Morning came gently.
The village stirred slowly — roosters crowed, a breeze rustled the trees, and someone in the distance yawned loud enough for the birds to pause.
Riku stood in front of the old mirror in his room at the inn, tying the sash of his clean robe. The tea and futon from yesterday still lingered in his mind. For once, he hadn't woken up in a panic, stressed about meetings or late-night deadlines.
It felt… strange. In a good way.
He stepped outside and walked down the dirt path, nodding to a few villagers along the way. Most of them gave him curious glances — not unfriendly, just hesitant. A stranger showing up in a place this forgotten was bound to draw attention.
As he neared the village square, he saw Lila sweeping the area near the dry fountain, her sleeves rolled up and hair tied back.
She gave him a small nod.
"You up early."
"Habit," Riku replied. "Corporate life."
"Is that a kingdom? Never heard of it."
"Worse. It's where dreams go to die. The only thing to do there is race against others and come out at the to.p"
Lila smiled, unsure of how to react. "Well, Father's waiting inside. Please do meet him once"
The village chief's home stood slightly elevated, built of old stone and timber, with a small garden out front now dried and brittle.
Chief Barou was already seated on the porch, sipping from a wooden cup. He looked up as Riku approached, then gestured for him to sit beside him.
"Good morning, Riku," Barou said warmly. "Did you sleep well?"
"I almost cried," Riku admitted.
Barou laughed. "Then I'll consider it a successful welcome."
The two sat in comfortable silence for a moment before Riku turned toward him, more serious now.
"Chief… I wanted to understand what happened to this place. I mean—this village feels like it was once… alive."
Barou's eyes dimmed slightly, but he nodded.
"You're right. This used to be the starting point for all young adventurers heading into the western provinces. Every other day, we'd have fresh faces—brash boys swinging sticks, girls trying to tame their first familiars. Quests filled the board. Merchants passed through often. We even had a small guild outpost."
"What happened?"
Barou took a long sip from his cup, then sighed.
"Kingdom borders shifted. Roads changed. Bigger cities offered faster quests, more rewards. The guild closed our outpost. Merchants stopped coming. Adventurers began skipping us entirely. Our well ran dry two summers ago. Crops failed. Many left. Those who stayed… just endure."
Riku sat quietly, a strange weight in his chest.
It was eerily similar to how EverRealm had died — slowly. Updates stopped. Players moved to flashier games. The community withered until only a handful remained, too nostalgic to let go.
He looked up at Barou.
"What's the biggest problem right now?"
Barou didn't hesitate. "There is a severe drought, We desperately need water. Without it, we can't farm. Without food, the rest doesn't matter."
Riku nodded.
"Can you show me the well?"
The old well stood at the far edge of the village. A circular stone structure surrounded by cracked earth and a sagging pulley. The rope had frayed, the bucket was gone, and the stones around the rim were dry and dusty.
Barou placed a hand on it with quiet reverence.
"Even when the adventurers left, this well never did. Generations drank from it. And then one day, it just… stopped."
Ding.
[Quest: Restore the Lifeblood]
Solve the village's water shortage.
Reward: +10 Goodwill Points + 1 Modern Unlock
Note: Overwhelming the structure will void bonus points.
Riku narrowed his eyes.
"…A little pressure, huh?"
He turned to Barou and smiled faintly. "Leave it to me. I'll have it flowing again."
Barou blinked. "You're serious?"
"I've fixed worse things. Like broken office printers."
"…I don't know what that means, but I'll take your word for it."
That night, while the village lights dimmed and the wind grew cool, Riku sat cross-legged in his room, the system's interface hovering before him.
Lines of magical theory — runes, elemental sigils, mana flow patterns — shimmered across his vision. He combined knowledge from the Mage class and Formations Class, tweaking the flow and draw rate. Too much water, and the well would explode. Too little, and it wouldn't matter.
He inscribed a slow-draw water generation circle that would convert ambient mana into moisture over time, condensing it and gently funneling it into the base of the well.
It was low-effort, sustainable, and scalable.
He liked it.
He grabbed a lantern and slipped out the door, walking through the moonlit village, the only sound his footsteps and the distant chirping of night insects.
The well was quiet, surrounded by sleeping silence.
Riku knelt beside it and gently placed the etched formation stone at the base.
A soft hum rose.
The magic activated.
There was a faint glow from within the well, like moonlight underwater — and then, the softest sound.
Drip.
Drip… drip.
Water began to pool at the bottom.
It wasn't much, but it was steady.
Riku smiled.
And then—
"...What are you doing out here?"
Riku jumped slightly and turned.
Lila stood near the fence, a shawl over her shoulders, a lantern in one hand.
"I could ask you the same," Riku said.
"I was on my way to the back shed," she said, walking closer. Her eyes fell to the well — and widened.
"…Is that…"
Water continued to rise. A full splash echoed now.
"You… did it?"
"I tweaked a magic formation," Riku said. "Low-output but continuous. It'll take a day or two to fill."
Lila just stared, blinking in disbelief.
And then she ran.
Minutes later, villagers in nightgowns and robes gathered in clumps, murmuring and whispering. A few were rubbing sleep from their eyes, others stood barefoot in disbelief.
Barou arrived last, clutching his coat.
When he saw the water glistening in the well, he fell to his knees and touched the rim.
"…It looks cold," he whispered. "And clean."
Cheers broke out — soft at first, then rising louder, as people clapped, hugged, and praised the miracle.
"Bless the traveler!"
"He did it!"
"Water! Real water! And so much of it!"
Barou stood, his voice choked.
"You truly are a blessing, Traveller. Forgive us if we offended you earlier with our shoddy hospitality."
Riku scratched his head, suddenly overwhelmed. "I just… it wasn't that hard."
"Then let us thank you hard," Barou grinned. "You've saved us. We owe you more than you know. If there is anything that the villagers could do for you, please let me know."
"Sure..."
"We finally have water, lads. Sleep tight. Tomorrow, we will plant seeds. We cannot waste the goodwill brought about by the traveller." Barou spoke in a loud voice to all the villagers
"Ay, ay, chief!" All the villagers cheered
Meanwhile, Riku got a silent notification.
Restore the Lifeblood - Complete
[+10 Goodwill Points Earned]
You have unlocked: Basic Electricity Generation Blueprint – Wind + Dynamo Edition]
Note to host - You have 12 goodwill points. You can use Goodwill Points to get more of the unlocked items from the shop.