead in the eye. "She once boiled rice without water."

Tora blinked. "That's… not possible."

"Oh, it gets worse," Finn said grimly. "She thought salt and sugar were the same thing."

Rata's mouth opened. "No way."

"She tried to fry eggs," Finn continued, "with honey instead of oil."

Tessa looked horrified. "That's a crime."

"And once," Finn added, voice dropping like a dramatic whisper, "she made soup using river water… unboiled… with berries and raw fish."

All three of them went pale. Tora clutched his stomach like it was already reacting.

Xabi stepped forward like a man who had just accepted his fate. "Alright. I'll go help."

Tora grabbed his arm. "No, brother. You're not helping. You're saving lives."

The room went silent. They all gulped.

Lisa smiled sweetly. "What?"

No one dared to answer.

Finn just prayed they'd survive lunch.