The smell of boiled herbs lingered in the room, carried by the faint flicker of firelight from the hearth. Liam—or Kai, as the world now knew him—lay back against a pile of wool-stuffed cushions, his eyes locked on the glowing interface only he could see.
The villagers of East Hollow had saved his life, but they had no idea what he truly was—or what had come with him.
Not a mage. Not a warrior.
An engineer with a blueprint system.
But now, that system was... different.
More present.
More aware.
-------------------------
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
User has survived initial integration.
Emergency Construct: [Kinetic Deterrent v0.1] was deployed using Tutorial Override.
Resource consumption: 0
Developer Note: That was your freebie. No more handouts.
[Greetings, Liam Vance. You may refer to me as Blueprint.
Query: Do you require an explanation of your current capabilities?]
Kai blinked. "You're... talking now?"
[Clarification: Verbal interaction protocol unlocked. Prior communication limited due to Emergency Protocols.
You are now authorized to receive full system support—as long as you do the actual work.]
He sat up straighter, rubbing his temple.
"Alright. Explain. What exactly can you do?"
[SYSTEM OVERVIEW – BLUEPRINT
You possess the Blueprint System: a construct-based crafting interface tailored to your prior Earth-based engineering knowledge.
Capabilities include:
Scan: Analyze materials and magical structuresBlueprint: Create schematics manually using detected componentsSimulate: (Locked) Requires advanced constructsDeploy: Materialize schematics using physical materials and runesRune Interface: You must manually draw runes to stabilize constructsSystem Assistance: Me. Minimal personality included. No refunds.
Note: Future constructs require proper materials, mana, and manually drawn runes. Efficiency and success depend on accuracy, material quality, and your mental focus.]
Kai frowned. "So that heat coil I used—"
[Was a free construct. No materials. No effort. Now it's gone. Welcome to real crafting.]
"Figured," he muttered. "So where do I start?"
[Objective: Construct [Basic Heat Coil]
Purpose: Heat generation for survival and crafting
Material Requirements:
Firewood or Ash Wood (x5 units)Iron Fragments (x3)Stone Base (x1 slab)Mana Residue (x1 unit)
Rune Requirement:[Sigil of Contained Heat] – must be drawn manually onto core coil.
Location Tip: Materials are locally available within East Hollow and surrounding forest. Begin scavenging. ]
The system vanished from his vision, leaving Kai alone with a groaning stomach and a racing mind.
He threw off the blanket, stood slowly, and stretched.
Still sore—but stronger.
Time to get to work.
The old woman, Madra she'd said her name was, spotted him as he left the hut.
"You shouldn't be walking, boy."
"I'll manage," Kai said, giving a polite nod. "I need to stretch my legs. Maybe gather some wood?"
Her frown softened. "You won't get far without boots. Here."
She handed him a bundle—rough wool wraps tied with leather string.
Kai bowed his head in thanks, then stepped into the crisp village air.
East Hollow wasn't big—maybe thirty houses, all built from thick stone and wood, roofs heavy with snow. A central well stood near a frozen stream, and beyond that, thick woods pressed in like a dark wall.
People stared. Murmurs followed him.
"That the boy they found near the wolf paths?"
"Must be a traveler from the Northlands."
"Strange clothes…"
He ignored them. He had a mission.
One hour later…
Kai crouched beside a pile of snow-dusted debris at the edge of the woods. He sorted through rotted tools and shattered barrels behind what looked like an old smithy.
[Material Scanned: Ash Wood – Acceptable Quality – +3 Units]
[Material Scanned: Iron Fragment – Rusted – +1 Unit]
[Material Scanned: Stone Slab – Intact – +1 Unit]
"Alright, that's most of it," he murmured, stuffing the items into a burlap sack.
"Just need more iron… and mana residue."
[Tip: Local villagers may have excess scrap. Suggest barter or stealth acquisition]
Kai snorted. "You're suggesting I steal from my rescuers?"
[I am suggesting options. Morality module not included.]
"Helpful."
He took the honest route first.
Back at the village square, he approached a hunched man mending a wheel.
"Excuse me—any chance I could have some old metal scraps? Nails, wire, anything broken?"
The man grunted. "Payment?"
Kai hesitated, then pulled out a small wooden idol from the pocket of his salvaged clothes. He'd found it half-buried near the ditch earlier.
The man squinted, then nodded.
"Fine. Old stuff's by the shed. Take what you want."
[Material Scanned: Iron Fragment – Acceptable – +2 Units]
[Material Requirement Met: Iron Fragment x3]
Progress.
Only one thing left.
Mana residue.
He'd seen glowing dust clinging to the wolves' horns... but no way he was hunting one.
Then he remembered the village shrine—small and mossy, with a cracked crystal orb.
That night, under cover of darkness, Kai crept to the shrine. No guards, no lights—just flickering candles and incense sticks, long since burned out.
He stepped forward and touched the orb.
A faint spark danced beneath his fingers.
[Mana Residue Detected – 0.5 units recovered]
He winced. Not enough.
Nearby, a stone offering bowl glowed faintly.
Carefully, he scraped the crystal residue from its rim.
[Mana Residue Collected – +1 unit]
[All materials acquired.]
Back in Madra's hut, he cleared space on the floor and laid out the materials.
A block of stone. Twigs and splintered ash wood. A few iron shards. And a pinch of sparkling dust in a folded cloth.
He knelt beside them and pulled up the blueprint interface.
[Begin Construction: [Basic Heat Coil]? Y/N
Warning: This will consume gathered materials. Failure may result in loss.]
"Begin," Kai said.
[Step 1: Assemble Base Frame
Instruction: Place stone slab as foundation. Bind wood bundle into chamber housing. Embed iron coil segments. Proceed manually.]
He followed the system's instructions like a recipe.
Cut wood.
Fit it together in a hexagonal frame.
Bent the iron pieces into a coil, driving them through the base like a rudimentary stove.
[Step 2: Insert Catalyst
Instruction: Sprinkle mana residue over central core.]
Done.
The dust shimmered, sinking into the coil like water into cloth.
[Step 3: Draw Rune – [Sigil of Contained Heat]
Note: Must be precise. Minor errors reduce stability. Major errors may cause combustion.]
A square panel appeared beside the blueprint, displaying a rune pattern: A circular spiral with angular branches at each cardinal point, resembling a fusion of fire and circuit diagrams.
Kai grabbed a charcoal stick from the hearth and knelt beside the construct.
He drew slowly. Carefully.
One spiral at a time.
His hand trembled.
The lines pulsed.
[Rune Accuracy: 87%
Construct Stability: Moderate
Deploy? Y/N]
Kai exhaled. "Deploy."
The rune flared orange.
The coil shuddered.
Then—fwumph—a soft, steady warmth radiated from the center.
No fire. No smoke.
Just heat.
Kai held his hands above the coil and grinned as the frostbite eased from his fingertips.
[CONSTRUCT COMPLETE: BASIC HEAT COIL v0.1]
Durability: 65% – Manual Maintenance Required
Mana Efficiency: Low (Beginner Tier)
Crafting XP: +1
System Level: 1 → 2]
[Congratulations. You've completed your first real construct.
> Observations:
Rune drawing passable.Coil structure: functional but unrefined.Heat output acceptable for personal use.
> You now understand the foundation. Next construct will involve power containment.]
Kai leaned back, wiping sweat from his brow.
"That… was actually kind of satisfying."
[Good. Because this was the easiest blueprint you'll ever build.]
He laughed.
Madra entered a few minutes later and stopped cold.
She stared at the coil, blinking.
"You… made this?"
Kai nodded. "Old trick from home."
She approached and held her hands over it.
"…Blessed Flame," she murmured. "It's warm. But… not fire?"
"No fire. Just heat. Safer indoors."
She stared at him, eyes narrowing—not in suspicion, but awe.
"Boy… who are you, really?"
Kai smiled faintly.
"A mechanic, I guess."
That night, he placed the heat coil by his bedside and opened his system again.
[NEW BLUEPRINT AVAILABLE]
>> [Firestarter Wand v0.1] – Tier I Utility Tool
Requires: Ash Wood x2, Ember Stone x1 (substitute: Mana Spark), Wire x1Rune: [Sigil of Ignition]Range: 5 metersCharge Time: 3 secondsDurability: LowNotes: Ideal for field use.
> Next Objective: Begin forging field tools. Mobility required for survival and innovation.]
Kai stared at the screen, eyes sharp.
In this world, strength came from swords and spells.
But his strength would come from blueprints and fire.
Tomorrow, he'd start building his arsenal.
Not as a mage. Not as a warrior.
But as the world's first Arcane Engineer.