Steel Mountain Range (3)

“Failure, again.”

Garuda’s shoulders flinched at my cold voice. Her petite hand trembled, and she dropped the hammer.

Kkanggeurang-

“Hieek!”

She tried to pick up the hammer but failed, her hands shaking. She slumped to the floor, her long hair cascading down.

“Eueue…”

“Don’t cry, get back to the workbench. Make even one more in the time you’re wasting.”

The light from the furnace dyed the smithy red. Numerous materials were neatly arranged on the workbench.

From low-grade minerals to S-grade materials. All part of the curriculum I prepared.

“Alright, let’s start again. This time with gold ore.”

Garuda carefully selected the material. It was a basic material, but her eyes trembled anxiously.

But the moment she gripped the hammer.

Kkang-

Her demeanor changed with the first hammer strike. Her hunched shoulders straightened as if by magic.

Kkang, Kkang, Kkang-!

Regular hammer strikes. Like the heartbeat of a master craftsman.

‘As expected.’

A smile crept onto my face. The original story wasn’t lying. This girl is the legendary blacksmith.

The sight of her forging steel was like a work of art. The movement of the hammer was artistic, and the control of the flames was sensual.

‘But it’s still a long way off.’

When the work was finished, she lifted the sword and examined it. She was mostly satisfied. But…

“Failure.”

Peok-

The sword shattered in my hand. Garuda’s face turned pale.

“Why… why are you doing this…”

“The rune patterns are messed up. The mana circulation is unstable.”

“But at the basic stage, that’s…”

“That’s because your standards are low. It needs to be more perfect.”

“You devil, you bastard, Demon King!”

“Sorry, but I’m a Hero.”

“Hieeeeng….”

Tears welled up in Garuda’s eyes again. Her long hair covered her face like a curtain.

‘Sorry, but this is necessary.’

She’s the only one who can handle the Chaos Crystal. This kind of training is necessary for her to grow into the best blacksmith.

“Next, let’s go with mithril. This time, make the rune patterns more elaborate.”

“Yes…”

Garuda’s hand reached for the mithril. Her touch, handling the high-grade material, was imbued with the delicacy of a top artisan.

Kkang, Kkang-

The hammering started again. The soul of a master dwelled within the precise rhythm.

‘This is how you can make a Demon Sword.’

To handle the Chaos Crystal, her talent must reach its peak.

I watched Garuda as she started working again.

The clumsy girl was gone, and a single blacksmith sat before the fire.

The flames of the furnace were reflected in her hazel eyes. A gaze that seemed to hold the soul of a master.

My relentless evaluation, even for the smallest mistakes, continued. Garuda, rising again and wielding the hammer even as she shed tears.

In the repetition of destruction and recreation, she was growing step by step.

“Again.”

With that last word, the sound of hammering echoed in the smithy again.

Kkang, Kkang, Kkang-

The soul of a master, hidden within her doll-like cute appearance, was awakening.

*

Some time later, even though the sun was high in the sky, the smithy was dark and quiet. There was no fire in the furnace, no sound of hammering.

“Could it be.”

I pulled on the doorknob. It was locked.

I walked through the dwarves’ street. Her figure was still nowhere to be seen, even in the shopping street full of hawkers.

‘Did that little rascal run away?’

The magic of the contract reacted faintly. No, she’s still inside the city.

“Excuse me.”

I stood in front of an old wooden house. A faint light leaked from a small window on the second floor.

Knock knock.

At the sound of the knock, there was a rustling sound from inside.

“Hmm, I guess I have no choice.”

Thanks, Niya. I always learn a lot from you.

I opened the front door with a cat lockpick, and there was a thumping sound from upstairs.

She’s probably running away, her long hair flying.

I went up the stairs and opened the door. There was a lump of blankets on the bed.

“There’s no use running away. Hide well, or your hair will show.”

“It’s not showing! Ga, Garuda is resting today…. No, she’s not here! She’s in another dimension for a while….”

A voice mumbled from under the blanket. It was a cute excuse, unlike a dwarf.

“And, how did you find this place anyway?!”

“Don’t underestimate the tracking skills of a Hero party.”

In reality, it’s thanks to the magic of the contract, though.

“Now, let’s go back to the smithy…”

The moment I tried to pull the blanket away.

“I don’t want to!”

Garuda hugged the blanket and struggled. Her long hair scattered like a waterfall.

“I… I’ve reached my limit! I work until late every night… and start early in the morning…”

Her voice trembled.

“And every time I fail… my work… eueue…”

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

“The hammer is getting heavier too… my arms hurt… and my head is throbbing…”

She twitched and mumbled from inside the blanket.

“So you’re going to quit?”

“No! It’s not that… just… if I could rest for just one day…”

A small sigh escaped from inside the blanket.

“Just for today… please…”

Garuda’s voice grew smaller and smaller. Her shoulders trembled slightly.

‘I definitely pushed her too hard.’

The harsh training of the past few days. It was a bit much, even for me.

“Alright.”

The blanket lump raised its head slightly.

“Really…?”

“Yeah, let’s rest today.”

“Waa…”

With a sigh of relief, the blanket slipped down.

“But.”

Her shoulders stiffened again.

“Starting tomorrow, I’m going to work you even harder.”

“Eueue…”

A sob was heard from inside the blanket.

Let’s go back like this today. Yeah, sometimes you need a break. She’s not a machine, she’s a person.

I was about to go back thinking that…….

“What is this.”

Beer bottles were scattered all over Garuda’s room. It was full of instant food wrappers, and fallen hair covered the entire room.

“This is a bit much.”

“I… I’m fine like this…”

Garuda mumbled from inside the blanket.

“I’ve decided. I’m going to have to live here from now on.”

“Neeh?!”

Hazel eyes widened in surprise from inside the blanket.

“No way! That’s… that’s a bit…”

But I had already started cleaning up the empty bottles.

“This is recycling, this is general waste… Oh? There’s even beer hidden here?”

“Ah… that’s…”

“What is all this?”

“That’s… I drink it to get strength when I’m hammering…”

“Confiscated.”

“No way! It’s my beer!”

She tried to hide the beer bottles, but it was already too late. Bottles of alcohol came out one after another from under the bed.

“From now on, one beer a day. And only after you’ve finished your work quota.”

“Eueue… my precious beers…”

Tears flowed from her eyes. She had a desperate expression, as if she had lost a child.

“Alright, go wash up first. I’ll clean the room in the meantime.”

“Hieek! I… I’ll do it!”

“Too late. I’ve already started.”

After cleaning, I headed to the kitchen. The inside of the refrigerator was as expected.

“Only instant food.”

“Dwarves are originally like this…”

“Liar. Everyone was eating proper meals in the dwarf households I passed by earlier, weren’t they?”

Garuda’s mouth closed.

“What is this…?”

“It’s the health food you’ll be eating from now on. Here, the menu. Breakfast is whole grains and eggs, lunch is chicken breast salad…”

“Hieek! I hate vegetables!”

“Dwarves need vegetables too.”

“Meat and beer are the best!”

A late breakfast that I prepared myself.

Garuda’s face gradually turned pale as she forced herself to eat the food.

“It doesn’t… it doesn’t taste good… it’s bland…”

A smile crept onto my face. Where did the shy look she always had go? She’s assertively arguing in front of food.

“It’s not delicious. But it’s edible enough.”

“Th, that’s even scarier! The taste is just enough to be edible…”

I cleaned up the kitchen and went back to the room. Garuda was back in the blanket.

“Now it’s time to fix your hair.”

“Neeh?!”

“Come here.”

“I don’t want to! Not my hair…! Hair is the pride of a dwarf!”

“I’m not going to cut it. I’m just going to fix it.”

Garuda struggled, but she couldn’t escape from my grasp.

I washed her hair like laundry, and untangled the tangled hair.

While drying her long hair, Garuda continued to grumble in a small voice.

“It hurts…”

“It’s your fault. You should have taken care of it properly.”

“Eueue… I’m originally comfortable like this…”

“Where did the pride of the dwarves go?”

Garuda became quiet at those words.

When I finally tied her hair neatly, a new Garuda was reflected in the mirror.

“Th… this is strange.”

“This is normal, you know?”

“But…”

Garuda mumbled, touching her hair.

“Why are you doing this…?”

I hesitated for a moment before answering.

“Because I need you.”

“Yes…?”

“To become the best blacksmith, this level of care is essential.”

Garuda’s hazel eyes wavered.

To handle the Chaos Crystal, her condition must be at its best.

For that, this level of interference is necessary.

A few days later, another problem arose.

“You’re too weak.”

I muttered, watching Garuda’s hammering. In less than an hour, she was out of breath, and her arms began to tremble.

“I need to take care of your health first.”

“Yes…?”

“Let’s start exercising from now on too.”

“Neeh?!”

Garuda tried to run under the workbench. But my hand was faster.

“Got you.”

“Hieek! Let me go! I… I hate exercising!”

“Are you going to say it’s okay like this?”

At that moment, my hand grabbed her belly fat. The sensation of gently grabbing it. Hmm, it’s okay. It’s stable.

“Kyaat! D, don’t do that!”

Garuda’s face turned bright red. She tried to cover her face with her long hair, but failed because it was neatly tied up.

“It’s belly fat, isn’t it?”

“Th… that’s… dwarves are originally chubby…”

“Liar. The dwarves I saw earlier were all muscular, weren’t they?”

Garuda’s mouth closed. It must be the result of beer and instant food.

“Can you become the best blacksmith like this?”

“Eueue…”

“A healthy mind resides in a healthy body. That’s my philosophy.”

“Such a philosophy…”

“Every morning at 6 AM, jogging starts.”

“Neeh?!”

The next morning.

“Heok… heok…”

“Five laps left.”

Garuda’s breathing became rough from the moment she started the first lap. Her long hair was disheveled, and her face was flushed red.

“I… I can’t… I feel like I’m going to die…”

“One more lap.”

“Hieeeek!”

Garuda’s scream echoed through the smithy street. The dwarves passing by stared curiously.

“Your posture is off. Again.”

“Heueeng…”

Garuda stuck out her tongue. Her long hair was soaked with sweat and hung down her back.

“Alright, now let’s do some arm exercises?”

“Euang!”

Garuda’s scream echoed through the morning street.

“Is this kind of training… really necessary…?”

“To survive as a traditional blacksmith in the age of magical engineering, physical strength is essential.”

A healthy diet and regular exercise.

To create the best weapon, you need the best artisan.

And to become the best artisan, a healthy body is essential.

‘Good, that’s it.’

After a week, changes began to appear. The rhythm of her hammering became more stable, and her working hours increased.

“That’s it for today.”

Garuda’s appearance after finishing work had changed. Her loose work clothes now seemed to fit perfectly.

“Um…”

Garuda mumbled, wiping her hammer.

“Why?”

“Lately… I feel like my body has become lighter.”

“It’s still a long way off. Keep up the good work.”

“…Yes!”

Garuda’s appearance in front of the workbench had changed.

Unwavering posture, stable breathing. The rhythm of her hammering also became more precise.

The moment her talent and physical strength become one, the legendary blacksmith will be complete.

And that’s when it’s time to make the Demon Sword.