Blood Demon of the Past Life – Chapter 58

Chapter 58: Master Blacksmith （3）

Kim Min-yeong’s eyes changed.

A sponsor?

It smelled like a scoop.

Kim Min-yeong, who was about to end the interview, had no choice but to ask an additional question.

“As far as I know, it’s rare for people to invest in blacksmithing. If you don’t mind me asking, who invested in you, Yu Jeong-yeong-nim?”

“That’s…”

It was a direct question.

Kim Min-yeong is thoroughly prepared.

In order to interview the blacksmith, she quickly checked the industry and learned that the outlook was not bright enough to warrant an investment. That’s why the existence of a sponsor was bound to be questionable. It was a question that asked precisely that, and Yu Jeong-yeong, who hadn’t thought that far, was speechless.

He thought too simply.

He blurted it out because he was thinking of Kang San, but from now on, he needed to make the situation fit plausibly.

Yu Jeong-yeong said,

“First of all, I can’t tell you exactly who it is. He’s a person who doesn’t care much about worldly affairs, but he said this the day I first met him: There is no such thing as unimportant work in the world. The moments when blacksmiths work, shedding blood and sweat, have their own value, and no matter how much the System exists, one should not predefine one’s own limits. From that moment on, I dreamed a new dream. People say that item reinforcement is not within the human realm, but isn’t it true that there is no such thing as ‘absolute’ in this world? Thanks to his blind support, I was able to focus on blacksmithing and eventually achieved this unbelievable result. I wouldn’t exist as I am now if it weren’t for him.”

It was a fantasy.

He created a new situation.

But Yu Jeong-yeong was confident.

Even though it’s different from the truth, the favor Kang San bestowed was no different.

He gave him the technique, even yielded the position of pioneer, so what else could he call it if not sponsorship?

And he only slightly adapted Kang San’s warm words.

“Are you saying it’s sponsorship without compensation?”

“Yes. He only wants the development of this industry. He doesn’t want to be revealed because of this.”

“…He’s an amazing person.”

Kim Min-yeong admired him.

Recently,

She seemed to be meeting really good people.

The Wangsimni Tanker who didn’t turn away from the difficulties of others, Kim Chun-sik, who willingly risked his life for the citizens as a soldier, and now the sponsor who helped the neglected blacksmithing industry, they were all different kinds of goodwill, but they were all truly amazing people.

She asked one last question.

“Can you tell us about your future plans?”

The future.

It was a question that made his heart race.

Dreaming of a brilliant future, Yu Jeong-yeong looked at the camera.

“This is just the beginning. I will further develop the technology and prove that his choice was not wrong.”

✦✦✦✦✦✦

It was chaos.

As soon as Yu Jeong-yeong officially acknowledged the fact, the giant guilds that had been watching the situation sent him love calls.

“Sign an exclusive contract with us. We’ll give you 1 billion won as an annual salary.”

“I heard that the attack power increased through item reinforcement is 1. It’s a great discovery and a tremendous achievement, but you’ll agree that you still need enough time to develop the technology further. We will support your research. I don’t know how much money your sponsor is giving you, but research funding is always the more the better, isn’t it? Even if it takes a long time to produce results, or even if the technology doesn’t develop any further. A promise to work with us in the future is all we need to sign the contract.”

“I’ll buy that technology. How much do you want? 1 billion? 2 billion? Just tell me whatever conditions you want.”

Calls were pouring in from all directions.

In fact, as one guild mentioned, the effect of the item Yu Jeong-yeong reinforced this time was not that great.

Barely 1.

He increased the attack power by 1.

However, those who could think gave meaning to the clear result that something was created from nothing. Until now, there had been no achievements like Yu Jeong-yeong’s. Every country had tried everything to enhance items, but the only success was an artifact that engraved magic. That was not strictly an enhancement of the item’s stats, but merely a medium for using magic.

What if,

The technology develops and increases the attack power by 10 instead of 1?

Furthermore, what if it increases it by 20, 30?

It would be a revolution.

The value that could be created with Yu Jeong-yeong’s technology was beyond imagination.

Meanwhile, he also received a call from the government.

They offered sweet talk like technical support, but Yu Jeong-yeong rejected it all.

There were two reasons.

The first was that Kang San’s technology could not be shared.

The same goes for the profits.

And the second reason was,

‘It’s a great discovery, but as the people who are making offers to me said, I’ve only increased the attack power by 1 so far. The interest they’re showing me now is not in the present but in the future. There’s no need to get excited for nothing.’

Yu Jeong-yeong had made a promise to himself.

He would definitely make a fortune.

30%.

Even with that percentage, he would make sure Kang San never regretted his choice.

‘I will definitely repay you.’

One step back for two steps forward.

Yu Jeong-yeong decided it was time to consolidate his foundation.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

The world was like a hot pot.

It heated up quickly at the initial discovery, but then cooled down quickly when Yu Jeong-yeong didn’t make any significant moves.

『Was it all a lie?』

『This happens often. Someone claims to have invented something for the first time in the world, attracts investment, and then disappears. It’s obvious. If it’s such a great technology, shouldn’t he show more results and prove it?』

『I heard he rejected all the offers from the giant guilds. I think he’s hiding something.』

Yu Jeong-yeong’s achievement,

It was all based on the testimony of one informant.

The fact that the attack power went from 30 to 31 could be a lie, or it could have been a setup with the informant.

Around that time, Yu Jeong-yeong went into seclusion training.

He decided to build his foundation rather than row the boat, and his silence only fueled the rumors. At some point, people started to assume that Yu Jeong-yeong’s actions were a lie.

『Korea’s Master Blacksmith? I think it’s an international embarrassment.』

Because the expectations were high,

The disappointment was also great.

The title of Master Blacksmith was instantly thrown to the ground.

At that time,

Cheonsang was discussing this matter.

Cheonsang Team 3,

A manager said,

“We’re no longer in contact with Mr. Yu Jeong-yeong. According to the master of the blacksmith, he’s entered a period of personal reorganization. We also speculate that he’s avoiding the situation because the interest is bigger than expected. More importantly, that informant. He’s been spreading provocative information everywhere.”

“But if it’s Kim Min-yeong’s report, it’s reliable, right? What did they say?”

At the head of the table,

A woman asked back.

She was Jeong Hye-mi, Jeong Man-seop’s daughter and the team leader of Cheonsang Team 3.

“Reporter Kim Min-yeong is sticking to her original stance. Well, it’s an exclusive interview, so she doesn’t want to ruin it.”

Just for a few days,

The Yu Jeong-yeong wave was huge.

He was given the title of Master Blacksmith, and guilds all over Korea were scrambling to recruit him. But he rejected them all. If he had chosen a guild, or joined hands with the government, they would have been very jealous, but they understood the public’s reaction to his sudden decision to go into seclusion training.

It didn’t make sense.

If he was a man who wanted wealth and fame,

Now was the time to row the boat.

“Let’s leave the matter of recruiting Mr. Yu Jeong-yeong aside and move on to the next agenda. We’re planning to conduct a group promotion test for Project B team. Currently, all members of Team B have been assigned a D-rank, and they have successfully completed a C-rank raid for the group promotion.”

“What about the media?”

Jeong Hye-mi asked.

“We’ve already contacted the media. The results of the group promotion will be reported widely immediately.”

“Everyone, focus on this project. As you all know, Project B team is something Cheonsang has put a lot of effort into, from selecting members to managing them. But what will happen if they don’t achieve the expected results? People will look at Cheonsang in a bad light. They’ll say that Cheonsang, the best large management company in Korea, is no longer living up to its reputation. So there shouldn’t be even the slightest noise. Got it?”

“Yes.”

Project B team,

It was a project led by Jeong Hye-mi.

Cheonsang was fully supporting Jeong Hye-mi and planned to raise Project B team into a raid party that would represent Cheonsang.

She was confident.

Jeong Hye-mi had always succeeded, and more importantly,

‘I can’t lose to my brother.’

Project A team,

She heard that the team her older brother, the eldest son, was in charge of had already been assigned a C-rank.

She couldn’t fall behind.

Even though they were family, she had no desire to be inferior.

✦✦✦✦✦✦

The meeting was over.

Jeong Hye-mi left the meeting room first, and a team member of Team 3 hurriedly followed her.

“Team leader.”

She turned her head.

When she just stared at him without answering, the team member took something out.

“I think you need to see this.”

“What is it?”

“Well…”

She checked the document.

The day of Project B team’s test,

It was the list of applicants scheduled for the group promotion test on the same day, and while she was flipping through the pages, she heard the team member’s voice.

“That day, it seems your younger brother is taking the group promotion test.”

She stopped.

She saw her brother’s name.

『Jeong Chan-woo』

‘He really…’

Suddenly,

She had a headache.

Her father told her not to interfere, so she just left him alone, but this troublemaker seemed determined to cause trouble. It seemed he was lucky to succeed in the ant cave subjugation last time. She heard that the mage’s ability was great, but the group promotion test was a different matter. The group promotion test was thoroughly designed to prevent people from passing with individual strength alone, and the biggest problem was that there was a penalty for failure.

Ineligible to apply for group promotion test for 1 year.

This was due to indiscriminate bussing.

In order to prevent people with low skills from getting promoted by the power of their party members, the group promotion test had some restrictions. But the reason people still took the group promotion test was clear. People who were promoted through the group promotion test were evaluated better externally than those who took the individual promotion test. It was difficult to deal with monsters alone unless you were strong enough, so the group promotion test was a kind of certificate that proved you were good at cooperating.

Especially when it came to winning bids for government-run hunting grounds, parties with group promotion experience were favored if the price was the same.

She had to stop him.

There was a separate project for Jeong Chan-woo, and she couldn’t let him get a blemish on his record.

But,

‘He’s not going to listen to me.’

He was her younger brother, 6 years younger than her.

Unlike her blunt older brother, he was a lovable younger brother she had cherished and cared for since he was young.

Jeong Hye-mi sighed.

She was known for being strict at the company, but she couldn’t be strict when it came to her brother.

“Just leave him alone. But,”

She handed him the document.

And then,

“I’ll go to the site that day.”

She organized her schedule for that day in her head.