Chapter 4
The forge woke with him.
It wasn't burning yet. The stones were still cold, the ash long settled into the cracks. But something in the silence shifted when Rei stepped into the forge yard that morning. A breeze passed over the stones, and for a second, he imagined it was breath—the forge waiting, just like he was.
He set to work.
The bent nails from the basket were already sorted. The cracked hinges, stripped of their pins and rust. Every scrap told a different story. Some were brittle. Some had potential. But none were useless, not if you had time and patience.
And Rei had both.
He spent the early hours rechecking everything. Material Sense hummed at the edge of his perception. It wasn't sight or sound—it was something stranger, deeper, like touching the history of an object through weight and grain. The longer he used the skill, the more he understood its language. Not words, exactly. More like tones. Some soft and steady. Some jagged and hollow.
A warped strip of iron felt unexpectedly rich. He held it in both hands, turning it slowly.
[Material: Folded Iron Scrap]
[Quality: Moderate]
[Material Affinity: 8%]
[Potential: Medium]
The numbers didn't mean much yet. But they would. Eventually.
When the glow came, it came all at once.
A pulse in his chest, then a soft warmth at the edge of his thoughts. His Crafting Slot had reset.
[Crafting Slot: {1/1} — Ready]
He didn't wait.
He gathered the folded iron, a short length of sturdy cord, and the reinforced ring from the lantern frame Naomi had handed him the day before.
[Materials detected. Activate shaping interface? Bind item to Living Forge? This will consume one Crafting Slot.]
"Yes," he whispered.
[Shaping initiated. Crafting Slot {1/1} engaged. Remaining bound item capacity: 0/1.]
As the materials began to rise and glow, Rei hesitated. The hookblade—his first creation—was still bound. If he crafted now, it would overwrite the existing item.
He took a breath and reached for the hookblade at his side.
[Warning: Crafting Slot occupied. Proceeding will unbind current item: Primitive Iron Hookblade. Unbound items lose affinity and sentience progress.]
He accepted.
The blade dimmed in his hand, weight shifting like it had fallen asleep. The warmth that once pulsed faintly through the grip faded. He set it gently aside.
Then the shaping began.
The iron rose in front of him, floating above the firebed. The ring joined it. The cord followed, weaving through the air like thread through a needle. Shapes flooded his vision again. Possibilities.
But this time, Rei wasn't passive. He reached out and shaped the item deliberately—shifting, adjusting, fitting pieces together like solving a puzzle he hadn't known he could see. He remembered old belt knives from his childhood, the kind worn more as tools than weapons. He remembered weight, grip, balance.
The forge responded.
[Item Created: Iron Utility Knife]
[Quality: Basic]
[Durability: 30/30]
[Affinity Detected: 2%]
[Command Input Possible. Sentience Threshold: 1/100]
[Crafting Slot {1/1} — Occupied]
He held the blade for a long moment. It wasn't sharp in the traditional sense, but it had weight and purpose. It could cut cord, strip bark, or be lashed to a stick if needed. Practical. Adaptable.
Not beautiful, but useful.
He felt it settle into his hand like it belonged there.
[New Entry Logged: Bound Item — Utility Knife]
[Crafting Mastery Progress +1]
[Blacksmith EXP +4]
He checked his status.
[Name: Rei Kurogane]
[Class: Blacksmith — Level 1]
[EXP: 8/100]
[Strength: 1.2 → 1.3]
[Skills: Basic Forging, Material Sense, Minor Efficiency (Passive)]
So he was getting stronger.
Not in leaps. Not in bursts. But every hour spent building, every tool made—it added up. Like layering metal into something denser than before.
By mid-morning, the village had stirred to life. Naomi came by again, her usual sharp expression softened by curiosity.
"Another one?" she asked.
Rei nodded and held out the new knife.
She tested the edge against her thumb. "Heavier than I expected. Not bad. You get better fast."
"Still learning."
"Good. Come on. Today's sweep is farther out. Might be rough."
He belted the new blade at his side and followed.
They crossed more ground this time. The forest thinned into thorny hills and ravines, dotted with the remains of watchposts and stone fences. At one point, they passed a rusted iron signpost half-swallowed by moss.
"Old world routes," Naomi explained. "Before the collapse. No one patrols this far out now."
The scavenger team moved in a wider pattern today. Rell ranged ahead. Brin kept the rear tight. The twins stayed near Naomi, helping with heavy loads. Rei worked quietly, learning their rhythms.
They found an overturned smithing cart lodged in a ditch, likely from a Guild convoy long abandoned. Charred leather belts. A cracked anvil base. Tools ruined by rain, but salvageable.
When Rei picked up a bent rasp, the system pinged again.
[Material: Treated Steel Tool — Salvageable]
[Material Affinity: 11%]
[Shaping Potential: Medium]
Naomi raised an eyebrow. "Worth anything?"
"Might be."
"Then pack it. We'll get what we can."
But something shifted.
Not sound. Not sight. Presence.
Rell dropped to a crouch and signaled sharply.
Rei froze.
A figure stood across the ravine.
Not a scavenger. Not a scout.
A raider. Alone. For now.
He hadn't seen them—or hadn't cared. But when the man lifted a blade and whistled, others began to emerge. Four. Then five. Maybe more.
Naomi hissed, "We move. Quiet. Back the way we came."
Rei gripped his blade.
They didn't make it far before a second group cut them off. The trap closed fast.
And the only path left was the old broken fence line, straight toward a narrow drop.
"Run!" Naomi barked.
They scattered. The twins sprinted low. Brin wheeled wide with a knife already spinning in her hand. Rell shouted and charged one raider to draw fire.
Rei ran.
Then turned.
He wasn't fast. He wasn't strong. But the knife at his belt responded to his hand as if it knew the moment.
One raider surged toward Naomi from the side. She hadn't seen him.
Rei struck.
[Command Input: Parry]
The blade moved of its own accord, guided by his intent. The strike turned. Sparks flew. Rei twisted his stance and countered.
Not to kill. To stop.
He slashed at the raider's thigh. The man cursed and stumbled, and Naomi finished him off with the blunt end of her spear.
"You're getting reckless," she muttered.
Rei shook. Not from fear—adrenaline.
The horn sounded again.
Reinforcements from the village.
They fell back fast. The raiders hesitated, then melted into the trees.
Back at the wall, everyone regrouped. A few bruises. A few cuts. No losses.
Rei returned to the forge with his knife still warm.
He sat alone until dark.
Then the system whispered again.
[Bound Item Update — Utility Knife]
[Affinity: 2% → 4%]
[Sentience Progress: 0 → 12/100]
[Passive Skill Gained: Combat-Linked Adaptation]
[Effect: Slightly improves item responsiveness in high-stress conditions]
[Level Up — Blacksmith: Level 2]
[EXP: 12/200]
[+1 Strength]
[+1 Constitution]
[Attribute Points Gained: 1]
He stared at the numbers.
Small gains. But real.
Growth measured not just in stats, but in moments survived. Blades used. Allies guarded.
The forge was still cold.
But inside him, something burned hotter every day.
He placed the knife before him and whispered something he wasn't sure it could hear.
"I'll make you better. I swear it."
It pulsed—just once, faint as breath.
But it pulsed.
This was just the begining, and Rei knew it.