Forging the Ox Gold Hammer
The next day after reorganization, the forge opened as usual. But Seojun's movements were different from normal. He acted with the caution of someone walking on thin ice. Preparing breakfast was the first hurdle. He failed to control his strength when opening the fridge door and ripped off the handle. He grabbed a spoon, bent it like taffy, and had to hastily straighten it out.
I need to adapt. Seojun stood in front of the workbench. He had to start over from picking up the hammer. He discarded his old wooden-handled hammer. For a temporary fix, he picked up an iron hammer he'd welded from a steel pipe. The hammer, which should have felt heavy, was as light as a feather.
Clang! He brought it down on a lump of metal on the anvil. With a dull thud, the metal flattened out. Far more force had gone in than intended. The hammer head nearly embedded itself deep into the metal.
"Hoo..." At this rate, delicate work was impossible. The strength gained from his body's transcendence was a double-edged sword. It wasn't just raw power; his senses themselves had sharpened, making adaptation difficult. And the tools had clear limits. Even the steel pipe hammer felt too light, throwing off his swings. Making it crudely bigger for weight would sacrifice precision.
Using a dense tungsten alloy? Its toughness was lacking—it might shatter under impact without absorbing shock.
What to do? Seojun set down the hammer and sank into thought. Scouring the Hunter Market for suitable materials yielded nothing affordable. Even small ores from promising stuff cost tens of billions.
Maybe focus on making money for now... As he pondered deeply, a familiar engine rumble came from outside. It was the Silver Lining Guild's van.
Park Cheolwoo stepped out and entered the forge.
"Boss!" Park Cheolwoo approached with a bright smile, carrying a hefty sack.
"I rushed over the moment I saw your text about the custom gear being done. The others couldn't come—they're commanding the field op."
"The custom gear's over there, set aside separately." Seojun pointed to where it was stored, complete with dedicated cases.
"Heard you're exploring a ghost story-type dungeon?"
"With anti-kaeyi equipment, the guild's pushing ahead. You called it mass-produced, but the performance is solid—progress is smooth."
Park Cheolwoo gave a brief rundown. Exploring an uncharted dungeon was as grueling as it got, but being able to counter kaeyi seemed to lower the difficulty.
"Found this in the ghost story-type dungeon. Appraisal said it's a rare metal, so I thought of you and brought it."
Seojun took the proffered sack and opened it. Inside were fist-sized lumps of metal, heavy with a dark sheen. Their surfaces bore irregular wave patterns.
"They called it ox gold. From old legends—stubborn and steadfast like an ox, or something."
Seojun emptied the sack and picked up a lump. A solid weight transmitted to his hand—easily three or four times that of regular steel. More importantly, it had impressive toughness relative to its density.
This could work... Heavy enough not to feel light, and its inherent toughness promised excellent shock absorption.
"Perfect timing—I was looking for something like this. Thanks."
"No, no. Our performance is up thanks to you, and you made the custom gear. Glad I could repay the favor."
"Any chance... you could get more?"
"As much as you need."
Park Cheolwoo gladly agreed, collected the custom gear, and left. Seojun pulled down the shutter, even in broad daylight. He needed a proper hammer before real work could begin.
He lit the furnace and tossed in the ox gold. He cranked the mechanical bellows to raise the temperature.
Whoosh. Flames roared fiercely. But after thirty minutes, the ox gold showed no sign of reddening. Its dark surface only deepened.
Not enough heat? Seojun fired up the magic stone-powered mechanical furnace—a device converting high-density mana into heat. The ambient temperature spiked. The forge turned into a sauna.
Only then did the ox gold slowly redden. But that was it. Nowhere near hot enough for forging—just surface heating.
"What kind of metal is this..." Absurdity sparked defiance. He ramped up the output, but it fell short. The refractory brick furnace itself was hitting its limit.
Not a temperature issue? For some reason, the ox gold shed heat rapidly. Even trapping it wasn't enough to reach forging temps.
From a ghost story-type dungeon, after all... Seojun's gaze drifted to the storeroom. In the corner, sealed away: the dokkaebi fire. Its yokai flames might do it.
But hesitation followed the thought. Vivid memory of nearly being consumed last time handling yokai flames. And Doyokshini's warning lingered.
She said to avoid kaeyi transformation for a while. Dokkaebi fire, born of kaeyi, reacted only to kaeyi energy. Without transformation, no dice—but now, partially kaeyi himself, it was different.
If I'm careful... it might work. He couldn't block the energy leaking from within, but he could wield it. No transformation needed to handle dokkaebi fire.
Mind tugged, but...
I need a hammer now. No hammer meant no work—like bound hand and foot. Kaeyi clients could show any time.
"Let's do it." Seojun decided after agonizing.
He fetched the dokkaebi fire from the storeroom and placed it in the furnace. Cautiously wielding his energy, he awakened it.
Fwoosh—Blue yokai flames reignited, as if returning home. Playing with the energy merged it seamlessly.
Whoosh—! Soon, violet yokai flames blazed.
Extreme tension, bracing for mental whispers or urges—but nothing happened.
"Ah...?" He finally grasped what Haran meant before leaving. The kaeyi within him was dormant.
Relief loosened him, revealing what he'd missed.
"Ah..." The dokkaebi fire was kaeyi, yet not. Pure dokkaebi, like beholding an innocent one. A singular, living being.
"Sorry." Words slipped out, though it couldn't understand. An impulse from the other side, yet his action—so he apologized. Hoping intent conveyed.
"Please."
Seojun tonged an ox gold lump into the yokai flames.
Ssshhh. Unfazed by the magic furnace, it heated instantly. Black surface turned red, then bright yellow. Kaeyi-forged with kaeyi fire.
He moved the glowing ox gold to the anvil and grabbed his temporary steel hammer.
Claaang—! It deformed like soft clay. Despite uncontrolled full force, the ox gold endured toughly, no cracks.
Claaang—! He found rhythm, hammering on. Stretching, folding, purging impurities.
Claaang—! Normally, borax aided folding, but wary of mishaps, he hammered laboriously sans it.
Taaang—! Clear rings echoed as time passed. He grew accustomed to wielding greater power.
Taaang—! Sweat poured, yet no fatigue after near half-day forging. Stamina intact.
Taaang—! Reheat in violet flames when cooling, forge on.
The hammer head took shape. Forge hammers varied, but blunt front, drawbar back—versatile.
Key: one-piece from head to handle. Typically flaw-ridden, but ox gold offset them. Its weight? Exactly desired.
Taaang—! He elongated one end for the handle. Gripped comfortably, knurled top for no-slip.
Finally, balanced. Weight forward, but handle harmony—meticulously refined.
Form perfect, he quenched in boiling oil for gradual hardening.
Tsss! Oil vaporized from excessive heat. Flames erupted—perilous, but unflinching.
Quenched, he hand-polished with grindstone. Wrapped handle in Cheongu leather scraps for grip variety and security.
"Hoo..." Seojun exhaled, work done. The black one-piece hammer contrasted blue leather.
"Let's see..." Before sweat dried, he hefted it. Even mana-enhanced hunter blacksmiths would balk at the weight—wrist-shattering, fatigue-inducing for forging.
"Just right." For Seojun, perfect. Like his pre-transcendence hammer.
"Test target." Scanning, eyes hit display rack failure piece—hung for lessons, reminder.
"This'll do." Heated it in violet yokai flames. It glowed fast.
Placed on anvil, raised hammer.
Taaaang! Full swing boomed like thunder. Failure piece compressed like pressed.
Odd thrill, but...
"Oh, damn..." Anvil failed to absorb shock—dented. Base cracked.
Real work meant upgrading facilities too.
"Gonna cost a fortune."