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Chapter 34: New Rookie King (4)

New Rookie King (4)

“So I’m going to create my own artifact somehow. Fortunately, my teacher gave me the OK since they didn’t think I could do it.”

“That’s a good idea.” Lee Man-woo nodded as Kang Shin-hyuk’s idea brilliantly tricked his teacher. Lee Man-woo, the Artifact Creation Club advisor, had agreed to authenticate that he had created it himself.

“It may not be reliable, but with your skills, it shouldn’t be impossible. What’s important right now is keeping your mind disciplined, as I said before. If you make an item with your need in mind, your results will be higher.”

“If you think about what you need and make it… would my emotions naturally be contained in it?”

“The darker feelings that you don’t need will disappear, leaving only the ones you do.”

“I see!” Perhaps it was because of his newfound experience with Anvil’s memories, but Lee Man-woo’s advice sounded different to him now. With his guidance and the memories of Anvil, it was only natural the growth of his metallurgy would be exceedingly fast. Lee Man-woo saw that Kang Shin-hyuk’s eyes were glittering, and he gave him a bittersweet smile.

“I think I understand you a bit better now.”

“Haha…”

“No, it wasn’t a joke. With your metallurgy, you intend to pursue another path alongside it.” They were the same words that Claire said before. Truly, it was uncanny how well other craftsmen understood him. His answer did not change this time either.

“I will do both. I can’t give up on either one.”

“I knew you would say that. I don’t intend to interfere, so I won’t say anything more. Perhaps the metallurgy you have will affect your combat abilities…or perhaps your martial arts will have a positive effect on your craft. At the very least, I don’t think they will interfere with each other.”

“Is there any more advice you can give me?”

“No. Think about the rest yourself.”

“Alright, then…” Kang Shin-hyuk immediately began to devise a plan that considered the characteristics of his team members.

‘We have two fast ones and a strong one. But how about me? What can I do…’ The answer came to him quickly. The other three were exceptional close-range strikers, and he himself preferred to use swords and spears. But his special weapon skill encompassed all weapons, which naturally included ranged weapons like bows and guns. He could bring a sword as well, but a ranged weapon would definitely be useful.

‘There are so many types, though. Bows, crossbows, guns, javelins… I suppose a gun is beyond my current ability.’ Except for students who received special permission, they weren’t permitted to possess live ammunition, anyway. Moreover, guns weren’t particularly preferred when dealing with strong monsters as they don’t have recoverable ammo. Although he doubted the monsters at the gate they were going to would be that strong.

‘Crossbows are out too. It would be strong enough with my power, but it won’t leave a particularly good impression of my abilities.’ He went through the myriad of weapons he had practiced with one by one, enjoying the process immensely. It felt like he was taking a step forward as a blacksmith.

“I’ve decided.”

“What are you going to make?”

“I’ll make javelins. It has less range but more destructive power than a bow.” A javelin is a throwing-spear that had a simple structure to make.

“It’ll be difficult to make it stand out since it’s so simple.”

“I think I’m going to change it up a little bit.”

“I’ll watch your process.” Kang Shin-hyuk immediately set to work. He had a lot of practice with similar weapons while he was practicing his throwing technique, so he knew its characteristics well.

‘Control your mind…control your mind…’ He melted the ingot down into a familiar shape with the furnace and began to stretch it out on the anvil with his hammer. He had to get the balance exactly right. He focused on shaping the tip of it, hammering away.

‘What sort of things do I need? If it were Anvil, how would he make this part…?’ The speed at which he worked was quick but careful. No one who saw him would think he was a beginner who had just started using a hammer. Little by little, he was showing the experience he was learning and relied less on the instincts given to him, feeling more comfortable in his own body as he hammered away.

-You crafted a steel javelin (D+) with a weak spirit. Metallurgy has increased.

Despite the fact he had been working carefully and using his spiritual power, the result wasn’t quite an artifact. The synchronization rate hadn’t even increased.

“It looks like your work is becoming a lot more natural despite being limited to working with only steel.” Lee Man-woo praised his progress, but Shin-hyuk couldn’t agree with him. Anvil had created wonderful treasures that would astonish countless heroes despite the limitations of his materials, all within the abandoned workshop of a dead world. It wasn’t a matter of making an artifact anymore, or of skill proficiency. He knew this wasn’t his best, and if he were satisfied with stopping there, he would never grow.

“… I’ll try again.”

“You’ve already been working for a bit, and you made what you set out to do.”

“It’s alright. I can keep going. I brought a lot of snacks to keep me going.” Kang Shin-hyuk lifted the bag he brought with him and took out one of the energy bars it was packed full of. Lee Man-woo was speechless as he watched the student eat the energy bar and get right back to work. The process was precisely the same, melting the ingot and hammering at it on the anvil. As he did it, though, Shin-hyuk tried to focus entirely on the metal before him.

‘I had too many thoughts to contain and wasn’t sure of what I needed.’ Spiritual power bloomed inside of him, wrapping around him and moving down his hammer to the anvil and the metal atop it. He could hear a faint metallic voice calling out to him, which he listened to with his hammer. He remembered what Anvil had looked like when he was forging the metal, never intending to put any thought or emotion into his craft—just hammering the iron, letting the mind naturally move with spiritual power. That’s how his anger would just dissipate away.

-Klang! Klang! Klang!

Kang Shin-hyuk had been too obsessed with figuring out artifacts that he misunderstood a fundamental fact. Lee Manwoo said it was difficult to put one’s emotions into iron. He tried to achieve that without understanding and failed as a result.

‘But I’m glad I realized it sooner rather than later.’ He decided not to think too deeply about it now and push away thoughts of Anvil. It was him, not Anvil, who was hammering the iron right now.

-Klang! Klang! Klang!

He forgot about the anvil, his heart, and even his spiritual power. All that existed in his world was forging the javelin. It was the most fundamental wish of any craftsmen, to craft something. The anvil vibrated, spiritual power covering the metal with each impact of the hammer. The iron was responding to him, crying out in response.

“Huh…” Lee Man-woo was entirely focused on Kang Shin-hyuk as he was immersed in metallurgy. He had no doubt in his skill, but the pace he was developing was absurd.

‘He’s using techniques I don’t know and can’t follow…’ Not all people’s experiences in learning metallurgy were the same. Lee Man-woo had learned the skill after working as a blacksmith, but there were those who awakened to it suddenly. To those people, it was like knowledge just flowed into their heads by its own accord.

‘With metallurgy, each person’s growth and potential varies so much, but this…’ Even with that, Kang Shin-hyuk’s metallurgy was utterly alien to him. Even those who awakened the skill without training didn’t show such skill and would experience countless errors as they practiced. He was awkward and lacking still in many ways, but he moved as if he already had the skills of a master.

Only

‘He instinctively noticed even the smallest errors and is looking for a way to fix them. He’s faster than any craftsman I’ve seen…’ It was, of course, faster than him. Faster, deeper, and more beautiful. Lee Man-woo realized he was jealous of Kang Shin-hyuk and couldn’t help but laugh at himself. What was the point of an old man who had given up on crafting feeling jealous of a young man who had just started?

‘I just don’t want to admit it, but he’s talented. It will bloom brightly if it’s nurtured. There’s nothing I can do but keep others out of the way.’ It wasn’t a responsibility he felt as the teacher in charge of the club. No, he just wanted to remove the shackles Shinyoung had imposed on him. He wanted to see how far this boy’s amazing metallurgy would go; to see this talent that clearly overwhelmed him. He thought Kang Shin-hyuk would make something that he never could.

-You crafted a separating steel javelin (C-) with a moderate spirit. Metallurgy has greatly increased.

-Metallurgy has grown to D rank! Stamina has grown to C+ rank! Your resistance to heat has increased, and a 20% correction will be applied to your working speed.

-Synchronization has greatly accelerated. Current assimilation rate of 5.3%

-The soul’s vessel has strengthened, and your spiritual power has grown to C rank. You will take less damage from weaker spiritual power and will now be able to recognize the source of the soul.

-The first VIP benefit is in progress. 5 million HP has been unlocked. The ‘My Room’ function is now available! Access My Room right away to check out the Dimension Quest!

Suddenly, as he stood there holding the new javelin in hand, Kang Shin-hyuk had no idea what he should do.