Episode 5
005. Class Quest
The owner of the forge, a burly, muscular NPC.
A man named Tuban, who looked like he reeked of sweat.
Tuban was sweating profusely, hammering away at a red-hot lump of iron.
Clang- Dong-
Clang-a-lang-
Dong-
Sounds resonating precisely to a constant beat and rhythm.
Listening to the pleasant reverberation, he silently observed Tuban’s hammering.
‘No wavering.’
He must have sensed his presence, yet his concentration remained unshaken.
Moreover, Tuban’s hammering was also impressive.
Unlike his appearance, it wasn’t just a brute-force strike relying solely on strength.
An efficient motion using the rotation of the shoulder and waist to load weight.
Perfect timing, striking precisely without missing the moment when the iron is softest before cooling.
The realm of a master craftsman, etched into his body through tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of repetitions.
Although not comparable to the legendary blacksmiths he met during the age of ruin.
But in this small rural village, he was undoubtedly a master of excessive skill.
‘Back then, I couldn’t see this.’
In the past, Geumsom had come here.
He completed quests here and learned basic crafting skills.
But he didn’t know back then.
That Tuban was a craftsman with such skill.
He wasn’t interested in the first place.
When Geumsom first played 《Lepyon》, like other players, he was only interested in learning skills quickly and leveling up faster than anyone.
But the gaze with which the Geumsom of then and the Geumsom of now looked at Tuban was fundamentally different.
Because things he couldn’t see back then were now visible.
Clang- Dong-
Clang-a-lang-
Dong-
A considerable time passed, and Tuban finished the first forging, picking up the red-hot iron with tongs and dipping it into the cooling water.
Sssssssss-!
Threatening, intense noise accompanied by rising steam.
Only then did Tuban notice Geumsom’s presence, staring at him piercingly.
However, beneath his bushy beard, a clearly displeased expression was evident.
“What is it, this isn’t a playground for Outsiders! Don’t disturb the sacred song of steel and get lost, move!”
The master craftsman’s characteristic gruff, resonant voice echoed through the forge.
An ordinary player would have been cowed by that intimidation and shuffled backward step by step.
A different kind of pressure compared to Bark’s.
But Geumsom opened his mouth with a quiet yet firm voice.
“I wish to become a blacksmith.”
At that bold statement, Tuban completely stopped his work and looked Geumsom over from head to toe.
His eyes were filled with blatant suspicion and contempt.
He wasn’t intimidated by that gaze.
In fact, that’s the usual reaction.
Because 《Repion》’s NPCs don’t welcome Outsiders.
But this time, there seemed to be a reason.
Tuban tapped his rock-like arm and spoke.
“Look at this, kid. This is an arm tempered alongside steel. But what about your scrawny arms? You think you can hold a hammer with those arms that look like they’d break in a breeze?”
Geumsom, level 1.
Still in a state with no tempering at all.
As Tuban said, his strength was weak, and he was still lacking in many ways.
Tuban was pointing that out.
“This isn’t some romantic play for Outsiders! The blacksmith’s work is a sacred battle facing the flames with bone and muscle, and a will harder than steel! Go back!”
Tuban described the blacksmith’s work as a battle.
He agreed with that.
For Geumsom, blacksmithing wasn’t just about making equipment.
Because it was no different from Geumsom’s own desperate struggle, a fierce battle to escape the age of ruin.
But there was one thing he couldn’t agree with.
“It’s not made with muscle alone.”
“What? What do you, a brat, know…”
“It’s lacking soul. You must imbue soul for a proper item to emerge.”
Unlike at first, the corner of Tuban’s mouth twitched upward slightly.
For the first time, an emotion other than disregard—a glint of ‘surprise’—flickered in his eyes.
Geumsom continued calmly.
“No matter how strong the force you strike with, if you cannot read the grain of the iron, you merely crush the lump. If the creator does not imbue their soul, they cannot feel the soul of the fire, and ultimately cannot awaken the soul of the steel. Am I wrong?”
Provocative wording.
But Geumsom had not the slightest intention of retracting this opinion.
Because this was the saying of ‘The Soul Forger’ Valerius, a legendary blacksmith and one of Geumsom’s great mentors in his past life.
For a moment, Tuban was at a loss for words.
He began scrutinizing Geumsom again.
He was definitely different.
From the other Outsiders who had snooped around with shallow curiosity.
But Tuban’s pride wouldn’t be easily broken before a shallow Outsider.
Soon, Tuban snorted and made an even more spiteful expression.
“Hmph! All talk, I see. Soul? Awakening steel? Fine! I’ll test if you have the qualifications to wield that smart mouth of yours!”
At that moment, a message appeared.
It felt somewhat late for an untimely provocation, but it was important that it had begun.
[Will you begin the Blacksmith class tutorial?]
He accepted the quest inwardly.
Then, Tuban kicked an item lying discarded in the corner of the forge—something clearly on the verge of being scrap—towards Geumsom.
It was a worn-out pickaxe with chipped edges, rusted, and with a wooden handle so severely cracked it looked like it would crumble any moment.
“The beginning of a blacksmith starts from the eye to recognize good materials and the patience to prepare them. But more important than that is the resilience to carry through one’s will under any adverse conditions. Do you agree?”
Geumsom nodded.
Then, Tuban pointed at the old pickaxe with his chin.
“That pickaxe is probably older than I am. It’s grown dull and worn after passing through the hands of countless miners. It means it’s weak, like your scrawny arms.”
Tuban spoke as if mocking Geumsom’s scrawny, muscle-less body.
He seemed to have considerable pride in his muscles.
“If you can mine usable iron ore with that pickaxe—five pieces, no… even just five pieces of top-grade ore without a single flaw—then I’ll reconsider your words. If you imbue soul, it should be possible, right?”
Tuban seemed somehow irked by the word ‘soul’.
Unlike his past memory, a tricky condition was attached.
“If you can’t bring them before sunset, don’t even think of setting foot in my sacred forge again!”
To anyone, it was a tricky condition meant to mess with a beginner, no, to make them give up entirely.
As Tuban finished speaking, a message appeared.
[Class Quest: Tuban’s Doubt]
– Content: Tuban, the sole blacksmith of Neman Village, wishes to test the resolve of an apprentice. Pass his strict test and prove your qualifications.
– Success Condition: Mine Top-grade Iron Ore (0/5)
– Comply with the time limit.
– Pre-payment Reward: Mining Skill
– Reward:
1. Acquire Blacksmith Class
2. Acquire Smelting Skill]
Checking the quest, a faint smile rather appeared on Geumsom’s lips.
‘Although it’s tricky… if I succeed, I can get the Smelting skill right away.’
Likely due to the provocation, the reward increased by one more.
In his past life, he had to work under Tuban for a long time, learning basics before he could obtain the Smelting skill.
But this time was different.
Just like with Bark’s case.
Moreover, looking at the quest content, it wasn’t just a quest laced with malice.
Given that they even provided the Mining skill as a pre-payment reward.
If they truly intended to mess with him, they wouldn’t have provided the Mining skill at all.
It was a gate to test the applicant’s ‘will’ in Tuban’s own way.
Without a word, Geumsom bent down and picked up the old pickaxe.
The rough, precarious sensation in his hand.
But within it, Geumsom felt the traces and stories of countless years.
It was a surprisingly not-so-bad pickaxe.
Precarious, but definitely a pickaxe with well-honed edges.
‘Seems doable.’
Bowing his head silently towards Tuban, Geumsom wordlessly left the forge.
Behind his back, Tuban’s complex gaze, a mix of doubt and expectation, followed.
Clang- Dong-
Clang-a-lang-
Dong-
In the forge from which Geumsom had disappeared, only the cheerful sound of clashing metal resonated once more.
While waiting for the guest, no, the Outsider, who might or might not return.
Having received the shabby pickaxe Tuban threw at him, Geumsom headed straight for the mine.
The moment he entered the dark, damp mine, a sinister aura and low-level monsters, kobolds, came into view.
Small monsters about the height of a human thigh.
Several such kobolds, holding crude, chipped daggers in the darkness, charged at Geumsom.
Squeeee!
If this were an ordinary game, no player would be scared of kobolds.
They’d likely just hit them.
Because they’d just be moving dummies giving experience and items.
But in 《Repion》, the situation was different.
The extreme sense of realism indistinguishable from reality.
That instead became poison for players, making them lose their grip on reason.
‘Damn ugly, for real.’
The kobolds revealed in the darkness.
Their skin had stiff, rough fur growing sparsely, with no luster to be found.
Their bloodshot, congested red eyes flashed with pure madness devoid of any reason, and foul-smelling drool dribbled from their gaping mouths.
Such horrendous-looking monsters.
The sight of them charging, screaming madly, filled solely with the intent to kill the player.
No one seeing this for the first time wouldn’t be taken aback.
Unless one had nerves of steel, successfully carrying out the first battle before this overwhelming terror was nearly impossible.
Most would scream and run away, or freeze in terror and be helplessly struck down.
But Geumsom was different.
His eyes did not waver.
They were rather coldly settled.
In his previous life, he had faced things far more horrifying countless times.
To such a Geumsom, kobolds?
The kobolds of 《Repion》, still just a ‘game’, were merely cute antics.
Moreover, there was another changed point.
‘Is this… Resolve’s Insight?’
Vivid red dots were marked on the heads, hearts, and napes of the charging kobolds.
Like the red target on the dummy.
The ‘Resolve’s Insight’ he learned from Bark had activated.
Slightly sidestepping to evade the first kobold’s attack, Geumsom swung the pickaxe in his hand without hesitation.
Whoosh-
The pickaxe drawing a smooth arc.
The pointed part of the pickaxe accurately struck the red dot marked on the kobold’s skull.
Crunch-!
