The ground in Veirdale was cruel.
Every swing of Kail's shovel struck not soft soil, but hardened ash layered over dry clay. The fire from the bandit raid hadn't just burned buildings—it had baked the very earth, making every attempt to dig through it feel like an exercise in futility. The clay beneath had become nearly as solid as stone, resisting every strike, every attempt to unearth something useful.
Kail grunted, sweat dripping down his face as he worked. His arms ached, each movement reminding him of how long it had been since he had done anything so taxing. But this wasn't the gym back in Jakarta. This was survival. Every effort mattered. Every inch of progress counted.
He was digging near the old goat pen ruins, hoping to uncover some usable stone or remnants of his father's experiments. Anything that could help reinforce his shelter before the coming rains. The wind howled in the distance, like some great predator waiting to pounce. Kail had no illusions about what would happen to his fragile shelter if the rains hit before it was reinforced.
"You work like you're punishing the ground," Rin's voice broke through his concentration.
He didn't look up. "Maybe I am," he muttered, hitting the shovel harder against the ground.
She squatted near the edge of the dig site, tossing a small rock from hand to hand. "That's not how you find things. The old places have bones under bones. You need to feel where it cracks."
Kail paused, wiping sweat from his brow. "You mean like intuition?"
"No," she replied with a smirk. "I mean listen for the hollow spots. The earth talks. You just have to listen."
Kail frowned at her cryptic words but decided to try anyway. He struck the shovel flat against the earth. A dull thump echoed through the air. He moved a few feet and struck again—thud. Another shift, and this time the sound was different. It wasn't the usual dull thud of clay. It was a lighter, crisper sound—like metal or stone.
Clink.
There.
Kail's heart skipped a beat. This wasn't just dirt. It was something hidden. His hands shook slightly as he brushed the dust away, trying to be as careful as possible. His eyes widened as a faint glimmer of something solid began to reveal itself—a carved stone slab, covered in centuries of dust and ash.
He leaned closer, feeling the weight of the moment. A sigil was etched into the center of the stone. It was old. Very old. Two linked circles, with jagged lines crossing between them, glowing faintly with an otherworldly energy. It seemed to hum softly, as if alive.
Kail froze, his breath catching in his throat.
Structure Detected:Sub-Basement Entryway (Locked)Age Estimate: 32 YearsConstruction: Varnen Family Storage CellarStatus: Collapsed EntranceUnlock Requirements: Basic Engineering or 5 Additional KP
His fingers trembled as they traced the cold surface of the slab. This... this was his father's work. He had mentioned a hidden root cellar before. A place where he stored prototypes, unfinished projects, tools of importance that could never be let go. Kail had never taken those ramblings seriously. But this? This was real.
He looked at Rin, who was watching from a distance, her expression unreadable.
"This was his," Kail said softly. "Dad's last project."
Rin stepped forward, eyes narrowing at the sigil. "You gonna dig it out?"
Kail hesitated, brushing more dirt away, but he knew the answer. "Eventually. I need knowledge for that. Or system points. Right now, I have neither."
He stood up, brushing the dirt from his shirt. His mind raced, thinking of what could lie beneath. The cellar could be full of useful supplies, but unlocking it would take more than just brute force. He needed knowledge, and he needed time.
"But I've got a well. A roof. And someone who doesn't want me dead," he said with a smirk, trying to lighten the mood.
Rin tossed the rock in her hand high into the air, catching it behind her back. "You sure about that last part?"
Kail grinned, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Not entirely, no."
The evening approached, and the wind began to pick up, howling harder than usual. It seemed as though the elements were testing the strength of Kail's newly built shelter. He stayed close to the fire, sharpening his axe, the rhythmic sound of steel on stone a welcome distraction from the tension building in his chest.
Rin sat nearby, roasting the last of the lizard meat they had found. The smell was thick and gamey, but it was enough to fill the silence between them. Kail's mind kept drifting back to the sigil he had uncovered. His father's legacy. The idea of unlocking that cellar—of accessing whatever secrets it held—burned at him like a flame. But there were more immediate concerns. The shelter needed more reinforcement. The rain would come soon, and it was too fragile.
The storm would expose every weakness.
The wind howled again, making the shelter creak. Kail flinched but didn't let his thoughts wander further into the dark recesses of the past. He had work to do.
"I heard whispers today," Rin's voice cut through his thoughts.
Kail's eyes darted to her, surprised by the sudden shift in tone. "What kind of whispers?"
She leaned forward, staring into the fire. "From the woods. The wind carried them. Not words. Just... watching."
A cold chill ran down Kail's spine. The last thing he needed was more enemies lurking in the shadows, especially after everything he had been through. "Bandits?" he asked cautiously.
"No," Rin said, shaking her head. "They make noise. These weren't flesh."
Kail's grip tightened on the axe. His instincts screamed that something wasn't right. But for now, there was little he could do about it. The wind outside howled again, filling the night with eerie, haunting sounds. It felt like the entire forest was alive—watching, waiting.
But Kail couldn't afford to get lost in fear. He had a roof to fix, a cellar to unlock, and a future to secure. There was no time for ghosts or whispers. The wind could carry them as far as it wanted.
Tomorrow, he would dig deeper. Tomorrow, he would start building a future from the ashes of the past.
New Objective Available:Reinforce Well (2-Day Task)Reward: +3 KP, Water Purification BlueprintBonus Objective: Establish First Farmland Plot (Optional)Reward: +7 KP, Unlock: Early Crop Knowledge (Earth-based Compatibility Tier I)
Kail lay awake that night, the wind still howling above, rattling the roof and making the walls creak. But he couldn't sleep. His thoughts kept racing. His parents. His past. The life he had lost.
The memories of the last day on Earth, the disaster, the tunnel collapse—it all came back in waves. His mother's voice, shouting at him to move, to get out. His father, struggling with the weight of everything they had left behind. And then the crash. The end of everything.
But here, on this strange world, there was something else. The chance to rebuild. To make something new. He wasn't sure if it was possible, but it was all he had.
He lay under the uneven roof, staring up at the stars. They were different from Earth's sky—more clustered, tinted with violet—but beautiful in their own way. And for a moment, Kail could almost believe that this world was worth saving.
"I'll do it right this time," he whispered, his voice barely a murmur in the night. "Not for power. Not for revenge. For them."
He shut his eyes tight, forcing the images of his parents' last moments out of his mind. There was work to be done. Tomorrow, he would start digging stone. Maybe even reinforce the well. Maybe plant something.
One brick at a time.
End of Chapter 4