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Chapter 09 …
The Genius Blacksmith Hunters Are Obsessed With
“Oh.”
Gangcheol looked around and let out a sound of admiration.
When the blacksmiths had made a huge fuss and apologized, he had been less than impressed. But now that he had arrived at the booth, the spot was much better than he had expected.
It wasn’t right next to the entrance, but it was close to the restrooms.
A location where plenty of people would naturally pass by and notice them.
“The space is bigger than I thought too.”
Unlike Gangcheol, who hummed cheerfully while looking around, the blacksmiths wore gloomy expressions.
How did things end up like this?
At first, they had been happy because he hadn’t asked for money.
They thought they could just smooth things over, coax him a little, and get him to delete the dashcam footage.
They had traveled light, but they had come fully prepared to stand out.
After spending good money decorating their booth to look respectable, some nobody showed up beside them with nothing more than a shabby cardboard box bearing a handwritten shop name.
And of all names, it just had to be Gangcheol Workshop.
Even the guy whispering across from them—and the one over in the corner—kept stealing strange glances at them.
We should’ve known this would happen the moment he started hanging around the flea market!
“Aren’t you getting ready?” Gangcheol asked.
“Well…”
His words snapped the blacksmiths out of their thoughts.
The man with the dialect hesitated before speaking.
“Uh… we’re packing up.”
“Huh? Why?”
Was he really this oblivious?
Or was he pretending?
They wanted to yell, “Because this is awkward as hell!” but instead only opened and closed their mouths.
Gangcheol replied indifferently.
“Well, if that’s what you’ve decided. Ah, before you go, could each of you take out your IDs once?”
“Our IDs?”
“Yes.”
He only said it because he thought it would give him something to tell the event staff if they came over.
But the blacksmiths interpreted it very differently.
“Why’re you acting so nervous? Just hand it over.”
“Hmph… For such a young guy, you’re pretty ruthless.”
“How much are you planning to squeeze out of us?”
“See? Every guy who says he isn’t interested in money turns out to be lying.”
“Huh? No, that’s not what I meant…”
At that moment, the notification window drove the nail into the coffin.
—Student, I thought you were only good at threatening people, but you’re pretty good at pretending to be innocent too.
…
—You’ve got talent.
* * *
Contrary to their worries, the verification process was simple.
“Oh my, you’re the one from earlier…”
“Huh? Hello.”
“So you did have companions.”
The person who came to verify the booth was none other than the attendant from the information desk.
She chatted with Gangcheol for a few moments, then left him a business card, telling him to contact her if anything happened.
“So that young lady was only strict with us.”
“Looks like it.”
“Well then, if you’re leaving, you can head out now.”
“You’ve really got some nerve.”
“Isn’t it funny hearing you talk about having a conscience?”
The blacksmiths, including the man with the dialect, began unpacking the equipment they had brought.
For Gangcheol, the procedure he had been worried about was over.
Now all that remained was preparing for business.
The very first thing he needed to do was prepare water.
A whetstone had to be soaked before use, and as sharpening progressed, metal filings would clog the stone, requiring it to be rinsed frequently.
So, even though it didn’t seem directly related to knives, preparing water came first.
“I probably don’t need to prepare citric acid water.”
For modern steel, it wasn’t necessary.
But if he were sharpening a Japanese sword—especially an antique Japanese sword—it was essential.
While sharpening antique Japanese swords, rust could begin forming almost immediately.
Mixing citric acid into the water prevented oxidation and made the work much easier.
Still, that kind of restoration was expensive, took a long time, and certainly wasn’t the kind of job someone would bring to a flea market.
Everything else was simple.
Soak the whetstones.
Arrange the tools on the table.
Preparation complete.
Place a stack of business cards within easy reach.
Customer service ready.
Finally, tear apart the cardboard box he had picked up, scribble a few words on it with a marker, and the advertising was done.
—Student, aren’t your labor charges way too cheap?
Gangcheol had posted his price at 3,000 won per 5 cm.
Regardless of the knife’s condition.
He shook his head.
‘If the price is cheap enough, it filters out half the troublesome customers from the start.’
—Meaning customers like those people wouldn’t come?
Behind Gangcheol, the blacksmiths busily arranged their expensive equipment.
Even though it was just a temporary flea market booth, they had gone all out.
Gangcheol nodded.
‘The more services you offer, the more variables you have to deal with.’
Just then, someone unfamiliar spoke.
“Excuse me.”
His first customer of the day had arrived.
The customer had been about to walk away after seeing the blacksmiths still setting up, but Gangcheol immediately bowed politely.
“Yes! Welcome!”
“You’re open for business? You looked busy.”
“If you came because of this signboard, then absolutely. What can I help you with?”
Calling a cardboard box with a few words scribbled on it a signboard required incredible confidence.
The customer held out a knife.
It was a Bowie-style knife with a blade just under twenty centimeters long.
Its condition wasn’t particularly good.
It wasn’t merely dull.
There were also two noticeable chips along the edge.
To repair damage like this, the entire edge had to be ground down to the depth of the chips before a new edge could be formed.
That took several times longer than ordinary sharpening.
Naturally, the labor cost should be much higher.
By anyone’s standards, this was repair work.
Yet if someone deliberately brought it to a shop advertising sharpening…
“Sharpening.”
—Oh, damn.
Unfortunately, his very first customer turned out to be a difficult one.
Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—the customer seemed aware of it himself and hurried him for an answer.
“You can do it, right?”
Gangcheol stared at him before replying.
“You mean you just want the sharpening done while leaving the chipped parts as they are?”
“What are you talking about? I’m getting it sharpened so those chips disappear.”
“That’s repair work. The amount that needs to be ground away is completely different. It can’t be the same price.”
“You think I don’t know that? Tch. If you’re not doing it, give it back.”
Without the slightest hesitation, Gangcheol handed the knife back.
Just as the customer reached for it, Gangcheol spoke.
“The equipment protecting your life isn’t something you should lie about.”
The customer’s hand froze in midair.
“You might get someone to accept the job that way, but I can’t promise they’ll repair it properly.”
“Then…”
Was it fear?
Or bitterness from past experience with poorly repaired equipment?
Gangcheol didn’t want to stick his nose into other people’s business.
He was already struggling just to take care of himself.
Instead…
“Ask them how much extra it’ll cost.”
The customer stared at Gangcheol as though he had just been struck.
Even while mentioning additional charges, Gangcheol didn’t seem greedy at all.
“Uh… how much would it cost?”
His tone had suddenly become polite.
Smiling, Gangcheol answered.
“Just another 1,000 won. I’ll only charge the sharpening rate for a 15-centimeter blade too.”
“So… 10,000 won? Nine thousand plus another thousand?”
“Yes. If you’re okay with that, please hand me the knife again.”
Gangcheol held out his hand.
—Oh? That’s surprisingly generous, Student.
‘This is what I call customer-filtering business.’
The moment the customer handed him the knife, Gangcheol got to work.
He connected a grinder to his portable battery and switched it on.
Kagagagak! Kagagagak!
Sparks flew violently with the sound of steel grinding.
In complete contrast to those rough sounds, the knife glided smoothly across the grinder in one clean pass.
“First, I’m going to reshape the edge into a clean line. After that, I’ll set the bevel angle according to how you normally use the knife.”
“Huh? O-Okay.”
Holding the knife perfectly straight, Gangcheol moved it with painstaking precision, as though following invisible guide lines.
The customer watched in fascination.
The movements of Gangcheol’s arm resembled those of a martial artist practicing swordsmanship.
His arm traced several straight lines and graceful arcs before he casually switched off the grinder.
“The edge profile is finished.”
“What? Already?”
The tip of the blade now formed a flawless, elegant curve.
If not for the scratches covering the sides of the blade, anyone would have believed he was making a brand-new knife.
Gangcheol continued.
“For a knife this size, I normally set the edge at around 20 degrees per side. That makes a total inclusive angle of 40 degrees. It gives you a good balance between cutting performance and durability.”
“I see…”
Although he listened, the customer clearly didn’t understand.
“Well… to be honest, I don’t really know much about this.”
“In that case, what do you usually cut?”
“Monsters. Mostly goblins and orcs.”
“You’ve got a separate tank in your party or guild?”
The customer hesitated.
“Yes. I’m in the rogue class…”
“I understand. Then I’ll sharpen it to 17 degrees per side. If you ever have another shop sharpen it, just tell them you want 17 DPS (Degree Per Side).”
“D… DPS?”
“DPS. Tell them you want 17 degrees per side.”
Having casually tossed out the explanation, Gangcheol turned back to his work.
“What…?”
The customer had never even heard of DPS before.
Yet Gangcheol was casually telling him to use the term with other craftsmen.
The customer vigorously shook his head, trying to regain his senses.
Unlike what one would expect from a blacksmith at a flea market, Gangcheol was taking his work with complete seriousness.
“First, I’ll restore the edge angle.”
Because the blade had been ground flat while removing the chips, he first needed to recreate the rough bevel.
If the blade’s cross-section was supposed to be a triangle, this stage was simply creating that overall shape, even if the lines weren’t perfectly smooth yet.
Once again, Gangcheol chose the grinder.
Wheeeeeee—
It was much faster than using whetstones.
But there was one important difference.
When using a grinding wheel, the blade had to follow the tangent of the wheel’s circular motion.
Normally, he’d use a guide with proper equipment.
But…
—So that’s why you unlocked Sculpting? Student, you’re better at calmly judging situations than I thought.
Kagagagak. Kagak. Kagagak.
The blade bounced a few times against the wheel before settling into a perfectly stable path.
—Oh…
After checking the grinding marks only once or twice, Gangcheol continued grinding without even needing another inspection.
When he flipped the blade over to work on the opposite side—
“Clean.”
The newly formed edge gleamed with a bluish shine.
Not a single section was uneven.
—With skills like these, how were you ever in financial trouble?
After finishing the opposite side and inspecting the blade, it was perfectly symmetrical.
Proof of just how far he had reached as a blacksmith.
‘You said it yourself. Skill alone isn’t enough.’
—Even so… that’s just too unfair.
Ignoring the comment, Gangcheol picked up a whetstone.
“Since you hunt monsters, I’ll give it a finer finish.”
The next stage was progressing from coarse stones to fine ones.
Relax his grip.
Alternate both sides evenly.
#200. #400. #1200. #2000.
As the grit number increased, the sharpening sound became softer and smoother.
Finally, he squeezed polishing compound onto a leather strop and finished with several light passes.
“Sharpening is finished.”
As Gangcheol set the knife down, the customer gasped.
The sides of the blade were still covered in the same old scratches from years of use.
But the edge…
“Why can I see my face in it?”
“Because I polished it properly. Let me show you something interesting.”
Gangcheol took all the whetstones out of the basin of water.
Then he pulled out a tissue and floated it on the surface.
“Try cutting it. Slowly.”
“The tissue?”
Still doubtful, the customer carefully lowered the blade onto the wet tissue floating on the water.
The moment the edge touched it—
Sliiiide…
The soaked tissue split perfectly in half.
There wasn’t the slightest wrinkle.
Not the tiniest tear.
The blade simply passed through it as though it offered no resistance at all.
Looking at the customer standing there with his mouth hanging open, Gangcheol spoke as though it were nothing special.
“I sharpened it well, so be careful not to cut yourself.”
He wiped the moisture from his hands onto his apron and held one hand out.
“That’ll be 10,000 won.”
