Chapter 12 Let’s Get Our Priorities Straight

According to Maslow's Hierarchy Of Needs, humans require certain necessities to attain stability and satisfaction in their daily lives.

These are; physiological needs, safety needs, love and belonging needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs.

These needs, starting from first to last, need to be realized in a progressive manner.

The further one goes down the list, the more difficult it is to achieve—and the fewer the people who actually reach the peak of the hierachy.

The Physiological needs come first and foremost, i.e they are top priority. They involved stuff like food, water, warmth, rest, etc.

You know, basic stuff for sustenance.

However…

"Sigh, what kind of world is this?" I had uttered as I initially took a good look around me.

The environment was harsh, and the people were barely scraping by.

'They don't have the first Need settled, let alone the others'

I was exasperated, to say the least.

However, where there is a will, there is a way. In this case, the way was simply to solve all the problems that confronted me, and then receive rewards from the System for my Achievements.

This meant their apparent inability to fufill their basic needs, was actually perfect for my goals.

The only issue confronting me was where exactly to begin.

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The first issue was to alleviate the 'Physiological Needs' of the people around me.

While it wasn't as though they were dying of thirst or starvation, the fact remained that they were running low on supplies.

That was the reason why the Camp Leader—the actual Chief of these people—alongside a few others, embarked on a journey to obtain supplies for the settlement.

There was also a problem with obtaining water. Yep, I was shocked about that fact as well.

Usually, these people performed a ritual—with Sarah as the lead—and appealed to the heavens for rainfall.

The success rate was about twenty Percent, and the rain didn't last very long since everyone's Mana got used up pretty quickly.

So, other than the little water they obtained from their little ritual, they also had to purchase water from a nearby settlement.

I wanted to question the rationale behind not using Magic that condensed the moisture in the air to produce water, but changed my mind after observing them for some time.

Unlike Demons, humans were somewhat primitive in this world. I didn't mean they were cavemen or anything. It's just that Magic Technology and innovations were a mystery to them.

That meant it was up to me to solve that problem as well.

In addition, the state of the community itself was also dire. Not only was it a wasteland with no redeeming features whatsoever, it was also situated in the middle of nowhere.

p According to Sarah's reports, they had had to fend off Demons quite often, but this was the first time they had had to face a number that overwhelming.

And at that point, their manpower was depleted.

However, as that was a matter of Security and Safety, I saved the Demon aspect for later. Besides, after that little stunt of mine, I doubted any of those Lower Demons would bother coming close to this area.

Moving on with the list of issues—still in the Physiological portion of Maslow's Hierarchy—the Wasteland was extremely cold. In fact, on my arrival I had noticed the unusual chill.

According to Sarah, it got even worse at night.

I nearly shudddered when I heard that. That was one of the reasons why I decided to summon a Tent for myself.

Obtaining a sufficient source of light was also an issue, as the residents often had to use flame posts and take turns gurading the area.

I observed this routine at night and realized that it was too risky. One could hardly see at night, so it would be very risky if an enemy assaulted under camouflage.

That simply had to be fixed.

Shelter was a major factor as well.

'This chapter is updated by Nov elB i n',

The tents these people used were all worn out and threadbare. It also lacked the appropriate insulation to keep their bodies warm at night.

It was a marvel how they had even survived until now.

'Maybe an adaptive feature for growing up in such a harsh world…?'

I couldn't imagine spending my entire life in such hell.

Unlike them, I had a well-insulated Tent. It was also very large, for good heat conductivity. I made sure to also insulate the floors by having decent carpets.

My blankets and bed were also quite comfortable.

Fortunately, since I could obtain my personal possessions through the 'Secondhand Items' option, I was able to get a decent amount of what kept me comfortable in my normal world.

If I could do the same for these people, then it was certain that they would be able to live very decent lives.

Many other issues cropped up as I investigated. They were things that Sarah had overlooked in her Reports—probably because she was just as primitive as everyone else.

One of the most important was sanitation.

I understood that they couldn't pay much attention to such things because they were in a constant battle for survival, but if I was going to live there, it had to at least be conducive.

The arrangement of everyone's tents was also disorganized and clumsy.

I preferred orderliness, so that would have to change.

Every time I looked around, I observed new problems, so I decided to take a small notebook with me at all times in order to write every flaw this settlement had.

The list was endless.

This wasn't an exaggeration!

In as much as I was glad to have issues to resolve, my capacity to render aid was not unlimited.

'I'll have to pick the most important matters and address those first…'

And so, just as Maslow had his own hierarchy, I invented mine as well.

By itemizing the list of problems faced by the settlement, I was able to draw a chart.

The first problem to address wasn't food nor water—they had those already—but the environment itself.

Which was why, on my second day, I made sure to completely restructure the Camp.

"Get rid of all those worn-out Tents!" I commanded.

"You won't be needing those mats any longer!"

"We're ridding ourselves of this!"

"Throw that out!"

By coordinating the efforts of the townsfolk without having to personally do anything myself, I solidified my position as their leader.

It took the whole day, but we were finally able to raze the entire Camp to bare-surface level.

Other than the sorry excuse for a fence with which they surrounded their settlement, everything else was destroyed.

Well, almost everything.

Weapons were kept, of course. But, even those were temporary.

Soon, they would have to rid themselves of them as well.

The leftover food and water they had left were gathered. Items for public use—like trumpets, artifacts, and a few objects of sentimental value were left.

But, the personal effects of everyone were disposed of.

Of course, it wasn't like I threw the useless stuff in a bin or anything. Such a thing wasn't even available. I simply gathered everything to a corner outside the fence of the village.

At a glance the entire thing looked like a refuse dump.

"Should I burn them?" Sarah had asked me with a determined glint in her eyes.

"No. I still have use for them…" I said, winking.

'ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ No(ve) l Bi n',

Not only was burning refuse so close to a residential area harmful due to the toxins it will emit, but it was also a signal that could attract enemy forces.

Besides, hadn't these people ever heard of recycling?

"It seems I have a lot to teach you, Sarah…"

"Eek! I understand, He—I mean, Sam!"

That was how the conversation ended.

And so, we created a junkyard behind the Camp, where everything I deemed to be trash ended up.

As a result, the people were left with barely anything in the Camp.

However, none of them despaired.

Instead, they looked to me with hopeful gazes. Their expectations were heightened as they awaited my salvation.

And, as the Hero, I did not disappoint.

'Due to ridding the Camp of barely usable junk, I have racked in quite the achievement…' I thought excitedly.

Achievements were equal to Karmic Value.

As a result of my combined efforts,I had garnered almost three thousand points.

With that amount, I was able to get multiple large tents and arrange them accordingly.

A single tent could accommodate at least thirty people—with room to spare.

Since the Camp's population was three hundred and five, I summoned twelve Tents.

Eleven was quite sufficeint to house the entire settlement, so the final one would be used a storage area.

As a result of the properly organized housing arrangement, the settlement still had lots of space to spare. The remaining room was as spacious as the parking lot of a large company.

'This is what happens when you manage space well!'

I ordered the townsfolk to gather all the supplies into the storage.

After everything was done, it was evening already.

Usually, at this point, the people would have begun to get worried about what would become of them. But, my followers were different.

They believed in their Hero!

"System Window…" I commanded, grinning, deciding to make a good show for them.

The tents I purchased had layered grounds, so the people did not have to lie on the cold bare earth.

The tents had a black exterior and a white interior. The polyester material stretched across the empty expanse, giving the interior a peculiar synthetic smell.

'They'll need beds and blankets…' I reasoned internally.

Summoning over three hundred beds and blankets was a little over my budget. So, I had to make do with something cheaper.

So I purchased dual-insulated sheets to serve as their beds and blankets.

The sheets were large, so each Tent only required two—for both right and left ends. The center would be a perfect walk space, and I made sure there would be enough space to accommodate the thirty who would be spending their time inside.

Since the insulated sheets were double-layered, the people could rest their backs on the soft cushions and also cover themselves properly.

It was less than ideal by my standards, but this was still an improvement from their previous lifestyle.

The number of Achievements I was getting was proof of that fact.

Due to solving the housing problem as well as the sanitation issues, I felt a deep sense of accomplishment on the second day.

My Karmic Value however, reduced drastically, due to the large expenses incurred during the re-organization as well as stocking the store with the necessary items I would be needing later on.

Still, having over 2,000 Karmic Value was still a big deal, so I couldn't complain.

Nevertheless, there was still much to do. So, as I began my third day, I was ready to accomplish much more.

"For my Karmic Value and also for the people!"