Chapter 04 …

The Genius Blacksmith Obsessed Over by Hunters

Everyone has preconceived notions, and Kang Cheol was no exception.

From the perspective of Kang Cheol, who had supported his family for three years by turning the work he loved into his livelihood, a scammer was someone dishonest—a vile person who coveted other people’s property through deceit.

Naturally, whenever he heard the word scammer, he imagined someone whose rotten personality was plainly written across their face.

But the impression of the steel scammer standing beyond the doorway was…

“…Seriously? Mr. Kim Do-yoon?”

The words “This guy is really a scammer?” slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them.

To be blunt, if this guy walked into an entertainment agency, they’d probably feed and house him without him ever needing to scam anyone.

His face, his clothes—he looked like someone who could pass as an actor or an idol trainee without anyone questioning it.

“Huh?”

“No, I mean… you’re seriously handsome.”

“…I’ll leave you a good transaction review later, so let’s just do business. Doesn’t seem like you’ve complimented many people before.”

Watching Kang Cheol awkwardly try to recover, the scammer merely dismissed him as what a weird guy and walked into the forge.

Grrrrrk.

The heavy scraping sound of something dragging across the floor followed behind him.

“Everything on this cart is from the CPM series. There’s stainless steel like S30V, tool steels like D2 and 3V too.”

“Wait… you brought all this like this? I didn’t even hear a car.”

“Can’t I just walk here while pulling steel?”

Kang Cheol clicked his tongue.

To be honest, at first he’d been troubled because the man insisted on conducting the deal face-to-face.

To lure him in, Kang Cheol had claimed he’d buy everything.

When the seller said he didn’t own a car, Kang Cheol offered a generous price, and the deal had gone through.

But…

Judging by eye alone, there had to be around two hundred kilograms of steel.

And the man had really loaded it all onto a handcart and pushed it here himself.

“Alright. Time to pay. Five hundred thousand won per plate, so that’s fifty million in cash.”

Fifty million won.

It was such a large sum that Kang Cheol hadn’t handled in a long time, making him instinctively flinch.

Pull yourself together. This isn’t the time to relax!

He had awakened.

Thanks to that, he now knew the steel was counterfeit and that he wouldn’t be held responsible for it.

But that was all.

He still couldn’t say he’d completely saved the forge.

“Ah, right! Of course. But let me inspect it first.”

“…Inspect?”

“Well… sometimes steel has internal defects.”

Kang Cheol pulled out a piece of steel from the cart.

With his other hand, he took the hammer tucked into his work clothes.

“So I think I’ll know after striking it a few times. I’ll inspect a few pieces first.”

“D-Do you really have to?”

The scammer visibly panicked at the mention of an inspection method.

His reaction alone was enough to tell Kang Cheol the steel was fake…

But…

『Checking Steel Information. 5 Coins Paid.』

Paying 1 Coin allowed him to use the skill once to inspect a single piece of steel.

Paying 5 Coins let him freely use one selected skill for the entire day.

Steel Information: This steel was not smelted using proper methods.

Creator: Kim Do-yoon

Just as expected.

The creator matched the producer of the counterfeit steel Park Young-jun had previously brought.

There are even more hollow spaces inside than before.

Sections of the steel glowed brightly.

Just like Park Young-jun’s sample, the glowing indicated hollow interiors.

The only difference was that there were far more glowing spots.

Compared to this, the steel Park Young-jun had brought almost looked acceptable.

And it wasn’t just one piece.

Every single piece on the cart looked the same.

Looks like I hit the jackpot.

Which meant the rest was just a formality.

Clang! Clang!

If it produced a hollow sound, Park Young-jun would come out for a face-to-face confrontation.

Then Kang Cheol only needed to split the steel open in front of both of them.

The moment his hammer struck—

Crack.

“…Huh?”

“…Tch!”

The steel snapped.

It had broken after only a few hammer strikes.

It was that poorly made.

The moment Kang Cheol and the scammer locked eyes…

“G-Get lost!”

“This is my workplace.”

The scammer exploded in panic, abandoned the cart, and turned around.

Just as he was about to run out of the forge—

Park Young-jun blocked the entrance.

“Where do you think you’re going?!”

“You! That sucker!”

“Huh?”

Apparently the scammer recognized Park Young-jun as well.

He looked back and forth between Kang Cheol and Park Young-jun before bursting into a crazed laugh.

“Heh… so the two of you worked together to lure me into a trap.”

“You’re the one who scammed people! You think I’d want my daughter learning from trash like you?!”

“So it’s okay for a bunch of people to gang up and trap one guy just because you’ve got a daughter?”

The confident Park Young-jun immediately turned bright red with anger.

『Oh dear… that gentleman really isn’t good at arguing.』

Before the pitiful system message had even finished evaluating him, Kang Cheol stepped in.

“Um… sir.”

“What?”

“You hunters are talking, and a mere blacksmith dares interrupt?”

“Well, I wasn’t exactly eager to butt into a conversation between dangerous people…”

Kang Cheol scratched his head.

Then the corners of his lips slowly curled upward.

It was the expression of someone deliberately trying to provoke another person.

“If a Hunter keeps falling into traps outside the Gate… doesn’t that usually mean he’s one hell of a loser?”

“What?”

“I mean, isn’t it true? Most Hunters who come to my forge have fancy equipment, look rich, and have great manners. Meanwhile someone’s out here running scams on Gaji Market—”

“Agh!”

Before he could finish, the scammer lashed out with a kick.

Kang Cheol barely threw himself aside in time.

The workbench behind him exploded into splinters.

“Huh? You dodged?”

“Sir… if I get hit, I’ll die. Of course I’m going to dodge.”

“You’ve got quite the irritating mouth.”

“But now I like you even more, boss.”

Park Young-jun stepped in front of Kang Cheol.

“Fighting’s my specialty. Let me show off this time.”

“Why’s a sucker like you getting in my way again?”

“He called me a sucker again!”

“If someone gets scammed on Gaji Market, what else am I supposed to call him?”

Park Young-jun looked at Kang Cheol as though asking for support.

But Kang Cheol was merciless about this sort of thing.

“…Honestly… he’s got a point.”

“Hah! If you’re going to be that cold…”

The moment Park Young-jun looked away—

The scammer charged.

No matter how gentle his appearance looked, he was still an awakened individual far stronger than any normal person.

A single kick had been enough to obliterate a workbench sturdy enough to hold piles of steel.

“Here we go.”

Bang! Crash!

Apparently…

That wasn’t much of a threat to Park Young-jun.

Just one straightforward punch.

That single blow literally sent the scammer flying.

He crashed all the way across the forge so pitifully that it almost looked like someone had thrown a ball.

“That’s no good.”

“Throwing punches at ordinary people…”

Kang Cheol’s mouth fell open.

“I-Isn’t he dead?”

“Come on.”

“He awakened, judging by his strength. A hit like that won’t keep him down.”

Just as he said…

A shadow twitched from the corner where the scammer had landed.

But something felt strange.

Watching him stand up, Park Young-jun’s confident expression slowly became uncertain.

“…What’s that?”

“When awakened people get hit… do they grow bigger?”

“I’d laugh if that were a joke…”

The scammer approaching them was clearly larger.

Far larger than before.

He had grown at least ten centimeters taller.

Before either of them could react—

The scammer suddenly accelerated.

The sunlight pouring through the window struck his body.

Only then did Kang Cheol realize what felt so unnatural.

“Steel… covering his body?!”

“Damn it! Does he have a skill that uses nearby objects for defense?!”

The same skill that produced counterfeit steel.

He had manipulated iron freely and wrapped it around himself like armor.

“So that’s why you ended up making a living through scams.”

“Huh?”

Park Young-jun quickly grasped the situation.

It matched what Ah-yeon had said about the man’s mediocre ability.

“If he has a skill like that, he’s supposed to be a tank. But if the steel really was hollow like you said, then it couldn’t perform properly.”

If the steel he created had hollow interiors…

Then its defensive power would be far below expectations.

A tank who couldn’t fulfill the role of defending the team directly lowered the team’s mission success rate.

A weak tank would gradually be pushed aside.

And if earning a living became difficult…

Using his ability to run scams would have been the path he drifted toward.

“You idiots who got scammed sure love talking!”

The enraged scammer charged again.

Boom!

Park Young-jun met him head-on.

The result…

“Huh?”

“…I see.”

The scammer grinned smugly.

Unlike their first clash, where he’d been effortlessly blown away…

The two were now evenly matched.

If anything, Park Young-jun seemed to be getting pushed back.

“What’s this? Weren’t you supposed to have terrible defense?”

“Sir! This is a forge!”

“…Ah. Damn it.”

Only then did Park Young-jun realize.

This place overwhelmingly favored the scammer.

A forge was filled with high-quality iron.

Even a weak tank who resorted to scams could obtain defense close to his prime in a place overflowing with superior steel.

Boom!

Park Young-jun deflected a punch.

The wall struck by the armored fist crumbled apart.

The speed hadn’t changed.

But adding the mass of iron turned every punch into something comparable to siege weaponry.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

“Haha! You got angry just because a nobody tricked you! Hahaha!”

“…Tch.”

While focusing entirely on defense, Park Young-jun shouted,

“Hey! Boss!”

“Yes?! Should I run?!”

“No, that’s not it! Just—ugh! Can I fight seriously now?!”

“No! You’re not going to pay for the damages otherwise!”

After blocking several more exchanges, Park Young-jun finally yelled,

“I’ll pay!”

“Really?! You’ll sign for it, right?!”

“I’m a Guild Team Leader! My operational expenses—Agh!—get approved as long as I submit the claim! Ow!”

“Okay! Go for it!”

The instant Kang Cheol gave permission—

Park Young-jun’s movements completely changed.

Crunch!

His powerful leap shattered the urethane-coated factory floor beneath his feet.

“…Guh!”

Boom! Screeech!

The battle that had been slipping away instantly reversed.

Instead of being pushed back, Park Young-jun began advancing.

But only that.

The scammer had layered thick steel plates over himself, and none of the attacks seemed to penetrate.

While the two awakened individuals exchanged blow after blow…

『Oh dear… another shelf’s about to collapse. If those steel supports tear apart, they won’t even be recyclable.』

『Student, the scammer just melted your power hammer. Oh my…』

『What a shame… that was a fine anvil. To think its life would end like this.』

The anxious notification window faithfully narrated every disaster happening around him.

…I’m already heartbroken. Could you stop giving me play-by-play commentary?

Even if every damaged machine was reimbursed…

His business would still suffer.

Whether he wanted to forge new products or take repair jobs…

He needed functioning equipment first.

The salvageable machines would have to be repaired.

The destroyed ones would have to be replaced.

That alone would take forever.

I doubt they’ll compensate me for all the sales I’ll lose while the shop’s closed for repairs.

He absentmindedly chewed at his fingernails.

Then—

“…Huh?”

Something strange caught Kang Cheol’s eye.

A reddish glow.

The same glow that had revealed defects inside the scammer’s counterfeit steel…

Was now faintly shining from the iron wrapped around the scammer’s body.

Hey, I’ve got a question.

『All of a sudden?』

Earlier you said paying 5 Coins lets me use Information all day.

『That’s right.』

So every time I look at a new piece of steel, I still have to inspect it individually?

『Yep.』

But once I’ve inspected a particular piece before, I’ll automatically recognize it afterward?

『Exactly. Looks like you’ve been studying hard, student.』

A bright smile spread across Kang Cheol’s face.

The glowing sections of the iron wrapped around the scammer’s body…

Were the exact same defective steel he had manufactured for his scams.

Which meant…

Those glowing spots were weak points where the defense wasn’t functioning properly.

“Sir!”

“I’m kind of busy right now! What is it, boss?!”

Kang Cheol shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Trust me—and give that bastard’s side a good, solid punch!”