“They’re back,” a young, unbroken voice cried out as we angled around the gatehouse, which was currently closed. We really needed to do something about extending the wall. The village was still too exposed.

“And they’ve got animals with them!”

The commotion drew villagers out of their system-generated homes, their tired faces momentarily brightening with hope. In a world now plagued by hardships, even a victory as small as this brought solace. Today, that solace came in the form of us returning with livestock from the ranch on which the Victorian house sat, on the other side of the Farm to Market Road.

Amidst the gathering crowd, Mr. Lowe approached us with a mix of curiosity and concern on his face. "Cows and a couple of horses, you say?" He gestured towards the Victorian mansion in the distance. "What happened to the family over yonder?"

Wesley laid his war hammer against one of the tables outside of the tavern and then tossed the looted uncommon sword on the table, “Gone. We found an uncommon goblin.”

The sergeant-at-arms inspected the uncommon sword with a keen eye. "I'm guessing it didn't extend an invitation for tea and crumpets?" His wry remark broke the tension around the table, eliciting a collective chuckle.

Jayden, never one to miss an opportunity for a quip, interjected with a smirk. "Hell no. We whipped that goblin’s ass.”

Feeling the weariness in my muscles, I took a seat at the table and reached for a mug, dipping it into a bucket of cool well water. As I quenched my parched throat, Wesley settled beside me, his hand caressing the blade of the sword. "It's yours if you want it, Steve. Consider it an upgrade, a blade that surpasses your current one. Its acquisition will bolster the security of our village, you know."

The gravity of his words resonated within me as I glanced at the sword, its finely crafted hilt and keen edge reflecting the flickering light of the nearby torch.

Mr. Lowe grasped the sword firmly, his experienced hands testing its balance with a practiced swing. "Yep, it has a fine balance," he remarked, his voice carrying a hint of approval. His gaze shifted towards the livestock, his brows furrowing with concern. "But what in the hell are we to do with these cattle and horses?"

My mind raced with possibilities, and I spoke up, my words laden with cautious optimism. "I glimpsed the village screen, and it revealed the potential for building paddocks and stables. Perhaps some of our unclassed folk could lend a hand in tending to them. Who knows, they might discover talents more valuable than the barely useful citizen class."

As Mr. Lowe made his way back to his office within the stone gatehouse, Hanna approached me, her eyes brimming with excitement. “Did you see the new alert? We’ve got another quest.”

Lost in the conversations of Wesley and Mr. Lowe, I had disregarded the faint blue flashing light at the periphery of my vision. Now, prompted by Hanna, I focused my attention on the new quest.

Village Council of Columbia, you have reached a new threshold of [50] villagers. You may now upgrade your village to level [2]. To do so, assemble the village council in the council chambers.

I couldn't help but let out a breath of awe, mingled with a glimmer of hope. "Hot damn," I whispered, the possibilities pressing upon my narrow shoulders. “Maybe we’ll be able to expand the village, get the system to give us the resources from a few more houses.”

Wesley's head dipped in solemn agreement, his eyes reflecting the weight of our predicament. "With the influx of folks from the remainder of the neighborhood, we’ll have to ask several families to share houses if we don’t expand today.”

Time crept by like a wounded animal as we slowly converged upon the third floor of the gatehouse. Jayden, proving himself more amorous than I’d assumed, I found in the arms of Audrey Wallace, our village’s solitary herbalist. It took threatening him with Hanna to get him to accompany me back to the council chambers on the third floor, where the rest of the village council was waiting.

Hanna's eyes pierced her brother with disdain, a scowl etched deep upon her features. "For the love of God, Jayden, take a bath before you go hitting on girls. They don’t want any of that,” she casually flipped her hand toward his gore spattered armor, “coming around them.”

Jayden flipped her off, “That’s not what she said.”

Wesley interjected swiftly, silencing the impending retort from Hanna's lips. "Enough talk. Has everyone accepted the quest?"

Four solemn nods answered his query, prompting him to delve deeper into the quest's intricacies as he eyed Jayden as though my friend’s dalliances weren’t appreciated. "Listen up. If you’d bothered to check out the quest’s second tab, you’d see the system has given us twenty-four hundred feet of mana-infused rope. Unlike our village’s first level where each length of rope was an even three hundred feet, we’re not encumbered with a set length between each stake. Only that we use four stakes. We can make the village as long or as wide as we want, so long as we use up the full twenty-four hundred linear feet.”

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

As I explored the village map, a stark representation of our village materialized before my eyes. Within its confines, the boundaries etched like faded ink, revealing the outlines of our scattered dwellings, the gatehouse, and the tavern. Yet, it was the emergence of a golden line, dancing along the northern wall where our houses stood, that captivated my attention.

A silent contemplation engulfed us as we beheld this spectral demarcation. "I reckon," I spoke softly, my words trailing into the air, "we would do well to keep our northern boundary along our wall formed by our houses. That’s three hundred feet.”

Wesley nodded and built on my idea, “That’s fine. Most of what we want is to the south. If we extend the boundary south, we’ll be able to harvest the resources from the three houses that front the farm to market road.” He drew out on the display nine hundred feet. “Some of that land might do well as farm land. God knows, we need to start planning to grow crops. If you’ve checked on the food prices on the System store, we’d be hard pressed feeding folks off the coins we loot.”

The truth was, the village’s coffers were empty. The realization hit me; the only way to provide food from the System store was for us to pony up our coins. We’d claimed eighty-four silver from killing the uncommon goblin. And that wouldn’t go very far to feed the sixty-odd villages for more than a handful of days.

Hanna seemed to grasp this as well, as she leaned forward over the council table and growled, "I won't part with my rightful share of the loot for a flock of idle souls.” Her gaze piercing through the veil of uncertainty. " Wes. I know we’ve only been at this for a few days, but it’s time for some folks to shit or get off the toilet.”

Amidst our camaraderie and light-hearted banter, I couldn't help but feel a longing to be recognized as more than a mere contributor of ranged DPS. A desire to have my voice heard, my ideas taken seriously. As my snickers intertwined with Jayden's, I glanced at Wesley, hoping to catch a glimpse of acknowledgement. But his response was subtle, a mere raise of an eyebrow, as if to question the weight of our amusement. Finally, he said, “So, three hundred feet by nine hundred feet. Unless someone has a better idea.”

Undeterred, Hanna brushed aside the momentary lapse, a flicker of indifference in her demeanor. "Boundaries seem fine," she nonchalantly declared, her fingers casually flicking her hair. "But let's focus on what really matters; which structures will we add to our village?"

Despite Wesley ignoring me a moment before, I wanted his approval. I cleared my throat, seizing the moment to offer my suggestion. "With a blacksmith already at our disposal, we should include a smithy in our plans."

Wesley's smile washed over me like a soothing breeze, a silent affirmation of what I had to offer the team. "Indeed," he concurred, his voice carrying a note of agreement. "in addition to a smithy, we may want to add another six houses. Otherwise, you and Jayden might find yourselves sharing a cramped room in the inn."

Jayden's mischievous nature couldn't resist seizing the opportunity for a jest. He interjected with a sly grin, "Only if Cade is willing to make his bed on the floor."

I shook my head, fully aware of the consequences that awaited should I acquiesce. "Jayden's snoring is a force to be reckoned with. Six houses seem like a small price to pay."

Wesley's laughter filled the air, a momentary respite from the weight of our struggles. "Our excavation team accomplished a lot today, clearing five houses. With the resources collected from their work and the houses that will be excavated by the village’s expansion, we still have enough to erect another structure."

Sarah hadn’t said a word. Until now. “You know, we could use an herb garden. There are potions that would boost my mana regeneration rate. Materials to boost strength too. If we could grow those reagents we could start producing potions.” Her eyes slid over to Jayden as a smirk appeared on her face, “Audrey could work that garden.”

The subtle comment went over Jayden’s head.

One thing about the village design options, it appeared to have a template for just about everything a medieval village could require. We found an extraordinary greenhouse that was perfect for growing herbs. While it required an herbalist, the growth cycle defied expectations. A skilled herbalist could plant and harvest herbs in as little as a one-month cycle. That meant an herbalist could have up to twelve cycles in a year. There were similar options for vegetable gardens. We had two people who had picked the gardener class among our number. They had been gardeners prior to the System takeover and were skilled enough to have selected gardener as their class choice.

Sarah's words continued, her voice laced with determination, "But that's not all. While Jay and Cade engaged in their snickering, I took the liberty of exploring the system incorporated farms. These remarkable plots come in one-acre plots. They require seeds, but those can be bought from the System store. However, to unlock their potential, a farmer class is a must, just as the herb garden requires an herbalist. Does anyone know a farmer?"

Our minds went empty, unable to provide a name. Breaking the silence, Wesley interjected with a firm tone, " We need the food. Once we've expanded our border, we’ll establish a System farm within our village limits."

With a sense of purpose, we dedicated a couple of hours to the task of marking the new boundaries with the mystical mana-infused rope. Upon completion, we meticulously plotted the locations for the new buildings on the System map. With that done, we initiated the build command and stepped outside and watched the land within the village’s boundary take on a hazy golden hue as the village expanded.

Congratulations! You have expanded [Columbia] to a level [2] village

By meeting the requirement: Village contains [50] or more people

Reward: 100XP rewarded to all members of upgraded village. Universal Development System creatures will not spawn inside System incorporated villages, towns, or cities.

I rocked back on my chair. It felt good to have reached a milestone. But we were still a long way from self-sufficiency. “Now that we’ve expanded, where the hell are we going to find a farmer?”