The night sky was a vast canvas of midnight blue, scattered with twinkling stars that glimmered like diamonds. The moon hung low in the sky, casting a pale glow over the world below.

A gentle breeze rustled through the leaves of the nearby trees, filling the air with the sweet scent of blooming flowers.

The world seemed to slow down as if taking a deep breath before the night’s silence fell upon it like a warm blanket. But amid the peacefulness, Shinon’s forge blazed to life, illuminating the surrounding area with an orange-red glow.

At first, the flames were small and weak, struggling to rise from the bed of coals. But as Shinon worked the bellows, they grew stronger, licking hungrily at the logs he had piled atop them. The heat from the forge became intense, radiating outwards in waves that made the air shimmer and dance.

Shinon stood back, watching as the forge blazed to life. The flames roared and crackled, casting flickering shadows across his face. He closed his eyes again, feeling the heat wash over him like a comforting blanket. He let out a contented sigh, revelling in the raw power of the forge.

The flames danced and flickered, casting long shadows that swayed with the rhythm of the fire. Soon the heat emanating from the forge became relentlessly intense, but Shinon paid no mind, for he was focused solely on his craft. But first, he needed to check something.

"Asleep like a log," Shinon smiled as he saw Rico sleeping inside his tent. "Even Kira is out cold. Well, good for me, I guess."

Kira and Rico were sound sleepers; hence they won’t wake up until Shinon shouted in their ears. Moreover, since it was his turn for night watch, they would sleep even more fearlessly. Giving Shinon ample time to work on his sword.

"Now it’s your turn," Shinon took a deep breath, his attention on the Zombie tree’s core.

Unlike other ores, monster cores couldn’t be used to forge a weapon through them and could be only used to enhance existing creations. But even doing that was easier said than done.

’Gotta be careful. One mistake could ruin both my sword and the monster core.’ Shinon reminded himself as he pulled out the Blade of Eternity and laid it down on the fire on a makeshift stand.

Next, he placed the monster core between the flame and the sword. Although there were more efficient ways to imbue the properties of the monster core to a weapon, it was the easiest and the only method Shinon could utilise at the moment.

The theory behind ’core forging’ was quite simple. The fire under the monster core would slowly break the magic particles, known as Manacules, inside the core, slowly siphoning off its latent energy.

This form of energy was called Mana. The Mana, unable to return to its source, would try to find the nearest object that could house it, which in this case was the Blade of Eternity lying on the top of the core and latch on it.

Finally, in the process of housing the newly released Mana, the sword would obtain new and unique abilities.

However, the Mana could easily find some other medium to latch on to; hence it would lead to a significant loss of Mana. Also, while heating the core to release Mana, it could scatter if the heat was too intense or the sword couldn’t absorb the Mana fast enough.

Due to these reasons, the basic method Shinon was using wasn’t recommended or famous among blacksmiths of his world.

However, because of the lack of facilities and resources, he had no other way but to work fast while ensuring that the Mana from the core was released at a rate the sword could absorb the Mana.

Shinon worked with precision and care, each strike of the hammer ringing out like a melody in the stillness of the night. Sparks flew as he worked, each strike sending fiery particles dancing through the air.

The sword he was shaping glowed bright orange in the intense heat, taking on a life of its own under his skilled hands. It was a dance, a battle between Mana and Steel, and Shinon was in complete control.

Soon enough, the fire changed its colour from orange to midnight blue, signalling that the Mana from the core had begun leaking. Without wasting any time, Shinon increased his hammering speed.

The Mastersmith’s hammer started glowing in sync with the Blade, which meant the sword had begun absorbing the access mana leaking from the core, and it was time for Shinon to double his efforts.

As Shinon worked, sweat glistened on his forehead and rolled down his face, mixing with soot and ash from the forge. He moved with practised efficiency, his muscles bulging with each hammer strike as he carefully shaped the Blade into his desired form.

The sound of his hammer echoed through the quiet night, mixing with the crackle of the fire and the occasional hoot of an owl in the distance. The air around him was thick with the smell of burning coal and hot metal.

But that wasn’t all, as the florescent flames imparted a soothing scent, relaxing Shinon’s mind, helping him focus better than before.

Shinon’s face was focused, his eyes never leaving the red-hot metal as he worked it with precision and care. He would occasionally dip the metal into the quenching bucket, causing steam to rise, before returning it to the forge to heat up again.

As the night wore on, the forge continued to burn, its flames growing ever stronger and brighter as Shinon poured his heart and soul into his work.

He worked tirelessly, eyes locked onto the metal as he willed it to take the desired shape. The air around him shimmered and danced in the heat as if trying to mimic the flames that enveloped the sword.

And then, after hours of work, Shinon stepped back from the forge, wiping the sweat from his brow. In his hand, he held a sword, and it was shining like polished silver in the firelight. He lifted it high, inspecting it from every angle, a smile of satisfaction spreading across his face.

"This will do nicely," he said as a notification appeared before him.

[The artefact: Blade of Eternity has been transformed into Blade of Chaos.]