Sid opened it carefully, and the first few pages were written in messy, faded handwriting. The ink had smudged with age, but the words were still readable. He started reading aloud.

"Day one— started building the frame today. The trees nearby are sturdy enough to cut down for the base. I promised her I’d build a home with my own hands.’"

Sid stopped, glancing at Evelise.

"Guess this belonged to the man lived here before."

"Let me see that..."

Evelise said, stepping closer. Sid set it on the floor between them. They both knelt, the dim light catching the pages as they turned them slowly. The diary continued, page after page, describing how the man had built everything from scratch. The chairs, the table, the shelves, even the bed...

Every detail was written down, including the materials used and how he shaped them. Evelise’s expression softened as she read.

"He really built all of this himself... even the walls and roof. That must have taken years."

"Yeah... You can almost feel the effort in every line. This guy wasn’t just some random survivor— he was determined..."

His eyes lifted toward the wooden mantel above the fireplace, where the picture frame rested. Inside was a faded photo of a man and his daughter, smiling faintly against the old world’s light.

"Determined for his daughter to survive the apocalypse..."

Evelise’s ears twitched as she followed his gaze. It was her first time noticing the picture; before, she had been too focused on watching Sid work. She stepped closer and gently lifted the crooked frame from the mantel. The glass was dusty, but the image inside was still clear.

"These... they might be the ones who lived here. Maybe this man recorded everything he built—for her."

Sid replied as he brushed his fingers over the worn pages.

"Yeah... I noticed it when I first came here. I wanted to pay my respects to their remains, so I...gave them as proper a burial as I could. They’re buried at the back of this cabin, not far from here."

Evelise stared at the photograph for a long moment, her ears twitching slightly as a wave of emotion passed over her. The father and daughter captured in the frame looked so peaceful, so normal, that it tugged at something deep inside her. For a moment, she felt a pang of longing for her own family.

She glanced at Sid, catching his calm, steady gaze, and something about the way he had taken care of the remains softened her view of him.

"Y-you did a good thing... burying them. Even moving corpses deserve proper respect."

Her ears twitched again, this time more subtly, as she shifted slightly to hide her reaction. She didn’t want Sid to notice how moved she was. Sid gave a small smile and said quietly,

"That’s the least I can do for them..."

Evelise set the picture frame gently back on the shelf, her fingers lingering on the glass for a moment before she pulled away. She spoke softly, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Alright. Let’s see what else is written in that notebook."

She walked over to Sid as he turned the next page, scanning the rough sketches of furniture, tools, and a full cabin layout. His brow furrowed in curiosity as he reached the end. The final page had only a single line:

" If someone finds this, may these hands guide yours."

Evelise’s lips curved into a faint, thoughtful smile.

"Guess he wasn’t just building for himself after all. Maybe he hoped someone would come along and continue what he started. What a thoughtful man... may he and his daughter rest in peace."

But as Sid finished reading the line aloud, he froze.The ink shimmered and began to lift off the paper, glowing brighter and brighter until the words floated in the air.

"What... is this?"

He gasped, moving back as the glowing symbols swirled around him and shot straight into his forehead.

"Sid!"

Evelise shouted, moving forward. He flinched, gripping his head as a pulse of light rippled through his body. His HUD flashed violently, flooding his vision with new icons, blueprints, and diagrams. It felt like someone had plugged a hard drive directly into his brain. He gasped for air, blinking rapidly as the overload settled.

Then, a message appeared before his eyes:

[SYSTEM MESSAGE!]

[The Builder’s Logbook’s recipe have been consumed.]

[You can now create items based on the content of the recipe.]

Sid exhaled shakily, staring at the glowing message.

"Holy crap... it uploaded the entire thing into my head. How is that even possible?! This is FREAKING INSANE! I can actually see how to fix stuff now like, blueprints, materials, everything!"

Sid’s hands trembled slightly as the stream of information settled in his mind. He blinked several times, trying to process the strange clarity spreading through his head.

[Tip: Consume more recipes to expand your build catalog. The more you learn, the more you can create.]

Sid’s eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morning.

"OH HELL YES! I’ll consume everything I see from now on... this is amazing!"

He laughed, clutching the notebook as if it were sacred.

"Who needs four years of college when you can just learn construction through a magic system?!"

Evelise watched him, her ears twitching in confusion. To her, Sid looked like a lunatic, muttering to himself, waving his hands in the air, staring into empty space with wild eyes.

"Human... what are you doing? You’re looking around like you’ve gone mad. Don’t tell me that book cursed you or something!"

Sid didn’t even hear her at first, his attention completely captured by the floating menus and shimmering outlines only he could see.

When the next message appeared, his eyes widened again.

[NEW SKILL UNLOCKED!]

[Skill Unlocked: Craftsman’s Hand]

[Description: Grants the ability to perform basic crafting, repairs, and dismantling. Instinctively understand how objects fit together, how to rebuild them with the right materials, and how to recycle them efficiently.]

Sid let out a shaky laugh, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"YES— KEEP THEM COMING!"