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Chapter 12 …
The Genius Blacksmith Obsessed Over by Hunters (12)
Rumble… rumble…
The wheels supporting the massive front gate rolled forward with a heavy groan.
They had built the gate this enormous and even stationed guards in front of it, yet with nothing more than a few words, it opened so effortlessly that it almost felt anticlimactic.
What was more surprising was that not a single verification procedure was carried out for Gangcheol, whom they had never met before.
“U-Um… I’m definitely not asking this because I don’t want to go inside…”
“I’ll pretend to believe you. Go ahead.”
“…It feels strange to ask this when I’m the one entering, but… is it really okay for us to just walk in this easily?”
Choi Sangwon casually waved his sword in front of him.
“It simply means you’re that welcome. Besides, this isn’t only my problem.”
Hearing that, Gangcheol’s expression, which had looked merely puzzled, twisted.
“…Huh?”
“…? Don’t tell me you dislike being welcomed?”
“No, that’s not it.”
Gangcheol pointed at Choi Sangwon’s sword.
“You mean… you’re not the only guest using a sword like that?”
“That’s right. They’re standard issue. We buy them in bulk and send them all in for repairs together.”
“…Wait. So your entire guild is getting ripped off?”
“That’s correct.”
Choi Sangwon gave a bitter smile.
“It stings a little when you put it so bluntly.”
Gangcheol scratched his head furiously before blurting out,
“No! Then instead of talking about treating me to good food, you should’ve asked me to help you confront the guy!”
“…Really?”
“Don’t you know what self-correction is? Self-correction!”
He was a strange person.
Most blacksmiths accepted commissions based not only on the work itself but also on the customer.
The jobs were usually similar anyway, so they preferred clients who paid on time and paid well.
But Gangcheol was different.
At first, he refused because it was an urgent order… wasn’t that what he said?
The young blacksmith who had waved his hands in panic, saying the request was too burdensome, immediately accepted it after hearing that the steel Park Youngjun had brought was made using the rare powder metallurgy process.
The same thing was happening now.
When he heard that the guild wanted to welcome him warmly, he seemed uncomfortable.
Yet the moment he learned another blacksmith had done such a terrible job, he looked ready to storm over there immediately.
“What are you standing around for, Boss? Let’s go!”
“Ah, right. Sorry.”
The car quietly glided through the gates of the Yeonhwa Guild.
Carrying with it the expectation that perhaps… many things were about to change.
* * *
Inside the Yeonhwa Guild…
As Gangcheol stepped out of the car, he recalled the conversation he had with Ayeon a few days earlier.
“Yeonhwa Guild is pretty unique in a lot of ways.”
Considering all it had cost him was a few pieces of fried chicken, the amount of information she had given him was surprisingly detailed.
The very first thing he had asked her about was Park Youngjun’s guild.
A guild established by Hunters who specialized in martial arts-type skills.
Centered around Guild Master Kwon Semi, it operated five different teams.
At first, it sounded no different from the kind of generic corporate introduction anyone could give.
Then Ayeon continued.
“Yeonhwa Guild is actually located in a residential neighborhood. They never built a headquarters. Each team just uses an ordinary house as its office.”
“Don’t most guilds build a huge headquarters as soon as they make money? Maybe even an amazing training facility?”
“That’s the coolest part.”
One day, a Gate suddenly appeared in the middle of a residential district and immediately went berserk.
A passing Hunter happened to discover it and held it back completely alone.
Because of that single person, the residents had enough time to evacuate and reinforcements were able to arrive.
A Gate powerful enough to wipe out the entire neighborhood was subdued by a miracle.
After everything was over, that Hunter was appointed to oversee the Gate.
They purchased the houses around it that had survived the incident, established a guild there, and gradually recruited members.
That became today’s Yeonhwa Guild.
And the Hunter who had single-handedly held back that Gate…
…was none other than the guild’s founder and current Guild Master, Kwon Semi.
She had been only twenty-two years old.
“Isn’t Sister Semi just amazing? Seriously, how can someone live up to their name that perfectly? Maybe she was born so strong that they just decided to name her Kwon Semi. Wow…”
…
Back then, Gangcheol had stuffed chicken into Ayeon’s mouth just to stop her from talking.
Now…
He regretted it with all his heart.
When I first heard about her, I thought she’d never have anything to do with me…
A woman who cuts her own hand because she likes a sword and practically goes into a trance at the sight of blood…
And now I actually have to work in front of someone like that just because I happened to make a good sword…!
“Well… work is work.”
“…Pardon?”
“Nothing. Just talking to myself.”
“…I see. This way, please.”
The inside of Yeonhwa Guild looked less like a modern guild headquarters…
…and more like a traditional martial arts sect.
In one courtyard, a scar-covered veteran was instructing fresh-faced newcomers.
In another, groups of people were taking turns sparring.
Elsewhere, Hunters practiced test-cutting bamboo stalks and straw bundles with their weapons.
Others quietly trained their bodies with pull-ups and push-ups.
After passing several such courtyards…
Choi Sangwon suddenly stopped.
Knock. Knock.
He rapped twice on the door.
“This is Choi Sangwon.”
“I’ve brought the blacksmith.”
The instant his knuckles struck the door…
Gangcheol felt an indescribable presence wash over him.
“H-Huh…?”
A fire trapped inside ice.
Ancient wisdom dwelling within an infant.
Darkness converging at the center of light itself.
It felt as though every impossible contradiction in existence had gathered into one overwhelming sensation.
Just as Gangcheol finally felt himself break free from it—
A calm, unfamiliar voice reached his ears.
“Please… come in.”
