Heavenly Thunder Sword and Iron Wall Armor
The news that an Profound Class beast had been slain spread across the Central Plains in an instant. Along with it came rumors of Cheongongbang’s beast-hunting gear and the astonishing potency of its restorative pills. Before long, Cheongongbang had become a place that felt less like a workshop and more like a battlefield.
“Incredible.”
In the second-floor office, I couldn’t suppress a laugh as I looked over the flood of purchase orders. Stacks of letters from every region had piled up on my desk like a mountain.
“Guild Master, the volume of equipment orders this month has exploded.”
Cheolsan came in with the ledgers and reported in a voice that carried both delight and worry. There was pride in his face, too.
“Can production keep up?”
“The artisans are working as hard as they can, but... they still lack experience. The defect rate is still high.”
I looked out the window. On the first floor, more than twenty craftsmen bustled through the workshop. Just a few days ago, there had been fewer than ten. The number had more than doubled.
“There’s nothing for it until their hands grow used to the work. Still, tell them to make as many as they can.”
“Yes, Guild Master.”
The weapons and armor Cheongongbang planned to sell as beast-hunting gear would all be made from byproducts harvested from Earth Class beasts. I had no intention of releasing anything above that grade yet. After arranging things at the workshop to a reasonable point, I called for Duseong and Hwaung.
Cheongongbang meeting room.
The three of us gathered there: me, Duseong, and Hwaung.
“Dasa-hyung, what’s this about all of a sudden?”
Duseong asked. Hwaung looked curious as well. I unfolded the map. It was a detailed topographic chart of the area around Wuhan Prefecture.
“Running Cheongongbang is important, but above all else, our own strength is what matters.”
I pointed to several spots on the map. All of them were areas where Illusion Gates had appeared.
“Don’t get cocky just because we brought down a Profound Class beast. That time, we got lucky, and everything was in our favor. But I can’t guarantee that will always be the case.”
Beasts of Extreme Class and above, in particular, possessed power on an entirely different level.
“So I’m thinking of going hunting regularly. The three of us.”
Duseong and Hwaung’s eyes lit up. They’d probably been itching to go beast hunting themselves.
“Today, we’ll start here—Cheongpung Forest. It’s where Earth Class beasts are most likely to appear.”
An hour later, the three of us left Cheongongbang fully armed and ready.
Cheongpung Forest was a small woodland ten li north of Cheongongbang. Reports had recently come in that, since an Illusion Gate had opened nearby, Earth Class beasts had begun to appear there.
“Let’s use the detection mirror.”
I took out the detection mirror and fed it my internal energy. Blue light spread out as it began to search the surrounding area.
Buzzz.
The mirror vibrated as it pointed in one direction.
“This way.”
Carefully, I and my two junior brothers moved toward the direction indicated by the mirror. Before long, a beast appeared before us.
“What the hell are those, Dasa-hyung?”
“Hmm... judging by their shape, they look like armored cats.”
Armored Cat.
A feline beast whose entire body was covered in scale-like plating as hard as iron. Fast, but not especially durable; it was a lower-ranked Earth Class beast.
“Duseong, left flank. Hwaung, right. I’ll take the front.”
“Understood!”
We advanced cautiously. Soon, gray shapes began to emerge between the trees.
Grrrrr...
With a low growl, three armored cats showed themselves. They were massive, each stretching seven cheok in length. The iron scales covering their bodies flashed in the sunlight.
“Go!”
At my signal, all three of us sprang forward at once.
Swish!
Duseong’s sword was the first to graze the armored cat’s flank. But the iron-like scales blocked the blow, and he couldn’t cut deep.
“Damn, they’re tough!”
Kyahhh!
The wounded armored cat lashed back with its sharp claws. Duseong twisted aside and dodged just in time. In that gap, Hwaung charged in, swinging his heavy saber toward the beast’s head.
Bang!
With a heavy impact, the armored cat staggered. But it didn’t fall.
“That’s not enough!”
Hwaung swung again and again, forcing the cat to back away and open distance. I was already engaged with the remaining one. I didn’t draw on the Dragon Pearl’s power; I fought it with pure swordsmanship alone.
Swish.
My blade slipped precisely into the narrow seam between the beast’s scales.
“Kraaaah!”
Blood sprayed as it screamed. The armored cat went berserk and lunged at me.
“Too simple.”
I sidestepped and swung again, this time aiming squarely for the joint of its hind leg.
Thud!
The armored cat lost its balance and toppled over. I followed with the finishing strike.
“Dasa-hyung, help us!”
At Duseong’s cry, I turned to see him and Hwaung struggling against the other two armored cats.
“The weak point in their scales is the joints! Target those!”
At my advice, Duseong altered his swordplay. Instead of broad slashing strikes, he focused on precise thrusts aimed directly at the joints.
Slash! Thrust!
After several tries, Duseong’s sword pierced the armored cat’s foreleg joint.
“Yes! That’s it!”
Riding the momentum, Duseong launched a relentless barrage of attacks. The armored cat retreated limping. Hwaung caught on as well. Instead of battering it with brute strength, he began striking at the exact weak points.
Crash!
Hwaung’s saber slammed into the beast’s knee. With the sound of bone snapping, the armored cat collapsed.
“Finish it!”
Duseong and Hwaung struck the fallen beasts at the same time, delivering the final blows. The battle was over. All three armored cats lay dead.
“Hah... even Earth Class lower-rank beasts aren’t easy.”
Hwaung exhaled rough, heavy breaths.
“Right. For small-scale hunts, this kind of difficulty is normal.”
I examined the corpses and found a small Illusion Stone in the chest of one of them.
“An Earth Class lower-rank Illusion Stone. Let’s take it back and give it to the workshop.”
As Duseong peeled off the iron scales, he said, “These scales could probably be used as armor material too.”
“Exactly. Armored Cat scales make excellent armor material. Make sure to gather them properly.”
While we sorted the spoils, I fell into thought.
Still not enough. Neither Duseong and Hwaung’s strength nor mine.
If I drew out the Dragon Pearl’s power, I could handle even a Profound Class beast, but that power came with tremendous backlash. Unless it was a truly dangerous moment, it was a force I couldn’t afford to use casually.
After hunting a few more armored cats, we returned to Cheongongbang and headed straight for the forge.
“Cheolsan, take a look at this.”
I set out the armored cat scales. Cheolsan studied them closely, then widened his eyes in surprise.
“Oh? These are excellent materials. If we process these scales properly, they’ll make superb armor.”
“Good. Use them to make armor for Hwaung. And this.”
I took the Earth Class Illusion Stone from my robe.
“Isn’t that an Illusion Stone?”
“It is. I’d like you to forge a new weapon for Duseong with it.”
Cheolsan moved to his workbench and began laying out his tools.
“Yes, understood. Then I’ll start with Young Master Duseong’s sword.”
Cheolsan took the Earth Class Illusion Stone and began grinding it with a specialized tool. Once it had been reduced to a fine powder, he added it to the molten metal.
Wuuung—
As the Illusion Stone powder was mixed in, a faint energy began rising from the molten steel. At the same time, the Dragon Pearl in my dantian responded.
This is...
The Dragon Pearl was resonating on its own, as though it were asking for something.
“Wait, Cheolsan.”
Instinctively, I reached out a hand over the molten metal. I drew up only a tiny bit of the Dragon Pearl’s power—so little it was almost imperceptible. Its energy flowed from my fingertips and seeped into the metal.
Hissss—!
Instantly, the molten steel reacted violently. The red metal flashed blue in an instant, writhing as though it were alive.
“W-what in the world!”
Cheolsan stumbled back in shock.
“It’s fine. It’s safe—keep going.”
Cautiously, Cheolsan poured the molten steel into the sword mold. The bluish metal continued to glow even inside the mold.
“Now for the quenching.”
Chiiiiii!
When the blade was plunged into water, an explosive reaction erupted. With a crackling sound like electricity, blue lightning climbed along the sword.
“My God...”
Cheolsan stared with his mouth hanging open, but as a blacksmith he didn’t forget to keep working the weapon.
Clang! Clang!
Soaked in sweat, Cheolsan began the tempering process. After a long while, he finally let out a breath, drenched from head to toe.
“Hah... it’s finished!”
Lightning patterns had been etched into the blade, and a faint thread of thunder qi continued to flow through it.
“Duseong, take it.”
The moment Duseong grasped the sword, his eyes went wide.
“Dasa-hyung! This sword... it feels alive!”
When he gave it a light swing, blue sparks crackled and ran along the blade. I couldn’t help but start in my own heart, either.
This is...
Of course, weapons made from Illusion Stones gathered from creatures above the Profound Class sometimes took on a special aura. But that method wouldn’t be known until much later. It was also monopolized by the great sects. Yet here I was, using only an Earth Class Illusion Stone and a trace of the Dragon Pearl’s power to create an extraordinary weapon.
I smiled with satisfaction.
“We’ll name this the Heavenly Thunder Sword.”
Duseong couldn’t hide the grin threatening to split his face.
“Thank you, Dasa-hyung!”
Next came Hwaung’s armor.
Cheolsan carefully began sewing the armored cat scales together one by one. He overlapped the scales and lined the inside with leather.
This time, into the armor too...
Once again, I drew up the Dragon Pearl’s power. This time, I used it in a slightly different way.
Defense... the power of protection...
Carrying that intent in my mind, I poured the Dragon Pearl’s energy into the armor.
Wooooong—
The entire set was wrapped in a soft white radiance. The armored cat scales fused together even more tightly, and at the same time, something wondrous happened: the armor became lighter.
“Incredible... the weight has been cut in half, and yet the durability has doubled!”
Cheolsan exclaimed in awe.
“Hwaung, try it on.”
When Hwaung donned the armor, a faint membrane of qi seemed to form around him.
“Oh! It’s light! And... it feels safe somehow.”
“We’ll call this Iron Wall Armor. It looks like it not only provides physical defense, but also blocks part of a beast’s aura.”
I nodded in satisfaction. To think I could use the Dragon Pearl like this. It was an unexpected harvest.
“Dasa-hyung, what about your sword?”
Duseong asked.
“My sword...”
I glanced at the blade at my waist. Since I could directly infuse the Dragon Pearl’s power myself, I wasn’t in a hurry to forge a new weapon.
“This is enough for now. When we get better materials later, I’ll think about it then.”
Cheolsan finished up his work and said, “I’ve never seen weapons and armor like these. Not once.”
“Cheolsan, keep this equipment a secret.”
“Of course.”
I looked at Duseong and Hwaung. Both of them had a confidence in their faces that hadn’t been there before.
“Now it’s time to build real strength. Starting tomorrow, we’ll take on stronger beasts.”
“Yes, Dasa-hyung!”
The two answered with vigor. As we left the forge, I reached once more for the Dragon Pearl’s presence.
If I can grant power to weapons and armor... couldn’t I do the same for other things?
It felt like a new possibility had opened up before me. But at the same time, I had to be careful. If I used the Dragon Pearl’s power too much, the backlash would grow as well.
Slowly. I’ll learn it little by little.
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