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Chapter 07 …
The Genius Blacksmith Obsessed Over by Hunters
Kwon Semi stared at the sword for a long time before finally calming her anger.
At last, she demanded an explanation from Park Youngjun.
Park Youngjun recounted everything that had happened after becoming involved with Kangcheol Workshop.
He explained that he had ordered a sword because he wanted to make a good impression on Kwon Semi. During that process, he had been scammed while purchasing steel materials, and the young owner of Kangcheol Workshop had helped him catch the scammer.
Even though the materials were defective, and despite the fact that Park Youngjun had treated him arrogantly from the beginning—giving him every reason to throw him out—the blacksmith had instead used his own stock of steel to complete the commission.
However, he had deliberately not followed one part of the order.
Instead, he told Park Youngjun to give the finished sword to the person it had been intended for and come back with her evaluation.
That had happened only a few dozen minutes ago.
“…That is all.”
Park Youngjun cautiously glanced at Kwon Semi.
The expression on her face was that of a true adult.
The heat of battle…
The anger over someone else taking the credit…
The excitement of discovering an outstanding sword…
None of those emotions remained.
Looking around at the gathered hunters, Kwon Semi asked,
“You team leaders all know what I’ve been troubled by lately, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“We do.”
“You mentioned it before.”
After hearing their answers, Kwon Semi fixed her gaze back on Park Youngjun.
“Team Leader Park Youngjun, do you think the blacksmith who forged this sword might be able to solve that problem?”
Park Youngjun thought for a moment before giving an answer that sounded somewhat strange at first.
“He told me something. He said that a blacksmith understands swords better than anyone. If a customer places the wrong order, then it’s the blacksmith’s job to make it the right way.”
Yet, at those awkward-sounding words, every hunter present began murmuring.
Everything they had heard until now had sounded like an unbelievable tale about a blacksmith unlike any they had ever known.
Some had even scoffed, thinking Park Youngjun had fabricated the story to cover up his own mistake.
But…
The words supposedly spoken by that blacksmith.
The instant Park Youngjun repeated them, everyone listened with complete seriousness.
“If the order is wrong, it still has to be made correctly.”
None of them had ever imagined hearing such words come from the mouth of a blacksmith.
Yet somehow…
Even though they had never imagined such a thing before…
Something about those words made them want to believe they were true.
Kwon Semi picked up one of the swords from the box.
Her slender fingers, completely at odds with the rough image she had shown until now, gently traced the edge of the blade.
“I’ll postpone the disciplinary action. I’ll meet that blacksmith first, and then we’ll discuss it again.”
Shhk.
The fingertips of Kwon Semi—hands that hadn’t suffered a single scratch despite clearing countless dungeons—were marked by a thin red line.
She looked at the cut on her finger…
Then smiled with genuine delight.
“Secretary Choi.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Find me one more gate that can take us anywhere.”
“…Pardon? Right now?”
Kwon Semi nodded.
Her eyes never left the freshly forged sword from Kangcheol Workshop.
“I’ve been holding myself back for long enough.”
* * *
“Yaaawn…”
When Kangcheol woke up, his bed was covered in dust.
Yet there wasn’t the slightest trace of displeasure on his face.
“Has morning always felt this refreshing?”
Only one thing had changed.
He had Awakened.
But that one change had been enormous.
Thanks to it, the penalty fees that had tormented him for a week, the defective steel, and every other problem had all been resolved.
So this is how important peace of mind is!
“Maybe I’ll actually eat breakfast for once before heading out… Huh?”
He opened the rice cooker.
Empty.
He checked the rice container.
Also empty.
He opened the refrigerator.
It was practically barren.
He had figured he’d just grab something even if there wasn’t any rice.
But there wasn’t even a single side dish.
Not even one egg to fry.
At that moment, something caught his eye.
The stack of bills tucked into the calendar sitting on the dining table.
“…Wait, I have to pay all of these this month?”
Unfortunately, they were all newly issued—crisp and spotless.
Water.
Electricity.
Gas.
And despite not making any money, this was somehow the month they wanted property tax as well.
As Kangcheol frowned deeply, Ayeon stepped out of her room.
“Oh, right, Oppa. I have to pay next semester’s tuition…”
She trailed off after seeing his expression.
Since they rarely saw each other except in the mornings and evenings, she had wanted to bring it up.
But when someone already looked burdened, even saying what needed to be said felt like adding to that burden.
“…Sorry.”
“What are you apologizing for? You’re just a student worrying about money. Hurry and get to the academy.”
Only after Ayeon left the house and the front door closed did Kangcheol finally let out the sigh he had been holding back.
“I thought I’d gotten rid of all my problems… and they got refilled immediately.”
His eyes rapidly scanned the bills and payment notices.
Numbers piled up one after another in his mind.
His conclusion?
“…Man, I’m completely broke.”
There was no denying it.
He was flat broke.
How did I end up like this?
Was it because of that troublesome customer?
Kangcheol shook his head.
No.
He had the cause and effect backwards.
It wasn’t that he became broke because troublesome customers kept appearing.
It was because he was broke that he had accepted commissions from customers who obviously looked like trouble.
—Jeez. That’s why I told you to spend more time choosing, kid. If things had been this bad, I wouldn’t even have scolded you if you’d picked cash instead.
Although it was meant as a rebuke for not thinking more carefully…
A spark flashed through Kangcheol’s mind.
“Wait a second. Yesterday you definitely said you wanted to shower me with rewards.”
—That’s true. I did say that.
“But you still wouldn’t just hand over Coins.”
—Kid, the world’s not that easy. If you want something, you’ve got to pay the price.
“Then can you hand out Job Quests whenever you want, like yesterday?”
—Huh?
It sounded as though the Notification Window had never considered the possibility before.
Yet it answered surprisingly readily.
—As long as the conditions are met, a quest can be generated.
Then the answer was obvious.
If he deliberately got involved in situations likely to trigger Job Quests, he could earn cash…
And Coins at the same time.
“Then I’m changing the plan.”
—Oh?
The new plan Kangcheol came up with was the flea market hosted by the Hunter Association.
Hunter work was dangerous, so many people retired.
Originally, the event had been created because resources were scarce, encouraging retiring hunters to sell their used equipment cheaply.
But like many successful events, it had gradually expanded until all sorts of things had been added.
Blacksmiths were one of those additions.
When someone bought secondhand equipment, what was the first thing they wanted?
To repair it as quickly as possible and erase every trace left behind by the previous owner.
To attract those customers, blacksmiths with bloodshot eyes hauled every potentially profitable tool they owned to the event.
Participants also received various benefits from the Hunter Association.
Hunters paid labor fees for every repair.
At least on the surface, it looked like a win-win event.
—Kid. But people with money don’t buy secondhand equipment.
“That’s true.”
—Sounds like the perfect place for troublesome customers to gather.
He wasn’t wrong.
Wealthy hunters didn’t buy used gear.
Likewise, wealthy blacksmiths simply opened their own shops and waited for customers instead of aggressively soliciting them.
Both sides lacked money, so they fought like dogs.
And since each side specialized in completely different things, they couldn’t even understand each other.
The blacksmiths knew nothing about combat.
The hunters knew nothing about swords.
Caught in the middle were hunters with thin wallets desperately trying to keep their equipment usable…
And broke but energetic blacksmiths trying to make money through volume.
A spectacular battlefield of every imaginable kind of poor person.
That was the Hunter Association Flea Market.
Still…
For Kangcheol…
“With the Coin bonuses, I should earn about three times more than everyone else. I think it’ll work.”
—Really? Poor always looks poor no matter what.
“I’ll earn Coins from working, money from customers, and extra income through Job Quests.”
—You keep saying ‘poor’ at the end of every sentence. It’s making me feel poor too, kid.
“I am poor. So hand over some Coins.”
As he bantered with the Notification Window, Kangcheol pulled out his phone.
Reading the flea market announcements and reviews from previous participants, he found that people offered all sorts of services.
Repairing blades.
Sharpening dull edges.
Fixing chipped or bent blades.
Replacing handles.
Changing screws.
Some even offered services unrelated to the blade itself.
Others sold universal scabbards for damaged sheaths…
Or accessories like sword belts.
—If you’re going, shouldn’t you leave as early as possible? The earlier you start, the more people you’ll attract.
Kangcheol nodded.
“Yeah. Better pack up and get moving.”
The first place he headed was the utility room.
He packed a folding table and a plastic chair that his family occasionally used during beach trips.
“And a basket.”
—A basket?
A flea market wouldn’t provide much space.
Which meant it was better to bring only the minimum equipment necessary for working in a cramped area.
One basket’s worth was perfect.
“And people hate waiting around in tight spaces.”
So everything had to be done quickly.
That naturally meant simplifying the process.
And once the process was simplified, there was no need to bring a mountain of tools.
—Since you said you can’t afford customer complaints, I’m guessing you’re planning something pretty simple?
“Exactly.”
In short…
A service that was quick, easy, and satisfying.
—And what would that be?
“Without question…”
“Sharpening.”
Sharpening.
The process of grinding a blade.
The most common form was sharpening, lightly grinding the dulled edge.
The sharpening angle varied depending on the size of the blade.
But regardless of size, a blade was always better the sharper it was.
The next level beyond that was thinning.
Among chefs, this process was often called thinning the sides of a kitchen knife.
Repeated sharpening gradually thickened the edge.
Thinning involved grinding down the entire side of the blade to make that thickened edge thin again.
It certainly had its uses…
But it also took far more time.
Which made Kangcheol’s policy simple.
Just offer sharpening.
But make the edge noticeably sharper than everyone else’s.
“So this should be enough.”
He filled the basket.
A portable power bank.
A low-power grinder.
Two coarse grinding wheels.
A medium-grit whetstone.
A fine whetstone.
Polishing compound.
And…
—A leather paddle? What are you planning to do with steel using that?
“So you don’t know what a stropper is.”
A stropper.
The term sounded unfamiliar.
But almost everyone had seen one before.
Many people just didn’t know its name.
“You know how old-fashioned straight razors were rubbed against leather before shaving? That’s called stropping, and the leather used for it is called a stropper.”
Surprisingly…
Leather could refine a blade’s edge.
It wasn’t enough to sharpen a completely dull blade from scratch.
But if you wanted an edge so sharp it could pop hairs the instant they touched it—
It was practically an essential finishing step.
Its biggest advantage?
It barely added any extra time.
The preparation wasn’t difficult either.
—Then why doesn’t everyone do it?
“Because stropping takes technique.”
You couldn’t simply rub the blade against the leather.
You had to do it correctly.
Without proper technique, you could actually make the blade duller.
Unlike a hard whetstone, leather had some give.
If you used the same pressure and angle as sharpening on a stone…
The very edge of the blade would round over.
You’d spend more effort…
The blade would look shinier…
Yet it might even struggle to cut a sheet of paper.
That was why it was probably too much for the low-level blacksmiths who jumped into the chaos of flea markets.
—So you’ve got a clear point of differentiation. Not a bad idea, kid.
“Right? Oh, I should hand out one of the shop’s business cards with every job.”
The business cards, unused for so long, were covered in dust and beginning to age.
—Good. Approved. You’re planning to build a reputation through freehand sharpening while giving customers something to remember your shop by. Looks like you didn’t waste all those years after all.
“Exactly.”
Kangcheol nodded, picked up the basket, and headed out.
“Let’s get going.”
“Time to earn some money…”
“And some Coins.”
