Chapter 2017

Blacksmithing was a profession that had been abolished more than a hundred years ago in South Korea. Since there were so few people applying for this job, the national qualifications for blacksmithing were removed as of the year 2000. There was no way that a job that made things by hand would be able to compete against a factory that produced the same items but faster. Ten years after the possibility of becoming a blacksmith disappeared, the 3D printing industry also became popular.

In any case, a hundred years had passed since then. Only very few blacksmiths still remained. There still existed some craftsmen who made a living by taking commissions from the rich, who sought handmade products just for the sake of romance.

But the world had changed drastically in the last few years. Not just a few rich people, but the vast majority of people dreamed of becoming blacksmiths in their search for romance. And Grid was the cause of this.

“......”

Song Juseop was thirty-seven years old. It was because of Grid that he quit the company he used to work at for and opened a smithy. To be precise, this was because of the events of the Second International Competition. Back then, Grid had participated in an event called the Blacksmithing Crafting Competition. [1]

At that time, Satisfy was already a global sensation. People were much more interested in the International Competition than the World Cup or the Olympics. Watching Grid hammering on iron in front of so many people was very enjoyable. The other players had looked nervous, as if they were obsessed with honor and wealth in the game, but Grid was the only one who hammered with a smile, even though he was sweating profusely in front of a hot furnace.

Song Juseop vividly remembered watching Grid’s bronzed muscles flex every time he worked the bellows or swung his hammer. This form of beauty couldn’t be found anywhere else. One could even call it sublime. This was the nobility of a craftsman who had crafted tools to protect people.

At that time, Song Juseop saw some pride in Grid’s smile, and was so fascinated by it that he quit his job and taught himself to be a blacksmith.

***

‘Does the smithy look like this because the owner is from a privileged background? He has quite a classic taste.’

According to the content of the document sent by Secretary Jang, there had been a proliferation of smithies over the past few years, but most of them were equipped with modern equipment, such as furnaces that maintained the desired temperature at the click of a few buttons, casting machines that automatically completed all the processes from tempering to casting when ore was thrown in, mechanical hammers and anvils with AI-correction effects so that users didn’t make mistakes, and so on.

In other words, the real smithy that Youngwoo wanted to visit was hard to find. There were only seventeen places across the country that met the standards of a smithy that Shin Youngwoo was looking for. One of them was Song Juseop’s business, Song Workshop, which was set up in a huge building. In terms of size, it was larger than Grid’s private smithy inside the Overgeared Empire’s Imperial Palace. Plus, it had classic facilities, not modern ones. If it was possible to transfer it to Satisfy, it would fit right in.

This smithy didn’t exist for the purpose of making money. It was simply a business that showed off the owner’s passion to become a real blacksmith. Even the location was close to Youngwoo’s neighborhood, which was notorious for being the most expensive area in South Korea. The smithy was located on the outskirts at the foot of a mountain, but a huge amount of money had surely been spent to purchase so much land.

“It looks like there are no employees... Did you build this place purely for your hobby?”

Was the owner from a rich family? Youngwoo speculated this, but there was no particular emotion on his face. He didn’t really care about rich people. Shin Youngwoo had more money than wealthy families. If he put his mind to it, he would become one of the world’s ten richest people because he was the ruler of the great empire that dominated Satisfy.

Even if Youngwoo didn’t craft and sell items, he would be the second richest person in South Korea just by exchanging the profits generated by the empire into real money. He couldn’t become the richest person in the country. The richest individual in South Korea was also the richest person in the whole world.

Regardless, Youngwoo wasn’t intimidated by the owner’s background. He treated everyone equally. That was the right thing to do since he was an influential person. Therefore, he was always confident. After all, he had overcome severe trauma in just two days.

“I’m embarrassed to say this in front of you, Grid, but... To me, blacksmithing is too precious to simply be dismissed as a hobby.”

Youngwoo liked blacksmithing. Well, the word ‘love’ was more appropriate. Youngwoo himself had started as a blacksmith and became successful because of this profession. In the process, he had compared notes with many blacksmiths.

Youngwoo’s theory was that there were very few bad blacksmiths in the world. Blacksmiths deserved respect because they crafted things that benefited others. Of course Youngwoo was interested in what Song Juseop had to say now that the other man said that blacksmith meant a lot to him.

“Can I ask why?”

The firewood in the furnace was burning red. Even though the size and thickness of the firewood were all slightly different, all of them burned in sync. Phenomenal. Youngwoo had clearly used some kind of trick. The firewood that seemed to have been thrown in thoughtlessly had been actually arranged in an effective manner.

Juseop, who was mesmerized for a bit watching this, came to his senses.

“I used to be an ordinary office worker. I studied hard like everyone else, was lucky enough to graduate from university, and got a job at a company that I wasn’t particularly interested in. For the next few years, I went about my daily routine. I only looked at the salary deposited into my account every month.”

Juseop had an ordinary life. Ironically, this was a life that Youngwoo couldn’t obtain. What Youngwoo wanted in life the most was to open a bar that made others forget the struggles of daily life.

Of course, this was all in the past for both Youngwoo and Yuseop.

“Then, during the First International Competition—”

Juseop had been talking calmly, only for him to suddenly turn serious. Maybe he looked like this because his eyebrows were burnt from the years he had spent in front of the furnace. His eyes were quite fierce and heavy.

Youngwoo could see a glimpse of an artisan’s spirit in the other man’s eyes. He noticed that the man in front of him wasn’t ordinary and listened with great interest. Youngwoo was looking forward to the man’s great backstory.

“I became a billionaire by betting all my money on you when you fought against Bondre and Hurent.”

“......?”

Youngwoo cocked his head as he listened. He was flustered. The great story he had been anticipating suddenly took an unexpected turn.

Youngwoo hadn’t been able to get a haircut recently. He pushed back the black hair that reached his ears and asked, “Is this how you came to value blacksmithing...?”

Thanks to me, you were lucky enough to become rich, so of course you developed an affinity for blacksmithing...

Was that it? This story wasn’t going to be emotional like the one between Grid and Khan? Youngwoo was disappointed and he waited to be proven wrong.

Song Juseop waved his hands.

“Yes, that’s right!”

Youngwoo’s expectations crumbled. This was really what Song Juseop’s story was about. There were no twists to it.

“Thanks to you, I turned my life around. I’ve been your biggest fan ever since! I have come to admire everything about you. But the thing that warmed my heart the most was seeing you stand in front of the furnace. You were the great and wonderful swordsman who punished the Yatan Servants. I also respected you as the nobleman who struggled for your people’s sake. However, the person I wanted to emulate the most was the blacksmith Grid.”

Song Juseop’s trivial story ultimately brought a smile to Youngwoo’s face.

“...Is that so? In your eyes, blacksmithing seems cooler than slashing with a sword. So that is why you became a blacksmith.”

“Haha, that’s right. I came to admire you during the Second International Competition...”

The story was good enough. Song Juseop had found a job he liked and he got to do what he enjoyed. Even if Grid had impacted him along the way, that wasn’t an important issue. The important thing was that Song Juseop liked blacksmithing.

Just in time, the temperature of the furnace rose to an appropriate level. Youngwoo moved the iron ore he had been eyeing and started smelting. He found this enjoyable for many reasons.

“Let’s get started. I would like your guidance and advice.”

“W-What right do I have to guide someone like you? I am here to just watch and learn.”

“This is my first time doing this in real life.”

Yes, this was the first time. Song Juseop got goosebumps. Watching Youngwoo smelting and forging the iron... he looked just like Grid in the game. Youngwoo was reproducing Grid’s techniques, which Juseop had learned by watching Grid tens of thousands of times.

This meant that Grid’s skills in Satisfy could be reproduced in reality.

***

It was fun hammering iron with a like-minded blacksmith even though this was reality. Youngwoo had always dreamed of a day like this, and the experience turned out to be more satisfying than expected.

‘But... Of course, I don’t see any item effects.’

Youngwoo crafted armor instead of a sword since he was worried that something bothersome would happen if he crafted a sword without possessing a sword-carrying license. He’d wanted to craft armor from the beginning to test whether he could alleviate pain in reality by wearing said armor.

“Do you have a sword by any chance? A kitchen knife or scissors are also okay.”

“Ah...! Please wait for a moment.”

After a while, Song Juseop rushed over with a greatsword in his arms. Youngwoo was familiar with it. It was a greatsword that resembled a shark.

Surprisingly, it was Failure. Of course, this Failure was made out of ordinary steel. The unique blue light was nothing more than an imitation that didn’t fit.

But...

‘This shit...’

Failure had this name for a reason. It was a failed piece of work. Back when Grid used to be just a novice blacksmith, he didn’t know how to balance the weapon properly and only thought about making it as overpowered as possible.

However, the greatsword crafted by Song Juseop was quite balanced. Of course, it wasn’t completely balanced because of its shape, but it was better than Failure.

‘If it had been made with blue orichalcum like in Satisfy, it would’ve had quite good stats.’

Indeed, Youngwoo’s perspective wasn’t wrong. Song Juseop was a man who was well qualified to be a craftsman.

Plus...

“You have honed your swordsmanship.”

Song Juseop was also a swordsman with quite a bit of knowledge. Youngwoo noticed the length of his stride when he ran with the sword, the way his muscles flexed, and the calluses on his palms that had formed a long time ago.

Above all, Song Juseop said that he had bet all his money on Grid during the First International Competition. At that time, the only people who could guarantee that Grid would beat Bondre and Hurent were members of the Tzedakah Guild.

‘He must be either crazy or insightful to look at the odds and bet his entire fortune.’

In Youngwoo’s eyes, Song Juseop was the latter. That man surely had extraordinary insight. That way, it made sense that he had reproduced Failure despite being self-taught.

Song Juseop scratched his head.

“I practiced kendo until I was in high school. I started studying late, so I quit midway. Still, I won quite a few national competitions.”

“How cool. Besides, it looks like you have been training recently.”

“Haha, I’m a swordsman in Satisfy...”

Juseop was talented. He used to be an ordinary person who suppressed his talent and threw himself into society to make ends meet. It wasn’t Grid who had saved him, but Satisfy.

Youngwoo was thoughtful. He nodded and asked, “Would you like to try breaking this armor with that greatsword?”

1. Due to various opinions from editors, National Competition will be changed to International Competition from now on. Changes have already been made in the ebook, but not on the website chapters. ☜