Chapter 27: The Blazing Forge Unveiled

“Hello, this is Sky, the host of the Changcheon Guild’s official channel.”

Large guilds each have their own channels.

The Changcheon Guild, one of Korea’s five major guilds, is no exception.

Changcheon was particularly aggressive about promoting its channel compared to other top guilds.

They often showcased lower-grade Gate clears with a bit of showmanship, careful not to reveal their full strength.

• Looks like another Changcheon raid.
  
• So what? It’s probably just a C-grade at best. lol
  
• Honestly, shouldn’t a guild like Changcheon leave C- to B-grade Gates to smaller guilds?
  
• lol They’re hogging even the low-tier Gates for PR.
  

However, this promotional strategy hasn’t been working as well lately.

As Changcheon grew more famous, more people began to view their actions with discomfort.

And then—

• Where’s Cheon-gung?
  
• Didn’t Cheon-gung get pushed down the rankings by the Berserker? lol
  
• Must be too embarrassed to show up. lol
  
• “The era of Cheon-gung is over.”
  
• Always acting like a saint, and now look at him. lmao
  

This time, the criticism was even harsher.

The reason was simple.

It was because of Cheon-gung, Cheon Seung-heon, the guild master of Changcheon.

The biggest reason Changcheon rose to become a major guild was Cheon-gung, the second-ranked Hunter.

Now that his ranking had dropped, viewers were seizing the opportunity to tear into Changcheon.

At that moment—

“I’m Cheon Seung-heon.”

The camera panned, and instead of Sky, who usually hosted the broadcasts, Cheon-gung himself grabbed the microphone.

The viewers, caught off guard by the unexpected situation, froze, and the chat went silent for a moment.

Before the stunned audience could recover, Cheon Seung-heon continued.

“Today, at the request of the Hunter Association, I’m here to clear a Level 5 Gate near the city, Hidden Sky.”

• It’s Cheon-gung!
  
• A Level 5 Gate??
  
• They’re showing a Level 5 Gate clear?
  
• He’s doing this because he got outranked by the Berserker. lol
  
• Probably turned on the camera to reclaim his fame.
  
• Still, he can’t compare to the Berserker. The Berserker soloed a Level 5 Gate. lol
  

As the viewers resumed chatting, they noticed something odd.

Changcheon’s raid prep videos usually featured many guild members.

But now?

Only two people had appeared in the footage so far.

Sky and Cheon-gung, Cheon Seung-heon.

Sky was a non-combat Hunter specializing in extreme stealth for filming.

So that meant—

“Currently, our guild members are clearing another Gate, so due to the urgency of the situation, I’ve come here alone.”

• ??
  
• Alone?
  
• For real?
  
• No way, he’s gotta be lying. lol
  

The implication was clear.

Cheon Seung-heon was here to solo a Level 5 Gate.

Watching the flustered viewers, Cheon Seung-heon nodded with a serious expression and approached the Gate.

“It’s dangerous, but the urgency of the situation left me no choice. I’ll begin the clear now.”

Cheon-gung entered the Gate alone.

Sky followed, using stealth abilities to film the Gate clear.

The key point was that, so far, the only Hunter caught on camera was Cheon Seung-heon.

• Is this legit?
  
• That’s way too dangerous…
  
• Urgency my ass, he’s obviously doing this to one-up the Berserker. lol
  
• What if something goes wrong? Cheon Seung-heon is one of Korea’s top assets.
  
• Isn’t this getting serious?
  

Public opinion began to stir.

Sure, Park Kang-chul was known for acting recklessly and avoiding party play.

But hadn’t Cheon Seung-heon always meticulously conducted raids with his guild?

Moreover, his class was Ranger, a type of archer.

Without a sturdy tank to hold the front line, it’s a class that struggles to shine.

As the viewers grew increasingly alarmed, Cheon Seung-heon began the clear.

Moving swiftly like a true Ranger, he soon encountered the first monster.

“Cawww!”

A monster appeared, blotting out the sun—a Winged Beast.

A flying monster with a massive body to match its enormous wings.

Its combat strength wasn’t particularly high, but as a flying monster, it was notoriously difficult to deal with.

Against such an enemy—

Caw.

Cheon Seung-heon drew his bowstring.

Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!

Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!

Dozens of arrows shot from his bowstring.

The archery skills of a top-ranked Hunter.

The motions of drawing arrows, nocking them, and firing were so fast they were barely visible.

The act of shooting left afterimages, with dozens of arrows flying straight toward the Winged Beast.

Thwack-thwack-thwack!

Thwack-thwack-thwack!

The Winged Beast didn’t dodge.

Did it know the Ranger’s weakness—fast attack speed but low per-shot damage?

Or did it simply not care about arrows that seemed like toothpicks compared to its massive body?

The Winged Beast flew toward Cheon Seung-heon, brandishing its sharp beak.

But then—

• What’s that?
  
• The Winged Beast looks off.
  
• Status effect?
  
• Wait, that’s…
  

The Winged Beast’s condition was strange.

Its body staggered, and thick purple liquid dripped from its mouth.

Before it could even reach Cheon Seung-heon—

“Cawww!”

Crash!

It lost consciousness and crashed to the ground beside him.

As if he’d expected this, Cheon Seung-heon stood his ground, one corner of his mouth pulled into a smirk.

No, that was just for a moment.

He quickly hid his expression and faced the camera with a more serious look than ever.

“It’ll be a tough battle, but given the Gate’s location and the urgency, I’ll do my best.”

• Insane!
  
• What was that?!
  
• Since when was Cheon Seung-heon this strong?
  
• Wow, I never noticed because he was always overshadowed by raid teams, but his individual skill is unreal. lol
  
• Is he stronger than the Berserker? Is the system glitched?
  
• Did Cheon Seung-heon always have poison-related skills?
  

That day, Cheon Seung-heon successfully soloed a Level 5 Gate.

As his rank returned to second place, the world’s attention turned not only to Cheon-gung and the Berserker but also to the Cloak and Quiver they wore.

That evening.

Midnight.

As soon as the clock struck 12 and the Mine opened, I prepared and entered.

“Let’s go!”

My inventory was full of ore, but I felt lighter than ever.

I smashed through Golems I encountered along the way and moved forward.

Having roamed Area 1 for days, I’d memorized its layout.

I quickly found Hephaestus’ Forge.

[Hephaestus’ Forge]

Following the polished, artificial corridor, I soon saw the stone door.

As if waiting for me, the image of the furnace and its required materials appeared.

Until now, I’d only stared at it, licking my lips before retreating, but not today.

[Using Production Skill.]

[Please select the shape of the item to craft.]

“Furnace.”

[Please specify the details of the furnace’s shape.]

I input the shape of the furnace depicted on the stone door.

The door only showed a flat image, so I wasn’t sure if it would work.

Thankfully, the system accepted the input and moved to the next message.

[Please choose the material for the furnace.]

The furnace’s materials.

With a grin, I added all the materials I’d gathered.

100 Iron Ore.

50 Tin.

50 Mana Stones, and so on.

The amount of materials needed for the furnace was immense.

After emptying my inventory as if shaking out every last bit, it was time for the final items.

[Mithril: 5]

Mithril obtained from disassembling finished items.

These alone were worth billions.

And then—

The core ore, the hardest to obtain in this material hunt.

[Adamantium: 1]

I added the adamantium.

I’d learned just how valuable adamantium was.

But I can’t resist a hidden piece!

[Crafting begins.]

Wooong!

Points appeared before me.

What startled me was their size and thickness.

“What are these?”

Even when repairing Level 100 armor or crafting two SSS-grade items, I’d never seen points this large and dense.

Their appearance was intimidating, but I had no choice.

Clang!

I swung my hammer.

I shattered the points.

That was all.

No matter how large the points.

No matter how thick the points.

Swing the hammer dozens of times.

If that doesn’t work, hundreds of times.

If that still doesn’t work, thousands of times, and they’ll eventually break.

Clang!

[Progress: 7%…]

The progress bar moved frustratingly slowly.

Glancing at it only made me more impatient, so I stopped looking.

In times like this, I just focus on the points and the hammer.

No need to think about anything else.

Wooong.

Another point appeared.

Just as large and thick as the first.

Even swinging the hammer with all my strength only left a small crack.

Still, I didn’t give up and kept swinging.

Clang!

[Progress: 12%…]

The thick stone door faded from my vision.

The loud metallic clangs faded from my ears.

The stinging pain in my palms with each swing faded away.

All that remained in the world was me, my hammer, and the furnace before me.

Nothing else existed.

[You enter a state of transcendence, realizing the essence of a blacksmith.]

[The effect of ‘Hephaestus’ Descendant (SSS)’ temporarily boosts all stats.]

Meanwhile, Golems drawn by the sound of my hammering approached.

The Golems, which usually rushed to attack me—

Warr—

Collapsed as if struck directly by my hammer with each swing.

Nothing could interrupt me.

The hammer swung silently.

As time passed, the sound of my hammering echoed throughout the vast expanse of Hephaestus’ Mine.

“It’s hot.”

How long had I been swinging the hammer?

Despite swinging it so much, my thought wasn’t “I’m tired” but “It’s hot.”

Why did it feel that way?

The answer was simple.

The points, now breaking rapidly with momentum, released searing flames with each strike.

As if engulfing the stone door.

As if engulfing my body.

As if engulfing the entire Mine, the flames burned fiercely.

Clang!

Normally, I might have flinched or retreated from such a phenomenon, but my hammering didn’t stop despite the blazing flames.

No, the raging flames didn’t even register in my eyes.

All I could see was one thing.

The furnace before me.

Clang!

Whoosh!

The flickering flames obscured the progress bar.

It didn’t matter.

I kept striking the points.

The flames grew larger, heating the Mine in real time like a volcano.

Golems roaming the Mine collapsed without reason.

When all the Golems in the Mine had fallen, and the Mine’s heat reached volcanic levels—

Hoo.

Hoo.

My hammering stopped.

No more points appeared.

Instead, a completed furnace stood before me.

[Crafting is complete.]

[‘Hephaestus’ Furnace’ has been obtained.]

The furnace blazed fiercely.

I hadn’t lit it or added firewood.

Yet it burned with astonishing heat.

Even so, I didn’t step back from the furnace.

The flames heating the Mine felt warm and comforting to me.

[You have met the entry requirements for ‘Hephaestus’ Forge’.]

The furnace I crafted was absorbed into the image on the stone door.

The dull gray door was infused with the furnace’s flames.

The drab gray burned away, replaced by black and red reminiscent of a blazing volcano, filling the stone door.

The flames spread up to the sign reading Hephaestus’ Forge, scorching it a deep crimson.

Creak—

Finally.

The firmly sealed stone door opened.