episode_0006

Shihyuk couldn’t come to his senses.

The shock that felt like being hit on the head soon turned into a violent storm that shook and beat him mercilessly, but Si-hyuk could only be swept away by it like a helpless sailboat.

The negative emotions that had been rising from his stomach surged forward like black waves, as if they would swallow him up in one gulp.

He sank helplessly into the waves, like a crow that had lost its wings and crashed into the middle of the road.

He couldn’t even control his own body properly, and just trembled, unable to put up much of a resistance.

Why? question marks filled my head. They gradually increased in number, and their strength grew as if they were going to burst out of my skull.

Shihyuk couldn’t even scream. He couldn’t breathe. He just kept inhaling, but couldn’t exhale.

His body, which had been shaking violently, collapsed.

… death was very near.

—

“… Hyuk-ah.”

Someone was calling him.

“… Lee Si-hyuk, Si-hyuk,”

It was a voice I missed.

“Sihyuk, you punk.”

“… … Master?”

The deep, deep voice that sounded so close, yet so distant, was full of affection. At that voice, Si-hyuk tried to reflexively open his eyes, but for a moment, his pupils hurt so much that his nose stung and his vision became blurry.

“You worked all night again. Oh my, your eyes are dark as if you’ve crushed acorns. I know! You must have forgotten to turn on the light and worked like a log, and now you’ve caught an eye infection.”

“… … .”

The sound of tongue clicking brushed past his ears. Only the faint light of the candlelight illuminated the surroundings, but Sihyuk felt as if his eyes were burning from that alone.

I tried to understand the current situation, but the shock of losing my soul, the fatigue and the pain in my body made my head not work properly.

“Are you feeling better?”

“… It’s fine, except that my eyes are a little dazzled.”

Shihyuk answered with difficulty in the midst of confusion. In fact, he was not okay. His whole body ached and throbbed. His chest and head were in so much pain.

“Why? Because of my bald head?”

Hyun-man’s voice pretended to know his situation, but it was as if he didn’t know, and he teased him pitifully. A light, snickering laugh was heard, and soon, something wet covered Si-hyuk’s face.

Shihyuk felt around with his hands to check the texture, and it was a wet towel.

“ Dilute the potion and soak it in it. Cover your eyes with it.”

“Yes, Master.”

The effect was evident. Just by covering his eyes for a few seconds, Shihyuk could tell that his eyes were improving.

“Hey, work while hiding. At this age, I don’t want to send my disciple away first.”

“… Sorry.”

“I’m going to go up the mountain and rest while taking care of the garden. I haven’t heard anything for a long time. Tsk.”

A short sigh. Only after the pain in his eyes had subsided somewhat did Shihyuk finally have the leisure to look around at the situation.

The soft bed supported his back and the soft comforter covered his chest. And instead of the smell of charcoal and iron, the faint scent of cotton air freshener lingered in his nose.

It was his bedroom.

He seemed to have lost consciousness while working all night. It was easy to guess that his master had personally visited the studio of his disciple, with whom he had lost contact, and moved him.

“It looks like he was beaten up pretty hard. He didn’t even come to his senses while he was being washed and soaked in water.”

“Sorry-”

“Okay, do you have time this weekend? No, even if you’re busy, come and see it.”

“Are you speaking?”

“Yes, this time I plan to challenge myself to make [Legend Grade Equipment].”

Sihyuk was amazed without realizing it.

Even though he was the first in Korea, or rather Asia, to create [Unique Grade Equipment] and earned the title of ‘Greatest’, the Master of Masters, his master, Baekhyun, did not rest on his laurels. He constantly challenged and explored, and his passion burned without cooling off.

Even now, his thick, deep voice sounded indifferent at first glance, but it clearly contained a bit of tension and joy, and there was absolutely no fear of challenging the impossible.

Shihyuk felt awe towards his teacher, but at the same time, he felt embarrassed and sorry.

It was because of his concern that his incompetent disciple might be wasting the master’s time when he was facing an important challenge. And Hyun-man saw right through his thoughts.

“Don’t worry. Everything is properly prepared, and the rest is up to my ability.”

“… … .”

“Now all that’s left is to knock. It’s obvious that it will be a long and arduous road, but it’s a challenge that must be taken on. I’ve gotten older, too. Soon, I may run out of energy and not be able to do the work that I’m satisfied with.”

Baekhyunman laughed like a rascal and clenched his fist. The veins in his fist were prominent. His strong physique and bronze body were still strong, but he was aware that he was getting further and further away from his prime.

“That can’t be. That won’t do. I can’t just let things break down like this and end up like an old man in the back room who only does repairs, meddles in the advice of others, and meddle. I’m a blacksmith, you know. It’s a craftsman’s mission to make my own work, so I want to remain a blacksmith until the end.”

Hyun-man scratched his shiny bald head and smiled awkwardly before looking at Si-hyuk.

Under the towel covering his eyes, Shihyuk could clearly see those eyes filled with so much emotion through his still dim vision.

“So, please watch this event that may be my last challenge. Maybe it will be a good awakening for you too.”

Baekhyun only smiled. It was a pure and innocent smile like a boy’s, making his old and wrinkled face pale.

“… Yes.“”

Shihyuk tried not to show it, but he couldn’t hide his locked voice.

Perhaps at this moment, he had already anticipated the outcome. His master would ignite the flame with his life, blow his last breath into the equipment, and sublimate the final beat into the sound of a hammer.

Shihyuk admired, respected, and was proud of such a teacher, and also-

—

When Shihyuk opened his eyes, instead of the cozy warmth of his bedroom, he was greeted only by the cold silence of the underground blacksmith shop. The faint scent of air freshener was nowhere to be found, and instead, a pungent, musty smell of sweat and metal filled the air.

The blurred form of the teacher was replaced by a pile of rubble, and Si-hyuk saw himself lying on top of it, as if he was lying face down, and the hammer lying next to it as if he was protecting it.

His name engraved on the hammer shone brightly.

Shihyuk tried to get up, but fell back down with a groan. His head felt like it was going to split open, and his lower body felt as if he had been beaten up.

‘Was it a dream?’

Maybe it was a revolving lantern.

It seemed that his body, which had been pushed so hard, could not endure it, and the mental shock after holding the hammer was added, and the fuse blew. Shihyuk reflexively turned his head and checked the mana furnace and the melting furnace. It was an occupational disease.

I don’t know how long he was unconscious, but even though he hadn’t turned off the power separately, the mana furnace had exhausted all its fuel and the mana that had been running had evaporated, quietly stopping operation.

On the shelf, the mana crystals he had poured out last were still frozen in the state they were in before he started working on them. It would probably be quite a struggle to clear them away.

Sihyuk gritted his teeth and sat up straight.

‘I’m thirsty.’

As the headache subsided and he confirmed that there was no problem around him, he felt a terrible thirst. He was thirsting for water from deep within his body, which had lost all the water and salt from the harsh labor that was like self-harm.

Si-hyuk crawled up the stairs, limping, and left the basement. He headed to the bathroom, flailing like a dying fish on land, turned on the faucet, and buried his face in the sink.

The tap water ran over his head, wetting the inside of his mouth and running over it.

He felt an indescribable sense of exhilaration and relief as his esophagus, which had been extremely narrow, opened and moisture seeped into his stomach.

After a long time of drinking and having difficulty breathing, Shihyuk finally raised his head. His face reflected in the bathroom mirror was a mess.

His face was pale and bloodless, his eyes were hollow, and his bloodshot eyes had dilated pupils. His reddened skin was covered in sweat and pus, and his shaggy beard made his appearance even more horrifying.

It was the behavior of a complete lunatic.

‘You’re really an idiot, Lee Si-hyuk.’

Shihyuk laughed. The emotion that he couldn’t properly express on his blushing face only added to the ugliness. Shihyuk sat down on the cold bathroom tile floor and caught his breath.

I needed time to think.

… No, to be exact, I needed time to organize my thoughts.

A recommendation from my teacher who often told me to visit a resort he owned.

The exterior of the house shows a lot of care put into it, and the interior is filled with quality furniture.

Above all, there was an excellent underground blacksmith shop that was in no way inferior to the one in the guild that existed below.

And a hammer of extraordinary quality, engraved with his name that existed within it.

All of this pointed to one fact. Shihyuk could not even dare to deny it.

He admitted it.

This was not a space that his teacher, Baekhyun, had created for his own relaxation.

It was created with none other than his disciple, Lee Si-hyeok, in mind. Everything that exists here was Hyun-man’s arrangement for him.

For what?

Shihyuk realized his master’s intention.

And then I felt so disgusted with myself that I vomited silently.