When I awoke the next morning, the other side of the bed was empty. The sheets were still faintly warm, and the faint scent of milk and honey lingered in the air: Belle's scent. I could hear faint noises downstairs; she must have gone down early to open the tavern.
Lying there for a moment, I let the memories of last night drift through my mind.
I'd been with women before back on Earth, but those encounters had always been shallow moments of need, not affection. Belle, however, had been different.
She had cooked for me, flirted with me, seduced me, and then held me with tenderness until I had fallen asleep. The difference was worlds apart.
After dressing, I made my way downstairs. The tavern was empty save for Belle behind the counter, polishing glasses with a cheerful hum.
Sunlight streamed through the window, reflecting off her glossy black horns and warm caramel skin. Her long brown tail swayed lazily behind her as she spotted me.
"Morning, sleepyhead," she said with a wink. "You worked hard yesterday, so I figured you deserved a hearty breakfast."
Before I could even sit, she brought over two steaming plates: fried eggs, buttered bread, and some fruit. She set one before me, leaned down, and planted a light kiss on the top of my head before settling opposite me.
We ate together in companionable silence for a few moments, and then I said with a grin, "If you ever feel like inviting me to dinner again, I'd be happy to accept."
Belle chuckled softly, flicking her tail playfully. "Careful what you wish for, handsome. I might just hold you to that."
Before I could respond, the tavern door opened. Cecile stepped in, sunlight glinting off her light armor and blonde hair. She gave Belle a knowing grin, the kind that made my face heat instantly, and said, "Ready to go, boss?"
Belle smirked and waved goodbye as Cecile and I left for the workshop.
By the time we arrived, Claire was already waiting.
"Good morning," she greeted with her usual gentle smile.
I retrieved the crafted furniture from the workshop, queued up production for a variety of different furniture pieces, and made my way back to the chapel proper.
Replacing everything took less than fifteen minutes. When the last pew slid neatly into place, Claire clasped her hands together. "Abel, this is… wonderful. The chapel hasn't looked this good in years."
Her gratitude made my chest warm. "I'm glad it helps."
Behind the chapel, in the small yard we had turned into my temporary workshop, I began preparing something new. I had noticed that my crafting menu allowed me to make 2 types of building blocks.
The first category consisted of ready-made walls, doors, floors, and roofing, similar to what I remembered from that old zombie survival game I used to play, where you had 7 days to prepare for a zombie invasion.
The second category was even simpler: one-meter cubic blocks that I could freely place and remove.
To test durability, I built a small cube of wooden walls. Each piece shimmered faintly when placed, taking shape in perfect alignment. Inspecting them revealed something odd: they had hit points. Just like in the games. Curious, I asked Cecile to hit one with her sword.
She did so with enthusiasm. She hit it full strength, but when I checked the panel, the block had only lost a single point out of five hundred.
"Wow," Cecile muttered, lowering her blade. "That's sturdier than the village fences."
I gave the wall a light tap with my stone axe, and it instantly deconstructed, vanishing into my inventory.
Claire, who had been observing until now, approached and examined the blocks closely. "To build structures that strong in mere minutes… the Goddess herself definitely blessed you with production magic."
I laughed. "If anyone back on Earth could build like this, the construction industry would have been a lot easier to work in."
Claire's eyes brightened with an idea. "Then perhaps you can put that gift to good use here as well. What do you say to replacing this old shed with something larger? You can use it as your workshop and a display space for your furniture. When you eventually move on, the chapel can keep using it."
It was a win-win situation, so I immediately agreed. Setting up a second Carpenter's Station, I queued up wooden foundations, walls, roofs, stairs, doors, and windows. While waiting for them to finish, I checked on the furniture I'd queued earlier and stored the finished pieces into my inventory.
Then something new appeared in front of me.
[Crafted more than 10 unique objects — Reward: Bonus 50 XP + New Perk Unlocked!]
[Unlocked: Status Screen]
"Claire! Something just changed!" I called out.
She hurried over, curious as ever. "Show me!"
A translucent interface appeared before us. Three options shimmered in golden text:
[Well Built I] — Crafted blocks and items have 5% more HP/Durability.
[Fast Craft I] — Crafting speed increased by 5%.
[Miner I] — Pickaxes yield 5% more resources.
"Choose whichever feels right," Claire advised.
I selected Well Built I, figuring that stronger structures would be invaluable. The screen shifted again, revealing new details:
[Name: Abel]
[Race: Primordial Human]
[Level: 1 — 50/500 XP]
[Strength: — ]
[Speed: — ]
[Stamina: — ]
[Magic: — ]
[Perk: Well Built I]
"My stats are still blank…"
Claire looked thoughtful. "Perhaps they'll reveal themselves as you level up. Even so, this is proof you're growing stronger."
When the blocks finished crafting, I stored everything and set to work dismantling the old shed. It took less than ten minutes to clear the structure, leaving behind a patch of trampled grass.
I tested my shovel on the dirt: one swing, and a perfect cubic meter of soil vanished. In my inventory, a [Dirt Block] appeared. I couldn't help but grin; it felt exactly like in the game.
I cleared an 8x4-meter area, then laid down the wooden foundation blocks. The framework appeared in an instant, sturdy and level. From there, I raised the outer walls, leaving spaces for doors and windows.
The layout followed Claire's idea: a front showroom area measuring four by four meters, and a crafting room at the back taking up three by four. I placed doors for each entryway, then seperated the two rooms with a wall and door.
Piece by piece, the structure took shape, clean wooden blocks locking seamlessly together, roof tiles aligning with satisfying clicks. When I stepped back to inspect it, the whole workshop gleamed under the afternoon sun.
Cecile let out a low whistle. "That took you what, an hour? It would take a team of carpenters a week to do that!"
Claire clasped her hands together again, eyes wide with awe. "It's beautiful. Truly, Abel, this will serve both the chapel and the village well."