episode_0040

The air inside the house became heavy in an instant.

It wasn’t a metaphor, but really, because of the mana flowing out of Shihyuk and Gong’s bodies, the air flowing between them sank like lead. With a crack, the empty liquor bottles that had been stuck between them began to crack.

“Elderly.”

Shihyuk opened his mouth. Unlike his seething mind, his voice was surprisingly calm as he opened his mouth.

“As a blacksmith, I pursue the ‘best work’.”

“I know. Sihyuk has always been working hard to make better, more outstanding equipment.”

The old man slumped to the floor, releasing the heavy air. Then a leisurely smile appeared on his face once more.

“I was struggling to find the right person and make the right equipment for him.”

“The work I think of is something that helps those on the hero’s path to overcome evil and win.”

But as expected, the calmness was a lie. The passion hidden inside quickly burst out.

“Never, the hero is made to be associated with evil.”

“I’m embarrassed. But that’s what I’m saying.”

The corners of Gong No-nim’s eyes curved gently. Was it because he had noticed something in Si-hyuk that he himself was unaware of?

The man, prepared to die, continued speaking in a tone that seemed to be soothing a whining child.

“Didn’t you feel it too? Many people will die. The young people are fighting back. The galaxy and the universe have already started. They must be fighting even now. If I step forward, I can reduce the damage a little.”

“That’s close to a disaster. Even if the old man leaves, it’s not something that can be solved by one’s own strength.”

“Maybe so. But how long will I live?”

Scratching the tip of his chin, the old man answered calmly. Unlike Shihyuk’s gradually increasing attitude, his tone was very calm and even for someone who was willing to sacrifice himself.

However, the determination inside was firm and consistent.

“Maybe if I go alone, things won’t change much. But if there’s even a little chance of saving people, I don’t mind burning my body, which will soon rot and decay.”

“Shihyuk-kun, I’m telling you. I was honestly happy to see Eunha, Woojoo-yang, and you. In the land that I protected with my whole body, young blood and talents are sprouting up like mushrooms.”

It was definitely not an empty promise. This was an old man who had fought countless battles that had left his bones cracking and his flesh tearing.

The few remaining first-generation Awakened people in the world felt their hearts truly filled with emotion as they looked at the world and children growing up that they had protected with their old hands.

“But a monster that I don’t know where came from is announcing the end of the world. Then, it can’t be helped. I have to stop it even if it means dying. I have to willingly collapse for my old body and the sprouts growing for the future.”

Shihyuk clenched his teeth. He clenched them so hard that his molars cracked and his gums receded, causing blood to flow out.

“An old tree is not buried in the ground. Before that, it becomes firewood, giving warmth to people, and turns into a pile of ashes, or it rots and becomes a handful of fertilizer, helping the soil where young sprouts grow.”

In Shihyuk’s mind, the pine tree he had cut down a few days ago came to mind.

Even the lonely and empty feeling I felt as I watched the giant landslide that I had tried to block alone and eventually fell over.

Now I think I know why I felt that way. It was a similar feeling. It was a similar feeling to what Shihyuk had felt a year ago, when he had been chewing over regrets over and over again.

It was the feeling that stabbed his heart as he watched his master’s last breath and his last heartbeat as he burned everything in his life with his life as fuel. He didn’t know why he felt that way at the time, but now he knew.

Because he didn’t realize it even while watching, whenever he recalled it, it was a horrible and painful memory that made him feel like his breath would stop. The scene from that day that was vividly engraved in Shi-hyuk’s mind overlapped with the old man he was now.

“… But that is no reason for the old man to die. Please, don’t go.”

… it was forced.

Shihyuk himself knew it well. It was an act of blocking the procession of a noble hero. At that time, he hesitated, but the moment he saw the old man calmly facing death, Shihyuk could no longer hesitate.

He finally couldn’t hold back the pitiful words that had been lingering in his throat even as he and his galaxy and space sisters set out on their journey, and he let them out.

The person he cherished was about to disappear. Shihyuk wanted to stop it. He wanted to tell them not to go, to just stay where they are.

Old Man Gong laughed awkwardly as if he was embarrassed.

“Heh heh, if you wanted to go, why wouldn’t an old man go?”

The elder’s excellent sense had already penetrated even Shihyuk’s thoughts.

After much thought, he had already noticed that he was about to step forward to protect the people and his loved ones.

“… If I don’t make equipment for you, Mr. Gong, what will you do?”

Shihyuk himself knew that he was being stubborn. He was just throwing a tantrum like a child throwing a tantrum.

“Then there’s nothing I can do. Since I don’t have teeth, I have no choice but to fill it with my gums.”

And that stubbornness won’t work.

“Then what if I try to forcefully block your will?”

Shihyuk’s eyes sparkled and shimmered. Old Man Gong closed his eyes for a moment at the strong will to break and overwrite the established system of the world.

“Don’t do that.”

“… … !”

It was natural that wills would clash and the weaker side would be pushed back. The pressure pushed Sihyuk back two steps.

“You are not the only one who has reached the realm of power. Just as Shihyuk can interfere with the laws of the world, so can I.”

The old man continued, gathering his energy.

“I cannot help but admire you for achieving a level that older people could never reach at their age. But experience is not something that is easily broken.”

“… … .”

“Perhaps, Sihyuk-kun could already exert god-like influence within the scope of a craftsman, but unfortunately, that’s as far as it goes. Despite your great power, you have no experience in fighting.”

“On the other hand, I have lived for decades in the strategy genre. If you are the ‘creator’, I am the ‘protector’. It is still too early to block the shield of old bones.”

For Si-hyeok, who had lived as a craftsman for twenty years, Gong, who had lived as an unmanned man for many more years, was literally an ‘impenetrable shield’ in itself.

“Even so… !”

“Even so, the result won’t change. Of course, if you try to stop it with all your might, I won’t be able to get away unscathed. I’ll probably have to expend a lot of effort. But it’s just a meaningless waste, and it’ll never turn the situation around.”

Shihyuk knelt down. He realized that no matter what he did, he could not break the old man or his will.

Frustrated and overcome with despair at having to watch with his eyes wide open as he lost his precious connection, he slammed his fists hard against the floor.

“I’m sorry, Sihyuk.”

The old man came over and patted his back. Si-hyuk couldn’t help but shed tears at the delicate and gentle touch of his hands, which were just touching his heel and lifting only his fingertips.

“I’m sorry that I encouraged Sihyuk not to be afraid of new encounters, but made him go through the pain of separation.”

“But don’t be afraid of parting. Just as there is a preface and an ending, and a period at the end of a sentence, if there is a meeting, parting is bound to exist.”

But that affectionate tone was like an ultimatum to him. Si-hyuk grabbed the hand that was trying to soothe him while he was throwing a tantrum and squeezed it tightly, shouting as if spitting out blood.

“I’m not ready to let you go, Elder…!!”

“No one can prepare for a separation, just vaguely in their minds. There is no such thing as a planned meeting, so separation comes without warning. It was the same with my close friends and the comrades I met on the battlefield. What, it’s just my turn now.”

“… … .”

“Sihyuk, we don’t have much time. I know it’s hard to say, but please make this choice.”

“… … .”

“Make me an armor that I can trust and rely on. Help me as a craftsman I can trust and rely on. Be with me as a craftsman.”

Shihyuk washed his face dry as he watched the old man bow his head. The adults he met were always like this. They always said things he couldn’t refuse so that he couldn’t run away.

Shihyuk gathered his resolve.

Even if it was one in a hundred, one in a thousand, or rather one in ten thousand, if you devoted your soul to creating the ‘best work’, you never knew.

Maybe we can draw up a blueprint for a happy future that everyone can live in.

I know it’s just a sweet, empty thought that’s sweet to the ears, but if there’s even a slight possibility, now is the time to jump on it.

As he watched Shi-hyeok, whose eyes were turning into flames and burning with a determined will, the old man Gong smiled bitterly. It was because he had noticed what this gentleman, who was strong on the outside but soft on the inside, was thinking.

The sight of him desperately clinging to a small hope and struggling reminded me of my close friend.

‘There’s another craftsman like you here.’

With a bitter smile, the old man Gong uncorked the last bottle of liquor in the icebox. He raised the bottle high in the air and toasted the person up there, looking at the blacksmith who was opening the door to the basement and seeing someone other than his son.

‘Isn’t that so? [The greatest] blacksmith.’