The first thing I realized when I woke up was the rhythmic hum of the fan was no more; it had run out of mana during the night. I dreaded the idea of asking Jennifer Carson, our village’s utility mage to infuse it with mana; I felt like I was taking advantage of her. Even though I had the spell infuse mana, I could only cast my spell on my ammunition. She could infuse her mana into almost anything that required mana to operate as long as it wasn’t combat oriented.

As I groggily glanced around the room, I noticed I wasn't alone. Against the opposite wall, a bed was occupied, and a mop of raven-black hair poked out from beneath the blanket.

I let out a tired groan as memories of the previous evening flooded back. Despite our efforts to build more houses and expand the inn, I ended up with a roommate. It seemed the cruel fate had paired me with one of the rescued families who had lost their parents to the hobgoblins. The Littrell family's eldest, thirteen-year-old Randy, was now my roommate.

The Littrell girls, who were ten and six years old, had been assigned to the empty room across from mine. I had been prepared to show Randy his own room next to his sisters when Wesley found us in the hallway.

"Looks like everyone has found their houses. How are the Watsons and Littrells faring?" Wesley asked, his gaze shifting between Randy and me.

I leaned against the doorway of the empty room and replied, "Just showing Randy his room."

Wesley walked over and peered into the vacant space. "Randy, do you think you can handle being on your own?"

The boy looked into the room, his smile forced and uneasy. It suddenly dawned on me that Randy and his sisters had recently lost their parents, and had seen with their own eyes, their parents tragic death at the hands of the hobgoblins. His voice cracked as he responded, "Y-yes, sir."

Wesley rested a comforting hand on my shoulder and suggested, "How about we pull the bed from this room over to yours, Cade? You boys can have a bit of a slumber party."

I was exhausted, my body begging for rest, but as I listened to Randy's hesitant reply, I knew he didn't truly want to be alone on his first night in the village. Swallowing my weariness, I mustered a small smile and asked, "Do you snore?"

Randy shook his head and stammered, "N-no. At least I don't think so. I've never heard myself."

Well, it turned out that he did snore, but thankfully, it wasn't loud enough to keep me awake. The room faced west, shielding us from the direct sunlight that spilled through the single window. As I rolled out of bed and touched the mana bulb, casting a soft glow across the room, I realized the bulb only had about fifteen minutes' worth of mana left. I cursed under my breath; Something else to beg more mana from Jennifer.

Frustrated with past failures to infuse mana into the globe, I gave up and focused on getting dressed for the day. I gently nudged the second bed, informing Randy, "Hey, they're serving breakfast in the tavern."

Without waiting for him to fully wake up, I made my way towards the tavern. Even though it was the right thing to do, I didn’t like sharing my personal space.

When I came downstairs into the tavern, I found Wesley, Sarah, and Hanna already seated and enjoying their breakfast. I joined them at the table, and as I sat down, Wesley asked, "How did you sleep?"

I gave him the stink eye. “He snores.”

Breakfast consisted of the usual oatmeal, but today, someone had managed to acquire raisins and cinnamon, which went a long way in making the food more palatable.

After we finished eating, Sarah exchanged looks with Wesley before addressing the group. "This morning, I took a look at the Village management screen and discovered the taxation settings. We have the ability to implement some complex tax schemes if needed."

I pushed my empty bowl away and leaned forward, suddenly more attentive. While I didn't mind contributing personally, the idea of becoming the village's primary lender didn't sit well with me. "What did you find out?"

Sarah responded, "The tax system is quite intricate, allowing us to tax various aspects such as traffic into the village, wages, and many other options."

I grumbled, "Anyone even earning wages yet?"

Wesley quipped, "Have you seen the daggers the blacksmith turned out? Not half bad. Maybe we can tax those, huh?"

Sarah nodded and continued, "We could, but the simplest approach would be to impose a sales tax on items purchased from the store."

Hanna's face scrunched up in disapproval, "I hate sales tax. If something costs a buck-fifty, it should only cost a buck-fifty. Not an extra ten or fifteen cents."

I couldn't help but agree with her sentiment. However, the thought of becoming the village's banker wasn't exactly appealing. "A sales tax sounds reasonable. How high can we set it?"

Hanna's eyes narrowed as she gave me her own stink eye. Sarah ignored us as she answered, "Unlike the rest of the tax system, the sales tax is straightforward. It can be any percentage between one and one hundred."

The room fell silent for a moment as we processed the notion of a hundred percent tax. Even the school-aged kids sitting across the room couldn't help but snicker at Hanna's unexpected outburst. “One hundred? That’s fucking insane!”

Realizing the absurdity of such an exorbitant tax rate, Sarah quickly interjected, "Cade asked, but I agree, a hundred percent is far too excessive. Personally, I think we should set the rate low, perhaps somewhere between three and six percent. We can monitor the village's financial situation and adjust accordingly."

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Hanna reclined in her chair, seeming somewhat appeased by the compromise. "I guess that's not too bad, as long as we're not emptying everyone's pockets the moment they start earning."

Wesley's gaze swept across the room, taking in the surroundings and the people present. He leaned closer and said, "We need to take action. Steve Lowe is working for free right now, defending the town while we go out to kill monsters and gather loot. The village needs to start paying him."

My previous experience in building economies within games hadn't prepared me for the reality of running an actual town. Wesley's words hit home, reminding me of our responsibility not only to compensate Mr. Lowe but also to ensure that nobody went hungry until they could support themselves.

After some further discussion, we agreed to implement a sales tax rate of five percent. We sealed the decision just as Jayden finally joined us downstairs.

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Even though the sun had only climbed a quarter of the way into the sky, the heat outside was already sweltering. If it hadn't been for Jayden and me dragging the table into the shade offered by the Inn, with its extra floor.

We sat there, sweat trickling down our foreheads, and I glanced towards the corner of the new alchemy lab. Sara's expression sagged as she stared at the building, voicing her longing, "What I'd give to be able to buy mana potions."

I pondered the situation while wiping the sweat off my brow. Sure, I used mana to infuse my ammunition, but I could cast mana infusion at any time, not just during battles. Sarah, on the other hand, couldn't store her fireballs. We were in dire need of an alchemist.

Wesley paced back and forth, his attention consumed by some system screen or another. He muttered, “Gardeners we’ve got aplenty. An herbalist too. Even three farmers now.”

Hanna fanned herself with a paper fan, trying to cool down. "Didn't Jeff Carson work at Walmart in the pharmacy?"

Wesley halted in his tracks, the realization hitting him. "Yeah, now that you mention it, he was a pharmacy tech."

I wasn't exactly sure what a pharmacy tech had to do with being an alchemist, and to be honest, I wasn't all that interested in finding out. The shade was providing some respite from the scorching heat.

But Wesley wouldn't give it a rest. "Come on, Jennifer might be at work in the herbalism store. She'll know where he is."

As it turned out, I could have stayed in the shade, and it wouldn't have made a difference. The gambeson I was wearing, open in the front to let in a bit of air, was now drenched in my sweat. Jennifer informed us that Jeff had left early with some other fighters. They had gone across the FM Road to the place where we’d battled the goblin boss in the basement. The land had once been a ranch and there were plenty of cattle to be had, seeing as the owners had never returned or had been turned into goblin excrement. It seemed the cattle were fair game for our village.

While waiting for Jeff and the others to return, I headed back to my room to grab some .227 ammo and took a seat at a table in the tavern. I started infusing mana into the cartridges, my mind drifting away. Ten mana per cartridge seemed to do the trick, whether it was the smaller .227 or the heavier .45-70. It provided a range of about a hundred yards. I had no idea how people who bought the ammo from the System auction house used it, but I imagined most were potting goblins, hobgoblins, or some other shitty monster at less than a hundred paces.

As I waited for my mana to regenerate, Sarah and Jennifer Carson entered the tap room. Sarah couldn't help but tease, "Utility mages have it easy, Jenn. You can store your mana, like a battery, and use it later. When we're in a fight, I've got to cast my magic on the go."

Jennifer took a seat at the bar, her expression playful. "It's not exactly like that. Let's say I infuse one of those mana bulbs Caden bought a few days ago. I can't pull the mana out of it. All I can do is use the bulb for light."

She glanced over at me, “You know if you’re going to ask me to infuse mana into that bulb, you might consider tipping me. Being your energy supply should have its perks, you know.”

Sarah glanced my way, a mischievous grin forming. "Oh, watch it. In addition to that mana bulb, Cade’ll probably ask you to charge that damned fan of his again."

I grinned back at them, picking up another cartridge as my mana pool nearly reached full capacity. "Show me how to infuse my own mana into something other than ammo, and I won't have to ask."

Jennifer smirked, her tone teasing, "Says the boy who can infuse mana into bullets. All I get are parlor tricks. Infuse a bulb for light. Infuse a fan to keep you cool at night. I feel like I'm just a battery for the rest of you."

Sarah's eyes narrowed, though her voice remained friendly, "Cut it out, girl. When you reach level three, I bet you'll get another spell. I did."

Jennifer's eyes widened, curiosity piqued. "What did you choose?"

"The System gave me a choice between ice knife or mage armor. I picked mage armor."

I practically leaped out of my seat. "When did you get it?"

She nonchalantly flipped her hair, momentarily looking younger than her twenty-two years. Almost forgot about my crush on Hanna. Almost. Then she replied, "While we were rescuing those folks yesterday."

I wanted to bombard her with more questions, but just then, the tavern door swung open, and Jayden stuck his head inside, his voice brimming with excitement. "Jeff and the others are back. We're having steaks tonight!"

Between the village's stone wall and metal fence, the only entrance was through the gatehouse. As I stepped outside, Steve Jr. waved at me while walking alongside a cow, his voice shrill with excitement. "Dude, you should've seen it. We took on a goblin camp and kicked ass."

It wasn't possible to corral all the cattle, so those we couldn't fit were released into nearby fields. I watched as some of the older kids drove the excess cattle out of the village, realizing that the expenses were adding up. How much does a ranch hand usually cost?

It was past lunchtime when we finally sat down with Jeff Carson in the tavern. A week's worth of stubble covered his face, and his tired eyes scanned the five members of the village council, seeking answers. After a long morning of herding cattle and battling goblins, his voice sounded weary, "What's up, Wes? You've been trying to corner me since we got back with the cows."

Wesley leaned on the table, his tone serious. "How much experience did you have working at the pharmacy?"

Jeff scratched at his stubble, contemplating for a moment. "I worked there after finishing up at the community college. I was a pharmacy tech for about five years. Why?"

"When you chose the archer class, did you have any options related to your past experience?" Wesley inquired.

Jeff shrugged, a smile playing on his lips. "Yeah, I guess so. We all had the option to be a citizen, but I could have become an alchemist or a herbalist. At the time, being an archer was in higher demand than any other option. Plus, I kinda like shooting pointy things at monsters."

Wesley gestured towards the newly constructed alchemy lab. "Would you have any interest in taking up alchemy when you level up?"

"Do we really need potions that badly?" Jeff asked, genuine concern in his eyes.

Sarah nodded emphatically. "Hell, yeah, we do. Mana potions for combat casters are going to be crucial if we're going to continue developing our classes."

Jeff's smile grew wider, a hint of excitement in his voice. "Jenn gave me an earful for not taking alchemy already, same arguments you gave. I guess I'll make it my next class, but I'm still a couple hundred XP away from level four."

Hanna leaned in, whispering something into Wesley's ear. After a nod of agreement, a mischievous smile curled on her lips. "No problem. It just gives us one more reason to raid the dungeon in the hospital."