Henry spent the next hour doing what any rational person would do after being reincarnated into a medieval death trap with a magical voice in their head. He wandered around trying not to have a complete mental breakdown.
The village of Ashvale was somehow worse the more he explored it. Every corner revealed a new architectural horror that made him want to weep professionally.
A house with a roof supported by a single beam that was clearly rotting from the inside. A well that had been dug so close to what he suspected was a latrine that it was a miracle the entire population wasn't dead from dysentery. A communal building that leaned so far to one side it looked like it was trying to bow to the ground in shame.
"How is anyone still alive here?" Henry muttered, stepping carefully around a puddle that might have been water or might have been something far worse.
[Luck, mostly. Also a surprisingly robust immune system among the population. I have been monitoring this village for some time. It defies all logical expectations of survival.]
"You can just talk whenever you want, can you?"
[I am a system. Communication is one of my primary functions. Would you prefer I remain silent?]
"I'm still deciding." Henry paused in front of what might have been a blacksmith's workshop, judging by the sad little forge and the sound of metal being hammered inside.
The building looked like it had been constructed by someone who thought load-bearing walls were optional. "Can you at least tell me what I'm supposed to do? Like, in detail?"
[Accessing tutorial information.]
A translucent blue screen appeared in front of Henry's eyes, floating in the air like some kind of holographic display. He jumped back, nearly falling into another puddle, before realizing that nobody else could see it. The screen was filled with text and what looked like simplified diagrams.
[Building System Tutorial: As the Bearer of the Building System, you can construct structures using available materials and system-provided blueprints.]
[Each completed structure grants rewards based on quality and complexity.]
[Current level: 1.]
[Available blueprints: 3.]
[System points: 0.]
"System points?"
[Currency for unlocking advanced features and blueprints. Earned through construction, innovation, and quest completion. You currently have none because you have built nothing.]
The system's tone was definitely judging him. Henry could feel it.
He studied the floating screen more carefully. There were three blueprints available to him right now. Simple Wooden House, Basic Storage Shed, and something called a Foundation Stone.
The house blueprint showed a small but sturdy structure with proper support beams, a peaked roof for water drainage, and even a stone foundation. It was nothing fancy, but compared to everything around him, it might as well have been a palace.
"Alright, so I need materials and a place to build. Where exactly am I supposed to get lumber and tools in this place?"
[The system provides basic construction capabilities. Once you select a building site and confirm the blueprint, necessary materials within a reasonable radius will be highlighted. You must then gather or purchase them. Tools will be temporarily provided during construction.]
"Temporarily provided," Henry repeated. "So magic tools?"
[Correct. The system is designed to facilitate construction, not to do it for you. You must still perform the physical labor.]
Of course he did. Nothing could ever be easy.
Henry walked further into the village, his architect's eye automatically cataloging every disaster waiting to happen. He needed empty land, which seemed to be in short supply given how haphazardly everything had been built. The villagers had apparently just plopped down buildings wherever they felt like it, creating a maze of crooked paths and dangerous blind corners.
After nearly twenty minutes of searching, he found something that might work. A small plot of land near the eastern edge of the village, relatively flat and miraculously empty except for some scraggly grass and a few rocks. It was positioned away from the worst of the mud and close enough to the village center to be practical but far enough that he would have room to work.
"This could work," Henry said, walking around the plot and mentally measuring it. Maybe twenty feet by twenty feet. Enough space for a decent starter house with room left over for a small yard or garden.
[Suitable location detected. Would you like to select this site for your first construction project?]
"Hold on, I need to make sure this land is actually available. I can't just build on someone else's property, that's hella illegal."
[Scanning land ownership records. This plot is unclaimed. Previous structure collapsed two years ago. Site has been abandoned since then.]
That explained the few pieces of rotting wood half-buried in the dirt. Someone had tried to build here and failed, probably because they had no idea what they were doing. Henry kicked at one of the pieces of wood and it crumbled into mulch under his boot.
"Definitely not a loss," he muttered. "Okay, system. I'll take it. Show me what I need."
[Blueprint selected: Simple Wooden House. Scanning for materials.]
Suddenly, Henry's vision changed. It was like someone had turned on a video game highlighting system.
Various objects around the village began to glow with a soft blue light. Stacks of lumber near the sad blacksmith's shop.
A pile of stones near the well. Even some rope that had been left coiled near one of the houses. Numbers appeared next to each glowing object, showing quantities.
[Required materials: 47 wooden planks, 23 support beams, 1 bundle of nails, 34 foundation stones, 12 lengths of rope, 1 bundle of thatch.]
[Total estimated cost: 15 silver coins.]
[Current funds: 0 silver coins.]
[Recommendation: Find employment or negotiate with village leadership for materials.]
"Great. I'm broke in two worlds now." Henry sighed and ran a hand through his hair, which he was still getting used to being younger and thicker than he remembered.
"I don't suppose you can magic up some money?"
[Negative. The system assists with construction, not financial fraud.]
"It was worth asking."
"Goddammit!"
Henry was about to start figuring out how to explain his situation to whoever was in charge of this village when he felt it. That distinct sensation of being watched. He turned slowly, scanning the area, and saw nothing at first. Then he looked again, more carefully this time.
There, partially hidden behind a nearby house, was a girl. But not just any girl. She had long blonde hair styled in two elaborate twintails that seemed far too clean and well-maintained for this muddy village.
Her ears were pointed, rising gracefully from beneath her hair. An elf. Henry blinked several times, but she didn't disappear. She was real, watching him with bright curious eyes that seemed to take in every detail of what he was doing.
She was dressed better than anyone else he had seen so far, in a light green dress that actually looked like it had been tailored by someone who understood clothing construction. She couldn't have been more than twenty or thirty, though Henry had no idea how aging worked for elves in this world.
The moment their eyes met, she didn't look away or hide. Instead, she tilted her head slightly, her expression openly curious, as if Henry was some kind of fascinating puzzle she wanted to solve.
Henry raised one hand in an awkward wave. "Uh, hello?"
The elf girl's eyes widened slightly, and a small smile formed on her lips. "Aloha!"