The World of Sorcery

The morning air in the world of sorcery was quite chilly. Yet, my footsteps felt lighter than they ever had before. I really want to start making something for real now. My hands were itching. Ever since I fixed the shaman grandmother's bell yesterday, I had gained a solid sense of confidence. My skills worked. And they worked perfectly.

It had been ten years. Ten years spent in front of the forge in that damn—no, I should call it a god-tier game now—Kingdom of Fire. The instincts I had honed over a decade. The countless smelting methods for legendary items I had perfected with the help of system corrections. If those could be applied to reality just as they were...

Just how far can I go?

In the game, I was a max-level blacksmith who hammered out legendary-grade swords and carved dragon bones. Real iron, real metal. I was dying to test how far my skills would translate here. I was desperate to find out where my limits lay.

I have to tell the boss clearly today.

Of course, I wasn't oblivious. I knew that a blacksmith shop was a place that ran on an apprenticeship system. It was incredibly arrogant for a part-timer who had only been there a few days to suddenly demand to take over the forge. But the boss had seen my skills with his own two eyes. That was why he hired me. And even after hearing the sound of the bell I had worked on, he hadn't scolded me at all. I was confident. If I just told him to entrust me with anything, and that I would prove it with results, he would surely give me a chance to hold the hammer properly.

"Boss. I'm here for my shi—"

I was just about to energetically roll up the shutter and step inside when I stopped in my tracks at the voice coming from the back of the workshop.

"Yes... Yes..."

"No, that's not it."

"Oh, you're too kind. Yes, I'll see you again next time."

The boss's tone was unusually respectful. Hm? What's going on? The voice I heard through the phone sounded exactly like that shaman grandmother from yesterday. After finishing the call, the boss put his smartphone down and let out a deep sigh.

"Boss, was that the shaman grandmother from earlier? How was it? Does she like the bell?"

When I asked, the boss stared at me without answering. His gaze was different from usual. It was strangely complex, and heavy.

"..."

"...Boss?"

"Dohyun. Let's talk for a second."

The boss spoke briefly and walked toward the back of the shop, to the storage area where the charcoal and firewood were stacked. Why is he acting like this? Did something go wrong? Could it be that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the bell's sound had gone weird because I touched it? No, that shouldn't be possible. I had definitely perfected the density.

As I entered the storage room, the boss stood with his arms crossed, staring intensely at me.

"Who the hell are you?"

"...Pardon? Why are you suddenly asking that?"

"Yeah. I can tell you've got your own circumstances." The boss nodded, muttering as if convincing himself. "I don't know why you came all the way to a back-alley market like this, but you must have your own reasons or intentions that you can't talk about."

What on earth did the grandmother say to make him act like this? I blinked in confusion. Well, I suppose I would look strange to him too. A guy who had never been to a blacksmith shop in his life suddenly adjusting the forge temperature like a ghost, perfectly sharpening a knife that even a five-year apprentice couldn't handle, and even fixing a bell.

But I couldn't exactly say, "No, I just spent ten years in my room playing games..." That would be a great way to be treated like a lunatic. As I stood there speechless, the boss nodded as if he understood everything.

"You don't have to say it. You probably already know, but you have a special talent. No, 'talent' is an understatement. You're already a monster."

"Boss...?"

"This isn't the place for you. An old man like me has nothing to teach you, and I'm not a vessel big enough to hold your skills."

Then, the boss pulled a black business card from his pocket and held it out to me. It was a card with no logo, just a phone number ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠embossed in gold.

"Contact this place first. I've already told them a little bit about you."

"What is this?"

He smirked. "What do you mean, what is it? It's the big leagues."

The boss patted my shoulder. "Go play in a world that fits your capacity. Now, get going. As of today, your part-time job is over."

And just like that, thirty minutes after arriving for work, I was forced out of the blacksmith shop.

[A+ Cafe]

In the heart of Gangnam. Despite it being a weekday morning, the large franchise cafe with its massive floor-to-ceiling windows was quite crowded. I sat in a corner seat, clinking the ice in my iced Americano and staring down at the black business card. The big leagues. What exactly did the boss mean by that? Was it some special metal research lab under a major corporation? Or the Cultural Heritage Administration? I had called the number earlier because he told me to.

[Ah, you must be Dohyun, the one Mr. Moo-hyeok mentioned! I'll be there right away! Where are you?]"

The person on the other end had an unnecessarily high-pitched, high-tension voice.

Vroom-!

That was when it happened. A bright red sports car slid to a stop on the road in front of the cafe, its exhaust roaring loudly. The gazes of the people walking by were drawn to it instantly. The doors opened upward—the so-called gull-wing doors—and someone stepped out.

Crazy...

It was an incredibly beautiful woman with long, wavy hair, wearing a sophisticated luxury suit. Is she a chaebol or a celebrity or something? Just as I was thinking that, she entered the cafe wearing sunglasses. It looked like a photoshoot.

Cling—

The cafe door opened, and she scanned the interior, looking around. No way... it couldn't be. She pulled a smartphone from her bag and made a call. And then.

Buzz-buzz—

My phone vibrated. It was the same number I had called earlier. As I reflexively looked up, her eyes met mine. Instantly, her face lit up.

"...!"

Her eyes went wide, and she approached my table at an incredible speed, even in high heels. Then, without a word, she bowed at a 90-degree angle.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Seo Jian!"

I could feel the gazes in the cafe shifting toward us. I waved my hands in embarrassment. "Ah, yes, yes. Please, sit down. Everyone's staring..."

She sat down and took off her sunglasses. Her eyes were sparkling. She seemed incredibly excited.

"I've heard so much about you! But..." She paused for a moment and scanned me from head to toe. "You're much younger than I expected? I was really surprised."

"Pardon? Ah, yes..."

"Oh, I'm late with my introduction. I'm Seo Jian. It's a true honor to meet someone like you in person, Dohyun."

"...Ah, yes."

"Of course, we will treat you with the highest standards in this industry. Please let me know if you have any desired conditions. We'll match the lowest commission in the industry, and we can set up your working environment and facilities 100% to your liking!"

"Wait, hold on. Just a second." I cut her off. My head was starting to ache. "I haven't heard a detailed explanation yet. What exactly do you mean by 'this industry'?"

At my question, she stopped talking abruptly.

"Pardon...?"

Seo Jian looked bewildered. At first, she had smiled, thinking I was joking, but as I stared at her with complete seriousness, her smile slowly faded. She glanced around, then leaned in close to my face. A subtle, alluring perfume wafted over. She parted her red lips and whispered in a low voice.

"The world of sorcery."

"...Pardon?"

"The. World. Of. Sorcery."

I went blank for a moment. Sorcery? If she meant sorcery, did she mean... ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the kind where you stick nails into dolls to curse people, write talismans on yellow paper with red ink, and perform shamanistic rituals? "W-what does that even..."

Seeing my confused reaction, Seo Jian seemed to think deeply for a moment, then smiled as if she understood. "Hmm... well, it's not a rare case in this field. I'll explain it to you in detail from the beginning."

"Wait? No, what..."

"There are often people like you who have cut ties with the secular world since childhood to practice in the mountains, or who have been hiding under a master's tutelage, so you're unfamiliar with the outside world."

I kept my mouth shut. I didn't know what kind of novel she was writing, but that misunderstanding was better than telling her I was just a regular part-timer.

"I'll start with the basics."

Seo Jian's explanation was shocking. To summarize: There existed a hidden world called the 'world of sorcery' that ordinary people didn't know about. In it, sorcerers, shamans, and exorcists who wielded spiritual power dealt with bizarre incidents, vengeful spirits, and curses that couldn't be solved by physical force. Furthermore, these spiritual phenomena were deeply rooted in society, influencing politics, economics, and major industries. From choosing the land for a chaebol family's estate to cursing rival companies or solving mysterious serial accidents, a market involving tens or hundreds of billions of won ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was formed.

"B-but how can ordinary people not know about any of this? And wait a minute." I glanced around and lowered my voice. "...Is it okay to talk about this here?"

Even on a weekday, it was a large franchise cafe with people coming and going. A group of college students at the next table were typing on their laptops. Seeing my concern, Seo Jian laughed as if it were amusing and rummaged through her bag. Gulp. I was tense, wondering if she was going to pull out a gun, but what she brought out was a scrap of yellow paper. A talisman?

"It's a perception-dampening talisman," she said, dropping it onto the table. "People passing by won't hear a word we're saying. They won't even remember we were sitting here, and they won't remember our faces."

"Really?"

"This is a spiritual artifact I bought for quite a high price. Since the Spiritual Management Bureau controls things strictly, everyone is careful about security, and since they rarely reveal their identities, ordinary people don't know."

My head throbbed. She was pouring out things that sounded like they belonged in a movie, and I even started to wonder if she was messing with me. As I continued to look skeptical, Seo Jian pulled out a tablet PC.

"Hmm, you don't seem to believe me yet. I'll show you one thing."

Seo Jian took out a latest-model tablet and placed it on the table. After tapping the screen a few times, a site with a black background appeared. She bypassed a password and biometric scan to open what looked like a category window.

"Let's see... Ah, here it is."

Seo Jian clicked something and turned the tablet toward me. It had a UI like a second-hand trading site.

I examined the attached photo. From the outside, it didn't look much different from the brass bell of the shaman grandmother I had fixed the other day. ...That's an heirloom? The thickness of the inner wall wasn't uniform. The overall craftsmanship didn't look very good from the outside, either. It looked like the sound would leak out everywhere.

What is all this talk anyway... Gap-grade, spiritual artifact, exorcising evil spirits. It was all unbelievable. It seemed like a strange site...

As I was making my internal judgment, my gaze moved to the bottom of the scroll.

"Oh... five million won?"

It slipped out of my mouth before I knew it. Seo Jian looked bewildered for a moment, then...

"Ah, I see~" She nodded as if she understood. "Well, someone at your level, Dohyun, wouldn't have been interested in market prices like this."

She let out a deep sigh. "These days, craftsmen who can engrave or repair spiritual artifacts are dying out. Because the major families monopolize and control everything, they don't let anyone buy or sell unless they belong to their family."

Seo Jian's eyes shone as she excitedly continued. "Well, thanks to that, freelance sorcerers or small guilds have no choice but to buy whatever subpar, low-grade artifacts they can find in junk shops like that for whatever price is asked. Maybe that's a good thing for us?"

Seo Jian kept explaining things seriously, but I couldn't hear a word she was saying anymore. Five million won. A measly, worn-out bell like that was worth five million won?

"'Us', you say..."

"Hahaha! I got ahead of myself! Anyway, so!!"

Suddenly, Seo Jian leaned in close to me, her eyes sparkling brightly. "If you just leave it to me, Seo Jian, the best veteran broker in this field!"

She grabbed my hand. "Whether it's a request for a spiritual tool commission or auctioning off what you've made! I'll handle everything perfectly. Please, just leave it to me!"