Chapter 77: A Letter from the Martial World
Cheol Mu Geuk's day usually began at the hour of the rabbit, around five in the morning. His routine started before the sun even peeked over the horizon, and it was the same every single day.
After sipping the tea brought by the maidservant, he substituted meditation for circulating his qi and regulating his breath.
Once his body and mind were purified, he immediately hefted a large chest and headed to the forge reserved for the family head.
Lighting the furnace there marked the true beginning of his workday.
My end isn't far off.
Cheol Mu Geuk thought this as he worked the bellows.
As if mirroring his remaining lifespan, the flames in the furnace burned weakly. After igniting the initial fire, he opened the lid of the chest he'd brought.
Inside was a fist-sized lump of metal as black as pitch, embedded here and there with specks that gleamed gold, giving it a mystical aura.
Cloud Demon Iron.
Cloud Demon Iron.
A legendary metal treated as a treasure in its own right.
No other metal could scratch it, and once shaped, it was virtually indestructible—eternal in its solidity. It was even precious enough to serve as the core for powering treasure artifacts.
And moreover...
Only those who can work Cloud Demon Iron can become a Heavenly Grade blacksmith.
Heavenly Grade wasn't just the pinnacle of the craft. It meant crafting artifacts so powerful they could disrupt even the natural order of heaven and earth.
That qualification to name one's creations with the word "heavenly"—that was the essence of a Heavenly Grade blacksmith.
"Hoo..."
Cheol Mu Geuk took a deep breath and sat back down before the furnace, bringing his foot to the bellows once more.
Cloud Demon Iron never melted in an ordinary furnace flame. Regular iron would boil away in such heat, but that was the bare minimum.
The real issue was that the fire had to be pure flame. Not a trace of impurity—just perfectly clean combustion for the metal to respond.
To summon that pure blue flame, Cheol Mu Geuk performed the exact same routine every day. He cast aside all worldly distractions, approaching it with the solemn devotion of an ascetic monk.
"......"
That routine had been disrupted for the past week.
Today, as always, Cheol Mu Geuk glanced toward the corner of the forge.
For the last week, a single person had been sitting there.
Sado Hwan.
No matter how detached from the outside world a craftsman might be, he couldn't have been ignorant of him.
A prodigy who'd reached Super Peak by the age of twenty, then seized the family head's position. Not from some minor clan, but from one of the Six Demonic Families: the mighty Sado Family.
Rumors said he could crush hundreds of warriors with sheer presence alone.
...Indeed, the stories don't do him justice.
Cheol Mu Geuk had forged countless weapons over the years—enough to pile into a small mountain.
That experience let him gauge an opponent's level at a glance: which hand they favored, their movement habits, their strengths and weaknesses.
But with Sado Hwan? Nothing.
His body was perfectly balanced, like a sculpture carved by the heavens themselves. Was this what a heavenly martial body looked like, born solely for battle? Or perhaps like the inaugural Heavenly Demon, who fought endlessly for a month without tiring?
His martial arts were equally inscrutable. The Sado Family's signature Asura Twelve Forms were known for relentless, lightning-fast strikes. His body should show habits tuned to that style, yet there wasn't a trace.
His movements overflowed with superfluous ease, like someone utterly ignorant of martial arts. Of course, that couldn't be true. Witnesses to his prowess spread tales far and wide of his extraordinary skill.
...Has he transcended forms and techniques entirely? At that age?
How could he not pay attention?
He let the first day or two slide.
Plenty of fools had barged in before, demanding weapons as if leaving them in his care. Cheol Mu Geuk would shove them into the corner out of spite.
They'd start with curiosity—asking what this tool was for, what that process meant—without any real interest.
After about two hours, most fled the furnace heat. The forge blazed with white fire hot enough to melt metal—around 1,500 degrees Celsius—unbearable for ordinary folk.
Some circulated inner energy to endure longer. But even they lasted only a day or two. The Iron Family's forge wasn't ordinary; it was built for treasure artifacts, radiating extreme yang energy.
Prolonged energy circulation here risked internal injuries. That was why the family trained in extreme yang arts. Most fled before day three.
Fuhahaha!
As Cheol Mu Geuk pumped the bellows, he shot a sidelong glance at Sado Hwan.
So how the hell is that one holding out?
Sweat poured off him, cheeks flushed, breath steaming with heat. No one circulating energy or meditating would look like that.
Yet his expression was utterly relaxed. He even sipped tea leisurely while reading a book, as if it were routine.
Cheol Mu Geuk couldn't make out the title from the cover, but a family head like that was surely perusing something profound.
For an entire week.
From the moment Cheol Mu Geuk started pumping the bellows to when he extinguished the flames.
Even So Pyeong can't handle the Goe Mountain Furnace properly...
The family head's exclusive forge furnace, the Goe Mountain Furnace, burned fiercer than any other. Ordinary people couldn't endure it.
Cheol Mu Geuk wore his robes for a reason—they were a type of treasure artifact that blocked heat. Without them, even he, with his modest martial skill, couldn't manage it.
Yet here was Sado Hwan, having sent away his Super Peak guard, enduring alone.
Just what the hell are you?
Of course, Cheol Mu Geuk didn't say it aloud. Call it a craftsman's pointless pride. The problem was Sado Hwan matched it perfectly. Even when their eyes met by chance, neither spoke.
Another week passed like that.
"I yield."
Cheol Mu Geuk stopped the bellows and addressed Sado Hwan.
"Just what the hell are you?"
"Sado Hwan. Head of the Sado Family."
"...I thought you were some arrogant punk, but you know how to show respect."
"Consider it admiration for one who's attained a high realm."
"For admiration, your neck's awfully stiff."
"I'm head of the Sado Family. How could I lead it if I bowed my head?"
"Your tongue's slick as if greased."
Cheol Mu Geuk plopped down on the spot.
"So. What did you see?"
"See what?"
"I see my life in the flames."
Cheol Mu Geuk gazed wistfully at the furnace as he spoke.
"Flames hold a bewitching power over people. Some find salvation in them, others ruin. Flames are just like my own life."
He turned to Sado Hwan and posed the question.
"So, what did you see in the flames?"
At Cheol Mu Geuk's words, Sado Hwan's inscrutable eyes gleamed, and after a long pause, he replied.
"I've no intention of playing along with your nonsensical koan."
The curiosity in Cheol Mu Geuk's eyes vanished swiftly, replaced by thick disappointment.
Craftsmen and their damn sensitivity. As artistic as they were temperamental.
So I quickly added,
"What I saw wasn't the flames."
"What?"
"Exactly that."
I closed the Treatise on Attire I'd opened to read. In simple terms, it was a book on fashion in the martial world. Pa Cheon had snarked that no man should read such drivel, but he didn't know the half of it.
To think it even mentions the Heavenly Demon's robes.
It was packed with quality info. Tracing clothing history, it touched on treasure artifacts too. Gave me hints for what I needed.
Anyway, putting that aside.
Sensitive enough to disappoint easily meant easy to impress too.
Now for the killer line...
I put force into my gaze and said,
"What I saw wasn't anything like flames."
"Then what did you see?"
"A man."
I continued.
"The Divine Cult is a stage for blessed geniuses. Geniuses achieve results without effort. Impressive, yes—but not great."
"......"
"I saw a great human, one who burns even himself in challenge."
"You spout flattery so naturally. Do they teach sycophancy in Sado Family heir classes?"
Cheol Mu Geuk said that, but he couldn't hide the twitch at the corner of his mouth. I wasn't offended either. By seniority, he was like a grandfather to me.
His reaction confirmed my gambit had landed perfectly.
[You're no clown from your old life—you were a court flatterer for sure.]
YouTube's got plenty of that.
[More gibberish.]
Works like a charm.
In the real world—especially as an aspiring actor—interviews with so-called greats were surprisingly useful.
Even acclaimed geniuses often hated being reduced to effortless talent, preferring recognition for their grind.
I just tweaked a line from that insight.
Of course, I didn't expect one line to melt this stubborn old man's heart.
But cracks were forming in his iron walls. Unlike before, when he'd pointedly turned away, now his posture had opened slightly toward me.
[If sweet talk works... why go to such lengths? Just snag the seal and be done.]
If the young master could hand it over, sure. But this is Cheol Mu Geuk.
A Dragon Grade blacksmith was legendary enough, but this old man had achieved greatness beyond.
Who knew?
If my foreknowledge of the future resolved his heart demon, letting him reach Heavenly Grade? What could I gain from providing that chance?
Ultimately, it boosts our survival odds—you and me.
Cheol Mu Geuk's work stretched late into the night. To me, it looked like fussing with the fire—on, off, repeat.
"Too late. Go."
"I'll come tomorrow."
I stepped out of the forge. The chill night air cooled my overheated body.
As always, Sa Wol waited.
"Head back."
"Yes, Family Head. And..."
Sa Wol looked like she had something to say.
"What is it?"
"Items arrived from the safehouse in the martial world."
"Safehouse... you mean from Changbi Dan?"
"Yes."
Changbi Dan. Paeng So So's relic excavation team. They'd started full operations under my "sponsorship" in the central plains.
"But there's an issue with the shipment."
"An issue?"
Was Paeng So So turning into the greedy character from the original Murim Return storyline?
"The volume from the safehouse—it's two full carts' worth."
Like at Soyangsan, relics usually yielded just one or two treasures per site.
Two carts of treasure artifacts?
What the hell are you guys up to, Changbi Dan?
I quickened my pace.
Pretending to Be the Heavenly Demon