.｡.:✧ Chapter 3 ✧:.｡.

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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With a new addition to the group, there was work to be done.

An expansion.

Although the original house was a brick house built in a scenic location fit for a fairy tale, it was not very large, having been constructed with the assumption that I would be living alone.

A 15 pyeong (around 500 square feet) house was not small for one person to live in, but since a storage room for miscellaneous items and a workshop for making tools occupied more than half of the space, the actual living area was not very spacious. So expanding the living quarters was important.

We couldn’t sleep indefinitely in a cramped room while walking on eggshells around each other.

As soon as Karina recovered enough to walk with difficulty, I immediately set to work.

Taking out the lumber and tools I had salvaged from the shipwreck, I first demolished one entire wall. It would normally be a time-consuming task, but how could someone reincarnated into this world be ordinary?

This world itself was far from ordinary to begin with.

“Crafting.”

It had been a long time since I used that skill.

These days, I would make things by hand as a hobby without using skills. I couldn’t help but chuckle as I watched the bricks rapidly pile up. A skill that allowed me to skip parts of the process as long as I had the materials. It was one of the reasons I was able to survive on this land.

As long as I had materials, I could make anything. The more complex the object to be made, the more complicated the preparations became… but it wasn’t a skill that could be abused carelessly. At first, I had struggled to even properly process soil.

My stomach growled at that opportune moment. It must be time for a meal.

I should wrap this up quickly and go eat. By now, Karina would be diligently stirring a pot. Perhaps it was because she was a saint, but while she still had difficulty walking, she had recovered enough to whisk a pot without issue.

I had told her she could just rest, but oh well.

In any case, after the meal, I had planned to go to the beach briefly to check if there were any other survivors or corpses.

To be honest, I didn’t expect there to be any more survivors.

In 10 years, Karina and I were the only survivors on this island. Even if someone had luckily drifted ashore and managed to survive, if they ended up in the territory of the monsters that divide this island into thirds instead of my area… they would have become a meal.

Those creatures could swallow a human whole in one bite.

I had spent as long as 7 years hiding and living within their sphere of influence. It was only 3 years ago that I gained recognition of my territory from them and reached an unspoken agreement not to encroach on each other’s domains. Only then did my deserted island life become a bit dull.

In the end, the probability of anyone surviving was virtually zero. Unless they were a human like Renny with near-final boss level combat power who could kill the monsters and take their land… but were they even alive? Even if they were alive, there was also a chance they weren’t on this island.

In any case, the more companions, the better, so I had planned to slowly explore the island while dividing the area. It would be difficult to spend a long time exploring the island from the outset, since there was also a patient to look after…

“Since I’m doing it, should I expand it a bit more?”

I had intended to roughly add another room, but I figured I might as well expand it more substantially while I was at it.

Just in case there were any new castaways.

The presence of Karina had rekindled a hope that I hadn’t had before.

“Crafting.”

After producing another pile of bricks, I began fitting them into place. It would probably take about two hours to create a decent additional space. It was very fast for a renovation project, but this was my tenth year at it. And I was no ordinary human either.

Working at a pace that would put a hard-working soldier to shame, I used bricks to lay the floor, erect walls, and started constructing the floor and ceiling with wooden boards.

The method involved filling the lower space with soil and bricks, then laying boards on top and filling in bricks. Since I had never worked construction in Korea, the result was a bit slapdash, but you develop your own know-how from doing this kind of work for a long time.

…Considering that the attacks of monsters and tsunamis had caused me to rebuild the house dozens of times… it was fortunate that these were special bricks that made the structure sturdier. The issue was having to enter dungeons to obtain the materials.

Since the three of us – myself and the two monsters dividing the island – had an unspoken non-aggression pact, I had to be very careful when going into dungeons.

I would have to deal with those creatures eventually.

Then I could prepare to escape from this island.

“I should apply the coating soon…”

I applied a sticky liquid extracted from insect-type monsters to the walls. The liquid soon seeped into the bricks, adhesively connecting the spaces between them. Now the walls had become sturdy enough to withstand considerable impact without collapsing.

After meticulously coating the walls with the liquid, I casually wiped the beads of sweat from my brow.

The expansion was more or less complete now. Once the liquid dried, the walls would become sturdy enough to withstand significant impacts without crumbling. It seemed to have taken about 3 hours. I glanced up at the sun overhead and shoved the tools carelessly into a corner. It didn’t matter if they were lying around since there was no one to steal them.

I went straight to the well and quickly washed myself. Then I filled a bucket I had made earlier with water. It was for Karina to bathe.

Since she still couldn’t walk or move properly, she couldn’t get into the water directly or pour water over herself to bathe, but Karina maintained minimal cleanliness by wetting a cloth with lukewarm water and wiping her body.

Of course, I had never seen her actually bathing. I would deliver the water and cloth, then immediately leave the house. Come to think of it, it felt a bit like a married couple’s routine. Though our relationship was still too distant to be considered that…

Karina and I were still more like awkward housemates. Just being in the same house together would sometimes create a suffocating atmosphere. Karina still seemed wary of me at times. Well, if I were in a situation where I couldn’t move properly and had to live with a rugged-looking man, I’d be on maximum alert too.

But things were gradually improving, so perhaps in a month we could call each other ‘friends’? Mutual trust would be essential if we wanted to escape the island. If we couldn’t trust each other, we wouldn’t be able to kill the monsters or explore the dungeons.

“…Come to think of it, it’s about time to collect larvae.”

The thought occurred to me suddenly.

But it was something I would have had to do even if Karina hadn’t washed ashore.

Quite some time had passed, so many larvae must have been born. Since I had consumed a lot of larvae recently, I needed to replenish my stock. They were the most harmless source of nourishment in this area. Meat from livestock like cows, chickens, and pigs now felt unfamiliar.

“Still, I crave samgyeopsal. Yangnyeom galbi would be nice too, and chicken goes without saying.”

But there was no livestock on this island. The only things here were the flavorless monster offspring. I needed to turn those monster spawns into fertilizer for this land as soon as possible, so I had to complete the preparations quickly.

It was about time to head out.

After roughly drying myself, I picked up the water-filled bucket and opened the front door.

Hmm, a delicious aroma.

As soon as I opened the door, a rich fragrance invaded my nostrils. The appetizing scent made my mouth water instinctively, and a tidal wave of hunger washed over me. Karina was sitting in front of the hearth, whisking the contents of the pot with a ladle.

“Ah, you’re back.”

“Yeah.”

“Please wait a little longer. It’s almost done.”

I set down the bucket in a corner of the house and sat down in front of the hearth to rest. Unlike a few days ago when Karina had been shocked to see the ingredients for the stew, she was now whisking the green liquid with somewhat practiced motions. I suppose she had grown accustomed to it from eating it so often.

You couldn’t help but develop a tolerance after eating insect-based meals three times a day…

“You’ve gotten used to it.”

“I was surprised that insects were used in the stew, but… it’s not like I can be picky at a time like this, right? It does have a certain flavor too. But you really are amazing.”

“Me?”

“Yes. To build a house all by yourself like that…”

“The expansion?”

“Ah, is that what it’s called? Yes. I’ve never known a house could be expanded so quickly.”

“You can do it if you live on a deserted island for 10 years.”

“10 years… did you really live alone for that long?”

She still seemed half-doubtful. I had even shown her the tally marks I had carved into the rock wall. Well, 10 years was more than half her lifetime, so it was understandable that she couldn’t fully grasp it. When I nodded again, she looked at me with warm eyes and said,

“You must have suffered a great deal over those 10 years.”

I could only nod in response to Karina’s words.

Having my decade of hardship acknowledged by someone was quite moving. Flashes of the ordeals I had endured over the past 10 years crossed my mind. For a while, I opened and closed my mouth, struggling to find the right words.

I didn’t know what to say.

In the end, I mustered a simple, strained response.

“…Thank you.”

“Shouldn’t I be the one saying that? Thank you for saving me.”

Karina gave me a gentle smile. A slight blush appeared, perhaps embarrassed by the awkward moment herself. We gazed at the pot in silence once more.

“It’s done.”

At Karina’s words, I came to my senses and accepted the steaming bowl she handed me. Today it had a somewhat more refreshing aroma than usual, probably because dried fruit had been added.

I scooped up a spoonful of the stew and brought it to my lips, savoring the taste of the hot liquid on my tongue.

Hmm. Rich and slightly tangy.

While it didn’t quite have the feeling of a stew, it didn’t lack a certain broth-like quality either. But one couldn’t afford the luxury of being picky about taste while living on a deserted island. In a place where simply having something to eat was cause for gratitude, one had to make do.

“Thank you for the meal.”

“…Thank you for the meal.”

The simple meal ended swiftly. I gathered all the dishes and utensils into the empty pot and rose from my spot. It was better to do the dishes right away to avoid extra hassle. As I headed for the door, Karina sat on the bed and began preparing to bathe.

“Have a safe trip.”

For some reason feeling my face flush, I nodded curtly and hurriedly left the house.

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After finishing the dishes with the handmade soap, I stood up from my spot and stretched. Doing dishes was an arduous process in this place without a sink or running water, but it had to be done. Gathering the cleaned dishes, I started to move toward the house again.

Then, out of nowhere, the ground began to shake.

Irregular tremors violently jolted my feet.

Just when I had nearly forgotten, another incident seemed to have occurred on this island plagued by constant disturbances.

“…Here we go again.”

Abandoning the dishes, I immediately ran to the front yard and grabbed the shovel leaning against the side of the entrance.

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