Reborn in the Survival Adventure Game

The sky was dark and quiet, except for the soft sound of wires being twisted.

Caelen sat at a table with Garin, fitting copper into stone shells. Bits of crystal, bark, and metal lay scattered across the table. The prototype phone buzzed once, then went quiet again.

"Still nothing," Garin muttered.

Caelen leaned back. "It's close. Maybe the copper's too short."

They'd been at it since evening. Winding copper wire, shaping casing, lining it with insulator. Caelen wiped his forehead. "We'll get it working tomorrow."

They packed everything up and went to sleep.

Morning came with warmth and dust. Caelen headed to the schoolhouse, where goblin kids were already waiting. Rena waved. Miko sat with a stick in his mouth, pretending it was a pipe. Tilo stacked small rocks on his desk.

"Okay," Caelen said. "Today we're learning how to check if soil is good."

He showed them a plant with curled yellow leaves. "Bad soil. Too little nitrogen."

"Like from poop?" Miko asked.

"Yes, exactly."

The kids burst into laughter. Caelen chuckled too. He kept teaching—showing different leaves, how to test with water, how to plant onions.

By the time they were sketching their own farms, he felt lighter.

At noon, Caelen stood near the furnace. He mixed clay with crushed rocks, lime, and straw. Then he shaped it with magic into thick blocks and used fire magic to dry them until they turned pale orange.

[System Message: Reinforced Brick – Durability +40% – Weight +15%]

He placed them on a cart and pushed it to the forge. Borin was oiling an axe.

"These better be good," Borin said.

"They are," Caelen replied. "For the eastern wall."

Borin knocked one with his knuckle. "Hmph. Sturdy." free𝑤ebnovel.com

Caelen nodded. "Thanks."

After lunch, he went into the workshop and checked the old training golem. It still worked fine—slow, easy for beginners. Now he began a second one.

He carved faster response nodes, added more joint flexibility, and embedded a smarter reaction rune. It took hours, but finally, the wooden golem raised its staff and spun it around with a clean whoosh.

[System Message: Combat Trainer Golem – Medium Difficulty – Activated]

Caelen stepped back. "Nice."

Then he walked toward the forest. Two golems followed him quietly.

He went deeper, toward where Zira had said the elves might be—others like Elira, possibly scattered after the orc attacks.

After a long walk, he saw movement in the trees.

A group of elves. Thin, cautious, worn from travel. There were six of them. They turned the moment they saw him.

Bows were raised.

Caelen lifted both hands. "Wait. I'm not here to fight."

One elf, a tall woman with narrowed eyes, stepped forward. "Human."

"I came to talk."

Another hissed, "You lie."

"I don't," Caelen said. "Elira is with us."

They stiffened. One of them moved forward, eyes wide. "You have Elira? How?"

"She found us," Caelen said. "Attacked us, actually. There was a misunderstanding."

They glanced at each other.

Caelen added, "She stayed after we talked. Helped us. I think she's waiting for you."

The tall elf's voice was sharp. "Why would she stay with a human village?"

"You can ask her yourself."

They didn't answer.

"I know you don't trust me," Caelen said. "That's fair. But I think she'd want to see you."

A long silence. Then the tall woman gave a nod. "Lead."

Caelen turned and walked back through the forest, the group following like shadows.

When they reached the village, Elira was near the drying racks, tying herbs together with thread. She turned when she heard them.

Her eyes widened.

"...Lirae?"

The tall elf stopped in her tracks. "Elira?"

They stared for a second.

Then they both ran and hugged tightly. Elira clutched her like a sister. The others joined, some in tears, some just relieved.

"I thought you were dead," Elira whispered.

"We thought you were," Lirae said. "Where were you?"

Elira looked down. "After the attack, I ran. Found this place. Thought it was hostile. I attacked them."

"You what?" Lirae asked, stunned.

"I know. But they didn't fight back. They helped me. I didn't understand at first... but now I do."

The group turned to Caelen.

"You let her stay after that?" one asked, confused.

Caelen shrugged. "She was hurt. Angry. I would've been too."

Another elf asked, "Why? Why help her?"

"Because she needed help," he said simply.

They were quiet.

Zira walked over, handing cups of water. "You're safe now. Rest. Eat."

Elira smiled. "This village is strange... but kind."

Lirae looked around—at the houses, the golems, the goblins helping carry baskets.

"You built all this?"

"With others," Caelen said. "We're trying to build something that works for everyone."

"...Even elves?"

"If they want to stay."

Lirae watched him for a long moment. Then she lowered her bow.

"...Thank you."

Caelen gave a small nod.

Elira said softly, "Come see the field. We're growing new herbs."

They walked away, talking quietly.

Caelen looked around at the growing village—stone walls, drying herbs, smoke from the forge. A long way from where it started.

He returned to the townhall as the sun lowered. The wires waited on the table.

He sat down, picked up his tools, and went back to work.

One step at a time.