"So, about this furnace—does it really have to be made of iron?" Wang Qi asked. "In Minecraft, you just need a few stones to craft a furnace, then you can smelt iron. Why do you need iron to make one here?"

Zhang Yemiao stared at him incredulously. "Seriously? You actually thought stones alone would work? Well... technically, stones aren’t impossible..."

"If possible, special ceramics would be ideal."

Zhang Yemiao added, "Honestly, a stone furnace *could* work for basic iron tools. But my talent tells me this world has rare materials—stones just can’t handle their thermal conductivity or other properties..."

"Won’t the iron melt?"

"Actually, enchanted metal seems convenient."

Wang Qi paused. "Makes sense."

"Why else is it called *alchemy* and not *lithurgy*? Enchanting metal lets even a furnace gain special effects."

"You know enchanting?"

Zhang Yemiao grinned smugly. "Nope. But my talent does. When I level up from Novice Rank 1 to Beginner Rank 1, my crafted items gain minor status effects. Tiny, but real. Problem is—I need a metal furnace to channel mana properly."

"So we need cash."

Zhang Yemiao’s face fell. *If I had enough resources, I’d just synthesize one myself.* "How do we even make money?"

"Uh... part-time jobs?"

"Spreading my legs for some rich guy would be faster."

*What am I supposed to say to that?*

Wang Qi glared, voice sharp. "Absolutely not."

"Ugh..." Flustered by his sudden intensity, Zhang Yemiao looked away. "Then... then what *should* we do?"

After a long stare, Wang Qi smiled gently. "Simple. Return to the grasslands. Selling monster materials pays well. Right?"

"But your level’s still low!" Zhang Yemiao flinched. "We barely survived last time. Going back now is dangerous."

Wang Qi patted her shoulder. "We were clueless before. Now we’ve got experience. I heard this world has an Adventurers’ Guild. I’ll register first. Taking commissions for materials should pay way more."

"I’m coming too."

Zhang Yemiao blurted out, "Don’t you dare leave me behind. My job’s useless, but... what if something happens? I won’t stay alone." Her voice trembled, eyes wide and earnest. "I know it’s selfish. I might slow you down. But waiting here... I’d worry myself sick."

Wang Qi fell silent. Finally, he placed both hands on her shoulders. His words were messy but tender: "Dorm Leader, our home’s just been rebuilt. It needs flowers, crops, decorations—things that seem small but matter. If you come with me... it’d be a burden. You know I’m safer alone. Your job is to wait for me *here*."

His logic was flawed, but Zhang Yemiao understood. She bit her lip and nodded. "Okay."

Seeing her like this, Wang Qi couldn’t resist ruffling her hair.

Zhang Yemiao pouted but didn’t pull away. "Don’t do that again."

Wang Qi chuckled, hand still moving.

Zhang Yemiao slightly closed her eyes. *Is head-patting... nice? A little. Kinda embarrassing. But just this once.*

Wang Qi left—not forever, just to hunt monsters.

Zhang Yemiao knew he was hiding something. He claimed to want a normal life, but would he really stop if he could grow stronger?

She remembered their past lives. Back then, she was the weakest in their dorm despite being Dorm Leader. Wang Qi seemed like a typical otaku—anime, novels—but he worked out daily and always got scholarships. What even *was* "normal" to him?

As for Zou Moan and Li Pingtian? Total standouts. Zou Moan—eccentric but brilliant, winning innovation contests and securing grad school admission. Li Pingtian—the icy genius who aced his way into grad school.

*Am I the only useless one here?*

Wang Qi was hiding something tied to his talent. "Physical Enhancement" seemed ordinary, but like her own hidden enchanting ability, it probably held secrets.

*He must’ve figured something out.*

Without a furnace, her XP wouldn’t rise. Crafting by hand was pointless now. *Time to farm.*

Zhang Yemiao quickly made plans.

She synthesized a hoe. It felt awkward—she’d never farmed before—but this world’s plants thrived wildly. Rumor said they stored mana in special organs. (She hadn’t found any in the trees she’d chopped; her elemental affinity was too low.)

*No rush.*

Every morning, she farmed until exhausted. Then she returned home to synthesize tools—kitchenware, farming gear, and... traps.

*Why traps?*

*Because I’m scared.* She even brewed poison from toxic forest plants. With zero combat skills, she was vulnerable while Wang Qi was gone. Yinai City’s village chief was friendly, but who knew what predators lurked?

*After all, I’m breathtakingly beautiful now.*

Smirking at her own vanity, she rigged the area with traps—some simple, some vicious. Still not safe enough. She built a panic room: a hidden cellar beneath their house.

*Good call.*

On Wang Qi’s third day away, chaos struck.

She’d expected it. In a world where power concentrated in individuals, one person’s rampage could shatter everything.

A noble passed through.

His strength was terrifying. The village chief welcomed him—then fighting erupted.

Zhang Yemiao heard deafening booms from afar. She bolted into the cellar. When silence fell, she peeked out.

The devastation dwarfed her imagination.

The forest looked trampled by a monster. Trees snapped like twigs. Their house had gaping holes—*exactly* like anime scenes where a flying punch smashes through walls. Her tiny farm plot? Obliterated.

*Insane.*

*Thank god I hid. One stray punch and I’d be paste. When gods clash, mortals suffer.*

But Zhang Yemiao spotted something else.

*Q: If you find a flawless ruby in the wreckage, do you pick it up?*

*Her answer: "Duh."*

*Must’ve dropped from those fighters. Score!* She almost cheered: *Woo-hoo, time to take off!* Finding treasure meant the protagonist’s rise.

Then her neck twisted sideways.

*Never pick up random shiny things.*

You never know what horrors they unleash.

Her strength vanished in an instant. For a heartbeat, she thought she’d died—something was sucking her life dry. She tried to drop the ruby. Her fingers wouldn’t obey.

*Am I dying?*

*How do I warn Wang Qi not to touch this thing? If he finds me dead beside it, he’ll grab it without thinking...*

A gleaming kitchen knife materialized in her free hand. She hacked at her own wrist—but her synthesized blade was too dull. A shallow cut bloomed, nothing more.

Weakness. Pain. Despair. They surged, useless against the void devouring her. Resigned, she closed her eyes. Consciousness frayed. *Standing? Fallen? Who cares... If I’m dying this fast after reincarnating, I should’ve at least given my bro a good time. Mutual fun—wouldn’t that have been perfect?*

*Back when I was a guy, I’d only gathered courage to confess. Still a virgin even after turning into a girl... and now this?*

Amid the swirling thoughts, darkness swallowed her.

Unconsciously, she murmured Wang Qi’s name.