Chapter 44: The Unveiled Blacksmith

“What kind of place is this?”

A zone made of leather.

I’d had my doubts, but I never expected this.

Still, it wasn’t bad.

I thought a leather room would feel like being inside a monster’s body—gross.

But it was surprisingly clean.

“Lumberjack 1, head back and get to work.”

“Understood.”

After sending Lumberjack 1 off, I pulled scissors from my inventory to cut the leather.

Or tried to.

“Do I need different gear here too?”

The leather walls had no space for the scissors’ blades.

I could chip away bit by bit, but it felt awkward.

Examining the leather, I figured out what gear was needed.

[Using Production Skill.]

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

“Knife.”

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

Leatherworking knives are typically small and sharp.

Precision is key for cutting and trimming leather.

But that didn’t suit my situation.

I needed something closer to a butchering knife.

Recalling a boning knife I’d seen, I shaped it.

[Please choose the material for the knife.]

I used moderately tough ore.

[Crafting begins.]

I swung my hammer.

Clang!

Even for a new weapon type, it was easy.

Just a slight variation on the daggers I usually made.

Smashing the glowing points, the item finished quickly.

[Crafting is complete.]

[‘Skinning Knife’ has been obtained.]

A thick, sharp knife.

Not combat-oriented, but it looked threatening enough.

SS-grade, with abilities similar to the pickaxe, scissors, and axe I’d made.

As soon as it was done, I sliced the wall.

Scrape—

The leather wall cut smoothly.

It was a bit tough depending on the direction, but manageable.

With some wrist strength, I peeled layers, soon gathering leather materials.

[Spiked Leather]

[Slippery Leather]

Varieties not found at auctions.

Now, I could source ore, fiber, wood, and leather myself.

No need to visit the auction for most materials.

But crafting wasn’t done.

After checking the knife’s performance, I started on new gear.

[Crafting is complete.]

[‘Hunter’s Work Clothes Top’ has been obtained.]

[Crafting is complete.]

[‘Hunter’s Work Clothes Bottom’ has been obtained.]

Once the gear was ready—

[Hunter’s Work Clothes Top is imbued with Blacksmith’s Soul.]

[Hunter’s Work Clothes Bottom is imbued with Blacksmith’s Soul.]

Hitting Level 30 from the boss fight gave me spare Blacksmith’s Soul uses.

[Blacksmith’s Soul animates the body.]

My new assistant, gripping the skinning knife, stood.

Its name, naturally—

[Please name the Blacksmith’s Soul.]

“Skinner 1.”

[The Blacksmith’s Soul is named Skinner 1.]

Skinner 1.

Considering future assistants and Mine needs, this was best.

“Introductions after the Mine’s time limit. Start working now, got it?”

“Understood.”

Skinner 1 began immediately.

Was it the hunter’s work clothes making it sturdier?

Unlike other assistants digging into walls, it went straight for a leather golem.

Watching briefly, I saw a leather golem being sliced apart.

“With 16 hours now, material supply will be overflowing.”

Auto-hunting.

Auto-gathering.

Couldn’t get better.

Glancing at Skinner 1 diligently hunting, the Mine’s time limit ended.

[Mine’s time limit has expired.]

My body returned to my studio apartment.

Some time later.

“Whoa, looks cool.”

I was reviewing the Vulcanus Guild building Nam Bora purchased.

Not in person, of course.

Just through documents she sent.

“This is really mine?”

A sleek 15-story building.

Originally exorbitant, but cheap due to Red Wyvern damage from the Gate Break.

Conveniently close to my place.

Until recently, I was scraping by in this room.

Now, owning a building outright, no loans—it felt unreal.

Even browsing photos and videos, it didn’t sink in.

“It already looks legit.”

Barely purchased, yet it exuded Vulcanus Guild vibes.

The massive Vulcanus emblem I etch on items was carved boldly, the guild name shining clearly.

The interior wasn’t complete but had most guild necessities.

Still unable to believe it was mine, I kept scrolling through photos and videos.

• Vulcanus-nim, you there?

Nam Bora called.

“Yes, I’m here.”

I knew why she called.

The guild’s opening ceremony.

The official paperwork was done earlier, but today was the formal event with all members in the new building.

• Are you sure? You’ve been so secretive. Even I think showing up publicly is too risky.

“It’s fine. I’ve got a plan.”

The opening ceremony.

I hadn’t planned to attend.

I’d asked Nam Bora to handle it as my proxy, but I changed my mind.

Defeating the Corrupted Black Tree and hitting Level 30 upgraded my Blacksmith’s Soul.

With this, I could attend without revealing my identity.

“Shall we go?”

“What a grand opening.”

“No kidding. Even major guilds, except Royal, don’t throw ceremonies this big.”

Vulcanus Guild was packed.

Reporters arrived first.

As they set up outside the towering building, invited guests appeared one by one.

“Mir Guild!”

“They’re tied to Vulcanus, huh? The guild master himself showed up.”

Mir Guild’s Lee Ga-eul.

Not just the master, but elite members too.

Lee Ga-eul, rarely seen outside Gate raids, made this appearance rare.

After Mir Guild—

The next guest arrived.

“Thank you all for your hard work.”

“Cheon Seung-heon! Are you here as yourself or Changcheon Guild’s master?”

“Both. I’m personally grateful, and Changcheon Guild maintains close ties with Vulcanus Guild.”

Changcheon’s Cheon Seung-heon.

The “close ties” claim was exaggerated, but no one questioned it.

The quiver on his back was my work, after all.

Others followed.

“Berserker!”

“Don’t make eye contact. He smashed a camera last time for that.”

“Look, Sword Saint!”

“Sword Saint’s here too?”

“Didn’t you hear? Vulcanus repaired Sword Saint’s weapon.”

“Technically, the sheath.”

Berserker, Park Kang-jeol.

Sword Saint, Han Yu-ra.

Han Yu-ra arrived with a high-ranking Hunter Association official.

Others with even slight ties to Vulcanus or hoping to curry favor showed up.

“Has a guild opening ever drawn this crowd?”

“It’s not just numbers—every one’s a big shot. Sword Saint, Heavenly Bow, Berserker, Blue Dragon… even Shadow King’s here.”

“Shadow King too? That’s the top 5 rankers. Why’s he here?”

“Rumor is he’s been sending Vulcanus requests but got no response. Probably here to push one in person.”

The underground auditorium, prepared for today, was filled.

As every seat was taken, people looked at the empty stage, wondering—

“Will Vulcanus show?”

“No way. Zero personal info’s been revealed. Why now?”

“Heard the guild was set up entirely by a proxy.”

“Look, someone’s coming.”

As the clock hit the start time—

Someone walked onto the stage.

Some hoped it was Vulcanus, but their faces fell.

It was Nam Bora, Vulcanus’ proxy.

“I’m Nam Bora, Vulcanus-nim’s representative. Thank you, esteemed guests, for attending. Let’s begin the opening ceremony.”

The ceremony proceeded smoothly.

The guild’s purpose, future direction.

Some were curious it wasn’t just a blacksmith guild, but most weren’t.

“Now, introducing Vulcanus Guild’s members.”

“Guild members? This’ll be good.”

“Good? Who’d join a blacksmith’s guild?”

“The benefits are solid. Heard newbies get SS-grade shared gear right away.”

“Still, there’s a limit. Maybe a few A-grade, S-grade team leaders at best.”

As people whispered—

Guild members appeared, clad in SS-grade gear bearing Vulcanus’ emblem.

Not just armor—pants, boots, gloves.

All S or SS-grade.

As they entered, the stage screen displayed their profiles.

[Team 1 Leader: Park Sang-hyun (S)]

“Wait, what?”

[Team 2 Leader: Yoon Hee-joo (S)]

“S-grade Awakened?”

The letters beside their names.

Simple meaning.

S-grade Awakened.

S-grade Awakened, coveted by major guilds, appeared one after another.

Unlike expectations of just a couple—

[Team 3 Leader: Song Jin-seok (S)]

[Team 4 Leader: Han Sung-hye (S)]

All Vulcanus Guild team leaders were S-grade.

And it didn’t stop there.

As introductions continued, even regular members included S-grades.

The lowest were A-grade.

A guild with no one below A-grade.

Rivaling, no, surpassing major guilds in Awakened quality.

“But their weapons?”

The odd part was their weapons.

They were unusual.

Claws were tame by comparison.

Giant scissors, shovels, knives, harps.

Most looked questionable as weapons.

Yet, all were SS-grade, which was even stranger.

As introductions ended—

People thought it was over, starting to rise.

“Finally, a greeting from Vulcanus-nim.”

“What?”

“Vulcanus?”

“No way. Probably the proxy speaking for him.”

“Yeah, right.”

Despite thinking that, no one left.

A glimmer of hope kept them glued to the stage.

Then—

Step.

From behind the stage.

As curtains parted, someone walked between aligned guild members.

“No way?”

Black armor bearing Vulcanus’ emblem.

A red volcano pattern.

Far grander than the shared gear, it drew gasps.

The ceremonial sword at their waist, etched with elegant patterns, evoked a dark knight.

“Is that really Vulcanus?”

A cold glint shone from the helmet’s visor.

Passing Nam Bora, Vulcanus stepped to the microphone.

“I am Vulcanus.”

A chilling voice echoed through the auditorium.