I stood before my craftbench, heart thudding with anticipation. It wasn't anything ornate, just a simple wooden table with sturdy legs and a smooth, flat surface, but the moment I placed my hands on it, a translucent blue window appeared in my vision.
[Craftbench Menu]
Rows upon rows of crafting recipes filled my view, neatly organized and far more comprehensive than what I'd seen in my personal inventory interface. Unlike my inventory, where new recipes seemed to unlock only when I gathered specific materials, the craftbench's list was fully visible from the start. It displayed not only what I could make but also what I might make, once I had the proper ingredients.
"Abel," Claire's gentle voice broke my concentration. "Are you able to share your interface with me? Some reincarnators can project their windows so that others can see them."
"Let's see…" I focused for a moment and willed the image outward. To my surprise, the shimmering window expanded into the air between us like a transparent screen. Claire's eyes widened, reflecting the blue light.
"Incredible," she breathed. "So those are all your crafting recipes? You can produce all of these with that one table?"
I nodded. "That's right. As long as I can collect the materials."
The list scrolled smoothly beneath my fingers as I browsed. Near the middle, a familiar category caught my attention:
[Crafting Stations]
My gamer instincts tingled as I opened it. The entries read like a nostalgic checklist from countless hours spent in survival simulators:
[Carpenter's Station T1] — Required: 12x Wood Plank, 54x Wood Dowel -A carpentry bench for creating wooden items.
[Metalworker's Station T1] — Required: 12x Iron Ingot, 54x Wood Dowel -A metalworker's bench allowing the creation of tools, weapons, and metal goods.
[Stonemason's Station T1] — Required: 12x Iron Ingot, 54x Wood Dowel -For shaping stone into usable blocks and furnishings.
[Furnace T1] — Required: 80x Stone -A basic furnace for smelting and firing.
[Tailor's Station T1] — Required: 12x Wood Plank, 54x Wood Dowel - A station for creating cloth and textile items.
[Cook Station T1] — Required: 20x Brick, 5x Steel Sheet -A small chef's area for preparing meals.
[Alchemy Station T1] — Required: 24x Glass, 54x Wood Dowel, 24x Wood Plank -Allows the brewing of basic potions and mixtures.
[Disassembly Station T1] — Required: 12x Wood Plank, 54x Wood Dowel, 5x Steel Sheet - Used to break down items into reusable materials.
I grinned. "I recognize all of these. They're straight out of survival games from my world. I think I'll start with something simple, like the furnace."
Claire clasped her hands together, her curiosity almost childlike. "If that's what feels natural, go ahead!"
I selected [Furnace T1] and confirmed the build. A progress bar appeared: two minutes to completion. Claire leaned in, fascinated, watching the shimmering bar fill slowly across the floating interface.
"Abel! It's almost ready!" she exclaimed, bouncing slightly on her heels.
When the timer hit 100%, the window flashed, and a small icon of a cube appeared with the message: [Furnace T1 crafted successfully.]
Without hesitation, I stored it in my inventory and bolted for the open doorway. The sunlight outside was bright, and the air smelled faintly of sawdust and grass. I envisioned the furnace appearing on the ground before me.
A ghostly, semi-transparent image materialized, showing where it would sit. I rotated it mentally until it aligned neatly beside the shed, then confirmed placement.
The ghost solidified into stone with a faint shimmer. Before me stood a perfect cubic furnace, about waist-high, with a hatch on the front and faint runic etchings along its edges.
Curious, I opened the interface with a thought. Three boxes appeared in the window: fuel slot, input slot, and output slot.
"Let's test it," I said aloud, pulling a few logs from my inventory. I placed one into the fuel slot and eight into the input. Instantly, the furnace flared to life, glowing orange and humming softly. No flint, no spark, it just worked.
Over the next few minutes, I watched the logs slowly transform into charcoal. Claire gasped each time a small puff of smoke rose from the top.
"So it consumes wood to make… more efficient fuel?" she asked.
"Exactly," I explained. "Each charcoal burns as long as a whole log, but I can make eight of them from one. It's like multiplying my fuel supply."
"That's incredible! You can refine raw resources into better ones instantly."
I smiled. "And that's just the beginning. I should be able to smelt ores like iron or gold the same way."
The ratios all lined up with what I remembered from my favorite games. This skill system really was designed for me; intuitive, logical, and deeply satisfying.
Claire tilted her head. "What will you make next?"
I rubbed my chin. "The Carpenter's and Tailor's stations both need planks and dowels. So I'll need to find a way to craft those from logs first."
"Then let's try it!" she said eagerly.
Back inside, I opened the craftbench menu again.
[Wood Log → 4x Wood Plank]
I confirmed it. A soft hum filled the air, and after about a minute, four neatly cut planks appeared stacked beside the bench. Claire reached out to touch one, her fingers brushing the smooth grain.
The next recipe appeared automatically: [Wood Plank → 4x Wood Stick]
Followed by: [Wood Stick → 15x Wood Dowel]
I repeated the process, crafting each material in turn. Soon, piles of wooden components surrounded the bench like the beginnings of a workshop. Claire clapped delightedly each time a new batch appeared.
Cecil, who had been quietly leaning against the doorway, chuckled. "You two look like kids playing with toys."
Claire ignored her, eyes wide with curiosity. "It's so fascinating! You're turning imagination into reality."
I smiled at her enthusiasm and focused on the next step: [Tailor's Station T1].
Once complete, the ghost image appeared before me again. I willed it to align with the wall next to the craftbench, and it snapped neatly into place, fitting perfectly.
The station was beautiful in its simplicity: a small spinning wheel for thread, a manual loom for weaving cloth, and a cushioned stool that seemed to invite a seamstress to sit and work. It even smelled faintly of polished wood and oil.
Opening its crafting menu revealed exactly what I expected: [25x Plant Fiber → 1x Cloth]
Luckily, I had already gathered plenty of plant fiber while exploring. I queued up eight cloth, the interface showing a sixteen-minute total crafting time. Threads of faint light shimmered between the spinning wheel and loom as the process began.
While the Tailor's Station worked, I turned back to the craftbench and started on the [Carpenter's Station T1]. It required more planks and dowels, but within a few minutes, it too was ready.
I placed it opposite the tailor's area, and again it snapped into perfect alignment. The new bench looked exactly like something from a woodworker's shop: broad table, metal vice, chisels and saws hanging from a pegboard at the back.
Opening its menu revealed a flood of possibilities:
[Wooden Chair], [Table], [Storage Chest], [Door], [Wall Section], [Roof Tile], [Window Frame]—and many more.
I grinned to myself. "So that's it. I can build actual structures. Walls, floors, even furniture."
Claire's jaw dropped slightly. "You mean… you could build an entire house?"
"Eventually, yeah," I said, excitement stirring in my chest.