"This is my personal forging studio." Jo explained, leading Chris into a small, neatly organized room. "In order to be a proper Coreforger, you'll need somewhere you can work without distraction, like this. Though… I don't suppose that will be much of an issue for you, now will it?"

Chris shook his head. "Nope, not at all."

Jo nodded. "Good. Now, first, I want you to learn the basics of Coreforging without using your ability." Chris frowned, about to protest, when Jo continued. "I'm not saying you shouldn't rely on your ability when you actually Coreforge. Not using your innate advantages is just stupid. But, learning how to perform the steps without your ability will give you a much deeper understanding of the process. Plus, making mistakes is often how advancements are made. For example, say you're cooking and you can turn a pile of ingredients directly into a cake using your ability. Every Time you use your ability, you'll get the same cake. However, if you make it by hand, what if you make a mistake, and add a bit too much butter? Or maybe you add more sugar or egg? Sure, sometimes the cake will turn out worse, but sometimes those mistakes make the cake better! It's the same with Coreforging. Taking the time to do at least some of the processes by hand can lead to surprising results. Don't be afraid to experiment."

"Now, let's start with the basics." Jo immediately continued, launching into her lecture. "The start of any ability tool is, of course, the ability core, and the first skill any Coreforger needs to learn is how to preserve ability cores and prepare them for forging. There are two methods depending on whether the ability core is made of bone or flesh. With bones, you simply need to coat the ability core in metal, something dense like iron, steel, or lead. This doesn't completely stop the ability energy from seeping out, but it slows it down enough that rate is calculated over years instead of days. As for flesh, you need to dissolve them into a solution, which you then have to inject into a metal mold, which you then seal. You can also use this process on bones if you'd like, to make them more manageable. The solution will harden inside, forming a solid core, which you can now coat in metal just like the bones. This process causes more energy loss, but it's a necessary process to work with flesh cores." Chris nodded along as Jo began to explain the specifics of preparing the solution, how to seal the metal mold to reduce energy loss to a minimum, and how to ensure you get as thin a coat of metal as possible, without leaving any gaps for energy to escape. With his perfect memory, he wasn't worried about forgetting anything, so he purely focused on absorbing all the information Jo was throwing at him.

"Okay, you got all that?" Jo asked, raising an eyebrow at Chris, who nodded. Jo smirked, pulling out a core wrapped in what looked like tin foil. "Good. Do it."

Chris paused for a moment, not expecting that, but he quickly recovered and got to work. He checked the core, briefly unwrapping it to study its composition, before rewrapping it tightly. The core was an organ, which meant it was mostly fat, so he went about concocting the solution that would dissolve fat the best, before dropping the core inside. He then heated the solution over a flame until it dissolved, added the quickening agent that would make it solidify, then poured it into a waiting mold, carefully adjusting it until the liquid was perfectly in place, before covering it with another sheet of metal, sealing it securely, and wrapping the entire thing in foil for good measure. He needed to wait for the solution to harden, which would take at least a few hours, so he turned to Jo, wondering what to do next.

Jo looked him over with a strange expression. "Are you a robot?"

"No, but I get that a lot." Chris sighed. When he really concentrated on a task, his movements would become very precise, only using the exact amount of strength necessary as he moved in the most efficient way. Usually he didn't care enough to gauge his movements so precisely, but when he really focused on a task, he couldn't help it.

"Hm." Jo looked him over again with the same strange expression, before continuing. "Well, that was an excellent performance, exactly how I said it should be done, good job. Of course, there are more detailed methods you can use, ways to tailor the solution to each specific core, so that the least amount of energy is lost, but that's an entire branch of Coreforging that we can get to later.

"The basic theory of ability tools is that power flows in the direction of least resistance until it reaches its medium of activation. Once the ability core is activated, either through electrical stimulation or a similar ability, it will release the ability power. Most abilities don't conduct well through metal, so we create channels through the tool for the ability to flow, using different materials depending on the ability. Then, once the power comes in contact with its medium of activation, it activates, producing an effect. Simple, right?" Jo finished, turning to Chris with a grin.

"I get the feeling you're trying to trick me…" Chris muttered.

Jo giggled. "Smart! You see, the problem is that a lot of abilities activate when they come in contact with the air. However, the core is usually in the center of the ability tool. This means, even in the simplest of tools, you have to make sure there are absolutely no air pockets inside the tool, or the entire thing will explode! You also have to ensure that the materials you use won't degrade over time, or the whole thing will essentially be a ticking time bomb. Plus, you need to ensure that the materials themselves aren't reactive with the ability, or again, the tool will explode. And, if you're creating an ability activated tool, you need to make sure the materials work with the user's ability as well. In order to be a competent Coreforger, you need a firm grasp of materials science, on top of the skills necessary to actually create the structures necessary for the ability to flow."

Chris nodded along. "So, each ability tool is like a machine, except instead of electricity, it uses ability power instead?"

Jo paused. "That's a good way to put it."

Jo continued to teach Chris more and more about how Coreforging worked. Since each ability core was different, a lot of testing went into the process before you could begin to design the tool. You needed to test the core's reaction to the various materials you wanted to use and study the ability's effect once it actually did activate before you could even begin to design the tool. Jo took Chris through the process of isolating the core with a material, before stimulating it with a small spark of electricity. A special machine would analyze the reaction, plus speed at which the ability power would flow through the material. From there, you adjusted the material again and again, until you found the one with the ideal rate of flow.

The more Jo explained, the more Chris realized he had to learn. He thought Coreforging, at least the initial stages, would be fairly simple. You just take the core and find a way for it to do what it was meant to do. But outside the body of the creature that birthed it, abilities lost all direction, all control. Where a creature could be capable of fine control over an ability, such as using a fire ability to make flaming whips or sword, the ability core only knew fire. When the power came in contact with the air, it made fire. That was it. It was up to the Coreforger to figure out how to make that fire useful.

"Alright, let's stop here for today." Jo finally announced, turning to Chris, a slightly impressed look in her eye. She'd expected to spend most of today just going over the core preservation process, maybe getting into a bit of the basics of Coreforging, but Chris was like a sponge. He just sat there and absorbed everything she taught him. She ended up going through everything she'd planned to teach him throughout the entire week! "Follow me. I have some old tools you can borrow. They aren't top of the line anymore, but they're still decent, more than enough for a beginner. I'll also give you a starting batch of chemicals and materials for you to experiment with, but don't be wasteful, alright? You'll be responsible for paying for everything you use after this."

Chris nodded. "Thank you, that will be more than enough."

Jo nodded. "Also, let me get your contact information. I'll send you some links to various resources that will be very helpful for you. You'll need to buy some books on chemistry and material science, and there are a few community sites for Coreforgers you'll be interested in joining. They're always sharing new tips and tricks."

Jo led Chris to a room nearby, just down the hall from her studio. She pointed out the equipment Chris could take, before leaving to gather the materials she'd promised him. Once she left, Chris opened a portal and began taking the equipment into the Immortal World, recruiting the extra subordinates that were lazing around to help. He chose an empty area of the Immortal World, far from any distractions, and made a copy of Jo's studio, placing the equipment in its proper place as his subordinates brought it in. The entire process didn't take him more than a few minutes.

Jo returned a few minutes after he'd finished, carrying a large box, followed by a few employees carrying even more large boxes. "Alright, here's the materials. We'll help-" She paused, her eyes widening as she saw the equipment all gone. "Uh, nevermind then."

"Let me get that." Chris jumped, taking the heavy looking box from Jo. "If you guys want to just take those inside, you can put them wherever." He added, talking to the employees carrying the other boxes, before stepping through the portal and placing the materials on the counter.

The employees hesitated for a moment, before stepping through after him, their eyes widening slightly as they entered the replica of Jo's studio. "Wow! How'd you manage to put this together? It looks just like mine!" Jo exclaimed as she stepped in after them.

"I have almost absolute control over my world, so making a copy of your studio was easy. I just remembered what it looked like and made it." Chris shrugged. The employees finished putting down the materials, before filing out, returning to their regular jobs, leaving Chris and Jo alone. Chris absently waved his hand, dissolving all the materials and machines, before reforming them.

"What was that?" Jo asked, looking between him and the materials, which had simply flashed for a moment, almost looking like a trick of the eye.

"I analyzed the materials and equipment so I could remake them if necessary." Chris explained.

Jo raised an eyebrow at him. "You can do that?"

Chris nodded. "Yup. Only in here though. Honestly, most of my abilities only work in here… Outside my world, all I can do is switch between my human and combat form, and even that is just because the world lets me mutate."

"Mutate?" Jo asked, looking surprised.

"Yeah. Well, at least, that's what I call it. It's more of an… optimization process. It makes you stronger, adds useful features, stuff like that." Chris elaborated.

"That's an… interesting feature." Jo raised an eyebrow at him. "Can I see this other form of yours?" She asked, with a weird, almost hopeful look.

Chris paused, before shrugging. "Sure." He shifted into his other form, his clothes ripping as he grew taller, his tail shooting out from his back, and his lips receding as his teeth sharpened. He rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck as he adjusted, sending his clothes away. "Ra oo… ah, ight. O ish." Chris began to ask, before frowning as he remembered he couldn't talk in this form. Very annoying. He'd have to see if he could adjust that when he mutated next.

Jo was just staring at him, her eyes as wide as they could go. "This- wow, uh- I- I didn't expect- something so- ugly."

Chris turned his head back to normal, raising an eyebrow at her. "Well, it is a combat form. It doesn't really need to look pretty."

"Everything should look pretty! What's the point of making something if you aren't going to make it look good?!? Especially if that something is you!" Jo retorted.

Chris paused. "The actual point? Like if I have a sword, I don't care if it's pretty, I just care if it kills."

"The two aren't mutually exclusive! A weapon can be both deadly and beautiful! Same with a form! Since that's the case, why not make beautiful things?" Jo countered.

Chris frowned, thinking about it. "I guess that's a fair point, it's just that I personally don't see the point in aesthetics. I mean, I get that people enjoy things that look nice, but… why? What does it add? I just don't get it."

Jo frowned at him. "Well, we are definitely going to need to fix that. I can not have one of my students going around without a proper appreciation of beauty!"

Chris grimaced, flashing back to a certain art teacher in high school who'd said something similar. "Look, I appreciate the concept, but… my artistic talent is literally nonexistent. For my final project in art class, I sketched a roll of toilet paper… I still don't get why that's any different from a bowl of fruit. I don't really get why one thing is more beautiful than another. People keep telling me, but… I got nothing."

"Nonsense! Everyone can be artistic! You just haven't had the right teacher." Jo retorted.

Chris sighed in exasperation, already knowing this wasn't going to end well. "If you insist. Speaking of which, when are we going to do this again?"

Jo paused, going over her schedule in her head. "How about Tuesday, same time? Does that work for you?"

Chris nodded. "Any time works for me. Multiple forms, remember? No such thing as a time conflict."

"Oh, right! Well, in the meantime, use all that free time to practice what we went over today. I expect you to have some questions next time." Jo replied, waving goodbye as she stepped through the portal, heading back to work.