The Master Builder System

Everyone was lucky.

Xabi turned out to be a pretty good cook.

He managed to take over the kitchen without making it too obvious. He didn't want to hurt Lisa's feelings, so he gently guided her instead.

Somehow, it worked. Lisa listened to him every step of the way.

And the food?

It turned out surprisingly good.

Well, mostly because Xabi saved every single dish at the last second.

He was sweating the whole time from both the heat of the stove and the pressure of stopping disaster after disaster.

Still, he looked happy.

No, more than that. He looked proud.

All this time, he thought Lisa only admired smart people, or kind ones, or those who could talk well. She had never been the type to be impressed by strength alone.

But now?

She actually followed his instructions. She praised his cooking. And when she smiled at him and nodded along while stirring the pot, he felt like a hero.

The small kitchen space wasn't meant for six people, but no one cared. Everyone squeezed in to watch the two of them work.

Tessa, Rata, and Tora leaned against the wall, watching every move.

They giggled whenever Lisa almost messed up and Xabi rushed in to stop it.

"Lisa, no, that's sugar, not salt... again."

"Oh no, don't pour that into the soup!"

"Wait, don't stir with that. That's the fire poker!"

Each time, Xabi would save the moment. And each time, Lisa would giggle and say, "Oops."

He stayed calm. Focused. And somehow, every dish made it to the table in one piece.

Later, they all gathered around a low wooden table on the floor. The food was laid out across wooden plates and clay bowls. Fresh vegetables, soft rice, warm stew, eggs cooked just right, and even slices of roasted meat.

Finn took a bite and closed his eyes. He hadn't tasted something this good in days.

"This is amazing," he said.

Lisa smiled and nodded. "That's all thanks to Xabi. He's a good teacher."

Xabi's ears turned red. His smile grew wider, but he tried to hide it by sipping his soup.

The others didn't let it slide.

"Ohhh, did you hear that?" Rata grinned.

"She called him a good teacher," Tora said, nudging him.

"Xabi, you're blushing!" Tessa laughed.

Xabi glared at them, but the smile on his face never left.

Lisa just chuckled and went back to eating.

Finn sat quietly, watching them all.

The laughter, the teasing, the warmth, it felt good. Like something was finally right in his life.

And with a full stomach and happy company, he felt something else too.

Grateful.

Grateful for the moment.

Grateful for the people around him.

And grateful that, for once, he had friends.

After the meal, Tessa, Rata, and Tora leaned against the wall, rubbing their stomachs with satisfied sighs.

It wasn't just Finn who hadn't tasted good food in a while. Almost everyone in the village had been living on whatever they could hunt, grow, or trade. Meat was rare unless a hunting party got lucky. And even then, it had to be shared carefully.

But the food from the new buildings? It was different.

Full of flavor. Clean and warm.

Real meals.

As they lounged around, they kept glancing at Finn with newfound curiosity. During the meal, he had shared bits of his plan to build a school and find five teachers. Lisa was already in. That left four more.

That was when Tessa spoke up.

"Why don't you just take us four?"

Finn blinked. "Four?"

He counted. "Aren't you three?"

Tessa smirked. "Well, yeah. But Xabi's one of us, too."

Xabi nearly choked on his drink.

Rata and Tora burst into laughter.

Tessa looked at them and said, "Well, he may not look like it but he is good. He learned to read, write, and count all by himself because he wanted to impress a certain someone."

Xabi quickly said, "Well, to impress my late mother."

The others were trying their best to hold their laughter.

Lisa smiled and turned to him. "Really? You're such a good son, Xabi."

Xabi's ears turned red. "Well… I guess I can be a teacher too."

It just came out.

Finn grinned. That made five. Just what he needed.

He could volunteer to be one himself, but he wasn't sure if the system would count him. So he was relieved.

But then another thought crossed his mind.

"Wait… Aren't you three needed at the gates?"

Tora shook his head. "Not really. We've got more people stepping up as guards now. With the walls and gates, everyone's less afraid."

Rata added, "And we've got shifts. We can set a proper time for teaching. Guard the gates when we're not teaching."

Finn nodded. That sounded like a solid plan.

He clapped his hands. "Alright then. Let's go build our Village School."

They stepped out of the cottage and started heading east, walking at an easy pace. As they passed through the village paths, a few heads began to turn.

It wasn't every day that four of the village's young warriors were seen walking together, and even more surprising, they were walking with Lisa.

But what really caught everyone's eye… was Finn.

Quiet, humble Finn, leading the way.

Xabi walked beside him, arms crossed. "So, you're using the east side of the village for everything related to knowledge?"

He figured that because they were walking toward Finn's house and there was already a Reading Hut, there.

Finn nodded. "Yeah. I want to divide the village into five sections. Central, West, East, North, and South. Each with its own focus. The East will be for education."

Everyone nodded, impressed by Finn's vision.

Soon, they stopped near the Reading Hut.

Tessa looked around, then asked, "Hey… this place where people come to learn, what did you call it? School? Shouldn't it be big?"

The others looked to Finn.

He smiled. "No worries. I can expand the walls. Add new ones."

Rata frowned a little. "But if you push the walls farther, won't we get too close to the Whispering Forest?"

Finn nodded. "Yeah, I know. But if we want to grow, we'll need to make space. We need to arrange for a clearance operation later."

The young warriors straightened up.

Clearing the forest meant a higher chance of encountering more beasts. And more beasts meant more chances to fight and get stronger.

Taro grinned. "So, are you gonna make a training place too? For us warriors?"

Finn nodded. "Eventually. But first, the school."

He then summoned the system and opened the School interface.

=====

[Village School – Tier 1]

Size: 60 x 40 meters

Contents:

– Basic wooden desks and benches for up to 50 villagers

– Chalkboard, learning tools, writing supplies

– Dedicated shelves for books and scrolls (connectable with Reading Hut)

– Small room for each teacher (up to 5)

– System-integrated management desk

Effect:

– Unlocks the "Teacher" profession

– Enables structured learning schedules

– Grants XP bonuses for knowledge-based tasks

– Increases village morale and intelligence stat growth

Suitability:

– All villagers aged 4 and above

– Teachers, Heroes, and Apprentices

Function:

– A formal learning space where villagers can be trained in reading, writing, math, history, world knowledge, and more

Build Cost: 2 Builder Points

=====

Finn confirmed the construction.

Before that, with a thought, he pushed the walls 200 meters farther east. The ground rumbled slightly as the eastern border extended.

Then, on each side of the new boundary, two 200-meter walls rose up—sealing the section cleanly.

The village just got bigger again.

And now, it had its first official school.