The Blacksmith's Road

I had successfully forged the mana circuits.

Riding that momentum, I tried out Bone Metallurgy. The result:

A clean, spectacular failure.

"What."

Look at these requirements. Why were the conditions so ridiculously strict?

【This has become troublesome. There is nothing in your workshop, Sir.】

"I can just find somewhere else."

【Do you know how to handle metallurgy as well?】

"No. I'll have to learn from now on."

【You show not the slightest concern even when challenging an entirely new field.】

"Why? It's fun."

A hybrid class combining Necromancer and Blacksmith. The moment its true worth would shine had finally arrived after five long years. I never expected to be swinging a hammer in a workshop, but after stagnating for so long, I finally had a direction to move forward. Motivation surged through me like a spring.

【I believe I have met a fine new lord.】

"What did you say?"

【Nothing at all.】

Had I burned a little too hot with enthusiasm? I had completely missed Sir Isra's thoughts. Surely she hadn't been badmouthing me.

"Then let's go right away."

Strike while the iron is hot, as they say. I had passed the promotion exam after six years. I ought to taste each of the new skills at least once.

【And what of this workshop?】

"It's time to send it back."

Engraving mana circuits into bone, muscle, or flesh, and then performing metallurgy on top of that— I needed a far wider space. Try installing a forge in the basement of a private home and see how long the landlord stays quiet.

"I'll have to set up a proper workshop."

【You make rather bold decisions.】

"That's one of my strengths."

Thanks to the money I had received from the Hwarang rookies, my war chest was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠more than full. Good thing the deposit had cleared that morning. I stuffed the extra tools into my bag and stepped outside.

The Blacksmith's Road.

An artisan street located in Sindang-dong. Until the Great Cataclysm, it had been a place where traditional blacksmiths barely kept their craft alive. Now it had become a thoroughfare for repairing hunter equipment.

Clang! Claaang!

As I walked, the rhythmic sound of iron being struck rang out from both sides of the street.

【There are many artisans here.】

"They say it used to be quiet."

Ordinary tools could never keep pace with machines. Quality aside, once you compared labor costs against electricity bills, machines won by a landslide.

【Preposterous! How could a machine possibly surpass an artisan?】

"A high-minded knight like yourself wouldn't know, but in this world that's simply common sense."

For simple work, humans could never beat machines. Hunter gear, however, had to hold mana, which meant handcrafting was absolutely necessary— so the artisans had found their place again.

【Then why have you come here?】

"Blacksmith experience."

The Blacksmith's Road was not only workshops. Before the towers appeared, blacksmithing had been a dying trade. To preserve the tradition and promote it, they had built experience halls and exhibition spaces for children. In other words, it had been a kind of tourist complex. Once the towers rose and the street came back to life, the old traces still remained.

【I can scarcely believe it. That a sacred place which forges a knight's weapons has been reduced to a mere sightseeing attraction…】

A tongue-clicking sound lodged itself in my mind. Being dead, she had no saliva, yet she somehow managed to produce the noise. Keeping that thought to myself, I walked the heat-shimmering street all the way to the inner area. One empty workshop prepared for experience sessions caught my eye.

The person in charge of the experience workshop greeted me with a thoroughly listless expression.

"Welcome."

"Is an empty workshop available?"

"Is this for the experience course, or a rental?"

Even though the Blacksmith's Road had regained its vitality after the Great Cataclysm, abandoning the tourist facilities they had already built felt wasteful. That was how the dual system of experience and rental courses had been born.

Why the huge price gap? The experience course was just a supervised taste under a worker dispatched from a forge. The rental course meant borrowing an entire empty forge for yourself.

"I'll take the rental."

"You can use it for four hours. Do you need any help?"

"I'll let you know if I do."

"Yeees."

The employee answered in a tone dripping with reluctance and casually stepped back.

Empty space tore open left and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠right, and an undead figure abruptly stepped through.

"Uh— uh, uhhh?"

"She's my summon, so don't be startled."

I hadn't meant to scare anyone. My apologies.

Sir Isra looked around, then let out a thoughtful hum.

【The new workshop is quite clean.】

Don't criticize it so openly. In any case, the conditions for Bone Metallurgy were now satisfied. Time to begin.

A gentle ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠force, as if the wind itself were pushing me from behind, moved my arms and legs. It was an external power I could have shaken off if I resisted. Knowing it was skill assistance, I simply surrendered to the flow.

① Heating the Bone

Apply heat to a bone that contains mana. I ground an E-rank mana stone, coated the long bone with the blue powder, and placed it into the forge. After waiting roughly an hour, I drew out the bone, now glowing cherry-red.

② Cutting

Cut the bone to the necessary length.

③ Hammering

Strike the heated bone with a hammer to flatten it or shape it as desired.

Clang! Claaang!

I gripped the hammer provided by the forge and pounded dozens of times. With every blow the bone's internal structure shifted little by little.

④ Quenching

Plunge the heated metal into water or oil to cool it. The bone was still stained a vivid scarlet.

Sizzle!

The moment I thrust it into the oil-filled tub, it boiled furiously and flames leapt upward. After several repetitions the color faded, returning to the bone's original hue.

⑤ Tempering the Edge

Apply heat to the edge, then bend or refine it until sharp. Once more I heated the bone in the forge and hammered it, forging the blade.

The moment the alien control over my body vanished—

"Huff… hah…"

A crushing wave of fatigue slammed into me. Both arms trembled. Steam rose from clothes soaked through with sweat.

Aigoo… That system really is trying to kill me.

I exhaled roughly and laid a hand on the bone knife.

Sir Isra approached, lightly took the knife, and gave it a swing.

"How is it?"

【Trash. The balance is off and the edge is dull.】

Brutal and without mercy.

"What are you going to do if the sword I make for you turns out even more useless?"

【H-hm. Looking at it again, it seems… passable enough.】

She belatedly swung the knife with exaggerated gusto and laughed boldly. Yes, yes. I understand your true feelings perfectly well, Sir.

【Will a single experience suffice?】

"I have to try somehow."

【Requesting aid from that artisan yonder might also be a method.】

Sir Isra pointed at the part-timer. I shook my head.

"I think I can manage without help."

The sensation of my body being guided by the system still lingered in my fingers and arms. On top of that, there was a benefit the system itself had not accounted for: Spirit Eye.

If I reflected what I had "seen" while hammering into the work itself, a better result ought to emerge. That hunch made my hands itch. Eager to swing the hammer again right away, I pulled out another spare bone.

"How much time is left?"

"One hour."

"Then I'll extend once."

"Yeees."

Six hundred thousand won vanished, yet I felt no regret. If I could make this sensation fully my own, it would be pure profit. Recalling the guided feeling, I slowly began grinding the remaining E-rank mana stones.

"Yaaawn."

Nam Jinwoo, the daily supervisor of the experience workshop, let out a small yawn. The artisans who ran shops on the Blacksmith's Road took turns managing the experience hall on rotation. Originally the purpose had been to assign daily duty so the blacksmiths could receive support funds. After the Great Cataclysm, work had become so plentiful that the duty turned into a nuisance, and now their apprentices took turns standing watch.

I thought I'd be able to slack off a little today…

His half-lidded eyes swept over Minho. There were always a few of them— rookies who had just awakened the blacksmith class and came sprinting to an empty workshop. When beginners like that showed up, things got annoying. Using the forge under the guide skill was fine, but the moment they insisted on doing it themselves, accidents happened with near-certainty.

Handling monster bone is a bit unusual, though.

Bone was not a good material. It could endure 900 degrees for a long time, so it was stronger against heat than one might expect, yet it was nowhere near as hard as metal. Strike a heated bone and it simply shattered. The bones of dragonkin such as wyverns or drakes did take on metallic properties, but—

That bone is from an ordinary monster.

He seemed to have a special class related to bone. There were blacksmiths who worked with unusual materials, so it was not especially surprising. If anything, Nam Jinwoo felt a twinge of pity.

Production-type special classes have a long, hard ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠road ahead of them. Poor guy.

He had seen production hunters who handled special materials like Minho more than a few times. On the first attempt they somehow succeeded with the help of the guide skill. After that they made a complete mess of the work, either failing to finish or producing something that did not function at all.

I'll just be glad if he doesn't cause an accident.

If the man had asked for help first it might have been different, but pity or not, Nam Jinwoo had no desire to step in. He folded his arms and simply watched the process.

Yet as time passed, the drowsiness that had been flickering in Nam Jinwoo's pupils gradually faded.

W-what is he doing right now?!

Claaang!

Clang!

Every time the hammer moved, a wave of mana rippled outward. Nam Jinwoo stared at Minho's work with his mouth hanging open.