The Daily Grind of the Death Forge
It was the same old routine, day after day: Gates, the Death Forge, and the blacksmithing street. It was a whirlwind of chaos and confusion, spinning endlessly.
Was it really okay?
“Sigh. I’m not even tired at all.”
With the Heavenly Martial Body, my stats were just too overpowered. That was the problem.
I had to handle any job that came up right away—my personality never allowed anything else to linger.
So money flowed in from every side, research projects piled up, and there was simply too much to learn. I never had time to rest.
Klang! Clang!
I swung the hammer in time with the rhythm, feeling the music of the work.
“Here’s your cold water, Master.”
I downed the glass Isra handed me in one gulp.
Hah.
It was refreshing.
“If only there were a law saying knights can’t be bothered by this!”
Why was Isra looking so annoyed?
Chief Apprentice Nam Jinwoo examined the result and gave me a thumbs-up.
“Your skills have improved even more, Hunter Park.”
“It’s because you’re the one teaching me.”
“I’m not flattering you. If you keep swinging the hammer like this for another three years, you might even challenge the chief apprentice position.”
Master Nam waved his hands in mock dismissal.
“I wouldn’t just hand it over willingly.”
“Yes. If I truly feel that way, I’ll give it my all.”
Working alongside Master Nam made me realize how much his skill had grown in just one day.
“It’s advancing by leaps and bounds.”
Master Han Yohan chimed in.
“What do you mean?”
“Your craftsmanship, which was in a state of stagnation, has finally taken a big leap forward.”
“Really?”
“When I taught blacksmithing to Hunter Park, I learned a lot.”
Master Han spoke more than usual and then retreated back into the workshop.
“Ah. I should go help Master too.”
“You’ve worked hard.”
“Compared to me, Master has helped you even more.”
Before entering the Cross Gate, I had to clear as many errands as possible, so it was a nonstop day-and-night grind.
“That blacksmith over there always looks like he’s pulling all-nighters.”
Shhh.
The truth is, when you see something this brutal, you get uncomfortable sharing it.
I clicked my tongue after seeing Master Han’s deadly schedule.
But when you looked at it, my own schedule wasn’t that different.
[Soul Stone Created.]
Every time the curse on the tombstone counted down, I poured in the broken soul stones.
“Leave today’s fight to me.”
“I’m the iron head. I told you I’d lead the battle today!”
“Retreat, you weak witch.”
—Molest Sequence Started—
Kwarururu!
To cover the money spent on materials and gates, we had to conquer some gates too.
A-grade gates paid 40 billion plus tax once cleared.
B-grade was fixed at 7.5 billion plus tax.
Yet the money still poured out like it was never-ending.
Added to the materials for undead crafting—
[Good. Very good.]
Megus demanded more tools.
[Compass of Concord]
[Iron Lamp]
[Lead Key]
……
Alchemy tools were the basics.
[Nymph’s Tear]
[Elf’s Sigh]
[Gnome’s Excrement]
[Cassa’s Feather]
……
He even asked for several expensive alchemy catalysts.
Compared to the materials for Death Warriors or Death Giants, they were cheap.
Still, the constant spending added up to an astronomical amount.
I never got a chance to rest.
Flare! Flare! Flare!
“Today feels great.”
Clang!
In the Death Forge, I processed corpses and forged bone alchemy.
[Corpse Production]
[Death Warrior Created.]
I asked Megus for structural analysis.
Why was Hanil Blacksmith swinging the hammer?
It was the foundation for strengthening undead power.
[Performance Improved.]
[Mana Transfer Efficiency Rose.]
[All Stats +1%.]
Improving the Death Warrior was the result of grinding out endless tasks.
“Great Lord, isn’t 1% a little short compared to the effort?”
“Idiot. Thief.”
Isra shook her head vigorously.
“In life-or-death battles, tiny differences decide the outcome.”
“Really?”
“If you’re curious, try it on yourself.”
“I’d rather not!”
Zaug widened his eyes in shock.
Inside the Death Forge, running away was pointless.
“The very fact that there’s room for improvement is what matters.”
A 1% increase was just the beginning.
By looking at it through the Golden Rule and maximizing soul circuit efficiency, and by improving the materials and structure of the Death Warrior, I might one day reach the level of the main branch—Death Knight.
“As expected of my Master!”
[One Soul, One Life.]
[Hmph. Even this old man won’t lift a finger.]
After repeated research, the undead army’s power had also grown.
*Undead Army List
—Isra Knight
└ Tempest Knight Order — Abyss Revenant 5 units
—Ingrid
└ Solar Eclipse Witch Order — Skeleton Wizard 5 units
—Zaug / Roan / Megus
—Predator — Rex 1 unit [A+]
—Death Giant 3 units [A+]
—Strengthened Draco 3 units [A+]
—Death Warrior 24 units [A]
—Tiger 25 units [B+]
—Skeleton Wizard 20 units [B]
—Skeleton Guard 1 unit [B]
—Armed Zombie Strengthened Soldier 1 unit [C+]
Total undead army: 89 units.
Of those, the knight order and witch order took separate slots.
The actual storage count was 79 units, so with the Abyss Dungeon, there was quite a bit of room left.
“Great Lord must have worked so hard, yet the number hasn’t increased much?”
“It grew qualitatively, not just in numbers, thief.”
Back when we were ambushed on the uninhabited island, the Skeleton Guard and Armed Zombie Strengthened Soldier I led were pushed to the brink of extermination.
Thankfully, we focused only on minimal counterattacks and pure defense.
If we had faced them head-on like before, my head might have rolled.
“If I had tried to recover the damaged ones, it would have ended right there.”
But.
Now that I could mass-produce A-grade undead, I didn’t need to fill the tank slots.
I left the damaged Armed Zombie Strengthened Soldiers and Skeleton Guards behind.
And I only added more Death Warriors.
“Master, isn’t the storage capacity a little loose?”
“I’m a magic user. It’s better to keep storage space generous.”
“Even if it means lowering maximum power?”
“The Master’s power comes from the corpses. Even if they can’t be used immediately, I might need to store precious corpses later.”
Oh.
Isra had perfectly read my intention.
Should I clap?
“There are also corpses stored in the Death Space, so I’m not completely unlimited.”
Ogre and Minotaur.
All the massive monsters with enormous mass were stored in the Abyss Dungeon and Death Space.
There was probably around 30 units of free space left.
But I had to leave some margin so Isra could bring back the necessary corpses.
“But my Master should also start preparing for the A-rank promotion soon, shouldn’t you?”
“I haven’t even reached max level yet.”
“You’ll reach it soon.”
“That’s true.”
Right now my level—
[Hunter — Park Minho]
*Race: Human
*Job: Necrosmith
*Grade: B
*Level: 197
Strength: 670
Agility: 619
Stamina: 634
Endurance: 546
Mana: 4390
Handicraft: 258
Bonus Stats: 0
*Skills
Heavenly Martial Body [SSS] / Origin of Magic [SSS] / Golden Rule [SSS] / Blacksmith’s Soul [S] / Spirit Eye [S] / Stealthy Footsteps [A] ……
This was about right.
Look at my stats.
Even compared to average B-rank warrior hunters, they weren’t lacking.
And my mana stat was far higher than that of a magician of the same grade.
The Heavenly Martial Body and Origin of Magic were the best, of course.
“After the Cross Gate trip, I’ll reach max level.”
“You’re going to challenge it right away?”
“It won’t be easy. That’s for sure.”
From B-rank onward, insight was required for the exam conditions.
Mana Release was okay.
The magic-related test had been handed over to Ingrid’s assistance.
Since I was already good at crafting, that was fine too.
But I had no idea what kind of tasks would appear in the A-rank exam.
“The Necrosmith job itself is rare.”
Even at B-rank, I hadn’t taken three items in the test.
I couldn’t be sure I would pass the promotion exam just by hitting max level.
“This should be enough.”
The Cross Gate, known for being extremely dangerous.
I scraped every last won from my account and prepared as much as possible.
“Isra.”
“Speak, my Lord.”
“If I face an S-rank hunter, can I win?”
“Assuming you’re at Master-class knight level, a one-on-one fight you could win. But there’s one condition.”
“Condition?”
Even after raising the soul, there was still a condition?
Despite being a step stronger than the power that had already digested ten A-ranks, how strong were S-ranks?
“That’s up to the Master.”
“Me?”
“A Master-class knight who has decided to fight you to the bitter end will be hard to stop.”
Ah.
So that was what she meant.
“Assume I’m not there.”
“Then even a one-on-one fight might be survivable.”
“You’re extremely generous.”
“Defeating them is impossible. But if only one opponent, it might be possible.”
A B-rank hunter being able to definitively kill an S-rank hunter was absurd.
But since it was Isra’s word, I could trust it.
“Good.”
The departure ceremony was tomorrow.
Today I could finally sleep properly.
With a much lighter heart, I returned to my lodging.
[Voicemail]
—Baek Chairman (3)
Out of the blue, I had several missed calls.
Why would someone who knew I couldn’t receive calls at the Death Forge call me?
By the time I pressed the call button, his voice came right away.
—Yong Cheonwoo has escaped overseas.
Eh?
What kind of nonsense is this?
———
On a floating freight ship crossing the West Sea, the vessel that had been slicing through the vast ocean suddenly slowed down.
Blink— blink—
The searchlights flashed on and off several times.
[Sea Fog]
[Veil of Nature]
[Presence Out]
……
Every kind of magic was suppressed, and as the mist covering the sea lifted, the mysterious structure appeared.
A pile of iron in the middle of the West Sea.
It was a structure built for marine research and fish farming.
“Come out.”
Thud.
The captain pounded the deck, and with a creak and a loud noise, someone suddenly jumped out.
He must have been the one who had to store the fish.
“Tsk.”
It was Yong Cheonwoo, the Mir Guildmaster.
His face was stained with an unpleasant color.
The fishy smell clinging to his clothes only fueled his anger.
“From here on, another guide will be waiting.”
“Got it.”
“Well, work hard.”
The captain turned his head as if the job was done.
Yong Cheonwoo, who had wanted to leave the ship immediately, put strength into his feet.
Thud!
He leaped forward, channeling mana, and the freight ship swayed.
“Ouch!”
The captain, who had been bracing himself moments ago, nearly lost his balance.
Yong Cheonwoo’s mood eased a little.
Someone sent by the Superhuman Bureau was waiting on the floating structure.
“Welcome, Lord Yong.”
“Just get it over with already.”
“You must follow the procedures before you leave.”
“Procedures?”
“You have to sign the contract.”
“You want a contract from someone who’s come here empty-handed?”
Yong Cheonwoo didn’t hide his anger.
The note he had received from the S-rank hunter affiliated with the Tang family.
It was a proposal to start everything anew in China.
Rebuilding the Mir Guild was now impossible.
The Superhuman Bureau would guarantee support and independence, so he should build an even bigger force and seek revenge on Korea.
But.
The moment they boarded the ship, they started making their move.
“What can you do about the procedures?”
The Superhuman Bureau’s contact smiled faintly.
But since he had already crossed the border, there was no way back.
Even if he turned around and returned home, the Superhuman Bureau would quietly remove the evidence of illegal entry and destroy Yong Cheonwoo.
Whether he knew this plan or not, Yong Cheonwoo gritted his teeth and signed the contract reluctantly.