CHAPTER 42: CHAPTER 42: THE BLADE, THE REWARD, AND THE TALENT

Over the next few days, several significant events unfolded.

First and foremost, Shinobu fully recovered!

This was initially cause for celebration, and Tetsu no Sosuke was genuinely delighted. However, he soon realized he had rejoiced too soon.

The colossal third wheel had returned to active duty!

This not only greatly affected Sosuke but also deeply troubled Kanae, who felt powerless to deal with the persistent interloper.

Furthermore, Shinobu began to harbor intense suspicions about the nature of their relationship.

Before her injury, the two had seemed remarkably restrained. But after her recovery, both had undergone a peculiar transformation.

A sense of crisis descended instantly as the colossal third wheel continued to illuminate the world with its presence!

Secondly, the Nichirin Blade for the colossal third wheel was finally forged.

This blade had truly demanded considerable effort and energy from Tetsu no Sosuke, primarily due to the delicate balancing act required in its design.

The iron material, refined using the Poison Refinement Method, possessed a natural advantage: its inherent toxicity!

However, due to the material’s composition, the Yang Flame Attribute’s adhesion became extremely inefficient.

Obanai’s sword boasted a Yang Flame Attribute of 91, but Shinobu’s blade could only reach 36.

This was the result of Sosuke’s utmost efforts. Unfortunately, the Yang Flame Attribute seemed to clash with the Poison Attribute to some extent, necessitating a compromise.

In the end, Sosuke decided to prioritize preserving as much of the Poison Attribute as possible while enhancing the Yang Flame... and this was the outcome.

Furthermore, this sword could not be forged using the Bloodforging Method.

Again, the incompatibility stemmed from the Poison Refinement Method, preventing the two techniques from coexisting.

When blood dripped onto the blade, it vanished without a trace, rendering the Bloodforging Method completely ineffective.

Therefore, Sosuke made certain modifications to the sword’s design.

The blade was slender and elongated, with a slight curve for ease of handling, and remarkably lightweight.

The entire sword emphasized resilience and sharpness, with the tip meticulously honed to effortlessly pierce skin.

Piercing the skin was equivalent to injecting poison.

The greatest advantage of the Poison Refinement Method was that any wound that broke the skin could transmit the blade’s entire Poison Attribute through the wound, spreading it throughout the body.

As for mechanisms on the katana scabbard, Sosuke didn’t bother with them at all.

Firstly, he didn’t know how to make them. Secondly, the blade itself was slender and the scabbard’s limited volume left no room for intricate mechanisms.

However, Sosuke still used Poison Refinement materials to craft two small knives for her, doing his best to satisfy her "half-assed" request.

Except this "ass"... no, this sister-in-law didn’t seem particularly pleased.

She took the Nichirin Blade with a face full of disdain, leaving it unclear whether she despised the blade itself or Sosuke.

Regardless, it was finally finished!

In addition to this, Sosuke, true to his word, forged a soft blade from ordinary iron. After confirming his mastery of this technique, he wrote to Mitsuri, asking for a drop of her blood. Using the Bloodforging Method, he crafted a Nichirin Soft Blade for her.

On the day she came to retrieve the blade, the girl showered him with gratitude, insisting that she must practice swordsmanship with him to properly express her thanks.

Sosuke’s face paled. Fortunately, Kanae was present; otherwise, he genuinely feared Mitsuri would forcibly drag him into the bamboo forest for an afternoon of rigorous training.

He was certain he wouldn’t see the next sunrise if that happened.

Even if Mitsuri’s training didn’t kill him, he might still die from a snakebite...

Within a short span, he had forged three blades. The two Nichirin Blades had already reached Sharpness Level 3, while the soft blade made from ordinary iron had reached Sharpness Level 2.

The rewards for these achievements were correspondingly impressive:

Shinobu’s Nichirin Blade earned him the Heavenly Artisan’s Minor Technique: Repair!

The ordinary soft blade earned him the upgrade to Observation of Fire!

Mitsuri’s Nichirin Blade had received the Heavenly Artisan’s Anvil!

The Heavenly Artisan’s Minor Technique: Repair was an entirely new method for repairing swords. It could not only restore heavily worn weapons to their original condition but also amplify their inherent properties.

Sosuke believed the true value lay in this latter aspect.

As for the upgraded Observation of Fire... this referred to the scale bar he’d seen beside the melting iron materials. The bar had undergone an upgrade.

Previously, Sosuke had relied on his own experience and the precision of the scale to judge the temperature.

After the upgrade, it became a foolproof, one-click operation.

Specific temperatures were now marked—for example, the temperature for removing impurities or the quenching temperature. Once the pointer reached the designated mark, he could simply retrieve the metal without needing to rely on his judgment.

As for the final reward... Sosuke had obtained a new anvil. Its exact functions remained unclear for now.

However, it likely enhanced various attribute bonuses and shortened forging times.

The existence of the Heavenly Artisan’s Forging Hammer had already hinted at these possibilities.

Having finished discussing the benefits, it was time for the bad news.

Sosuke discovered that after forging Kanroji Mitsuri’s Nichirin Soft Blade, the Attribute Point rewards he received... had decreased!

Not by much, only by a third.

This left Sosuke puzzled, unable to understand why the rewards had diminished.

He considered several possibilities.

First, the Golden Finger might have its own inherent limitations, with a ceiling on how much it could enhance his abilities.

Second, the issue might lie with his own physical limitations. His body’s strength might be insufficient to accommodate further Attribute Point infusions.

However, he found the third possibility most plausible. He suspected that because he had yet to forge a weapon surpassing Sharpness Level 3, this was a form of punishment mechanism from the Golden Finger!

He pondered this extensively and ultimately concluded that there was no alternative but to diligently forge blades and break through this barrier.

As for forging blades... he had no concerns whatsoever.

In recent days, the Pillars had been visiting him one after another.

This made him wonder if Lord was doing it on purpose.

Otherwise, why would they come in such a perfect queue?

Never had two people arrived at the same time; it was always one after another, as if they each carried a small notebook to record the dates.

As a result, Sosuke realized that he wouldn’t lack opportunities to forge swords for the foreseeable future.

Beyond these matters, Sosuke’s greatest concern was his progress in sword technique.

Overall, it was basically... nonexistent!

Though Kanae never said it outright, Sosuke could sense that he seemed to lack any natural talent for sword technique...