Swiss Arms

Chapter 1

-VB-

[/b]

The year was 1300 AD.

"77!"

"Hans is an odd boy."

"78!"

"He has been an odd boy since he could crawl. Get over it."

"79!"

"80!"

"Berthold, he should be getting married soon!"

"81"

"He's only eighteen. He can wait a few more years."

"82!"

"You know that the girls from the village eye him every time you bring him there. And don't think I don't know how you keep meeting that innkeeper who has a daughter!"

"83!"

"So?"

"84!"

"So?! She's not good enough for Hans!"

"85!"

"Who's good enough for Hans, then?"

"86!"

"...maybe someone from the city will be better than out here in the valleys. He deserves better. I mean, look at him."

"87! 88! 89! 90!"

"Yeah, I know. He's … more than us."

"91!"

"Have you asked your uncle yet?"

"92!"

"I did. He says he'll come over to see Hans."

"93!"

"But not our other children?"

"94!"

"You know that he's not getting any younger. I'm just happy I managed to convince him."

"95!"

"Not even for Jacob?"

"96!"

"Jacob has his own wife and child to think of. I am not going to tell him what to do anymore, even if the idiot needs it sometimes."

"97!"

"What about -."

"98!"

"Woman, lay it off. He'll be fine."

"99!"

"..."

"100!"

I stopped and let out a steady stream of air.

Ping.

Habitually, my eyes looked up while my body continued its cooldown routine.

[The Way of Warrior] Completed!

-Monthly Quest-

Objective:

Running: 300/300 miles

Vertical Swing: 3000/3000

Horizontal Swing: 3000/3000

Diagonal Down Swing: 3000/3000

Diagonal Up Swing: 3000/3000

Reward (Choose):

*+50 EXP

*+1 LvL to any Arms Skill

*+1 to any Physical Stat

I chose physical stat today and added the reward to my Strength, my middling physical stat. Once completed, I blinked to close the dimly lit and nearly transparent screen only I could see and headed towards the river to wash up.

Walking away from my family home and farm, I opened up my status with a mental command.

[Character Status]

Name: Hans, son of Louis, of Ourzcvelt*

Age: 18

Title: N/A

LvL: 22

HP: 480

MP: 200

ST: 240

STR: 39

END: 48

AGI: 35

DEX: 44

INT: 20

CHA: 8

I was well on my way to becoming supernatural. Most adults had ten points in each of the categories with charisma being the only exception where it varied from person to person.

And the points gave me a linear growth. So I was four times stronger than the average man.

Neat, huh?

I could also use magic and make my own spells and skills.

It was with these spells and skills that I intended to carve up my own little fief here in the Alps.

I arrived at the river and quickly washed myself before heading back home. The family was busy preparing for lunch.

I smiled. "Need any help, mom?"

"Yes, go and get some eggs please!"

So I did.

Our lunch meal wasn't anything special despite our family's above average affluence for the area we were in: half a loaf of bread, a cup of diluted ale, and two fried eggs each for all six of us.

When our meal came to an end, I cleared my throat.

"Mom, dad. I will be leaving tomorrow."

They turned to me in shock but not surprise. Mom looked sad and dad looked upset.

"Your grand uncle is coming within the month."

I shook my head. "Give Elsa, Ann, or Stephen a chance to go to the cities. I will be making my own path, dad."

He was definitely upset.

"You sound sure of it."

I smirked.

He frowned.

"But you don't own anything…" mom protested. "At least your grand uncle Albert can help you."

"I intend to make my own farm elsewhere. Jacob will be taking over this farm, isn't he?"

He was, and dad looked a little guilty. "Look-."

"I know. All of my siblings need your help more than I do," I replied honestly. I loved them, but they weren't me. They would struggle in this harsh medieval life without help, not because they were incompetent but because life just fucking sucked.

Dad sighed.

"... fine."

Mom fussed but she relented.

And just like that, I set out the next morning to the free flowing tears of my family to make my own future.

-VB-

While I did tell dad that I would make a farm, I would be doing much more than that.

I arrived at my destination some five weeks after I left home. I had traveled across most of the deep Swabian Alps - from my home in Erstfeld to Andermatt to Disentis to Hanz - before I got here.

I looked around this quaint little valley where I saw only a small village in the far distance.

In time, this place would become one of the three hearts of the Three Leagues which would then become part of the Swiss Confederacy in the far, far future.

From there, I walked into one of the narrower valleys east of that quaint little village called Tavaus**. There, I found a quite little valley. It was neither wide nor narrow. There was also a river teeming with fish.

It was perfect for me, so I set up camp and pulled up my skills.

[Construction] LvL.1

Reduces resource usage

*0.5% reduction in material cost per level

[Logging] LvL.4

Increases damage to all wooden structures

*1% increase to damages against wooden structures and items per level

[Mining] LvL.1

Increases speed of mining

*0.5% increase to speed for mining a cubic meter of material per level

[Carpenter] LvL.1

Alters basic resource into advanced resource (tools and lumber required)

These four skills would be my core skills for the coming week as I put up a house for myself.

Unfortunately, every single one of them were underutilized and underused prior to today for a simple reason: a second son of a farmer did very little construction or mining.

It would be painful, but I would be doing a lot of inefficient work.

I laid down my backpack next to the small campsite I made at a sandy riverbank and lumbered towards the closest pine tree.

I held up my hatchet.

I brought it down.

Again and again, I struck, and eventually, the pine tree creaked as it fell.

"TIMBER!" I cackled as the tree slammed into the ground. "Alright, next one."

And so the grind began.

-VB-

"Odd sounds in the woods?" Papa gruffed. "Probably birds."

There were other men today in their house, which made mama upset because it broke the balance of the house, but papa and Derrick cared little about that.

What they cared about was the weird noises people going towards the Davosersee have been hearing from the Fluela Valley.

"What if it's bandits?"

Murmurs of agreement and disagreement flowed between the men.

"Why make so much sound, then?"

Again, they grunted and muttered.

Alvia brought out some watered ale for them, and left quickly before any of the younger men gave her looks.

"You lot didn't see the black smoke that came out?"

That was bad. What if whoever was in the first started a fire?

"... we should investigate."

The men looked at each other warily before nodding and left the house soon after that.

The next morning, papa and Derrick left with a spear and pitchfork respectively.

She just hoped it wasn't anything bad.

-VB-

Three days.

Three days of nonstop grinding for [Logging] and [Carpenter], dragging and rolling the lumber to campsite and then turning them into usable planks!

[Logging] LvL.13

[Carpenter] LvL.12

I stared proudly at the nine half sawed lumbers and as many stacks of planks in volume waiting for me to use in building my new home.

I then pulled out a Blueprint. It was a tool, not of planning but of actual construction. See, this Blueprint of mine allowed me to instantly materialize parts of buildings like players did with their Blueprints in R*st.

Unlike the said game, I had no inventory and as such the resources for construction needed to be close to the actual construction site.

Combined with a Hammer, a tool specifically for upgrading already placed building blocks, I got to work.

And so I built.

Six equilateral triangular foundations arranged into a hexagon came up first as twigs. The Hammer came out and I upgraded all of them into solid wooden foundations.

Next I built the first floor walls, five walls and one doorway, and upgraded those, too.

Then I built the ceiling and upgraded them.

Finally, my [Craft] skill finished making a lock and a wooden door. I placed the door down onto doorway, making it appear instantly, and placed the lock on the door.

With a click, my first home was done.

Now, unlike R*st, I needed a different item to claim this building as mine. Instead of a cupboard, I crafted and pulled out a [Deed]. This was an item that, once placed and signed with my name, prevented anyone else from building on and near this building if they did not have their name on the deed.

I placed it down and smiled as I saw a small green bar showed up on the edge of my vision to show my ownership.

Done!

Ping!

[Construction has lvled up.]

Nice.

Well, I'm hungry, so I needed to fish for my breakfast.

I turned around and opened the door.

And paused.

Standing at the edge of the riverbank were six men, half of whom were armed with spears, one with a bow, and two with farming tools.

"... hi, neighbors!"

-VB-

Derrick looked around the place after the stranger came out of the house and began talking with father.

It was now obvious that there were no bandits, just someone younger than him trying to turn this place into something worthwhile.

But why build on the riverbank?

The house looked sturdy enough if not properly insulated for the winter to come. There were logs neatly stacked within a few steps of the house, but there wasn't much else.

"Derrick, get over here!" father singled him out as he always did.

He came over to the six men, who were smiling and joking. Father pulled him to the stranger.

The guy looked his age, but he stood tall and muscular.

"This here is Hans. He came from Ourzcvelt! He's two years your junior but definitely your senior in bravery. The mad lad came all of the way over here to build himself a farm!"

Hans pulled up an open hand towards him. "Nice to meet you Derrick."

He shook the stranger's hand. "Likewise."

"So why here?" Gustav asked with a quirked eyebrow. "Wouldn't it be easier to make a farm over where your parents live?"

Derrick knew not much of the world beyond the valley just like most people here.

Hans shrugged. "Because I could."

A weird man.

Invitations for Hans to visit the village came out and their business was done.

-VB-

After the locals left, I checked my fish traps. I smiled at the common dace I found in the traps.

"I am eating well this morning."

With no spices, I made do with over-the-fire roasting and some herbs I found in the forest that I knew were good like garlic and peppermint!

After breakfast, I decided that the next thing I wanted was a proper bathroom, bathtub included.

I knew some plumbing, but at the very least, I needed some metals for it.

... I guessed that I was going to be mining. Where should I start, though? Across the river? On this side?

Straight down?

… Well, M*necrafters would have some strong words with me about that, but they weren't here, were they? I wasn't interested in making a giant mine in the side of a mountain that anyone could enter; I wanted something private, and a small vertical shaft mine was that for me.

But I had no pickaxe.

…

Well, shit.

-VB-

[Character Status]

Name: Hans, son of Louis of Ourzcvelt, of Travaos

Age: 18

Title: N/A

LvL: 22

HP: 480

MP: 200

ST: 240

STR: 39

END: 48

AGI: 35

DEX: 44

INT: 20

CHA: 8

Current Objective: Set Up Home [1/?]

Current Quest: N/A

-VB-

A/N: * early medieval name for Erstfeld in Uri Canton, Switzerland

** early name for Davos, Switzerland

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