Ch 49
Matt considered the option to begin repair work on the fort, weighing what it would take to complete all the necessary fixes. The good news was that he didn’t have to search for any forms of mortar or anything particularly hard to come by—except perhaps for the smelted iron. Securing that material would likely prove problematic, as he wasn’t sure where to find any. Nonetheless, he eagerly selected to start the repairs, moving every bit of material from his storage into the fort. Rocks appeared only to vanish almost instantly, as if they were whisked away to a preordained storage space within the fort. At the same time, Greg began shouting about the stones they had gathered disappearing, and Matt knew he had to provide an explanation.
An hour later, after more than one heated argument, Matt had managed to explain what was going on. Still, it was the sight of the fort’s minor damages gradually diminishing that truly convinced everyone. The main issue had arisen when Matt returned to his spatial storage room and touched the crystal ball, only to receive a message stating that there wasn’t enough wood, stone, and iron to finish the fort and that, with current reserves, it would remain only 72% intact when it stooped all repairs in 48 hours. This alarming piece of information prompted Matt to sit down with Greg, Eleanor, Steve, and Yumiko, With Yumiko being the only one who raised her hand when he inquired about finding iron.
“Alright,” Matt began, “wood and stone aren’t our primary concern; we can gather plenty simply by walking around and chopping down trees. It’s the iron we need to concentrate on, but it must be smelted before it can be used. This means there are two challenges: first, finding the iron, and second, constructing a furnace that can smelt it.”
“We’ll need to produce charcoal as well,” Yumiko commented thoughtfully. “Without it, reaching the necessary temperature will be very difficult.”
“Does anyone know how to make charcoal?” Eleanor asked, her voice betraying uncertainty.
Silence fell over the group. Matt frowned as he recalled his previous investigation into the process, remembering that using a wood stove had sufficed for his own needs. All he recalled was that the process required hard wood and that it needed to burn in a low-oxygen environment. With no one stepping forward to offer additional information, he shared what he knew and asked Steve and Eleanor to see if any of the others had further insights. After that, he shifted his focus back to the tasks of finding iron and building a suitable furnace.
“Alright, now what should we do about the furnace and iron ore issues?”
“We can check if the riverbed has any iron sands accumulated at the bends,” Yumiko replied confidently. “That’s exactly how Japan managed to work around the scarcity of rich ore deposits.”
“Or we could simply keep our eyes peeled for any red-colored bands of rock,” Steve suggested. “Really, if this place is anything like Earth, finding iron ore in the area shouldn’t be that difficult.”
Greg shook his head. “I prefer the iron sands option. The main challenge will be collecting them since running water naturally separates the sands.”
“You’re talking about constructing a sluice,” Matt interjected. “If we have a few containers that can hold water, it should be simple enough to make one—especially with me transporting water here using the bag I have.”
“No, we need to work directly where the iron sands are abundant,” Greg insisted. “We have no idea how concentrated they might be, and we need a higher volume more than anything.”
Eleanor then offered her thought. “So, we dig a well and use the silver bowl Matt brought back to fetch the water needed for the sluice. I’m thinking if eight of us focus on that—four working and four acting as guards, rotating periodically—we could make some solid progress.”
“What about the leveling work that’s pending?” Steve asked. “Or has that just been canceled?”
“No,” Matt responded firmly. “After this meeting, I’m heading out to lure in more monsters. The six of you who aren’t yet at level 3 can focus on the current tasks for the rest of the day. Before I leave, I want to ensure our plans are set in the right direction so that starting tomorrow I can search for additional groups to boost our manpower while gathering materials.”
Steve let out a relieved sigh. “Good—you had me worried that you didn’t care about helping us all grow stronger.” He paused before adding, “Still—”
“Let’s not get into too many details about this here; that’s a conversation for you and Eleanor,” Matt interrupted. “I just set our direction and let you figure it out.”
“But you’re skipping the ‘figure it out’ part,” Steve retorted, his annoyance clear. “The least you could do is listen to all our ideas instead of just going with whatever Eleanor prefers. Don’t think I haven’t noticed that every time she talks to you, you end up adopting the plan she likes best.”
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“Trust,” Matt said simply. “Steve, I trust Eleanor, it’s as simple as that. Her plans haven’t led to any disasters, while my own have not always worked out. Just look at today—my idea to tackle the dungeon nearly cost us our lives. Even if we managed to get out alive, we shouldn’t have, and I’m grateful that you haven’t sent anyone else down there to die.”
“I still think we should wait until everyone reaches level 3,” Steve retorted. “It seems like all the work you want us to do is just to keep us busy and away from the dangerous dungeon.”
“We need the manpower to defend this place,” Matt explained passionately. “I plan to wage war on the goblins sooner rather than later. So, know that our work won’t end once the fort is repaired. We’re going to do everything in our power to build a real army here—so that even if I fall, the rest of you can stand fast.”
Matt didn't miss the fleeting shadow of a dark thought crossing Steve's face as he finished speaking. Still, he gave the man the benefit of the doubt, assuming that Steve was merely plotting how to wrest control away from him eventually—but not just yet. After all, as the only one with a proven healing method, Matt’s value to the collective rendered any rebellious effort doomed to fail under the current circumstances. It hardly mattered that more than half of those at the fort disliked him and that at least a fifth had already started whispering plans to force him aside.
"That's going to be a tremendous amount of work," commented Greg, glancing over the aged walls of the fort with a mix of concern and determination. "But as long as we can repair the walls and start hurling stones from behind them again, I believe a defensive war is winnable with around 100 combatants, at least from what I understand."
"We need to shift to the offensive and be ready to take on at least 10,000 goblins," stated Matt firmly, his voice echoing both ambition and resolve. "I plan to lead the charge myself once I reach level 8, backed by a group of no less than 200 level 5 warriors willing to follow me."
"That’s outright insanity," argued Steve, his tone laced with exasperation. "You’ll be guiding them directly into their deaths!"
"Even worse," Matt retorted sharply, "if all those goblins are level 3, the victory wouldn't even fetch them 200 experience points."
At these words, Steve seemed to falter, tilting his head as he mulled over Matt’s insight. Meanwhile, Matt took a deep breath and began explaining what he’d deduced about experience points, adding a level of detail that had been missing before.
"We've all received those notifications about gaining experience after every monster kill. I've been grumbling about how little we actually accumulate, so I started crunching the numbers in my head. What I discovered is that base experience isn't a fixed figure—it changes based on our rank relative to the monster's rank, effectively doubling or halving for every difference in their ranks. I believe that everything starts at 15 experience points, with subsequent modifications applied from there. I can't be entirely sure yet, though, as we haven’t faced a wide enough variety of foes to confirm it definitively."
"I'd bet there are also special monsters that yield extra experience," proposed Greg thoughtfully. "Like area bosses or elite champions."
"We shouldn't jump to conclusions," cautioned Eleanor softly, her eyes reflecting both curiosity and skepticism. "But if we all start noting the exact experience gained from each fight, maybe we’ll piece the puzzle together."
"Either way," Matt declared, clapping his hands as he prepared to move out, "it's time for me to go fetch groups of four to eight monsters for the rest of the day. I trust you four to sort out the finer details."
"Yes, I'll talk it over with you tonight," replied Eleanor, still deep in thought over the implications of experience points.
Matt nodded as he stood, deliberately ignoring the disapproving frown that Steve wore after Eleanor’s final words. With that, he turned and left, and the rest of the day passed without incident. The last six individuals who needed to level up to reach Rank G finally did so, and before long, Greg reached Level 4 shortly after that. This only fueled his incessant banter about inching closer to realizing his dream of having a harem—a detail Matt recalled from Eleanor’s report that very night.
In another stroke of luck, one of the staff wielders from Steve’s group unlocked a spell that could conjure water. Although each casting produced only about ten gallons, which in combat would be as effective as dumping water on an opponent’s head, the spell nonetheless solved their immediate water shortage for the fort and the sluice. However, the creation of the sluice itself remained a problem; they lacked the proper tools even to build the most basic version. The leading idea was to find a large, flat rock and carefully chip channels into it to trap the heavier iron sands. Alternatively, they were exploring the possibility of constructing one from wood, though the best concept required them to strip an entire half-log of bark in one piece—a challenging task given their limited resources.
Matt frowned as he didn’t have any ideas about how to solve the sluice problem. Though he was relieved that someone else in the group was experienced in making their own charcoal for barbecuing. That same person also understood how a bellows worked, using their knowledge to adjust airflow and control temperature to some extent. Unfortunately, they remained clueless about how to construct a bellows with the materials available. Still, a few others in the group believed they had some ideas once they understood that the basic purpose of a bellows was simply to increase airflow—even if the effect was much less dramatic than what Greg’s spell could achieve.
Meanwhile, a separate group of four had plans to build a furnace just outside the fort’s remaining open wall, using mud and stone. Regrettably, the fort’s current priority was repairing all the minor issues with the walls that were still intact, including the foundations of the buildings that once stood within the inner wall. This situation, however, gave everyone hope that they might eventually have proper buildings to live in—provided they could secure the necessary iron. Yet, uncertainty about the amount needed and numerous hurdles meant that celebration was far from their minds.
As Matt finally turned in for the night, he felt a cautious optimism. He believed that with time, they would sort out these challenges, and he could continue focusing on the crucial task of finding more survivors.
