Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Barbarism and Crudeness
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At Hyeon-a's request, I began crafting a magic sword—in reality, a communication device—based on a dagger.
Calling it a magic sword was pointless since Hyeon-a already knew the truth, but what could I do when she said she wanted a wondrous weapon of her own?
Besides, it was true that getting anything interesting done would be difficult without her help.
"What do you want it to look like?"
As I showed her a series of rough weapon designs, Hyeon-a's eyes sparkled.
"Hmm! I already have a dagger and a straight sword... ah, this is tough."
"What do you use most often?"
"A dagger, but I already got one from you before... Should I just go with a standard sword?"
"You could do that."
Hyeon-a closed her eyes and thought for a moment before finally making a decision.
"Ah, no! I'll be carrying it on me most of the time, so I'll go with a dagger."
"...You know it'll be a problem if you change your mind after I start forging, right?"
I gave her a heads-up, knowing how fickle she could be.
"I know that much!"
"Alright. A dagger it is. What about the design?"
"I have something in mind for that!"
Afterward, I got a general idea from the crude drawing Hyeon-a sketched out.
"Okay. I think I know what you're looking for."
"Ooh! So, when can you have it done?"
"I'm starting from scratch, so... let's see. It'll take about three or four days."
"That long?"
"What nonsense is that? It's only this fast because it's me."
"Oh, is that so? It's not like I've ever made a sword before."
"By the way, when's your next mission?"
"I do have to go out once in fifteen days."
"Fifteen days, huh."
If possible, I wanted to make a weapon for the next user when Hyeon-a went out.
That meant I had to create two Ego Weapons, including Hyeon-a's, within fifteen days.
It was a very tight schedule.
If it were just the forging, it would be fine, but there were countless things to consider, from the weapon's backstory to its visual design.
"I'm going to be incredibly busy, so come back in two weeks."
"Two weeks? Why? You said it would only take four days! If you're making two, shouldn't it take eight days?"
"I have to make a new one besides yours. After conceptualizing the design and everything else, there won't be any time left."
"Aha! Got it. I'll be back in two weeks, then! Oh, and I left the stories I wrote on the table, just like you asked!"
"Ah, right. You know this is a secret between us, right?"
I narrowed my eyes, and Hyeon-a nodded in response.
"Don't worry! There's no one in the Black Curtain Assassination Squad with tighter lips than me!"
"Somehow, that makes me even more anxious."
"I'm leaving!!"
She might seem flighty, but as the captain of the assassination squad, she was indeed tight-lipped, so I decided not to worry.
After Hyeon-a left the smithy, I mulled over what kind of weapon to create for the new 'user'.
Among the various stories Hyeon-a had submitted, the one I wanted to try this time was about a young master from a righteous sect.
It was the tale of a man who was once a promising young master but gradually declined due to excessive expectations, attention, and his own arrogance, eventually meeting his ruin.
"The story is decent enough. The problem is what kind of weapon to make..."
I had already used a standard sword once.
I could make something similar, but eating the same dish twice is a bit boring, isn't it?
I felt that doing something a little different would bring me more satisfaction as a blacksmith.
"Hmm..."
After a moment of thought, I decided I wanted to bring out a crude and barbaric feel this time.
"An arrogant and corrupt young master of a righteous sect. And a crude, barbaric weapon."
The two don't match.
The key points of a young righteous sect master are arrogance, neatness, and a sense of superiority.
Such a person would never like something crude and barbaric.
However, this very disharmony could be an element that adds depth to the story.
After deep contemplation, I finally decided on the type of weapon.
"Yes. A broadsword that's crude and barbaric but not overly wild. I'll make a broadsword."
Broadswords are mainly used by members of the unorthodox factions.
Their thick, large blades were the favored weapons of those who prioritized brutal, merciless power over refined techniques.
As a result, they had a more thuggish feel than weapons like swords and spears.
"Once a noble and arrogant martial artist of a righteous sect, now trapped in a crude broadsword. I like the sound of that."
The contrast is one of the elements that makes a character appealing.
"Alright. Let's start brainstorming the design."
And so, I began the process of crafting a magic sword for the new user in earnest.
***
Somewhere in the southeastern part of Hunan Province.
In a village, two factions bared their fangs at each other, locked in a bloody struggle.
*Schwing!*
"Kuaaaargh!"
"Gahhh!"
"H-Help... Aaargh!"
Screams echoed through the burning buildings as people thrashed about in agony.
"Kill them all! Leave no one alive!"
"Khahaha! Did you think you could trespass on our territory and get away with it?!"
"Know your place! Keep pushing them back!"
Cruel martial artists in different attires engaged in a slaughter, killing one another.
Barbaric, heartless, and cruel.
There was no mercy; it was a dark world where you'd be bitten the moment you failed to bare your own fangs.
This was the world the dark factions lived in.
A true wilderness where one could only survive by thoroughly using and tearing others down.
Some might call them unorthodox factions, free spirits unbound by rules and formalities.
But that was just a way to put a positive spin on their wickedness.
When you don't even know what will happen tomorrow, what good are rules and formalities?
Those things are only necessary for those whose futures are guaranteed.
Why else would established dark factions try to shed their past barbarism, pretend to be clean, and reorganize themselves?
They, too, disliked the uncertainty that came with the name of freedom.
However, since this dark society offered many opportunities, countless young people shone brightly like stars before vanishing in an instant.
And at this moment, there was a star on the rise.
"G-Gwiyeong!"
"The Ghost's Shadow...!"
"Dammit! No one said she'd come in person! This isn't what we were told!"
*Clack.*
The woman called Gwiyeong drew the broadsword from her back and, with cold eyes, spoke.
"You have trespassed on my territory. The price for that foolishness is death."
"H-Help...!"
*Splurt!*
Slashing his throat, Gwiyeong sent his head flying in an instant. With blood splattered on her face, she stared at her prey.
She detected fear in the eyes of those looking at her.
Sensing the tide had already turned in her favor, she pressed forward even more fiercely.
Those who met Gwiyeong's chilling gaze lost their will to fight and scrambled to flee.
"Uwaaaaaah!"
"Dammit! Dammit!!!"
"Gasp! Gasp!"
The battle was already over.
Now, the real hunt began.
Gwiyeong raised her broadsword and spoke to her subordinates.
"Leave no one alive. Kill them all."
At her command, the group of dark martial artists' eyes glinted sharply as they gave chase.
"It's the Guild Leader's order! Catch and kill them all!"
"Khaha! Where do you think you're going!"
"Kihihihit!"
For them, there was no mercy or compassion.
This was a time to prove their strength through plunder and slaughter.
Soon, agonized screams filled the air as the ground became soaked in blood.
Gwiyeong's cold eyes shone as she walked gracefully over the pools of blood.
Treading a path built of blood and corpses, she surveyed the massacre she had caused.
If she possessed a human heart, a shred of sympathy might have remained, but the world she lived in was not a place ordinary humans could set foot in.
"This territory is now mine."
The frailties of the human heart had long since vanished from her mind.
Only greed for money, power, and authority continued to swell within her.
*Creak.*
Gwiyeong and her subordinates soon entered a pavilion, where everyone inside was seized with terror.
A man sitting on a grand chair shouted at Gwiyeong, his face contorted.
"Gwiyeong, you bitch! Do you think you'll be safe after doing this to me?! I am favored by the White Serpent Guild Leader...!"
*Thwack.*
A subordinate behind her threw a dagger, piercing the man's abdomen and cutting him off mid-sentence with a scream.
"Kuaaaargh! Guuuh!"
Gwiyeong strode toward him without hesitation.
*Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.*
Closing the distance in an instant, she grabbed the defenseless, screaming man by his hair and spoke with a cold gaze.
"Spare me your pathetic threats. It's not like your precious White Serpent Guild Leader is here by your side. So, who should you be begging?"
"Guuuuh...! You bitch...!"
The man glared at Gwiyeong with bloodshot eyes.
The moment he saw an opening and tried to counterattack with the dagger at his waist.
"It's either submission or death. You've chosen the latter."
Gwiyeong placed her massive broadsword under the man's neck and sliced upward without mercy.
*Schlaaaat!*
The man's head, still in her grasp, was severed from his body, spraying crimson blood.
Then, holding the blood-drenched broadsword, she spoke coldly to the remaining forces behind her.
"Which will it be for you? Submission or death."
Seeing her seize control of the pavilion in an instant, the man's subordinates below hastily bowed, begging for mercy.
"W-We surrender!"
"Please spare us! We'll do anything you ask!"
Gwiyeong looked down at them for a moment before flinging the head in her hand to the floor.
"From now on, this place is under the control of me, Gwiyeong, the Leader of the Black Ghost Guild."
At her words, everyone bowed their heads and prostrated themselves.
She confirmed her authority and power once more as she walked with confidence.
"I will not be satisfied with this. I will continue to press forward. Those who wish to join my ambition, stand behind me."
As she finished speaking, her subordinates answered with a thunderous roar.
"""WE PLEDGE OUR LOYALTY TO THE BLACK GHOST GUILD LEADER, GWYIEONG!!!"""
This is the story of Gwiyeong, the woman known as the Ghost's Shadow, and her life in the ruthless underworld.