Steel Mountain Range (5)

The sound of hammers echoed in the smithy. A rhythmic beat, the heartbeat of a craftsman.

Kkang, Kkang-

Garuda’s hammering changed. More precise, more powerful. Sweat dripped from her hardened forearms.

“Your form’s improved.”

“Ah… I’m still far off.”

A shy voice. But I didn’t miss the flush on her earlobes.

A water jug sat on the corner of the workbench. Where there used to be a beer bottle.

“Aren’t you thirsty?”

“I’m… I’m okay. Beer’s for after work….”

Her voice trailed off as she hammered harder. Kkang-! The sound was louder than usual.

“Huh?”

Garuda looked at the hammer, surprised.

“That… That sounded different just now…!”

“Nice? Guess your workouts are paying off?”

“M… maybe…”

“Good, keep that form.”

A while later, Garuda gulped down water from the jug. Sweeping back her sweat-drenched hair, she looked full of life.

“Thanks to you… I feel like a real dwarf…. The morning workouts… are okay now, too.”

“Really?”

“Yeah… um, no… well, sometimes…!”

She stammered, then scurried back to the workbench as if escaping.

*

A month passed. The atmosphere in the smithy had changed.

Kkang, Kkang-

There was no hesitation in Garuda’s hammering anymore. It was amazing how such strength came from such a small, delicate frame.

A completed sword lay on the workbench. A simple commission, but the flow of the rune patterns was perfect.

“You’ve really changed now.”

She still lowered her head shyly, but her shoulders no longer slumped.

“Still… still not enough.”

Her hazel eyes burned like the flames of the furnace.

“I think I can make something better…”

“Oh? Then give it a shot.”

I opened my bag and took out S-grade materials.

A Celestial Demon’s Feather, an Ice Age Turtle’s Shell, an Evil Extinction Kirin’s Horn…. And even a Stabilized Chaos Crystal.

Garuda’s eyes widened. Her lips trembled.

“T… this is!”

“I’m leaving it all to you. Make the best piece you can with these.”

Her hand reached out towards the materials, then stopped. Her hazel eyes flickered nervously.

“I… I really…”

“You can do it.”

“Since… since you believe in me so much… I’ll… I’ll definitely do it.”

Garuda’s voice trembled. But this time, it wasn’t from fear, but from a different emotion.

“The best weapon… I’ll definitely…”

She couldn’t finish her sentence and looked away. Her long hair hid her flushed cheeks.

“What, are you gonna cry?”

“N… no! It’s just… just that the materials are sparkling…”

Garuda took a deep breath and picked up the hammer. Her hand no longer trembled.

Kkang-!

Sparks flew with the first strike.

Now, she didn’t hesitate. Rather, she became even more absorbed in her work.

“Haru-nim.”

In the middle of her work, she suddenly called out. A name she usually didn’t dare to say.

“Yeah?”

“Until now… everything…”

She hesitated for a moment, as if choosing her words, then shook her head.

“No, not in words… I’ll show you with my work.”

The hammering resumed. A sound more powerful and more confident than before.

*

“I sent a challenge to Steamforge.”

At my words, the hammer fell from Garuda’s hand.

Kkanggeurang-

Her face turned pale.

“Y… yes?!”

“The best magic engineering smithy in Iron Forge. Right?”

“Are you crazy? No… I’m sorry! But really crazy…”

Garuda waved her hands frantically. Her long hair flew around.

“Don’t worry. The conditions are fair.”

I took out the challenge from my pocket. The runes engraved on it sparkled in the light.

“Crafting in each of our own ways with the same materials. The winner is decided by performance testing.”

“But… but I…”

Garuda’s shoulders trembled. Anxiety clouded her hazel eyes.

“Steamforge has the latest magic engineering facilities… and skilled people too…”

“Just show them what you’ve been doing.”

I placed my hand on her shoulder. I felt the solid muscles of a craftsman, no longer the trembling of a fragile girl.

“You can do it.”

Garuda’s eyes wavered. But she soon picked up the hammer again.

Kkang-!

From that day on, the fire in the smithy never went out. The sound of hammering echoed day and night.

Kkang, Kkang, Kkang-!

“The soul of a dwarf…”

Sweat dripped. The flames of the furnace reflected in her eyes.

“My father’s skill…”

The hammering didn’t stop even late at night. The essence of tradition bloomed from Garuda’s fingertips.

“That’s enough.”

A few days later, I made her stop working. Her hands trembled.

“But…”

“Start replenishing your stamina. You’re already good enough, just show them everything you’ve got.”

“Yes…! I won’t let you down…!”

Finally, the day of the showdown.

Steamforge’s modern workshop and Garuda’s traditional smithy were prepared side by side.

“You’re going to compete with that? Just a rune hammer?”

I could hear the magic engineering blacksmiths laughing. But Garuda didn’t waver.

“I’m ready.”

Her voice trembled. But it wasn’t from fear, but from anticipation.

Kkang-!

With the first strike, the soul of tradition awakened.

The battle for the pride of the dwarves began.

The two smithies stood side by side. A strange moment where the whirring of magic engineering and the sound of hammering coexisted.

“Look at that, still doing it by hand.”

“Isn’t that anachronistic?”

“It’ll be a sight to see.”

Garuda’s shoulders twitched every time she heard the murmurs. But her hammering didn’t stop.

Kkang, Kkang-

“The purity of the material is too high! Maximize the magic injection device!”

“Increase engine output to 120%!”

“Starting rune circuit stabilization!”

Steamforge’s machines whirred loudly. Brilliant magical light flashed.

On the other hand, Garuda’s smithy was quiet. Only the sound of the hammer rang out rhythmically.

Kkang, Kkang, Kkang-

“Father… watch over me…”

Her voice trembled, but the hand holding the hammer didn’t waver.

“At this rate, she won’t finish in time?”

“We could make 10 already with machines.”

But Garuda’s eyes didn’t waver. The soul of a true craftsman was imbued in her hammering.

Time passed.

Steamforge was the first to produce a finished product. It was a sword engraved with a brilliant magic circuit.

“This is the technological prowess of modern dwarves!”

Cheers erupted. But Garuda continued to hammer.

When the last hammer blow rang out, her work looked plain. There were no fancy decorations or sparkling magic circuits.

“Now, let’s start the tests.”

First, the sharpness test.

Both swords cut through steel like slicing vegetables.

Second, the magic affinity test.

Both swords showed perfect magic circulation.

“Now, the final durability test.”

The examiner raised both swords. The air froze for a moment.

Jjaeng-!

The two swords collided. Once, twice…

Chalkadak-

Steamforge’s sword cracked first.

“T… the magic circuit is unstable!”

“The rune patterns are falling apart!”

Kwajik-!

In an instant, the fancy sword shattered into pieces. On the other hand, Garuda’s sword didn’t have a single scratch.

“How is this possible?”

“How could they do it the traditional way…”

“Such perfect balance…”

Young dwarves stepped forward from the murmuring crowd.

“The power of tradition… so that’s what it was.”

“What we’ve been forgetting…”

“Could you perhaps teach us that technique?”

Tears welled up in Garuda’s eyes. But this time, they were tears of joy.

“S… so… my path…”

She stammered, then raised her head. Her hazel eyes sparkled.

“W… wasn’t wrong…”

The look in her eyes as she looked at me had changed.

“H… Haru-nim… it’s all thanks to you… no, I mean…”

“No.”

I shook my head.

“It’s your skill.”

Garuda’s face turned red. She lowered her head shyly, but this time, it was filled with pride.

“Now… it starts now. I’ll work harder… no, I mean… I’ll… show you the true… soul of a dwarf!”

Her hand gripping the hammer tightened.

The flames of the furnace reflected in her eyes. It was the moment the awakened soul of a craftsman blazed.

*

“Look at this!!”

Garuda swung the hammer excitedly. Her brown hair flew like a waterfall.

“The rune patterns, now I can… I mean… I can do this too!”

Her usual timidity was nowhere to be found, her voice full of playfulness.

“Hmm…”

I shook my head, watching Garuda’s work.

“This time… oh, and this is something I researched!”

She ran around the workbench, taking out tools like a child showing off toys.

“The magic circulation is like this… Ah! Look at this too!”

“Garuda.”

“Yes? Ah, just a moment! This too…”

“You’re too excited.”

Garuda’s movements stopped. Her hazel eyes blinked.

“T… that’s… um…”

She blushed and looked down at her toes. But she soon raised her head.

“But I’m now… I mean… a craftsman…”

Her pouting face was cute. Is this like a Gold 500-game craftsman or something?

“Oh yeah? Then how do you explain this?”

I pointed to the sword on the workbench. Garuda’s face turned pale.

“T… that’s…”

“The rune patterns are messed up.”

“No! That’s a new attempt… I mean…”

“A mistake, right?”

“Ugh…”

“Complacency is forbidden.”

Garuda stamped her feet. Her long hair shook like a storm.

“B… but I’m now the best…”

“Not yet.”

At my firm voice, her shoulders slumped.

“Do it again.”

“Yes…”

The hand lifting the hammer became cautious again. But this time it was different.

It wasn’t timidity, but the humility of a craftsman.

Kkang-!

The sound of the hammer rang out. This time it was right.

After the showdown, her self-esteem soared. She became completely cocky and sometimes giggled to herself.

But the streets were different.

“How dare you ignore tradition?”

“Anachronistic bastards!”

Looking out the window, the central square was a mess.

I could hear the sound of hammers and wrenches clashing.

It was a clash between traditionalist and modernist dwarves.

“Hey, your hammers belong in a museum!”

“What’s so great about magic engineering? Soulless machinery…”

The central square became a mess. Bearded dwarves glared at each other and growled.

“You saw Garuda’s victory!”

“Machines have their limits!”

“Ha! That was just luck!”

“Yeah, next time, never…”

A fistfight broke out. Hammers and wrenches flew through the air.

“O… what should I do?”

Garuda’s small victory escalated into a city-wide conflict. On every street, there was a confrontation between dwarves shouting for tradition and innovation.

“Was I too arrogant? I mean… after the victory… I was too proud…”

I looked at her as she lowered her head.

“It’s not your fault.”

“But…”

“This is their problem. You just went your own way, right?”

Garuda’s eyes wavered.

The commotion continued outside.

“Tradition is the answer! These days, tsk tsk.”

“Outdated old farts! Technology changes the world!”

The fighting became more intense. Magic engineering devices exploded, and hammers flew.

“This shouldn’t be happening…”

Garuda gripped the hammer tightly. She muttered in a trembling voice.

“My father… my father always said…”

“Said what?”

“Tradition and innovation… aren’t enemies…”

I listened to her words.

“The sound of hammers… and the sound of machines… ringing together…”

Garuda’s eyes sparkled.

“Is the true future of the dwarves…”

Her words resonated in my heart. But the dwarves in the streets wouldn’t understand.

Another explosion was heard. The clash of hammers and wrenches continued.

“Tradition or innovation…”

“Betting on the pride of the dwarves…”

Cries full of anger and hatred.

Garuda’s shoulders trembled. Her small frame shrank even more.

“I… I have to do something…”

“No.”

I grabbed her shoulders.

“You just need to do what you have to do.”

“Yes?”

“Make the best weapons. That’s your role, right? Solving the city’s quests is the hero’s job.”

Garuda’s eyes wavered. But she soon raised the hammer again.

Kkang-!

The sound of the hammer rang out. More clearly than the noise of the streets.