[ Blacksmith’s Debut (3) ]
The heartfelt dedication speech that could have been a tribute to his parents finally came to an end. It would’ve been perfect if my name hadn’t replaced where his parents’ names should’ve been. Still, it was moving, brimming with sincerity from a former F-rank who had transformed completely.
…At this point, I think I’d be fine with being locked away for a month. Seriously, how can Myungwoo do this so casually? If I were his parents, I would’ve teared up in pride… but we’re just friends… not even childhood friends who’ve known each other for twenty years, barely two months!
‘Ugh… Everyone’s staring at us like they’re wondering what kind of relationship we have…’
And not just here—on the other side of the monitor, reporters at the press conference were already bringing up questions with my name attached.
Ugh… fine. It’s okay. Myungwoo’s doing this with good intentions. I just need to endure a bit of embarrassment. It’s a shame the spotlight wasn’t diverted as I’d hoped.
When a blacksmith with no limits to crafting grades appeared, I thought I’d get overshadowed. But instead, it looks like the opposite is happening. Myungwoo, couldn’t you just take all the attention by yourself instead of sharing the credit?
After a while, the press conference ended, and both Myungwoo and Yerim returned to the waiting room. Yerim was hugging the Icewood Spear without putting it in her inventory, while Myungwoo walked straight over to me, smiling brightly.
Unlike earlier, no one tried to stop him. Everyone just silently watched, as if they had agreed to it beforehand.
“How did I do?”
He asked, grinning ear to ear. How did he do? What else could I say?
“You did great.”
Would I ruin the mood by nitpicking now? Of course not. I smiled back.
To be fair, he did a good job. He didn’t miss anything important. He even handled the guild questions well, saying that since he had only recently acquired his skills, he wasn’t planning on joining any specific guild just yet but would accept support, keeping things nicely vague.
“But don’t you think you went a bit overboard giving me that much credit? This was your moment to shine, after all.”
Myungwoo glanced around before speaking again.
“I did it on purpose.”
“…Huh?”
“Of course, I meant everything I said, but publicly emphasizing it was intentional.”
…Was this really the same guy who was so meek and shy just two weeks ago? Is this some side effect of his skills?
“Uh… why?”
“To make sure no one messes with you.”
His voice was clear, making sure everyone could hear it.
“That’s why I didn’t announce anything until I could reveal an S-rank item. An S-rank weapon has enough weight to make the message stick.”
He looked proud, and though I was a bit taken aback and honestly a little dumbfounded, I couldn’t help but feel touched.
“Thank you. Really.”
Those two words slipped out on their own. How could I not be grateful? He must’ve wanted to be acknowledged sooner, but he waited. Even when he finally got his moment in the spotlight, he didn’t hog it all to himself.
He gave so much that it almost felt undeserved. What more could I say?
“Heh, this much is nothing.”
He looked a bit shy now, and that was the Myungwoo I knew.
“People will be too scared to mess with me now, thanks to you.”
I said it half-jokingly, but it was the truth. Who would want to anger the blacksmith capable of crafting weapons that boost a hunter’s abilities? If I were kidnapped again, hunters from top to bottom would be tripping over themselves to look good in front of Myungwoo, just in case they needed something from him.
Sure, someone might try to use me as leverage to force rare equipment out of him, but that’d be a high-risk, high-reward move. If it went wrong, they wouldn’t even be able to recover from the backlash.
“You’re a real solid ally.”
Even though I could feel the stares, full of ulterior motives, burning into me.
The first equipment-crafting hunter in the world, who debuted alongside a top-tier S-rank weapon!
Master of the Golden Forge, Yu Myungwoo, has no limits to the grades of items he can craft!
Forget crafting limits, a godlike talent has arrived!
F-rank hunter turns into an SS-rank overnight!
The secret to obtaining SS-rank skills?!
The press conference footage hit the main portals, and soon, articles about Myungwoo flooded every website. Real-time search rankings were filled with his name, “Master of the Golden Forge,” “Icewood Spear,” “S-rank equipment,” “SS-rank equipment,” and “No crafting limits.” My name popped up too, but I pretended it didn’t exist.
The comment sections were exploding as well. There were a few hate comments, but most of it was just people in awe. Since it wasn’t a mid— or high-rank hunter who hit it big but an F-rank, the level of attention was even higher. A lot of people were asking how an F-rank could get such an amazing skill.
‘With this kind of atmosphere, people will definitely rush to the Awakening Center to see if they can confirm special skills first.’
[Master of the Golden Forge, Yu Myungwoo. The world’s first blacksmith hunter is attracting immense attention both domestically and internationally.]
The TV I had left on was playing another news story about how amazing our Myungwoo was, for what felt like the hundredth time. Keep going, keep going.
“Wow, Yerim, look at this. They’re talking about the sure way to get an SS-rank skill.”
Yerim, who had been playing with Blue and had nearly broken the armrest of a single-seater sofa, burst out laughing. Yerim, we just bought that yesterday.
“What’s the method? I want a bunch of cool skills too!”
“You know how the world’s been buzzing about the SS-rank ‘Master of the Golden Forge’ skill lately? If you get a high-tier skill like that, your whole life will change. But usually, it’s hard to awaken in the first place—why are they adding so many useless details?”
“Ugh, it’s just clickbait. They’ll probably ramble about this and that, talk about the weather and your health, then end with ‘SS-rank skills are awesome,’ and that’s it.”
Yerim tossed Blue so high he almost touched the ceiling.
-Screech!
“But I thought you didn’t like looking up this kind of stuff, Mister. You had all those articles written about you too, right? And you barely glanced at the TV back then.”
“It’s not the same.”
Back then, I avoided the internet for days. Why would I bother looking at it? Even if the articles were mostly positive, there’s no way there weren’t hate comments. Even if the Messiah himself came down and performed miracles, there’d be people calling it a rigged scam, accusing him of being an attention-seeker who thought he was Jesus or something. So, I still avoid anything that mentions me.
Even though things have “reset,” I’ve been beaten down enough already. No need to go looking for more punishment. I hardly even check the comments on my own social media.
“Yujin. Is there any item you need? Anything you want?”
Perhaps embarrassed by all the praise he’d been receiving on TV, Myungwoo couldn’t look directly at the screen anymore and glanced at me, asking if I wanted something. Something I needed…
“Well, I can only use items that increase my stats by a flat amount… but it’d be a waste of time and materials to make those on purpose.”
“What about special effects?”
“Special effects? Hmm…”
Special effects, huh? What would be useful? Maybe something that helps with the kids’ growth? Or maybe a way to transfer my skills or titles to others without physical contact? If that were possible, that’d be ridiculously OP.
“You can’t just make any special effect, right?”
“No. The materials matter. To imbue an item with a special skill, I need materials that support that effect. Like how the Icewood Spear was made with materials that had strong cold attributes.”
So it’s not omnipotent, after all.
“Do you know of any materials that could transfer skills?”
“Nothing like that, I’m afraid.”
“Then what about defensive skills? Not like those barriers that block everyone, even allies, but something that boosts physical defense. Even if it only lasts for an hour or two.”
It would be useful to have a defense boost that could raise my body’s durability to at least A-rank. That way, I could safely share offensive skills without worrying about breaking through a standard barrier.
“The most common materials I’ve come across are defense-related. I can try making something like that.”
“Don’t overdo it. It’d be nice to have, but it’s not a necessity.”
Even though dungeon difficulty is increasing faster, there’s still more than a year before we start seeing higher-grade dungeons break out. If I can train the kids up properly by then, there won’t be a need to share skills like that.
It’s best if I don’t have to risk my F-rank body at all.
It had already been a month since my first dungeon raid after the regression. Which meant the cooldown for “My Kid Is the Best” had ended. Time flies so fast.
For Yerim, there was no need to think twice. I chose the Cold Resistance (A) skill for her.
With her new Icewood Spear granting her an ice attribute enhancement skill, resistance was a must. Elemental resistance skills usually level up quickly, so it’d be good for her to acquire and boost it to S-rank as soon as possible.
As always, Yerim just needed to level up one more time to meet the condition.
On the other hand, choosing for Myungwoo wasn’t so simple.
‘I have no clue what skill would be best just by looking at the names.’
There were too many skills that seemed like they could be special.
[Unacquired Optimized Skills
Hammer Mastery (A)
Delicate Fingers (A)
Fire Resistance (A)
Metal Classification (A)
Sharpen Blades (A)]
These were the five unacquired optimized skills. Other than Fire Resistance, they all seemed related to crafting. And all four of those looked useful.
‘Should I just let him get them in order?’
There’s no point in overthinking it when I can’t see any detailed skill descriptions. Besides, “My Kid Is the Best” has only a one-month cooldown, so I can help him get all of them eventually.
I decided to go with Hammer Mastery first. When I selected it, the condition appeared. Unlike Master of the Golden Forge, all it required was five level-ups. It seemed like he had already met the other conditions. Maybe it was something like “hit something with a hammer a thousand times.”
“Myungwoo, make sure you level up before your stat grade goes up again. It’ll be harder to level up if your grade increases.”
I told him, watching him marinate ribs. It looked delicious. The fact that a world-famous hunter was grilling food for me made me feel a little guilty, though.
“Yeah, I’m planning to level up while it’s still relatively easy.”
“Yerim’s going to be on break for about ten days, so should we all go together then?”
“I’m down for that.”
Even though Myungwoo’s stats were C-rank, he wasn’t a combat hunter, and his level was low, so we’d probably be better off tackling a lower D-rank dungeon. I wonder if he can use the forge even inside dungeons?
“The forge has living facilities, right?”
“Yeah, on the second floor.”
“Once your stats go up and you can enter higher dungeons, that’s going to be super useful. Having a safe place to rest is going to be a godsend.”
Higher-grade dungeons require days, if not weeks, to clear, and you’d be wading through lands teeming with terrifying monsters the whole time. A secure resting place would feel like heaven, even to the most robust high-ranking combat hunters.
If the forge works inside dungeons, Myungwoo’s basically an all-rounder. I’m tempted to ask him to join dungeon raids with Yuhyun. Not that he’d have the time with all the gear he’s making.
After Yerim and Myungwoo, the next one whose “My Kid Is the Best” cooldown ended was none other than Peace.
[Time Remaining Until Adult Form: 56:15]
Thanks to all the time we’ve spent training, only 56 hours—about two and a half days—remained. With the skill, we could reduce that time by up to three times, meaning it could finish in a day.
I’d already equipped gear focused on health and strength, filled the training room with equipment, and prepared recovery potions.
“All right, Peace. Let’s finish this quickly.”
-Screech!
Peace wagged his tail enthusiastically.
And so, after a full day had passed, I felt half-dead.
“…Peace, could you find my phone for me?”
I lay sprawled out on the portable bed. I’d put my phone somewhere to avoid accidentally breaking it during training, but I couldn’t remember where. Even if I did remember, I didn’t have the energy to get it.
Still in his cub form, Peace retrieved my phone and gently placed it on my hand. Smart little guy. Sometimes I wonder if he understands human speech.
“It’s just past seven.”
It was dinner time. I had to go feed the kids and get something to eat myself. I’d close my eyes for thirty minutes and then head up.
Except when I opened my eyes again, it was eleven. Damn it. Peace had climbed into bed with me and was nestled snugly against my side, tilting his head as if to ask why I hadn’t woken up earlier.
“Weren’t you hungry? You should’ve woken me up.”
-Grrr…
I was about to call Myungwoo when I remembered I had turned off my phone earlier due to all the incoming calls, so I called the dormitory’s management office instead. They connected me to my house intercom. Thankfully, Myungwoo wasn’t in the forge.
[Don’t worry. I already fed them. I also let the unicorns know you wouldn’t be able to make it today.]
“Really? Thanks!”
[Take care of yourself.]
Says the guy who should be taking his own advice. Anyway, it’s a relief. Now that Myungwoo’s stats are at C-rank, he can take care of Blue too. How nice.
I hung up and rolled off the portable bed. Peace jumped down with a bounce. Ugh, my back…
“Peace, haven’t you finished growing already?”
-Grrr?
“Let me check. Can you grow bigger, just once? Please?”
I gestured to him, pleading. Peace stepped back, and then a wave of fire-like energy, though not hot to the touch, surged around him as he grew.
He was even bigger than when he was in his adolescent form. About twice as large.
A majestic crimson body with flowing golden mane swayed elegantly. Even though his size had increased, he didn’t feel sluggish. His sleek, agile form reminded me more of a leopard than a lion or tiger. His pointed ears and bushy tail still gave him a bit of a fox-like appearance as well.
[Second Evolutionary Stage Unicorn Subspecies ? Flame-Horned Lion, Peace
Current Stat Grade: S
Growth Potential: A~S
Optimized Initial Skills
Flame Breath (S) acquired
Blazing Charge (A) acquired
Gigantification (A) acquired
Fire Resistance (A) acquired]
“Nice! S-rank stats and all the initial skills acquired!”
Since this was just growth and not a full optimized awakening, I was slightly worried, but it turned out fine. Peace, you’re all grown up now. I reached out, and Peace pressed his head against my hand. His head alone was big enough to fill my arms now.
“Our Peace, you’re so handsome.”
-Grrr…
Even the rumbling purr in his throat sounded completely different from before. Maybe I should bring Peace along when Yuhyun tackles his next S-rank dungeon. Though, it might still be too soon. Either way, I should let him know.
After sending Yuhyun a message about Peace’s completed growth, it wasn’t long before he showed up at the training room.
–TL Notes–
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