Construction Mage - Chapter 39: Role & Creation

AN: Showed changes in the status screen now, let me know if you prefer it like this or not. May work to do the same with all prior chapters

AN: Showed changes in the status screen now, let me know if you prefer it like this or not. May work to do the same with all prior chapters when I have time, if it is what people prefer.

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“By Lestionora’s name, heed my call,

Let your power take shape for me.

By sacred vow and binding light,

Rise from the void and lend me your might.”

Malik stumbled backwards, startled by the sudden appearance of the earth elemental. He almost cried out in alarm when he saw it swat a Feral Kobold away as if it were a fly. The oversized critter had foolishly continued its attack, charging straight at the hefty golem. It surely regretted its actions now as it convulsed on the ground.

[Ding—Level 1 Feral Kobold slain.]

“Um, sir, your elemental sure is strong. Why didn’t you use it earlier?”

“When I learned it, I mainly intended to use it as free labor to help with building my house. Didn’t think I’d need it for the periphery of the first layer. I didn’t plan to face those more advanced variants of kobolds anytime soon either, but judging from the events yesterday, it seems they aren’t as much of a threat anymore.”

“Right. Congratulations on your level up, by the way!”

“Thank you. Now, hurry up and take care of business. There are more things I want to try out with the golem.”

As Clay watched the teenager dive headfirst into his work, he appraised his new status screen while thinking of the conversation from the previous day.

Status:

Name: Clayton Stratton

Age: 30

Class: Earth Mage [Apprentice] - Level 5

Profession: Staffmaker, Alchemist

Resources:

Health - 100%

Stamina - 101/112 [1.6/min]

Mana - 68/100 [4.0/min] -> [4.6/min]

Stats [Mage]:

Stat Points: 5 -> 0

Strength: 15 

Endurance: 16

Agility: 15 -> 17

Dexterity: 11

Intelligence: 10

Wisdom: 20 -> 23

Skills:

Spell Manipulation(I): 3

Earth Blast(I): 4

Meditate(I): 3

Summon Elemental(I): 3

He had learned a lot about what the norm was for most veteran mages, but those lessons didn’t exactly apply to his situation. Clay had no intent to ever become a frontline fighter. The path he would take was different as he aimed for a cozy job in the back lines, helping manage an Adventurer’s Guild.

That meant his focus wasn’t entirely on combat. Which got him thinking about what his focus should be. Previously, it was to build himself a home. He had completed the first iteration of it, and while there was an enormous amount of room for improvement, it wasn’t as time-sensitive anymore, now that his life was coming together.

That’s why he put a lot of thought into how to spend his stat points after his conversation with Sylphira. 

In the short term, he still needed to improve his combat capabilities, but he needed to ensure his choices fit into his future role as well. He stayed up all night thinking about his place in the new world, and he couldn’t help but recall those thoughts even now.

My role is to found a guild that will help centralize all the functions related to a Delver. After verifying what knowledge holds true in this world, I will then also spread it through the organization. From how game-like the dungeons are, using what I know as a base will surely save the natives of this world decades of experimenting. 

Using the efficient ways to level, manage, and systematically rank Delvers. I’ll ensure everything runs more smoothly through centralization. No longer will Delvers be selling their spoils separately to a bunch of different merchants and vendors. By having the guild facilitate all the necessary logistics and bureaucracy, Delvers can focus on conquering the dungeon while I skim some of those funds as my salary, enjoying a carefree life!

But what else can I do to help after that? I can’t rest easy until the threat of dungeons is completely erased. There’s no way I can live peacefully, not knowing when monsters from some remote dungeon will flood the world after being left alone for too long. I need to give it my all to help.

At the end of Clay’s musing, he recalled how surprised Sylphira was about his humble abode just because it was made from magic. It made him realize how different the other earth mages were, looking down on using their powers for creation. Realizing this new truth allowed him to settle on his long-term goal. His way of aiding humans in conquering the dungeons would be to build! If no one else was willing to do it, then he would.

The thought of the veteran Delvers also made him slightly guilty. He didn’t share much but the vaguest ideas about the guild. Copyright didn’t exist in this world, so he couldn’t entrust anyone casually. All he said was that he wanted to share his experiences to make delving safer for everyone. They could tell he was hiding things, but didn’t hold it against him, though. When it came time for Clay to ask them questions, they didn’t hold back at all, even going into detail about their past experiences.

From these stories that the two veteran adventurers told him about the lower layers, Clay learned how they, too, suffered from the woes of logistics. Fitting all these pieces together, he decided to use his unique skills to address these shortcomings.

I’ve put two points into agility for now to improve combat, while three into wisdom to improve how quickly I can build. On large projects, mana recovery is everything. I want to get to a point where I can keep the earth elemental around for the entire day. Then eventually, I’ll head into lower layers and build outposts for my fellow Delvers!

Building a place to store supplies and allow them to rest. Essentially, making a town to help them manage their logistics. That will be my role.

With so many thoughts spinning around in his head, the day felt like it passed by much quicker than usual. He managed to adequately test the earth golem in combat. Heeding Sylphira’s advice, he tried using it both as a direct combatant and as a mobile cover. 

It wasn’t the most thorough test, though. The Feral Kobolds stood no chance of actually harming the elemental, but it was enough for now to know that it was quite durable.

Before he knew it, it was the next day. He woke up excited about what was to come. That was because the custom order he placed for the S-trap was supposed to be completed today.

To say his home was currently lacking was an understatement. Things like proper floorboards, windows, and other amenities still needed to be added. The completion of the bathroom would be a huge step forward in that regard. As such, the anticipation of restoring a long-lost convenience made the morning pass in a blur. 

Clay once again left Malik to sell off their daily haul as he raced over to the pottery shop. He barely heard a word the store attendant said the moment he laid eyes on the final product. Holding it like it was the most valuable treasure in the world, he ran a hand through its glazed interior.

I thought working with ceramics and the glazing process took longer than two days to complete. Not that I’m complaining, though.

Paying off the remaining tab, Clay raced home after that. He couldn’t wait to install it into his toilet.

Upon reaching the bathroom, he summoned his handy assistant, the earth golem, and began taking the current toilet apart.

It was currently more of a hole with an opening that could be flushed into a container outside. The toilet itself was just two stacks of bricks parallel with each other, holding up the makeshift toilet seat he had crafted.

All that would need to be adjusted for a proper toilet with a water trap in it.

The S-trap he had ordered had a wide funnel on one end, specially shaped like a toilet bowl. The clerk had told him the additional part wasn’t much of a problem, so he jumped at the opportunity, seeing how ceramic material was his best bet to avoid any leaks. That meant he now had to build the frame around it and adjust the toilet seat to fit.

Clay did just that with the help of the sturdy earth elemental. The two slowly re-stacked the toilet to match the dimensions of the S-trap. He had to ensure that not too much pressure would be exerted on the ceramic part, lest it break. The job was essentially building a chair around the central piece.

When it was time to adjust the toilet seat, the golem easily manipulated it as he desired, or at least as well as its thick, clumsy hands allowed. When it was finally done, Clay couldn’t resist holding the seat up against the light, marveling at it. He carefully placed it over the shoddy toilet. If it was even a little off, he would have the elemental readjust it. This was repeated several times.

[Ding—Skill: Spell Manipulation(I) has leveled up!]

Seeing the message, the mountain of a man began manically laughing to himself.

After triple-checking that the S-trap was properly connected to the hole in the ground, and there weren’t any gaps in the installation, he secured the toilet seat onto his work and tested its ability to bear his weight immediately.

Shifting atop it to ensure he didn’t miss anything, he was finally satisfied after an entire thirty minutes.

Just as he was about to run his toilet through a real test, a voice unexpectedly called out.

“Clay! You home?!”

The booming yet earnest voice was hard to mistake for anyone other than Dorgan, the stocky middle-aged Delver he met the other day.

As irritated as he could be from being interrupted, he swiftly reined in his irritation and stepped out to greet the veteran Delver. He might have only met the man for a day, but he was an important connection to have.

“Dorgan? What brings you—?” he asked as he pushed the door curtain aside, only to freeze when he noticed all the other people outside his home beside a familiar carriage. “Sylphira—and Doran and his party? What are you all doing here?”

“We brought the lads who wanted to thank you in person for saving them!”

“That’s right, sir!” Darian called out as he bowed down as far as he could. His party members followed a split second later. It was evident they had recovered from the wounds already.

“Thank you very much for helping us!” they cried in unison.

“Now, now. Clay will be troubled if you do that all of a sudden. Why don’t we head inside first? Mind if we come in, Clay?” Sylphira asked in a tone that expected nothing but a yes.

“Um, sure?”

With that, Clay’s fate had been sealed.

Seven Delvers curiously wandered into his sacred abode while he was frozen in place, trying to process what was happening.

A startled ‘gweh!’ rang out not long after they entered, thawing him immediately. Clay poked his head in to see what was going on, only to find the teenagers with their weapons at the ready, pointing at his golem, which was still standing in the middle of the bathroom. His lack of doors or covers separating rooms came to haunt him.

Thankfully, the two veteran Delvers were already at their side, holding them back. They clarified the situation succinctly, causing the young Delvers to soon look his way apologetically. 

“Umm, sorry. We’re not familiar with the skills mages can employ,” their leader, Darian, apologized on behalf of his squad.

Before he could continue, Dorgan’s voice echoed through the interior of the building.

“Did you make changes to that toilet of yours? It looks completely different today!”

Clay could sense the eyes in the room quickly turned to a questioning gaze that was directed at him. Realizing its inevitability, he sighed as he began pondering how much he wanted to talk about. With a noble in the house, he wasn’t so sure it was a good idea to go into the crude details regarding a toilet.

Whatever. It is my proudest creation to date. Nothing wrong with showing it off.

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