Chapter 20
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: The Republic of Korea Blacksmith Association Dissolves as of Today
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The voice of the news anchor on the TV screen was a full tone higher than usual, laced with an excitement rarely seen on public broadcast news.
"Breaking news. The Republic of Korea Blacksmith Association has officially declared its dissolution as of today. Former president Choi Myeong-seok and all executives have resigned, and over 2,000 artisans affiliated with the association have chosen to join Meister Lee Do-ha's System Forge. Experts are describing this incident as a historic turning point where the very foundation of Korea's hunter industry is being uprooted and transformed."
The screen showed the empty association building.
Once a towering symbol of authority that held sway over the life and death of hunters across Korea, it now stood desolate, like a tombstone eroded by wind and rain.
Raindrops streaming over the association logo seemed like nothing more than the tears of fallen vested interests. In stark contrast, the next scene revealed Lee Do-ha's forge in all its glory, resembling a holy pilgrimage site.
The roads near the forge had been gridlocked for ages.
An endless sea of people and special correspondents rushed in from countries around the world were capturing the spectacle. Hunters who had stopped in front of street billboards stood speechless before the chilling reality.
"The association's disbanded. No more getting weapons the old way."
"From now on, Lee Do-ha is the law. Just the combined ranks of those blacksmiths gathered there rival a major power's military industry. Game over."
Inside Lee Do-ha's office—a newly expanded space filled with the serene scent of mana—the air was calm.
Irmi, the Hunter Association's headquarters chief and one of Korea's top rankers, stood with formal poise, extending a thick stack of documents. Dark circles shadowed her eyes.
Memories flashed through her mind of the screams from the association's legal and support teams as they processed the overnight workload.
Transferring 2,000 artisans, securing housing for them and their families, freezing and reallocating assets—the convoluted legal processes had all been pulverized in a single night at Lee Do-ha's word.
Irmi could only wonder: Is this man a blacksmith... or the ruler of a nation?
"Meister, all the administrative processes you requested are complete. As of now, all equipment production and distribution infrastructure in Korea officially belongs to you."
Irmi no longer saw Lee Do-ha as a mere craftsman.
He was the architect reshaping an era, and as the association that had boarded this massive wave first, they could only afford him the respect he deserved.
"Thank you for your hard work, Irmi."
Irmi bowed deeply in response to Lee Do-ha's straightforward reply.
His gaze wasn't on the noisy crowds outside the window but fixed beyond the blue system window hovering in the air. Inside that window, thousands of mana waves swirled into a massive vortex, condensing.
"Irmi, I'm planning to scrap the existing physical delivery infrastructure."
"Scrap delivery? With orders flooding in from around the world, don't you need ships and air logistics? Even a System Forge can't ignore physical distances."
"No need to send anything. Wherever the system reaches, a shop will open."
[System Authority: Dimensional Transfer Payment Network Activated]
[Lee Do-ha Shop Officially Launched]
Lee Do-ha led Irmi into the expanded forge interior.
It looked like an ordinary five-story building from outside, but the moment the door opened...
A dimensional sub-space unfolded before them, mocking the limits of physical reality.
A golden ceiling stretched endlessly to the horizon, and beneath it, 2,000 forges blazed in unison.
The heat and hammer strikes from thousands of artisans swirled into a massive mana server.
"Space is no constraint here. This is the infinite forge permitted by the system."
Every time artisans finished hammering, completed gear floated up on its own, riding system currents to align along the vast warehouse walls—a miracle.
Tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of harnesses and weapons filled the golden walls, an overwhelming display of power in itself.
With a light flick of Lee Do-ha's finger on the system window, the payment system—ready to span the globe—appeared.
The moment Irmi picked up her prepared terminal, no lengthy explanations were needed. Lee Do-ha's system maximized user convenience.
Assets: All accounts and linked cards synchronized.
Security: Self-secured, immune to leaks or hacks.
Payment: No fingerprints or iris scans needed—pure 2-click system imprint payment.
Usage was dead simple: Select item, hit purchase confirm. Two actions sealed the deal.
[Payment completed.]
[Transfer delivery completed.]
In that instant, a blue mana vortex swirled at Irmi's feet, materializing a golden box stamped with Lee Do-ha's seal, dropping neatly—not tumbling.
One second: the end of logistics, the conquest of dimensions.
"But there are firm restrictions. No shop access inside gates or combat zones. Per safety protocols, pickups only at residences."
The shop was open to all, but not everyone could have it. Proxy buys or resales for scalping were blocked by system imprints.
Filtering: Purchasers hostile to creator Lee Do-ha or branded traitors denied.
At that moment, a wondrous phenomenon unfolded on the sub-space forge's warehouse walls.
The aligned tens of thousands of gear pieces shattered into light fragments, vanishing in real-time.
Every time hunters worldwide hit pay, physical items from the sub-space teleported atop buyers' heads.
In a rundown Noryangjin goshiwon, E-grade hunter Kim Cheol-soo summoned the system window with trembling hands.
For a year, he'd scraped every penny but couldn't snag a Lee Do-ha harness—rankers hoarded them, association smiths mocked his desperation.
"Please... let me buy one too..."
Click-click. Two touches. One second later...
Thud.
A heavy golden box landed on his rickety desk.
Kim Cheol-soo dazedly opened it. Inside gleamed the harness and purification gear he'd craved, emanating soft mana.
"Whoa!!!!!!"
The young man hugged the box, sobbing loud enough to shake the goshiwon.
He wasn't alone. Slums in America, forward bases in Europe, purification zones in Africa—rooms of countless low-rank hunters, who'd faced death for lack of connections despite money, now received their deliveries.
As the sub-space forge's stock vanished, global hunter survival rates skyrocketed.
Yo, is Lee Do-ha Shop's payment speed for real? Straight-up 1-second delivery
Just bought a socket harness from bed, card linked. Two clicks and boom—box in the living room lololol No shipping fee, no wait. Is this really human-made?
Lmao I just got mine. Quality is insane for real.
Live in a goshiwon and my harness just dropped on the desk. Couldn't get one for a year—tears fr.
Scalpers are ruined lol System imprint blocks transfers. This is true fair distribution.
Hey, shop won't connect inside gates. Tried buying potions—says not a safe zone.
Obviously. Dungeons are another dimension—safety rules say prep at home.
Was under the Blacksmith Association president—shop menu won't load... Because of the brand?
You're a traitor lol Never touch Lee Do-ha gear again. GG.
Lee Do-ha replaced logistics with the system. This is beyond monopoly—world domination.
The fruits of thousands of artisan disciples flowed through the system's vast veins to every corner of the globe.
The vibrations from thousands of hammers resonated from Lee Do-ha's fingertips as one grand symphony.
The outdated shell of the Republic of Korea Blacksmith Association had vanished without a trace. Now, a single immense heart—Lee Do-ha—pulsed life into hunters' gear worldwide.
Transaction logs flooded his personal asset window in real-time: hundreds of millions per second, billions, tens of trillions—the numbers soared beyond human comprehension.
"Alright, supply issues are solved."
A chill gleamed in Lee Do-ha's eyes.
Even with the shop open, red dots marked those still gnashing their teeth in the shadows on the system map.
They were doomed to obsolescence, never even glancing at his creations.
"Shall we hunt down the rebels?"
His finger lightly tapped the darkest red dot.
A firm declaration of dominion—and the dawn of a new war.