After finishing my meal, I decided to test my item creation skill. Fortunately, the afternoon class had been canceled, leaving me with some free time.

“What are you going to make?”

Rafne, who had finally calmed down after the meal, looked at me with a curious expression. As I organized the equipment for crafting, I held up an iron ingot I had brought along.

“I’ll start by making a simple weapon.”

I wanted to see how the item creation skill worked. When I played the game, NPCs would create items for me without any mini-games or steps involved. But now, in reality, there would be a process, even with the skill activated. The equipment in Ken’s room was proof of that.

“Whew, this should do the trick.”

“Let me help! Do you need anything?”

Rafne’s eyes sparkled as she approached. Considering that her only form of entertainment up until now had been playing with dolls, assisting in crafting must have seemed like a fun diversion. Besides, having her help was ideal. In fact, I had anticipated it from the start.

Even to make a simple iron dagger, the process involved heating and shaping the iron. But despite Ken’s room being well-equipped, it lacked the necessary heat to melt the iron.

“Can you light that mini-furnace? Focus on generating a really high heat.”

“Got it!”

In contrast, Rafne was a top student at the academy, always ranked in the upper echelons of the class. For her, casting fire magic hot enough to melt iron was an easy feat.

“Ignis.”

Rafne extended her hand toward the mini-furnace I had set up. As she quietly spoke the incantation, magic gathered in her hand, producing flames.

“Ignis Magna.”

The orange flames soon turned blue as she recited the advanced fire spell. Even from a distance, I could feel the intense heat.

“Compressio.”

As she finished the incantation, the flames compressed, shrinking in size while maintaining their incredible heat.

From Ken’s memories, I recalled that this final spell was used for compressing magical energy.

‘This is completely different from the game.’

In the game, magic was mostly used in combat, with a simple press of a button activating the spell. But in reality, magic required a spoken incantation, making it feel far more tangible.

Watching the magic unfold before my eyes, I couldn’t help but feel a bit excited.

“All done! How’s that? Is it okay?”

“Yeah, that’s perfect. Thanks.”

“…Hehe.”

Pleased with her efforts, Rafne smiled bashfully. With this level of heat, the iron ingot would melt quickly. Not that I had ever melted iron before.

‘Now, let’s see how to activate this skill.’

Just like magic, skills in the game were triggered with the press of a button. But here, in reality, I had to approach it differently.

“Rafne, this might sound like a weird question, but how do you activate a skill?”

“Huh? A skill?”

“Yeah, like your 'Nerve Acceleration' skill, for example.”

“Well, you just think about using it in your mind, and that’s it.”

Rafne seemed a bit flustered, finding my question odd. Of course, to her, it was second nature to use skills, so my inquiry likely seemed strange.

Still, it was good to know that simple intent was all that was needed. Convenient.

I closed my eyes and focused on activating the skill. Just as Rafne had chanted her incantation for magic, I envisioned the skill in my mind.

‘Item Creation.’

Suddenly, various categories filled my mind—potion crafting, weapon forging, and even magic scroll creation. However, most of them were empty, providing no usable options.

Among the few available was the weapon crafting category.

I selected the option for a dagger.

‘Dagger creation.’

A blueprint for crafting a simple dagger began playing out in my head.

‘I see, so that’s how it’s done.’

Even though I had never crafted a weapon before, the skill allowed the knowledge of an experienced craftsman to be imprinted in my mind.

Opening my eyes, I grabbed the crafting hammer.

Clang! Clang!

I placed the iron ingot into the furnace Rafne had prepared, heating it, then shaped it with the hammer.

Shaping it only took a few strikes, likely another effect of the skill.

I then quenched the heated blade in oil, tempering the metal. Normally, this process would take several repetitions, but thanks to the skill, it was completed in one go.

Finally, I sharpened the blade on a rotating grindstone, sparks flying as the edge formed.

Once the blade was ready, I assembled it with the pre-made handle and crossguard.

The entire process took less than an hour.

“Wow, that turned out great! You’re amazing, Ken!”

Watching the whole process, Rafne clapped her hands in delight. She seemed to have enjoyed the crafting.

‘This skill is ridiculously overpowered in real life.’

What would have taken days in reality was finished in just an hour. I could already see how valuable this ability would be.

‘No wonder in the game, only NPCs with this skill could make items.’

The game had restricted item crafting to NPCs for a reason, and now I fully understood why.

[System: You have created a 'Simple Knife.' First-time crafting bonus awarded. Experience gained.]

As I held the finished knife, a system message appeared, followed by the skill status window.

[Unique Skill: Item Creation.

Proficiency: Handiwork LV 2 Weapon Crafting LV 2 - UP! Potion Crafting LV 1 Magical Tool Crafting LV 1]

The weapon crafting skill, previously level 1, had increased to level 2.

‘Level 2 was easy enough to reach.’

In the game, it was possible to grind levels up to level 3 fairly quickly. But progressing beyond that required significant achievements or the creation of unique items.

With weapon crafting now at level 2, new options appeared in my mind: swords, shields, armor, and bows.

Among them, one category stood out.

Accessories.

However, the only available item under accessories was a basic silver necklace.

‘How much will I need to level up before I can craft the Goddess’s Pendant?’

To craft the Goddess’s Pendant, I would need not only materials but also the recipe. In the game, the pendant’s blueprint was a rare item that I didn’t have access to.

So, I would need to level up my crafting skills, gather materials, and find the blueprint. It was a long road, but starting was half the battle.

If I continued gaining experience and collecting items, I’d reach my goal soon enough.

‘First things first, though—I need to get that.’

I glanced at the materials scattered around me and the newly crafted knife in my hand.

The next day, I left the academy for the nearby forest.

The forest, known as the Dewdrop Woods, was the closest monster-infested area outside the academy grounds. The monsters here were of a relatively low grade, making it a manageable hunting ground.

“Let’s see… Is it around here? It’s hard to tell in person…”

Lugging my heavy body through the forest, I scoured the area for a specific landmark. The scenery was similar to what I remembered from the game, giving me a strange mix of nostalgia and wonder.

However, navigating it myself was a lot harder than in the game. My sense of direction was poor, and distinguishing landmarks was tricky.

“Ah, there it is!”

After comparing the landscape to the mental image I had from the game, I finally found the tree I was looking for.

It was slightly larger and darker than the others, with a natural hollow in its center.

“…Let’s see…”

I reached into the hollow and groped around inside. After what felt like an eternity, my fingers brushed against something.

“Is this it?”

Pulling out a smooth, fist-sized stone, I examined it. The stone had rune-like symbols engraved on its surface.

‘Got it!’

Elated, I placed the stone on the ground and pulled out the crafting hammer I had prepared.

Clang! Clang!

“Damn, this thing won’t break!”

No matter how hard I struck it, the stone remained intact.

In the game, if your strength level wasn’t high enough, you couldn’t break this item.

Considering Ken’s out-of-shape body, it wasn’t surprising I didn’t have the required strength.

But this isn’t a game anymore.

Just as casting magic required incantations instead of button presses, breaking this stone required physical effort.

Clang! Clang!

“Ugh… huff… huff…”

After what felt like dozens of strikes, my arms were aching, and sweat dripped from my forehead. But I didn’t stop.

Either the stone would break, or my arm would. Or maybe the hammer would. But I wouldn’t quit until something gave.

Finally.

Clang! …Crack.

“…It worked!”

A small crack appeared, and the stone began to glow before shattering completely.

The stone dissolved into particles of light.

“That means…!”

Wasting no time, I got to my feet and searched the area.

In the distance, a faint glimmer of light caught my eye.

I ran toward it immediately.

“Huff, huff.”

When I reached the source of the light, I found a small, unmarked stone monument that hadn’t been there before.

It looked crudely made, as if someone had just propped up a thin slab of rock.

I started digging at the base of the monument.

Fortunately, the item I was looking for wasn’t buried deep. It didn’t take long for it to emerge from the dirt.

“Found it…”

‘I can’t believe it’s really here, just like in the game…’

What I unearthed was a small pouch labeled “Wanderer’s Pouch.”

In the game, this item was tied to a side quest given by an old woman in the academy town.

Its true identity was an interdimensional storage pouch.

It was the kind of pouch that could hold an unlimited amount of items inside.

“Let’s see…”

I quickly tested the pouch by placing the crafting hammer inside.

Despite its small size, the pouch effortlessly absorbed the large hammer.

“…It really works.”

I shook the pouch, but there was no sign of anything inside. Then I reached in.

‘Hammer… hammer…’

As I thought about the item, my hand brushed against the hammer’s handle. I pulled it out easily.

“Nice!”

I had successfully obtained an interdimensional storage item using knowledge from the game.

This item was never meant for the player in the game. It was a quest item, and the protagonist, Emily, started the game with her own storage space.

But for me, it was invaluable.

Now I wouldn’t have to lug around heavy items, and I could collect as many materials as I wanted.

‘This will make crafting the Goddess’s Pendant much easier.’

Having unlimited storage was a huge advantage for someone with my crafting skill. It meant I could grind for materials without worrying about carrying capacity.

Of course, that assumed I had enough materials.

“Phew, time to head back.”

I stored all the supplies I had brought into the interdimensional pouch.

With the weight lifted off my shoulders, my body felt much lighter.

‘I should gather more materials from the forest while I’m here…’

Just as I was about to head back, feeling relieved—

“Kyahhhh!”

A woman’s scream echoed through the forest.