Masterpiece (1)
But let me think about this for a moment...
With these rare materials, should I just make the weapon normally?
After all, the titanium swords I've been making so far are just standard-issue swords that soldiers use anyway.
The swords I'm making now seem to be in the form of custom orders.
In other words, they need to be tailored to the user's physique or style.
But I don't even know what the Poison Dragon Great Lord or Bilyeong's father looks like.
Nor do I know their combat styles.
"Sŭp..."
"Young Hero? Is there a problem?"
Bilyeong sat in his seat, looking at me lost in thought, tilting his head with a puzzled expression as if something had happened.
"Ah... It's nothing special. I don't know what the Poison Dragon Great Lord or the head of the family is like, so since it's a custom order, I wanted to make it to measure."
"As expected... From the start, you think differently from the usual blacksmiths I've seen."
Bilyeong's words made my shoulders feel like they were rising to the sky.
"Um... Since there was nothing else to ask, I'll explain briefly. Here, take a deep breath."
Bilyeong said this, clearing his throat a few times, and began to talk about the Poison Dragon Great Lord and his father.
"First, for the Poison Dragon Great Lord, he uses a martial art that allows him to quickly close in and cut vital points through a unique footwork. That's why he prefers the form of a short blade rather than a long one. He's a martial artist who has reached a higher realm than even me."
Fast footwork and a short blade... In my mind, I pictured a ninja-like figure with a mask, holding twin short swords in both hands.
Thinking that way, I started to get a rough idea of how the Poison Dragon Great Lord would fight.
"Next, for my father, the poison he uses is so intense that even a sword made of modern steel can't withstand it and melts away. He used a long sword."
It felt like the high-level martial artist vibe from those typical murim novels.
But if even modern steel can't handle the poison, then I have to make a solid steel sword... but wait.
"That's why in the past, he used swords refined only from steel, but during the battle with the Heavenly Demon last time, the sword shattered and was destroyed."
As I thought, if steel isn't enough, I need to use a higher-grade metal.
By the way, Heavenly Demon... When people talk about the strongest in the murim world, it's often mentioned along with the Murim Alliance leader. Fighting someone like that, the weapon would be destroyed.
"Young Hero... And there's a request. Could you... take a look at this?"
Bilyeong took out a small silk pouch from his pocket and handed it to me.
"Can I open it?"
"Yes."
When I opened the pouch, two small blue gems were inside.
"These gems are?"
"Young Hero... Even though it's shameless to say, could I ask you for a personal favor when making my father's sword?"
"Of course!"
Bilyeong's smile brightened when he heard my answer, looking at me.
"Could you... insert these two blue gems into the hilt part of the sword, side by side like the pupil of a human eye?"
It's not a difficult request to insert gems into the hilt, but the following words were oddly worrying.
Like the pupil of a human eye? Was the head of the family of a strange taste? Just as I was about to misunderstand, Bilyeong also had the same thought and hurriedly waved his hand to deny my thoughts.
"Ah... No, it's nothing like what you're thinking. These gems... are a piece of jewelry that my late mother cherished the most in her lifetime. She always wore it on her ring."
Ah... So that's the situation. I almost misunderstood without knowing the context.
"My mother's eyes had a blue light like these gems. When my father was training in the training ground, day and night... she was always by his side watching over him. Haa..."
Bilyeong's voice choked with emotion as he continued.
"I hope that whenever my father fights with this sword, he feels like my mother is with him... So that he can stand up again."
So that's what it was. Their lives in another dimension aren't that different from ours.
People who died first, they keep photos with them on their phones, or put pictures in their wallets.
I heard there are many people who do that.
It's their way of mourning those who have already passed.
"If it's troublesome, I can pay extra... Is there no other way?"
"No. No extra payment."
"Ah... Is it an impossible task?"
"No, it's not that. I can't take more money for doing such a good deed."
Even if I want to make money, I have no intention of using this to earn more.
Money should be earned honestly.
Given how hard it is for him, how can I exploit Bilyeong's pretty heart thinking about his father.
"Ah... Young Hero... Thank you... really..."
Bilyeong looked like he was about to cry. Unlike his usual demeanor, he's surprisingly emotional.
Clap!
"Heeik!"
When I suddenly clapped, Bilyeong, who was lost in sadness, was startled and wiped his tears.
"Haha! We don't have time to get emotional. Come on, let's get to work!"
"Yes... I've learned one more thing from Young Hero. Let's start!"
"I'll start the design right away!"
I spread out the drawing paper on the blacksmith's workbench and drew lines with a pen.
Bilyeong, who had never seen the process of making a sword before, came closer and his eyes sparkled.
"First, for the Poison Dragon Great Lord's weapon. Since he specializes in fast footwork and uses short blades, I'll make it into a twin sword that allows for quick slashes, not a regular sword."
"Yes!"
"The materials will be mixed with the bones of the snake obtained from the previous gate and only modern steel."
Bilyeong tilted his head when he heard the material ratio.
"Is that enough?"
Since he's also my customer, I need to explain the design intent.
When he asked that, I felt an indescribable joy as if I had become a real blacksmith.
"For the Great Lord and my father, since their realms are already high, there's no need to add poison to the weapons. Rather, for the Great Lord, it's important to reduce the weight as much as possible."
Bilyeong nodded and admired.
"As expected... That's a reasonable statement."
"Next is our family head's weapon. I'll pour all the modern steel, snake fangs, and Essence of Deadly Poison into the sword."
When I said that, Bilyeong looked a bit stiff, as if his pride was hurt.
After saying that no need to add poison for the Great Lord and family head, but pouring all the essence into his own weapon...
"Don't be upset. It's not that my family head's skill is lacking, but he hasn't accumulated the years like the Great Lord or family head yet. Once time passes, I'll make an even better sword!"
"... You promised?"
"Of course!"
Only then did Bilyeong nod with a satisfied smile.
"Finally, the family head's sword. I'll pour all the modern steel and snake bones you brought."
Looking at the gem pouch on the table, I cleared my throat.
"The core of the family head's weapon is 'durability'. Ordinary materials can't withstand the poison and will corrode, so I'll focus on durability using only the modern steel and snake bones with strong poison resistance. Of course, I'll also insert those gems."
When Bilyeong heard my plan, he nodded vigorously, trusting me.
"Young Hero is perfect. Let's get started!"
The first one is the twin sword for the Poison Dragon Great Lord.
Since it's optimized for fast footwork and close-range slashes, the key is a sharpness that is flexible yet unbreakable.
I spread out the modern steel thin and long, then coated it with flux mixed with the ash from burning the snake bones, and layered the modern steel on top again.
If I put the bones directly between the iron, they become impurities and ruin the weld.
That's why mixing bone powder into the flux that helps weld the iron will solve this problem.
For modern steel, the melting point is naturally higher than regular iron, so I raised the furnace temperature to about 1,300 degrees, heated the modern steel, and picked it up with tongs to place it on the anvil.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
When I hammered it, impurities and sparks flew everywhere between the joints.
I folded it in half, beat it, and put it back in the furnace, repeating this ten times or so.
With each folding, hundreds of layers of modern steel combined into one sword blade.
Finally, wavy patterns appeared on the sword blade.
This is the Damascus forging method.
With this, the original twin sword for the Poison Dragon Great Lord with maximized strength and flexibility is complete.
"Oh... Amazing, Young Hero. What is this..."
Bilyeong, watching from the side, was amazed by the beautiful waves left on the sword blade.
It would be amazing the first time you see it.
Those waves can't be made with ordinary forging.
Now, once the handle is attached, it's basically complete, but for now, let's leave it.
Since I wanted to make all three swords and check them later.
Next is Bilyeong's long sword. The core of this work is the fusion of hardness and poison.
After shaping the modern steel into the sword blade shape, I applied the poison powder extracted from the snake fangs to the edge, and covered the back with thick clay.
This way, the edge is hardened by high heat, and the back is flexible because it avoids the heat by covering with clay.
This is the clay quenching method, and I judged this method would be most suitable for Bilyeong's sword.
Now it's time to pour the essence... but even though Bilyeong's inner energy is protecting me, my heart is pounding for some reason.
Is it going to kill me because of that...?
"Family Head... Could you open this bottle cap for me?"
"Yes!"
Bilyeong didn't hesitate at all and opened the cap. When he did, a purple smoke-like thing slowly came out from the flask.
Just looking at it looked extremely dangerous, but Bilyeong, holding it, only frowned without any noticeable effect.
I... when I see this, I really feel the danger of using poison...
"Family Head. Would you like to spray a little on the edge of the sword?"
"Yes!"
When Bilyeong dropped one drop of the essence on the heated sword edge, the essence perfectly seeped into the sword blade.
Hoo... Good, it seeped in.
For ordinary poison, it would oxidize instantly upon contact with this high-temperature iron...
But no matter how you look at it, this isn't even ordinary snake poison, it's the poison of a monster in the gate.
So, no real chemical reaction would occur.
"Family Head! Now, pour the essence all along the sword blade!"
"Yes!"
Bilyeong poured the essence smoothly along the sleek sword blade.
The essence didn't waste a single drop and melted into the sword blade, and when I confirmed it had seeped in, I immediately put the sword blade into the cooling water.
With a hissing sound, the sword blade cooled and completed its perfect form.
But... a problem arose.
The cooling water turned purple and became a poison that must not be touched with hands...
If I leave it like this, it will melt everything and cause a big problem at our blacksmith shop... Just as I thought that, Bilyeong looked at the cooling water and reached out his hand.
Shua-
The cooling water shimmered, and the purple aura's poison came out and entered Bilyeong's body directly.
"Oh... This definitely has the effect of an elixir. I feel my inner energy increasing."
Absorbing neutralized poison and saying it increases inner energy...? A new feeling that Bilyeong is definitely different from ordinary people.
The sword blade, which is the core of the sword, was roughly complete, and now these swords are just about to have the handles attached to finish.
Now the last one, the family head's sword...
This one must be made with the utmost care.
Because it's a sword of great value to Bilyeong, his father, and me.
I adjusted my posture and carefully picked up the modern steel that Bilyeong had brought.