Blood Demon of the Past Life – Chapter 56

Chapter 56: Master Blacksmith （1）

Yu Jeong-yeong.

His life was completely different before and after meeting Kang San.

If he had lived a life like a cog in a machine before, his present days were colorful. He didn’t know how time flew by, thinking about today, which was different from yesterday, and tomorrow, which would be even better than today.

Hwaruk.

Hwarururuk.

The flames of the forge blazed.

Having worked all day until his skin turned red, he looked down at the result with a somewhat troubled expression.

“This isn’t it.”

『Worn-out Longsword』

『F-rank』

『Attack Power +3』

The result in front of his eyes.

It wasn’t satisfactory.

Outwardly, it had a sharp form, but like Kang San’s, there was no improvement in stats whatsoever. Several weeks had passed since he received the skill transfer from Kang San. He had made numerous products while reflecting on the teachings during that time, but he hadn’t achieved any meaningful results even once.

‘When Kang San-nim transferred the skill to me, there was something special about Kang San-nim’s work that was different from mine. An intangible force that cannot be explained by the common sense of this world. If I can’t instill that, no matter how many times I repeat the work, the results won’t change.’

It was a fairly abstract concept.

In fact, if Kang San hadn’t conveyed that feeling through the skill transfer, he might have denied the existence of an intangible force altogether. At least, the common sense of this world was like that. The System expressed transcendental power in numbers, and he had never heard of the existence of a new power that could not be explained by it.

Hwarururuk.

He lit the forge again.

He repeated the work.

Even though it was a repetitive task that didn’t yield results, Yu Jeong-yeong didn’t find this situation difficult.

Kaang!

Kaang, Kaang!

Before meeting Kang San.

He had no hope.

The work of blacksmiths like him was merely labor to restore durability, and the treatment of tasks that anyone could replace ate away at his self-esteem. But now it was different. Kang San showed him a new future. He proved that if he continued to develop this work, a new world would unfold.

Having a future or not.

It was completely different.

Even if Yu Jeong-yeong failed today, even if he returned home without any results.

Kaang━!

He would consistently swing the hammer.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

The start of the problem was no different from any other day.

Work piled up.

Since personal work was only possible after work hours, Yu Jeong-yeong was engrossed in his tasks.

“I have a raid soon, so I can’t be late, you know? So please hurry up.”

It was a customer’s words.

The young man, with a cocky demeanor, tossed his sword over.

And then, as if he would wait until the work was done, he sat down on a chair prepared at the back and looked around as if he were visiting a zoo. He was a very unpleasant customer. However, Yu Jeong-yeong was very accustomed to this kind of attitude while working as a blacksmith, so he calmly checked the condition of the item.

『Longsword made by a Master 』

『D-rank』

『Attack Power +30』

It was a top-quality item among D-rank items.

Judging from the fact that it didn’t match the man’s skill, it seemed like he was the type who was born with a privileged background. This could also be seen from the fact that he provided a high-grade mana stone to improve durability.

Hwarururuk.

Yu Jeong-yeong proceeded with the work skillfully.

He sufficiently raised the heat of the forge and poured a mixture of mana stone and molten steel onto the sword.

Passssss-

Smoke rose.

With common sense, it seemed like the sword would melt, but since it was a mixture containing mana, it shone and permeated the sword instead. Now was the important part. Yu Jeong-yeong immediately hammered the sword fiercely.

Kaang!

Kaang, Kaang!

His muscles bulged.

Since it was a task he had done countless times, there was no hesitation, and Yu Jeong-yeong wanted to finish the work quickly and send the customer away. It was a task that would take quite some time since it was a D-rank item. While he was concentrating and hammering for a long time, at some point, Yu Jeong-yeong started to see a strange phenomenon.

Sssssss.

‘What’s that?’

Every time he hammered the sword.

He could see a blue haze-like thing rising.

At first, he thought it was an illusion.

Thinking that there was a problem with his eyesight due to the hard work, he blinked several times and checked the haze again.

But it was still there.

It didn’t disappear at all.

The blue shimmering haze wouldn’t leave the sword’s surroundings, and whenever Yu Jeong-yeong lifted the hammer, it swirled violently, delivering an intense shock. The haze became clearer with the sound of Kaang, Kaang as the hammer struck. Yu Jeong-yeong, who had simply accepted it as a strange phenomenon, suddenly had a thought flash through his mind.

‘Could it be?’

What Kang San had said.

The intangible force that Kang San had let him experience.

He thought that it might be that.

Whether it was because his own experience had accumulated, or because of the experience Kang San had given him, or because he had used a special mana stone for the product this time. He didn’t know the exact reason, but he couldn’t miss this opportunity.

‘Kang San-nim said, I have to guide the intangible energy and naturally induce it to permeate the sword.’

He raised his arm.

Magic power rose along with it.

When he struck the hammer, the magic power collided with the sword like lightning striking down.

Paat.

All the magic power scattered.

It was an impossible task to do with just a simple strike.

After repeatedly hammering several times, Yu Jeong-yeong confirmed that the magic power absorbed was determined by the location of the impact. It was a delicate task. The moment he struck the exact location with a certain amount of force, this time, the magic power didn’t scatter but permeated the sword, even if only partially.

‘This is it.’

A thrill ran through him.

From then on, it was a trance .

He swung the hammer frantically.

He didn’t know he was tired, and he completely forgot how unpleasant the customer who was rushing him was.

Right now, this moment.

He had entered a new realm.

His face turned red as he was out of breath, and he forgot the concept of time and immersed himself in the work like crazy.

Chiiiiik-

Smoke rose.

Yu Jeong-yeong, who cooled the sword and lifted it, showed a bright face.

“…I finally succeeded.”

『Sturdy Longsword made by a Master 』

『C-rank』

『Attack Power +31』

Goosebumps arose.

Just now.

The sword clearly had an attack power of 30.

But with the increase of 1 attack power, it met the conditions for C-rank, and the item’s rank increased.

It was truly a miracle.

He had achieved something unbelievable, something unprecedented.

It was then.

“Ah, I told you I’m late. Give it to me quickly.”

Tak-

The customer snatched the sword.

He couldn’t just watch Yu Jeong-yeong, who was only admiring it, without knowing the circumstances.

And then he tried to leave immediately.

As he took a step and checked the condition of the sword, the customer suddenly froze in place like a statue.

“Huh?”

He blinked.

But no matter how much he looked, it was strange.

The customer turned to Yu Jeong-yeong with a surprised face.

“What the hell is this?”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

From then on, no amount of excuses could calm the situation down.

Even though he said he didn’t know why, the customer spattered saliva with an agitated face and shouted.

“Wow, shit. Is this for real? How the hell did you do this? You say you don’t know? Hey, don’t lie. I watched you work from behind for a long time, and you definitely did something amazing. Yes, yes. I believe you, I believe you. But you’re not going to charge extra because the rank of this has increased, are you?”

He could tell without having to have a long conversation.

The other party was no longer willing to talk.

Yu Jeong-yeong tried to hold the customer back, but he left the blacksmith’s shop as if he were running away.

It was an urgent situation.

He had tried to keep the technology a secret, but it seemed like the customer would reveal it.

That wasn’t all.

“How the hell did you do that?”

“…Brother.”

The Master of Iron Blacksmith.

Ma Deok-hwan asked.

He had a somewhat surprised look because he had heard the customer shouting.

He was momentarily lost in thought.

Even though he worked like a machine, Ma Deok-hwan was a good person who had looked out for Yu Jeong-yeong. He was the one who ran around trying to get blacksmiths treated well despite being looked down upon.

But.

A contract was a contract.

He couldn’t carelessly reveal his dealings with Kang San.

“…It was a coincidence. To be precise, I think I realized something by chance.”

“As expected.”

Ma Deok-hwan’s expression brightened.

He hugged Yu Jeong-yeong tightly and said,

“I knew you could do it. I’m proud of you, Jeong-yeong!”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

It was water under the bridge.

Before Yu Jeong-yeong could grasp the situation, the customer contacted an acquaintance and told them about it.

The acquaintance immediately wrote an article, and it took less than an hour for the article to be published as breaking news.

It was a fast-paced world.

Yu Jeong-yeong had been trying to contact Kang San, but Kang San, who had just returned home after training, hadn’t properly checked his phone. By the time Kang San checked his missed calls, the shocking news that a Korean blacksmith had increased the rank of an item had already hit the world.

At a cafe.

Yu Jeong-yeong, wearing a hat, said,

“I’m getting calls from everywhere. Everyone knows, right? How great the value of this technology is. What I’ve proven is just a 1 point increase in attack power, but the fact that humans can increase the power of items means infinite possibilities. Kang San-nim. First of all, I’m really sorry for creating this situation. I should have kept the secret, but the situation didn’t allow it. I will leave the decision on this situation entirely to Kang San-nim. The rights to the technology, the right to enjoy the current situation. It all belongs to Kang San-nim.”

Aside from the contract.

Yu Jeong-yeong truly thought so.

In reality, it would have been impossible without Kang San, and there was still much to learn from him.

Kang San was lost in thought.

This incident.

Would it be right to reveal that this was his technology?

Item enhancement was a revolution.

It was sure to cause a huge stir in the world, and the one who would be mentioned as the pioneer would sweep up wealth and fame. That’s why Yu Jeong-yeong came to him. Although the media was currently referring to Yu Jeong-yeong as the Korean blacksmith, he knew that this should be corrected, and Kang San should rightfully take all the credit.

But.

‘I have other priorities.’

This current problem.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought about it.

Becoming famous would bring many benefits in many ways, but Kang San was someone who had to live a life of sacrifice. He couldn’t devote much time to crafting. The time Kang San spent crafting was only a fraction, and in reality, he had to struggle to become stronger every moment because he didn’t know when and where trials would come. He felt it was a waste. The reputation as a pioneer would bring a lot, but he wasn’t allowed the time to fully utilize it.

On the other hand.

Yu Jeong-yeong was the perfect person.

Seeing that he succeeded in item enhancement without the Blood Demon’s memories, unlike Kang San, Yu Jeong-yeong would show even more development in the future. Yu Jeong-yeong’s passion for technology was appropriate for a pioneer, and the brand value of him as a person would surely sweep up more wealth and fame than if Kang San himself were at the forefront.

He tapped on the calculator.

What would be more beneficial?

What would be the better option?

After thinking for a long time, Kang San said,

“Just accept it.”

“Yes?”

“Become the pioneer in my stead. Step forward and declare to the people that you have pioneered a new field, and earn the wealth that comes with developing the technology. I won’t touch that part. Unless something special happens, I won’t reveal that I’m the original creator. However, you just have to fulfill the contract perfectly.”

It was a simple matter.

An ideal picture of him focusing on clearing his karma while living a prosperous life with the money earned by others.

“30% of the money you earn from now on. If you strictly adhere to that condition, the existence of the contract won’t be revealed to the world.”