The Blacksmith Hides His Identity
EP 4: The Blacksmith Hides His Identity
Yu Jin-ah was a high school graduate. Not from the prestigious Hyunmo-yangcheo High School, but an ordinary one. On top of that, she had originally been talentless. In an era where the Hyunmo-yangcheo mindset reigned supreme, a woman with such credentials could never marry a man. Marriage was only the beginning of her problems—finding employment was nearly impossible. She was even looked down upon for lacking the proper Hyunmo-yangcheo attitude.
The only reason this woman had managed to become a manager at the Samjin Guild was thanks to Wolgeukseonggun. She had been a loyal hound. Whenever a hunter possessing the skill Wolgeukseonggun desired appeared, she would immediately connect them as a sponsor and earn his favor. With his patronage, she obtained a house and a car. After consuming elixirs and reaching the Refined Realm, she was barely acknowledged as the concubine of a certain man. Thanks to that, she had risen to a status where she could occasionally meet and converse with men once or twice a year. Bearing his child remained a distant dream, yet to Yu Jin-ah, her current life was the happiness she had always longed for.
[Divorce Notice]
Reason for Divorce: Due to the wife’s harassment causing severe mental stress, I no longer wish to remain together. Furthermore, I demand compensation for emotional damages.
In an absolute male-supremacist society, divorce was something a man could initiate at any time. A divorced woman faced unimaginable contempt from society. If the reason was something as simple as personality differences, it might have been tolerable—but with such a vicious accusation recorded, it was over. Moreover, the house and car that Wolgeukseonggun had provided were all confiscated. Currently, she was renting a small room at an inn.
Yu Jin-ah stared at the television screen. Song Hye-na, now an S-rank, was smiling brightly during a talk show while a famous actress clapped beside her.
“Song Hye-na…”
Yu Jin-ah’s eyes focused on the outfit Song Hye-na was wearing. Black Prestige. The attire of the Black Saintess.
“That craftsman…”
Yu Jin-ah bit her nails.
“I’ll find him. Definitely… definitely…”
After thinking for a while, what came to mind was the nature of Song Hye-na’s dress. Because it was paired with an ability user, the equipment had to be crafted to match the compatibility with the user. In other words, Song Hye-na and the craftsman must have met at least once. So who had arranged that meeting?
She recalled Song Hye-na’s recent activities. She had visited the president’s office. Yu Jin-ah had recently embezzled internal funds from the Samjin Guild and planted a hacking program in the company messenger. She hadn’t even informed Wolgeukseonggun about it.
“Restaurant Famile?”
EP 4: The Blacksmith Hides His Identity
In the past, something like this happened on the Alchemist bulletin board. There was an alchemist named A. This alchemist was also a hunter who mined materials directly from gates, so she often posted raid strategies and certifications, drawing attention. In short, she was the type of woman called a “gallery girl.”
That day, A had challenged a high-ranking gate with her team and luckily obtained a rare material from the boss. Normally, it should have been divided equally among the team members or put up for bidding. But A was an alchemist to the bone. An alchemist who meekly shared with her colleagues wasn’t an alchemist at all. Without hesitation—in my pocket.
Afterward, the alchemist known as A began deceiving people on the bulletin board.
The problem was that the Alchemist bulletin board wasn’t used by just one or two people, and posts often spread to other communities. Furthermore, through mirrors, reflections, and previous posts, the poster’s identity had been half-exposed. Then the team members themselves descended upon the board.
In a normal world, A would have apologized to her teammates and reached a settlement. But this was a closed bulletin board filled with abnormal people.
They dug up every single detail about the opposing team members’ identities, exposed every crime they had committed in the past, and even sabotaged their actual livelihoods. In the end, A failed to reach a settlement and posted this:
Below it, these comments were posted:
The alchemists of the Alchemist bulletin board were a battle-loving tribe that worshipped combat and victory. They didn’t care about the deaths of allies or enemies that occurred in the process. They simply enjoyed the fights that broke out. And that tendency of the board was once again manifesting without fail.
The one called SadEndurer had already become my fervent follower. I looked at one of the posts he had written in the past.
[Hermes Literature....txt [Decisive Battle]]
Author: [Mid][Middle School Grad] SadEndurer
Views: 134,089
(Link to a sad and majestic OST on YouTube)
(Photo of Llywelyn.)
“Hermes.”
(Meme of Llywelyn throwing a tantrum after not receiving the Nobel Prize)
“The monster who took everything from me.”
(Photo of Hermes registered as a Nobel Prize winner)
“And one who has far surpassed me.”
“A god.”
(Photo of Llywelyn standing in a dark place wearing a hoodie)
“So? What are the chances of winning?”
(Photo of another alchemist)
“...The chances of winning are 0%.”
(Photo of Llywelyn in a hoodie looking up at the sky)
“...I see.”
“Well, that makes sense.”
(Photo of Llywelyn smirking)
“I know.”
“That he’s already surpassed me.”
“...Indeed. This battle will be the greatest challenge of my life.”
“I might die.”
(Photo of Llywelyn looking at the sky)
“...Even so.”
“I want to fight.”
(Photo of a startled alchemist)
“...Are you serious?”
(Photo of Llywelyn smiling faintly)
“Yeah.”
“So.”
“Even if I die, don’t be sad.”
(Photo of an alchemist bursting into tears)
“Why...”
(Photo of Llywelyn)
“It’s fine.”
“I’ve already crossed many lines of death until now.”
“The reason I was able to not break down was...”
“...Because there were people who believed in me.”
“...Someone like me.”
“Can’t run away, right?”
(Photo of another alchemist)
“...You’ll die.”
(Photo of Llywelyn)
“Maybe.”
(Photo of another alchemist)
“...Puhaha.”
“You really are...”
“Hey. Llywelyn.”
(Photo of Llywelyn looking up and laughing)
“What?”
(Photo of another alchemist)
“You’re going to win, right?”
(Photo of Llywelyn looking blank)
“......ㅋㅋㅋ I was wondering what you were going to say.”
(Photo of Llywelyn with hands on hips looking at the sky)
“Not ‘you’re going to win, right?’”
(Photo of Llywelyn looking straight ahead)
“Win.”
. . . . . .
(Photo of Hermes wearing a hat during the Magic Cooking Qualification Exam)
“It was magnificent.”
“Among all the ones who have challenged me over the past decades, you were the most worthwhile.”
“Your desperate all-out strike, your tactical maneuvering—everything was admirable.”
“Probably, in the rest of my life, I won’t meet an opponent like you again.”
“I’ll praise you.”
(Edited photo with Llywelyn’s full-body shot cut in half and blood drawn between)
“Llywelyn, I will never forget your name again.”
“......”
“...I’m in a good mood right now. Don’t ruin it.”
(Photo of Murakami Satsuki)
Without even time to mourn Llywelyn’s death, the one deployed was... Murakami Satsuki!
- How many of these crazy literary pieces is this bitch writing?
- Why is Murakami in there? Should’ve put in the water rocket bitch instead of Karno
- Llywelyn gets cut the moment she appears with the teacher ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
“Has she gone insane....”
I felt like I was losing my mind reading SadEndurer’s crazed fanfiction post. While writing it might have been fun for the person involved, from the actual person’s perspective, it was the absolute worst. Llywelyn sacrificing her life to fight me? Me acknowledging a miserably dead Llywelyn? When did I ever do that? When did Llywelyn ever lose to me?
As I was scrolling through the comments, one caught my eye.
Ranbiki was Llywelyn’s username. There was clear evidence that Llywelyn, who was currently running around Daejeon looking for me, had seen the post and become even more enraged.
Before I knew it, the post I had just written had exceeded 30,000 views, and the comments were filled with malicious posts tearing Llywelyn down.
‘S-stop it....’
I sent a private message to SadEndurer asking why he was doing this. The reply I received was absurd.
Then someone captured my post. It was the user Paracelsus.
[Interpretation of Hermes’ Recent Post....txt]
Author: [High][College Grad] Paracelsus
Seriously, stop it. I’m begging you.
(Llywelyn. I’m begging you, please stop acting up.)
I really don’t want that.
(Do you think someone like you is on the same level as me?)
Why do you keep doing this?
(If you want to fight me, come at me with the right weight class.)
ㅁㅌㅊ?
- Kyaa, this is legendary.
- Did you major in document interpretation?
“Gyaaaaaaaak....”
Soon, an even greater storm broke out, with posts like [Llywelyn is just a water rocket competition winner] flooding in.
“S-stop it....”
It was an almost maniacal flow. But I had some relief. As long as I didn’t reveal my name and operate as Hermes, Llywelyn wouldn’t be able to find me. The traces from the Magic Cooking Qualification Exam wouldn’t lead to my current self or my restaurant.
Just then, a new post made it to the featured section.
“......”
I turned off my phone. As I lay there blankly, Lee Se-rin walked over to me.
“Yoo Ji-tae-nim. Dinner is ready.”
“...Right.”
Yeah. I should eat. This was all to make a living, after all. I trudged over and sat at the table.
“...This is incredible.”
Until now, I had honestly just thrown together whatever meals I could. More than anything, I hadn’t felt the need to put much effort into eating. But seeing the meal prepared with such care made those thoughts shatter into pieces.
“Amazing.”
A full table of high-class Korean cuisine had been laid out. Since these weren’t things we had at home, Lee Se-rin must have brought them from her place. Lee Se-rin sat across from me, cupping her cheeks with both hands as she stared at me.
“Thank you for the compliment.”
Lee Se-rin continued staring at me after that. I thought she would stop after a while, but she kept going, so I naturally averted my gaze. I stood up from my seat.
“Then call me when you’re done eating.”
“Ne?! W-what do you mean...?”
“Have you eaten yet?”
“Ne? No. I haven’t, but... why does that matter?”
“Aren’t you supposed to eat first and then I eat the leftovers?”
Lee Se-rin shot up as if she were going crazy.
“I!! Would never do something so hideous?! If anything, it should be me eating what Yoo Ji-tae-nim leaves behind. How could I possibly do something like that?!”
“Oh. Is that not how it works? That’s how it usually was at home.”
“Excuse me?”
At home, the family would eat first, and then I would eat the leftovers. I remembered it being quite convenient because I didn’t have to face my family.
“It’s efficient. If you eat what I’ve eaten, there’s less dishes to wash.”
Lee Se-rin stared at me blankly before clenching her fists tightly. I unconsciously took a step back.
“...Those damn femi bitches. How dare they... treat Yoo Ji-tae-nim... like that. Those pathetic... not even women... beast-like things....”
Lee Se-rin ground her teeth. Then she took a deep breath and calmed down before sitting at the table.
“Please sit, Yoo Ji-tae-nim.”
“...Uh. Yeah. Okay.”
Overwhelmed by Lee Se-rin’s energy, I sat across from her.
“Um, Lee Se-rin. From now on, I’ll always be by your side whenever Yoo Ji-tae-nim eats.”
“Why.”
“I will never make Yoo Ji-tae-nim sad or lonely. Never.”
Lee Se-rin made a strange oath. Even while eating, she stared at me with a determined look in her eyes. At this rate, I couldn’t tell if the food was going into my mouth or my nose. Even when I said I was going to train—
“I’ll support Yoo Ji-tae-nim from the side.”
—she hurriedly packed ion drinks and towels, spread out a mat in the parking lot, and watched me with a pleased expression.
After about four hours of training, all the strength left my body. Right now, I was lying on the mat Lee Se-rin had laid out, panting like crazy.
Zzzt.
I heard the vibration of a phone. Thinking it was mine, I checked, but it wasn’t. It must be Lee Se-rin’s. Lee Se-rin suddenly rested her chin on her hand, tilted her head, then took out the phone from her inner pocket.
“Hmm. Yoo Ji-tae-nim. Just a moment.”
“Huh? What is it.”
Lee Se-rin quickly made a call somewhere.
“It wasn’t you who just opened the store door and came in, right.”
-“Ne? I’m at home though.”
“I see.”
Lee Se-rin knelt in front of me and showed me her phone. It was a live CCTV feed. Someone wearing a hat pulled low was opening the store door and entering.
“......”
“Should I report it?”
“I’ll do it.”
When I texted Secretary Yu Hyun-ah, the police were dispatched to the restaurant. The CCTV screen showed a woman being caught by the police and struggling.