Reborn in the Survival Adventure Game-Chapter 26: Goblin kids

Within his wooden cabin, Caelen stood beside his newest creation—the steam drill. It appeared. well, sort of like a strange cannon with some gears attached, but he was proud.

"Time to blast through the ground," he grunted, pumping his fist.

The drill hissed and rumbled as he activated it. Steam gushed out the sides, but it hardly made the drill head budge.

"Seriously? That's it?"

He complained, then slapped his forehead.

"Google, how to create proper fuel?"

[Google Brain: Coal fuel – most efficient early resource. Burn time longer, energy stronger.]

Caelen sighed. "Great, now I need coal."

Fortunately, he had a small amount from his previous mining excursion. He threw some into the furnace integrated into the side of the drill. It roared to life.

"Hah! That's more like it!" He smiled, seeing the drill cut into the rock soil.

But then reality came crashing down.

[Estimated time to reach 100 meters: 6 days.]

".Six days?" He blinked. "Do I look like I have that kind of patience?"

The drill hummed on, painstakingly burrowing down. It was doing something, at least. Mythril was 100 meters deep. It was worth the wait, even if it took time. He'd leave the machine to its work and attend to other matters for now.

Caelen emerged, stretched, and yawned. Zira sat outside, peeling bark with a small homemade knife.

"Drill working?" she asked without pausing.

"Kind of. It's. slow. Like, 'watching-paint-dry' slow," he said.

She laughed. "You spent the entire drill doing that. You really are weird, you know that?"

"I hear that a lot."

Caelen sat next to her, the late afternoon wind rustling their faces. It was silent for a moment or two.

Zira pushed him. "You're accomplishing a lot for this town. Honestly. why?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Initially, it was survival. But now. I suppose it's sort of enjoyable. Building things. Creating something new from nothing."

She gazed at him, her red goblin eyes relaxing slightly. "You're not like other humans."

He turned, squinting. "You mean smarter, cooler, ridiculously good-looking—"

"Annoying," she interrupted.

They both laughed.

Before things became even more awkward, a strange sound emerged from the forest. High-pitched. crying?

Caelen got up. "Did you hear that?"

Zira nodded. "Wait. that sounds familiar."

They ran toward the sound, dodging under branches until they came to a small clearing. Two little goblins were crouched beside a fallen tree. One girl, one boy—both dirty, both face-streaked with tears.

"Help!" the girl shouted.

Caelen went down on his knees. "Hey, hey. You two all right?"

Zira gasped. "Rena? Miko?!"

The children looked up. "Zira?!"

They leaped into her arms. She hugged them hard.

Caelen blinked. "You know them?"

"They're from my village," Zira said, voice trembling. "They were kids when I left."

Rena dried her eyes. "The town. it burned. Everything. Everyone fled. We don't know where they are."

Caelen stared at them. They were gaunt, frightened, filthy. They had nowhere to go.

He didn't even think twice.

"You two can stay here," he whispered.

Rena and Miko stared up at him, eyes wide.

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's not much, but it's safe."

[System: Population +2]

[Search Slots +20]

[Total Search Slots: 50]

Caelen blinked as the message flashed across his mind.

He smirked. "That's a bonus."

Zira stood up. "We'll build a house for them."

"Yup. Gonna need a lot more wood," Caelen muttered.

The following hour was a whirl. They brought the chickens food and water—berries and a small amount of roasted mushroom. Zira washed them down while Caelen chopped wood and planned out blueprints in his mind.

Caelen sat outside at sunset, drawing out plans with charcoal on a smooth plank.

Zira joined him, setting beside him once again.

"You're smiling."

"I am?"

"Yeah."

He rubbed the back of his head. "I suppose I enjoy watching things fall into place. This settlement. it's expanding. I believe we're constructing something more than simple huts these days."

"A home?"

"Perhaps," he replied.

They both gazed upward at the stars as the breeze rustled through the trees.

Zira reached out and lightly placed her shoulder against his. Caelen blinked but didn't shift.

"Thanks," she murmured softly. "For allowing me to stay. For taking care of the kids. For. not being like everyone else."

".Don't get all mushy on me now."

She snorted. "Too late."

In the hut, the kids were all slumbering fitfully on flimsy straw pallets. Caelen poked inside, grinned and then retreated into the evening.

The drill thummed on the horizon.

An odd little community was coming together. And actually, he didn't despise it.