Chapter 113
Chapter 113
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: The Most Inferior Sword (2)
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Hyun-soo was an underdog.
In a world where everyone had turned their backs on blacksmithing.
He was a loser, someone the government itself had claimed it couldn't help for a myriad of reasons.
But within the game of Ares, Hyun-soo had rebuilt his life, piece by piece, with his own two hands.
First, he gained people he could call his own.
He, who had no real family and only Ji-hoon as a friend, found new people in his life.
They told him they would protect him.
Next, he crafted artifacts others couldn't and sold them one by one.
The debt, which had amounted to billions of won, was gone.
He had wept with joy when he finally resolved all the medical bills.
And just today, combining the reward from Marquis Lükburg with his other earnings, he saw that he had about one billion won in his bank account—money that was purely his own.
I am a winner.
The treatment for his burns was also proceeding smoothly.
All that was left for me was to move forward.
He decided it was time to do what would make him happiest.
And that happiness was blacksmithing in the real world.
Crafting various armaments in Ares had been enjoyable and fun.
But the more he did it, the thirstier he became.
It was a thirst to hold a hammer in reality, just like he used to.
He wanted to show the world what the last master craftsman could do, not in a virtual world, but in the real one.
Because that was his greatest happiness, he met with his personal physician, Jin-seop, his heart swelling with anticipation.
“As I said, if you continue to forge with your right hand, I can’t guarantee what will happen to it.”
But it was not to be.
Yes, a mirage.
That’s what it felt like.
He could hold it in the virtual world, but not in the real one.
Of course, there was a treatment awaiting FDA approval in the United States.
But that was an indefinite wait.
“I’m sorry. There’s nothing more I can do.”
His physician, Jin-seop, had been seeing him for years.
For the man who had promised to do his best to say something like this, it was probably right not to pick up a hammer for the time being.
Having heard only such uncertain news, he walked away, his steps heavy and listless.
At some point, as if possessed, he found himself on a bus, staring blankly at the passing scenery.
*Vzzzt*
[Kim Hye-in: Hyun-soo, did you get the results?]
[Kang Hyuk-soo: It’s obvious without even looking. It went well, right?]
[Lee Tae-ha: I’ll be buying the first piece made at the real Hyeon's Smithy ^^]
[Im Ji-min: Everything will be alright!]
Looking at the messages in the group chat, Hyun-soo’s mind went blank.
The place he arrived at without replying.
It was the construction site where the smithy was nearly complete, and work had begun on the attached residence.
Chairman Lee Tae-sung had given special orders.
The smithy was to be built with the finest materials and workforce, and a fine house was to be built alongside it.
Hyun-soo had been so looking forward to it.
To the image of himself, stoking the furnace once again in a smithy built with the best materials.
But it all scattered like a mere mirage.
Then, he clenched his teeth.
‘I won’t give up.’
With that thought, he grasped a hammer that had been neatly set aside.
It was, in fact, the first time he had held a hammer since the incident.
He himself had been afraid. Anxious that grabbing a hammer might somehow make things worse.
Hyun-soo placed a piece of iron on the anvil, secured it with tongs, and prepared to strike with all his might.
*Flinch—*
Then, Hyun-soo stopped.
He hadn’t even swung, but he realized it with certainty.
Perhaps no one knew his body better than he did.
‘It’s different…’
There was a noticeable difference between holding the hammer when his hand was fine and holding it now.
It hadn't felt so heavy back then.
But now, he could feel the difference just by holding it like this.
Of course, it didn't hurt.
It was, as they said, just enough not to interfere with daily life.
He finally understood.
Just as Doctor Jin-seop had said, if he were to swing this hammer now, his right hand would cross a river of no return.
*Thud—*
Hyun-soo set the hammer down on the ground.
It wasn't because he lacked will or perseverance.
Hyun-soo had finally come to a realization.
He truly couldn't do any smithing for the time being.
‘…And there are so many things I want to make in reality, too.’
Hyun-soo gave a bitter smile.
In a corner of the smithy, a small space had been prepared for resting from work.
He lay there for a long time. Then, without realizing it, he fell asleep.
As he slept, Hyun-soo dreamed.
Sometimes, a dream continues as a single story, while at other times, the scene changes, or it shifts to a completely different narrative.
In his dream, Hyun-soo was his ten-year-old self.
It was strange.
He and his father were sitting across from each other at the dining table.
His father, looking much younger, spoke.
‘Try eating the soy-braised beans with your left hand.’
‘Aww, but using chopsticks with my left hand is awkward.’
‘Haha, just give it a try.’
Back then, his father would occasionally have him try using chopsticks with his left hand.
The scene changed.
The smithy.
‘Father, my right arm is getting numb. Can I take a break?’
‘Then how about swinging with your left arm?’
‘Huh? But it won’t be as precise.’
‘The remaining work doesn’t require that much precision anyway, does it?’
Such memories flashed by.
And then, a bitter scene that Hyun-soo had witnessed in his dream also passed by.
It was the sight of his father, home from school, clutching his trembling right arm after a session of forging.
At the time, Hyun-soo had pretended not to notice.
No, he had to.
He couldn't bring himself to acknowledge his father's weakness.
Then the dream led Hyun-soo back into darkness.
Several scenes flashed by again.
And the final scene.
He saw his father again, gripping his own trembling right arm.
His father turned his head, saw Hyun-soo, and smiled faintly.
‘Hyun-soo.’
His father, smiling more brightly than anyone in the world.
As he stared blankly at him…
*Flash—*
Hyun-soo woke up.
And as was often the case, he felt as if he had awoken with someone else from the dream, caught in its lingering emptiness.
He looked at his own left hand.
‘Could it be…?’
Hyun-soo wasn't ambidextrous.
But, just as in the dream, he had used his left hand from time to time.
*Squeeze—*
Hyun-soo clenched and unclenched his left hand repeatedly.
And he couldn't help but smile.
His father had wanted him not to walk the same path.
‘If we hadn’t been in that accident…’
His father might have taught him to use both hands.
Perhaps, long ago, his father had felt his own right hand worsening.
That might be why he had laid the groundwork to prepare for the unexpected, so that Hyun-soo could use his left hand and become an ambidextrous blacksmith.
‘Thank you.’
Hyun-soo rose to his feet.
*Rumble—*
The furnace in the real-world smithy was lit.
As he watched the furnace heat up, Hyun-soo’s heart beat faster.
His first creation in years was about to burst into flame.
***
Jin-seop watched Hyun-soo in admiration.
A right-handed person using their left hand.
It was certainly an awkward thing to do.
Just as it’s difficult for a right-handed person to try using chopsticks with their left hand.
But Hyun-soo was a little different.
‘He doesn’t seem to have that much trouble.’
It was as if he had been gradually working to get used to his left hand.
Jin-seop was excited.
‘This creation will show the potential.’
There had been similar cases in reality.
A right-handed pitcher injuring his right arm and learning to throw with his left.
But Jin-seop wasn't very optimistic about that either.
‘When a right-handed athlete trained with his left hand, his speed increased to 90% of his original.’
Yes, that was the problem.
That 10%.
For an ordinary person, that 10% is a meaningless figure.
But for those who have reached the pinnacle, it becomes a significant number.
In fact, the pitcher who could only throw at 90% of his capacity was demoted from the most brilliant major league to the minor leagues.
That 10% difference was a huge deal in their league.
That’s why the quality of this creation was crucial.
At some point, Hyun-soo also noticed Jin-seop.
Hyun-soo explained the situation.
‘So Kang Hyun-tae had made preparations for his son…’
If so, that percentage might be a little higher.
Jin-seop didn't leave; he stayed and watched him.
It was a side of him he had never seen before.
‘This side of my patient.’
It was as if he ruled this space.
The insignificant young man with slumped shoulders.
Inside this place, that young man reigned like a king.
*Clang, cla-clang—*
Watching his almost supernatural handiwork, Jin-seop marveled.
Time passed, and dawn broke.
Since tomorrow was his day off, Jin-seop watched the sword that would determine his future slowly take shape.
From those divine movements, he realized something.
‘They weren't called master craftsmen just because all the other blacksmiths disappeared.’
In that moment, Jin-seop was certain.
Hyun-tae and Hyun-soo.
These two were called the only remaining master craftsmen in the world simply because they were exceptionally skilled.
And Hyun-soo poured his entire being into the work.
His hammering was less precise than usual, and the occasional awkward use of his right and left hands caused him to falter.
The hammer sometimes struck places he didn't intend.
He finally quenched the sword, which was less perfect than usual.
*Tssssssss—*
He began to polish it.
Slowly, its form was revealed.
What if he were in Ares right now?
[You have crafted a Shoddy Sword.]
[This is the worst artifact you have ever made.]
He would have been devastated.
But here, in reality, it was different.
Hyun-soo lifted the completed sword.
The blade was less smooth than usual, the patterns less intricate.
Every little detail.
Considering all that, this was the worst piece Hyun-soo had ever made.
But here, it was different.
He made it.
Yes, a sword of this quality was made with his left hand.
The most insignificant, yet the most needed sword.
Jin-seop spoke.
“…Wasn’t this your first time forging with your left hand?”
“Yes.”
Jin-seop was genuinely impressed.
“I think you can do it. Let’s train together on how to get used to your left hand. If your first left-handed piece is this good, you might be able to regain your former condition.”
He couldn't say if it would take a year or three, but Jin-seop saw the potential.
Just then, Hyun-soo felt a sharp pain in his right hand.
“Ugh.”
“May I take a look?”
Blacksmithing ultimately required the use of both hands.
He hammered with his left hand while holding the piece steady with tongs in his right.
If the impact on the hammering left hand was 100, the impact on the right hand was about 30.
Hyun-soo trembled with anxiety again.
But this was a problem Jin-seop could solve.
“We can create a medical protective glove. One that's as thin as possible and doesn't interfere with your blacksmithing. With this amount of impact, a glove should be able to provide 99% protection, so it won't be a problem.”
Hearing that, Hyun-soo collapsed to the ground.
He was relieved that he could at least use a protective glove on his right hand.
Then Jin-seop realized his oversight.
Come to think of it, Hyun-soo hadn't had a sip of water in a long time.
“I’ll go get you something to drink.”
Jin-seop hurried off.
His running steps were light.
Had he ever been this happy as a doctor?
Never.
And when he promised to do his best, had his heart ever pounded like this?
That too, was a first.
Jin-seop would help his left hand get accustomed to the work and protect his right hand from impact.
And there was another reason for Jin-seop's joy.
If the FDA approval came through, Jin-seop might get to see a blacksmith who could wield both hands with perfect freedom.
Soon, Jin-seop returned with a cool drink.
He opened the smithy door and was at a loss for words.
The blacksmith, Hyun-soo, who was sure to give his all just as he would.
He was sitting on the floor, clutching the shoddy sword in its scabbard, and sobbing.
“*Sob, huhuhu…*”
Though he was crying, Jin-seop could feel it.
That his own happiness paled in comparison to the happiness Hyun-soo was feeling right now.
That the hammer, once again in his grasp, had changed his world that had come crashing down.
Placing the water by the door, Jin-seop slowly closed it.
A few seconds later.
“I can make them agaaaaain!”
His voice erupted from within the smithy.