Kaeyi-ization
Several days had passed since the kaeyi-ization. The launch of Goryeo Workshop's anti-kaeyi equipment had sent shockwaves through the hunter industry. The low prices and near-unlimited supply were irresistibly appealing. Hunters flocked to Goryeo Workshop in droves, leaving Seojun's forge unusually quiet.
But Seojun didn't waver. He simply kept hammering away at his anvil, steadfast in his place.
Then one afternoon, the forge door burst open roughly. Three or four hunters barged in. Their faces were uniformly pale, dark circles hollowed under their eyes, pupils jittering with unease. They looked like they hadn't slept a wink in days.
"Boss! You got any anti-kaeyi gear?" the lead hunter demanded breathlessly. His hands trembled faintly.
"I've got some. But what's with the faces? You all look like hell."
Seojun's concerned question drew grimaces from the group.
"Bought some from Goryeo Workshop and it's been a nightmare."
"Nighttime sleep paralysis is the least of it—now I'm hearing voices all the time. This scraping metal sound right in my ears... it's driving me insane."
"And in the dungeon, we ran into some kaeyi. It took damage, sure... but they got even more riled up and charged us. Lost a buddy's arm in the process."
The hunters unleashed a torrent of complaints about Goryeo Workshop's products. It wasn't just subpar performance. The gear was actively harming its users.
Seojun sensed something off, furrowing his brow.
Too fast.
Goryeo Workshop had only released their products a little over a week ago. For such severe side effects to emerge this quickly was no ordinary matter. Regular kaeyi byproducts or contaminated materials couldn't cause harm on this scale. At worst, maybe mild headaches or nightmares for the weak-willed.
Hallucinations and kaeyi going berserk? There was only one cause.
They used kaeyi itself?
A chilling hypothesis flashed through Seojun's mind. To mimic yojeol properties, Goryeo Workshop might have chosen the surest, most dangerous method: grinding up captured kaeyi whole for alloys, or melting down their corpses directly.
Otherwise, the gear's emanating energy couldn't backlash on users like this.
"Here you go. This stuff's safe—use it without worry."
Seojun sold them mass-produced gear. The hunters snatched it up like it was from their savior, thanking him profusely.
Even after they left, Seojun's expression remained dark. What Goryeo Workshop had done went beyond peddling cheap junk. They'd violated a kaeyi taboo: weaponizing kaeyi essence and letting it spiral out of control.
The price would be harsher than anyone imagined.
The next morning, a piercing siren shredded the city's silence.
Weee-oooong—!
Weee-oooong—!
This wasn't some routine fire alarm. Seojun's smartphone buzzed and chimed urgently.
Ministry of the Interior and Safety:
As of 09:00 today, a Kaeyi Alert has been issued for the Guro District area in Seoul. Nearby residents and hunters are urged to evacuate immediately.
An unidentified kaeyi phenomenon is spreading centered on the Goryeo Workshop headquarters.
Seojun switched on the news. The screen showed utter chaos. A dark crimson haze billowed around the Goryeo Workshop building. Grotesque shapes flickered within the mist. Every window in the structure was shattered, crimson light flashing from inside.
The reporter, helmeted, shouted frantically.
"Goryeo Workshop HQ is completely isolated right now! Contact with internal staff has been lost, and police forces attempting entry have retreated after sustaining injuries! Eyewitnesses report unbelievable phenomena—like factory equipment coming alive or molten metal engulfing people!"
Kaeyi-ization. A phenomenon where real space falls under kaeyi tale laws, transforming into an otherworldly realm.
Thousands of defective gear from Goryeo Workshop. The kaeyi essence within them erupting all at once, turning the workshop itself into a massive kaeyi tale.
The government and Hunter Association were on high alert. This wasn't a monster extermination op. Kaeyi tales often resisted physical force, and worse—countless civilians were trapped inside. Especially the blacksmiths who'd made the gear. They were likely assimilating into the kaeyi tale as "residents" already.
Rescuing them while destroying the core? Worst-case difficulty.
The Association mobilized A-rank hunters for strategy meetings. But no guilds stepped up eagerly. Kaeyi-type dungeons were hunters' number one nightmare. No intel, no reliable clearing strateg, diving in blind could mean certain death.
Time slipped away relentlessly. The haze intensified its distortion, corroding surrounding buildings.
Seojun watched it all from his forge. He'd been preparing ahead of time. On his workbench lay items made for just such an emergency.
Guess I'll have to use them after all.
Seojun pulled out his phone and called Park Cheolwoo. It barely rang before the answer came.
Park Cheolwoo's voice was urgent.
"Boss! You see the news? Those Goryeo Workshop bastards finally caused an accident!"
"Yeah, watching it now."
"The Association's asking guilds who've cleared kaeyi-type dungeons for support, but everyone's just watching and waiting. We're debating too. Honestly, no confidence. Kaeyi tales have too many variables..."
Seojun paused before asking,
"Guild Master Park Cheolwoo."
"Yes?"
"Ever thought about... becoming a great kaeyi guild?"
"...Pardon?"
A guild specializing in kaeyi raiding. An unprecedented concept. Even guilds that cleared kaeyi dungeons before had lucked out.
"...We don't have any spirit-type hunters in our guild."
"That's why it's perfect. The intuitively gifted get hypersensitive around kaeyi stuff—easy prey for mental corruption."
"What exactly are you planning..."
It meant reaching the pinnacle of the hunter world—but also treading the most perilous path.
"There's a way to resolve the kaeyi-ization at Goryeo Workshop."
Seojun's voice brimmed with conviction. Pride in his craft, and as a monster blacksmith.
"...Any other issues?"
"I'll mass-produce custom gear. Weak-willed folks won't handle it, though."
"No worries then. We'll go with it—trusting you, boss. And the gear you make."
Seojun eyed the reinforced yojeol alloy ingots stacked on his workbench. Alloys laced with egg ghost shells. He'd planned to make custom gear only for those who could handle it after rigorous vetting—but watching the Goryeo kaeyi-ization changed his mind.
"I'll start production now, so have your guild members handle their custom gear and sort them. If it doesn't suit their constitution, they'll get chills or cold sweats."
"Got it."
No need for caution amid this crisis. Not out of heroism or glory-seeking. Just a chance to glean clues on kaeyi-ization.
If I can access the Daegwallyeong kaeyi tale too...
No need for miracles. Even if his family were kaeyi residents, as long as they lived, he could save them.
I just need the leads.
That's why he'd push Silver Lining Guild to the forefront. Make it look impossible without them—to avoid flipping guest and host.
"Would be nice if some sturdy kaeyi clients showed up too."
Shaking off the thought, Seojun got to work. Mass-producing reinforced yojeol gear was a whole different beast.
"This should do."
His workbench held hand-drawn blueprints. Modern designs would just complicate processes—impossible for a single forge to mass-produce.
"Not like I'm wearing it anyway."
So he went with brigandine armor and a dangpa (trident spear). Simple structure, easy to mass-produce, highly versatile.
"Time to get started."
Full-scale production needed prep: prototypes, wooden molds for casting, machining tools for finished products. He half-lowered the shutter and dove in.