Chapter 161: Vaal’kor Village Completed

___ 6 Months Later ___

Ding!

[Congratulations on upgrading your settlement: Vaal’kor Colony ---> Vaal’kor Clan]

[Reward: Kobold DNA Alteration]

[Race Upgrade: Kobold - Lizard Men]

Ka’z’s face immediately twisted with excitement as he hopped to his feet, a wide grin spreading across his face. His golden eyes practically lit up as he stared at the System notification.

Six months.

It had taken six months of construction, organization, farming, training and countless hours of work from everyone in Vaal’kor to finally reach this point. They had started with nothing more than a cave, a few dozen kobolds and now the System itself had recognized their progress.

However, Ka’z’s smile lasted only a moment.

His eyes stopped on the final notification, and his expression slowly changed from excitement to confusion.

"What?" Ka’z muttered, genuine shock entering his voice.

He stared at the words again as though looking at them from a different angle would somehow make them less absurd.

Race upgrade?

He had expected completing the village to provide some kind of reward, perhaps additional system points or spell. He certainly hadn’t expected the System to offer an actual alteration to the race itself. The possibility had never even crossed his mind.

More importantly, Ka’z hadn’t realized that completing the village could have such a profound effect on his people.

Before he could properly process the notification, another System window appeared before him.

[System Explanation: Kobold Physical Development]

[The physical stature of the Kobold race is significantly below their natural biological potential. This is not an inherent racial weakness. For approximately two centuries, the Vaal’kor Kobolds have lived almost exclusively within a confined underground environment. Their ancestors entered the Evergreen Forest with limited resources and gradually became dependent on the cave system for protection from magic beasts and hostile races.]

[The underground environment has negatively affected the physical development of successive generations.]

[Primary Factors:]

[1. Nutritional Deficiency]

[The Vaal’kor Kobolds have experienced prolonged periods of food scarcity. Insufficient protein, minerals, vitamins and other essential nutrients during childhood have prevented their bodies from reaching their natural growth potential.]

[2. Restricted Sunlight]

[Prolonged absence of sunlight has negatively affected bone development, immune function and several biological processes dependent upon light exposure.]

[3. Restricted Living Space]

[The cave system provides insufficient space for children to develop their muscles and skeletal structures through regular physical activity. Generations of Kobolds have therefore developed weaker bodies compared to individuals raised in an unrestricted environment.]

[4. Chronic Environmental Stress]

[Constant exposure to starvation, predators, disease and the possibility of extermination has caused the Kobold population to prioritize survival over physical development.]

[These factors have accumulated across multiple generations. As a result, the average Vaal’kor Kobold currently reaches only approximately 55% to 70% of the physical growth potential available to their species.]

Ka’z’s eyes widened slightly.

’Seventy percent?’

[Affirmative. The apparent small stature of the Vaal’kor Kobolds has therefore become a generational environmental adaptation rather than an accurate representation of their species’ natural size. The consequences extend beyond physical stature. Prolonged nutritional deficiency and poor living conditions have also negatively affected the reproductive health of the population. Female Kobolds suffering from inadequate nutrition possess lower reproductive health, experience greater pregnancy complications and require longer recovery periods between pregnancies.]

[Male Kobolds subjected to prolonged nutritional deficiency and physical weakness also possess reduced reproductive health. Combined with high infant mortality, disease, insufficient food and the limited living space of the original cave settlement, the effective reproductive rate of the Vaal’kor population has remained extremely low. This has created a self-reinforcing population decline.]

[Low population → reduced genetic diversity → increased vulnerability to disease and developmental complications → lower survival of offspring → further population decline.]

[The average lifespan has also been significantly reduced. The natural lifespan of a healthy Kobold is considerably greater than the lifespan currently observed among the Vaal’kor population. However, generations of malnutrition, disease, physical deprivation, chronic environmental stress and inadequate medical care have substantially reduced their average lifespan.]

[The current Vaal’kor population is therefore not merely small because Kobolds reproduce slowly. Their population is small because their environment has simultaneously suppressed growth, reduced reproductive health, increased infant mortality and shortened lifespan. This condition has persisted for approximately two hundred years.]

[However, the damage is not irreversible. Improved nutrition, access to clean water, increased sunlight exposure, sufficient living space, physical activity, improved medical care and reduced environmental stress will allow future generations to approach their natural biological potential.]

[The effects will not be immediate. Individuals who have already reached adulthood will experience limited improvement to their maximum natural growth. Children and adolescents, however, will benefit considerably. If the Vaal’kor Kobolds maintain adequate living conditions for multiple generations, significant improvements in average height, physical strength, fertility, infant survival and lifespan are expected.]

Ka’z stared at the System’s words in silence.

For several seconds, he couldn’t bring himself to look away.

He had thought he was building a village because his people needed somewhere better to live. He had wanted them to have sunlight, proper houses, clean water, farms, livestock and enough food to stop worrying about starving. He hadn’t realized that the cave itself had been slowly killing them.

Ka’z’s fingers slowly curled into fists.

For two hundred years of children being born into the same environment, inheriting the consequences of the generation before them and then passing those consequences onto their own children.

And all this time, the kobolds had simply thought this was what being a kobold meant.

[Additional Information:]

[The current physical condition of the Vaal’kor Kobolds should not be considered the natural standard of the Kobold race. Their ancestors were considerably closer to their species’ biological potential. If the current generation successfully establishes a stable civilization, the physical and demographic characteristics of the Vaal’kor Kobolds may change substantially over the next few generations.]

Ding!

[Congratulations, once again, for reaching a major milestone.]

"Are you okay?" Za’r asked.

Only then did Ka’z remember that he wasn’t alone.

He slowly turned his head and looked at Za’r, who was staring at him with visible concern. Tu’ka, Ru’k and Kurg were nearby as well, each of them watching him after noticing the strange expression that had appeared on his face. Ka’z opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

How was he supposed to explain this?

How was he supposed to tell them that the place they had spent generations calling home had been one of the greatest reasons their people were dying?

There was no point in making everyone miserable over something that could no longer be changed. The important thing was that they had finally escaped it.

Ka’z gently moved past Za’r without answering and walked out of his secret training chamber. The moment he emerged, the sight before him caused his troubled expression to soften.

Vaal’kor village stretched across the southern region like an entirely different settlement from the one he had first inherited.

Hundreds of structures filled the area, connected by properly cleared roads and pathways. Farms occupied large portions of the land, their crops growing beneath the open sky instead of struggling inside the cave. Livestock pens stood nearby, containing animals that provided meat, milk and other resources for the settlement. Houses had been constructed in organized clusters, while workshops and storage buildings stood firm on their own areas. The well and water channels supplied the settlement with reliable water, while the walls and twelve watchtowers stood around the village as its first proper defensive perimeter.

It wasn’t perfect. There were still countless things that needed to be built. But it was a good start.

Ka’z’s gaze slowly moved across everything they had created until two structures caught his attention more than anything else.

The first was the temple. The massive statue of the Greater Kobold stood within it, overlooking the settlement as a symbol of the faith.

The second was the statue of Tud’or standing proudly within the village square. The ancient warrior had died fighting for them now stood at the center of the village he never got to see.

Ka’z’s chest puffed up slightly as pride filled his heart.

"We did it," Ru’k said from beside him as he approached and placed an arm around Ka’z’s shoulder.

Ka’z didn’t answer immediately. He simply stared at the village.

Kurg, Tu’ka and Za’r soon walked up as well, and together they reached the edge of the cave entrance overlooking their new home.

Kurg folded his arms across his chest and looked over the settlement with a satisfied expression.

"We can only get bigger from here," he said with a slow nod.

Tu’ka stepped closer and lightly tapped Ka’z’s shoulder.

Ka’z continued staring into the distance, his eyes following the roads, buildings and fields stretching beneath the morning sunlight. Za’r moved behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting against him comfortably as she looked out at the settlement they had built together.

A small smile slowly appeared on Ka’z’s face.

"This is a new day for Vaal’kor Village."