Gamer Tools: Kingdom Architect, A LitRPG Adventure

{Name: Jonn Irondoom}

{Age: 16}

{Level: 1 (10%)}

{Reputation: Level 4 “Elder of the Eternal Village!”}

{Stats:

[Health: 116] [Mana: 110] [Stamina: 106]}

{Attributes:

[Strength: 10.5] [Agility: 10.1] [Dexterity: 10.2]

[Constitution: 11.6] [Endurance: 10.6] [Intelligence: 11]

[Wisdom: 10] [Charisma: 10] [Luck: 10]}

{Resistances: None}

{Skill: [Analysis]; [Essence of Life].}

Jonn looked at his status again on the third day since discovering the Limonite rock.

In the last three days, he had worked harder than ever before. Besides observing the plants in the greenhouse and the terrain outside it, he had been working with Tim, Eliot, and Petyr around the mining area using the Celestial Magnifying Glass.

Whenever he became exhausted and took time to rest until fully recovered, he noticed marginal improvements in his attributes. This didn’t surprise him. Besides earning attribute points from {Quests}, he could also become stronger through training and other methods. He already knew it unconsciously and was gradually getting into the habit of checking his status after finishing his tasks.

When he woke up this morning after a long, tiring day, he not only felt his body was free of pain and burning, but he also saw small yet significant improvements.

A mage’s body really is different. Previously, I could work hard all day and only end up in a lot of pain. Now that I’m a mage, I simply wake up pain-free and stronger than the day before… Mana is truly wonderful when not used for destruction.

There was much Jonn didn’t know. His conjectures were based on [Analysis] and [Essence of Life], his {Skills} that he had already used on his own body to understand his circumstances. Unlike the toxic mana of the Barren Hills of Deepshadow, the mana within him was beneficial, showing no apparent signs of damage to his body.

Hearing a knock on the door of his house, Jonn put on a shirt and found Eliot and Petyr standing there, already equipped with shovels and picks.

Three days’ work wasn’t much anywhere, but it was enough for the three, along with Tim, to create a hole 6 meters in radius and 4 meters deep. From this point, they began breaking apart the large Limonite stone, unsure of its full extent.

Yesterday, they finished clearing enough of the rock’s surroundings to break off fractions of the piece they currently had access to. If everything went according to plan today, they could grind the fraction they obtained and put it in the oven.

Even though Petyr was a hunter, he was more than happy to take part in the mining effort. With no creatures around to hunt, his strength was being put to good use in excavating the Limonite rock.

“Old Tim says we’ll have an iron bar ready in three days at most, Jonn. We can start producing tools and weapons after that!” Eliot said as he greeted his friend.

Petyr said nothing, but he was in complete agreement with Jonn’s plans. The previous morning, the Village Elder had announced that they would use half the iron they could get to build weapons. This was no more than was necessary, in the opinion of the experienced hunter walking with the two boys.

The village had a modest arsenal: 3 swords, 2 spears, and a few daggers. There were also 3 bows and arrows, which the locals could craft themselves. However, half of the metal weapons were damaged, complicating their use. As for hand tools, the village had 27 of various kinds, mostly for mining and agriculture.

The tools certainly needed maintenance, and new ones would be beneficial. But the most pressing need was for weapons.

“That’s good. Let’s focus on sword production first,” Jonn said, pleased with Eliot’s news. “Swords are the easiest type of weapon to learn to use. We’ll focus our training on that weapon.”

Petyr saw the look on Jonn’s face and nodded in agreement. “When should I start?”

“First, we’ll provide enough ore for old Tim to work on the forge. Once he’s produced the first weapon, you can step away from mining and concentrate on training up to three men.”

They had already discussed the details. Training over three people at a time was impractical, given their responsibilities. Also, Petyr wasn’t a professional fighter, so his teaching skills were limited. Once his students learned the basics, they would teach others. Jonn envisioned a future where every person in the village, young or old, male or female, would learn to wield weapons.

Petyr followed silently while Eliot chatted away, with Jonn listening, sometimes agreeing, and occasionally correcting his friend.

They stopped at the greenhouse before continuing to the mining hole to the east.

Using a pouch strapped to his waist, Jonn discreetly summoned the Celestial Magnifying Glass, ensuring his actions didn’t draw attention. He used it to examine the five plants he had been studying for the past 10 days.

Petyr and Eliot looked through the lens of Jonn’s magnifying glass but saw only a magnified view of the Village Elder’s object of interest.

Jonn analyzed the five plants without concern that the two men would notice the peculiarities of his magical artifact. To the villagers, Jonn’s Celestial Magnifying Glass appeared to be just an ordinary tool.

They’re fine! They’re producing at the same rate as before I removed half the crystals from them!

Jonn put the magnifying glass away and sighed with relief. “You two should get on with fractionating the Limonite rock. I’ll stay in the greenhouse to work on expanding the planting ground.”

“Are you sure? Were the results really favorable?” Petyr asked, stepping forward with interest.

Jonn’s comment carried significant implications for the village. It marked the beginning of farming on a new scale, with inherent risks and potential benefits.

“Yes, I’m sure. Look at the tomato plant. It’s producing at the same rate as before,” Jonn said, pointing to the flowers that would eventually become tomatoes for the village to harvest.

Petyr, though not as knowledgeable about agriculture as Arber, wasn’t entirely ignorant of the subject. Every member of the Eternal Village needed to understand the basics of farming and survival. He knew Jonn wasn’t lying. While there was a possibility that the Elder was mistaken, the visual evidence before him suggested otherwise.

‘The number of flowers and the appearance of the plants look good, similar to what it was before he started his experiments… He must be right, I hope.’

“All right. In that case, Eliot, let’s get back to our job. Old Tim will join us shortly,” Petyr said, turning to leave without waiting for Eliot.

The boy pursued the hunter, leaving Jonn alone with the greenhouse plants.

Time to expand my planted area.

Jonn proceeded, starting with the smallest and simplest plants in the greenhouse. He carefully removed the mana crystals, cut them in half, and returned them to the pots with their respective plants.

The work itself wasn’t complicated, but it required mana, and no one in the village could assist him with that. Moreover, Jonn’s current mana reserves were low. He could only cut through 10 mana crystals before reaching exhaustion.

Feeling his mana nearing depletion, Jonn finished with the pot he was holding.

I have 43 more left.

He took the crystals he had already processed and headed to the grounds outside the greenhouse. His tools were already waiting for him, and he immediately set to work on the land, using the same techniques as 15 days ago. This part of the task was physically tiring, but didn’t require mana.

Fortunately, his [Stamina] would be enough for him to complete the job with those crystals in hand.

As he worked to prepare the ground, Jonn felt his mana regenerating at a rate of 1 unit per minute. He would need less than 110 minutes, just under 2 hours, to fully recover.

About 40 minutes after starting on the 1 square meter plot, Jonn had tripled the area, reaching 3 square meters of terrain influenced by mana crystals. In each of the 1-meter squares, he planted a different type of plant, aiming to replicate the greenhouse setup on this outdoor plot.

The proportions of plants in the greenhouse matched the village’s greatest needs, so he didn’t alter it.

With just over 40 units of mana available, he worked through 4 more pots and their respective crystals before returning to the grounds to continue his efforts.

...

At around 2 o’clock in the afternoon, Jonn paused in front of the plantation outside the greenhouse, wiping the sweat from his face with his shirt.

Before him lay 11.6 square meters of land, neatly marked out with stones, already irrigated and ready for the village farmers to manage from now on.

There wasn’t much need for Jonn to be directly involved in managing the village’s crops. As long as he checked on them once a day, the rest of the work could be left to people like Arber.

Jonn felt a warm sensation coursing through his body as he surveyed his completed work. He was not only physically tired but mentally exhausted from repeatedly depleting his mana reserves. Yet, the satisfaction of having initiated this plantation made him feel delighted.

Arber mentioned we could yield 500 kilograms of tomatoes if we planted only tomatoes in this area. But in the first cycle, we’ll get a maximum of 180 kilos of food here. Things will become more interesting in the 3rd or 4th cycle. By then, our production should double per cycle and easily exceed her annual estimate.

As he contemplated his work, Arber and Elia stopped behind him, their eyes gleaming as they looked at the wet black terrain. They focused specifically on the tomato sprouts, the largest of which was now 15 centimeters tall, visible even to the oldest woman without needing to stoop.

“Looks like you’ve worked hard, Village Elder.” Arber smiled as she offered Jonn a vase of water. “Are you finished here? We can take care of your crops and the greenhouse by ourselves now. Go and get some rest.”

“Yes, I’ve finished,” Jonn said, handing the vase of water back to Elia. “The place is ready for you to follow my recommendations. According to what Grandpa found out, this plantation will become stronger over time. The first generation will be weaker and less productive than what we have in the greenhouse, but it should grow stronger. In any case, look after them in the same way as you already do those in the greenhouse. Everything should be fine if you stick to these arrangements.”

“We’ll keep that in mind,” Elia replied on behalf of her aunt, narrowing her eyes as she saw Jonn picking up some old shovels from the ground. “What do you intend to do now? Don’t tell me you’re thinking of going to work in this state?”

With just a smile, Jonn nodded to the two and headed east, where he would reach the workplace of Petyr, Eliot, and Tim in less than 20 minutes.

Old Tim was guiding the two men when Jonn joined them around the mining hole.

“Village Elder, will you join us?” Tim asked, his face alight with excitement.

“Of course. Give me 10 minutes and I’ll start working with you. I just need to get some rest.”

“Take your time, haha,” the cheerful old man replied, eager to produce some weapons with the ores from that hole.

“Let’s work until nightfall, fellas!” Jonn called out as he prepared to join Eliot and Petyr, aiming to achieve another significant accomplishment today.

As time passed and he refrained from using his mana, he saw messages appearing in blue boxes in his vision, showing improvements in his [Intelligence] and [Wisdom] attributes.

In one go, he improved by 0.3 points in each of these crucial mental attributes!