episode_0097

A late-night bus runs on the road.

On a weekday, and at this time of day, there weren’t many cars going to Seoul, so the highway was quite deserted late at night. Only the streetlights installed at regular intervals and the lights of cars big and small that were coming home late or going to work, flashed brightly, soothing the lonely night road.

Perhaps that was why the interior of the bus, like the bright but lifeless scenery outside, was gloomy and shady, making the already narrow space look even narrower.

The only bright spot was the TV screen hanging on the driver’s side. Even that was only showing a news flash that was briefly interrupted by silence when starting off, and soon a floating blue no-signal sign was used as a night light.

The interior was quite quiet and secluded, as thick as the darkness spread, and the only ambient noise besides the exhaust noise of the vehicle was the steady breathing of someone who was tired from hard work and the squelching sound of chewing gum. Boom. Every time the engine sound continued irregularly, the ground beneath my feet would vibrate and the bodies of the few passengers inside the bus would lean forward slightly and then back repeatedly.

“… … .”

A blacksmith was sitting in the innermost, most rear-most seat of the vehicle, staring blankly out the window at the scenery passing by.

Beyond the red and yellow lights on the road, the outside of the guardrail looked gloomy, crouching and holding its breath in the darkness. Perhaps it was the dark, gloomy appearance of the hill cut in the distance, where construction was underway to dig a new tunnel, that made it seem even more forlorn.

“… . … . … .”

At first, it seemed like he was just looking at the number of trees left scattered on the hill, but upon closer inspection, Sihyuk’s eyes were turned outside, while his mind was somewhere else.

He was looking at the dark night mountain ridge with his eyes somewhat clouded and mumbling something.

“… . … all.”

As Shihyuk rolled his tongue and opened and closed his lips, small, unfinished words leaked out through his teeth, mixed with his breathing.

“… . … all. … all… .”

The sloppy monologue continued in short paragraphs, like a broken radio. The mumbling voice was drowned out by the small noises around it, so it had no particular presence.

“Break. Turn. Bend. Shrink. Twist… .”

If you listen closely to his muttering, you’ll find him stringing together some strange sentences as if he’s incanting.

To an unfamiliar stranger, he might seem like a pitiful and pitiful person, but if you look closely, there was a reason for his eccentric behavior. Shihyuk was defining and explaining his actions in words by following the shape of his hands and the movements of his arms hidden in his wide pockets.

“… Press. Knock. Push. Pull. Open. Close. Shake. Tremble.”

To first visualize the results of the upcoming work in my head.

The magic stones that touched the tips of his fingers, which were lukewarm to body temperature, gradually collided with each other and made a friction sound. Sihyuk, who was listing and reminiscing about the movements and sensations one after another, occasionally carefully caressed the materials he had in his arms.

“Point. Grasp. Spread. Extend.”

Towards the dream held in your heart.

=====

By the time I finished returning home, it was already well past midnight.

As he entered the yard, a familiar scene greeted him. Although it was a familiar place, it felt quite new.

It may not seem like a very long schedule, but perhaps it was because I had been leaving early in the morning and returning late at night for the past few days. Come to think of it, it had been a long time since I had gone out for such a long time since [Wildflowers].

Or maybe he was excited and nervous in anticipation of the upcoming creative pain. It was both affectionate and welcome, so Sihyuk nodded.

“… … .”

The craftsman took a short breath and briefly checked his physical condition as the dawn breeze brushed his face.

It’s not the best, but it’s okay. The wounds in my soul and body that were inscribed when I made [Journey] have almost healed. Today, I didn’t have time to eat on time because of various things going on, but thanks to the numerous thoughts and rewards that passed through my mind instead, I didn’t feel that hungry.

It might not be a good idea to prepare for the hard labor of being a craftsman, but… Sihyuk was actually happy to be hungry.

Because creating something is not about emptying what is already filled, but filling in what is empty. Rather than feeling full, a moderate hunger and thirst will be a good source of energy that will add more passion and desire to his work as he hammers.

… Okay. Well then, let’s begin.

As soon as Sihyuk entered the dark house, he headed straight to the underground blacksmith shop.

It may seem too hasty, but there was no need for any special preparation. All the materials were prepared, and there was no need for a change of clothes for the man who was wearing work clothes as his overalls. Other detailed plans had already been finalized long ago on the bus.

Sihyuk went to the blacksmith shop and stood at the workbench, turning on the light.

The hammer that had been hanging on the stand was reflecting a dull light from the end of its smooth handle, as if it was complaining to him about being so late. Sihyuk held the whining thing in his hand, opened the lid of the brazier, and lit a small, five-colored spark.

The flame of mana, the size of a rice seed, blazed and grew stronger and stronger inside the furnace. The blacksmith, who had been quietly watching it, paused for a moment as he laid out the materials on the shelf and raised his hammer high.

Taaang!

The hammer hit the shelf hard, and the mana that Shihyuk had been holding resonated through the space itself along with the sound, spreading out from around him. The heat-filled waves filled the forge with a pale gray haze, and its ripples blocked the outflow of power from within.

“… Is it almost done?”

Shihyuk muttered as he looked around at his surroundings, which were slightly darker than the cloudy sky. It was a little dark, but not so dark that it would be inconvenient to work.

It wasn’t as neat and refined as the old man Gong’s, but for a first attempt, it was a pretty decent blacksmith’s tent. I think it’s safe to say that it passed the test.

The barrier created solely by eye and his will was like a roughly built shack without any system, and it didn’t have the transparent feel of a fortress like the [barrier] created with [skill] that the elder had shown before. But where was this? In the first place, it would be hard to find an Awakened person who could do something like this with only their own will.

Anyway, since any unfortunate incidents have already been prevented, we can proceed. In addition to the magic stones named [Love] and [Courage] that he had taken out in advance, Shihyuk took out a small cylindrical stick the size of a fountain pen.

The material received from [Chakgapsa] was [Yeouicheol].

[Yeoui-cheol], which had a white color and a slightly ugly-looking groove like a barnacle, even had bluish stains added to it, so contrary to Heo Yong-tae’s words, it did not look that precious at first glance.

It would be similar to this if you left the garaetteok out at room temperature in the summer and it went bad. If flies were attracted to it, it wouldn’t be strange to be mistaken.

“Indeed, it’s good material.”

But Sihyuk was rather impressed.

Just as you can see the contents of a transparent plastic bottle without having to split it open, a skilled craftsman could immediately see the true value of this material even without [Appraisal of Goods]. Contrary to its appearance that looked terrible, the magical power it contained was definitely thick and worthy of [high-grade crafting material].

“And, you’re definitely being too picky.”

As the name [Yeoui-cheol] suggests, the guy started to tremble and change its size and shape in a jagged manner just from the residual heat coming from Si-hyuk’s hand that had gathered the five-colored flames.

At this level, if you just hold it up to a mana flame, it will melt and crystallize before it can grow to the size of a house, or it can become smaller than a fingernail. Even the Meisters who have [Title] have a hard time with it, so is this the reason?

“Rather than a trickster, a mischievous one. Rather than a mischievous one, a troublemaker. … No, rather than a troublemaker, a mischievous boy would be better.”

However, unlike the story of the tinker who had been urging him to be like a wild horse, Shihyuk’s review was quite plain. To him, who was different from the so-called ordinary production series Awakeners, [Yeouicheol] was just that much.

In the first place, the things he had handled before – the things that the old man Gong had brought – were even more bizarre and indescribable. And even to Si-hyuk, who had handled them, unlike those guys who were difficult to even touch, this guy was cute.

“Stay still.”

He put strength into the hand that held [Yeoui-cheol].

Compared to the evil spirits who could have easily destroyed a country if it weren’t for [Admiral Yi Sun-sin], it wasn’t difficult to take hold of the reins of a wild horse.

A brilliant five-colored flame appeared for a moment on Shihyuk’s palm, and the barnacle-covered rice cake, which had been barking fiercely, suddenly became quiet, like a puppy that had its neck bitten by a powerful predator.

“Right.”

As soon as the monkey-like babbling rascal was subdued, the bluish spots and countless fine grooves that had grown on its body suddenly disappeared.

The material must have acknowledged the craftsman and revealed its true form. The once pure white color had now turned yellow and taken on a golden hue. Now, it looked more like pumpkin candy than garaetteok.

Shihyuk lifted it up, placed it neatly on the shelf, and lightly hammered it. It was a light tap, closer to a knock than a thud. Even with that simple impact, [Yeouicheol]’s reaction was extreme. It split into five pieces like a tangerine slice, and its insides were exposed.

“Please write to me carefully.”

He had a look of satisfaction on his indifferent face, and he picked up two of the broken pieces and threw them into the five-colored flames of the furnace along with the magic stone.

First, the plan was to build the frame first.