Forging the Blood-Calling Kris

KRIS. How the hell do you make a dagger for a black magic ritual? I really had no clue. I'd accepted the commission on a whim, and now I was sweating the details. It probably needed some kind of shamanistic power infused into it... but my complete lack of knowledge about black magic was holding me back.

The Craftsman Gallery artisans were refusing to help this time—either out of deference to Ya-geumsul-sa or because they found it sketchy themselves. My soul was already chipped away anyway, so I didn't care, but they were the ones freaking out.

Even the client, BlackMagicGirl, was being totally irresponsible. She left the dagger's shape and function entirely up to me. I was starting to doubt if she even needed the damn thing. Part of me wanted to slap something together and toss it her way, but to avoid complaints later, I'd have to put in real effort. In the end, I had no choice but to think hard about it. Maybe using Ji Suyeon as a compass for node work would snag something useful.

"Let's start with the shape."

First things first—something I could nail down. Pick the steels to use and decide on the sword type. The first thing that popped into my head was a shaman's sickle... but it was too big. Pass.

What about a phurba?

A ritual dagger from Tibetan Buddhism. Its ornate design was something I'd always wanted to try making. I mulled it over seriously but ultimately scrapped it. Giving a religious item to a black mage felt too iffy.

"What about this?"

Ji Suyeon held out her tablet as I pondered. On the screen was a serpentine, wavy blade. It vaguely reminded me of the eighteen-foot spear from Romance of the Three Kingdoms—a kris. A weapon from the Malay archipelago said to bring fortune or curses, drawing blood and turning its wielder violent.

"That seems perfect."

BlackMagicGirl would probably clap like a seal at this. I immediately set up the steels: ultra-high-purity Swedish carbon steel 26C3 and nickel steel 15N20. I planned to layer the dark carbon steel bands with the bright nickel ones for maximum contrast.

"Won't mixing different steels be inconvenient?"

Ji Suyeon tilted her head innocently, her newbie curiosity making my eyes light up.

"You kill the weaknesses of each and take their strengths to boost performance."

"Like how soju and beer suck separately, but a yokka tastes always right?"

"Huh?"

"My orphanage sisters told me."

"Uh, yeah... sure."

What the hell did I just hear? Anyway, mixing steels was usually to compensate or enhance something. But this time, performance was secondary.

Purely for the looks. To get that signature kris ladder pattern. Of course, with quality steels, it'd still perform great.

"Ladder pattern?"

"Like Damascus patterns... layering for designs."

It was similar to last time's Damascus in principle. Using nickel-rich iron like meteorite for flashy patterns. Last time was raindrop motifs, so this called for a different approach. I stacked thin nickel and carbon steel plates up to 20 layers and welded them into a billet.

"Let's map the nodes first."

"Yes, sir!"

Ji Suyeon stared wide-eyed at the billet, mana trickling out subtly. First time seeing another smith use mana. I focused too, watching her mental image.

A tree?

A tree-trunk phantom sprouted from her back, snaking along her arm across the table. Vines like ivy overtaking the billet. Her image was a tree—coarse rather than delicate, with a rugged energy like roots splitting rock. No wonder she could hammer mana into finished products.

"You learned branching on your own?"

"Kinda happened... "

"Can't you prune the branches? Might let you handle mana more precisely."

"Hold on... ugh, no good."

Her focus slipped; the vines retreated.

"Keep going. I'll join in."

"Okay."

I extended my third arm to probe nodes.

"That's creepy."

"You're creepy too."

"Trees are natural. But cracked fingers... blech."

"Blech what? Check this node—right where I'm pointing."

"Doesn't look great. Less vibrant?"

"Vibrant how?"

"Just feels that way. That bomb you showed before felt pitch-black."

Vibrant and pitch-black feelings. Hard to pin down. Did I need to see through tree eyes? Explosions harm trees, so black ominous energy made sense. What color were we after?

"Let's hunt red. It's a... sword, after all."

"'Cause it spills blood?"

"Exactly."

"So basic."

"Sue me."

"You're such a kid."

Direction set, anyway. A sharp blade should suffice for a ritual. Blood was key in black magic rites, right? I sliced my finger, selecting core nodes.

First, reduced healing. Then penetration boost and mana efficiency up.

"How's that?"

"Meh. Too pinkish."

More probing, more head-shakes from Ji Suyeon. Random node-picking for a while.

"Whoa! Stop there! Perfect now!"

"Good?"

"Blood-red. You hit a non-glowing spot, but color's spot-on."

I halted the third hand, inspecting. Most core axis nodes survived. The issue was the other glows—points I didn't grasp yet.

"Suyeon, note these down?"

"Y-yes!"

"Mark non-glowing spots carefully."

Ask the artisans later. Might turn out to be soul-drain nodes or something. Scary what could pop up. A demon sword would be trouble. Proceed with caution.

"All done!"

"Thanks."

Fired up the furnace, heated the welded billet to about 1200°C, then pressed and folded repeatedly. 20 layers to 40, 80, 160. Fixed the reformed bar-billet in the vise, twisted it two turns with a wrench.

"Why this?"

"Pattern-making step."

Grooves, twists, cuts, restacks—for blade patterns.

"Like stretching rubber clay, layering, twisting for vibrant mixes?"

"Aha."

Ji Suyeon showed more interest in smithing than expected. Not just answering—asking her own questions.

Great student.

Reheated the twisted billet. Time for the kris waves. Stretched to length, anvil horn for nine curves with hammer. Flashy but not overdone.

Clang-clang-clang!

The forge rang with hammer strikes.

"Aren't you tired?"

"Exhausted."

"Gasp!"

"But it's fine. You'll do it next time."

"Eek!"

Half-joking. I'd handle major weapons for a while; she'd mass-produce rings. No more force-injecting mana into junk rings—high failure rate. Let her hammer ore herself.

"Rings are quick anyway. You'll get it once you're used to it."

"Aha... Yes, sir! I'll work hard!"

"Good pay too."

"Yes!"

Suddenly wondered if this was okay. Paying a minor to work. But nah—fine. I'd swung hammers helping Dad since elementary school.

"Now final heat-treat? Wanna control the temp?"

Tough parts done. Now normalize: heat, cool, repeat.

"This...?"

"It's been beaten and twisted to hell. Needs time to relax. Prevents warping."

"Oh?"

She channeled mana at the furnace per my instructions. Nearly singed her brows like me but got it quick. Her help made annealing less boring. Quench, polish, etch—blade complete.

"Wow! We made this?"

"We...?"

"Heehee... I helped a little..."

Not wrong.

"Not done yet. Hilt and sheath too."

Ebony wood for both—sleek black for moody elegance.

"Nodes again. Call out similar colors."

"Yes."

More node-hunting, noting. Wood changed glows from metal, but our direction sped it up. J-shaped asymmetric hilt to tang. Metal rings for design? Lacked the aesthetic—skipped.

"Still impressive."

"I think so."

Shape sheath to fit, done.

"Great job, sir!"

"You too, Suyeon."

Hit craft-complete. Time slowed, selection imminent.

Oho! Unique! First time seeing that grade during crafting. Blood-calling, huh? Ominous name, but fitting for the purpose.

Two Uniques—solid options. If it were combat-focused, I'd agonize. But...

Blood demon sword it is. Fits the name, great effect. Purple card absorbed. Next up.

First enhancement since the 20-layer one—a month ago, actually over. Lots happened since. Nostalgic, I opened the window.

Ritual Kris Dagger that Calls Blood (Unique) +1

Legendary...! But deification? Just that word, no explanation. What did it do? Nuke all enemies ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for 2 damage at 3 cost? Doubtful. Seemed unrelated to black magic, vaguely.

Logically, Unique.

Only I knew Legendary appeared. Tell BlackMagicGirl options were fine, ship it. But curiosity burned. Deification effect? Synergy with black ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mage? Won't kill her, right? Complain it's not what she wanted? Overthinking. Head said Unique, heart Legendary.

Fuck it.

She'd handle it if weird. Eyes shut, picked Legendary. Kris absorbed golden glow. Time should resume, but...

"...?"

Double Legendary was big. Secretly hoped for rank-up. Would've sulked otherwise. Quick skill pick.

A month was too long. Ji Suyeon greeted post-enhance me—she'd waited right there.

"Huh? Sword feels different."

"Tweaked it with enhancement."

"Whoa..."

"You can do it too someday."

Eventually, she'd take clients, craft gear—if she wanted. Lounged on sofa, faking rest, opened Gallery.

Padded with cushions, opened trade. Tossed the kris into the light stream. Not my problem now. She'd figure it out.