I pulled up my notifications with a smile. Before even looking, I could feel I gained just enough experience to take me up another level.

  I put my two free stats in intelligence, figuring if I was going to be buffing our entire guard before each fight then I'd need the extra mana. After the bliss of the level up faded, I looked around. Now the lowest level guardsman were level 3 with a couple level 4's.

  "Great job everybody. You guys killed it out there. Let's get back and celebrate."

  Chears and exhausted laughter answered as I stood there looking out over the smoking battlefield. I smiled, thinking back to past battlefields I'd stood in front of. This one... This one had no dead soldiers. It had no innocent teenagers pulled away from their friends and family's to fight a war they didn't really care about. It was simpler. Dumb beasts who were in our territory and needed to vacate. That was a fight I could get behind.

  The trip home was quiet and uneventful. Mark left his new mount and little green minions outside of the gates to keep watch while we told everyone about our battle with only minimal embellishments. Painting the guard as an elite fighting force that could defeat any enemies that might come our way.

  It wasn't long after we returned that a married couple approached me.

  The man stood over 6 feet tall with broad shoulders. He was bald with a neatly kept beard, a beer belly, and contagious smile.

  He reached out to shake my hand. "Nice to meet'chya Dean! Names Billy but everybody calls me bubba. This here's my wife, Noreen."

  Noreen was short with brunette curls and southern charm. She wore a sundress and had rosey cheeks.

  I nodded her way. "Pleased to meet you."

  Noreen flashed me a smile. "The pleasures all mine Dean. You see bubba and I run... Well... Ran a BBQ joint back home and share a love for cookin delicious food. So imagine my surprise when I heard that our valiant leader brought back a whole slew of spicy venison meat just ready to be cooked up. Bubba and I would love to be your personal chefs. Especially since it looks like we get to level up just from cookin a few morsels of grub. We made a nice squirrel stew earlier and gained a level each."

  I could practically feel myself start drooling as I started pulling out the stags from my inventory, setting them neatly on the ground. "Yea absolutely! Here, I put all the carcasses in my inventory. They haven't been gutted or cleaned yet though. So you may have some work on your hands."

  "Don't you worry about that, it's all part of the process. We'll handle everything... Although there is one tiny thing you could do for us. If'ins you want these stags tastin their best."

  I gave her a rye grin. "Oh yeah? And what might that be?"

  "Well you see Mr. Dean, my husband is mighty resourceful. But theres only so much we can do with a camp fire and a spinnin stick."

  "Consider it done."

  "We thank you mighty kindly Mr. Dean."

  Welp, looks like the sleeping arrangements are gonna stay cramped for the next few days. Daddy needs some delicious venison in his life. My mind drifted to thoughts of delicious BBQ as I made my way to the pillar.

  As I started across the open field toward the pillar, I noticed a villager standing near the far corner where the two walls met. The man was crouched over a patch of freshly turned earth, his hands busy in the soil.

  Huh, what's that guy doing? Wait a second. Is... Is he planting a garden? That's awesome. Where the heck did he find seads? Did he till that soil with his bare hands? Neet.

  I made a mental note to go check it out after I was done. Then walked up and placed my hand on the pillar. After looking around trough all the tabs I finally found what I was looking for under the commerce tab.

  Seeing all the options available under the commerce tab, I realized I was going to have to deal with the government side of things sooner or later. A town hall hadn’t exactly been high on my priority list. I’d been so focused on the basics that I hadn’t given it much thought. Still, it was clear that if I wanted the settlement to progress, I couldn’t ignore it forever. Maybe I could appoint someone, like a mayor or something, to handle all the tedious administrative junk that came with running a village. That way, I could focus on the things that actually mattered.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  For now though, I had just enough mana to build what I needed. I selected profession building and watched as the spectral preview appeared. The preview was basically just a big square building. I placed it next to the long houses, confirmed my selection, and let my vision return to my body.

  I walked over to where the building was materializing. Bubba and Noreen were already standing nearby and came over to join me. When it was done materializing I motioned them forward to go in first. The description said that it adopted to its first occupant and I didn't wanna mess it up by being the first one to walk in. I stayed back and watched as the couple walked inside, the door closing automatically behind them.

  After a moment of nothing happening, the building started glowing. Soft at first then brighter until it was a shining white morphing shape. It grew taller and a bit wider before it started to dim.

  When it was all done, the once-generic structure now stood proudly as a two-story building straight out of a small southern town. The lower floor had wide wooden siding stained a deep hickory brown, with white trim around the windows and a big wraparound porch complete with rocking chairs that swayed lightly in the breeze. A hand-painted sign above the door read “Bubba’s Smokehouse & Grill” in bold red letters that looked freshly brushed on. From twin chimneys, a thin curl of phantom smoke rose into the air, carrying the faint smell of hickory and spice that made my stomach growl.

  Large windows gave a peek inside. Rows of wooden tables and booths, red and white checkered tablecloths, and a massive iron smoker tucked behind a half wall. Mason jar mana lights hung from the ceiling beams, and the faint sound of country music drifted out as the door creaked open.

  Above the restaurant, the second floor looked more homey. White painted paneling, flower boxes under the windows, and a small balcony with a pair of rocking chairs overlooking the village square. Their own little home, sitting right above the heart of their new livelihood.

  “Looks like it suits them,” I said with a grin, watching Noreen press her hands to her mouth in surprise and Bubba beam like he’d just won the lottery.

  I walked inside, shoes thudding against the wide-planked wooden floor.

  “Nice place you got here,” I said, taking in the rustic charm. “Just a heads-up though, everyone else is still packed into longhouses. So if you don’t want folks getting jealous of your new southern dream, you might wanna make sure you’re serving up the best food they’ve ever tasted. That way, they see the value in it.”

  Bubba chuckled, wiping his hands on an apron that had somehow already appeared around his waist. “Don’t you worry none, boss. Once the smell of smoked stag starts driftin’ through the door, folks’ll be lining up ‘fore the first plate’s even done.”

  Noreen nodded with a grin. “And I’ll make sure they get sides that’ll have ‘em beggin’ for seconds. Ain’t nobody stayin’ mad when their belly’s happy.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Sides? What do you mean sides? You two got something other than stag meat already?”

  Noreen looked quite pleased with herself, hands on her hips as she gestured toward the kitchen. “Sure do! When we walked in, the place was already stocked. There’s a pantry back there loaded with all sorts of fixin’s. Beans, mac and cheese, flour, sugar, spices, even oil and salt. I swear it’s like the system just knew what a southern kitchen oughta look like.”

  Bubba nodded, opening one of the cabinets to reveal shelves full of neatly arranged jars and bags. “Ain’t never seen nothin’ like it. Looks like we got enough dry goods for a good twenty meals, maybe more if we stretch it. Guess that’s the system’s way of sayin’ welcome to the restaurant business.”

  I chuckled. “Guess so. Well, that’s one less thing to worry about.”

  Noreen smiled and leaned against the counter. “Long as you keep bringin’ in meat, we’ll make sure everyone’s eatin’ like kings. You handle the huntin’—we’ll handle the cookin’.”

  Bubba gave a firm nod. “You just make sure whatever you’re bringin’ home’s got enough meat to feed a hungry crowd, and we’ll take care of the rest.”

  I grinned. “sounds like a fair trade to me. I'll leave you two to it then.”

  I walked out of the restaurant and figured now was as good a time as any to go check out what the other villager was doing in the far corner.

  When I walked up he was still crouched over, his hands busy in the dirt. I stood there for a moment untill it was clear he didn't notice I'd walked up.

  "Hey bud, what'cha doin?"

  He picked his head up looking around untill his eyes found mine. "Oh hey! Sorry, I didn't see you there. Sometimes I just get so caught up in what I'm doing I forget to look around"

  His appearance caught me off guard. I wouldn't have expected someone that looked like him to be tilling the land. He was a scrawny nerdy looking guy in his late 20's to early 30's. He had pasty white skin, thick glasses, and an anime girl on his T-shirt. He had braces and and heavy lisp as he talked.

  He gestured behind him. "You told us to find ways to work on our crafts. So I came all the way over here figuring I wouldn't be bothering anybody. I can find somewhere else if you need me to."

  I put my hands up in a placating gesture. "No, your good dude. I was just coming to see what you were doing. I didn't know we had any seeds or anything onboard when we left."

  "We didn't. My class lets me till the earth with my mana as well as form seeds beneath the soil. As long as it's a plant that I'm familiar with then I can make its seeds. It takes some time though, I have to gostle the soil around and infuse it with mana. Then a seed can form over a minute or so..."

  He glanced over my shoulder as he was talking. "Hey, when did we get a restaurant?"

  "Just now actually. Suppers being cooked as we speak."

  He raised his eyebrows and nodded. "Cool. I think I can already smell whatever it is. It smells good."

  I smiled. "Some stag meet from our fight today. Basically a giant deer, but with antlers that shoot fire beams."

  "Oh, cool!"

  "yea, so not to be rude" I added. "but you don't really look like the gardener type. How'd you get the class? If you don't mind me asking."

  He barked a laugh. "Yea, No, I get it. I wasnt exactly out planting tomatoes before all this. I actually spent most of my time playing video games and watching anime if you couldn't tell." He gestured to his shirt. "Have you ever heard of those farmer simulator games? They try to make it as close to the real thing as possible. A group of friends and I play religiously. I've probably got a couple thousand hours logged in there."

  I nodded along, it all making sense now. "Ah, got'cha. That makes sense. But if you were the gamer type, why would you pick a class that makes you go outside and have to work in the sun?"

  "Honestly I had a couple other options. But when I took a moment to think about it, I realized that I'd probably be the most useful doing this. I'm not the combat type. Ya know?"

  "Yeah I get that. Combat can change a person. I've seen it first hand during my time in the army. There's nothing wrong with growing some tomatoes brother. I'm sure the rest of the villagers will be happy to hear we might have some freshly grown food sometime in the future."

  He brightened at that. "Actually I think it may be pretty soon. I don't know for sure, but I get the feeling my seeds grow faster than normal ones."

  I smiled. "Gotta love magic. I'm excited to see what you grow dude. But hey, I'll catch ya later, ok? I'm gonna go get some R and R while we wait on supper."

  He threw up a wave. "catch you later dean!"

  I waved back. "See ya laterrr... Ah crap. I'm sorry I forgot to ask your name."

  "Oh no your fine! It's Willard. Nice to meet you."

  "Likewise." I said as I turned around and started walking back towards the longhouses.

  Unfortunately I didn't make it halfway there before before there was a commotion over at the the southern gate and people started calling for me. I cursed. Can't a guy go take an afternoon nap in peace?

  When I got to the gate the chatter around us quieted as one of the guardsmen opened the viewport gesturing for me to look out. It didn't take long to see why the guardsman was getting excited. About five hundred meters away walking with a relaxed gait towards our southern wall, was something strait out of the fantasy novels I'd come to know and love.