INBE 01

Prologue + Chapter 01

It was early morning, just as dawn was breaking.

The laborers who had gathered to carry out the drainage construction weren’t preparing for work at all—they were smoking, drinking, and wasting time.

The reason was obvious.

“Does this really even work?”

It was clear that the foreman, Bram Gus, had ordered that there was no need to prepare.

“How many times do I have to tell you it works? During last summer’s monsoon season, our village didn’t get flooded thanks to this drainage channel.”

Back then, it was such a small waterway that calling it a drainage channel was embarrassing, but I said it anyway to convince him.

“It could’ve just been a coincidence. Does it make any sense that digging the ground a bit like some kids’ play would reduce monsoon damage?”

“It’s not child’s play—it’s a waterway built through systematic design.”

I spat the words out.

“Even the lord acknowledged its effectiveness and approved the construction.”

“The lord just doesn’t know any better and got fooled by your sweet talk. That won’t work on me.”

Bram Gus looked me up and down with an unpleasant gaze.

“Not only did he approve some unheard-of construction just because of some ignorant girl, but he even sent you as a supervisor. Tsk, tsk.”

The fact that he called it “unheard-of construction” made it certain—this world had no concept of drainage systems.

And yet, such a large city had managed to survive without them until now… probably thanks to magic.

“Your delicate hands might get ruined, so just go back home quietly. If you want to play in the dirt that badly, go work in the fields.”

Ha. Even here, I’m being looked down on just for being a woman.

The hand gripping the hammer trembled.

I could understand not believing in something you’ve never seen.

But belittling someone’s ability because of their gender? That I couldn’t tolerate.

“So, you’re saying you won’t do the construction?”

“It’s not that I won’t—it’s that I can’t. It’s obviously going to be a waste of effort, and I don’t feel like working for nothing.”

“Then go tell the lord right now that you can’t do it. Tell him drainage channels are useless.”

I stepped aside to urge him to go, but Bram Gus merely flinched, his long beard trembling, and didn’t take a single step.

‘So you’re scared of the lord?’

The typical bastard—strong against the weak, weak against the strong.

Whether in reality or in novels, guys like this always exist.

‘Then I’ll leave it to the lord.’

If this were real life, I’d have had to placate the foreman somehow as a powerless office worker and push the project forward.

But here, I didn’t have to.

There was no point explaining things to someone who wouldn’t listen anyway.

Just as I was about to step back and leave this guy to the lord—

[Q. Strike the back of the annoying foreman’s head.]
[Reward: 0/10,000p]

A quest window appeared before my eyes.

The first time I saw it, I was shocked—but now, it didn’t faze me.

‘So I can earn points depending on the strength of the hit?’

After reading the additional description in the quest window, I grinned.

I’d already been wanting to hit that bastard, and now heaven was handing me the perfect opportunity.

‘It’d hit harder with a weapon than with my hand, right?’

My gaze naturally shifted to the hammer in my right hand.

[Warning: No killing.]

A red warning window popped up.

Well… hitting someone on the back of the head with a hammer would definitely kill them.

I wasn’t about to become a murderer because of someone like him.

So what else could I use?

As I looked around, my eyes landed on a shovel in the corner of the construction site.

…If I hit him with the handle, he probably wouldn’t die, right?

Chapter 1

It was another damn day, no different from usual.

At the construction site, they were yelling that the budget was nowhere near enough and demanded more, while my superior, Manager Park, snapped at me, asking how I couldn’t even handle something like that despite being an assistant manager.

A miserable situation where only I got crushed in the middle.

That was also why I was working overtime again today.

“Once I finish this, I’m going to throw my resignation letter in that bastard Manager Park’s face and quit.”

I’d move down to the countryside with beautiful mountains and clean water, live in a house I built myself, grow a garden, raise a dog, and read all the books I love.

Repeating that resolution for what must’ve been the hundredth time, I pounded the keyboard as if I were going to break it.

“Ugh…”

How much time had passed?

Suddenly, my vision blurred, and dizziness hit me.

“Ah… a nosebleed.”

When even a nosebleed started, I hurriedly stuffed tissues into my nose.

I, who had always been perfectly healthy since childhood, getting a nosebleed from overwork…

Well, I had been working nonstop for ten days without a single weekend. It would’ve been stranger if I were still fine.

I was just going to close my eyes for a moment and get back to work…

“Did you sleep well, Eileen?”

When I opened my eyes again, I was in a strange world—and inside the body of a woman I had never seen before.

At first, I thought it was a dream.

I figured I’d wake up if I closed my eyes and opened them again—but I didn’t.

No matter how much I pinched my cheeks or slapped myself, I couldn’t return to reality.

Only after three days did I finally accept it.

This was reality, and I had experienced what you only see in novels—possession.

The name of the body I possessed was Eileen.

The place I lived was a small village on the outskirts of “Belheim,” the largest city in the northern part of the Monola Empire. Everyone in the village, including my father Tabin, was a hunter.

I also learned various other things, like the existence of magic and the imperial family—but I still couldn’t figure out which novel I had entered.

“Did I possess some extra whose name wasn’t even mentioned?”

The thought of having to live in this unfamiliar world, completely detached from reality, felt overwhelming.

As if reflecting my feelings, heavy rain was pouring outside.

Drip, drip—

“……”

The rain was so intense that it pierced through the wooden ceiling, dripping into the room.

“This is ridiculous.”

Just how was this house built for it to leak like this?

As a temporary fix, I placed a bucket and towels under the dripping spots.

“Haah…”

Thinking I should inform the owner, I stepped outside—and was met with a shocking sight.

Water was leaking everywhere—in the living room, the kitchen, even the bathroom.

Other people get reincarnated as nobles or dukes’ daughters and live in luxury, but I end up in a life of hardship.

As I kept sighing, Tabin came out of the room.

“The ceiling seems to be leaking.”

“Yeah. Still, this is pretty good.”

“…What? This is considered good?”

The entire house is leaking?

Then what does “bad” even look like?

As I stared at him in disbelief, Tabin chuckled.

“Don’t worry, Eileen. When the rain stops, I’ll cover the roof with grass and leaves.”

“…What? That makes no sense!”

I raised my voice without realizing it.

“If you do that, the roof could collapse. So absolutely don’t.”

“Then it’ll keep leaking…”

“It’s better if it leaks. So don’t—absolutely don’t do it.”

After I emphasized it repeatedly, Tabin nodded, though still confused.

The next day, as soon as the rain stopped, I climbed onto the roof and clicked my tongue.

“It’s a miracle it hasn’t collapsed yet.”

There were gaps between the planks, leaves and grass were soaked and sagging, and the flat roof structure made it inevitable for water to pool.

Even more shocking—every roof in the village was the same.

And the village itself was in terrible condition.

“I want to buy new eyes after seeing this.”

The thought of living in a place like this from now on was horrifying.

“Let’s fix this first.”

After all, this was the house I’d be living in.

Then I’d figure out what to do about the village.

I simply couldn’t ignore it—my personality just wouldn’t allow me to turn a blind eye.

“Even after being reincarnated into a novel, I’m stuck doing this kind of work.”

Is this the fate of a K-office worker?

“Eileen, what are you doing up there?”

While I was grumbling and clearing away the wet grass and leaves, Mr. Hanson, who lived next door, approached and asked.

“Why are you removing that? Tabin worked hard to put it up during the last monsoon.”

“…You have monsoons here too?”

“Of course. Every summer.”

Mr. Hanson laughed, wondering why I was acting like it was my first time hearing about it—but I couldn’t laugh.

If monsoon meant days of heavy rain, then leaving things as they were would inevitably lead to the house collapsing.

And if not just the house—the entire village could be flooded.

‘I have to stop it.’

This was where I’d be living from now on. I had to prevent such a disaster no matter what.

“Tabin, your daughter is doing something strange—why didn’t you stop her?”

“I want to, but…”

“I have a favor to ask!”

Just then, as Tabin came outside, I shouted loudly.

“Please gather all the villagers!”