Master Blacksmith in Demon Slayer

These various signs led him to a conjecture.

He felt that that single hammer blow seemed to have broken through some kind of barrier within his body, or perhaps some kind of convention.

It had brought about a change in his body that he himself could not clearly articulate or explain.

Yet the forging process of the Nichirin Blade before him was proceeding faster than he had imagined.

This was mainly thanks to the change in his body, making each of his hammer strikes more effective than before.

This was not only reflected in the accumulation of attributes; more intuitively, what once took ten hammer blows could now be accomplished with just one.

The subtlety of control was astonishing.

Thus, before noon that day, the shaping of the blade was already complete.

After this, Tetsu no Sosuke took the drop of blood from Kochou Kanae and fused it into the blade.

He invoked the Breathing Technique and operated the special forging hammer method of the Bloodforging Method.

He had initially worried the effect might be poor, but unexpectedly discovered that this forging method actually yielded greater efficacy.

What should have required a much longer period of tempering was completed in only three hours.

The subsequent steps did not require as much effort, but still demanded caution and care.

Furnace forging, heating, edge sharpening, engraving the words 'Slay Demons', followed by tempering and quenching—through every task, Tetsu no Sosuke never rested again.

Until the blade was fully completed, fitted with a Four-leaf Sword Guard, mounted with a handle, and paired with a scabbard.

This blade was now entirely finished.

Held in hand, the blade was quite heavy.

Yet for others, a heavy blade would pose no problem for Kochou Kanae.

The Bloodforging Method ensured that the owner of this blade could wield it as if it were merely a willow catkin.

The blade, however, was not the usual long and straight shape. Tetsu no Sosuke had added a curve and increased its width, the overall form somewhat resembling a butterfly wing.

The edge was slightly wider, yet not cumbersome; instead, it gave a feeling of lightness.

This design was derived from Kochou Kanae's sword techniques. Such a curve and shape could make her sword techniques faster and her burst power stronger. The special curve even enhanced the blade's slashing property, allowing Kochou Kanae, whose physical strength was not an advantage, to sever even the hardest necks with minimal force.

"Any strength that can be saved should never be wasted. Forging a weapon is about finding a balance among various attributes. Likewise, in combat, conserving stamina can be applied to more aspects, thereby increasing the chance of victory."

Tetsu no Sosuke carefully sheathed the blade.

And just then, the notification arrived as expected.

[Forging weapon successful!]

[Current Weapon Sharpness Level 3]

[Forging reward: Strength +30, Constitution +30, Agility +30, Speed +30]

[Obtained reward: Heavenly Crafting Hammer!]

After hearing this series of notifications, Tetsu no Sosuke suddenly felt several changes occur in his body in an instant.

In a flash, he felt extremely light, then immediately after, extremely heavy, and in the blink of an eye, as if endowed with boundless strength.

These sensations came and went quickly, vanishing without a trace.

Only his weary spirit suddenly revived, and his hands, which had been somewhat weak, were instantly filled with explosive power.

"This time, the feeling is actually this substantial?"

Tetsu no Sosuke looked at his hands, somewhat delighted, and understood what was happening.

For attributes directly applied to the body, the most he had previously received was ten points, giving a faint sensation. The usual one or two points gained while stamina was being continuously consumed didn't feel particularly special.

But this time was different. Each attribute had been directly enhanced by thirty points. The accumulation of such a large gain within the body naturally differed from the past.

"Weapon Sharpness Level 1 gave 10 points per attribute, Level 3 gives 30 points. Too bad, for the sword I repaired earlier for the Flower Pillar, since I was only the repairer, I only got 10 points. So if I forge Sharpness Level 4, 5, 6... does that mean I'll directly get 40, 50, 60 points?"

His expression turned somewhat peculiar: "The better the forging, the better the reward. Thinking about it this way, there really doesn't seem to be anything wrong with that."

Suddenly, he felt his consciousness being drawn by something.

Closing his eyes, he suddenly saw a hammer.

Opening them, it was gone.

"Heavenly Crafting Hammer?"

Recalling the previous reward, he suddenly knew what it was: "But how do I take it out?"

The moment the thought 'take it out' arose, a hammer appeared in his hand.

It was a round-headed iron hammer full of metallic texture.

Although he didn't know what material it was made of, since it could be called 'Heavenly Crafting', it surely was no ordinary item.

And upon careful sensing, he suddenly had a wonderful feeling.

"This hammer seems able to stack superior attributes as much as possible while reducing the consumption of superior attributes."

Although no text told him this, he just felt it, as if the hammer itself was conveying all this to him.

"There's no time to test your functions now."

He put away the Heavenly Crafting Hammer and decided to go see the Village Chief.

The Nichirin Blade was finished, so of course he had to deliver it to the swordsman.

But before that, he needed to report to the Village Chief.

And after that, the method of travel and means of contact all had to be discussed and handed over.

This would take some time, and the final departure time was set for early tomorrow morning.

Waking up at dawn, Tetsu no Sosuke felt full of energy.

It seemed that ever since he decided to become a swordsmith, the quality of his sleep had been excellent every single time.