episode_0071

A few days later, morning. In front of the yard.

7:21 AM [Mr. Sihyuk, Mr. Sihyuk, I have good news!]

7:23 AM [Space Sister Woke Up!!]

7:24 AM [The doctor said that I am recovering well and not to worry anymore!]

After seeing the text message he just received, Shihyuk immediately called Eunha at the good news.

Was he waiting for his answer? As soon as the call rang three times, a girl’s voice, bright and powerful, was heard.

[Mr. Sihyuk!]

The face of a girl jumping for joy came to my mind as I heard her voice over the phone. The bright laughter that made it seem like even the listener would be happy without realizing it was lovely.

“I checked the text. It worked. That’s good. ”

[Hehehe, yes! It’s true! The day before, [Neulhaerang], the old man who fought with us in Jeju Island, woke up?]

[But my sister hasn’t woken up yet, so I was honestly worried a lot…! I think I can rest easy now!]

Of course, the crisis has passed. Don’t worry. You’ll wake up soon. Even with such a doctor’s opinion, isn’t it the case that the family can’t relax?

Although she didn’t show it in front of Shihyuk, Eunha’s heart was pounding so hard that it made her heart skip a beat. Shihyuk smiled happily at the girl’s joy and agreed.

“It seems that Galaxy’s sincerity and heart reached Universe. Congratulations. Now, one worry is put aside.”

[Yes. Thank you! It’s all thanks to Sihyuk! But it’s still a little disappointing. My sister woke up and fell asleep again shortly after. I wanted to let you hear her voice… .]

“Thank you for your words, but it is enough to say that you have clearly seen a difference in Mr. Woo. I would like to visit you right away, but… The situation is not favorable.”

The hospital was still under restricted access. It was a shame.

From what he had heard from the media and from what Eunha had told him, there were still a few [Union] personnel patrolling.

There was even a story that [Balor] was dying in the hospital. I don’t know for sure, but if he was someone who was talked about so much, I could guess that he must be a great person.

[Really. I also miss Sihyuk, I, I, I miss him!]

“Yes?”

[No, that, that… I meant that Mr. Sihyuk would want to see Unnie Woojoo!]

“Oh, of course.”

[Don’t worry though! Yunha said, ‘Since there’s no sign of movement, the control will be lifted soon?’! We’ll probably be able to meet soon!]

Shihyuk laughed lightly. It wasn’t a particularly funny joke, but it was strangely cute and funny to see this little wildflower imitating [Heenari]’s speech.

In the lively voice of the galaxy, it was easy to imagine a rascal imitating the noble woman with his gestures and body language.

This girl is always like this.

It makes him laugh and makes him more human.

Eunha laughed as clearly as a drop of water, as if his laughter had leaked out over the phone.

[Hehe, isn’t it funny? Everyone in the other wards laughed, but when I did it in front of Yoonha, she got spanked! She’s still a patient!]

“That’s right, yes. I think it was worth getting in trouble for.”

[Oh, and did you write that text correctly? My left hand is completely unbandaged! The doctor said that my recovery is amazing! I think in a few weeks, the cast will be completely removed and I will be able to go back to the hospital for outpatient treatment!]

“That’s good news too.”

[There are many things I want to do once I get discharged! I want to go to Shihyuk’s house again and eat delicious food! Also, I want to introduce Shihyuk to the people I became close with, other than Yoonha! I also want to visit Woojoo together!]

“I see.”

It was just a pure galactic feeling.

Even if you look at it all, it’s nothing special. But each and every one of those little things made Sihyuk excited and hopeful.

The girl was a magician. Like a dove flying out of a hat, she could make the ordinary into the extraordinary.

“I’m also looking forward to meeting Eunha again. If you come to my house, I’ll prepare only healthy and delicious food for you.”

[Ah! Hehe, definitely, promise!]

“Yes. Definitely.”

[And- [@###%^] Oh, the doctor is calling. Sadly, I think I have to hang up now! Let’s talk about the rest next time!]

“Yes, next time.”

[Mr. Sihyuk!]

“Yes.”

[It was so nice to hear you laugh! I hope you laugh every day! That’s for real!]

Bam. The last words before the call ended were too fast to hear properly, but even that was lovely. Shihyuk turned off the LCD screen of his phone after the call ended and put it in his pocket.

Somehow, every morning seemed brighter than usual for him. It felt like he could start a good day.

At that moment, a white hand slowly came up between Sihyuk’s armpits and groped his stomach.

Sweet body scent, soft and smooth touch on the back.

“… Hee-ah.”

“Yeah… . Shihyuk, were you talking on the phone with someone…?”

It was Yoo Hee-ah. This woman with a faint presence always appeared out of nowhere outside his field of vision, startling him like this.

Shihyuk raised his head and looked at the tightly closed front door. It had opened slightly at some point. How on earth did it happen?

“… How do you open the front door every time?”

“Well… .”

This mysterious woman was completely different from ordinary people. Shihyuk sighed as he watched her avoid answering with a languid voice.

Was it really a lie that he wasn’t feeling well? Despite his promise to visit often, Yoo Hee-ah came to his house every other day since that day.

Her surprise at Si-hyuk’s visit every morning had become a part of his daily routine.

Now, she acts like a complete guest and often makes skinship with Shi-hyuk.

It was an easy-going attitude, as if we were family.

Yoo Hee Ah was like a little child who lacked affection. She was longing for something, like showing intimacy to a best friend she had just met. It was so excessive that Si Hyuk had to become her attachment doll for the past few days.

She was always clinging to him. Sometimes she would hug his back, sometimes she would cling to his arms, and at the slightest inattention she would run into his arms. Whenever he reached out, she would put her head on his hand and rub it against it, like a puppy smelling something it liked.

Like a little kid wearing an adult’s clothes, Yu Hee-ah, who was dragging around in a wide-legged training suit, seemed unaware of the destructive power of her voluptuous body.

Whenever there was a chance, their shoulders and chests would touch, so the emotional line would break down to the point where even he, who was as skinny as a rock, would feel a little embarrassed.

Even yesterday, when she was sitting on the sofa, Shihyuk was taken aback when she sat on his lap as if it were a natural thing.

“Yeah… .”

“Please stop letting go.”

“Do you hate me…?”

“… … .”

Lost.

It was always like this. What should I say? She was cowardly, unlike other girls.

Yoo Hee-ah, who had already figured out that he couldn’t easily reject someone who showed interest in him, always leaned into Shi-hyeok’s personality and attacked his weak points.

But then again, he didn’t hate it, so Shihyuk spent his days blaming himself for being so foolish and stupid.

He had no idea what on earth she was to him that made him cling to her and shake her like this.

But today is different. Shihyuk grabbed me and opened his mouth while pulling away his interlocked fingers one by one.

“There is something to make.”

“What are you going to make…? Blacksmith work, you know…?”

“Yes. So please let me go.”

“Um… .”

It wasn’t a lie.

He was thinking of remaking the shelf he had failed to make last time. He briefly thought about buying it, but since he was already a craftsman, why bother?

In fact, it was cheaper and much sturdier than what he made.

Since the size of the shelf is large, it would take a lot of magic stones to make it, but since the materials he mainly used were low-grade, he could quickly replenish them.

Hearing that, Yoo Hee-ah, who had been rubbing her forehead against Shi-hyeok’s neck, quickly released the hand that was holding him and stood in front of him.

He lifted his chin and lifted his toes. An invisible gaze was staring at him through his long, tangled hair.

Shihyuk could quickly figure out her intentions.

“… Would you like to see what I’m making?”

“… … .”

Nodding.

“I’m not making any equipment, I’m just making a shelf. There’s nothing to see.”

“… … .”

This time, it’s shaky.

Shihyuk sighed.

“When an Awakened Craftsman makes something, a small amount of extradimensional particles seeps out. Even a short-term, weak exposure is toxic to the general public, so it’s impossible no matter what-”

Yoo Hee-ah brought her thin, white index finger to her lips. It was a gesture that was commonly referred to as “shhh.”

The tip of his finger that stopped his words was stained ominously black. It was an unusual color and pattern, but it was definitely-

“… Mana? Are you an awakened person?”

“I didn’t try to hide it on purpose… . It’s just… I don’t have any good memories of revealing it… . I missed the chance to talk about it… .”

“Was it so?”

“But… . Is this okay… ? Can I see… ? I’m so curious, and if it’s bothersome, I can’t help it… .”

How could he stop himself from slumping his shoulders as he spoke feebly? Shihyuk sighed countless times.

“If you watch quietly, it’s okay.”

Shihyuk went into the blacksmith shop and turned on the fire.

The dark room quickly brightened, revealing a large mana melting furnace and a sledgehammer, tongs, and other crafting tools lined up in a row. He opened the lid of the mana melting furnace and poured half a pack of low-grade magic stones into it.

The melting furnace was often left out of the process when he was making equipment because it didn’t produce enough firepower to satisfy his needs.

But this task is just making a shelf. There is no need to perform rituals to load it with souls or grant it special abilities. It just needs to be sturdy and straight.

It seemed excessive to use his mana flames for such work. Shihyuk always pursued efficiency when doing craftsman work.

Inside the working melting pot, dark clouds billowed and billowed. Black extradimensional particles sputtered and the misty energy traveled through the pipes to the mana furnace, causing flames to burst out.

Shihyuk poured all of the remaining half of the magic stones into the furnace and watched the situation calmly, holding his breath.

The magic stones, which had almost reached the limit of the furnace, slowly melted and began to stick together, making them sticky. He stirred them with a skewer-like stick every now and then, just as he would stir the contents of a pot with a ladle to prevent them from sticking.

When the crystals had thickened enough to be pounded, Shihyuk kept the flame of the brazier burning and took them out little by little, spreading them around the edge of a shelf he had pushed to the corner.

And then he started to hit it little by little with a hammer, forming a square shape.

After pounding for a while, the crystals hardened and turned into half [Magic Iron], and I took the crystals out of the furnace and placed them on top of it, and pounded them again. When the contents of the furnace ran out, I brought another sack of magic stones and put them in.

By repeating the following steps, the frame was layered and quickly rose high.

The size seemed sufficient. Shihyuk, who had stimulated both corners to remove the surface of the frame that was stuck to the shelf, put on his gloves and lifted it up.

The muscles of his forearms, revealed by the rolled-up sleeves, were evident, and the veins on his thin skin stood out strongly.

The sturdy blacksmith’s body was as big as a king-sized bed frame, and he could easily move a chunk of [Magic Iron] taller than that with both hands and arms.

Kuung, Sihyuk moved the lump to where the shelf was originally and started hammering it again. This was a task for a perfect finish.

I evenly distributed the mana that was embedded in the inside and outside sides and corners without any gaps, and struck it hard to increase its strength.

The work was thorough and fast, with no gaps.

It was so bad that I had to wait for the crystals in the mana furnace to melt once in a while.

Shihyuk began stacking [Magic Iron] on one side of the completed shelf frame.

It was a strange thing. No matter how many layers were attached in a Y-shape on one side of a frame shorter than half the length of a little finger, the crystals did not flow out.

Even though he hammered hard up, down, left, and right on the precarious workpiece, as if he had built a tower with trump cards, the basement shook, but the piled up layers did not fall over or sway, let alone shake. How? Shock absorption? Dispersion? Either way, it was an absurd feat that defied the laws of physics.

He looked at the finished lid from several positions and nodded as if to say that it was done.

And then he stood at the edge and gently pushed it with his finger, tilting it to the side.

Then, as if it were a lie that the thing that had not moved no matter how much he had hammered until just now began to tilt and tightly cover the frame without any gaps.

It was a simple, rectangular, straight design, but it quickly became a blacksmith-worthy lathe.

Shihyuk wiped the sweat from his forehead as an example and dropped it on the ground. The water droplets that fell did not roll down to collect somewhere.

The level was perfect. Then it was a durability test.

He pounded the finished shelf with all his might. The shelf hit the hammer and made a loud noise, like a thunderclap. However, the shelf did not wrinkle or show any dents.

As expected, it wouldn’t be easy to destroy [Unique Grade Weapon] by surrounding it with mana and striking it down. If he were to coat it with his mana while working on it, it would be even more difficult.

Only then did Shihyuk shake his hands in satisfaction. This blacksmith didn’t need [skills] or any other tools.

It was the result of something he had accomplished with just his hands and a hammer.

Clap, clap, the sound of applause rang out.

It was the sound of Yoo Hee-ah, who was watching Si-hyuk’s work from a corner. It was such a strong and passionate compliment that the two hands that met each other turned red and swollen.

“Awesome… .”

The weak voice was hazy and wet, as if drunk.