Mi So-jeo's Interest in Aman
Standing at the entrance to the forge, the guard captain Kang Bi's gaze locked onto the long leather bundle in the corner of the workbench.
"Take it with you."
I approached silently, picked up the leather bundle, and held it out to him. Yeom Cheol furrowed his bushy eyebrows in confusion beside me, but Kang Bi ignored the old man's stare, his eyes fixed piercingly on the bundle in my hands. He swallowed hard, then untied the knot with his callused hands.
Shrrk— The leather peeled away, revealing the silver-gray blade gleaming naked in the morning sunlight.
"……!"
Kang Bi's sharp eyes widened as if they might tear. He gasped like he'd seen a ghost and gripped the hilt of the sword with trembling hands.
Last night, the sword he'd shown me had been on the verge of scrap, with a hideous crack right down the center of the blade like a broken spine. But now, the horrific wound in the sword he held was completely gone. No, it wasn't just repaired.
"Is this… really my sword?"
Kang Bi's voice quivered faintly. He traced his fingertip along the center of the blade, where a long, cool vein of black iron ran like ink through the blue steel. High-density black iron had melted into the shattered gap, forming a perfect new spine for the sword.
Shing! Instinctively, Kang Bi swung it through the air. Even the sound of cutting wind was different. Instead of the old light impact, the added weight of the black iron gave it a heavy yet perfectly balanced feel that clung to his wrist. The instincts of a warrior who lived by slaughter screamed out: this sword hadn't just been fixed—it had been reborn as something far more destructive and sharp than before.
"Impossible… Pouring another chunk of metal into a broken frame and fusing it without a trace of foreign feel, all into one perfect grain. And this weight—it's the perfect balance I've craved my whole life. I heard you were an apprentice porter. What are you, really?"
To Kang Bi's stunned question, I just gave a faint smile. He couldn't tear his eyes from the sword for a long while, then finally took a deep breath and pulled a heavy pouch from his bosom, setting it on the anvil.
Thud. The pouch opened, revealing three rough iron ingots the size of an adult fist. Not as pure as the top-grade iron Yeom Cheol had given me, but far superior in density to the scrap metal rolling around the market floor.
"I'd heard rumors of your skill, but I never imagined you'd fix it this perfectly—no, rebirth it as a whole new masterwork sword. I brought these three ingots as promised payment for your labor… but compared to this miraculous blade, they're worthless scraps. In a few days, I'll borrow plenty of silver taels and come back to properly reward you."
As Kang Bi sincerely bowed his head, I quietly raised a hand to stop him.
"I don't need silver, Captain."
"What? Look, this sword can't be settled with just three ingots."
"To a blacksmith, nothing is more precious than high-quality iron ingots."
I lightly swept my palm over the three ingots on the anvil, continuing in a calm, firm voice.
"Besides, being able to dismantle and reassemble the frame of a sword you cherished with my own hands was a great lesson for me. I don't want to weigh down this clean deal with coin. These three ingots are enough. If I ever run into trouble with the merchant guild in the future, one solid favor as sharp and reliable as this blade we've forged today will suffice."
It was a calculated concession. Building a sticky 'connection' with the merchant guild's guard captain would yield far more value in this chaotic world than a handful of silver right now. Kang Bi stared at me with blank eyes. This wasn't some simple porter or greedy young apprentice—he was a man with the magnanimity to toss immediate gain aside like dust and bind people's hearts.
"Hmm, very well. I'll etch your artisan's pride and favor deep in my bones. On my name, I swear: if crisis ever befalls you, this sword will be the first to shed blood for you."
Kang Bi nodded heavily, cradled the reborn sword preciously, and left the forge. Once his back fully vanished, Yeom Cheol, who had been watching with his mouth agape, cleared his throat and approached.
"You… you touched the guard captain's sword behind my back too?"
"A personal request came in—I couldn't refuse. Sorry, Master Yeom."
As I bowed my head, Yeom Cheol laughed heartily and slapped my back roughly.
"Sorry my ass! Seeing that arrogant captain's soul fly out at the sword you fixed—damn, it feels good! Pouring black iron into cracked steel to mend the frame… what a barbaric, monstrous idea. Enough chit-chat—stoke the furnace! Today, this old man will squeeze every last drop out of that eye for metal you have!"
"Yes, Master Yeom!"
I replied cheerfully and pumped the bellows vigorously. With my job rank risen to E-grade Blacksmith, the true artisan's senses were ingrained in my body. Even without the subspace's buffs, every step of hammering the metal in sync with Yeom Cheol in the real forge flowed perfectly like water. I'd strike a spot with the hammer, and he'd drive out impurities with the big one; I'd read the metal's heat and quench it, and he'd praise the elasticity. No system alerts popped up, but I could clearly feel through my senses that every sword and spearhead born from my hands was at least E-grade combat-ready weapons. Yeom Cheol couldn't stop marveling at my insane absorption and talent, cheering nonstop.
The same moment. In the most secluded and lavish inner quarters of the Xu Province merchant guild headquarters, Mi So-jeo stared piercingly at the cool sword on the table. It was the D+ grade masterwork that Kang Bi had brought to show her, repaired by Aman.
"Is this truly the work that child produced in a single night?"
"Yes, miss."
Kang Bi's voice carried deep awe beside Mi So-jeo.
"It wasn't mere repair. Steel and black iron have different melting points and densities—sloppily joined, they'd shatter on the first impact, those vicious metals. But he embedded a tougher black iron spine into the broken frame, not just restoring its performance but rebirthing it into an overwhelming masterwork unlike any in the world."
Kang Bi swallowed dryly.
"And he even refused the silver repair fee. Said three fine ingots were enough, and he wanted to leave a good connection with me, the guild's captain. Young, but he knows how to bind hearts and wield magnanimity."
Mi So-jeo silently fanned her face with her fan. Her sharp eyes began spinning fiercely. The chilling genius that had dismantled Do Geom's wife's carriage frame and implanted shock absorbers. The beastly combat talent that shattered a thief's cheap sword and broke his joints in one strike on the market floor. And now, perfect single-piece forging that even Xu Province's renowned artisans would gape at, recreating the guard captain's masterwork sword. Plus, shrewd survival skills to gain the upper hand in deals with the powerful.
Just how deep does that child's bottom go?
Mi So-jeo's chest thumped with pleasant excitement. She'd been pondering what reward to give Aman for the Do Geom wife's carriage job—maybe a hundred taels of silver or a few bolts of silk. But seeing this sword, she was certain such paltry wealth couldn't fully bind that massive monster to the guild.
His talent is too destructive to waste as a mere apprentice. For this guild—no, for our Mi family, who will one day vie for hegemony over the realm, I must make that child's heart completely mine.
"Captain."
Mi So-jeo folded her fan and commanded coolly.
"I'll decide Aman's reward personally. In the meantime, shadow him like a ghost and discreetly learn what he likes, what ambitions he harbors."
"Understood, miss."
A thick, seductive smile spread between Mi So-jeo's red lips. The sun had set, the red twilight faded to ash-gray, and deep night fell.
The guild forge, echoing with hammer strikes all day, fell into thick silence. Yeom Cheol, in high spirits from my skill, had gotten drunk on strong liquor early and was snoring away.
Alone in my cramped side room, I sat under the dim lantern light, gazing at the three iron ingots I'd received as payment from guard captain Kang Bi today.
Rough, crude gray lumps. Not top-grade black iron, but with my embodied E-grade blacksmith senses and the subspace's perfect buffs, these three would transform into the deadliest weapons guaranteeing my survival.
My dantian already brimmed fully with 9 mana, without a gap. Last night, I'd forged the sword with black iron; before that, the carriage shocks and dagger. Now I had an overwhelming 9 minutes, advanced E-grade skills, and excellent materials.
Tonight…
I traced the cold surface of an ingot with my fingertips, staring into the void with the glint of a beast's eyes in the dark. The crude lumps cast eerie shadows in the moonlight. What if one became the frame for a sturdy shield to protect me, another a lethal spearhead to sever enemies' breaths, and the last the perfect central axis to control them all?
Wait— the forge hammer doesn't fit my hand right. It suits Yeom Cheol's, but I should make one that fits mine.
In my mind, dozens of quenchings and hammerings wove into a precise blueprint. The pathetic past of porter Aman was fully shoved into the corner of this dark side room. Only the instinct of an artisan dominating metal and birthing new weapons surged hot through my veins.
Combine these three frames—tonight, I'll forge a hammer that fits my hand.