42. Sun
But a sun.
I really couldn’t have imagined.
“…Can you actually buy something like this?”
If people all over the world knew, they would truly be shocked.
Well, more accurately, they would be astounded.
Of course, it was a legitimate purchase in terms of paying points, but the fact that one could buy such an unbelievable item was truly mind-boggling.
To think that abilities others couldn’t even imagine were given out as mere items.
He definitely seemed like a god.
“But… what about this?”
[Please speak.]
“Is it really okay? Like, if it gets too hot that even the ground can’t bear it. After all, it’s the sun, right?”
[You need not worry. As always, any negative effects will be completely erased. Will you make the purchase?]
“Yes.”
With his answer, Han could almost see the small orb rising before him as if waiting.
“Oh….”
It was truly, literally a ‘sun.’
Bright and radiant as if burning.
The only difference was its size, being no larger than a fist.
“Huh? What’s that?”
Naturally, the elves, too, instinctively looked up at the sky.
The appearance of a sun that brightly illuminated the entire ground.
Everyone blinked in surprise at the change, staring blankly at the sky.
Hane marveled at the brightness of the sun illuminating the earth.
“It’s really small. But why is it so bright? It’s as bright as a summer noon.”
[Originally, this micro-sized planet should have emitted temperatures exceeding a hundred thousand degrees. Despite eliminating all negative effects such as gravity and temperature, leaving only superficial power, its brightness remains, albeit extremely faint.]
So, this is what was left to the minimum.
If this had actually generated power, it would have been incredibly awe-inspiring.
“God? This is…”
“It’s warm.”
The elves reached out their hands as if feeling warmth with the appearance of the sun.
Their eyes were filled with curiosity.
To them, this was probably the first time they experienced proper light in their lives.
The square, always shrouded by the sun in the sky, had a hazy, dull color as if covered by mist.
For the first time, such a square was brightly illuminated.
“It’s the blessing of the gods!”
“…Huh?”
That was the moment.
Zion looked up at the sun in the sky and waved his hand.
“It feels like the warm blessing of the gods is hovering above that sky, sister!”
It wasn’t entirely wrong.
In fact, the action was indeed seeking warmth.
Of course, the target was not the elves, but for the purpose of growing potatoes, which wasn’t a bad thing.
It was around that time.
Plunk!
The field where potatoes were planted.
There, small sprouts began to emerge.
“Uh, huh?”
“A sprout that didn’t come out until now… why now?”
The sudden change made the elves widen their eyes in surprise.
Their astonishment was a natural reaction.
Of course, as always, they could quickly speculate the reason.
“Oh.”
There was only one thing that had changed.
The warm light that Hane had summoned, the sun.
“Uh… could it be…”
“Is it what the gods intended?”
Indeed, these clever elves.
Once again, they quickly grasped Hane’s intentions.
***
Zion lifted a watering can.
The flowing stream of water trickled down, moistening the small mounds covering the potatoes.
“Everyone should sleep well.”
The elves began earnestly working the fields.
Right next to the mushroom house.
Five rows of potato fields sprouted.
All of this was their precious staple, as well as what would feed the mice and sparrows.
Farming was familiar to them.
In the past, they had always grown crops as a daily routine even in the cold ice caves where they lived with their grandfather and two siblings.
Back then, they only harvested mana mushrooms commonly found everywhere, but growing potatoes wasn’t much different.
The process was simple.
Give them enough water and keep them warm.
As Zion raised his head, the warm sun was shining brightly.
Their god, Han Yi Jeok, was present.
It was a strange light they were seeing for the first time, but it wasn’t unpleasant.
Rather, the warmth that made them feel better seemed to increase the more they looked at it.
Looking at the emerging small sun, Zion realized something.
“They say that in the past, a dazzling light illuminated the whole world from the sky… Could that be it?”
The world before the snow covered everything.
At that time, there was the sun, the sun, sunlight, and sunshine.
It was said that there was only one pure light with various names.
It was described as so dazzling that it was difficult to look straight at, and that a warm heat was transmitted.
It was indeed an expression exactly as they had heard.
Perhaps that was exactly what it was.
The plants seemed somehow quieter than usual.
They instinctively knew.
All the plants in the square were asleep under the warmth of that light.
The surrounding bushes and oak trees too.
The World Tree was no exception.
Everyone was embracing the birth of this light warmly.
“….”
In front of the mushroom house’s door.
There, Yumina was nodding off, shaking her head drowsily.
Beside her, three wolf cubs were snuggled up together, fast asleep.
Seemingly to bask in the warm sunshine.
***
Meanwhile, Han had expanded his field of vision very wide.
Ohhh….
On the other side of the city, in the distant high sky of the vast snowfield.
Han gazed towards the direction of the square from there.
“Something catches the eye, doesn’t it.”
The sun towering high in the sky above the square.
The light was bright enough to be seen even from this distant place.
Of course, due to the relentless snowfall in this snowy wilderness, the intensity of the light was sometimes dimmed and obscured, but even a slight thinning of the snowflakes quickly revealed the bright light.
“It’s like a lighthouse, in a way.”
Though not intentional, it seemed like it would serve a fairly decent purpose.
It appeared that it would be somewhat helpful in finding a sense of direction.
Recalling the times when she moved only after the snow settled, allowing objects around her to be discernible, it definitely seemed like there would be an increase in efficiency.
Pat.
Han shifted her gaze.
In an instant, the atmosphere of clouds and white snowflakes was brought closer from the distant sky, descending towards the ground.
Drawing her sight closer to the square, she looked down at the ground.
A deep blue forest had turned into a square.
Below, a group of mice was basking in the warm sunlight, lying in place.
Normally, these critters would diligently graze on grass, but today they seemed to be sprawled out lazily, not even making a move.
At a glance, it seemed like they were enjoying this warmth.
“Hmm.”
As Han quietly observed them, a faint smile crept onto her lips.
***
It was around a full day later from that moment.
“Hmm… I wonder if I could build some proper defense structures?”
Han was browsing through the shops.
[What are you curious about?]
“These kinds of things here.”
Han pointed to images of medieval fortifications on the internet.
There stood massive fortresses and walls in those images.
She wanted to surround herself with such secure defense structures.
Like the walls in the pictures.
Of course, there were already walls in place.
A massive wall built with large mushroom bricks.
It was quite substantial in size, surrounding all four directions of the square.
However, it felt more like an ‘obstacle’ than a proper defense, making it difficult to possess real defensive capabilities.
She realized this during the previous battle with the soldier ants.
For big monsters, mushroom bricks were merely a one-dimensional barrier.
Ultimately, for them to effectively withstand the relentless charges of the monsters, a more solid structure was needed.
“I need cost-effective and highly defensive defense structures. Do such things exist?”
[Such things do not exist in reality.]
“As expected.”
It was a given.
I’ve had some thoughts as I’ve been watching until now.
There was clearly my own reasoning behind the distribution of points.
Should I call it my own rationality?
Although the criteria sometimes change due to rules that are hard to understand, there was always a plausible reason behind the expensive ones.
[But there is one similar product to meet the requirements.]
“Is that so?”
At the question, scrolls from the store swiftly scrolled down in front of Han’s eyes, soon stopping at one place.
▷Wooden Barricade: 500pt
An excellent obstacle with sharp wooden stakes intertwined. The sharpened wooden stakes are erected to provide effective resistance, making it a defensive structure.
(Current available points: 2,500pt)
“Oh?”
A wooden barricade!
It was a barricade with large logs sharpened like spearheads.
At a glance, it looked more solid and sturdy than mushroom bricks, appearing to be a decent facility.
I never thought something like this would exist.
Han’s eyes widened at the unexpected facility he discovered.
If these were placed at the intersections leading to the square in the city center?
From Noble mtl dot com
It was certain that they would play a crucial role in defense.
No matter the size of the monster approaching, one thing was for sure – it would be effective.
Moreover, the larger the opponent’s physique, the more advantageous it would be for the elves.
It was obvious that it was not easy to pass such a large barricade, and attempting to break through would result in significant injuries from being pierced by the wooden stakes.
“No matter the facility, the top priority should always be defense.”
It was the same in simulation games.
There is an enemy invasion and a threat.
Then, among various facilities, the first one to be developed should be the defensive structure.
Moreover, this was a reality where one mistake could determine their lives.
Even more caution was needed in the placement of facilities.
At that moment, Han recalled the dungeon he had accidentally entered with Irena before.
An environment dungeon that blended seamlessly with the surroundings.
“System.”
[Please speak.]
“Is it possible that the Ice Trolls we saw last time are roaming around in various places?”
[Of course. Ice Trolls are one of the common monsters you can encounter in this world.]
As expected.
Things don’t get resolved so easily.
If those creatures are scattered everywhere, it wouldn’t be surprising for a threat of that level to appear anytime.
It was also necessary to make every effort for the elves’ safety.
[Unlike Earth, there are no hunters present here.]
“That’s true, right? But why is that?”
Han asked, not knowing the system’s intention.
Due to the lack of defensive forces to block the dungeons, all dungeons on the surface will eventually trigger a dungeon break phenomenon. Therefore, countless monsters and incomprehensible phenomena leaked from there exist everywhere.
“Ah. Was that the meaning?”
Yeah. That must be it.
This is the kind of world we live in.
That’s why Han is so thoroughly prepared.
Sometime soon, the ice trolls I saw last time will gradually start to appear along with the dungeon break phenomenon.
[Would you like to purchase?]
“Of course.”
As he answered.
Thud!
Five structures appearing on the surface.
At the robust sound of the facilities that blocked the streets in the middle of the city, the elves who were deeply focused on their field work perked up their ears.
“Huh?”
“What’s going on?”
With a puzzled look, they turned their heads towards the city, and in the distance, they saw the barricades that had appeared.
Approaching with a sense of wonder, the elves poked the sharp ends of the defense structures with their eyes filled with amazement.
Watching them, he thought to himself.
“I guess we should focus on producing barricades for a few days.”
It would be good to form defensive lines at key points.