Grafting Cartilage onto Do Geom's Wife's Carriage
A cool, heavy sensation coursed through my palm. From the shadows of the side room, I carefully ran my fingers along the blade of the freshly forged E+ grade black iron dagger. It was a crude chunk of metal without a single ornament, but nothing could be more perfect for silently slicing into an enemy's heart or carotid artery.
I tore a strip from a rough hemp cloth and hastily wove it into a makeshift sheath for the dagger. Then I bound it tightly inside my thin undergarment, against the secret spot where my left ribs met my heart.
The bare minimum safeguard for my life. That horrific helplessness from modern times, dying with an orc spear from a dungeon piercing my chest—it was gone now. This black iron dagger would be my sharp tool for carving out the rotten tumors threatening my life in this mad age of chaos.
With the dagger secured, I carefully gathered the four black iron plate springs laid neatly on the workbench and cradled them in my arms. Masterpieces of D-grade quality, forged by splitting and stretching black iron ingots the size of two adult fists combined. They weighed dozens of geun in total, but with my strength now at 11, my arms held the heavy lumps steady.
I peered through the bars of the window. The surroundings were still pitch black, but I had to move.
No time left. Mi So-jeo's deadline is before dawn breaks.
I silently opened the side room door and hurried toward the forge area shrouded in darkness. A thick silence hung there, without even the embers of the hearth lit.
I sorted thick wooden levers for crawling under the carriage, heavy iron nails, and tough oxhide straps by size, setting them neatly on the workbench. Time passed after I finished preparing.
Clunk!Rumble rumble! The heavy rear gate of the merchant guild's main compound creaked open, followed by the thud of rough horse hooves and the scrape of wooden wheels on the dirt path heading toward the forge.
"This way! Grip the reins tight so the wheels don't slip!"
From the darkness came Yeom Cheol's urgent, raspy voice, torch in hand. Behind him, guards formed an ironclad escort, carefully guiding a massive carriage into the forge courtyard. Larger and more ornate than Mi So-jeo's jade-green one, it was adorned with gold leaf and red silk—an overwhelming sight. It belonged to the wife of Xu Province's supreme ruler, Governor Do Geom.
"Aman! Aman, you bastard! You there?!"
As soon as the carriage halted, Yeom Cheol shouted desperately toward the forge. His voice dripped with utter exhaustion and the anxiety of racing against the deadline.
"I've been waiting, Master Yeom."
I stepped out quietly from the shadows, cradling the four black iron shock absorbers. At my calm voice, Yeom Cheol flinched in surprise and shone his torch on me. Under the flickering red light, the heavy, cool sheen of the black iron plate springs gleamed in my arms.
"You... you bastard! Don't tell me you've already finished them?!"
Yeom Cheol rushed forward torch in hand. His thick hands trembled as he lifted one from my arms. The moment his lifelong blacksmith's fingertips brushed the black iron surface, his bushy brows twitched wildly.
"What the hell is this insane density...! The impurities are burned clean out! And this cool luster... not just quenched in water—you boiled it in lard oil and slow-roasted it over low heat to infuse maximum elasticity! You split top-grade black iron into four pieces overnight and nailed this insane process solo? Without a single apprentice's help?!"
Yeom Cheol's eyes widened in shock. He gripped both ends with his hands and bent it with monstrous force, as if snapping his own back.
Screeech! With tremendous elasticity, the black iron curved into a taut C-shape. The instant he released, ping! it snapped back to its original arched form with a clear metallic ring, without a hair's deviation.
"A... a monster..."
Yeom Cheol's lips quivered. He was utterly overwhelmed by the quality of my work, lost in awe. But I had no time for admiration. The eastern sky's deep blue was fading to gray; dawn was closing in like a noose.
"Master, save the praise. We need to finish the transplant before sunrise."
I snatched the torch from his hand, jammed it into a nearby hearth pillar, and grabbed the thick wooden lever I'd prepared.
"Trans... transplant?"
"Surgery to insert new cartilage between the joints. Hurry. This carriage is twice as heavy as that girl's plank cart from yesterday. I'll lift from below—you balance the axle."
At my cold, rational instructions, Yeom Cheol shook off his daze and nodded gruffly.
"Got it! You lot! Seal off the forge entrance tight before the young miss arrives—no one peeks inside!"
The guards formed a circular screen around the carriage, blocking all lines of sight. In that perfect cover, I crawled under the dust-choked underbelly without hesitation.
The basic frame's a mess, but reinforce the central load-bearing axle with new steel bones. That cool focus from modern construction sites, retying collapsing scaffolding with rebar, chilled my mind. I jammed the thick wooden lever deep between the carriage's heavy body and the wheel-supporting axle.
"Lifting! Balance it!"
I clenched my teeth, channeling all my strength into my shoulder, and crushed down on the lever.
Crackkk! Creakkk!! Amid ear-splitting friction, the massive carriage—thousands of geun at least—lifted just enough for a three-finger gap.
"Now! Gap's open!"
Yeom Cheol yelled urgently from outside. Ignoring the crushing pressure threatening to shatter my shoulder blade, I snatched a black iron plate spring.
Tat-tat-tat! Though in darkness, my hands moved with blinding speed and precision, no afterimages. I slid the heavy spring dead-center into the gap, perfectly aligned with the weight distribution. Mouth-gripping a thick iron nail, I hammered three precise strikes to secure it firm. Then I crisscrossed tough oxhide straps, binding the wooden frame and black iron cartilage into one living organism. Every hammer blow, strap cinch, lever shift to the next wheel—flawless, no waste.
"No... no way."
From outside, Yeom Cheol groaned in awe, torch illuminating my work.
"Handling that heavy iron without numb wrists? Nailing without a tremor, strapping so fast the eye can't follow. The bastard's not just a forging freak—he's born with monster instincts for assembling and dismantling frames..."
His stunned mutterings didn't reach me. My nerves fixated solely on mounting all four springs level, dispersing the carriage's rolling vibrations perfectly.
"Nngh...! Last one!"
I wrung every muscle to lift the final wheel's lever, jamming the remaining spring perfectly. I knotted the straps roughly and yanked the lever free.
Thud! Slosh! The body settled heavily as the lever released.
"Haaah..."
Caked in sweat and dust, I crawled out. The job was flawless.
"D-done?"
Yeom Cheol approached the wheel with a trembling voice. He gripped a corner and pressed down with all his weight.
Squeak, slosh. The massive official carriage swayed flexibly up and down like a dancer under his force, rigid rock turned living, breathing joint.
"These thin black iron slices perfectly absorbing this giant weight, springing back with elasticity!"
Like a blind man seeing for the first time, Yeom Cheol lost himself in the smooth motion, exclamations spilling out. Then—
"So noisy. Is the work finished?"
Cleaving the dawn mist with faint floral scent came a refined, sharp voice echoing in the courtyard.
Early morning, red sun's edge cresting the eastern sky. Mi So-jeo, in elegant purple silk and cloak, entered with elite guards and maids.
"Y-young miss! Why come to this humble place yourself...!"
Yeom Cheol startled, dropping to his knees in the dirt. I wiped sweat and knelt behind him, bowing low.
"Dawn has broken as promised; checking results is only natural. Governor Do Geom's wife awaits this carriage eagerly."
Mi So-jeo's clear, cold eyes swept the massive carriage in the forge center. No long questions. A chin flick signaled her guard captain, who bowed silently, leaped to the driver's seat, and seized the reins.
Neighhh! The heavy carriage rumbled roughly over the forge's bumpy stone path. Clunk! Hitting a jutting stone—
Thump, slosh. The miraculous ride from her carriage yesterday replayed even more perfectly, more solidly in this far larger, heavier one. Black iron cartilage devoured the road's brutal shocks; the body glided like a raft on a serene lake.
Guards and maids gasped in shock at the unreal ride. Mi So-jeo's red lips parted slightly in surprise.
"Splendid."
Short, but heavier and more sincere than any praise.
"Seeing this perfect carriage, Do Geom's wife will rejoice and push our guild as Xu Province's exclusive military supplier. Master Yeom, and..."
Her gaze passed Yeom Cheol, landing on me, dirt- and sweat-smeared, prostrated.
"Aman, was it?"
"Yes, young miss."
"From my carriage to the governor's. Your tireless skill over sleepless days has elevated our guild's fortunes. I won't take your merit and craft lightly. After today's talks with Governor Do Geom, I'll grant fitting rewards to your forge."
"Thank you, young miss!"
Yeom Cheol cried out from his bow. I dipped my head deeper in silent loyalty.
"We've delayed. Head to the official residence at once. Escort, prepare to depart."
At Mi So-jeo's command, the courtyard buzzed like a storm again. She boarded the miraculous carriage destined for Do Geom's wife, guards in tow, departing majestically for the governor's residence at Xu Province's heart.
Only after the procession vanished beyond the gates, red morning sun fully cresting the forge roof—
"Haaaaah..."
Yeom Cheol collapsed spread-eagled like his bones had melted.
"We lived... Fulfilled the governor's order, secured the guild's position..."
Relief and released tension brought tears welling from his tough eyes. My taut nerves snapped; screaming muscles dumped me to the dirt.
Flat on his back, Yeom Cheol turned his head, red-veined eyes on my heaving form.
"Aman."
"Yes, Master."
"That monster skill you showed today, carving and assembling iron... I'll never forget it in my life. You're beyond my lifesaver—you redeemed my entire career as a craftsman."
Struggling up, he clapped my shoulder with his thick hand.
"I know you didn't sleep a wink wrestling that hellish black iron last night. You look ready to keel over standing."
He chuckled gruffly, jerking his chin at me.
"Today's a full holiday for our forge. No hammers, no bellows. Crawl to your side room and sleep like the dead till tomorrow's dawn. Anyone wakes you, this old man's hammer cracks their skull."
A holiday. In this hellish chaos, since tumbling as a porter and choking on forge ash, my first official, legitimate time of rest.