Reborn in the Survival Adventure Game-Chapter 62: First Call

The village was buzzing with curiosity.

A strange new box had been placed outside the town hall. It had a wire, a small speaker, and a crank on the side. Another one sat near the blacksmith, and a third was beside the school.

Everyone gathered around it, staring, whispering.

"Is it a magic box?"

"Does it sing?"

"Maybe it's for starting fires?"

Caelen cleared his throat. "It's a telephone," he said.

The villagers blinked.

Zira tilted her head. "A tele...what?"

"It lets you talk to someone far away," Caelen explained. "Without yelling."

Silence.

Then Dorgrim burst out laughing. "Without yelling? That's impossible!"

Caelen smiled. "Watch."

He walked over to the telephone near the school, turned the crank, and spoke into the speaker.

"Testing. Garin, can you hear me?"

The second telephone, near the town hall, buzzed softly. Garin jumped back like it had growled at him.

"Wha–?!"

Everyone turned. The sound was clear, like Caelen's voice was inside the box.

Garin stepped forward slowly and picked it up. "Caelen?"

"Yes, it's me," Caelen replied from the other end.

Garin's eyes widened. "It works!"

The villagers gasped and laughed. Miko poked the wire with a stick. "How does your voice fit in there?!"

Caelen came back over and grinned. "Magic," he said, joking.

Soon, everyone wanted a turn.

Zira picked it up and tried whispering. "Hello?"

She jumped when Elira shouted back from the other end.

Rena yelled, "Can I eat this?!"

"No!" Caelen said.

The dwarves both took turns and somehow managed to argue through the wire.

"I told you it was ten ingots!"

"It was nine, you stone-brain!"

"Stone-brain?! That's rich coming from a hammer-head!"

Even the children laughed as they watched the adults argue into the box.

By the end of the hour, the whole village was talking through the telephone. Some whispered, some shouted, and one confused goblin thought he could hear the "box spirits."

Caelen watched from the side, arms crossed, smiling.

"It's not perfect," he muttered. "But it works."

After the crowd settled down, Caelen decided to start his next big project.

A stone gate.

They already had wooden fences and walls, but they wouldn't hold if real enemies came. He wanted something stronger—something that would show they were building a real village.

He chose a spot between two hills at the village's edge.

With the Creation skill, he raised thick stone walls from the ground. He used Transmute to smooth and harden the surface.

The walls rose high, tall enough to keep out any climbing beasts.

Then, in the center, he made a gate—two heavy stone doors that opened inward. He carved grooves so they could slide smoothly. With a few more touches, it looked grand and strong.

But he wasn't done yet.

Caelen shaped two stone statues to stand guard beside the gate. They were about the size of a person, holding fake stone spears. One looked like a human knight, the other like a goblin warrior. He gave them serious expressions and carved armor into their bodies.

"Nice," he said, brushing stone dust off his hands. "It'll make enemies think twice."

Zira walked by and stopped, staring at the statues. "Is that... supposed to be me?"

Caelen smirked. "Maybe."

She rolled her eyes, but her cheeks turned slightly pink.

Meanwhile, Garin was busy in the kitchen.

After the excitement with the telephone, he wanted to do something fun—something tasty. He had been thinking of a new recipe since tasting Elira's forest herbs. He had an idea for soup.

He tossed fresh spring onions, meat from wild birds, and a few of Caelen's preserved mushrooms into the pot. Then he added mashed corn for thickness and a touch of wild garlic.

The smell filled the air.

He let it boil slowly, stirring carefully. A few goblins peeked in.

"What's that?" Rena asked.

"Smells good!"

Garin grinned. "It's called Forest Stew."

He poured a bowl and handed it to Dorgrim. "Taste this."

The dwarf sniffed it, then slurped a spoonful.

Silence.

Then his eyes widened. "By the beard... this is amazing!"

Borin walked in, took a bowl, and nodded. "Even better with wine."

Garin blinked. "You're not wrong."

Soon, half the village came by to try the stew. Even Caelen came over after finishing the gate.

He took a spoonful and blinked. "Whoa."

Zira nodded beside him. "It's really good."

Garin stood proudly by the pot. "I'll make more tomorrow."

Caelen gave him a pat on the back. "You've just invented the village's first signature dish."

[System Message: New Recipe Unlocked – Forest Stew]

[Village Morale Increased]

As night fell, the villagers sat around small fires, eating stew, laughing, and talking.

Some still played with the telephone, making silly noises and pretending to be important.

"Commander Garin, do you copy?"

"I copy, Overlord Caelen."

"Status report on stew delivery."

"Ten bowls confirmed. Requesting backup!"

Laughter echoed through the night.

Caelen sat beside the fire, watching it all. The stone gate stood tall in the distance. The new stew warmed bellies. And the telephone, strange as it was, had brought even more joy.

Everything was coming together.

A real village.

A real home.

And it was only the beginning.