Chapter 1 – I Was Supposed to Be Farming, Not Forging Fate

[Hiro’s Journal – Day 0 of Is-this-Reincarnation?]

Died.No melon soda.Respawned in fantasy land.I have no idea what's going on.Send help. Or iron ore.

When I opened my eyes, I was flat on my back, staring up at a sky that looked like it had been painted by someone drunk on magic paint.

Pink clouds. Floating islands. A giant bird the size of a bus soaring overhead.

“…Not Tokyo,” I mumbled.

Everything hurt. My ribs, my legs, even my eyebrows. And for some reason, my hand was glowing red. That seemed important.

A chime sounded in my ear like a notification in a video game.

[Welcome to Eltaria.]                   

[Class Assigned: Blacksmith (Unique)]

[Skill Gained: Forge Anything]

[Additional Skill: Heatless Forge]

I blinked. “Blacksmith?”

Another chime.

[Pro Tip: Try not to die again.]

“Thanks.”

I sat up slowly, surrounded by a forest of twisted silver trees and mushrooms the size of basketballs. In the distance, I saw ruins—cracked stone towers, a broken wall, and a castle that looked like it had been eaten by a dragon and spit out halfway.

Naturally, I walked toward it.

What else was I going to do? File a report?

The castle wasn’t exactly welcoming.There were goblin footprints in the mud.A sign out front said "DO NOT ENTER – LICH INSIDE" in shaky handwriting.And the drawbridge was just a plank nailed to a tree.

I crossed anyway, because I’m apparently bad at survival instincts.

I spotted a rusted sword embedded in a rock like some bootleg Excalibur. I touched it, and my glowing hand lit up like a forge.

[Forge Anything – Activated]

[Material: Scrap Iron + Rotten Wood + Regret]

[New Item: Dull But Functional Sword (Rating: D-) Created!]

The sword sputtered into life in my hand.

"Okay. That was... weirdly satisfying."

“That was amateurish.”

The voice came from behind me.

I turned. Slowly. Because people who turn quickly in fantasy worlds usually get stabbed.

She stood there, arms crossed, dressed in half-rusted armor, silver hair pulled into a wild braid, and a tiara that looked more bent than majestic.

Her boots were scuffed. Her gloves were fingerless. Her eyes? Piercing gold, and deeply unimpressed.

“Your form was sloppy. The hilt is unbalanced. And the blade’s edge curves like a noodle.”

“Hello to you too,” I said. “You judging all lost souls or just me?”

She ignored that. “You made that sword using no fire, no tools, and with your bare hands. That means you’re either a god… or extremely reckless.”

“Option C: confused and very underpaid.”

She stepped forward, boots crunching on the ruined path. “I’m Aria. Crown Princess of Eltaria. Or what’s left of it.”

I looked around at the moss-covered ruins, collapsed towers, and what might’ve been a royal outhouse now occupied by birds.

“Your kingdom needs a renovation show.”

She didn’t flinch. “It needs a blacksmith.”

“And you just happen to bump into one freshly reincarnated in your yard?”

“I don’t believe in coincidence,” Aria said simply. “I believe in opportunity.”

She extended her hand.

“Work for me.”

Five minutes later, I was standing inside a broken castle kitchen being handed a moldy piece of bread by a goblin in a suit.

“This is Kael,” Aria said. “Our butler. Please don’t stab him.”

Kael bowed stiffly. “We apologize for the draft in the guest chamber. A wyvern flew through last week.”

I stared blankly. “A wyvern flew through your castle?”

“Yes,” Aria replied. “Which is why you’ll be sleeping in the pantry.”

I exhaled. Slowly.

So let me get this straight: I died, got reincarnated with a weird crafting skill, and am now working for a broke princess in a haunted kingdom where the staff includes a goblin and a broom with a face drawn on it.

At this point, I’m 90% sure this is an isekai prank show.

              [Quest Received: Restore the Kingdom of Eltaria]

Reward: UnknownFailure: You don’t want to know

But Aria stood tall.

Even if her armor was cracked, even if her castle was in pieces, she had the eyes of someone who hadn’t given up.

“You’ll rebuild this place,” she said. “One sword. One wall. One forge at a time.”

And even though I knew I should run away…

…I stayed.

Because for some stupid reason, those words lit a fire inside me.

Or maybe that was just my skill again.

Either way, the forge had been lit