Turns Out He's a Crafting Genius (2)

Hermes Mall boasted a delivery speed that put Korea's Coupang to shame. Barely any time had passed since the order, and already several boxes had dropped into the black void of space.

Divine goods, huh? They looked just like treasure chests. Drop one of these in a dungeon and gamers would lose their minds over the design.

"Whoa! Delivery's here! Yohan! They're your things, so you open them!"

"I'll put them to good use."

Unboxing was always the best part of getting a package. I deliberately ignored the stickers on the boxes and tore into the wrapping.

The first thing that came out was straw.

"Why did I even buy this?"

"It's material for Alali's house, obviously."

We'd given the egg Evrande had laid the temporary name Alali. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Sophia had suggested sticking it in an incubator, but since the contents weren't exactly a bird, that felt wrong — so we'd decided to build a proper nest ourselves.

A nest. Not a "new house."

"You're going to make Alali's house first?"

Sophia looked uneasy. She bit down hard on her lip and drooped her eyebrows like someone with something she desperately wanted to say but couldn't quite get out.

She wants my first creation for herself, doesn't she? Is a goddess even allowed to be this cute?

"No. Alali's house will be quick, so I'll save that for later. First I want to try making something with the crafting set that comes next."

"You're already aiming for items? A normal craftsman has to spend years as a minion before they can even make a Common-grade item. Even that dwarf takes years at a time."

"I've got good hands, don't I?"

Back on Earth, it was the talent I'd only ever used for squishing clay in elementary school art class. I'd just thought my hands were a little more deft than the other kids'. I never knew it was a talent significant enough to be labeled Craftsmanship.

If I'd known sooner, I would've become a designer. What a waste of a life, grinding at studies that never suited me.

"All right, opening it. Drumroll, please."

"Drumroll, drumroll."

She doesn't know Earth's important culture, but somehow she knows a throwaway catchphrase like this? I opened the box, and the Beginner Jewelry Crafting Set popped out with a flourish of smoke.

"Cough! Cough, cough!"

Sophia inhaled the theatrical smoke and started hacking. Should've held your breath like I did, Goddess. Your reaction speed is terrible. If we'd met in a game, I'd have three-stocked you into the dirt and you'd be grinding your teeth over it.

"A jewelry set, huh..."

So it's for cutting gems? Better check the manual.

So the job was processing gems into accessories. Necklaces, rings — and bracelets, anklets, tiaras, and more. Quite the variety.

Lucky break. If a blacksmithing set had come out, I might've ended up gifting Sophia a sword or a suit of armor. Accessories suit her way better than weapons.

"Hmm. What should I make? An anklet? A bracelet? A necklace? A ring?"

Sophia flinched with every option I listed. She reacted the hardest to "ring," so a ring it was.

The ring-making material was a blunt metal rod. Hammer it into balance, bend it round, then set the gem — that was the idea.

There was already a hole for the gem. A grinder came attached to the worktable with the tools. And this? A cleaning-solution sprayer?

This beginner set is surprisingly well-stocked. Built so even a complete amateur like me can get comfortable fast.

"Shall we start crafting, then?"

"Wait. You're going to do it here?"

"Where else would I do it?"

"You should go inside the house."

"The house?"

This wasn't the house? I'd felt sorry for Sophia living with zero furniture — turns out that was a misunderstanding.

"They say summoning is better done outside, so I deliberately came out of the house."

"But won't it get messy if I work inside? I'll just do it here."

"...Fine."

Her tone sounded oddly disappointed. Did she prepare something at home?

"It's not like I'm never going in. We can check it out once I'm done."

"Okay!"

She recovered her energy fast. Following the guide, I started with the gemstone work.

First I used a chisel and hammer to knock the rock chunks off the diamond's surface. The guide warned that bad force control would damage the gem — and somehow I instinctively knew exactly how much force to use.

I didn't aim for perfection. I just knocked off the big chunks. Trying to chisel off every tiny bit of stone would only ruin the raw gem.

Next: refine it with a file shaped like a knife. Use the flat file to grind away surface stone and bring out the gem's brilliance; for the hard-to-reach hollows, switch to the triangular file.

Along the way I boldly filed down the angular parts too.

"Ah! Aah!"

Sophia winced every time the diamond got smaller, but jewelry work demanded boldness. Leave it as-is and the gem would look hideous.

Once it was refined enough, I dropped it in the cleaner and washed off the dust. The diamond's brilliance came alive.

Now for the design. The guide's designs are fine, but I've seen a far better ring.

My mother's wedding ring had definitely been a diamond ring — a platinum one, and it was gorgeous. My memory wasn't perfect, so I filled the gaps with instinct.

"Aaaah!"

I trust my hands! Once the design was set, I ground it boldly, cleaned it again, made fine adjustments, and finished with a polish. The result was a diamond that was smaller but beautiful.

A diamond belonged in platinum. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I set a platinum rod from the blunt metal bars on the anvil and hammered it. Careful not to crush the groove in the middle, I bent it round...

"Sophia. Hand, please."

"Out of nowhere?"

"Just holding it."

"Hyaat!"

The moment I took her hand, Sophia tried to pull away in embarrassment. I held on and measured her index finger.

About this size. Her knuckles aren't thick, so a snug fit should work. I hammered the form back into shape and set the diamond into the groove.

"It's pretty..."

"Doesn't it feel a little incomplete?"

"No! It's pretty!"

"Something's missing. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Give me a second."

Why does it feel off? I followed the guide perfectly. Ah — it's too plain. A feminine ring needs a subtle spiral twist.

I pulled the diamond out and hammered the ring again. In the process, I split it in two.

"Eek!"

"It's fine."

This will make it prettier. And I can add more gems to dress up the diamond. I cut the leftover gem scraps, twisted the ring into a double spiral, and used a drill to re-cut the groove that had vanished during the work.

The original diamond in the center. About four scrap diamonds around it. By the time I finished the setting work, sweat was dripping from my forehead.

I focused way too hard — one slip and the whole thing was ruined. But the finished ring was genuinely beautiful. Sorry, Mom, but it looked way more expensive than a wedding ring.

They're just handing out skills. Check the item first, then look at the skills.

"Item Appraisal."

"Item? Did you just say item?"

A raised effect? Can't pass that up. I engraved the initials from my English name — Y.H. — and the Calm level rose to 2.

"An item?! I knew it — our Yohan is a genius!"

Sophia must have checked it too, because she lit up and pulled me into a hug. That soft give against me never got old, no matter when it happened. This right here is heaven.

There's a goddess, so maybe it literally is heaven? Either way — massive chests are the truth of the universe.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"So... what are we going to do with this...?"

After I'd been enthusiastically nuzzling into her chest, Sophia realized how embarrassing it was and pulled back a little to ask. The way she twisted her fingers together was so cute I wanted to tease her — but this time, I'd just give it to her.

"You already checked it yourself, didn't you?"

"Ahem. Well, yes."

"This ring is yours, Sophia."

"Yohan, I really like you!"

A second hug was also excellent. I took a deep breath and burned Sophia's scent into my memory. Being a goddess, even her skin smelled incredible. Intoxicating.

"I sized it for your index finger, so—"

"W-wait. It tickles when you talk from there..."

Sophia pulled away again and covered her chest. Ah. I'd been talking right against her breasts. Should've stuck my tongue out while I was at it.

"So I just put it on my index finger?"

"Yes. Try it on now."

"Okay..."

Sophia couldn't bring herself to put the ring on easily. She just stared at it. Come to think of it, she wore nothing but a plain dress — not a single accessory of any kind.

She's never worn a ring, so she doesn't know how. I've never put one on anyone either, but it's simple enough.

"I'll put it on for you."

"Huh? No! It's fine! I'll do it!"

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about. Don't refuse."

"How is it not embarrassing..."

It's just putting on a ring — why is she this flustered? Goddess sensibilities are beyond me. I took Sophia's hand and slid the ring onto her index finger.

"It suits you. It's beautiful."

"Uuu... thank you..."

Sophia's face had gone bright red as she ducked her head. Hot? She was even fanning herself.

"Don't just stand here — let's go inside!"

"There are still boxes left..."

"I'll move those! Hurry!"

Why the rush? Pulled along by Sophia's hand, I stepped through a door that had opened in midair.