Chapter 2 – The First Resource
The forest did not feel welcoming.
The moment Aren stepped beneath the towering trees, he felt it.
An invisible pressure.
The kind that made the back of his neck tingle.
The Moonshadow Forest was quiet… far too quiet.
Even the wind seemed cautious here.
Aren walked slowly, his boots crunching softly against fallen leaves. The two elf rangers moved ahead of him, their movements silent and graceful as shadows.
They clearly knew how to move in a forest.
Aren, on the other hand, did not.
"Stop."
The elf on the left suddenly raised her hand.
Aren froze instantly.
"What is it?"
She crouched slightly and pointed toward the ground.
"Tracks."
Aren stepped closer and looked down.
Large claw marks were pressed into the damp soil.
The prints were massive.
Each paw looked almost the size of his hand.
"Dire wolves?" Aren asked quietly.
The second elf ranger nodded.
"Yes."
Her voice was calm, but her fingers remained tight around her bow.
"These tracks are fresh."
Aren felt his stomach tighten.
Fresh meant nearby.
Very nearby.
He slowly scanned the forest around them.
Tall trees.
Dense shadows.
Anything could be hiding out there.
"We're not here to hunt wolves," Aren said.
"Resources first."
Both elves glanced at him.
The first ranger nodded approvingly.
"A wise decision."
Aren exhaled slowly.
He had played enough strategy games to know something important.
Early losses destroy early games.
If he lost one of his only soldiers now…
he might not recover.
"Let's find wood," Aren said.
Fortunately, that was not difficult.
The forest was filled with fallen branches and broken trunks.
After a few minutes, they found a tree that had fallen long ago. Its trunk was dry and cracked, perfect for gathering wood.
The second elf ranger knelt beside it.
"This should work."
She pulled a short blade from her belt and began cutting through the bark with efficient movements.
Aren watched for a moment.
Then something appeared in his vision.
---
Wood +1
---
Aren blinked.
"So it updates automatically…"
Interesting.
He crouched down and began helping.
The work was slower than he expected.
Even gathering simple wood required effort.
After nearly fifteen minutes, another notification appeared.
---
Wood +5
---
Aren wiped sweat from his forehead.
"Five already feels slow…"
The first elf ranger stood nearby, scanning the forest.
"We cannot rush."
Her eyes moved constantly between the trees.
"Predators often watch before attacking."
Aren didn't like the sound of that.
But she was probably right.
They continued working.
Branches snapped.
Wood piled up.
Gradually, the number in Aren's interface increased.
---
Wood ×9
Wood ×12
Wood ×16
---
But just as Aren reached for another branch—
The forest went silent.
Completely silent.
The elf ranger suddenly raised her bow.
"Something is wrong."
Aren felt it too.
The air had changed.
Even the birds had stopped making noise.
A twig snapped somewhere in the distance.
Aren's eyes slowly turned toward the sound.
Then he saw it.
Two glowing yellow eyes staring from the darkness between the trees.
A low growl echoed through the forest.
A massive wolf stepped forward.
It was far larger than any wolf Aren had ever seen.
Its fur was dark grey.
Its body was nearly the size of a horse.
Saliva dripped from its fangs.
A Dire Wolf.
The first elf ranger whispered.
"…Just one."
The second ranger frowned.
"Where there is one… there are usually more."
That was not comforting.
The Dire Wolf lowered its body.
Preparing to pounce.
Aren's heart began pounding.
"Can you take it?" he asked quietly.
The first ranger pulled back her bowstring.
"Yes."
The arrow flew.
The shot was fast.
Precise.
The arrow struck the wolf's shoulder.
The beast howled in pain.
But it didn't fall.
Instead, its eyes filled with rage.
And then it charged.
"Spread out!" Aren shouted.
The two rangers moved instantly.
The second ranger fired another arrow.
This one struck the wolf's leg.
The Dire Wolf stumbled but kept running.
It was fast.
Too fast.
Within seconds it was only a few meters away.
Aren grabbed a thick branch from the ground.
Not ideal.
But it was better than nothing.
The wolf leaped.
Its jaws opened wide.
But just before it reached Aren—
Another arrow pierced its throat.
The wolf crashed into the ground, sliding through the leaves before stopping just a meter from Aren.
Silence returned to the forest.
Aren stood frozen for a moment.
Then he slowly exhaled.
"...That was close."
The second ranger approached the fallen beast.
"Very close."
A notification appeared again.
---
Dire Wolf defeated
Experience gained.
---
Aren blinked.
"So killing monsters gives experience too."
That confirmed another game mechanic.
The first ranger examined the corpse.
"This wolf was alone."
"But that is unusual."
Aren frowned.
"You mean wolves usually hunt in packs?"
"Yes."
That meant something important.
There might be more nearby.
"We're leaving," Aren said immediately.
Both elves looked slightly surprised.
"But the resources—"
"We already have enough for now."
Aren pointed toward the wood pile.
"Staying longer increases risk."
He glanced toward the trees.
Something about this forest felt wrong.
Predators.
Tracks.
And a lone wolf.
His instincts told him something bigger was out there.
And the worst thing a new lord could do…
was get greedy.
The two rangers exchanged a glance.
Then they nodded.
Aren opened his system interface.
---
Wood ×21
Stone ×3
---
Not perfect.
But enough to start.
"Let's go back," Aren said.
They returned to the clearing where Aren first woke up.
The sunlight had begun to fade slightly through the trees.
Aren opened the building panel again.
---
Citizen Hall
Requirements:
Wood ×20
Stone ×10
Labor ×3
---
"We still need stone," Aren muttered.
The first ranger pointed toward a rocky hill visible through the trees.
"There."
Aren looked at it.
Good.
Close enough.
But before they could move—
The system suddenly activated again.
---
Global Announcement
The first Lord to construct a Citizen Hall will receive a special reward.
---
Aren's eyes widened.
"A global announcement…?"
That meant something terrifying.
There were other lords.
Thousands of them.
And now…
a race had begun.
The second ranger looked confused.
"What does it mean?"
Aren stared at the message.
Then he slowly smiled.
"For us?"
"It means we need to move faster."
Because if he could become the first lord to build a city…
the advantage might change everything.
Aren closed the system window.
Then looked toward the rocky hill.
"Let's get that stone."
The real competition had just begun.