Ch.15Chapter 15 – Motivation

Clack.

As Shin Jaehyuk closed the door and stepped out of the taxi, it belched exhaust and returned to the city. From the neighboring house came the sound of a rooster crowing.

Jaehyuk knocked on the gate before him and entered the yard. In one corner of the yard was a small hill. His eyes briefly swept over the tombstone on the hill before turning back to the building in front of him.

Standing before what appeared to be a rural blacksmith’s shop, Jaehyuk recalled how he had ended up here.

***

One day earlier.

Now that demonic threats had become a tangible reality, Shin Jaehyuk felt the need to acquire weapons for self-protection. His police armor, riot shield, and makeshift spear had all been destroyed in battle against a high-ranking demon, so he needed new weapons. Of course, he had no permit to carry bladed weapons.

So Jaehyuk called his personal Doraemon.

“Mr. B, I need your help!”

“Oh! Jaehyuk. I see you’re still alive. Did the military arrive quickly?”

“Ah, you saw my message. I was wondering why the military arrived so promptly.”

“Hehe. Money solves most problems. When it can’t, it’s because there isn’t enough of it…”

“How should I repay you?”

“Thanks to your quick report, I was able to assess the situation early and profit from several ventures, so consider your debt paid. I’m a conscientious businessman, after all. So, what do you need today?”

With the current chaotic state of affairs, Mr. B seemed busy and got straight to the point without small talk.

“I need weapons. I’d like you to introduce me to a skilled blacksmith.”

“Oh? Weapons, is it? Why? Planning to fight monsters yourself?”

“I think I need at least minimal means of protection. But I don’t want to use just any weapon, and I can’t legally buy blades, so I want to custom order from a blacksmith directly.”

After the sound of a few sips from a cup, the answer came.

“…Alright. I’ll introduce you to a craftsman in Korea. I’d prefer to connect you with a skilled one in Germany, but with the worldwide chaos caused by imps, traveling abroad would be difficult. I’ll contact him in advance.”

“What about payment?”

“No need to pay the blacksmith. Instead, just do me one favor.”

“What is it?”

“Gates. I want the locations of gates worldwide. Find out when and where they open and send the information to me. Search social media, hack other intelligence agencies, whatever it takes. I’ll pay per item, so get as many as you can.”

“Sounds good. We have a deal.”

***

“Hello? I’m Shin Jaehyuk, scheduled to visit today.”

Jaehyuk entered the blacksmith shop and called for the owner. The workshop behind the counter was too dark to see clearly.

From the darkness emerged a burly, bald man. His rough mustache and bushy beard were striking.

‘Wow, he looks like someone whose hand might slip at any moment.’

“Hmm? Ah, so you’re the one Mr. B mentioned. Welcome. Call me Jang Paldeok. I’m the owner here.”

He grabbed Jaehyuk’s hand and shook it roughly. His hand was extremely calloused and hardened. Just one handshake revealed that he was a craftsman of considerable skill.

‘He reminds me of that dwarf. A blacksmith who became one of the 12 heroes… He would have been better off not following me.’

“So, you’ve come to order weapons?”

Jaehyuk nodded. He took a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to the man. Jang Paldeok unfolded it and examined it carefully.

“Armor, a full-body shield shaped like a police riot shield, a spear, a dagger, and is this a mace? Quite a lot. Can your scrawny body carry all this?”

Jaehyuk silently enhanced his body and lifted a nearby chunk of iron with one hand, tossing it in the air and catching it.

“I see. So you’re an awakened one. Fascinating to see one in person for the first time.”

He wasn’t actually an awakened one—he was using holy power to enhance his body—but he didn’t bother to correct the misunderstanding.

“Can you make all of these?”

“Well, I’m not sure about the armor, but I’ve made the other items as a hobby a few times, so those should be possible. The armor should be doable too. I pride myself on being Korea’s best blacksmith. But it will take quite some time to make everything.”

Seemingly inspired by the challenge, Jang Paldeok flexed his thick arm muscles. The sleeve of his t-shirt bulged alarmingly. He brought paper, a pen, and a measuring tape, then scribbled something on the paper.

“Here, measure your body with this tape and write down the measurements. I’ll need them for the armor and weapons.”

“Could you possibly make them larger than my current size? I plan to bulk up over the next few months.”

“Hmm, how much do you expect to grow? It would be troublesome if they don’t fit later.”

“It’s fine. Once I bulk up to the size I’ve indicated, I won’t build any more muscle.”

Having once trained numerous apprentices as a Paladin Captain, Jaehyuk could predict how much his body would grow and was confident in his ability to control that growth.

Jang Paldeok stroked his beard.

“I was worried you’d complain about the armor being too big. Well, I’m sure you know what you’re doing. Don’t blame me if they don’t fit.”

Jaehyuk wrote down his target measurements and handed the paper to Jang Paldeok. After reading the numbers, the blacksmith seemed to get a sense of what was needed and nodded.

“No matter how I look at it, it seems difficult to build this much muscle in just a few months… But I suppose an awakened one knows his own body best. Now, I need more explanation about the designs you’ve drawn.”

The two sat down at a table with Jaehyuk’s drawings spread out. Jang Paldeok leaned in, ready to take notes on the specifications.

“For the plate armor, please make the joints flexible for easy movement. The helmet should obstruct vision as little as possible. The shield should be large enough to cover the entire body, rectangular. The dagger should have this engraving as shown.”

Jaehyuk drew holy script—a rune—on the paper. It was a demon-breaking rune. A dagger engraved with this rune would vibrate as a warning when demons approached.

“Hmm? Unusual markings. Well, I’ve had plenty of customers requesting elaborate decorations. What about the weapons?”

“Make the spear lighter than the wind, and the mace heavier than a mountain.”

“That would be an unreasonable request… until yesterday.”

Jang Paldeok stood up and went to the back of the shop, returning with something in his hands. He was holding a glossy dark gray metal chunk.

“That’s!”

“Yesterday, Mr. B’s subordinate brought a bunch of this, saying I could use it freely. In my decades as a blacksmith, I’ve never seen such metal. Strangely, it’s stronger than steel but incredibly light. If I work this metal as you want, I can make both a sturdy, lightweight spear and, if compressed, a heavy mace.”

Jaehyuk recognized it immediately. Hellforge metal! The finest metal, forged to withstand the scorching heat of hell. In his previous life, only master-level practitioners could use such rare and powerful metal.

“Apparently it was mined from inside a gate. I have no idea how that madman managed such a feat in such a short time… He didn’t seem insane when he visited a few years ago.”

Jaehyuk’s ears perked up. Mr. B had visited in person?

“He came here himself?”

“Yes. When he offered me an exclusive contract. The money was too good to refuse… Before that, I took commissions and made items for customers independently, but now I make things at his request and receive a salary. He pays well, supplies materials, and lets me create whatever I want in my free time as a hobby. It was an excellent job, but it seems I’ll be working hard from now on, making weapons for awakened ones.”

Jang Paldeok sighed dramatically. Excited at the prospect of obtaining information that might reveal the identity of his mysterious benefactor, Jaehyuk asked eagerly:

“What kind of person was he? I mean, what did he look like? Was there anything unusual about him?”

“What did he look like? Just an ordinary foreigner. If anything was unusual, it was that he spoke fluent Korean despite being foreign. A handsome young man with black hair. No, maybe not young? He seemed old but had a youthful appearance, like someone who’d had Botox.”

It was the same appearance Jaehyuk already knew. Slightly disappointed by the lack of new information, Jaehyuk felt his enthusiasm wane.

“Anyway, it will take quite some time. There’s a lot to make, and I need to practice working with this metal first. You said you’d be bulking up for about six months, so I should be able to finish by then. You’ll need time to get used to the weapons too, so I’ll send them one by one via courier through Mr. B’s subordinate as they’re completed. I’ll make the armor last, so contact me if you want to adjust your measurements.”

“Yes, I understand. Thank you.”

“Look forward to it. I’ll make masterpieces.”

A cracking voice. As Jaehyuk was leaving the blacksmith shop, he paused and turned around. It was the first time he’d heard this tone since entering the shop.

He saw a face more twisted with malice than any demon’s.

“After all, these weapons must kill my son’s murderer.”

Blood tears flowed from eyes reddened with hatred. Without wiping the two streaks of blood from his face, the blacksmith retreated to his workshop.

The two streams of blood dripped onto the floor, creating a trail of blood. It was like the trail of a wounded beast.

Jaehyuk couldn’t take his eyes off the man’s back for a long time.

Until his figure completely disappeared into the darkness.

***

The day had already faded, with the sun hanging on the horizon and streetlights flickering on one by one. On his way home in the taxi, Jaehyuk tried to calm his troubled mind.

The final scene he witnessed leaving the blacksmith shop reminded him of people from his previous life.

Those who became monsters themselves to kill monsters. Dark knights who embraced darkness to defeat darkness, only to fall into corruption. Among those who became servants of evil gods in their quest to slay the followers of evil gods were once his fellow paladins.

And their endings were never good. Intoxicated by demon blood and driven mad by dark powers, they ultimately met their deaths at the hands of their comrades…

Trying to hide his troubled thoughts, he leaned his head against the car window and looked outside. The splendid cityscape came into view.

Brightly shining streetlights, cars honking as they passed by. Tall buildings still standing despite the demon invasion.

A brilliant forest of civilization.

Then his gaze unconsciously turned to the opposite window.

Darkened storefronts, cordoned-off alleys, soldiers patrolling the streets. Cleaners removing demon corpses, workers sorting through the pile to retrieve human bodies.

Someone’s mother sitting in the middle of the sidewalk, clutching a red ribbon and wailing a woman’s name.

The cruel reality entered the paladin’s eyes.

He closed his eyes, as if determined not to miss a single detail.

The image of a burning village overlapped with the wailing mother.

He knew he would have nightmares tonight.

He couldn’t remember clearly how he got home. The psychological shock and stress were too great to maintain a clear mind. When he came to his senses, he was in the basement training room of his house.

Turning on the lights and ventilating the room, dust that had accumulated from years of disuse swirled in the air. The dust danced mockingly at its first visitor in years.

He stood before the bench press machine he hadn’t seen in a long time. Dust covered the barbell and bench. He brushed off the dust with his hand. The touch felt quite cool.

He loaded plates onto both ends of the barbell and lay down on the bench. As he lifted the barbell, his muscles expanded and trembled. It was clearly too heavy for his current physical ability. But he didn’t adjust the weight and lowered his elbows to pull the barbell down. His thin arms trembled as they resisted gravity.

But he did not enhance his body with holy power.

Blood rushed to his face, turning it red. It was too difficult to endure with his eyes open, so he closed them instead.

In the blackened field of vision, images of people appeared. Their suffering flowed through him. All the traces of destruction and death he had seen outside the taxi window were recalled. The weight of that anguish and pain added to the barbell, pressing down on Jaehyuk.

In the first 10 centimeters down: despair,

In the next 10 centimeters: pain,

In the final 10 centimeters: regret.

If he hadn’t neglected his training after his reincarnation, if he hadn’t hidden his power for selfish reasons, perhaps more people would have survived. His chest felt heavy, as if bearing the weight of all humanity’s lives.

It was hard, too hard.

He wanted to give up.

Though the surroundings were quiet, he could hear his master’s stern voice. The exemplary paladin he most idealized.

As he recalled that image, a golden paladin figure appeared in the darkness. A large paladin in white plate armor decorated with gold. With the face guard of his helmet lowered, his expression was hidden.

He didn’t scold Jaehyuk. He simply stood there, gazing steadily at Jaehyuk in silence. But Jaehyuk could sense what he was feeling, what he wanted to say.

Is this your resolve?

His eyes snapped open.

-No way!

He exerted force. He forcibly contracted muscles in arms that could no longer bear more strain. Muscle fibers tore under the pressure. Intense pain shot through his arms and chest.

But he didn’t stop. He continued pushing his arms upward. Lifting the unreasonable weight of life.

“Urgh—AAAHH—”

In the first 10 centimeters up: goodwill covering regret,

In the next 10 centimeters: courage enduring pain,

In the final 10 centimeters: hope crushing despair.

His arms gradually straightened. He pushed through the temptation of heart demons, embracing the pain. Blood vessels in his eyes burst, causing blood to flow. Physical pain overshadowed mental anguish.

Finally, the critical moment arrived. His arms, bent at 120 degrees, trembled and could extend no further. In his memory, his master stared at him without saying a word. He knew. He knew well. This couldn’t be the end. A paladin must not stop.

A paladin.

“AAAHHH——!”

A paladin represents the will of God.

A paladin heals and protects life in God’s stead.

A paladin saves humanity from evil.

A paladin protects souls and lives from demons, devils, and evil spirits.

And he is the symbol of paladins. He was promised the status of a saint, the title of Master Paladin. A paladin bearing that name must always be exemplary, always righteous, always the strongest.

With eyes stinging from flowing blood, he glared at his now fully extended arms supporting the weight of the barbell. Along with a sense of achievement came unbearable pain from torn muscles. He channeled holy power to the wounded area, reconnecting muscle fibers and healing the injury. He could feel the muscles reconnecting more firmly.

The paladin once again recalled hell.

He thought of the souls who had suffered because of his hesitation.

Using that pain as fuel,

He lowered the barbell again.