The Reflected Rival
The man reflected beyond the mirror—the competitor—wore a wide-brimmed bamboo hat, his hemp robes frayed at the hem, yet his face was impeccably clean. At a glance, he seemed like an ordinary traveler kaeyi. But Seojun's instincts prickled with unease. It lacked the clear, distinct aura typical of most kaeyi.
[Surely even the blacksmith master would love this.] The man's thought clung stickily to Seojun's ear. Seojun paused his work and looked up.
"What can I do for you?"
[On my way here, I picked up this incredibly mysterious chunk of metal. I wanted to show it to the blacksmith, but it was so heavy I had to leave it in the alley out front.] The man gestured innocently, as if wronged. [I can't lift it alone, so would you mind coming out to help just for a moment? A blacksmith like you must have the strength to handle iron.]
Under normal circumstances, Seojun might have gone without a second thought. But his feet felt glued to the floor. A warning alarm blared in his chest.
"Sorry, but I'm in the middle of work and can't step away right now."
Seojun's polite refusal made the man's eyebrows twitch. [Work? You're not doing anything right now. It'd only take a second—can't you manage that much?]
"I still have some tidying up to do. If you really need something for that item, come back another time."
[Hah, you're awfully picky. It's a real treasure, I tell you. You'd be shocked when you see it. I brought it especially for the blacksmith, and you're treating me like this?] Impatience crept into the man's voice. His eyes kept darting toward the forge entrance. The alley outside lay shrouded in thick darkness. Who knew what lurked there. But one thing was certain: the moment Seojun stepped out, something irreversible would happen.
"I'll take your word for it. Please head back."
Seojun's tone was firm. The man's face twisted. The once-innocent features warped, revealing his true nature. Beneath the hat, bloodshot eyes gleamed.
[You stupid bastard... I was gonna let you walk out nice and easy!]
The aura pouring from the man shifted violently. His neat hemp robes turned in an instant to blood-soaked rags. Flesh hung in shreds as if mauled by a beast, black worms crawling over exposed bone.
A chang-gwi...?
The stranger was no mere traveler kaeyi. He was a vengeful spirit, killed by a tiger and bound as its servant. Devoid of his own will, he was nothing but bait to lure in prey on his master's command. Which meant his master was...
[I was gonna let you come out on your own two feet.]
The chang-gwi grinned, splitting its mouth wide. Dark red blood dripped between yellowed teeth. It tried to step into the forge. But it halted at the sight of the sign hanging over the entrance. Even as an uninvited guest, it seemed affected by the rules' premise—yet more than that, it stared piercingly at the crude nail driven through the sign.
[That damn unlucky fool's handiwork. Birds of a feather, huh?]
Gnashing its teeth, the chang-gwi backed away. Its retreating figure into the darkness was pathetic—blood dripping, bones crunching as it vanished into the alley.
Krrrr...
No sooner had the chang-gwi disappeared than a chilling howl echoed from beyond the alley. The air vibrated with a ferocious intensity, like it was boiling. No ordinary beast's cry—this was the roar of a monster bearing the stature of a mountain lord.
As Haran and Doyokshini warned...
The approaching kaeyi were far from ordinary. Their absence made the threat feel all the more bone-chilling. But cooler than fear was the stark realization.
This must be the world of kaeyi.
Seojun glanced at his damp palms—cold sweat. A bodily echo of ingrained terror.
"I need to prepare properly..."
Calming himself, he loosened his tension-stiffened body. As he pondered how to respond, he recalled the chang-gwi freezing at the crude nail in the sign.
Did Master Sintanjae know how to deal with kaeyi?
Trust nothing, the man had said. But with crises piling up, Seojun had no time to dwell. The words were so profound, their meaning eluded him anyway.
I wonder if I'll ever see him again.
His mind buzzed with thoughts. But thinking wouldn't change anything, so he shook them off.
"First things first."
The weather felt off, so he rolled down the shutter. Some kaeyi could navigate obstacles effortlessly, but at least those defying the rules couldn't barge in carelessly.
"Maybe stock up on about 200 sets..."
He dove into work, heat rising in the forge.
The next morning, Seojun opened the forge earlier than usual. He'd prepared 100 sets of mass-produced anti-kaeyi equipment. He'd make more based on sales trends.
Was it all a dream...?
But things weren't as expected. Past opening time, customers were scarce. No throng like yesterday—barely a trickle even now.
"That's weird..."
Seojun stared out like a stone statue. Then a familiar face appeared. The hunter who'd bought the first mass-produced set yesterday. He shuffled in hesitantly.
"Welcome. Trouble with the gear?"
"No, no! It's top-notch. Even scored some kills in a ghost story dungeon thanks to it."
"Then what's up?"
The hunter hesitated before speaking. "...Actually, about the gear I bought yesterday. On the way back, some guys offered to buy it. Doubled the price, so I sold."
"Doubled?"
"Yeah. But now I'm heading to another ghost story dungeon and don't have it... Thought maybe I could buy another?"
Seojun frowned. This wasn't casual resale—smelled like organized hoarding.
"Know who they were?"
"No business cards, but their clothes had a 'Goryeo Workshop' logo."
Goryeo Workshop, Korea's largest forge operation. Hundreds of blacksmiths churning out gear factory-style. They held over 30% of the national hunter equipment market—a behemoth.
"And... check this out."
The hunter held out his smartphone. A hunter community board.
They copied it. Seojun let out a hollow chuckle. Swift move, corporate-style. Dissect the bought item, spit out replicas. With their tech and capital, child's play.
"So I checked theirs out too,"
the hunter continued, face twisting. "No good. Looks similar, but balance is off, no impact feel. Above all, didn't seem like it'd work on kaeyi. Nothing beats your stuff, boss—that's why I'm back."
This customer had sharp spiritual senses. The irregular alloy came from dokkaebi scrap, steeped in yin energy. Worlds apart from ordinary kaeyi materials.
"Good call coming back. Plenty in stock."
Seojun sold him a fresh set. A few more hunters trickled in after. Mostly disappointed returnees from Goryeo Workshop. Feeling guilty, they trashed the rivals' marketing while snapping up Seojun's gear.
*****
Late afternoon. Silver Lining Guild members burst in. Park Cheolwoo's face flushed red.
"Boss! You hear? Those Goryeo Workshop bastards...!"
"Yeah, I know."
"Straight-up plagiarism! We should sue for patents, right? Our guild's legal team can back you—let's file now!"
Lee Sujin couldn't hide her agitation. "Exactly. We tested and proved it works, so they're just riding coattails. No business ethics."
"Want me to go smash the place?"
Han Yura toyed with her rapier hilt. Seojun calmed the fired-up group.
"It's fine. Knockoffs like that won't last. People will figure it out once they try."
His voice held genuine confidence, not arrogance. He knew better than anyone: kaeyi materials weren't to be handled lightly. They'd likely used some shady kaeyi byproduct.
"If anything, I'm worried for them."
"Worried?"
"Messing with kaeyi stuff can be dangerous."
"Ah..."
Handling kaeyi essence was a double-edged sword. If it was just faint aura infusion, fine. But direct contact with potent kaeyi elements? Disaster waiting.
Not my problem, though. If they'd asked nicely, he'd have shared warnings. But every action had consequences—karma's wheel turned.