It turned out to be a rather simple, though also somewhat expensive process to acquire their own permanent lodgings- namely one had to request the villagers to build a house for them, a process that did not take long, just a day or two, from what Jack was told by both the villagers in question as well as Kenji and Kaede. When asked about the end result, he was pointed to the rest of the shoddy building all around as recently built, causing Jack's brow to furrow rather obviously.

  "Ehhhh" Jack drew a guttural exhale as he contemplated his response, coming up with a rather odd request, if the faces of the villagers were any indication" What about a pot where I could do my own thing? Perhaps a helper or two who could follow orders precisely?"

  "There is plenty of space closer to the wall so you are free to pick a spot. Not like you would come back to this place ever again so there is no need to worry about anything else. There are no land owners in the village anyhows." replied the rather thin man in charge of this whole operation, then quickly added an answer to the remaining question "As for the helpers" part? That is also easy to solve, depending on the tasks needed to be done. Plenty of the locals would be more than willing to assist for a hearty meal or two." he chuckled as he explained, then added "No doubt some of your fellow gifted would also be willing to help for a similar reward. Food is always in short supply, now more than ever with so many new people moving around."

  "Understood. Thank you for the information. I will make sure that some sort of reward will be delivered to you soon to express my gratitude." Jack responded as he slightly bowed his head.

  "Uhm. Jack san? Are you really planning to make the building yourself?" Kaede asked, still shy as usual, though there was also quite a bit of curiosity in her voice.

  "I might have a bit of an understanding when it comes to architecture and engineering. At the very least more than whoever is building those shoddy constructions." Jack explained as the trio walked over to the empty plots of land closer to the wall.

  "We will also need to reinforce the wall closer to our house as well as add another fence that would separate it from the rest of the village. No doubt there will soon be plenty of fools trying to either beg us to help them or outright threaten to be bribed, lest they accidentally set fire to whatever we will have made. Well, I say we, but I am the one that suited for the task, what with my class and stats." Jack explained as he found a place that suited his needs perfectly.

  "Is there anything we can do to help?" asked Kenji as he and Kaede watched Jack pull out his old slicing spear, stab it in the ground and start walking, the weapon drawing a line in the ground. Once he reached a certain distance, Jack stopped, made a sharp ninety degree turn and walk once again, repeating the same process of stopping, turning and restarting his walk once again. Only once he was back at the point he had started the whole process did he looked up at Kenji, responding.

  "Yes actually. The two of you could go around and ask the people loitering around if they are interested in working in construction for a day or two. Three meals a day guaranteed for the duration they are employed as well as a few extra meals after the work is done. Do warn them that it will be physical labor and no slacking will be tolerated. Honest pay for honest work. Also, while you two do that, please figure out what kind of weapons you two would prefer me to make. I would guess sword and shield for Kenji since he if a tank, but I don't quite know that it is that Kaede would prefer. If you want a focus chime like the one you are already using I will need to borrow it for a while to understand it better. Do give it some thought beforehand though and only then give me the answer. Ineed what feels right for you two. There is a limited amount of materials I have gathered so far after all."

  "Understood Jack. We will give it a though while looking for workers." Kenji enthusiastically nodded and dragged Kaede away, leaving Jack alone for the moment.

  "Time to get to work then." Jack hummed to himself, withdrawing a spade he had made some while ago during his practice from his storage space. He knew a spade would have come in handy, though to break it in so soon had not been in his plans. 'Might even test out the rest of them as well, helpers be willing.' he mused as he stabbed the ground, moving with speed that quite honestly boggled the mind, though it was a result two, distinct causes. First, Jack's own, tremendous attributes, though he had to admit that the space itself was also a work of art.

  Virtuoso's Spade (Epic)- Every man needs some tools to work and for Virtuoso, who needs access to all manner of resources, there are few tools more useful and versatile as a spade. You can dig, or not or use it as a crutch, or even bonk someone on the head if need be. And of course, a spectacle it must be, whatever the user performs. Versatility at its finest. Strength +1, increased speed and precision when digging, allowing for more seamless and precise actions performed. Creates an illusion, making things seems more entertaining.

  That last part of the description, and the effect as a result, was not something Jack had thought of when he was creating the item, though a stray thought that it would be funny if someone digging at supernatural speeds and precision looked wackier than they actually did had sneaked in his mind when he was making it. And, as the aspect of creation, if he could imagine it, he could make it, though it did eat a lot more of his stocked up materia. Still, the end result was funny, though he did also make normal showels without the additional illusion effect.

  "Dude, what was that thing we drank yesterday?" asked a rough looking guy who laid with his back against the village wall, another, similarly shaped man right next to him staring at Jack as well, both their jaws agape at the sight of his inhuman digging speeds.

  "Nothing strong enough to cause that kind of hallucination. Do you see the same shit I do?" the other answered as well, rubbing his eyes and asking back.

  "Whaddya seeing?" the first one asked, rubbing his eyes as well, clearly not believing his own eyesight.

  "Magical dwarf shitting earth in a stream as he eats it in god forsaken speed?"

  "I think those mushrooms should not be added to the next batch you brew brother." the first one replied "I'm seeing five little green men pulling a cart thats regurgitating earth in a similar fashion to your dwarf."

  "Hic. I think you are right brother." the second replied, the two staring at the bizarre sight before their eyes.

  Another hour or so later Kenji and Kaede returned, a couple guys following them, clearly interested in the offer they had extended, though the newly arrived group stopped and stared just like the two dudes next to the village wall.

  "Fun show?" Jack asked, stopping a few minutes later, mostly done with his excavation. The plot he had marked previously was now replaced with a meter deep ditch, precisely and cleanly dug. "So, you guys up for an honest job?"

  "If the foods better than the scraps we can receive for tending the fields, whatever it is you need, we will deliver." responded one of the guys that stood up front.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  "Friends of yours, or just brothers in misfortune? The name's Jack, by the way."

  "Alonso, and a bit of both."

  "The scraps you mentioned? Bland, brick like bread and sketchy looking jerky?" Jack asked and upon confirmation, answered the previous question as well. "Yea, I can guarantee stuff better than that for sure." He then quickly examined the people before him with a scrutinizing eye, as if judging their character, though that was not truly necessary. From the way they appeared, clothes slightly ragged, though mostly clean, with dust caught on their pant legs and arms, it was obvious these guys had been working the fields. That and Jack could see the personalities of the group with a similar set of words- hard working, honourable.

  "Tell you what." he continued "You lot seem like the right sort. How about I make the first meal now since you are first ones to agree and then we go from there. I can tell that I am already above level five and we will need to do a bit of gathering in the forest, though do not worry, we will ensure the protection part and it will be relatively close to the village. Sounds acceptable?"

  The men quickly turned to one another, exchanging a few words, then turned back to Jack.

  "Deal. Though if any monster gets closer to us than hundred meters, we run back to village. You good with that?" Alonso spoke for the group.

  "Not a problem. Got your bowls and spoons with you? This will take an hour or so."

  "Always."

  With the confirmation, Jack got to work, using the place he dug as his temporary kitchen. He quickly set up a small campfire with the stuff he had at hand, then fished out a kettle he had made just like the spades, well aware beforehand that he would be making soups and stews quite often. Then he got to making a simple, yet filling soup, adding vegetables and a fair bit of frogmop meat. Then, as the broth steamed and boiled, using his Eyes of the procurer added his home made spices to elevate the taste to a whole another level. Right now, cooking to him was like solving math equations, adding, subtracting and using all the other mathematical procedures to create the results he wanted.

  To be fair, while he did ensure he made the soup tasty, he also ensured it was nowhere near the level of bliss Kenji and Kaede had experienced when he cooked for his party. It was one thing to show his own group the magic he could do, a whole another to workers hired temporary. he could, of course, possibly make a way for these guys to work for him on a regular basis, though such a choice would require more elaborate and careful planning.

  "Damn boss." Alonso spoke after the group of five had damn near licked clean their bowls, each receiving two servings "That was heavenly." he patted his belly with a pleased expression, putting away his kitchenware. "A deal's a deal. Lead the way and tell us what to do."

  "Pleasure working with you." Jack grinned and extended his hand, shaking the hand of each of the five workers. With that done, he took point as the group left the village, still having a bit of time before sundown.

  "We should probably try and make it back before dusk. More creepies moving around during night." Alonso added, his gaze locked on the sky for just a moment.

  "Well aware, but the advice is noted. Need to collect some logs today though. Got some spare space in your storages I assume?"

  "Should be plenty." Alonso replied once again.

  "Your friends are quite shy it seems, got a reason for it?"

  "Yes, but would rather not speak about it." Alonso grunted, clearly not willing to share.

  "Noted as well. Apologies."

  What followed was a rather impressive sight once again. Jack used his halberd as saw of sorts, the weapon sturdy and sharp enough for him to use his monstrous strength to cut down large sized trees that he and Kenshi then debranched and split into certain length. Once the storage spaces of everyone were filled, he also sheathed his halberd and grabbed a log in each arm and ordered the group to return, unloading the logs at his 'construction site'. He then spent the remaining time until dusk by establishing the foundation, strengthening the beams and the base construction with his unique set of skills, ensuring that neither rot nor fire could take them easily, ensuring the building would serve for as long as he would have to stay here.

  By the time the night fell, the outline of the building was clear and the floor was already in place as Jack had used quite the precision to level it, or so it seemed. He had effectively used his spades illusion, guiding it this time to appear as if he had used some weird cutting techniques to make planks for the floor while in reality he used his aspect of creation skill. He also made sure that the angel, or as other knew him- village elder, was nowhere near him when it happened. One less problem to deal with.

  The trio had to spend the night under clear sky, taking shifts still since they did not trust anyone around but with first morning lights they were all up and decently rested. At the same time, their five workers also arrived nice and early, just an hour or so after the sunrise they were already present, and happily eating breakfast- a simple stew with local variant of potatoes he still had in stock. And, much like the previous evening, once they were done, the group left the village, once again felling trees and collecting logs that jack would then either make into timber to finalize the interior or used said logs to fill out the walls of his building.

  What had to be noted was the wide eyes the villagers looked at Jack with, their faces filled with sheer disbelief and even awe in some cases regarding the quality of his quickly finalized home. It was one story building, with a few window slots, covered with wooden panels from inside since Jack was not willing to to spend his matter on creating glass windows. They had light during day and during night they would sleep, so there was not much need for light then, Once again, jack was not willing to spend matter on creating candles or oil lamps. If needed, they could acquire some from other people.

  There had been quite a few people who had observed Jack's group and their actions and by the end of the second day his group had arrived in the village, the first evening and the whole second day, their simple, but clearly professionally build temporary home was done, it's quality standing head and shoulders above anything else present. The five guys had worked hard, though they had also eaten better than past week and were even quite sad that the work seemed to be done, only to be overjoyed when Jack mentioned that he would need their assistance the next day as well.

  The third day was spent on reinforcing the village wall near their home as well as making an additional fence around it, making it the most defensible position in the entire village, even earning the attention of the elder, who personally came to visit the owners of the home.

  "My, ow my. What craftsmanship and precision. Is this the direction your Virtuoso skill took? Carpentry?" the elder asked one he sat at a freshly made table, across from Jack, Kaede and Kenji.

  "No, that is something I worked with before. Skills from my past life if you will." Jack replied, his face still and calm.

  "Impressive, impressive indeed. Would you be interested in making some other building then?" he asked, as if slowly preparing the conversation for more important topics.

  "You jest." Jack just laughed off the village chiefs words. "There are monsters roaming around and this place is not going to be a location we remain in for long. Experience, gear and other things are the pressing priority now that there is roof over our heads. I sincerely doubt that this is all the danger that awaits us in this trial zone, otherwise we would have already be done. That is if the task was to establish a camp or some sort of or to get on our feet in hostile environment. Nor would there be a village of people waiting for us." Jack's gave grew sharp "No, I suspect a much more dangerous trial awaits us. No, most likely it's getting closer and closer even as we speak."

  "That does sounds ominous indeed." Replied the village elder, slightly nodding his head at the words. "I do hope that you are wrong and that in the case you are not, we will be spared whatever danger it is that you expect. I will take my leave then and allow you to get back to what you were doing." the village elder then excused himself and left the building, accompanied by Jack and his ever vigilant eyes.

  "Well then kids, let's get to fixing up your stuff." Jack turned to the couple still sitting at the table once he returned, the duo holding hands in the light of a candle the village chief had brought over as a gift, light smiles on their faces as their slowly inhaled the fresh smell of the wooden, though strengthened and slightly enchanted, feeling quite cozy and safe for the first time since arriving in this world.

  "Yes, big brother!" the duop exclaimed in unison, viewing Jack in even better light than before. Not only had his advice pushed Kenji to dare and confess to Kaede, but he had also stepped in and accepted the pair under his wing when their own group had turned out to not be all that good, though that mostly lay on the head of one by the name Hanzo. It had to be noted that during the two days the group had worked on finishing their current home, Chiyo had visited them a few times, just like Izumi, wanting to talk for a moment, only to be asked to come back once their home was done.