The Heavenly Phoenix Becomes the Demonic Phoenix
There was once a man.
Born to a father who forged iron for a living, the boy grew up breathing the metallic tang of the forge from the moment he drew his first breath. It felt only natural for him to take up his father’s hammer one day.
And the instant he gripped that hammer—
Awakening.
He became an artisan who could breathe life into cold steel.
The man’s talent reached the heavens themselves.
At thirty, he crafted a Legendary-grade item.
At forty, he rose to become the greatest master craftsman in all of Korea.
At sixty, he received the Popper Artisan Award—the highest honor in the world—and announced to the entire planet that he stood at its summit.
The nickname he earned from that achievement was born from the belief that his talent resembled a phoenix soaring to protect the heavens. Thus, they called him Cheon-bong, the Heavenly Phoenix.
But at the awards ceremony, the man rejected the title to his face.
That day, the artisan who had stood closest to the heavens disappeared from the world and became known as Ak-bong—the Demonic Phoenix.
Following Ji Jung-chul’s guidance, the group stepped inside the ironworks.
Lee Shin, Choi Yeosim, and… the young man?
It was the apprentice who had thrown his entire body in front of his master’s violence to protect the old blacksmith.
“W-why am I…?”
“You’d only end up being a punching bag if you stayed. Besides…”
Ji Jung-chul gave the young man—who still had tissue stuffed up his bleeding nose—a gentle smile.
“No matter how skilled you are, a master who refuses to teach his techniques is no master at all. It would be a waste for a young man like you to rot away your youth in a place like that.”
The apprentice seemed to have something on his mind; he couldn’t find the words to reply. In truth, there was nothing meaningful he had learned since arriving here.
At that moment, Lee Shin smoothly cut in.
“He’s right. Bro, that master of yours isn’t all that great. Honestly, it’s you who’s too good for him.”
Maybe it was because both of them had spoken. Or perhaps he sensed the unusual aura emanating from the people gathered here.
The young man swallowed hard and quietly took a seat in the corner.
“Shall we talk now?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Please speak comfortably, sir.”
“It’s fine. I don’t lower my speech for anyone.”
Where should he begin?
Ji Jung-chul scratched his chin, then turned toward Choi Yeosim. He bowed his head deeply.
“First, I’m sorry. I never intended to hide. You’re the granddaughter of one of the few close friends this worthless old man ever had. I simply wanted to help you, even if only a little.”
“Master… no, Ak— I mean… sir, please don’t do this. I beg you.”
“Right now you’re probably too shocked to think clearly, but later when you have time, you’ll wonder. Why didn’t that so-called incredible old man help when things were so difficult?”
“That’s not true at all! Why would you even say something like—”
“This old man is a coward. I didn’t have the courage to show myself to the world. So the only things I could do were offer a few needles or scraps of tools. I am truly sorry.”
“It’s alright! I’m the one who should be thanking you. Thanks to you, sir, I was able to use excellent needles.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
Perhaps it was thanks to Choi Yeosim’s sincere effort as she held both his hands tightly. The heavy shadow on Ji Jung-chul’s face seemed to lighten just a little.
“Next is you.”
“You can speak casually…”
“It’s fine. This is most comfortable for me.”
It was a polite refusal, a clear drawing of the line, yet Lee Shin paid it no mind. He simply grinned like an eager puppy wagging its tail.
Any ordinary person would have let out a helpless chuckle at that smile, regardless of whether they liked or disliked Lee Shin. That was the demonic charm (101) this man possessed.
But Ji Jung-chul didn’t even blink. He stared straight at Lee Shin with unwavering focus.
“I can sense magic power. So you have Awakened.”
“My magic power is zero, but thanks to the System’s power, I suppose I have.”
“You don’t seem like someone who works with their body.”
“I can’t even dance properly.”
“A snake lives on your tongue, yet a dragon’s jewel rests in your mouth. The two don’t usually coexist. For some unknown reason, fate has crossed paths.”
“Wait, is this the ‘Revelation’ I’ve only heard about?”
“Hmm… It’s clear why rumors call you a genius representative. But even those rumors fall short. Your eyes contain the entire world. I’ve lived a long time and seen many things, yet I cannot fathom how far those eyes can see.”
The Miracle-class Trait—Revelation.
A power that allowed one to receive information from beyond the world through transcendent beings, depending on the target’s ability. That was the strength residing in Ji Jung-chul’s cloudy white eyes.
It was the very Trait that had elevated him to the realm of a godlike blacksmith.
Soon, the light returned to Ji Jung-chul’s eyes as he reached a conclusion.
Combining his insight, discernment, years of experience, the wisdom of age, and even Revelation, the man known as Lee Shin was…
“You enjoy danger. You keep throwing yourself into endless peril and take pleasure in it. That’s what you are, young man of the Lee family.”
Instead of answering, Lee Shin simply flashed the widest, brightest smile he could muster.
“Dynamic is more fun than boring, isn’t it?”
Ji Jung-chul had encountered the most peculiar being in his hundred-plus years of life.
Lee Shin felt genuine interest in the first ‘Miracle-class Trait’ he had ever met.
For a brief moment, silence fell between the two men as they regarded each other.
“Since you knew about this place and came with Miss Choi, it seems you already understand the conditions needed to move me. Will you give me the last piece?”
“Of course. Here.”
Lee Shin handed over a note bearing the signature ‘智重鐵’.
Ji Jung-chul gazed at his own faded signature with deeply moved eyes.
“You found it in the Choi family’s prosthetic leg?”
“Yes. It was hidden inside the Boksu-haeng.”
“You even know the name… That’s right. He said if he couldn’t have revenge, then only death remained, and tried to swallow poison in front of me. That’s the kind of man he was.”
When Ji Jung-chul rubbed the signature between his thumb and forefinger, it scattered like dust and vanished into the air.
As if reminiscing about his old friend, he waited until the signature had completely returned to nothingness before speaking again.
“You didn’t take the weapon, I see.”
“It’s not even an original weapon. There was no need to go as far as ‘disassembling’ it. Please protect the young lady’s memories.”
“This is more than simply accepting a request… Young man of the Lee family, you seem to know an astonishing amount about this old monster.”
“That’s probably because I’ve been searching for you longer than anyone else in this world, sir.”
Lee Shin smiled meaningfully.
Back in his days as a veteran GM, it had taken him an incredibly long time to track down the character called Ak-bong.
Normally, characters would gradually open up through conversation or by raising affinity points to unlock storyboards. But Ak-bong had almost none of that.
More precisely, it feels like there should be something, yet there isn’t.
That was what drove people insane. There was clearly information, but no matter how hard you searched, you gained nothing substantial.
He only learned the truth much later—that it was a deliberate trap set by those damn nerd developers.
The character known as Ak-bong had been intentionally designed to block storyboards.