Rules and Customers
The next morning, a crudely made wooden sign hung at one side of the forge entrance. Seojun had nailed it up using the rough nail he'd received as a gift from Sintanjae.
If You're a Customer, Act Like One
It was nothing more than a plain wooden plaque without any special decorations. Yet the energy infused within it was far from ordinary. It was a rule crafted with utmost care and intent.
"Are you in?"
Just then, a customer arrived at the forge. The voice was familiar, but the tone felt different from usual. Surprisingly, it was C-rank hunter Kim Sangwoo, conducting himself with polite deference. He wasn't a total jerk, but he'd always been arrogant and rough around the edges.
"Yes, come on in."
"Pardon the intrusion."
But Kim Sangwoo shuffled hesitantly into the forge.
"Ah, yes. Boss, sorry to bother you when you're busy."
Kim Sangwoo bowed at the waist in greeting. Seojun momentarily doubted his own ears. Was this the same guy who'd always spoken so crudely?
With careful hands, Kim Sangwoo pulled a shattered breastplate from his bag and placed it on the workbench.
"Got scratched up by their claws during the last hunt. Can it be repaired?"
"Looking at the damage, it's pretty deep. I'll have to heat it up and patch it."
"Please do. Charge me whatever it costs."
Unlike usual, he didn't haggle at all. He even held his breath, as if afraid of disturbing the work.
As Seojun lit the furnace and began hammering, Kim Sangwoo sat demurely in the corner chair, waiting.
Something's off.
Seojun glanced sideways while pounding the heated breastplate. Kim Sangwoo looked just like a student sitting before a stern teacher.
He maintained his polite demeanor until the repair was done. Even when receiving the fixed armor and leaving, he bowed courteously.
Not my imagination... right?
The change was too drastic to dismiss as imagination.
The other hunters who came in the afternoon acted the same. People who would normally shout noisily or handle gear carelessly now behaved with unexpected decorum, as if by prior agreement. Each one, upon entering the forge, wore an expression like they were overwhelmed by something invisible. It was as if an unseen weight pressed down on their shoulders.
So the rules work on hunters too.
Seojun finally felt certain. The rules he'd set were affecting hunters as well. Even if they couldn't pinpoint the cause, they followed them unconsciously.
Didn't see that coming.
The binding power of the rules was stronger than expected. It triggered an instinct that customers must show proper respect. Thanks to it, he could focus solely on his blacksmithing without wasting energy on needless emotions.
Wonder how it'll work on kaeyi.
Seojun dunked the heated iron into the water trough with satisfaction.
Chiiik— Steam rose as the hot metal cooled.
Outside, as the steam dispersed, the sun was setting.
Before long, darkness had fallen outside the window. Hunter traffic died down, and the air around the forge grew heavy.
Cling— A clear chime rang out from somewhere.
She's here.
Seojun paused his work and stared toward the entrance. Beyond the door, a thick presence loomed. It carried the unique aura of a kaeyi, but it felt unfamiliar—heavy yet coarse with aggression.
"This is the place."
But the kaeyi who appeared at the entrance defied expectations. She was a small, delicate woman who could pass for a girl. The heavy armor she wore and the solid iron club in her hand created a stark contrast.
A dokkaebi?
Thud. Thud.
Each step made the floor vibrate faintly. An impossible weight emanated from her tiny frame.
"Hoho."
Upon entering and sensing the power of the rules, she halted. But her momentum didn't wane as if the rules were powerless against her. Instead, she straightened her disheveled armor, showing respect in her own way.
"I am Doyokshini."
The kaeyi who named herself Doyokshini carried herself with majestic dignity. It was the demeanor fitting a customer, aligned with her imposing presence.
"Hearing of a blacksmith who crafts for kaeyi, I came to visit, but I never expected a new kaejang."
Doyokshini's voice was childlike yet laced with authority. She was a kaeyi of such overwhelming strength that her rank was impossible to gauge. Her speech and aura suggested high status.
"I'm still inexperienced, but I'm walking the path of a kaejang."
Seojun greeted Doyokshini politely. She was too powerful for the rules to bind fully. Yet Doyokshini followed them of her own accord, offering the courtesy due to a respectful host.
"No need for humility. Those who've received items from your hands have all grown in presence."
Doyokshini slowly surveyed the forge interior—from the array of equipment on the floor, to the tools on the walls, the flames rising from the furnace, and the warehouse storing kaeyi byproducts. Her appraising gaze finally settled on Seojun.
"Wielding such aura and rules alike makes you exceptional even among kaeyi."
She even saw through his incomplete mastery of kaeyi power. She was no ordinary kaeyi.
"In any case, I humbly lead the dokkaebi ranks, however modestly. Their soldiers' gear is in poor shape, so I'd like to commission a large batch."
Doyokshini cut straight to business. With a gesture, the air warped, and a pile of worn, broken equipment tumbled out—rusted iron armor and flanged maces with snapped hafts.
"Let me take a look."
Seojun picked up the scattered scrap. It felt cold to the touch. This was no ordinary metal; long steeped in yin energy, its nature had transformed.
"Do you want repairs, or new pieces made?"
"Make new ones if you can. Those can be melted for material or discarded. But there are conditions."
Doyokshini leaned forward. Her jade-like eyes pierced Seojun.
"The soldiers are ignorant and can't handle complexity, so keep it simple. Armor needn't cover the whole body but must be heavy and sturdy. Weapons should be flanged maces, made purely of iron."
Weapons faithful to raw essence over finesse. She wanted brutally tough, destructive tools.
"Understood."
Seojun sketched designs in his mind. He had to consider dokkaebi traits—they were strong but impatient. Blunt impact weapons suited them better than delicate blades.
"Can I see a sample first?"
"Please wait a moment."
Seojun selected the best-preserved scrap from Doyokshini's haul and thrust it into the furnace.
Whoosh! The flames roared like a beast devouring prey. Crimson yin energy mixed with the fire, taking on an eerie hue. But the heat wasn't enough to melt it properly.
To compensate, he worked the bellows.
Fooosh— Oxygen fed the blaze, intensifying it. The yin-infused scrap began to glow under the fierce heat.
Let's begin.
Seojun placed the heated scrap on the anvil and swung the hammer with force.
Clang—!
A heavy ring echoed through the space. Doyokshini's eyes narrowed, tracking his hands.
Clang—!
With each strike, the metal spat impurities. Sparks flew on impact.
Clang—!
Relentless hammering and folding shed its scrap form. Gradually, it stretched and took shape.
{Like this...}
Seojun unconsciously recalled techniques from the phantom world. He mimicked trapping the heat perfectly. But unfamiliarity caused lapses, heat escaping with each distraction.
{No, not like that.}
He focused deeper, immersing in his own realm. Forgetting Doyokshini's presence and the flow of time, the yin metal transformed in a flash.
"Hoho..."
Doyokshini, who had watched silently, let out a small exclamation. For a human turning kaeyi without losing his mind, it was a rare sight.
How much time had passed?
"Hoo."
The flanged head of the mace emerged, its surface studded with jagged protrusions for added ferocity. Without pause, he forged the chain to connect it to the haft. Only after final polishing did he finish.
"It's done."
Seojun handed the completed flanged mace to Doyokshini. She rose and gripped the thick handle in her small hand. An ill-matched sight, but her aura made it fit.
Whoosh—!
Doyokshini swung it lightly at the air. A ripping explosion shook the forge. The gust scattered dust everywhere. A rock in its path would have been pulverized.
"......"
Doyokshini fell silent for a moment. She ran her fingers over the surface, checked the balance. A smile slowly spread across her lips.
"Indeed, the rumors are true."
Satisfied, Doyokshini set the mace down and looked at Seojun with eyes full of approval.
"No need to see the armor then. I'll leave the rest of the soldiers' gear to you."
"How many do you need...?"
"Ten to start."
It was a manageable quantity, and Seojun relaxed. But...
"Next time I'll bring the rest, making it 45 in total."
"Ah...?"
"This is just for the troops managing Hanyang. Add those for the Korean Peninsula, and it's about 200 altogether."
"Ah..."
The staggering number darkened his vision. As if sensing his dismay, Doyokshini laughed heartily.
"No rush. Take your time."
She pulled something from her bosom and placed it on the workbench—a glowing blue lump. It resembled a gem at a glance, but the aura was different.
"This is..."
"Dokkaebifire."
She set it down casually, but it was no trifle. The presence radiating from it was intense.
"Master it, and you'll grow further as a kaejang. Fail, and it's still valuable to other kaeyi—worth its price."
Doyokshini took the new mace and departed, leaving final words.
"I trust you can handle it."