Word Spreads Fast

Whoa… so this is the real deal…

Calling it the world's finest hunter training ground wasn't just empty talk. Of course it would be, with gifted kids pouring in from every corner of the globe — but seeing it with my own eyes hit differently.

As the bus neared the academy's main gate, the scale of the place became unmistakable. Beyond walls that rose like fortress ramparts, grand buildings stretched out in every direction. It felt less like a school and more like a small city ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠unto itself.

I stepped off the bus and started walking toward the gate, and a tangle of languages washed over me — Korean, English, Chinese, and others I couldn't even place. It felt like the whole world had been crammed into this one narrow stretch of ground.

Farther off, a familiar flash of silver hair slipped through a cluster of students. It was the girl from the bus. The way she walked with her friends, laughing, looked so natural — as if she already belonged in this vast space. I still had "first-timer" written all over me, while she moved like she'd claimed her place here long ago.

I was still glancing around near the gate when a familiar voice called out from a distance.

"Woon! Over here!"

Lee Rin came running, waving both arms high over her head.

"You made it! I was worried you wouldn't find the place."

"It's huge, but not that hard to spot. Still… this place is seriously massive."

"Right? My jaw dropped the first time I saw it too. See that building over there? That's the main hall. Guess how many lecture rooms are just in that one?"

"How many?"

"No idea. I've never even been to all of them."

Rin shrugged with a shameless grin. That brazen streak of hers hadn't changed one bit.

"Come on, follow me. Let's get you checked in first. If we're late, the spots fill up."

I followed her toward a building marked with guide signs. The whole way there, I could feel students glancing our way. Whether they recognized Rin or were just curious about the stranger walking beside her, I couldn't tell.

The maintenance event was being held in an entire indoor gymnasium. Blacksmiths sat at booth after booth while students lined up to hand over their gear. The scale alone was on a completely different level from anything I'd seen at a regular workshop.

At the reception desk, I handed over my ID and Awakener registration certificate.

"I'll just verify your registration… Epic confirmed. Please head to the booth in Zone D."

It went through more easily than I'd expected. That one ambiguous word printed on my certificate had opened the door for me — a strangely satisfying feeling.

I was moving over to the Zone D booth when two girls spotted Rin and came over.

"Huh? Rin, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, hey. I came to help a friend out today."

Their eyes drifted naturally to me standing beside her.

"Is this the blacksmith you've been talking about nonstop for days?"

"Yeah… that's him. He's my childhood friend."

"No way. You're usually ice-cold with guys, but whenever you talk about him you're a totally different person. Your eyes light right up."

Rin's face went red in an instant.

"W-what are you talking about?! He's just my childhood friend!"

Flustered, she flailed her arms and tried to protest, but the words ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wouldn't come out right — just a string of stammered nonsense. Her friends locked eyes and burst out laughing.

"Look at her face. She's completely red."

"Ugh, I don't care — just stop!"

Watching from the side, I felt my own ears start to burn and quickly changed the subject.

"Uh, I should probably go set up my booth now."

"Oh! Right! Okay, guys, I've got to help him work. See you later!"

Rin practically shoved her friends away and fled.

I settled into the booth, and it wasn't long before the first customer arrived.

"Excuse me, could you take a look at this? My sword keeps feeling like it's going off-line."

I examined the longsword she handed over. The joint was slightly out of true. With practiced hands I realigned it, resharpened the edge, and balanced the grip before handing it back.

"There. That should do it."

The student gave the sword a few practice swings, then tilted her head.

"Huh? It feels weirdly natural in my hand. Was it always like this?"

"Glad you're happy with it. I just did my best."

I answered casually, but a familiar smile tugged at me inside. That reaction. I'd seen it plenty of times before. And it kept happening. A student who'd left a shield said it felt somehow lighter. One who'd left a dagger kept turning it over, saying the grip felt better than before. Swords, shields, talismans — the gear varied, but none of them could quite put their finger on what had changed. They just kept saying "somehow."

At one point a girl left a necklace-type amulet. After I finished and handed it back, she slipped it on and her eyes went wide.

"Huh? This sits so much more comfortably than before. The way it rests against my neck feels completely different."

"Does it? I didn't really do anything special."

"No, seriously. That's so weird. If you come back again, I'm definitely bringing more stuff!"

Curiosity got the better of me, so I focused an appraisal on the amulet I'd just returned.

Seeing the numbers made it real all over again. It wasn't just "somehow" better — it was genuinely superior to the standard version.

Beside me, Rin gave a quiet little shrug of her shoulders, looking every bit as proud as if she'd been the one complimented.

Not every customer was warm about it, though.

"…It's just ordinary."

A male student took his shield, rapped it a few times with a blank expression, and set it down with zero enthusiasm. Nothing in his face suggested any particular impression.

"If anything feels off, just let me know."

"Not really. Just feels like it got repaired, that's all."

The lack of reaction deflated me a little. He picked up the shield and left without another word.

A few minutes later, he was back in front of the booth.

"Hey."

"Yes?"

"What did you do to this thing? I just used it in the sparring hall — the response time is completely different. The weight balance too."

His tone was still flat, but his eyes were serious.

"I just worked on it the usual way."

"For the usual way, it's way too good. I can leave stuff with you next time too, right?"

"Of course. Anytime."

Watching him ask in that same deadpan voice, say goodbye the same way, and walk off, I couldn't help smiling. People just expressed it differently — in the end, the reaction was always the same.

Around noon, the student who'd left the sword earlier came running back to the booth, face flushed.

"Hey! That sword from earlier! I just finished a mock battle with it — it was insane! What did you actually do to it? I'm ranked third in sparring this semester, and I've never landed hits this clean before."

"I just worked on it like I always do."

"Come on, no need to be modest. Can I tell my teammates about this?"

"Uh… sure. I'd appreciate that."

I answered half on reflex, and he practically bounced away after a breathless goodbye.

Ranked third. That stuck with me. This wasn't some low-tier hunter customer — this was someone good enough to notice the difference even inside this academy.

Rin, who'd been watching from the side, crossed her arms and grinned.

"See? What did I tell you. You fit in here perfectly."

"Fit in how. And why are you the one looking smug?"

By afternoon, the line in front of my booth had grown noticeably longer. Word really did travel fast. I could feel the other blacksmiths at nearby booths glancing over. One of them even stood up and started counting the people in my line with his eyes.

"Who's that guy? Never seen him before."

"No idea, but everyone's flocking over there."

A snatch of conversation from two passing students lodged in my ear. I kept my hands moving and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pretended not to hear, though the back of my neck prickled. It wasn't a bad feeling. Just an unfamiliar one.

Around that same time, in the principal's office.

Jeong Hwa-young sat at her desk flipping through documents. A knock sounded, and her secretary stepped in.

"Principal, here are the mid-event inspection results for the maintenance fair."

"Anything of note?"

"There's a newly invited blacksmith assigned to Zone D whose student satisfaction ratings are exceptionally high. So we submitted one piece of equipment for sample appraisal."

The secretary laid two documents side by side on the desk.

Jeong Hwa-young looked back and forth between the two sheets, her brow tightening slightly.

"Same-grade equipment, repaired under the same conditions."

"Yes. Identical materials, identical original specs. And yet the results differ this much."

"Too clean a gap to call coincidence. How many samples?"

"Six confirmed cases so far. All showing numerical improvements of a similar magnitude."

She folded her arms and studied the documents again.

"And this blacksmith's name?"

"Kim Woon. His registration rarity is listed as Epic."

"Epic. Rather low-ranked for that kind of rarity. E-Rank, is he?"

"Yes, that's correct. The discrepancy stood out, so we looked into it — it seems he only registered quite recently."

Jeong Hwa-young scanned the papers one more time. A faint smile touched her lips.

"Interesting. Let's have him in."

"Today, ma'am?"

"No rush. After the event ends will be fine."

The secretary bowed and started to leave, then turned back.

"Principal… are you simply seeing a capable newcomer, or is there something more?"

Jeong Hwa-young gazed out the window and gave a short, quiet laugh.

"Well. I'll decide once I've met him."

I was packing up the booth when Rin stretched beside me with a long yawn.

"Ugh, I'm wiped. Still — today was a total hit, right?"

"Yeah. I didn't expect this kind of response."

"See? I told you so. Hungry? Want to go grab something?"

"Sounds good. Anywhere decent around here?"

"Obviously. I've been going here for three years, you kno—"

Before she could finish, a woman in a suit came walking toward us from across the hall. A face I didn't recognize.

"Excuse me — are you Blacksmith Kim Woon? I'm from the principal's office."

"…Yes, that's me."

"The principal would like a brief word with you. If you have a moment, would you come with me?"

My eyes met Rin's. She looked just as blindsided, eyes round with surprise.

"The principal wants to see me? Why?"

"I think it would be best if you heard the details directly from her."

The secretary only smiled and said ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠nothing more. Beside me, Rin whispered under her breath.

"What? What's going on? Did you cause some kind of trouble again?"

"How would I know? This is my first time here."

"Whatever. I'll wait around nearby. You better tell me everything the second you're done."

I followed the secretary, half-propelled along, my head spinning. Whether this was good news or bad, I had no idea.