When I first decided to read this novel I was a little uncertain based on the title. I enjoy crafting in novels, however the books can get really dry if the whole novel is just focused around crafting and very little else, especially ones where they can craft stuff that is so overpowered that the fighting parts are pointless or unnecessary. I was very happy that this novel did not turn out like that.
The main character feels like a normal person thrown into a world where he must learn how to craft in order to survive. He definitely has some fortunate encounters however everything feels well thought out and flows well. He feels like an introverted adult with an adventure spirit, well sometimes he can’t decide if he should just stay home and craft vs explore with his friends.
Our protagonist surrounds himself with many characters, sometimes too many where it’s hard to keep track, however there are a few core characters which I grew to really love during the novel. First is an awesome princess fairy with a drunkard berserker personality and is all about solving problems with her tiny powerful fists. My second favorite character is his pet divine beast which I picture as an egyptian scarab with awesome light powers and a corky personality. There are two more characters that are both the main characters “friends with benefits” a cat girl with a feisty personality that is a little clingy which grows into more of a girlfriend relationship. The other one is a 200 year old litch that he partially resurrects that is way more powerful than him and someone he is kinda scared of. Both the girl relationships feel a little too casual to me but are not that unrealistic and feel more honest to me then some novels where the girls madly love the main character for no apparent reason.
The power system is rock solid and has a steady growth that doesn’t go too overpowered. I am currently at chapter 486 and the character is starting to feel a little overpowered however he still has limitations and in a straight up one on one fight there are still characters in his peer group that are stronger. Which for a character that has an overpowered crafting class seems acceptable and it doesn’t feel completely broken. In the power system all characters get a second class which is a type of Bard class (it makes sense for him to pick it in the novel). I thought this was a nice twist and allowed for the character to have more growth and exploration in the world. It also added some good comedy in a book that sometimes can get a little dry with technical crafting information.
Overall I am going to give this novel 5 stars, I thought that the main character had a natural strong growth that still felt balanced. The character is smart and makes intelligent choices but isn’t always right. The story creates good side characters that you are interested in and want to continue to see how those characters grow. The expansion of the world, the laws and logic stay consistent and allow for character development. A good mix of comedy and technical, the fight scenes are well written and can follow the action.
