episode_0010

The temperature at noon, when the sun was directly in the center of the sky, was warm.

The change of seasons that can be felt in the mountains is usually faster than in the city. The bare trees are gradually turning their branches green, and the barren grasslands are sprouting new shoots here and there.

Although the day-to-day temperature range was large due to the lingering aftermath of winter, some impatient trees were already blooming their petals early.

It was now the season of spring.

In the middle of the mountains in spring, Sihyuk was quietly climbing a dirt road. He had even put down the hammer that he thought he would never let go of in his life. It was a rare occurrence.

It wasn’t that I suddenly wanted to enjoy forest bathing, nor did I become particularly lazy. It wasn’t that I was proud of having already created the best work I had aimed for.

Rather, his mind was filled only with the endless quest and longing for the blacksmith, so he went out for a walk to get some fresh air and organize his thoughts.

-.-.-

After undergoing a transformation, Shihyuk literally became the living embodiment of a craftsman.

He still couldn’t open the [Status Window] or the [Skill Window], but there was no equipment he couldn’t touch, including all weapons and all types of armor, not limited to swords, spears, axes, or hammers.

He transcended the nobility of materials. Even with low-grade magic stones, he could create [magic iron] of a purity that rivaled that of the highest-grade magic stones. The more he pounded it, the more the mana crystals that received mana through the hammer rose in rank, regardless of their origin.

He was not restricted by space. Even without being able to use the power of [Skill], Shihyuk was able to freely manipulate and control the mana flame itself, and surprisingly, he was able to light the flame with just his mana. Of course, it would be easier to use a mana furnace, but as long as he had a hammer and a magic stone, he could start working at any time and make equipment.

That’s all? The tireless body no longer knew the word exhaustion, and the mature mind could concentrate on production in any situation. Those eyes could see through the pulse of the equipment as if looking down into clear water without relying on skills like [Item Appraisal].

It was now a realm close to power.

Even before the change, Sihyuk had always been faithful to his original position, but after the change, he lived in a blacksmith shop. It was a wonderful and happy thing to be able to create whatever he wanted, wherever his hands touched and wherever his heart took him.

I was having the most rewarding days of my life, completing a huge workload, but something was missing.

No matter how much effort he put into creating something, it somehow felt like he was infinitely far from his goal of creating the ‘best work’.

‘What should I make?’

The omniscient is like an idiot. Similarly, thanks to his omnipotence as a blacksmith, Shihyuk was bound and restrained by that power. Since he could make anything, he ended up not knowing what to make.

It was clear that the level of equipment that could be made had improved significantly compared to before, but ironically, Shihyuk felt even more inadequate and thirsty.

‘Just because you make a piece of equipment that performs well, does that mean it’s the best piece of work?’

Shihyuk felt skeptical about that idea. If simply creating powerful equipment was the way to create the ‘best work’, then he could do it right now.

It was a statement that could easily be perceived as arrogant, but it was the truth. It was not an empty statement, he was on a different track from all the blacksmiths at the moment. When he passed through his hands, he could easily create excellent works that no one else could make.

He was confident that even if placed in the hands of a child, he could create an outrageous piece of equipment that would give him a good fight against a skilled A-class Awakener.

But is there any point to it? Such things are only close to the best, not the best.

Shihyuk had previously simply wanted to create outstanding works and had finally achieved them through great effort, but now he was looking for meaning beyond that.

After walking aimlessly, he had finally reached the top of the mountain. Standing alone at the highest point, Sihyuk looked around the spot where he was standing for a moment, then smiled faintly.

The suffocating worries were not resolved. He was still greedy and felt a sense of inadequacy and longed for an answer. It did not seem like it could be solved with just continuous effort and passion like before.

Just as Sihyuk was now standing on the top of the mountain, he had clearly achieved his dream and reached the end, but it seemed as if a higher and more rugged mountain was waiting for him.

The next dream that followed the last dream felt so far away and high that I almost got tired of the absurd barrier.

But for some reason, Sihyuk felt a little bit happy about that.

The process of getting to where he is now was obviously terribly painful, but that made the effort to continue until the end shine even brighter. If he had foolishly given up and put it down in the middle, he would not have been able to experience this joy. He got the results, and all of those experiences were not in vain.

‘This dream will be long too.’

Surely, the next dream may be even more difficult and arduous than this future. However, Sihyuk now knows that the end is shining brightly. His hardships will shine as steps to reach the value of the future. That was enough. He was afraid, but he was able to muster up courage.

He was no longer shaken.

Whoosh, a refreshing breeze swept across his back. Shihyuk, who had stopped his thoughts, sat down in the pavilion and carefully looked at the green scenery swaying in the wind. Since he had come this far, he planned to enjoy it a little more before heading home.

That was when.

[KBS4 FM at 12 o’clock in the afternoon… 7.1Mhz. We will tell you some heartwarming news starting today’s lunch with an exciting song. Do you remember the anonymous donor known as the ‘Faceless Angel’ who became a hot topic for donating large sums of money to needy neighbors? This time, 50 million won worth…]

Shihyuk’s ears picked up the sound of the radio coming closer from afar. The noise-filled radio sound spreading through the quiet mountain was getting closer and increasing in volume. Sometimes, older people would listen to small speaker radios like old MP3 players while hiking, so it wasn’t particularly strange.

[Wow, that’s really good news. That kind of heart that generously donates a lot of money to those in need. It will definitely be remembered fondly. Let’s listen to the song and go. HOAT’s Happiness.]

The strange thing was that the old man listening to the radio was getting closer and closer. The figure that had clearly been seen as a dot down there had grown so large that its outline was clearly visible. An old man wearing a baseball cap and fluorescent hiking clothes was climbing the mountain, doing lunges with his back to the ground.

The old man, who was sprinting briskly toward the summit while exhaling powerful abdominal breathing, had thighs as thick as the waist of an adult male. His muscular body twitched so strongly that he looked like a bear climbing a mountain.

“Oh my, great!”

Soon after, the old man reached the summit where Sihyuk was. He took out a water bottle from his crossbody bag as if he was refreshed, drank it heartily, and even burped.

“… … .”

“Oh, there was a passenger here.”

The old man, who met Shihyuk’s eyes belatedly, smiled bashfully and turned down the volume of the still noisy radio. Shihyuk, who was staring blankly at him, bowed his head politely in greeting.

“I’m glad you’re doing well, sir.”

“Oh, hey, so, you knew each other? I tend to forget people a lot these days, so who are you… .”

The old man panicked and began to recall his memories in a panic. However, there was no way he could remember them. The old man knew Shi-hyeok, who had not groomed himself and looked dirty, always walked with his back bent because of a herniated disc, and was an unsightly figure who was always hunched over.

“I’m a bachelor living in the mountains.”

“Huh? If you listen to it, it seems a bit similar… .”

When the old man looked doubtful, Shi-hyeok imitated a hunchback to help him recall his memory. Only then did the old man exclaim, “Ah!” and gladly shook his hand.

“That guy used to be weak! You should’ve straightened your shoulders a long time ago. I didn’t recognize you because you’ve gotten so tall!”

-.-.-

For about a year, the old man often ran into Si-hyuk when he went down the mountain or went hiking. Unlike Si-hyuk, who lived in the mountain but rarely went outside, the old man was like someone who belonged to nature, always going up and down the mountain.

Usually, people who encountered him would avoid him or show their dislike for him because of his ugly appearance, but the old man was different.

[I see this guy again!]

He was the only person on the mountain who was friendly to Si-hyeok. It was easy to feel hurt by Si-hyeok’s constant ignorance, but the old man spoke to him without hesitation whenever he saw him, and sometimes even showed consideration by sharing snacks he brought along to eat while hiking, such as rice cakes or juice.

That wasn’t all.

One day, a group of young YouTubers heard that there was a strange person living in the mountain and surrounded Sihyuk as he was coming down the mountain.

They were rude, took pictures of him without permission, and seemed to have no regard for his feelings.

[These guys, don’t go away!!]

It was this old man who stepped in at that moment. He shouted like lightning and chased away the thugs instead. At that point, even Si-hyuk, who was not a very cheerful person, was reluctant to ignore the old man who always greeted him with a smile.

The old man was very happy when he was greeted first by the man who had always ignored him, and he took care of Shihyuk even more. The friendship that had developed in this way became a close one, and although they did not exchange names, they became considerate of each other and talked to each other.

The fate of the world is truly unpredictable.