The next morning came far too fast. Greg woke up to the sound of Bork already working at the forge.

His enchanted headphones made the soft clanging sound less loud. The dwarf had been working on fixing the Mentor's Hammer for a considerable amount of time.

"Morning, boss," Bork said with a smile. "Come see this. I think I figured out how to not only get rid of Varian's sabotage but also use it to make the hammer better."

Greg came over to the workbench and looked at the hammer in the early morning light. The runes that Varian had carved to cause trouble were still there, but Bork had started carving new patterns around them, which trapped the bad energy and sent it in a different direction.

"Holy shit, that's actually fucking brilliant!" Greg said. "You're using his sabotage as a way to teach him."

"People who try to use the hammer wrong will feel resistance, but people who are learning with good intentions will find it even more responsive."

"That's right!" Bork smiled. "Since we're making a mentor's hammer, we might as well teach that intentions are just as important as technique."

The rest of the team came in one at a time. Seraphine applied her analytical skills to determine the precise magical resonances required for the project.

Elwen used her knowledge of elvish magic to make patterns that would help the hammer work better for different people. Felix, who is usually a mess, was very helpful. His knowledge of how games work surprisingly helped him understand how the teaching parts should go.

Marina, Lylia, Donetta, and Mira all worked on support. They made sure everyone had enough food, water, and motivation. Hammy moved around the workstations, giving moral support and sometimes taking in small amounts of extra magical energy that could have messed up their work.

The second day of the competition went by in a blur of intense focus. Greg could feel other competitors watching them with interest, as shown by their glances.

The Brotherhood worked together in a way that showed they really trusted and understood each other. There were no disagreements about how to do things or how to see art. Everyone knew what they had to do and did it perfectly.

Around noon, Mikhail the Ironheart came by their station. His huge body cast a shadow over their work area. Greg tensed up, half expecting another fight, but the blacksmith from the north just nodded in thanks.

"Impressive recovery," he said in a low voice. "I heard about the sabotage."

"Weaker teams would have fallen apart, but as for yourself, you used it to make something better. That's what real craftsmen do."

"Thanks," Greg said, really surprised by the nice thing that was said.

"Don't thank me yet," Mikhail said with a small smile. "I still plan to win, but I'll do it fair and square."

He looked over at Varian, who was working alone at a station that was clearly separate from the others. "Not everyone here agrees with that way of thinking."

Adelaide the Precise came by later, and her clockwork tools made soft sounds as she looked at their work. "Interesting," she said softly. "You're not just making a tool."

"You're making a way for people to share information. The hammer learns from people who are good at using it and then teaches that to new users."

"How did you get to that level of adaptive enchantment?"

Elwen, who was responsible for that part, explained how she did it. Adelaide paid close attention, asked smart questions, and provided suggestions. When she left, both elven smiths were excitedly sharing ideas, having found people who thought like them.

Even Celeste the Dreamer, whose items that affected emotions seemed to go against Greg's ideas at first, found common ground. "Not so different," she said, looking at how the Mentor's Hammer gave off warmth and support.

"You want the things you make to help people, while I want the things I create to help people, just like you do, but in a different way while still sharing the same heart."

...

The third and last day came, and there was a lot of tension in the Grand Forge. This was it, their last chance to make their work perfect before the judging.

Greg was able to work with a clarity he hadn't felt since before the Sunken Citadel. He was sure of what he was doing with his hands, and every hit of his hammer was planned and accurate.

His family worked well together around him. Bork's work made the physical structure perfect. Seraphine's math made sure that magic was perfectly balanced.

Elwen's spells made it flexible. Felix's knowledge of progression systems made the teaching parts easy to understand.

Greg used the Soul Crafting technique he had been working on to put it all together, which gave the hammer something like consciousness. Not true sentience, but enough awareness to know what it needs to do and how to do it.

As the last few hours went by, other competitors started to finish their work. Mikhail showed off a suit of armor that looked like it could absorb blows and spread the force without hurting anyone.

Adelaide showed off a clockwork helper that could do complicated math and keep a lot of information. Vladimir the Flame created a set of tools capable of operating on any fire-affected metal, regardless of its temperature.

Celeste showcased a series of chimes designed to adapt their music to the listener's mood. Meanwhile, Varian had crafted a sword.

It was stunning, perfectly balanced, and undoubtedly lethal. This was precisely what the audience anticipated from a blacksmith. The design was conventional, sturdy, and lacked any innovative features or deeper significance.

The Grand Forge was quiet when it was time to show off their finished work. The three judges, Master Edgard, Lady Celestine, and Professor Darwin, moved from station to station with excellent care.

They looked at each piece for almost an hour, testing how well it worked, how artistic it was, and how unique it was. The crowd that had gathered watched with bated breath. Thousands of festivalgoers and other craftsmen were all eager to see who would win.

Master Edgard, the dwarf judge, stayed at the Brotherhood's station for a long time. He picked up the Mentor's Hammer, and his experienced hands could tell right away that it was a good piece of work. As he held it, his face went from professional evaluation to real shock.

"This is wonderful," he said loudly enough for the people around him to hear. "The hammer is teaching me."

"As I hold it now, I can feel it changing to fit my grip and showing me better ways to hit. These runes around the sabotage marks have turned malicious intentions into a warning system."

"Anyone who tries to use this hammer for bad will find it fighting them at every turn."

Next, Lady Celestine looked at the enchantments. She was sensitive to magical details because she was an elf. "The ability to adapt is wonderful."

"This hammer will grow with the person who uses it, becoming more useful as they learn together."

"It's not just a tool..."

"...it's a partner in learning."

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