The Blacksmiths' Frenzy

Even when I set out for Blacksmith Street, I had taken it lightly.

The craftsmen had swarmed over when I forged the Armed Zombie Warrior, true enough. I had simply assumed it was because bone metallurgy struck them as novel and fascinating.

I was wrong.

"A hunter who's accomplished great things has arrived!"

"We've got fine tea at our workshop. Come have a cup, won't you?"

"Tea? Old man Jeong, you mean soju, don't you?"

"Nonsense! I've got snake wine steeping—it's good for the body. Anything good for the body is tea and medicine both!"

"Don't pull that nonsense. Hunter Park is coming to our workshop..."

The masters who had rewarded me with this and that just for letting them watch my process. Those teachers of mine.

Every last one of them had gone completely wild-eyed.

"Hahaha. How pleasing it is to see them rush out barefoot to greet milord."

"As expected of Master. To earn the recognition of the craftsmen themselves."

It wasn't only the masters who had lost their minds.

Everyone, get a grip!

"Hunter Park is a guest of our workshop!"

"Now, now. Don't commit the discourtesy of deciding without even asking the man himself."

"Who was the one going on about snake wine just now?"

Ugh.

At this rate they were going to carve me up into Park / Min / Ho pieces and haul each one into a different forge.

Who ever said masters only cared about swinging hammers?

"Milord."

"It's Master, they say."

Damn it.

I had no allies here at all.

"Enjoy their hospitality, milord."

The one enjoying this was clearly you two.

The endless requests for handshakes pouring my way were fine. They meant no harm.

Well...

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

No, the atmosphere really did feel like they might tear me into three pieces.

Anyway.

There was the Break incident to consider. I could accept the over-the-top welcome on that account.

But the masters' intensity was something else entirely.

They looked like veterans who had lost their minds at the sight of a promising newbie.

Maybe I should have just jumped straight into Blacksmith Street instead of walking in.

"Ahem."

A heavy, deliberate cough lightly crushed the three masters' voices.

The craftsmen who had been on the verge of grabbing one another by the collars eased back a step.

"Quite lively around here."

Untidy white hair fluttered left and right in the breeze. Between the strands, bloodshot eyes flashed.

The sheer murderous presence made me swallow hard without thinking.

"Call me forth!"

Even Dame Isra recoiled at the sight.

But then—

"Meister Han, is that you?"

"What brings you out for a stroll without your hammer?"

"How long has it been since you last saw sunlight?"

The masters who had been snarling moments earlier turned into gentle lambs on the spot.

Meister Han?

Could it be...

Was this the man known as Korea's greatest craftsman...

"Good to meet you, young man. I'm Han Yohan."

It really was him.

The eccentric whose gaze alone looked ready to devour me whole was none other than Meister Han Yohan—the blacksmith whose renown stretched beyond Korea to the entire world.

"We've met before."

The man who followed behind was a familiar face. He was the one who had helped me "receive" gifts—well, loot—from those three masters.

"You're Chief Apprentice Nam Jinwoo, correct?"

"Oh my. For the Guui-dong Necromancer himself to remember my name—I'm honored."

Ugh.

That Guui-dong Necromancer nonsense again.

My class wasn't even Necromancer to begin with.

Sniff.

If I really had been a Necromancer, I wouldn't have suffered through those five miserable years.

"Yet something feels off. This is no atmosphere of mediation."

"It looks like a fight is about to break out."

Huh?

What are you two talking about, my summons?

"Meister Han, what brings you out at this hour when you so rarely leave your forge?"

"It's been noisy since morning. Came out to see the spectacle."

For reference, it was currently eleven in the morning. The sun was nearly at its zenith.

"Then take a bit of air and be on your way. I need to go speak with my guest."

"Fine, fine. Mind if I join that conversation?"

"Let's share a cool cup of snake wine together."

What the—

The three masters who had been glaring as if ready to seize one another by the throat only moments ago now moved in perfect sync, as if they had suddenly become a single team.

A three-against-one formation, you could say.

A strange tension hung in the air as Meister Han Yohan abruptly spun on his heel.

"Well then, everyone keep up the good work."

Korea's greatest blacksmith walked away at a leisurely pace.

Then, suddenly, he stopped and looked back over his shoulder.

"Ah, right. Hunter Park Minho—when do you plan to start coming to our workshop?"

Excuse me?

Me?

"If you're going to pick up a hammer, you should naturally learn from the best."

Meister Han pointed a finger at the signboard reading Hanil Blacksmith.

"Come along now. I'll show you a true master's skill."

I was supposed to be drawn in as if enchanted, following Korea's greatest craftsman into his forge to seek his teachings...

Of course that was not how it went.

"What?"

A blacksmith shop all of a sudden?

It almost felt as if someone had scheduled me without my knowledge.

"You old fox! What scheme is this?!"

"A few all-nighters and you've gone blind, have you?"

"Hunter Park is coming to our workshop!"

Teachers.

I never said I was going to any of your workshops either.

Let me correct myself.

It no longer felt like three pieces. Now it was four pieces of Park Minho about to be carved up.

Without even glancing their way, Meister Han spoke.

"If you want to learn blacksmithing, you naturally come to the greatest forge."

"You don't even know Hunter Park's skill level!"

One of the masters had completely dropped formal speech.

This was a disaster. A full-blown catastrophe.

"I can tell just by looking."

"You heard about him from Nam Jinwoo and now you're trying to snatch him up wholesale!"

"Now, now. 'Snatch'? Your words are a bit harsh."

"You're the harsh one, Meister Han! You already poached Chief Apprentice Nam Jinwoo, and now this?"

"That's right! Nam Jinwoo was supposed to be a talent for our forge originally!"

"Ah, that's not true."

The frozen atmosphere didn't just thaw—it erupted like an active volcano.

"Masters?"

"Oh. Hunter Park Minho."

"Are you thinking of coming to our forge?"

"Heh heh heh. Come drink some snake wine."

"Ahem. When it comes to blacksmiths, it's Hanil Blacksmith."

The masters, now four strong, stared holes straight through me.

Their gazes alone looked ready to disassemble a person.

Still.

There was one misunderstanding I needed to clear up first.

"I never said I came here to learn blacksmithing."

The volcanic heat of the atmosphere froze solid once more.

It was as if a north wind carrying the chill of midwinter had suddenly howled through.

"W-what do you mean by that, Hunter Park?"

"The way you swing a hammer... there's no way you're a beginner."

"You were born to hold a hammer, young man!"

Excluding Meister Han Yohan, who had been walking ahead, sparks flew from the eyes of the remaining three masters.

"As you may have seen on the news, my specialty is commanding undead."

Let me make one thing clear.

Necrosmith was not a blacksmith class.

Necromancer + Blacksmith. A hybrid class with both leanings, yes.

But as the promotion exam had shown, the main concept of my class was the "mage" line.

...Honestly speaking, the skill composition wasn't mage-like at all. Aside from corpse crafting, everything was pure manual labor.

Anyway.

Since my specialty was limited to "bones," there was a clear ceiling even if I learned blacksmithing.

"Now, now, young friend. What does it matter if you're a mage?"

"Anyone who can grip a hammer is a craftsman."

"You were destined to be a blacksmith! Come, have a drink."

Look.

I keep telling you I have no intention of becoming a blacksmith.

I only came to gather information I could apply to bone metallurgy, and now this disaster.

"As expected of the lord I, Isra, serve! The masters are desperate to claim him!"

"Hohoho. Those with talent stand out no matter where they go."

Thud—thud—

"You said you came for an experience session."

Meister Han Yohan approached with those bloodshot eyes.

Ugh.

Please don't start grilling me about why I won't become a blacksmith.

Nam Jinwoo hurriedly stepped between the meister and me.

"My master has been working through the nights for several days, so he's a bit rough around the edges right now."

Whoa.

He really stayed up multiple nights?

Are all blacksmiths like this?

"Once Master focuses, he hammers away in the same spot for days on end."

Ah, I see.

"Um, sorry, but... are all masters originally like this?"

"There are a lot of single-minded types. Including my master."

Nam Jinwoo whispered quietly. Thankfully the three masters didn't seem to hear.

Whew.

At least there was one person I could actually talk to.

Being highly evaluated felt nice, but I had zero intention of stamping a seal that said "I will become a blacksmith."

I briefly explained the situation. Nam Jinwoo nodded in understanding.

"They can be a bit much, but they're not bad people."

"Well, I never thought of them as bad."

"That's just how blacksmiths are."

Nam Jinwoo let out a long sigh.

"Their only interest is fiddling with metal."

You're a blacksmith yourself, you know.

The way he talked about it like it was someone else's problem was almost funny. Still, I was glad someone here could hold a normal conversation.

Right.

Time to remind myself of the real reason I came to Blacksmith Street.

"I suppose a forge experience is out of the question today?"

The atmosphere suggested Korea's representative masters would only be satisfied after claiming one of my arms and legs each.

I had come on impulse, but I still felt a twinge of regret.

"Don't worry. I'll help you with the forge experience myself."

"H-Meister Han?"

"That's something only fresh apprentices do."

"Come now, that's not true."

Apparently masters never assisted with forge experiences. Even the least popular forge on Blacksmith Street had at least a month's backlog of orders.

Korea's greatest blacksmith personally assisting an experience session?

It had never happened before.

"There's no rule that says it can't be done."

"That's right, Master. Custom is only custom."

Nam Jinwoo chimed in agreement with the meister's words.

"Ahem! Then we'll observe as well."

"The more helpers the better, no?"

"If we get thirsty while working, we can each take a sip of snake wine."

Before I knew it, the three masters had joined in as well.

We headed toward the experience forge whose layout I was already growing familiar with.

Korea's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠greatest blacksmith helping with a forge experience, huh.

Things had gotten rather big.

Still, it didn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠feel bad.

Receiving such heated attention made my fingertips tremble with tension.

"Are you all right?"

"Don't worry."

A moderate amount of tension actually helped with the work. Get too loose and mistakes started appearing.

And...

In five years of hunter life, this was the first time I had ever received this much "expectation."

As the hunter who had prevented the damage from the Break incident.

And as promising material for an excellent blacksmith.

Either way, it felt good.

"Do you specialize in bone?"

"Yes."

"I'd like to see your skill once before we begin the experience."

Oh ho.

Customized guidance, was it?

It seemed Korea's greatest blacksmith intended to teach me properly.

At first those bloodshot eyes had been a little frightening, but once I chalked it up to the aftereffects of frequent all-nighters, the tension eased.

"Then let's begin."

Clang! Claaang!

Just as I always did.

I heated and hammered the bone while picturing Dame Isra's sword.

How long did I pour myself into the hammering?

Hissss!

I repeated the quenching and finished the final process.

Same materials.

Made in the same forge.

Yet the performance had risen a little.

The first time I made one, Slash had been Lv 24 and Thrust Lv 22.

I was growing bit by bit.

"Is this that knife?"

"Yes. Please take a look."

Han Yohan slowly examined the bone knife, then opened his mouth.

"Interesting."

Huh?

Why?