Feeling the pressure of Tsubaki's gaze on my back, I started heating the mithril. With each passing second, I grew more nervous. I don't think I've ever felt this anxious while forging something.

  Tsubaki is someone very experienced—and a friend. I can't let her down.

  When the mithril reached the right temperature, I wondered if I needed to do something with the item. I thought for a moment and tried bringing the item closer to the hot metal. However, no system message appeared.

  Luckily, Tsubaki didn't see what I did.

  I scratched my head and picked up Tsubaki's hammer to start forging.

  Without the bonus points and Excelia gain, I felt incredibly guilty for wasting my time forging without using my own hammer. But I had no other option. I should have asked Tsubaki to fetch my hammer, but it's too te now.

  I continued hammering as I began sweating profusely. Sweat dripped down my face, chest, and arms.

  CLANG!

  CLANG!

  CLANG!

  With each strike, I could feel Tsubaki's gaze becoming more intense. It felt like someone was stabbing me in the back. I'd better do my best to ignore her—I'm getting nervous for no reason.

  I focused solely on the glowing metal in front of me and kept hammering.

  The sword started to take shape. I tried to make the bde as simir as possible to the sword Tsubaki currently uses.

  After some time, it was finally done.

  I struck the bde a few more times to correct minor imperfections, then brought the item closer to the sword again to test it. This time, a system message appeared before my eyes—one I had never seen before.

  [ You have added a "War Shadow Cw." ]

  [ Please choose the ability you wish to add to the sword. ]

  When I saw the second message, a wave of satisfaction washed over me. The corners of my lips curled up, and then I heard Tsubaki's voice.

  "What are you doing?"

  The item had already been "absorbed" by the sword and disappeared. I was staring at the sword in silence, which drew Tsubaki's attention.

  "Oh, don't worry, I'm just thinking."

  "Hmmm... Looks good," Tsubaki said before stepping back to observe from a distance.

  After she moved away, I took a look at the avaible abilities.

  [ Shadow Ssh ]

  [ Shadow Control ]

  [ Vital Point ]

  None of the abilities had a level, likely depending on the sword's rank.

  These abilities... I already know Shadow Ssh; it's the same ability I received in the dungeon. But the other two, I've never seen before. Shadow Control sounds like a badass ability.

  Vital Point is self-expnatory.

  Alright, I'll add Shadow Control to this sword.

  [ The ability "Shadow Control" has been chosen. ]

  [ The difficulty of forging has increased. ]

  [ Be careful! ]

  I wasn't expecting that... How unnecessary.

  ####

  I continued the forging process more carefully after the system message. I didn't do anything special, just made sure to be meticulous with each step.

  When I started the heat treatment on the bde, Tsubaki approached to observe.

  Her presence had been ignored by my mind until that moment.

  "..."

  While she watched, she said nothing.

  I did everything as I had before but with more precision. Because of that, it took longer than expected. I finished the heat treatment and then began polishing the bde carefully to make it as perfect as possible.

  The chances of forging something good increase if I work diligently.

  And just as I expected:

  [ The probabilities have temporarily increased. ]

  I remember this happening before.

  A huge grin spread across my face.

  "Why are you smiling like that? Creepy."

  "Oh, it's nothing. I just feel this sword will be incredible."

  "Hmmm... Are you sure?" Tsubaki gnced doubtfully at the sword. "Not to say you did anything wrong, but... You weren't perfect. Your fundamentals are still quite cking. Well, you're better at this than fighting, so that's something."

  "Shut up."

  "I'm just teasing you. So, what's next? How will you assemble the sword?"

  "Just watch."

  I picked up the sword and began shaping the tang.

  With that done, I started assembling the sword's handle—guard, grip, and pommel. I crafted each piece carefully using the avaible materials. When I looked at the result, it was better than anything I'd ever made before.

  Every piece fit perfectly.

  "Oh, this is good. A bit cking, but good enough."

  "Thanks for the compliment."

  "Don't get mad, I'm just giving my opinion."

  "..."

  I decided to ignore her completely and focused on assembling the sword.

  I inserted the tang into the guard's hole, then attached the grip and secured it tightly. I pced the pommel st, and it was done.

  The final step was polishing the bde and sharpening it. I sharpened it enough to slice a hair in half. And when I completed this st step, the sword began to glow in my hand.

  Tsubaki jumped back in surprise.

  "Hey, what's going on!?" Tsubaki shouted, armed.

  "Don't worry, it's fine. Just magic," I told her.

  "Magic?" Tsubaki didn't believe it.

  When the sword started to change appearance, becoming majestic, she believed it even less. Her eyes widened as the sword transformed.

  First, the bde.

  The bde didn't change in size but gained a previously nonexistent curvature.

  The sword's handle, which was originally just wood, now had a golden appearance, as if made of gold. I could feel the weight of the sword changing since it was still in my hand.

  It became much heavier.

  When the transformation was complete, the system notified me.

  [ You have forged a Legendary Rank 1 Sword ]

  [ The ability "Shadow Control LV3" has been added to the sword. ]

  [ The ability "Eternal Fme LV3" has been added to the sword. ]

  [ The ability "Bloodlust LV3" has been added to the sword. ]

  [ The ability "Predator's Eye LV3" has been added to the sword. ]

  Seeing all the abilities made me feel happy.

  However, the ability Tsubaki wanted was not added to the sword.

  ParodyGirl