I look up online and find a factory that produces steel alloy. After waving a wad of cash in one of the worker’s face I secure some scraps of steel alloy. This much should be fine since I can get more through magic.

The Crafting skill is an all-powerful tool that includes easy duplication of materials and equipment as long as I pay a price in mana. I create copies of the scrap alloy until I have enough to make an ingot.

In the basement of the apartment complex I soundproof the walls with Earth magic and setup a rudimentary forge with some bricks and clay I also constructed through magic. Using flame magic, the pseudo-forge is ready.

Part of having the Crafting skill means that I don’t have to train for years in that trade. My hands move like on auto-pilot, showing the dexterity of an experienced smith. All I need to do is throw in the materials and the skill takes care of the hard work. In the end, a single shiny ingot comes out like magic.

Steel alloy is a sturdy modern material with lots of applications. I duplicate the ingot to make a pile of steel ingots. As long as the duplication target has a small mass it doesn’t take much magic energy to copy. Now that I have a surplus it’s time to make some equipment.

The easiest to start with would be a dagger. Looking up a quick video about making one, I try to copy the process of heating up the ingot and smashing it into shape. The skill activates and like magic after just a couple swings the metal takes the shape of a blade. I dip it into water and it’s cooled down.

Normally this process should take hours, but I finish in seconds. It reminds me of how a game simplifies things into just a few seconds. I think this is an effect of integrating it with Menu and evolving to my needs.

Next I take some sharpening stones and grind the edge a couple times to make it sharp. A hilt is slapped together with some wood and in just a couple minutes a fine looking dagger is complete.

Using weapon analysis on the dagger it reads, Steel Alloy Dagger – Lv20 Required – Atk 20. The dagger prototype I made is a success. It has an attack value equal to 20 with a minimum level requirement. 1 attack is about equal to a fork’s attack value. Using the dagger is better than my bare hands.

Now I can craft whatever I please. To start, let’s try to refine and upgrade the dagger. Like in most games, crafting is about not just making gear, but upgrading it too.

I take the steel dagger and heat it up, whack it with a hammer again and cool it down. In a matter of seconds I have upgraded the dagger into Steel Alloy Dagger +1 – Lv25 Required – Atk 25.

I was able to experiment with crafting and upgrading weapons, now I should move on to the next thing I wanted to test: enchanting. With the steel dagger in hand, I begin what I imagine enchanting is like.

Surrounding the dagger with mana, I try to imbue it with magic and change the properties of the dagger. A lot of mana is exhausted in the process and there’s not really any mana in Earth’s atmosphere. Luckily my mana regenerates on its own quickly. I finally reach the desired density of mana and mold it into the dagger.

The dagger shines and a magic looking pattern is imprinted. Holding it up to the light shows a blueish light radiating from the pattern and a description that reads: Steel Alloy Dagger +1 – Lv25 Required – Atk25 – Str +10 – Durability Up.

The attack and level of the steel dagger remain the same but with the enchantment a success I’ve added two buffs on top of it. Wielding the dagger gives a rise to my natural strength and it has an enhanced durability.

The night is ending soon so I take an hour or so to make whatever comes to mind.

With all that I go about making weapons and armor and changing their settings via upgrades and enchantments. Feeling like I’m in a video game, I lose track of time.

When I finally come out of my crafting chamber I notice the dirt clinging to me so I use restoration magic to clean myself.

It’s early daytime now.

On the first floor the girls’ bakery is setting up. The shelves are lined with fresh bread but the mood is a little sour. It’s been a week since they opened up but not many people come to buy stuff. Feeling sympathy, I quickly craft an item behind my back out of some fur that Fu shed.

It is a lucky charm resembling a rabbit’s paw. I’ve heard those are lucky right? I hang it up securely and enchant it with the buff, Area of Effect, Luck Up. It affects the whole bakery with a higher percentage of good luck. I’m not sure what effect exactly this will have but we’ll wait and see.