TVJA 41

chapter 41

The moment I discovered the tool kit, my eyes sparkled like a child who had just unearthed a coin from the sand.

But that sparkle didn’t last long—it quickly dulled into suspicion.

Wait a minute.

“Since when did a tool kit become a survival essential in a romance fantasy novel?”

According to the system, every item available in the shop was statistically derived from what numerous transmigrators had deemed necessary for survival. The store was supposedly tailored with tools and equipment that players might find useful while strategizing through the game.

When you think “survival essentials,” you’d expect something like a compact dagger, water, or food rations.

So what kind of twisted near-death experiences have transmigrators been going through lately for something like this to make the list?

In any case, the store did have plenty of other items aside from the engraving tools I was specifically looking for.

One item, however, stood out more than any other:
A compilation of adult-rated short stories.

“…Is this really a survival item?”

The book practically screamed “smut,” its cover painted an obnoxiously bold red.

I felt a creeping sense of doubt about the transmigrator who might’ve needed this book… but I shook my head lazily. I didn’t have the time to go accusing random strangers.

“Well, to each their own.”

With a faint sigh, I lifted my gaze to check the price of the tool kit.

{system: Would you like to check the price of the 'Beginner Tool Kit'?}

Even if the price had increased by 20%, it was just a beginner set.

“It can’t be that expensive.”

Confidently, I stretched my finger forward and, without an ounce of hesitation, pressed the “Yes” button.

{The price of the 'Beginner Tool Kit' is 53,300 cash. Would you like to proceed with the purchase? ※ This is the discounted price with the first-time buyer bonus applied.}

I stared blankly at the screen, face frozen.

“…You’ve got to be kidding me.”

That tiny kit would wipe out 99% of my funds. And what’s with the awkwardly specific number? Was it the discount?

“…”

Well, it’s not like I had a choice. I’d already made up my mind.

Besides, once I owned the tool kit, it would come in handy for all sorts of things.

Let’s not forget what I had in my possession—not a silver axe, not a golden axe, but a magical pickaxe that could dig up gems.

Just selling raw gemstones had already brought in a decent bit of pocket change. But that alone wouldn’t get me to my ultimate goal fast enough.

Sure, the official goal was to raise the male leads’ affection levels…

But my real objective?

Clear the game, return to the real world, and walk away with enough money to never work another day in my life.

Getting thrown into a random body out of nowhere was ridiculous enough. If I had to go back empty-handed on top of that, well—wasn’t that just plain unfair?

To earn something like a hundred million from selling raw gems, I’d need to spend at least a year cooped up in a mine. Back-breaking labor for twelve months straight.

By the end, my spine and joints would be permanently destroyed.

But chasing nothing but money would leave the male leads neglected.

And I still had to romance them—unless I wanted to die again, of course.

To make things worse, I was down to one life point. I had to be careful with every decision now.

“There has to be a way to catch both rabbits at once.”

Groaning, I clutched my head in frustration.

Sometimes, bold investments were necessary to achieve greater returns.

That’s why I decided to take a gamble—on this.

Refining the raw gems and selling them in the commercial market.

The question was whether this whole “gemcraft business” would succeed or not…

I stood frozen in front of the purchase screen for ages, not buying anything, until the system let out a sharp beep as if warning me.

{Purchase will be canceled in 10 seconds. ※ Cancelled purchases will no longer receive the first-time bonus.}

Honestly, the alert messages had no patience.

Must’ve been made by a Korean. Only we would put a “hurry up” timer on buying digital goods.

Snapped out of my thoughts by the cute but annoying sound, I shook my head and reached for the glowing purchase button.

As my finger touched the translucent confirmation screen, a soft light burst forth.

{Purchase successful.}
{system: Beginner Tool Kit Get★cha!}

Of course. That casually friendly tone again. Classic system.

I watched as the item materialized in front of me, in the same way my pickaxe had previously appeared—starting from a glowing orb that jiggled like undercooked dough.

After a few moments, it unceremoniously plopped onto the floor.

Every time, it felt like the system was spitting items out like chewed-up gum.

Looking at the kit lying on the ground, I sighed internally.

“…Well, at least I got it.”

I brushed off the top of the box, sending a puff of dust into the air, revealing a polished, deep brown wood beneath.

I stood up, kit in hand, and headed straight for the desk.

There, I had already arranged a collection of gems I planned to work on—along with gauze for cleaning off dirt, soft silk gloves, and a magnifying glass.

For reference: the magnifying glass was found in the second drawer of the desk, and the gloves were sitting right on the vanity.

Technically, touching the gems with bare hands wasn’t a big deal, but I couldn’t stand the idea of leaving fingerprints on a perfectly polished stone.

Especially since these were meant to be gifts.

I wanted to make the best things I could with my own hands.

I wanted to see Sophia’s face light up with happiness when she received it.

There was nothing more satisfying than an honest smile from someone you cared about.

“Alright!”

For the first time in a while, I felt a burst of creative energy.

…Thirty minutes later.

After silently staring down a pile of gemstones for over ten minutes, I slowly scratched my head.

“…Yeah. So…”

“How exactly do you do this?”

Buying the tool kit with all that confidence was great—until I realized I’d completely forgotten one thing.

I had never engraved or crafted anything in my life.

Even if I looked back through my entire childhood, I couldn’t recall a single time I’d been praised in art class.

[“Oh, Jia! Is this an elephant?”]
[“No, it’s a pig.”]

I would never forget the look of mild horror on my teacher’s face.

“Dear god.”

What on earth made me think I could pull this off?

And it’s not like I could change paths now…

{system: Current player cash balance is 200.}

“…I’m ruined.”

With just 200 cash left, I couldn’t even afford a healing potion.

“I’m broke.”

Overwhelmed by despair, I clutched my head and began aggressively headbanging—until smack, my forehead slammed into a gem.

“OW!”

Tears welled up as I glared down at the offending rock.

The sneaky little punk that headbutted me was the Level 3 sapphire I’d excitedly mined from the cave today.

I save it from a dark cave, and this is the thanks I get?

Well, for the ungrateful… only one answer remained.

I reached across the desk and grabbed something slim and sharp.

The engraving hammer. Its head was wide and flat, perfect for breaking down stones.

“Is this how you hold it?”

Gripping it awkwardly—looking every bit the amateur—I aimed it at the infuriatingly shiny sapphire.

“…”

And I swung.

What if it flies off the desk? What if it shatters? What if it’s too hard to break?!

Dozens of thoughts clogged my brain in the split second before impact.

Clang!

A sharp ringing sound echoed through the air—then, the gem shattered.

A small alert window popped up immediately.

{system: Congratulations! A new skill has been unlocked.}

{Skill: Beginner Gemcrafting ※ Allows the player to craft gems up to Level 3. Diamonds and special minerals excluded.}

{Skill: Gem Appraisal Can locate gems even in dark or barren environments. Higher luck increases chances of finding rare materials.}

{Skill: Tool Mastery Applies to all skills involving “tools,” not just crafting tools.}

Still blinking dumbly, another message appeared that was far more shocking than the skill unlocks.

{Your profession has changed from <Miner> to <Gem Artisan>.}
{Would you like to check your current status window? Yes / No}

I could only gape.

What just happened?

I was now… a gem artisan?!

This felt like a joke.

Sure, it sounded better than “miner,” but still…

“All I did was smack a gem with a hammer once…”

If buying a mixer and making a macaron turned you into a royal chef, that’s what this felt like.

“What even…”

The absurdity left me speechless—but only briefly.

I quickly came to and decided to check my status window. The system might just be messing with me again.

I had a long history of not trusting it.

“Status window.”

As always, a translucent screen floated into the air.

<Player Nickname: Yuria Benestra>
<Title: One Trusted by the Demon Sword>
<Profession: Gem Artisan>
<Reputation: 5>
<Progress: 4%>

• HP: 120

• Intelligence: 105

• Agility: 110

• Strength: 105

• Luck: 100

• Charm: 130

• Magic: 110 (+50)

Unfortunately, neither the progress bar nor my stats had changed much.

Just as the system claimed, only the “profession” field had been updated—clean and crisp like it’d been erased and rewritten.

Looking at it, I let out a dry chuckle.

“…Ha.”

Should I be happy that things were going according to plan…?

Or should I despair at the thought of spending the rest of my days carving gemstones?

Either way, one thing hadn’t changed:

“Time to get to work.”