Today, settler Shadyna is laying down the first brick for a new village~

_ Shadyna: Let this be the foundation for Sapling Garden to grow into a thriving and prosperous settlement!

_ Everyone: Oh~!

After founded the first player-built town beyond the arid grassland to the north of Tyrel, the safety of made-in-Shadyna-Construction walls were finally confirmed by the general player base. Along with establishing safe zones in the barren lands between hunting zones, a real estate rush has been taking place among the guilds with good financial status.

And now, is joining the fray! Kind of.

Technically, we didn't really need another settlement of our own. That said, ordering a Sateri hug pillow and having "The (New) Sun" in the address field really puts the mailman in a tight spot, so a new village it shall be.

As expected of such dubious reasons, we weren't in a hurry and postponed the whole thing until today. Building materials were luxury goods thanks to the demand, and my work as a security contractor (wall builder) also skyrocketed as part of the settlement boom. Barely having any time left for myself despite everyone helping out, I don't think we could start sooner even if we had wanted to.

On the bright side, we accumulated a scary amount of wealth from those contracts as well as the new Raid Breaker service. My mind went blank when I looked at the reports from Linny, but I'm sure there were quite a few zeros in there. If that isn't enough to cover all the building expenses for our village, I'll be extremely concerned for the game economy's inflation. That, or our village's development plan.

_ Player: Uhm… Can I say something?

_ Shadyna: Yes~?

Aside from my guild members, there are also players from the construction guild who were hired by our bartenders to help with the mundane tasks. Judging by the amount of ample chests in front of me currently, I have a suspicion that the bartender team were a tiny bit biased in their selection process.

No, telling me that this guild is a trusted partner of is NOT helping. If anything, that just makes it worse!

It's quite a sight for my eyes however, so I'm letting that slide. Keep up the good work~!

_ Player: Well… Uhm… How do I even start with this floating brick in the air?

…I take that back. Linny hired them without bothering to explain the job in the first place!!!

____________

is dumbfounded by the building site in front of him.

On the other side, the guildmaster and his ex-manager are giving directions for the builders like it's business as usual.

_ Torenis: , , did you see my mail?

_ Shadyna: Hiyo, ~

_ Hessenria: Ah, welcome, . Yes, we got the gist of it.

Contrary to what one would expect from an interaction between a guildmaster and an ex-manager, there is no longer any bad blood between them, both in and outwardly. Unbeknownst to most, the two had a proper talk about how to move forward with each other not long ago. They wouldn't be allies, but they wouldn't be hostile either. Back to square one, so to speak.

Well, when one of them was firing without notice and the other was planning an exodus, it's hard to trust the other party again. It's the thought that counts, and they are completely fine with a guild-rivalry kind of relationship, as well as the occasional collaborations.

And 's visit today is one of such collaborations they agreed upon.

_ Torenis: Thanks. Tell me when you are ready. By the way, I thought you girls were going for a small village with a lake?

_ Shadyna: Un! It's going to be a very nice village with a big lake~!

He looks at the massive scaffolds being built at around dozens of meters above ground with visible confusion. Last he checked, villages don't have big mansions requiring this amount. This height is a bit overkill for a fantasy setting, to put it mildly.

_ Hessenria: …A very nice village above a big lake, specifically.

_ Torenis: …ABOVE?!

As much as he wants to say that it clears things up, the poor guildmaster ends up being more confused. Of course, such little impediments wouldn't stop him.

So he decides to nod as if he gets it and stop thinking too deeply.

_ Torenis: Say, , is it possible to build an encampment above ground like this? I think it will be very useful against the Nox Terminus.

Because some maniac pulled a little stunt at the edge of the world and scored a no-damage massacre on impulse, the monsters there got smarter. As a result, 's camp was completely overrun the following day as the few players repairing the new shiny indestructible walls were blasted to smithereens by AoE lobbed over said walls. It was hell for the alliance to fight through the horde to regain the camp, whose house tree somehow remained intact and served as a [Recall] beacon the whole time.

He would have complained about it, if it hadn't been for the Nox Terminus entering its second form once the alliance had decided to pile on it, player wave attack style, rather than dealing with the smart mobs any longer. They were ultimately pushed back as a full row of respawning bosses appeared with the second form and prevailed in the battle of attrition however.

Now, the alliance has to deal with smart mobs AND a transformed unique boss with its overpowered escorts.

This game's AI administrator is seriously way too extreme sometimes… At least there're good loots in such high-density environment, and most importantly, the additional unique drops.

_ Shadyna: Eh? You still have troubles with it?

_ Torenis: Y-yeah. Not getting overrun during the day anymore, but we don't have the offensive capability to engage the escorts in a decisive battle.

If they are unable to kill the boss in the few hours of prime time, it will inevitably regenerate HP and respawn its minions during the day. For a boss that is not bonus content and at lower level, albeit still a unique one, it sure is putting up quite a fight.

_ Torenis: Anyway, that's something to be discussed later. Are you ready to go?

_ Shadyna: Un! My bodyguards are here. Lead the way please~!

And of course, this girl is closely guarded today as well. and this time, it looks like.

The summoner is uncertain if two former members would make it easier or more awkward to work with…

____________

*FLASH*

We arrive at an unfamiliar town as per requested by . According to his explanations, there are some problems about which he would like to consult me. He suggested seeing it for myself rather than wasting time talking about it.

Why did this pragmatic guy choose a smart-and-cool appearance with glasses again…?

I get to spend two seconds looking at the surrounding buildings like a country bumpkin visiting a big city for the first time in her life before noticing a player arriving nearby using [Recall].

_ Player: DIE!!!

Who then proceeds to yell loudly and thrust a sword at me.

Why?!

This defenseless pacifist me is absolutely not built for getting stabbed, so I do the obvious thing to avoid such scenario at all cost.

*WHAM*

And by that I mean throwing an [ Thunderous Blessing of Affection] bomb, grabbing and swinging him against the target as the bomb calls forth a lightning strike, followed by my favorite HP-draining buff combos as finishing strike!

All the numerous combat trainings and murder attempts are finally paying off~!

…What, a pacifist is supposed to just dodge out of the way? Nope, not happening. Escape attempts in media always end up in a dead end, getting caught, tripping over nothing, or worst of all, being saved by genocidal protagonists!

Preventive pacifism, the best pacifism for soon-to-be damsels in distress~!

_ Magni: How much do you think this screenshot of guildmaster grinning smugly after crushing an innocent soul into fine mist will fetch?

_ Cenny: …I think framing it and putting it on the wall will attract more pi… patrons in the long run.

And my bodyguards are already discussing plans to make money off me instead of doing their job!

_ Flat-on-face Torenis: You… don't hold back at all, do you?

Welp, I should let go of too.

Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

_ Shadyna: But I did? If I hadn't held you, my title would have triggered and turned this area into a smoking crater.

Best not to give my managers a(nother) reason to dock my non-existent salary, un!

_ Torenis: …I'll pretend I didn't hear that. Anyways, that's the problem I wanted to talk about.

_ Shadyna: …That someone wants to kill me?

The assassin's corpse was completely destroyed though, so there's no way to confirm. Whoopsie?

_ Torenis: …Uh, no, obviously not.

What the heck is that pause?! Are you telling me that some degenerate out there is planning to "off" this cute innocent tree girl as if there was any chance for them to get the insurance and inheritance money?!

I mean, if they can somehow go through some thirty beauties who are above them in the order of succession, I would say they have earned it.

_ Magni: Well, there are always some maniacs who still think they can challenge for the manliest pacifist title. I have to punch at least a few of those every shift, and Hessy wouldn't even allow me to use [Glacial Star Strike] on them!

At least stick with the "strongest pacifist"!!! As much as I understand your desire to show off a rare skill you got from a bonus boss, what the heck do you think would happen if you call in a meteor strike indoors?!

_ Cenny: Not to mention the maniacs who think they can hold owner's hands without our approval. I have to punch at least a few of those every shift, and Hessy told me to take my spiked shields off because it was a reward for them!

Why the heck is it the same "solution" for two opposite problems?! You girls are not even twins!

And since when did you get to decide who I hold hands with!?!?

_ Another player: You killed my brother. DIE!!!

Some weirdo is after my life again!!! I don't even know who he or his brother is!

…

_ Shadyna: I see, so you have a roach infestation problem.

_ Torenis: I wouldn't go so far as to call them that, but in a way, yes, you are correct.

After "disposing of" the murderous brother of someone I have no recollection of, we got caught in a breach as some assassin-like players scaled the wall and attacked everyone in sight.

and the guarding members subdued them no problem. What's concerning is that we were attacked three times in the span of five minutes, and the guards ran off to somewhere else right afterwards, presumably to deal with another attack in a different part of the town.

In other words, ' town is currently under siege, but not exactly in a traditional way.

_ Magni: Those guys are PKers, aren't they?

_ Torenis: Saboteurs, more like. Their aim is to cause as much property and personnel damage as much as possible. They attack everything. Players, beasts, NPCs. Even furniture if there is no moving target for them to shoot at. As you can see, we can easily repel them in a head-on fight, but they keep returning to cause more trouble.

Rather than the chosen heroes fighting for civilization, these players are more akin to an endless zombie horde who keep coming back to life…

On an unrelated note, the flame bird Etena has grown another pair of wings and tails. Is that some kind of newly acquired [Transform] skill I wonder? It certainly didn't have those when it fought with Elri.

_ Magni: Well, there are such players everywhere. But still, , isn't it your specialty to deal with those guys?

_ Shadyna: Everywhere? Even in our cafeteria?

My time in Tyrel was mostly peaceful, so this came as a surprise to me.

_ Magni: Yes, there are. However, there are dedicated anti-PK parties whose job is camping the center of Tyrel for well-known PKers. If such PKers are identified by those parties, they will kill the targets over and over again until the PKers apologize or quit the game altogether. That's why mindless PK-ing is generally a bad idea.

Extreme! You guys are too extreme! Is what I want to say, but there's this dying bishop NPC in the old bar who would call me out, so let's not!

_ Torenis: I know. I proposed that strategy, mind you. Times have changed, however. The respawn area in Tyrel has expanded many folds due to the crowd praying to Sateri-chan's statue every day taking up spawn area. We can't spawn camp them, and more importantly, there are too few of us to defend the new territory.

Oh, right. The alliance is pouring resources into the fight against Nox Terminus. Even if they pull back all members to defend the towns, it will be a great loss.

_ Cenny: Excuse me, but are there so many PKers lately? Nothing has changed much in Tyrel as far as I'm aware.

_ Torenis: It's pointless to attack Tyrel in the first place. There is no central guild governing it, so only maniacs who want to kill everyone would make a scene there. Such individuals will get outnumbered and cut down in seconds. Going at new towns built by the guild they hate is much more attractive in comparison. As for their numbers… PKers are definitely on the rise, though I can only hazard a guess about the cause.

The reason for the rise of murderers in a fantasy world huh… Is it political turmoil? Economic downturn? The local beach having more dead bodies than cute girls in swimsuits~?

_ Torenis: There was a surge of new players after the NPC patch, and along with them came the crazies. Moreover, these new PKers apparently mistook CSF for a high-lethality game where they can stand above others regardless of playtime…

Uh… Why are you sighing while looking at me?

_ Torenis: I blame Sateri-chan and the board for that. Trailers featuring famous in-game battles and recordings of someone killing everything left and right with impunity were not the best way to communicate the actual gameplay experience.

Yup, totally no idea what he's on about! Pass!

_ Cenny: *Gasps* So that's why you are asking to compensate with her body!

_ Shadyna: *Gasps* No way!

_ Torenis: LIKE HELL IT IS! Who do you take me for?!

A close friend of the biggest lolicon in this game~?

_ Guild member: Uh… We are streaming by the way. Just so you know.

_ Torenis: WHY?!

_ Magni: So that's your closet hobby…

_ Torenis: IT IS NOT!!!

Out of all the fetishes he can have, I sure didn't think it would be domestic violence getting caught on camera~

…Is a thought I should keep to myself, un.

Nevertheless, aren't highlights of interesting moments while cutting out boring parts the whole point of trailers and footage? Although I'm sure there are people crazy enough to watch cute girls fishing for a week straight, most will have reconsidered their life decisions about four hours in at max.

Thinking about it, CSF is surprisingly grindy huh. Players' abilities are only relevant for fights on near equal grounds. Your hard-earned armor is not going to be bypassed just because some smartbutt assumed that they could deal more damage by stabbing your bare neck. Heck, it will consume half your playtime in a day to walk between hunting zones!

Guess when everyone has six to eight hours inside the game at the minimum, the game designers have to make it a bit tedious to do stuff, lest people run out of things to do huh.

By the way, I only got to level 30 during that no-damage challenge at the edge of the world. Yes, I had to kill (many) thousands of monsters in this game that can take a minute to slay a single mob solo to reach level cap! And don't get me started on the skills. I have yet to get any non-crafting active skill to above level 20 because of how slow the grind is!

Sateri, you slave driver~!

_ Magni: Your hobby aside, isn't it fine to just let it be? The majority of them will stop or quit in no time. It may cost less than paying for owner's service.

That's rich, coming from the waitresses who charges 10 times the material cost for their meals. But seriously, just how many zeroes are you girls putting in the receipts sent to our clients?

_ Torenis: That's only if we crush them hard and fast. If they think they are dishing out more damage than they sustain, they will be motivated to keep up the pressure. There are already movements to turn them into organized groups or guilds of privateers for hire in case you don't know. I would rather spend an upfront cost to nip it in the bud than fighting on two fronts for the rest of my time in this game.

Well, I'll be paid so I'm definitely not complaining~ Gotta save some capital for my upcoming business venture and all that.

Materialism will not miss its tribute today!

_ Torenis: What's with that smug face? Thought of something already?

_ Magni: My bet is on drowning them.

_ Torenis: The heck?!

That's something YOU would do, you crazy water mage~!

_ Cenny: Torment them while keeping them alive…

_ Torenis: …

Why are you backing away from ME?! Isn't she the one proposing that?!

_ Shadyna: I'm not going something so violent! Anyway, I have some ideas, but I would like tour around a bit to observe your defense first. Is that okay?

_ Torenis: Well, of course you can… That reminds me, it's your first time here ever since you built the outer walls, isn't it?

_ Shadyna: Un!

I have visited 's town as it's THE trade city. For most others however, I don't know how they are like because I always left for the next project after erecting the walls around the empty land lot.

It's tough being a CEO~

_ Torenis: Yeah, my bad for not remembering. It is a bit late but… Welcome to The Ranch.

____________

Back at the forest entrance, a big landmass is taking shape above the sky-high scaffolds. Although the builders here are no stranger to building towns and villages from scratch, terraforming is not something they would put into their portfolio.

_ Builder: Hey, guildmaster.

_ Guildmaster: What is it?

_ Builder: I know we are building a floating island but… couldn't we just build from the floating brick the sprout girl placed earlier? We could have skipped this whole supporting scaffold bigger than the island itself.

_ Guildmaster: …I told something along those lines as well. She said that none of them could fly so building in the air is not immersive.

Why the heck is the inability to fly the main problem here… Is what she wants to ask, but decides not to. They are paid by the hour after all.

And also because immersion is important!

--- Topic: New towns introduction ---

## CuteIsJustice

Since we have so many new settlements popping up everywhere, I'm compiling a list of major towns and their advertised specialties for everyone to navigate. You're welcome.

⊂二（＾ω＾）二⊃

- Trade City of Ample Chest (BB Conglomerate): General-purpose trade city.

- Battle Oracle (Pathwrecker & DFC Sages): Arena and information hub.

- The Ranch (Phoenix Ashes): Central trade hub for pets and NPCs.

- United Frontier (Unity of Mankind): Mercenary center and siege supplier.

- Azure Gold Mine (Blue Blood Federation): Treasure hunters and rare materials traders.

Updated world map with the city markers: [Link].

List of minor towns/villages built around DFC Sages' Raid Breaker Outposts: [Link].

##

## Manly Warrior

Thank you for your hard work! m(_ _)m

Starting with Ample Chest, the Age of Expansion has come! (^o^)/

##

## Big Hammer

That sounds wrong… (－‸ლ)

Sure, it wasn't Great Bosoms, but come on!!!

##

## Newbie Charisma build

Thanks for the map! The in-game one doesn't have markers for player-built settlements, sadly.

If only there was some player-made resource detailing the new towns that Sateri-chan could use to update the official map. *Wink wink* (^_-)-☆

##

## Silver Merchant

A bit regrettable that we all use [Recall] for long-distance travels nowadays. I would love to see the trade routes created by movements of goods between towns, especially when they are already specializing their products!

##

## JigglingPouch

Some NPCs mentioned restoration of trades, so a future patch adding intercity interactions or quests is probably on the roadmap.

@CuteIsJustice: Mind if we put your map on our walls? Players will most likely appreciate it.

##

## CuteIsJustice

It's all free to use!

I'll accept donations in terms of lap pillow though! Just kidding~!

##

## JigglingPouch

Sent you a PM.

##

## Heaven Piercer

Σ(゜д゜;)

Seriously?!

##

## Mage of Sin

Get a room, you two! (^_^;)

##

------

--- Topic: PK War Room ---

## The Dark Knife

Thread for PKers who want to make their name in the world! New players welcome!

##

## SilentKillerX

Let us bring chaos to an obsolete order which only exists because some players started first! ヽ(`Д´)ﾉ

##

## Final Striker

OH!!! (`･ω･´)

##

…

## Final Striker

Weird. Is the physics system bugged? I stabbed someone in the neck and they were pissed instead of dead. A level 1 player can pwn a maxed player in one hit by playing correctly right?

##

## Teabag Master

You need a sharper blade. (￣ー￣)

##

## Mage of Sin

And this game does not feature locational damage.

That scenario did happen though (^_^;)

##

…

## The Dark Knife

Word around town is that Phoenix Ashes is struggling to defend against our constant assaults.

Keep up the good fight guys!

##

## UnseenMurdererY

Can confirm. They brought in a tiny girl who smashed my head in with the guildmaster as reinforcement. [Pic].

I'm dead btw. My brethren, beware and avenge me!

##

## Teabag Master

You need a few more guilds to deal with that one. (￣ー￣)

##

## UnseenMurdererY

You mean players right?

##

## Serious Mage

Go home @Teabag Master, you are a pacifist. (~_~;)

That girl can kill everyone in Phoenix Ashes by herself. A few guilds are not going to cut it.

##

## Deeply Intelligent

Can confirm. I'm more worried for the town now that she's there.

Signed, totally not a random Phoenix Ashes player lurking to see what you maniacs are up to.

##

## SilentKillerX

Can confirm. Source: Am @UnseenMurdererY's brother. Also dead. (>_<)

##

------