Chapter 34: Those Left Behind （3）
Blood Demon Art .
Ever since manifesting the demonic martial art, Kang San felt as if his mind was gradually being eroded.
Clang━!
The hammer struck with intense force.
The recoil that transmitted through his body brought forth ‘unpleasant memories’ experienced by his current self, not his past life.
‘Why am I not even allowed an ordinary life?’
His early childhood was a blur.
His parents were killed by monsters.
If that was a common occurrence in a dog-eat-dog world, the real problem was that Kang San’s relatives, who were left alone in the world, were trash who only pocketed the inheritance and abandoned him. It was a life that ordinary people couldn’t experience. There were times when he rummaged through trash cans because he had nothing to eat, and one day, he even fainted on the street, feeling like the world was spinning. Whenever he looked back on the past as an a*ult, Kang San felt a strong murderous intent boil up towards those relatives.
‘Should I k*ll them? I have the power to do so now.’
Clang━!
His eyes turned red.
It wouldn’t be an unjust act.
This would be a justified murder.
His relatives, who stole his inheritance, may not have killed him directly, but hadn’t they pushed him to the brink of death?
He still remembered it vividly.
He ran away from home to survive.
One day, unable to overcome his hunger, he lingered around his relatives’ house. Kang San saw his relatives returning home in a cheerful atmosphere. He couldn’t find any guilt or sense of responsibility to find him again in them. They showed faces as light as if a toothache had disappeared, living happy lives with the sudden wealth, treating Kang San like a virus in their lives.
‘You bastards.’
He wanted to k*ll them.
Considering the pain he had endured, even if he were to be arrested for murder, he felt he could confidently explain his reasons.
‘Azmoon and Luca Bellino are the same. I was the Blood Demon in my past life? So what? What am I supposed to do? I’ve never been allowed a single moment of happiness in my life, so why the h*ll do I have to bear the karmic burden of my d*mn past life? Should I just k*ll them all? My relatives who stole my inheritance, Azmoon, Luca Bellino. There’s no reason why I shouldn’t k*ll them.’
Grit.
He clenched his teeth.
His increasingly heated mind, at some point, came to the conclusion that he had to k*ll them.
He didn’t feel anything strange about himself.
The emotional upheaval felt natural.
But then.
『Guardian’s Will has been activated.』
『Your health is fully restored, and your defense is temporarily doubled.』
『The effect of the status ailment Madman disappears.』
“……!”
His eyes flew open.
His bloodshot eyes quickly regained their white color, and Kang San looked at the sword he was hammering with a bewildered expression.
‘What is this.’
An F-rank sword.
The worn-out sword had transformed into something sharp enough to k*ll a person.
Goosebumps erupted all over his body.
He realized it then.
That he had been consumed by murderous intent, falling into the Blood Demon Art.
If Guardian’s Will hadn’t existed, Kang San might have taken the sword and gone straight to his relatives. His heart pounded as he thought about it. The old man was right. If he couldn’t properly control the Blood Demon Art, he would go mad with frenzy and stab himself in the heart before he could even use its power.
‘Calm down. The Blood Demon Art is a martial art that can be controlled. If I don’t let it control me, there’s definitely a way to overcome it.’
“Phew.”
He took a deep breath.
He couldn’t give up.
He didn’t have time to wait for Guardian’s Will’s cooldown either.
Clang━!
He started working again.
Now aware that he was being consumed, he struggled to hold onto his own will this time.
‘I’m justified. No matter what justification the Blood Demon has, I existed as a human even in desperate situations.’
Clang.
Clang, clang!
He struggled.
Just as he had survived at the bottom of life, Kang San constantly recalled his past days, trying not to waver in the scorching heat. No matter how many times he failed, no matter how much he despaired. The past days when he had gotten up and challenged himself again and again. Not just words of will, but real experiences that he had overcome, melted into Kang San’s will.
Azmoon said.
Hardships and trials are always given at a level that can be overcome.
The mental pressure he was experiencing now was just another hurdle that Kang San, as a human, could endure.
Perhaps that’s why.
‘……Huh?’
He started to see something.
Flickering red energy.
Specific points where they seeped in.
When he struck those points with the hammer, a cool breeze suddenly blew through his head.
Whoosh━!
It was a strange feeling.
The murderous intent disappeared at once.
A feeling of clarity and sharpness in his mind.
Kang San was sure.
This was it.
These striking points, and the flow of the red energy.
The starting point to overcome the murderous intent of the Blood Demon Art.
That’s when it began.
Kang San didn’t sleep, didn’t eat, and locked himself in the workshop, repeating the act of hammering the sword.
The sun rose.
And the sun set.
He lost track of time.
And when the week Azmoon had warned him about had passed.
Fizzle.
“……It’s done.”
He finally extinguished the fire in the furnace.
✦✦✦✦✦✦
Kang San’s face was haggard.
He was unwashed and clearly exhausted from lack of sleep, but his gaze wouldn’t leave the sword in front of him.
“……I succeeded.”
『Worn-out but Sharp Longsword』
『E-rank』
『Attack Power +6』
『Special Effect: Bleeding』
━ Targets wounded by this weapon will suffer fixed damage due to bleeding and their recovery effects will be reduced.
It was a tremendous outcome.
It was just an F-rank sword.
A sword that could only increase attack power by 3, but not only had its attack power doubled, it had also gained the special effect Bleeding. An item developed by human hands. Kang San knew that this was an outcome that could revolutionize the world. He had heard that wizards’ enchantments also grant special effects to items, but it was more complex than his work and the results weren’t as dramatic as this.
The expected voice followed.
『You have passed the seventh Trial and Tribulation.』
『The promised reward will be given.』
『Kang San』
━ Strength: 37
━ Agility: 45
━ Divine Power: 21
━ Reaction Speed: 12
━ Endurance: 8
━ Mental Strength: 10
『Special Skill』
『Crafting』
1. Grants proficiency in crafting.
2. Improves the ability to analyze raw materials used in crafting.
3. Allows the use of linked skills, Imparting.
━ Imparting: Helps convey abstract concepts through the sharing of senses.
It was as foretold.
The Mental Strength stat was created and applied with a value of 10, and a passive skill called Crafting, which did not have a ‘rank increase’, was born. According to the description, it seemed to be a skill that would help with crafting, but the ability of Imparting, which existed as an additional skill, was unique. Conveying abstract concepts. Kang San instinctively knew that this Crafting skill itself was not limited to the form of a skill.
Although it was based on the Blood Demon Art.
In the end, he had developed and evolved the ability of the item not with magic, but solely with his own power.
The Crafting skill signified a new realm, and its potential for development was currently unimaginable.
That’s when it happened.
Creak.
The door opened.
Turning his head, he saw a familiar face staring at him with a dazed expression.
“……What on earth did you create?”
The man’s identity.
It was Yoo Jeong-yeong.
✦✦✦✦✦✦
At first, it was curiosity.
Beyond the window.
A constant rhythm, a constant sound.
He was impressed by Kang San’s skilled craftsmanship.
He had definitely thought that Kang San was a complete novice in this field, but seeing him work, he couldn’t think that way at all. If it had only been that, he would have just opened the door. He had a mountain of work to do today, so he couldn’t just stand there and watch Kang San forever.
But.
‘What on earth is he making…….’
In the flames.
He witnessed the burning desire in Kang San’s eyes.
That appearance of pursuing something with intense intention poked at something in Yoo Jeong-yeong’s heart.
Since when?
Yoo Jeong-yeong had lost his enthusiasm for his work.
Even though he had the fancy title of blacksmith, in reality, the work of restoring durability was so simple that even a beginner could do it in a month. It was a simple task of melting mana stones and necessary materials, pouring them in, and then repeatedly hammering them to make them seep in. That’s why, at some point, he became an accessory to the Iron Blacksmith. Like a cogwheel, he repeated the life of finishing his assigned workload and going home.
Was that strange?
No.
If the output was the same no matter how hard he tried, it was actually foolish and meaningless to try harder.
He hadn’t told his colleagues, but Yoo Jeong-yeong’s parents were blacksmiths for generations. People who melted their souls in front of the furnace. Before the world changed like this, the world called them artisans and paid extra for their few products. It was the irony of life. In this age where steel weapons were used, it was natural for the value of the artisans who made them to rise, but with the concept of items, they were instead looked down upon.
That’s why his will was broken.
The skills he learned from his father, the moments he worked so hard.
From the moment he thought they were meaningless, he accepted his life as an accessory.
But what on earth.
What was that person trying to make?
Whatever the outcome, it would be insignificant in this world anyway, so why was he struggling so hard?
He was curious.
That’s why he couldn’t open the door.
He wanted to see the result created with passion.
As the embers of his heart, which he thought were completely extinguished, flared up, Yoo Jeong-yeong turned around and returned to his work.
Every day after finishing his work.
He visited Kang San’s workshop.
He watched endlessly and then went home, and the next day, after finishing his work, he watched Kang San’s work again.
He was lost in thought.
He was fascinated.
In the blazing flames, there was something special that Yoo Jeong-yeong had dedicated his life to.
And when the work was finally finished.
Yoo Jeong-yeong opened the door without realizing it.
“……What on earth did you create?”
The question slipped out.
It wasn’t intentional, just an instinctive reaction.
✦✦✦✦✦✦
Yoo Jeong-yeong’s face was flushed with embarrassment.
He had opened the door and asked the question first, and only then did he realize that his actions were rude.
“Oh, uh, I’m, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to watch, it’s just that the way you worked was so impressive that I couldn’t take my eyes off it.”
He tried to back off.
Then he hesitated.
If he didn’t resolve the question in his mind, he felt like he wouldn’t be able to sleep.
“……Actually, before I was a technician at the Iron Blacksmith, I learned the skills from my blacksmith father. That’s why I know better than anyone that what you just did isn’t simple. If you didn’t understand steel and this work, you wouldn’t be able to control the flames and continue working like you just did. So, what I’m saying is, if it’s not too much trouble. Can I see that sword for myself?”
It was a cautious question.
Yoo Jeong-yeong’s tone was filled with caution, lest he offend Kang San.
Kang San was still hot from the work.
He was boiling with enthusiasm from the intense work, and he felt more satisfaction than embarrassment at the sudden situation.
Perhaps that’s why.
He stared at Yoo Jeong-yeong.
He was curious.
How would a person who made this his profession evaluate his sword?
And now that he had acquired the Crafting skill, was his connection with a person who had lived in a blacksmith family for generations just a coincidence?
They didn’t know the original stats of the sword anyway.
The fact that it had been upgraded from F-rank to E-rank was a secret only Kang San knew.
Therefore.
If they found something special in this sword, it wouldn’t be due to information, but something Yoo Jeong-yeong had discovered through his experience.
Kang San handed over the sword.
“Yes, take a look.”
