Episode 9
009. The First Masterpiece
[Tuban, overwhelmed by your skill and talent, teaches you a secret technique passed down through his family.]
[You have acquired the hidden skill ‘Soul Forging’!]
The crafting skill Tuban had hidden in his forge.
Seeing the message about it, Geumsom couldn’t help but be bewildered.
‘Soul… Forging? Was there such a skill?’
In his past life, he trained under Tuban for a long time.
Back then, he just obtained the additional ‘Crafting’ skill.
So he thought Tuban might hand over the ‘Crafting’ skill.
But the skill Tuban brought out was ‘Soul Forging’, completely different from expectations.
He had never heard of a skill like ‘Soul Forging’ from Tuban.
“This is… a secret family manual I inherited from my father in my youth. In my current state, I can’t fully wield this power, but you might be able to. If you’re someone who speaks of soul, you might be capable, right?”
Although bewildered, he listened to Tuban’s words and checked the skill’s details.
Confirming what kind of skill it was before answering was essential.
[Soul Forging Lv.1]
[Passive Skill]
– Description: The ultimate forging technique that breathes the craftsman’s soul into materials, shaping not just a tool but a masterpiece.
[Effects]
1. When crafting, there is a low chance that a unique special ability called ‘Soul Engraving’ containing the crafter’s will is granted, and the item becomes bound.
2. When crafting, there is a 10% increased chance for a ‘Great Success’ where the item’s potential explodes, raising the crafted item’s grade by one tier.
3. Crafted items gain the potential to grow with the wearer, and the growth speed and efficiency increase dramatically especially when worn by the crafter themselves.
Checking the skill’s details, he finally understood.
Why Tuban readily gave him such a skill, akin to a family secret.
‘It was a skill that didn’t suit Tuban in many ways.’
Soul Forging is a skill that demands delicacy over strength.
A skill that must be used considering the day’s humidity, temperature, the material’s state, etc., with finesse.
It’s a skill that doesn’t suit Tuban, who works primarily with strength.
Moreover.
‘When used, albeit with a low chance, the item becomes bound.’
Soul Engraving.
Fancy words, but in short, it means the item becomes bound to the crafter themselves.
Other users cannot use it; only the crafter themselves can.
‘If Tuban, who runs a forge, crafted a bound item… nothing could be more troublesome.’
The effects of Soul Forging were quite satisfying.
Not only a one-tier growth for the crafted item, but also an item that grows with the wearer.
It was a jackpot effect he hadn’t expected at all.
Tuban also seemed to read Geumsom’s expression.
“Well? Do you like it?”
“Of course. That you’d give me something like this…”
“Enough. I just hope this technique doesn’t end with my generation. It’s just a technique that nearly faded away finally finding its owner.”
Tuban’s face seemed somehow bitter.
Mixed with self-reproach for not perfecting the family secret himself.
It felt like he should show Tuban.
That Tuban’s choice wasn’t wrong.
“May I use the smelted materials and the forge?”
“Hahaha! Impatient too. Thinking of trying crafting right away? Good, from now on, think of this as your home! Feel free to use everything in this forge as you wish!”
Tuban seemed genuinely pleased.
Geumsom gave a light nod to Tuban and immediately approached the furnace to craft the item he had in mind.
“Shall I make one properly?”
Geumsom grinned.
He put the top-grade iron ingot he had just made back into the furnace.
What he would make this time was an item that could be called the beginning and end of every blacksmith.
It was a ‘hammer’.
“You, planning to make a hammer?”
“Yes. I need a hammer that fits my hand.”
“Your first crafted item being a hammer… a meaningful item. Good, very good! Hahaha!”
Tuban laughed heartily.
A good blacksmith uses their own hammer.
But soon, Tuban couldn’t help but be astonished.
Because it looked like Geumsom was proceeding with the work without using any skill.
“Hey, Geumsom? Why aren’t you using Soul Forging?”
“No. It’s just that I won’t rely solely on Soul Forging. Isn’t the blacksmith’s own skill ultimately the foundation of crafting?”
“Kuk-kuk, I forgot the obvious. Not relying on skills… not like an Outsider. Geumsom, you’re truly a genuine blacksmith.”
Of course, using the ‘Soul Forging’ skill would allow him to easily make a hammer of high grade.
But Geumsom had no intention of doing that.
‘Use the system, but do not be subordinate to it. I must create an item that surpasses the system’s limits with my own hands, my own will.’
The smelting process was the same.
An interface for using Soul Forging with an opaque window appeared, but he only resisted it.
All crafting would be done by Geumsom’s own fingertips.
“I’ll make it myself.”
At Geumsom’s quiet declaration, the corner of Tuban’s mouth, who was watching breathlessly from the side, curled up subtly.
Geumsom, an Outsider with a rebellious streak who chooses not to use the Soul Forging skill even though he can.
He quite likes it.
No, he likes it very much.
A blacksmith should be like that.
It seems he chose the right master for the skill.
Without further words, Geumsom picked up a hammer placed by the furnace.
And recalling his past life, he drew out all the senses he had tempered countless times.
He closed his eyes.
The surrounding noise faded.
Only Geumsom, the sound of his own heartbeat.
The heat from the furnace.
And the subtle tremor of the steel on the anvil began to be felt.
When he opened his eyes again, his gaze was completely different from before.
There was no Outsider Geumsom there.
Just a blacksmith.
A blacksmith who had endured countless trials merely preparing for work.
Dong-!
The first strike.
A clear, pure sound echoed through the forge.
That was just the beginning.
Dong-!
Clang-!
Dong-!
Geumsom’s hammering wasn’t mere striking.
The rotation of shoulders and waist, the movement of feet.
Even the inhalation and exhalation of breath—everything achieved perfect harmony as power was loaded onto the hammer’s end.
What he had begun was the technique of ‘folding and forging’.
Folding the iron and hammering.
Folding again and hammering.
An ancient technique of repeating that countless times to elevate strength to the extreme.
Dong-!
Dong-!
Clang-! Dong!
Time began to flow.
One hour.
Two hours…
The sun set and the moon rose.
Tuban tried to close his eyes for a moment, but the unceasing hammer sounds made it impossible.
As if entranced, he merely watched Geumsom’s work, spellbound.
Ten hours…
Eleven hours…
Geumsom’s entire body was soaked in sweat, and the muscles in his arms swelled as if about to burst.
If he hadn’t invested all his stat points into Strength, he might have hit a physical limit despite his will.
Such grueling, exhausting work.
But Geumsom’s gaze never wavered.
And finally, around the time dawn broke again.
Pssssssss—
The moment he plunged the hammer into the cooling water.
The hammer in Geumsom’s hand emitted a mystical energy incomparable to before.
On the surface of the steel, folded and tempered hundreds, thousands of times, a beautiful pattern bloomed like waves.
Like the scales of a living, breathing dragon.
The moment he saw that pattern, he was certain.
‘Success.’
As if responding to Geumsom’s thought, system messages began to rise.
[You have acquired the title ‘The First Maverick’.]
[You are the first to manually craft ‘Damascus Steel’ and an item solely with your own skill, without the system’s help.]
[The system trembles at your tenacity and craftsmanship.]
[Effect1. All stats permanently increase by 5.]
[Effect2. The Precision stat is unlocked, and you receive a +20 bonus.]
Even before the hammer’s information appeared, accolades from the system poured forth.
Accolades—frankly, it was bewildering.
‘I thought it’d be lucky not to get a penalty?’
It was unexpected.
This was practically rebelling against the system.
Because he deliberately excluded the system-recognized skill and proceeded with the work.
But the system was instead praising such Geumsom.
Even granting a new ‘title’.
*’All stats +5 and… Precision? The Precision stat is unlocked?’*
The Precision stat was the stat he had most diligently raised in his past life.
Naturally, as the Precision stat rose, the quality of crafted items improved.
Thus, it was a stat he could barely unlock only after reaching the mid-200s in level, pouring his heart and soul into it.
Yet here he was, having unlocked not just Luck but also Precision, not long after starting the game.
[Player Detailed Information]
[Basic Stats]
Strength: 36
Agility: 16
Stamina: 16
Magic Power: 16
[Unlocked Stats]Luck: 21
Precision: 25
[Remaining Stat Points: 0]
He quickly opened his detailed information to check.
Indeed, Precision was already applied.
Now, each time he levels up, he will gain a total of 6 stat points.
A gap of leading by 2 points per level compared to others will create a disparity no one can catch up to as time passes.
‘Was unlocking stats this easy? That can’t be…’
In his past life, even top-rankers only unlocked one or two new stats at most.
But Geumsom had already unlocked two.
And at only around level 5 at that.
However, there was no time to fully savor that joy.
Because information about the hammer he had poured his heart into crafting began to appear.
[A masterpiece imbued with a blacksmith’s soul.]
[The One Who Astonished the Blacksmith is applied.]
[The effect of Soul Forging is applied.]
[Achieved a Great Success!]
[The crafted item’s grade has been raised by one tier.]
“Eh? Y-you, Geumsom… Just what have you made?”
“I made a hammer. You saw from the side, so what…”
“That’s not what I mean! Goodness. I misjudged you, I misjudged you badly.”
Tuban picked up the hammer Geumsom made with trembling hands.
He seemed to examine the hammer here and there.
Then, he could only let out a sigh and utter one sentence.
“You came wanting to… become a blacksmith, right?”
“Yes, th-that’s right?”
“No, isn’t your skill superior to mine! And yet you asked for my permission… I’m utterly ashamed.”
Tuban wore an expression that seemed somehow hollow.
The reason he couldn’t help but be that way.
The item information about the hammer.
The moment he read it, Tuban’s feelings became understandable.
[Grade: Legendary (Lv.50 Restriction)]
“L-Legendary…?”
In this small rural village forge, from the hands of a beginner blacksmith barely level 5, a Legendary-grade item had been crafted.
