Chapter 5: Silent Sanctuary

The relentless sound of metal echoes through the cramped studio apartment. 

It’s the sound of disassembling the ore mined from Hephaestus’s Mine. 

[‘Iron Ore’ disassembly completed.] 

[Iron Fragment obtained.] 

[‘Brass Ore’ disassembly completed.] 

[Brass Fragment obtained.] 

Impurities were removed from the fifteen ores, leaving behind finely refined fragments. With these, I could craft something even better than the B-grade Long Sword I made before. 

“Hehe, what should I make now?” 

My hands were already itching to start. 

But perhaps due to my low stats, my arms were trembling, so I decided to take a break. 

If I forced myself to work with shaky hands and missed a point, the crafting could fail or result in a lower-grade item. 

Then— 

Ding-dong. 

The doorbell rang unexpectedly. 

I hadn’t ordered delivery, and I don’t have visitors. Who could it be? 

“Who’s there?” 

In this old building, there’s no video intercom. 

Slipping on my slippers and standing by the door, I heard a man’s voice. 

“It’s your neighbor.” 

Neighbor? 

We’re not exactly on friendly terms, having only seen each other a couple of times in passing. Why is he here? 

As I tilted my head, I glanced at my room. 

Even though I’d worked at the sink, the room was a mess from all the hammering. 

Recalling the loud metallic clangs that rang out with every swing, I realized why he’d come. 

“Ugh…” 

With no choice, I opened the door. 

As expected, it wasn’t just one person. Along with the neighbor, two others were standing there. 

“I’m from downstairs. Isn’t it a bit too noisy up here?” 

“What are you even doing in there to make this kind of racket? It’s louder than construction outside!” 

“Are you hammering metal or something? This is so annoying right after getting off work.” 

“They’ll think you’re swinging a hammer in there.” 

“Keep it down!” 

The complaints came nonstop. 

I wanted to argue back, but… 

“I’m sorry…” 

What could I do? 

It was all true. 

I’d always been mindful of others’ noise but never considered my own. 

I was in the wrong, so an apology was only right. 

“If this happens again, I’m calling the police!” 

“I’m telling the landlord, just so you know.” 

“Police, landlord, whatever—I’ll come up here myself next time!” 

Bang.

The door slammed shut. 

At least they didn’t call the police or the landlord right away. 

It was better that they came up to warn me. If they’d acted immediately, I might’ve been kicked out of my precious little studio. 

“Now what?” 

This was a problem. 

I could no longer hammer freely in my room. 

Doing it in the mine might work, but the mine has a time limit. 

Still, there was a solution—a simple one. 

Leave the apartment. 

I could rent a workshop or join a guild by showcasing my SSS-grade ability. 

Come to think of it, an SSS-grade ability is national-level talent, right? 

Even the government would welcome me with open arms. 

Doesn’t that mean I’m kind of a big deal? 

As I pondered this, the TV, which I’d left on out of habit, blared a news report. 

—Breaking news. This morning, Han-seok Kang, a famous A-grade enhancer from Dragon Guild, was found dead.

Dragon Guild claims this is the work of Blade Guild, but Blade Guild vehemently denies the allegations.

—Let’s hear from an expert.

—There’s no solid evidence, but Dragon Guild’s suspicions are understandable. Han-seok Kang was vital to Dragon Guild…

“Uh…?” 

No way, right? 

Someone that important would surely be protected by their guild. 

—Next breaking news. 

—Young-soo Han, chairman of Hoonhan Corporation, was seriously injured and hospitalized. 

—The suspect is a bodyguard, Mr. Lee, an awakener, who acted impulsively after feeling insulted by Young-soo Han’s verbal abuse…

“…….”

No way.

This is dangerous. 

Sure, I awakened an SSS-grade ability, but I’m just a blacksmith. 

My skill window has no combat skills to speak of. 

If I joined a major guild and another awakener got jealous or a rival guild ambushed me during a quick outing… 

In the short time the news played, my mind raced with horrifying scenarios. 

The conclusion? 

“Ugh, the world outside my blanket is too dangerous.” 

I made my decision and dove under the covers. 

Home is the best. 

Now, the issue was how to solve the noise problem in my precious apartment. 

On a whim, I searched the system’s auction house for keywords like “noise” or “soundproof.” Surprisingly, a ton of items popped up. 

[Soundproof Earplugs] 

[Sound-Dampening Bell] 

[Silent Arrow] 

“Soundproof earplugs, a sound-dampening bell… they’ve got stuff like this too.” 

The variety of items was impressive. 

Earplugs that block all sound or a bell that scrambles surrounding noise. 

Just browsing the auction house felt like it was expanding my perspective as a blacksmith. 

The problem? None of these were useful for me. 

But as I absentmindedly scrolled through the listings, I found something intriguing. 

[Fireproof Statue] 

Curious about a statue, I checked its ability—it reduced fire attribute attack power in its vicinity. 

It wasn’t relevant to me, but my gaze shifted to the ore I mined. 

[Sound-Absorbing Stone] 

The Sound-Absorbing Stone. 

It was the ore that made me think, “Fantasy is fantasy, huh,” when I mined it. 

Its ability was simple: it absorbs sound. 

I’d kept it thinking it’d be great for crafting silent weapons like guns, bows, or throwing daggers. 

The Fireproof Statue and the Sound-Absorbing Stone. 

Seeing them sparked an idea. 

Who am I? 

An SSS-grade awakened blacksmith. 

Surely I could handle this. 

With that thought, I began preparations. 

Shaaa—

First, I turned on the shower. 

Nya-nya-nyo!!

Then I played some music. 

I laid blankets and pillows on the floor, placed fragments from the disassembled Sound-Absorbing Stone on top, and covered myself with another blanket before picking up the hammer. 

‘This should do it!’ 

Just for a bit. 

If this worked, I wouldn’t have to worry about noise complaints for a while. 

With the water running, music playing, and blankets laid out, a few hammer swings should be fine! 

With that, I activated the skill. 

“Craft!” 

[Please select the type of item to craft.] 

“Statue!” 

[Please specify the detailed form of the statue.] 

Detailed form, huh. 

My goal was a statue that helps with soundproofing. 

It’d probably work better if the statue’s form was related to that purpose. 

What’s associated with soundproofing? 

I recalled the Fireproof Statue from the auction house, designed to look like it was extinguishing flames. 

Similarly, my statue should feel like it’s blocking sound. 

“This is trickier than I thought.” 

But I couldn’t give up. 

This statue would protect my precious, safe studio life, so I put my all into designing its form. 

A man sitting on the ground, covering his ears, screaming in agony. 

Unintentionally, I’d modeled it after myself. 

[Please select the material for the statue.] 

The material was obviously Sound-Absorbing Fragments. 

No other materials—just those. 

Luckily, I’d mined two Sound-Absorbing Stones, so I had enough fragments. 

It wasn’t like I was making a massive statue anyway. 

[Crafting begins.] 

“Let’s do this!” 

Clang!

I swung the hammer. 

Cautiously, this time. 

The sound couldn’t be completely avoided, but the shower and music helped muffle it. 

With blankets and pillows on the floor, it should be fine, I thought, as I swung. 

The good news? 

‘The points are small.’ 

Maybe because it was a delicate statue, the points were smaller and more precise than usual. 

My swings naturally became lighter and more meticulous. 

[Progress: 21%…] 

The statue’s rough shape took form. 

Now came the hard part. 

I carefully struck the small, fast-appearing points to refine the statue’s details. 

[Progress: 58%…] 

Fingers covering ears. 

A screaming mouth. 

Tightly shut eyes. 

I swung the hammer dozens of times with intense focus. 

Even with sound muffling, I worried someone might call the police, so I swung even more carefully. 

[Progress: 93%…] 

My hands were trembling. 

It wasn’t even heavy swinging, but the mental strain of such delicate work was immense. 

I meticulously shaped every detail, from a toe touching the ground to the hem of the clothing. 

Lost in a trance, I swung the hammer like I was possessed. 

[Crafting completed.] 

[‘Sound-Absorbing Statue’ obtained.] 

“Phew!” 

Just as the tension was about to choke me, I finished the statue. 

It looked impressively detailed, even to me. 

Excited, I checked the item info. 

“Soundproofing, yes!” 

[Sound-Absorbing Statue] 

Type: Statue 

Rank: S 

Restriction: None 

Description: A statue crafted by someone suffering from noise, embodying their emotions. 

Abilities: 

1. Sound Absorption – While the statue is placed, it absorbs sound within a 10m² radius, preventing it from escaping. 

2. Scream – As it absorbs sound, it grants a stat boost to those nearby (10–100%). 

3. Despair – When absorbing intense noise, it restores nearby health (1–10%). 

“It worked!” 

I’d created a soundproof statue. 

I was worried it might turn out weird, but it was exactly what I envisioned. 

No, it was better. 

“S-grade!” 

An S-grade statue! 

A statue, of all things, at S-grade! 

Not only did it block noise, but it also provided bonus effects based on the absorbed sound. 

With a 10m² radius limit, I placed it in the center of the room and tested it. 

Tap!

I carefully struck an iron fragment with the hammer. 

The sound was audible but clearly absorbed by the statue instead of spreading. 

Emboldened, I swung harder. 

Clang!

“Oooh!” 

Same result. 

The sound was absorbed by the statue instead of echoing outward. 

I was certain now. 

With this statue, I could stay in my precious little room without leaving! 

Clang, clang, CLANG!

“Hahaha!” 

No need to venture into the dangerous world outside my blanket!