“Mr. Yang Deoksu, as you know, the Production-Type Awakened who belong to our Sangwangryeon have many advantages. We can share know-how, and protect each other’s techniques from endless rivals, and…”
“I’m fine. I prefer going it alone.”
….
“Master Yang Deoksu, our Oseong Guild doesn’t discriminate among Awakened by Class or type. No matter what Class or type you are, we can offer the best support based on abundant resources. Come to Oseong.”
“No thanks. I hate crowds. And if you think all crafting can be solved with money, you’re mistaken.”
….
“Old man, I’m telling you nicely — come join our Cheonsu Guild. We sell items well, you know? It’s a win-win for both of us.”
“Good grief, now even some thugs are getting involved.”
“What? Thugs? You’re really something. If you’re that cocky, your belly might just get pierced!”
“Well, that’s perfect timing. I’ve got a sharp knife here. Come on, let’s see if it pierces through. Here — here. Take off your shirt so it’s easy to see? There, ready? Stab! What, you’re not going to let me stab?”
“Damn it, what kind of careless old man is this!”
“If you knew I was crazy, don’t go acting tough and get out!”
All of these were things Yang Deoksu had actually experienced.
Madman, lunatic, eccentric, crazy blacksmith.
Yang Deoksu didn’t dislike the nicknames he’d earned through countless mishaps.
Actually, to be precise, nicknames meant nothing to him.
An exceptional Item!
His sole goal, interest, and even personality revolved around creating outstanding Items that humanity had never reached, entirely by his own power.
For that, Yang Deoksu was willing to sacrifice fame, fortune, and even human relationships.
Naturally, that temperament made him stubborn.
Despite his excellent blacksmith skills, he refused to mass-produce.
Even his properly made items were often knocked around and damaged by those who treated them carelessly.
There was no way he could have a lot of money.
Because of that, now he lived without any help under the care of a young woman.
Yang Deoksu had one habit whenever he came into money.
“That’s it! That must be a material with incredible potential!”
Sometimes, he would roam Insadong Item Street buying materials that no one else wanted.
And today, Yang Deoksu discovered something in a certain shop.
Someone was standing in front of the material, but that didn’t register in his eyes.
He simply walked up and called out instinctively.
“How much for this? I’ll buy it!”
But an unwelcome interruption occurred for Yang Deoksu.
Someone beside him raised an objection.
“Wait a moment, sir. I was the one looking at this material first.”
Only then did Yang Deoksu realize a lanky man was standing beside him.
“What’s this guy up to?”
Yang Deoksu’s eyes went to the lanky man, Suho’s hand.
“You haven’t even held a hammer before, do you? Hmph!”
Suho’s hands were clean.
Since his Awakening, even blemishes had vanished, so it was only natural.
“A guy like that covets such excellent materials? What a clueless fool!”
Eccentric Yang Deoksu.
He was as stubborn as he was dedicated as an artisan. He lacked social grace.
That’s why he dared to shout at a stranger he had just met.
“You don’t deserve to have these materials!”
***
Suho was dumbfounded.
An old man suddenly barging in while he was inspecting an item.
‘I can understand being upset about someone trying to get between you and your material.
When you see a good item, greed naturally arises. Sometimes people force their way because of it.’
‘But what’s with this qualification business?’
He couldn’t understand why someone was suddenly trying to decide who deserved what.
They’d only just met.
Despite Suho’s words, the hair on his arms stood up.
“I don’t know about qualifications or whatever. I was going to buy this first, so wait a bit. Old man, you just mind your business once I’m done.”
“What? Such rude behavior!”
Ignoring the flustered Yang Deoksu, Suho spoke to the shopkeeper.
“Just show me the item already.”
“No! This isn’t something for your hands to touch! Where do you think you’re grabbing with those flimsy hands!”
Before the shopkeeper could protest further, Yang Deoksu jumped in.
“You meet all sorts of strange people. Should I teach him a lesson? Three hits should be enough.”
“Enough, Balryong.”
Suho sent a rare, sharp telepathic message toward Balryongi.
Then quickly told the shopkeeper,
“I’m done looking. I’ll just buy it. How much is it?”
Balryongi guaranteed it.
Even Suho felt the dense magical power radiating from the material.
Better to just buy it before Yang Deoksu got any more involved.
“Ten million won! Since there are two, twenty million!”
The shopkeeper shouted with excitement.
His voice was so strong Yang Deoksu couldn’t interrupt.
“Crook — you’ve been completely played,” Balryong said.
“Because of this old man, you’re going to get ripped off.”
The prices on this street weren’t fixed.
They were whatever the seller wanted.
That’s why the shopkeeper was excited.
“That’s ridiculous! Why should you get to buy it? Every item has a rightful owner! It’s utterly unreasonable for someone to have money and just take something they can’t even handle properly!”
Yang Deoksu yelled loudly.
Just as Suho was about to respond, the shopkeeper intervened.
“Old man, do you have the money? If you pay twenty million, I won’t sell it to anyone else.”
Yang Deoksu flinched.
He only had five million.
Neither his home nor the bank had any more cash for him.
“If you weren’t such a softie, I’m sure you could’ve bought it for five million!”
Yang Deoksu glared at Suho for no reason.
But Suho was strangely at ease by then.
“Obviously, the old man has no money. That’s it, Suho.”
Balryong voiced Suho’s feelings.
Suho lifted a corner of his mouth in a slight smile and spoke.
“Twenty million won. Is card payment okay?”
“If you pay cash, I’ll give you a 2% discount.”
“That’s fine, just put it on the card.”
Suho handed over his card.
“This can’t be happening… How can such ruthless business go down in broad daylight?”
Leaving the stunned Yang Deoksu behind, Suho took the Item.
[Iron Turtle Carapace]
- The backplate of the Iron Turtle. Its hardness makes processing very difficult.
The other performance stats matched what was written on the sheet.
Except for the part about how hard it was to process.
“Need anything else?”
“No, thank you.”
Suho hurriedly left the shop.
Yang Deoksu’s condition looked serious.
But—
“He’s following.”
Footsteps sounded behind him.
***
‘What’s his game?’
If it were just an old man, Suho would have just brushed him off.
If he hadn’t been reminded of his grandfather, he might have actually done something.
“What on earth are you trying to say?”
In a quiet corner of Insadong Item Street, Suho asked Yang Deoksu.
“I will never hand over these materials to you!”
“You want to hand them over? I paid money for this, and it’s mine.”
“Still! No! Think carefully. Such materials should go to someone who can handle them properly, or they won’t show their true value.”
“So what? If you really want it, buy it from me for twenty million won.”
Suho basically said, “Put your money where your mouth is.”
Yang Deoksu flinched.
No wonder he was called a mad blacksmith.
“Absolutely not! I will never hand over this to someone who can’t handle it properly!”
Yang Deoksu grabbed Suho’s sleeve and collapsed to the ground.
“Sigh.”
As Suho sighed, Yang Deoksu’s tantrum continued.
“At least if it were someone wearing decent equipment, I might understand. But some guy with just a 1-star or a newly-awakened tag? Never!”
Huh?
Something about that stung.
“Decent equipment? So what if I have it? Would you give up then?”
The equipment was in the Dimensional Bag.
“Hmph! What decent equipment do you have? Have you ever even seen a proper item? Look! This is the kind of item you show your badge for!”
When the topic turned to Items, Yang Deoksu jumped up suddenly.
He drew a short dagger from his chest.
Even at a glance, it was a good item.
‘From Earth’s standards, this would be a fine Item.’
But what could be done?
Suho’s insight far exceeded Earth’s standards.
“Is that really the qualification this old man is talking about?”
Suho said casually, as if it were no big deal.
Yang Deoksu’s expected reaction was nowhere to be found.
His mood soured as his dagger was dismissed, and he shouted wildly.
“I thought at least your eyes were good enough to pick good materials, but they’re completely blind! No way! Someone like you having those materials is a sin against humanity… Huh? Ugh!”
But his words abruptly stopped.
His mouth hung open in shock.
“How about it? Is this a proper item now?”
Suho brandished the Flame Thorn Magic Sword he pulled from his Dimensional Bag.
Yang Deoksu reached out toward the Flame Thorn Magic Sword.
“L-Let me see. Just once.”
“No way.”
Suho didn’t let anyone else touch his sword.
“Old man, I’ve already been generous enough. Don’t try this anywhere else!”
Even after Suho’s words, Yang Deoksu didn’t respond.
His mind was a jumbled mess of cognitive dissonance.
‘Th-that gleam! That’s no ordinary item.’
Yang Deoksu’s eyes recognized the greatness of the Flame Thorn Magic Sword.
‘How did such a rare treasure end up in the hands of such a rookie?’
But his mind kept telling him otherwise.
This was an item he might barely be able to make with all his effort.
How could it be held by a guy like that?
If it were on the Hunter Association President’s hip, or even Kang Minje’s back, that would make sense!
‘This must be fake. Someone probably used a skill fragment to manipulate the appearance and aura of the Item.’
Yang Deoksu couldn’t deny his own insight and life experience as a blacksmith.
He chose instead to brand Suho as a villain.
“Whatever trickery you pulled, if you think you can fool me, you’re mistaken!”
Suho’s eyes narrowed sharply.
By now, there was no helping it.
He had to show some bite.
Swish—
The Flame Thorn Magic Sword slid out of its sheath.
Yang Deoksu flinched.
“Old man, then hit it. Go ahead and strike.”
“Hey—old man, try hitting my sword with your dagger. You’re an Awakened, right? Your strength must be far beyond an ordinary person. If there’s some trick on my sword, your great dagger should shatter it.”
Yang Deoksu’s mouth curled upward in a confident smile.
“I’ll smash it to pieces. But before that—”
“Anything else?”
“If your sword breaks, the material is mine!”
“Fine.”
It was a reckless demand, but Suho agreed.
He didn’t want to waste time, and he was confident the Flame Thorn Magic Sword wouldn’t break.
Of course.
Aside from the Red Gray Guardian, the Flame Thorn Magic Sword was the best among Suho’s Items.
“But I can’t accept without some conditions. It’s a matter of principle.”
Suho wouldn’t lose anything, but the heart is another matter.
So he quickly added,
“What if you lose, old man?”
“….?”
“Why are you so surprised? There’s always a possibility of you losing, right? I wasn’t keen on this bet, but if you’re going to fight, you should have some skin in the game.”
After some hesitation, Yang Deoksu spoke.
“Fine. If I lose, I’ll do whatever you ask once. Sharpen your sword, make a weapon, whatever. Even if I came looking to serve the guild, they wouldn’t make me obey so easily.”
There are dwarves around, so why bother?
“Fine, but I won’t accept anything but physical payment.”
“Alright! Good. Then I bet all this. This is everything I have, so there’s nothing more to add!”
Yang Deoksu waved around his fifty-thousand-won bills.
His entire fortune: five million won.
Suho smiled faintly and raised the Flame Thorn Magic Sword.
“Alright then. Strike.”
“Hmph! I don’t know what trick you used to be so confident, but prepare to hand over the materials!”
Yang Deoksu swung down his dagger.
Whoosh—
With destructive force, the dagger fell.
The fierce blow of the Production-Type Golem Awakened was contained in the strike.
It landed on the Flame Thorn Magic Sword.
Ching!
Yang Deoksu’s dagger was cleanly cut and fell to the ground.
“Huh? Wha-what? How is this possible? No way!”
My dagger!
My high-grade dagger, with serration and reinforcement!
This can’t be!
Yang Deoksu’s anguished cries echoed through Insadong Item Street.