Reincarnated as an SSS-Ranked Blacksmith Who Refuses to Forge Weapons-Chapter 127. Sabotage

Chapter 127: 127. Sabotage
The next morning came too quickly. As the sun rose cold and clear, the Brotherhood met outside their assigned workshop in the Grand Forge.
The inside of the building was even more impressive. There were dozens of identical workspaces arranged in a giant grid, each with high-quality tools and materials.
Many people could see them working because their space was close to the center. Greg didn’t know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.
"Okay, everyone," he said as they looked over their work area. "For today’s competition. I want all of us to have fun and not be too competitive. So... let’s make something amazing!"
Before they could even start setting up, an official came with a clipboard to check the names. Everyone on the team had to show up and get their competitor identification crystals.
The official shouted, "Brotherhood of Peace!"
"Greg Greyson?"
"Here."
"Marina Ashwood?"
"Here."
Lylia, Bork, Felix, Seraphine, Elwen, Mira, and Donetta were all there for the roll call. When she got to the end of her list, the official stopped.
"And... Hammy?" She looked up, not knowing what to think.
Hammy chirped and jumped forward, and the official blinked at the slime. "Uhh... your mascot is on the team?"
Greg said, "Part of the whole team and family. Is that an issue?"
"I... no, I guess not. The rules don’t say that people who aren’t human can’t join in." She wrote something on her clipboard. "Very well. You’re all here. I wish you all the best of luck for this competition."
As she walked away, Greg heard someone nearby laughing. They could hear and see everything that Varian Steelbreaker and his team were doing next to them.
Varian yelled to his friends, "A member of the slime team, hahaha! They’ve really signed up for slime. This will be the easiest win of my life against the fraudulent blacksmith of peace!"
Greg ignored him and went back to his group. "Let’s stay focused and do what we came here to do."
"Bork, write down what we need."
"For Seraphine... please write down how we do things, and help me set up the workspace the way we need it."
They worked well together, and years of working together made the setup go smoothly even though it was in a new place. They had everything set up perfectly in less than an hour.
"So," Marina said when they were ready. "What are we actually making?"
Greg had been thinking about this idea all night long. "I want to make something that shows what we stand for. Something that helps people make things, strengthens their natural skills, and makes craftsmanship available to everyone."
He took out his sketchbook, where he had been sketching ideas. "I’m thinking of a tool that teaches."
"Maybe for example... a hammer that teaches the person using it how to use it correctly. It wouldn’t just be about making the job easier because it would also be about making the worker better."
Lylia said, "A teaching tool. That would definitely get a high score in every aspect!"
Elwen added, "And if it’s well made, it would also score perfect in artistry... but what about usefulness?"
Greg said, "It would work perfectly as a hammer. Actually, it’s better than functional."
"It would never wear out, never lose its balance, and would actively help you avoid making mistakes. A hammer that makes anyone who uses it act like a master."
Seraphine said, "The Hammer of Shared Knowledge," and she was already taking notes. "Or maybe the Mentor’s Hammer?"
Marina said, "I like that second one. It goes with the theme perfectly."
Greg worked hard for the next few hours. He used mithril silver as the base because he knew its properties would let him do the complicated enchantments he had in mind. The Master’s knowledge from the forge core crystal guided his hands, showing him how to do things he’d never done before.
The hammer started to take shape, and it looked good and strong. He used everything he knew about the Soul Crafting skill to add teaching spells to his work.
The hammer wouldn’t just hold information. It would learn about its user and correct their mistakes in real time, based on their skill level.
Other competitors were working on their own projects nearby. Mikhail was making armor plates that looked like they were too thick to be real.
Greg couldn’t tell what Adelaide was putting together because it had so many moving parts. Vladimir’s work area was too hot for comfort, and flames danced around him as he worked with some kind of fire-aspected metal.
And Varian was crafting a sword. And it seems like it’s just an ordinary sword with some excellent materials.
Greg tried not to look, but he couldn’t help but notice how beautiful the blade was becoming and how carefully Varian worked. The guy might be a jerk, but he was excellent at what he did.
Marina said softly, "Don’t compare yourself to him." She saw where Greg was looking. "You’re making something else entirely different, and I know it’s something better."
Greg nodded and went back to work. "Alright..."
...
By evening, the hammer was finished being made. Now came the challenging part, which was the enchantments. He put everything he believed in into those runes.
Starting from the happiness of teaching. The joy of seeing someone get better. The idea that knowledge should be shared, not kept to oneself. He carved each symbol as a promise that this tool would make people better at their craft.
"It’s beautiful," Elwen said softly, looking over his shoulder.
Greg said, "It’s not done yet," but he was pleased with how it was turning out. "I need you all to grab something with me, come on."
That’s when things went wrong. Greg and the others had gone away for a moment to get more enchantment crystals from their material stores when he heard Hammy’s sad chirping. He turned around and saw Varian standing near their work area with something behind his back.
"What the FUCK are you up to this time!?" Greg yelled, rushing over.
"Just admiring your work," Varian said with a smirk. "I’m not going to lie, but it looks very impressive for something that doesn’t work, I mean."
Greg saw something was wrong as Varian walked away. When he came back, the hammer was lying on its side. And there was a strange substance on the surface of the spell.
"What did he do?" Bork asked while looking closely at the hammer.
He looked angry. "Boss, someone messed with it! Look! There are runes carved into your work that are messing it up. It’s subtle, but they’re there."
"That fucking jerk probably messed us up!" Felix shouted.
"Are the guards even paying attention to this sabotage?!" Elwen looked pissed.
Greg’s hands turned into fists. But before he could make up his mind, there was a lot of noise near the exit. Hammy was jumping around like crazy, making noise, and running after someone.
"Hey, Hammy!" Elwen yelled.
Greg’s eyes got bigger as he understood what was going on. While Varian was messing with the hammer, he probably did something to Hammy too. The slime was upset and running after Varian, who was now leaving the Grand Forge on purpose.
"I have to go after them," Greg said as he started to move. "Marina, Lylia, and everyone else, you need to fix the hammer!"
"Look over all the enchantments and take out anything that doesn’t belong to it! I’ll get Hammy back."
"Greg, hold on!" Marina called, but he was already on the move.
"We’ll take care of it!" Lylia yelled after him. "Just bring our slime back safely!"
As he ran, Greg turned on his arm guard, and the Guardian’s Oath appeared around his forearm. He didn’t know what Varian had in mind, but he wasn’t going to let anyone hurt Hammy.
The chase took him out of the Grand Forge and through the busy festival streets, following the sound of Hammy’s scared chirps and the sight of Varian’s unique coat disappearing around corners.
Greg was ready for whatever was going to happen. His family was depending on him. And he made sure that no one bothered his family ever again.