Gamer Tools: Kingdom Architect, A LitRPG Adventure

Another ordinary day.

Jonn’s gaze fixed upon the neatly stacked small logs, their rough bark glistening in the sunlight. A contented smile spread across his face as placed his axe on the ground. He reached for a soft towel, its fibers absorbing the beads of sweat trickling down his face, while inhaling deeply, filling his lungs with the crisp scent of pine needles.

“Aah!”

Having consumed half of the liquid in a small glass bottle, his lips parted, still moist, unveiling a sense of delight that permeated the atmosphere. In the next moment, his voice dissipated, merging with the tranquility of yet another dawn. The weather was exquisite, without a single cloud adorning the sky. The temperature was perfect, enough not to feel hot but not cold either.

Jonn paused for a moment, studying the slope in front of him, nodding his head up and down.

I can’t get enough of this view.

The hills of the Green Hills stretched out before him, a breathtaking sight that left him in awe. Every day, he made it a point to pause and gaze at the horizon, immersing himself in the tranquil beauty of nature’s serene sanctuary.

With forest stretching in all directions and no town for at least 100 kilometers, there was a serene stillness, undisturbed by any noise or confusion. Only a sense of calm, unity, and the eternal cycles of nature prevailed.

Jonn resumed chopping his firewood, expertly maneuvering his axe in the air before swiftly bringing it down on the half-meter-long log.

Just as the sharp blade of the axe was about to meet the wood, Jonn noticed that time seemed to freeze. Despite his still body, he remained acutely aware of his surroundings, his gaze locked in the same direction, his mind unaffected.

What is this?

...

“Hah, hah, hah.”

Out of nowhere, Jonn’s eyes snapped open, and he swiftly sat up, his mouth agape as if desperately trying to release the air from his lungs. Inhaling deeply, he tightly wrapped his arms around his body, shivering uncontrollably as he surveyed the area.

Returning to reality, his gaze landed on the ancient door of his house. Its weathered cracks provided a glimpse of the outside world, allowing rays of light to filter through and cast an illuminating glow within the confines of this enclosure.

Without decoration, the single room of 12 square meters contained a small chest of drawers, the bed he was lying on, a sink, and a table with a single chair. The floor of the room was compressed soil and the white walls were dirty, showing some cracks.

A minute after waking, his senses returned to reality, leaving behind the dream of moments before.

With an awkward smile, he laced up his boots and prepared to face another day.

These dreams are getting longer and longer. Am I going crazy?

As he opened the door, his eyes narrowed in response to the almost blinding brightness outside. But it would only take 10 seconds for the eyes of the tall man, 1.95 meters tall, with a firm and muscular body, but a youthful appearance, to adapt and see the horizon better.

In front of Jonn’s house was a long, seemingly endless black valley. For hundreds of square kilometers, no intelligent life could be seen beyond the small Eternal Village.

Apart from the black, ashen earth, the only thing that differed from the blue sky were the 12 houses around Jonn’s, where the small Eternal Village with its 44 inhabitants stood.

“Jonn, hurry, something happened to your grandfather!”

Suddenly, a voice from behind his house caught his attention, sending an electric chill down the spine of the white-haired young man.

Turning his face to identify the source of the cry, Jonn saw a middle-aged woman with an ordinary appearance, nothing flashy, neither beautiful nor ugly, simple as everyone in the village seemed to be. However, on Betta’s normally gentle face, a pallor marked her expressive lines, now fully defined in her grimace.

If Betta’s tone hadn’t alarmed him immediately, her expression would have done so after a quick glance. Jonn rushed to the side of the woman in the yellow and red dress and asked worriedly. “What happened? Where is he?”

“The Village Elder fell while leaving the greenhouse. Hurry, Jonn, he’s at Arber’s house. He wants to...” The woman with the black hair in a ponytail stammered. “He wants to say goodbye.”

With terror gripping him, Jonn swallowed hard and left Betta behind. He scaled the fence behind his house, perched on top of the hill, and raced towards the house that was situated 250 yards away.

Jonn walked all the way to Arber’s house—identical to all the other houses in the village—in just 30 seconds.

Some villagers saw him but said nothing. Some women put their hands over their mouths, while the men took off their hats in respect.

“Jonn, this way,” said Arber’s husband. Lance was a middle-aged man, who had white hair mixed with in his still-blond hair, but he now looked 20 years older than he actually was.

“I don’t know what happened, Jonn,” Arber said as she took her eyes off the man lying on her and her husband’s bed.

It was an old man, with almost no hair on his head, who seemed to be no less than 90. His body was wrinkled, thin, and he was bleeding from his nose.

Arber finished in a deep voice, “We went for a walk after picking strawberries, and when we left the greenhouse, he had a coughing fit.”

“He coughed up blood just before he lost strength in his legs,” Lance added as Jonn stoop beside the bed, bringing his face close to his old man. “We sent Betta to call you right away.”

“Grandpa!” The tall, strong young man felt his eyes moist as something seemed to want to come out of his mouth. Despite his robust, even mature appearance, it didn’t reflect reality. At only 16, Jonn felt unprepared for what everyone seemed to think was going to happen today.

The old man’s eyes moved, a subtle but unmistakable smile forming on his dry lips, as white as his clothes. “Don’t c-cry, Jonn. Y-You’re a m-man a-already.”

“Grandpa!”

The old man coughed a little, barely able to see what was around him. But even if Jonn wasn’t ready, there was nothing he could do.

Out of time, Hewet said his last words, “Jonn, be f-firm from n-now on. Now the Eternal Village is in y-your c-care. When I’m g-gone, go to my house and look for a letter. I’ve prepared it to e-explain e-everything to y-you.”

The man’s coughing worsened. His breathing grew weaker and weaker amidst his increasingly whispery voice.

Arber and Lance bowed their heads as they stepped back, both lamenting the Village Elder’s impending demise. For 30 years, old Hewet had led the village, witnessing the birth and death of several components of this small settlement.

“Grandpa...” Jonn felt tears streaming down his face, unbelieving that he was about to lose the only family he had.

“With my inheritance, I hope that one day you will find your parents. You may not have my blood, but you’ll always be my grandson. Don’t forget that.” The old man seemed more lucid than ever in his last words, showing his white teeth in his smile. “I wish you success. I hope you don’t fail like I did.”

Jonn closed his eyes as he squeezed one of his grandfather’s hands as he kneeled beside the bed. When he felt his old man’s strength fading, he looked into Hewet’s eyes, but now his lights was gone.

Calling out to him, the boy felt for a minute as if he could hear the kindest voice in the world again. Unfortunately, he had to be disappointed.

When he finally stopped, he felt the sepulchral silence of his village, subtle sounds of weeping coming from the neighboring houses, where the only four children in the entire Eternal Village were shedding their tears of grief.

“The old man is gone,” a man on a horse said as he looked toward Arber’s house.

Golden rays of light crossed the sky and hovered over Arber’s house. Everyone in the village watched Hewet’s departure, seeing the opening of the Dawn Gates in the sky, a sign of surprise for some, but not so much for the elders.

Jonn saw the edges of his grandfather’s body glow like glowing gold, and his eyes widened. A moment later, Hewet’s body turned white, slightly transparent.

Clenching his fists, he promised his grandfather, “I will do my best! But I’ll never catch up to you, Grandpa!” His voice was firm, but he couldn’t help but show his pride.

In his last moment in this world, Hewet achieved what even powerful magicians strive for in their lives. After receiving recognition from the heavens, the old Village Elder’s soul moved to the Immortal Realm, passing through the Dawn Gates.

There wasn’t much that ordinary people like them could say about the Dawn Gates or the Immortal Realm. But there was one thing that even the most ordinary mortals in this world knew.

Death came to everyone, whether they were a powerless mortal or a powerful Sage. Only Ascension could prevent the absolute end!

Leaving Arber’s house, Jonn looked up at the azure sky and saw a small colored star rising toward the golden pillars in the sky, the Dawn Gates. Seeing what must be the soul of the man who had raised him after he had been left for dead 15 years ago, Jonn clenched one of his fists, sad but also extremely proud.

He didn’t want Hewet to die. But no one could deny the mortality of their existence. If life followed its natural course, his grandfather would die and he would be left behind to carry on in this world.

It was the natural cycle of things. And since that was the case, it was best for the old man to reach the Immortal Realm.

I hope the Immortal Realm is like the legends say, Grandpa. That you have a lot of fun drinking with the gods and telling them your stories. I hope one of them believes what you’ve seen.

Amidst his tears, a subtle smile, not of happiness but of acceptance, formed on Jonn’s youthful face.

One day I hope to join you and tell my own stories. Until then, wait for me!

The golden rays coming from the infinite disappeared, making everything seem like an illusion. If it weren’t for the memory each of them carried and a missing body in Arber’s house, anyone passing by would doubt that someone had died in this village and left the realm of the living to enter the Immortal Realm.

In a world where even Sages couldn’t pass through the Dawn Gates, who would believe that an old man from the Eternal Village had made his way to the Immortal Realm?

As the first minutes passed since Hewet’s departure, the few residents calmed down. The children returned to their homes, while the elders returned to their duties.

Death was selfish and cold. Someone died, and no matter how important that person was to others, the living would always move on.

“Jonn.”

The man who had just arrived on his horse, the village hunter, dismounted his horse and walked over to the boy, who was still looking up at the sky.

“Jonn, your grandfather has left the position of Village Elder to you. Time to take his place,” Petyr said slowly, aware it was not a good time, but there was no better time.

The village needed a leader to make its decisions. As much as Jonn deserved time, none of them had it. In a place as harsh as the Barren Hills of Deepshadow, life was hard. They had to work every day to just survive!

Arber and Lance stood beside Jonn and looked at Petyr curiously.

Upon witnessing the expressions on the faces of the two farmers, the hunter said, “The old man frequently spoke of his will. I didn’t need to hear his last words to identify the chosen one.”

Arber and Lance sighed, remembering how Hewet always spoke of Jonn and how the boy would succeed him. The old Elder had great expectations!

Jonn took a deep breath and looked into the hard gaze of Petyr’s round face. The red-haired man was marked by a diagonal scar that ran from his left eye to his right ear.

Petyr didn’t like him, but as Hewet’s trusted man, a born warrior, he would never adapt to the position of Village Elder and was naturally trustworthy.

Following the man to Hewet’s house, Jonn was soon confronted with the interior of the small dwelling—not unlike the others in the area—where he had grown up before building his own home.

In addition to the bed and a chest of drawers, he discovered a desk, a sizable bookshelf, and several miscellaneous objects strewn about. It was a collection of items that surpassed what he would typically find in the village houses.

In the desk's first’s six drawers, he found a small box the size of an encyclopedia. His name was written on it and an arrow pointed to the entrance of a key.

Jonn knew his grandfather like the back of his hand. Without hesitation, he reached for the chain around his neck and used the key on it—an item Hewet had given him 13 years ago, telling him that one day he would know when to use it.

The gears moved, and the box unlocked with a satisfying click, the sound echoing through the room.

Inside the box were only three things. A note folded in half, a silver ring with some symbols Jonn didn’t understand, and what looked like a miniature magnifying glass.

He opened the note and read the contents.

Jonn, my dear grandson.

If these words have found their way to you, it means I have departed from this earthly realm. I know sorrow may weigh upon your heart, but fear not. I have lived many full and wondrous lives, and now it is time for me to return to the land of my birth, to find my eternal rest.

Yet, your journey is just beginning. Use my inheritance wisely to care for the Eternal Village. They are your kin, and I trust you will guide them with strength and wisdom into the light of a new dawn.

The box you hold contains treasures I brought to the Eternal Village when I discovered it 44 years ago. The silver ring is a remarkable device, known as the Dimensional Storage Ring. As its name implies, it serves to store things. As for the small magnifying glass, I leave the mystery of its purpose to you. Though I have not unraveled its secrets, I believe it to be the most precious part of my legacy.

With all my love, from your old grandfather,

Hewet Irondoom.

When he finished reading Hewet’s farewell letter, it took Jonn a few minutes to process his grandfather’s words. The weight of knowing that he would no longer see his grandfather, hear his hoarse voice, or receive his wisdom frightened the boy.

But the presence of Petyr, looking at the old Village Elder’s books with no intention of picking them up, soon brought him out of his immobile state.

Picking up the silver ring from the box, he realized Petyr hadn’t changed his position at all. To this man, it was as ordinary as any other in the village.

But Jonn knew that wasn’t true. He might not be familiar with Dimensional Storage Rings, but he understood the idea behind it. He lived in a magical world, and he had grown up used to fantastic things.

Why did Grandpa have such a ring? I don’t remember seeing him wearing it.

He slipped the silver thing around his finger, feeling nothing special about it but totally confident in Hewet’s words. If the old Village Elder said it was a Dimensional Storage Ring, then it was certainly the nature of the item!

Moving on, he brought a hand to the small silver magnifying glass, not expecting much from the item. His grandfather had said that this was his most valuable artifact, but Jonn knew that value was a very relative essence. Out of curiosity, just to see the first magnifying glass he’d seen outside of a book, he tried to look through the small lens.

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