Chapter 135. The Horn

The Mahal Tribe’s blacksmiths were more than craftsmen who forged iron and weapons. They embodied the tribe’s devotion and beliefs, a crucial aspect of their way of life. In a tribe that held martial prowess in the highest regard, blacksmiths were invaluable, highly respected companions.

And among them, the head blacksmith was deeply respected, as they were the most skilled and experienced artisan of the tribe.

"Is this person really that incredible?" Kim Do-Joon asked.

Shura, bouncing with excitement, replied, “That’s what I’m telling you! He’s practically the second most important person in the tribe!”

Although, from the way she acted, it seemed like she feared the blacksmith more than the priest. Kim Do-Joon recalled Shura casually chatting with the priest like an old neighbor just the day before.

"

Ahem!

" Jamel, the blacksmith, cleared his throat loudly, interrupting their conversation. “Shura, I need to have a word with our guest. Can you give us some privacy?”

"But—" Shura muttered.

“If you don’t listen, I won’t check your weapon anymore.”

“What? No! Okay, I’m going!” Shura went pale as she darted out of the tent.

Watching this exchange, Kim Do-Joon finally understood why Shura held Jamel in such high regard. Jamel was someone they all respected, perhaps even more than the Priest.

Jamel turned to Kim Do-Joon with a smile. “I apologize for not introducing myself properly yesterday. Normally, I would have greeted you then, but with the festival and all, things were a bit hectic.”

“No need to apologize.”

The festivities had been overwhelming, to say the least. As Kim Do-Joon looked at Jamel more closely, he suddenly recognized him. He vividly recalled this old man chugging liquor like water in the thick of the festival.

“Did you recover from your hangover?” Kim Do-Joon asked.

“Hangover?” Jamel frowned, confused. “What’s that?”

“Never mind,” Kim Do-Joon replied quickly.

He smiled awkwardly. The Mahal people were naturally gifted with physical abilities. Even a fifteen-year-old from their tribe had the skill of an A-rank Hunter, putting top-tier Hunters to shame. So, it made sense that such human weaknesses didn’t exist in their world.

Jamel changed the subject, his voice now thoughtful. “I saw the weapon you gave Shura yesterday. Did you forge it yourself, by any chance?”

Kim Do-Joon shook his head. “No, I didn’t make it. I received it from someone else. I’m afraid I don’t know anything about blacksmithing.”

Technically, he had bought it, but that detail didn’t seem necessary.

"

Ah

, that’s unfortunate," Jamel sighed, sounding genuinely disappointed.

"Well, I do have other things you might find interesting." Sensing an opportunity, Kim Do-Joon decided to show Jamel his collection of weapons.

Carefully avoiding revealing his favorite or most powerful ones, he laid out a variety of other arms, including long spears, swords, and axes. Jamel’s expression shifted from disappointment to pure amazement. His eyes widened as if he were a child gazing at a pile of new toys.

“What is this? Are you a sorcerer? I’ve never seen anything like this before!”

Kim Do-Joon chuckled. “No, nothing like that. It’s just a...

gift

that I discovered I could use a while ago.”

He wasn’t lying—this mysterious power came to him the day he Awakened. Jamel looked at him with a softened, almost reverent expression.

When Kim Do-Joon gave him a confused look, he replied. “I had heard that you were born without horns, so I assumed the gods had withheld their blessing from you. But now I see that’s not true at all. The Sun God’s grace flows through you.”

Everything made sense now. From the moment he met Shura and entered the village, Kim Do-Joon had noticed the sympathetic looks people gave him. It seemed they had seen him as someone born without divine favor. He thought it was a bit overblown but understood, as it was part of their culture and belief system.

“May I examine these?” Jamel asked with gleaming eyes; his earlier calmness replaced by an intense curiosity.

“Of course,” Kim Do-Joon replied with a nod.

Who knows, maybe Jamel would return the favor and offer him something valuable and infused with divine power in exchange.

If I could get something crafted in their unique style, that’d be ideal.

Inspecting the divine power was simple enough. He could simply ask Jamel or even Shura to imbue any random stones with divine power. However, he was intrigued by something else.

There’s a chance this place could be Siwelin’s world.

It was one of the two possibilities he had considered yesterday. Although Siwelin’s world was destroyed according to history, there could have been survivors. There was a chance they lived in this very forest, somehow integrated into this labyrinth.

If that were true, then the similarities in their aura would make sense. Despite worshiping different gods, the source of that divine power could still be the same. Should Siwelin recognize an item crafted in their unique style, his theory would be confirmed.

And if I am right, she’ll be overjoyed...

Even though they weren’t companions who had eaten or slept together, the mere fact that someone from her world could still be alive—someone she thought long dead—could bring Siwelin some measure of comfort. There could be no greater gift than that.

However, if it turned out that this place had no connection whatsoever to Siwelin’s world, Kim Do-Joon had to rethink this whole divine blessing and power.

Still, the truth wasn’t what mattered here. The real question was, how Siwelin would react to this knowledge. Kim Do-Joon couldn’t even begin to predict her reaction—it could either lead to a positive conversation or something far more negative. Regardless, hiding this from her wasn’t an option.

"Well, I’ve seen enough, thanks" Jamel said, breaking Kim Do-Joon's train of thought. He returned the weapon with a satisfied look.

"Are you sure?" Kim Do-Joon asked, raising an eyebrow.

Was Jamel really okay with returning it so easily? He wondered if Jamel wished to keep at least one of the weapons.

"Would it be alright?" Jamel chuckled, catching on quickly.

Seeing Kim Do-Joon nod in response, he let out a hearty laugh and thanked him. "Thank you so much. Now... let’s see... how about this one?"

Jamel selected a throwing spear that had been designed for precision and distance. It was, in fact, one of Kim Do-Joon’s higher-quality backup weapons, as spears were his main weapon. In other words, the most expensive one.

As expected from a master blacksmith...

Kim Do-Joon was impressed by Jamel’s razor-sharp eye for quality.

"Do you have some time right now? I’d like to invite you to my workshop.”

"Your workshop?" Kim Do-Joon asked, surprised.

"It wouldn’t be fair to only take. Come, let me show you something, and perhaps you can choose a weapon for yourself," Jamel offered generously.

Kim Do-Joon stood up without hesitation—this was what he’d been hoping for. Besides, Shura had mentioned that it was considered rude in their culture to only give and not receive.

"Please take me there," Kim Do-Joon replied with a smile.

"Ah, I like that attitude!" Jamel beamed.

Then, the two of them made their way toward the large workshop at the edge of the village.

***

The workshop consisted of a series of tents, with the largest one at the center, surrounded by smaller tents where weapons were being crafted and maintained.

"Isn’t that the traveler?" someone whispered.

"Is he the one who gave Shura that sword?" another voice added.

As they entered the workshop area, several blacksmiths cast curious glances at Kim Do-Joon. The way they looked at him reminded him of hunting dogs sizing up their prey, eager and intent.

“Sorry about that,” Jamel said, noticing the stares. “They were all amazed by the weapon you gave to Shura.”

"I heard about that, but I didn’t realize it would be this intense," Kim Do-Joon admitted.

"For us, creating better iron and crafting superior weapons are how we prove ourselves to the gods. It’s also a way to support our fellow tribesmen. I hope you can understand their excitement," Jamel explained.

"I understand. It’s fine," Kim Do-Joon reassured him.

He wasn’t bothered by their reactions. In fact, he was far more focused on the weapons around him, carefully examining each one for something that stood out.

“What about this one?” Jamel said, bringing out a weapon from the largest tent.

It was a chakram, similar to the one Shura had used.

Hmm, I’m not too familiar with this kind of weapon, though.

Still, he took it and observed it carefully. The craftsmanship was excellent, just like the one Shura had wielded. The metal had intricate, mystical patterns that seemed to ripple across its surface like waves.

And there’s no information window.

Kim Do-Joon swung it around experimentally, admiring how perfectly it fitted in his hand. Despite being new, the balance was impeccable, moving seamlessly with his posture and grip.

Jamel was the head blacksmith for a reason. Even compared to the finest equipment from the Black Maiden, a renowned artisan, this weapon held its own.

It’s a bit unfortunate there are no special abilities on it, though.

Of course, expecting this tribe to be able to bestow mana effects was asking too much. Still, out of curiosity, Kim Do-Joon instinctively channeled a bit of his own mana into the chakram. And the result made his eyes widen in shock.

“The weapon you gave Shura, while well-made, was missing one key element,” Jamel remarked. “It did not contain a horn of the one-horned beast.”

"A horn?" Kim Do-Joon repeated, bewildered.

“When you forge iron with the one-horned beast’s horn, the divine blessing flows into it more easily and in greater quantities. The difference between using it and not is like night and day,” Jamel explained casually, as if it were common knowledge.

He added that without such a material, the weapon was only suitable for study, not real combat. However, Kim Do-Joon barely heard him because his mind was wholly absorbed in the chakram he held.

Is he trying to say that the mana conductivity is incredibly high?

In all his experience, he had never encountered a weapon that absorbed mana so effortlessly.

This... this is insane.

For the first time since the Orc Labyrinth, where he had discovered and sold those valuable Poison Pouches, Kim Do-Joon had stumbled upon something with enormous potential. However, this core material, which could be used to forge powerful equipment, was on a completely different level.

This is by far different from a hidden effect,

Kim Do-Joon thought.

He had always been cautious about creating and selling items through his copy-paste skill. Since the special effects were visible only to him, revealing such a skill to the world would cause a market upheaval.

If word got out that he could craft items with hidden effects, it would not only bring attention but also danger to him and those around him. And with his daughter in the picture, he couldn’t possibly risk crossing that dangerous line.

But when it comes to material quality, that’s a different story.

As long as Kim Do-Joon could supply high-quality materials, there wouldn’t be an issue. The fact that materials with different levels of mana conductivity varied in quality was already well-known. Moreover, given his current position, introducing a new material was something he could easily handle.

Not that I’ll act on it right away though.

Kim Do-Joon was too cautious to reveal anything recklessly, but it was certainly worth storing for future use.

"What do you think? Do you like it?" Jamel asked.

"Yes, I’ve never seen anything like this before," Kim Do-Joon replied honestly, impressed by the craftsmanship.

Hearing this, the other blacksmiths puffed out their chests, looking proud. Yesterday, when Shura showed them the traveler’s sword, they were quite disheartened. But now, their confidence had been restored.

Only Jamel, however, smiled knowingly, as if he had expected this reaction all along.

"That one was made from the horn of a two-horned beast," Jamel explained. "I knew you’d appreciate it."

"A two-horned beast?"

"Yes, a creature who has two horns.”

The older and stronger these beasts get, the more horns they grew. Most only lived long enough to have one horn, but some stronger creatures had two or even three.

"Ah, I see," Kim Do-Joon nodded, understanding.

He was aware of that, but he only learned the reason was due to the passage of time rather than innate strength.

Then, it occurred to him that, instead of simply accepting a ready-made weapon, he could ask the blacksmith to make one for him. He was willing to pay a higher price if necessary.

If I do commission one, it’d make sense to use the best materials possible.

With this in mind, Kim Do-Joon asked Jamel, "What’s the highest number of horns a beast can have?"

"The most? There’s a five-horned one, but..." Jamel trailed off, suddenly looking concerned.

"Do you know where it is?" Kim Do-Joon pressed.

"I do, yes. You head out the western exit and follow the path... Wait, you’re not seriously thinking of hunting it, are you?" Jamel’s eyes widened in shock as he realized Kim Do-Joon’s intention.

Kim Do-Joon nodded calmly, confirming his plan. Jamel jumped to his feet in protest.

"Don’t do it! Do you have any idea how many warriors have died trying to defeat that beast over the past hundred years? You don’t even have any horns! It’s suicide!"

The other blacksmiths, who had been silently observing, rushed over to stop him as well. Their expressions weren’t just filled with concern based on rumors—they had seen the danger firsthand.

Kim Do-Joon said nothing. While he could have easily reassured them by demonstrating his mana prowess, he had a better way to prove himself. Quietly, he retrieved the massive corpse of a monster from his inventory and placed it in the center of the workshop.

Thud!

The ground shook as the enormous carcass landed in front of everyone. The monster’s grotesque, twisted horns stood out.

"This... this is..." one of the blacksmiths stammered.

"It has three horns!" another exclaimed.

However, what shocked them even more was the fact that the only visible injury on the creature was a single, clean puncture wound.

Jamel, rendered speechless, looked back and forth between the corpse and Kim Do-Joon in disbelief. He had no horns, yet he had managed to slay a three-horned beast with a single blow!

***

"First, there’s something I need to tell you," Jamel said after the initial commotion had settled, his expression grave.

The topic was the five-horned beast. What came out of his mouth next, however, was not at all what Kim Do-Joon had expected.

"The truth is... that beast was already slain once.”

"Sorry?" Kim Do-Joon blinked in confusion.

Hadn’t Jamel just said the creature was still out there?

"It happened when I was young, over fifty years ago now. Back then, warriors from all the nearby tribes, including ours, banded together to hunt it. We succeeded in taking it down. I was even there, helping to sever its head."

Kim Do-Joon stayed silent, knowing there was more to the story.

"But... it did not die," Jamel said, his voice low.

"It didn’t die?" Kim Do-Joon repeated, his expression hardening.

"Exactly. The beast lived even after we cut off its head."

Kim Do-Joon’s expression grew serious and the term Immortal Army flashed across his mind.