The Blacksmith's Astonishing Workshop
"Oh."
Yoon Deok-su's workshop was far more impressive than expected. After walking down the hallway from the office where the meeting was in full swing, they arrived at his forge. From the massive fantasy-style furnace exuding a thick otherworldly aroma to the intricate machinery tangled with pipes stretching endlessly into the distance—it reminded him of Dwarf Master Urgen's workshop from the other world.
Clank! Clank!
Throughout the workshop, gigantic robots—at least three meters tall—bustled about, operating the place. As soon as Deok-su entered, some of them approached carrying artifacts freshly produced from the machines, lining up like employees awaiting their boss's approval. The sight was surprisingly striking.
"Let me see here..."
Deok-su scrutinized the artifacts the robots had brought, furrowing his brow in concentration. They varied wildly: spears, swords, and even ones whose purpose was impossible to guess at a glance.
"Hmm, A+ grade. This one's decent enough. This one, though—not so much."
'Whoa.'
As far as Park Soo-hyeok knew, an A+ grade artifact was among the pricier ones available. The gauntlets he'd gifted to Ji-hyang were C+ grade, and even those cost around ten million won. An A+ should fetch at least a hundred million. And he was calling it just "decent enough"?
He looked like your average neighborhood uncle with nothing better to do, but clearly, the guy had serious skills.
"Ahem, Park hyung. This here's my personal workshop."
"Whoa, this place is something else."
"Heh heh. What'd you expect? I'm the dedicated artifact smith for Gu-guk Guild, after all."
Deok-su had been awkwardly formal upon learning Soo-hyeok was a year older, but a single compliment had him beaming, fiddling with his nose proudly. Praise could make even a whale dance, after all.
"What's that over there?"
One of the robots that had just gotten Deok-su's approval carried its artifact into a room adjacent to the workshop. It had thick iron automatic doors—like a vault.
"Ah, that's where we store the finished artifacts. Wanna take a peek?"
Deok-su's speech was a weird mix of formal and casual, hard to pin down. It didn't seem malicious; he was just the type who defaulted to informal talk.
"Sure. And hey, just a year's difference—cut the formalities. Speak casually."
Truth be told, it felt nice running into someone his age after so long; an easy camaraderie bloomed. At their age, a one-year gap just meant friends.
"Heh! You got it?"
"But still call me hyung."
"Yup, gotcha. Park hyung."
As Deok-su stood before the vault door, the heavy iron slab slid open. There was a keypad nearby, but it was powered down—no lights. Looked like he'd just unplugged it out of laziness.
"Whoa."
The vault brimmed with artifacts of every kind, from halberds taller than Soo-hyeok to shields the size of a rich man's front gate. What stood out was that each one was labeled with its name and assigned user.
[Raikal Halberd (A+) - Oh Joo-hee]
[Geosan (A) - Jang In-cheol]
[Gramnir (S/Replica) - Kim Ji-seon]
"So this doubles as storage for Gu-guk Guild hunters?"
"Haha! Nah, couldn't be. What would they carry then? These are all spares. Raids get messy—artifacts break all the time."
"Ah, got it."
That meant in addition to this vault full, every hunter had their own personal one. Impressive.
"You sure it's okay showing me all this?"
"Psh, why not? You already saw the underground offices and the meeting. That's basically VIP access—VIP access. Besides, you planning to pick a fight with Gu-guk Guild, Park hyung?"
He had no clue what "free pass" meant, but it sounded fine.
"How much is all this worth...?"
"Heh heh! You kidding? Sell this lot at market price, and you could buy a prime high-rise downtown."
"Whoa."
The offhand exclamation slipped out in awe, and Deok-su kindly elaborated. Hearing the money talk made it hit home. Leaving a vault like this open just because it was a hassle to lock?
"Deok-su, you're a big deal, huh."
"Haha! Took you long enough? All thanks to Guild Master Lee Shin-yul, though. He supplies materials on demand—I just hammer away and delegate deadlines to the underlings."
"Materials like monster byproducts and mana cores?"
"Yup."
Artifacts were typically forged from mana cores of B-rank monsters or higher as the core component, but they required auxiliary materials too—usually monster byproducts. While you could use plain metals or leather infused with a mana core, byproducts from powerful monsters offered vastly superior durability. For A-rank and up, embedding mana cores into those byproducts was standard practice.
Both mana cores and byproducts came from slaying strong monsters, so they were rare and pricey. But this was Gu-guk Guild, run by Korea's top-ranked hunter. Taking down high-level beasts was their daily bread; materials were no issue.
"Money printer goes brrr."
"Heh heh."
Deok-su rubbed his nose sheepishly, gazing at the artifacts with quietly emotional eyes.
"Y'know, just fifteen years ago, I was running a local hardware store. Then I met Guild Master Lee Shin-yul, awakened, and ended up crafting for an elite guild like this."
"So Lee Shin-yul's a 1st gen awakener, and you learned mana core forging from him?"
"Yup."
Deok-su nodded, eyes misty with nostalgia.
"Impressive."
Lee Shin-yul was remarkable, sure, but if Deok-su's story held, he'd been crafting for Gu-guk from the early days. Becoming the guild's dedicated smith for a powerhouse like this took more than founding-member status—it demanded real talent. Deok-su was no slouch.
'Or maybe Lee Shin-yul's the real genius for spotting that talent early and recruiting him.'
Either way, both were legends. As they toured the vault, one wall caught his eye—plastered entirely with swords. All identical: long-hilted, curved blades called hwantaedo, twelve in total, hanging on dedicated racks. Unlike the others, this section was sealed behind clear glass, suggesting high importance.
[Gu-guk Sword - Lee Shin-yul]
"Oh."
The Gu-guk Sword, Lee Shin-yul's famed blade.
"That's the guild master's artifact, the Gu-guk Sword. Pretty wild, right?"
A plain design: long hilt wrapped in leather, unadorned blade. Unlike the flashy others, its simplicity exuded quiet elegance.
"Neat, huh? All thanks to my unique ability: 'Replication.'"
"Replication?"
"Yeah. Lets me recreate artifacts perfectly. Most come out as replicas, though. For these wall-hangers? Maybe one success per month, if I'm lucky."
Replication—a unique ability he'd seen in the other world. Rare among humans, more common than among dwarf smiths. Perfect copies were tough, but theoretically possible even for a master's masterpiece, making it prized among human artisans.
'Replication? Yeah, that earns respect.'
"The original's with the guild master, but I stockpile extras just in case."
Notably, the Gu-guk Sword lacked a grade label like the others—probably that rare.
As Soo-hyeok gawked wide-eyed, Deok-su shrugged happily.
"Park hyung, since you're here, pick something you want. Tradition for newbies—one artifact on the house. I can approve up to A+."
Deok-su already treated him like a buddy, offering a gift. Free was free—minimum a hundred million won. No reason to refuse.
"Hmm..."
Problem: he didn't use weapons. Bare hands suited him better.
'They break too easily anyway.'
A Gu-guk Sword replica might hold up, but they wouldn't hand over the guild master's gear. Scanning for something usable, a quirky one caught his eye: like a toy tank with an upward spout.
"What's this?"
"Huh?"
Deok-su squinted, memory jogging slow.
"...Ah! This guy's still here?"
"What is it?"
"Probably from an A-rank dungeon master. Useless, so it got shelved. Forgot it was here."
"Huh."
Artifacts dropped from dungeon masters too. Cool design—reminiscent of dwarven magitech war engines. Perfect as a decorative souvenir.
"I'll take this one."
"This? It's basically a sprinkler. Hook a hose to the spout, and it sprays water."
"Perfect."
He'd pegged it as a knickknack, but sprinkler functionality? Ideal for the thornvine field.
"All done sightseeing?"
Section Chief Kim Ji-seon called as they wrapped up. She'd stepped out for a call from Lee Shin-yul earlier; must be back now.
"Yeah, tons of cool stuff. Guilds with in-house smiths really are on another level."
"Glad you think so."
"Heh heh! Damn right they are!"
Deok-su chuckled, packing the tank sprinkler neatly, looking pleased.
Meanwhile, Kim Ji-seon beckoned him.
"And Park Soo-hyeok."
"Yes? Something up?"
"Message from the guild master. Follow me."
He'd wondered why he hadn't seen Lee Shin-yul all day—must be busy.
"Alright, Park hyung. I'll have it gift-wrapped nice. Go on."
"Cool."
Curious, he followed quietly. This time, they entered a vast empty chamber, like an indoor training ground.
Beep. Bleep.
Kim Ji-seon worked the wall panel. Behind her hung Gramnir—the one from the vault.
'So it's hers after all.'
He'd thought the name too common for coincidence. That vault one was an S-rank replica, so hers must be the real S-rank deal.
'She's no pushover.'
They wouldn't give an S-rank artifact to a mid-tier hunter. She was probably S-rank herself.
Whirr.
As she finished with the panel, thin blue barriers layered around the room's perimeter—a kind of ward.
"...What's this about?"
"Nothing major."
She shrugged off her suit jacket, now in a white shirt and slacks. She stretched lightly, shaking out her limbs.
"The guild master wants to gauge your level for the raid team—says he doesn't know it yet."
"Ah, I'm game."
"So, a light spar? You okay with that?"
Clank! Clank!
As she spoke, one wall parted, revealing a selection of artifacts popping out from compartments.
"Pick any weapon you like."
"Hmm."
He'd half-expected this. Honestly, he'd wondered when it'd come. High physical stats or not, Gu-guk knew squat about him. Funny, really—what made them recruit him blind? Still, verification made sense for raid duty.
"No weapons needed."
"...Pardon?"
Her brows furrowed slightly at the unexpected reply.
"I prefer bare hands."
"...You're serious?"
"Dead serious."
"...Understood."
She drew Gramnir from her back, assuming stance.
"Then, let's have a good one."
With a curt bow, Kim Ji-seon's form lunged straight at him.