Kappa's Desperate Plea and the Vampire's Coffin
Several days had passed since the successive visits from the kaeyi. On the surface, the forge looked no different from usual. The hum of the automatic bellows, the clear ring of hammer on steel, the smell of burning oil. And Seojun kept hammering away without pause. Clang! Tang! He was sharpening the blade of a mass-produced longsword commissioned by a D-rank hunter. In the old days, he would have checked the blade's angle by eye and tested its edge with his thumbnail. But now, there was no need.
I can feel it.
The instant the hammer tip touched the steel, the metal's density flowed up through his palms. Where it was soft, where it was hard, where the heat treatment was uneven—it all mapped out in his mind like data. It was a change that came with his Monster Affinity rising to 1%. Just 1%, but his senses had sharpened. Thanks to that, he honed the edge more precisely than ever.
He had just finished the work and was about to refine it on the whetstone when—squelch, squelch. Watery footsteps echoed from outside. It was a clear day with no rain. Yet a sticky, sodden noise—like mopping the floor with a soaked rag—drew closer to the forge. At the same time, a fishy, briny stench stung his nostrils.
Another one.
Seojun calmly turned toward the entrance. There stood a kaeyi the size of a child. Green skin, turtle-like shell, protruding bird beak for a mouth, and a dish embedded in its head.
A Kappa?
[M-Master...]
The Kappa staggered toward the workbench. Water dripped from its body, soaking the floor. [My head... it's drying out... I can't... huff, huff.] Water leaked steadily from cracks in the broken dish on its head. Its life force was visibly draining away.
The Kappa trembled in agony as it held out the shattered dish fragments. [Fix... it. So the water... doesn't leak...]
Seojun examined the Kappa's head. The dish wasn't just perched there—it was fused with its skull, part of its body. Ordinary pottery repair wouldn't cut it.
Glue alone won't do. I need something to fill the gaps and fuse with the bone.
His mind raced. Then he remembered the metal box on the warehouse shelf.
The Egg Ghost's gift.
The kaeyi egg had steel-like strength and excellent fusion with living tissue.
"I'll fix it right up."
Seojun moved without hesitation. First, remove foreign matter from the break. He grabbed large tweezers and picked out the scattered shards.
[Gaaah!]
The Kappa screamed, but Seojun ignored it and kept working. Once the fragments were cleared, the dish's original shape became clear. He ducked into the warehouse and fetched the kaeyi egg.
Vrrr— The grinder neatly bisected the egg. Then, by eye, he sketched a rough outline on the eggshell.
Vrrr— The grinder followed the lines, cutting the shell to shape.
[I... I can see the gate...]
The Kappa gasped and crawled across the floor. Seojun quickly fetched the jelly and the cut eggshell pieces. He coated the eggshell in jelly and fitted it to the Kappa's broken dish like puzzle pieces.
[Oh... ooh...]
The Kappa's breathing steadied in an instant. Letting the jelly set would take time, but with its life on the line, he tried something new. He placed his hand on the Kappa's crown—its dish—and channeled mana.
Hummm— The eggshell fragments and jelly reacted. With a faint vibration, the white dough began fusing with the Kappa's skull bone. The tissue grew together like regenerating bone, merging into one.
[Ah... aah...]
The Kappa's breaths grew calm. The life returned to its dulled eyes. It looked a bit off-kilter, but [The dish... is my existence.] The Kappa recovered swiftly.
Seojun finally lifted his hand. No trace of the break remained—the dish was smooth, as if it had always been whole.
Should be fine... right?
He wondered if kaeyi materials might reject each other. But what was done was done.
"Want some clean water?"
The Kappa took the water in trembling hands and poured it into its head dish. Glug, glug. As it filled, a sheen returned to its green skin. Vitality sparked in its hazy eyes.
[I... I think I'll live... Thank you, Master!]
The Kappa bowed repeatedly in gratitude. It rummaged in a small pouch at its waist. [This... my treasure.]
It offered a single wet scale, emerald-green and shimmering, the size of an adult palm. [Scale of the river lord. Lets me breathe underwater.]
Seojun took it. Cold, smooth texture. An A-rank material for crafting underwater breathing gear.
[If it breaks again, I'll come back!]
The Kappa bounded out of the forge energetically. If it breaks again, isn't that a problem?
"It's a kaeyi. It'll figure it out."
Seojun shook his head and mopped the wet floor. The fishy smell lingered. He cranked the ventilator and sprayed deodorizer to kill it.
"Anyway..."
He was about to check for changes in his Monster Affinity when—knock, knock. A polite knock sounded.
Looking over, he saw an unfamiliar guest. No, an unfamiliar kaeyi. The door was open, yet the man stood frozen at the threshold.
Black suit, red tie, skin so pale it was nearly translucent, red eyes glinting behind sunglasses. He stood like a man blocked by an invisible wall and spoke.
"May I enter?"
A constraint: unable to enter another's space without permission. The identity of this successive kaeyi visitor was a Vampire.
"Come in."
At Seojun's permission, the Vampire smiled and crossed the threshold. Click. Dress shoes echoed through the forge. A gentlemanly bow and greeting followed.
"I've heard the rumors. A blacksmith who serves kaeyi customers."
The Vampire removed his sunglasses, tucking them away. Blood-red eyes fixed on Seojun. No hostility, but their innate pressure prickled his skin.
"It just sort of happened that way."
Seojun masked his tension and asked businesslike, "I need a house."
"A house?"
"More precisely... let's call it a portable bedroom."
The Vampire checked an antique pocket watch and continued. "Hunters' activity ranges have expanded lately, so I must relocate often. Carrying dirt everywhere is a hassle, and store-bought coffins are so... rustic and flimsy."
The Vampire placed a hand on the workbench. White fingers tapped the wood. Tap, tap.
"I want one that perfectly blocks sunlight, safe from external shocks, comfortable for daytime sleep. Modern design, simple."
Seojun stroked his chin. A coffin in name, but it demanded armored vehicle-level protection and perfect sealing.
"Metal construction, then."
"Yes. Wood molds."
Seojun headed to the warehouse. Heavy materials this time.
Ordinary steel should suffice.
He hauled out materials, plus insulation and shock absorption for the interior. Thud. Heavy steel plates hit the workbench.
"Dimensions?"
"A bit spacious, if you would."
Seojun gauged by eye, no tape needed. Vrrr— The grinder whirred. Sparks flew as steel sheared.
Chiiiik, chijik. With a welding mask, he fused the cut panels. Perfect light blockade—no gaps allowed.
Plain materials demand perfection.
Outer frame of steel plate, inner lined with soft velvet and soundproofing, vacuum layer between for insulation and noise. Performance was solid, but aesthetics lacked.
Clang! Clang! He hammered the corners round. Not a typical box—sleek, aerodynamic. Heating the metal would have been easier, but raw forging took brute force.
Thanks to Monster Affinity?
Clang—! Astonishingly, one strike dented the metal deeply. He struggled to control his strength but adapted quickly, shaping the steel coffin.
"Is that it?"
The Vampire sounded disappointed. Even sleek, the plain steel was bland.
"No."
Seojun reluctantly fetched the Shadow Thread from Net Bag Grandpa. He cut a length, ground it to powder in a mortar. Infused with mana, he dusted it over the coffin.
The shadow powder eroded the surface, turning it jet black.
Perfect...?
A vague unease hit Seojun as he watched. Specifically, discomfort with kaeyi byproducts. He'd never handled them much, yet the know-how was ingrained.
Am I... really okay?
"Perfect!"
The Vampire's praise banished the doubt. Seojun second-guessed his own suspicion. This is natural.
"Truly beautiful."
The Vampire lavished praise on the sleek black coffin. He opened the lid, climbed in.
"This will cure my insomnia. Like floating in my mother's womb—pure peace."
The Vampire emerged, brushed his suit, and offered a ring inset with a red gem from his inner pocket.
"Ring stamped with a high noble's seal."
"High noble...?"
"Myself, naturally. It ensures riffraff vampires and lesser kaeyi won't bother your forge."
The Vampire shouldered the coffin—odd sight, but unconcerned.
"I'll visit again. Stay safe."
A blink, and he was gone.
Finally, silence returned to the forge. Seojun slumped into a chair unbidden.
Kaeyi are kaeyi, after all.
Unlike dealing with ordinary hunters, the tension and alien sensations left him exhausted. His mental stamina drained. He collapsed on the floor, eyelids heavy.
Monster Affinity: 1% → 5%
As sleep claimed him, the kaeyi system message glowed red. Subtle changes began stirring in Seojun—and from some point, a three-legged crow stared piercingly through the forge walls. Under an unnaturally red moon.