Blood Demon of the Past Life – Chapter 103

Chapter 103: Spotlight （3）

Six months ago.

Yu Jeong-yeong entered into seclusion training.

Although he had started the training with some achievements under his belt, his initial growth did not meet his expectations.

Passs.

“Another failure.”

『Worn-out Longsword』

『F-rank』

『Attack Power +4』

He looked down at the sword with a blank expression.

Its original attack power was 3, meaning Yu Jeong-yeong had managed to increase it by 1 after hammering the sword all day long. It wasn’t satisfactory. It had been over fifteen days since he started his seclusion training, yet despite countless repetitions, he hadn’t achieved an increase of more than 1 in attack power even once.

“This won’t do.”

Thud.

He tossed the sword aside.

The pile of swords stacked up was a testament to his efforts so far. Yu Jeong-yeong lit the furnace and immersed himself in the work once again.

Hwaruk.

Hwarurururuk.

Kaang, Kaang━!

It was a familiar sight.

His skin, reddened from the heat, had been exposed to the fire for so long that he no longer felt the heat at this level. Yu Jeong-yeong fell into deep thought. What was he doing wrong? The mana that surged with each powerful strike was the key element in enhancing items. If he could strike at a constant speed and with precision, the mana would seep into the item as he intended, increasing its effectiveness.

It was the same as Kang San.

He and Kang San were using the same method, but he couldn’t understand why his results only ended with a measly increase of 1.

‘I don’t think my skills are inferior to Kang San-nim’s. At least when it comes to handling steel, I’m definitely superior. The reason the results are unsatisfactory must be due to a problem with mana. How to guide the mana. That’s the most important point in dramatically increasing the ability of an item.’

“Huu.”

He caught his breath.

He tried to calm down.

An intangible power that had to be felt with a sixth sense, a realm beyond the five senses granted to humans.

Yu Jeong-yeong accurately sensed and guided this power, which could be said to be non-existent because it was invisible.

Mana existed.

When mages cast spells.

When swordsmen unleashed mana explosions.

The intangible power, seething passionately, took form and revealed its existence.

Kaang━!

He guided the mana.

The fiercely surging mana wrapped around his hammer and struck the steel with precision.

Kaang.

Kaang, Kaang!

A month?

Two months?

He didn’t know how long it would take.

But Yu Jeong-yeong endured patiently.

Impatience was poison.

He wanted to forget the passage of time and focus entirely on this moment of manipulating the intangible power.

While many things were happening outside.

Yu Jeong-yeong’s concept of time gradually began to crumble.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

It was complete isolation.

He hadn’t taken a single step outside the workshop, and he consumed simple pre-prepared food along with nutritional supplements to provide minimal sustenance. Food that was tasteless and dry from long storage. Despite carefully managing his nutrients, Yu Jeong-yeong’s face grew thinner with each passing day.

Then one day.

Yu Jeong-yeong felt a strange sensation.

Hwaruk.

Hwarurururuk.

Flames erupted.

The flames, rising as if to engulf him, seemed ready to burn his skin at any moment.

But.

‘It’s not hot.’

It was strange.

He had felt the heat lessening due to the repetitive work, but it was abnormal for it to not be hot even when it was directly touching him. Yu Jeong-yeong didn’t avoid this strange moment. He could feel the intangible energy more clearly with each surge of the flames, and the flames and mana wrapped around his hand as he raised the hammer.

Hook.

Kwaang━!

He struck the steel.

With that lightning-fast strike, flames erupted and mana scattered.

A thrill ran through him.

Until then, he had only been guiding the mana, but now he felt the mana being swept up by his hammering.

Kaang!

Kaang, Kaang!

It wasn’t a skill.

Some blacksmiths mastered a skill called “Hammering” for their work, but Yu Jeong-yeong was performing this task solely with his own senses. His emaciated body, weakened by lack of nutrients, squeezed out its strength. His eyes were sunken with dark circles, but the burning flames reflected in his pupils showed intense desire.

A state of selflessness .

He forgot the concepts of time and space.

He held the hammer.

He felt the fire.

He guided the mana.

And he struck the hammer down.

He picked up the hammer again, felt the fire, guided the mana, and struck the hammer down on the same spot.

Kaang━!

Hwarurururururuk.

He was engulfed in flames.

He immersed himself in the work for a long time.

And finally.

Chiiiik━!

“…Have I succeeded?”

He lifted the sword.

His emotions surged at its brilliant color.

『Expertly Crafted Longsword』

『E-rank』

『Attack Power +9』

Originally, it had an attack power of 3.

Now, it possessed an attack power of 9, three times its original value.

This was a revolution.

Although he had created an incredible result, Yu Jeong-yeong was not satisfied with this.

‘Just a little more. I need to make this my own skill.’

He tossed the sword aside.

Until now, countless failures had piled up, but from now on, successful works would form a mountain.

More perfectly.

More powerfully.

Yu Jeong-yeong, having entered a new world, lit the furnace again with his burning desire for improvement.

Hwarururururuk.

A month later.

Yu Jeong-yeong finally concluded that he could end his training.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

Creak.

Thump.

The door opened.

As Yu Jeong-yeong stumbled out, a blacksmith passing by in the workshop corridor looked at him with surprise.

“…Mr. Jeong-yeong?”

“Huk. You’ve finally finished your seclusion training.”

Everyone was in an uproar.

It couldn’t be helped.

When Yu Jeong-yeong was called the Master Blacksmith, albeit for a very short time, the world’s attention had been focused on Korean blacksmiths. It was only natural. They were people who couldn’t adapt to the changes of the new world, whose only skill was repairing durability, and who were considered obsolete. These people who were never recognized for anything more had seen a new possibility for development in the exceptional case of Yu Jeong-yeong.

Yu Jeong-yeong was everyone’s hope.

Yu Jeong-yeong was everyone’s future.

Everyone rushed over.

Yu Jeong-yeong was supported by them. His energy was so depleted that he needed to recover his body before anything else.

“So, did you achieve anything?”

The master of the blacksmith.

He asked with hopeful eyes.

Yu Jeong-yeong drank warm tea.

Even though he had been exposed to such intense heat, the warm energy flowing down his esophagus felt like it was melting his body.

“Yes, I did.”

“What are your plans for the future?”

“First, could I please have my cellphone? There’s something I want to check.”

His own development.

He wanted to share this good news with Kang San.

But he didn’t answer his texts or calls.

At first, he thought he was simply busy, but while chatting with the master, he heard something unexpected.

“Remember that incident a while back? The E-rank Link incident near the M Hotel in Wangsimni, where a Hunter passing by saved people and disappeared. The identity of that hero has been revealed. It was a D-rank Hunter named Kang San, and there’s been quite a stir about the things he’s done. Sergeant Kim Chun-sik, who’s now called the ‘Star of the Army,’ was also helped by him…”

He listened intently.

Kang San.

He didn’t expect that name to come out of the master’s mouth.

The more he heard, the more amazing it sounded.

He knew that Kang San was extraordinary, but the situation with Sergeant Kim Chun-sik and the Wangsimni incident were things even he didn’t know about. What was certain was that Kang San had gone into hiding after this issue erupted.

He fell into thought.

Should he go find Kang San?

No matter how deeply he was hiding, he would show himself if Yu Jeong-yeong visited.

But before that, there was something he had to do.

He had made a contract with Kang San.

So, when he met him again, he wanted to give him a proper gift, not just news of his progress.

Yu Jeong-yeong spoke.

“Master-nim. Could I ask you a favor?”

“Tell me. Anything is possible.”

Kang San had made him an offer.

He would grant him the rights to this technology, in exchange for success and repayment.

Yu Jeong-yeong’s eyes gleamed sharply.

“Please call all the reporters you can contact. I will reveal the progress I’ve made in front of them.”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

The open space in front of the workshop.

Reporters flocked in droves.

They all looked puzzled.

“Yu Jeong-yeong? What does he think he’s doing?”

“Isn’t he trying to pull another scam with some plausible story? Remember when he became a huge issue claiming to be a Master Blacksmith, and then suddenly disappeared without any verification? It’s a typical scammer’s tactic.”

“Scam or not, it’s good material for us to write about.”

The past.

The period of silence had tarnished Yu Jeong-yeong’s reputation.

The results he had shown were real, but as time passed, the incident was portrayed as a fraud.

Common sense dictated that his sudden seclusion training, despite receiving countless offers, looked like an escape. Therefore, the reporters’ reactions were understandable. They suspected that Yu Jeong-yeong, the boy who cried wolf, was once again setting the stage to deceive people.

“He’s coming out.”

“Take pictures.”

Papat.

Papapapat.

A barrage of flashes erupted from all directions.

Yu Jeong-yeong walked out with an indifferent expression.

He faced the reporters looking up at him, then picked up a microphone and spoke.

“I am Yu Jeong-yeong. The reason I have called you reporters here today is to showcase the skills I have honed during my seclusion training. First, please check the stats of this sword.”

Swish.

He raised the sword.

Its sharp blade glinted in the sunlight.

『Masterfully Crafted Longsword』

『D-rank』

『Attack Power +12』

Murmurs.

“What is this?”

“Why is he showing us this?”

They didn’t understand.

It was just an ordinary D-rank item. They looked at Yu Jeong-yeong, urging him to explain quickly.

Yu Jeong-yeong said,

“Actually, this sword was originally an F-rank longsword. It was an item that increased attack power by 3, but through my efforts, it has been enhanced into a D-rank longsword that increases attack power by 12. This is what I wanted to tell you all today. This is the reason why I had to go into seclusion training, and it is proof that blacksmiths should be recognized for their higher value.”

“Huk.”

“That’s impossible.”

“Is that even possible?”

The reporters’ murmurs grew louder.

They couldn’t believe it.

It wasn’t just an increase of 1 or 2.

It was a fourfold increase.

It might seem dramatic because of the low rank, but the impact of this result was still significant.

It was a revolution.

A reporter shouted,

“I can’t believe it. Please prove that this is not a fabricated result!”

It was a natural question.

He could just bring another item and claim it was the real one.

Since he had a history of suspicion, Yu Jeong-yeong’s words were met with even more skeptical gazes.

He had expected this.

Yu Jeong-yeong had orchestrated this situation.

A situation where reporters would doubt him, and he would prove himself.

Yu Jeong-yeong said,

“Yes, I fully understand your concerns. So.”

He met their gazes.

His face was still thin, but the desire flickering in his eyes seemed ready to devour the reporters.

“I will show you directly from now on.”