“It’s about time, Tan Hwajoo-nim.”
“I know.”
– Clank…
The hammering that had been steadily going on suddenly stopped. For a moment, it felt like the sound of the whole world vanished.
My concentration broke along with it.
There were still the sounds of blacksmiths hammering away on the first floor, but none were as clear as the old man’s crafting.
The old man stubbornly inspected the item he had created.
It was simply a sword made by roughly banging a raw ingot.
The observed raw ingot was of decent quality iron, but it didn’t possess any special effects or remarkable value.
It was the kind of iron that could easily be found in small workshops if enough care was taken.
The sword made from such iron hadn’t even been properly finished, but the blade reflected the light from the forge, gleaming sharply.
Even though I had little experience and hadn’t handled many weapons, I could tell it was a fine sword.
“Hmph. Not a good outcome.”
But the old man looked somewhat displeased. He glanced at the sword he had made with disdain and carelessly leaned it against the wall before standing up.
Ariel glanced at the sword leaning against the wall and said, “Your evaluations of weapons are still quite harsh.”
“It’s not harsh; it’s just an accurate evaluation.”
The old man dusted off his hands, turned around, and gave Ariel a quick once-over before directing his gaze toward me.
His grayish-white eyes were fixed on me. Though his eyes had the dullness typical of old men, there was strangely a glint of vitality in them.
“What an odd kid.”
After looking me over for a while, the old man’s comment was quite mysterious.
“Let’s go.”
The old man tidied up and wiped his hands before heading towards a side door.
He walked without hesitation. Caught off guard, I followed him.
We moved further away from the blacksmith’s area, the sound of metal being hammered fading behind us.
When I glanced back, Ariel was silently following the old man as well. It seemed we weren’t going to some strange place.
Outside, it was still bright and sunny, but when I checked the clock, several hours had already passed.
Even while concentrating, I hadn’t lost my sense of time… Seems like a lot of time went by.
‘Odd child…? I may be younger than the old man, but…’
Following behind the old man, I made a peculiar expression.
Yes, it’s true that I look younger compared to him, but being treated like a little kid is something else.
It wasn’t a bad feeling, just strange and flustered.
“Learn anything while you were at it?”
Before I knew it, we had entered the mansion. The old man crossed the carpet and suddenly asked.
He must have seen my eyes closing, but he spoke as if he was sure I had been watching his movements.
[I learned a little.]
I hesitated for a moment before responding.
In fact, I had learned a lot. The old man… Tan Hwajoo Hwa Byeok-un is known for being one of the best blacksmiths.
I had gleaned valuable information by observing his movements with the power of observation.
Moreover, I had collected data on the movements of most of the others working in the smithy.
They were all members of the Gop-hwa Clan who had mastered impressive metallurgy.
If I manage to replicate what I’ve learned, I could handle my own metallurgy as well.
“You’re not asking me about myself. Do you know who I am?”
[Yes.]
[Tan Hwajoo Hwa Byeok-un, right?]
“How impressive. Even this old coot with no external activities is known.”
An old coot with no external activities?
That description felt too diminutive for the renowned blacksmith of the Gop-hwa Clan, Tan Hwajoo…
While I was searching for a response, Ariel, who had been walking behind, spoke up.
“So, am I to be considered a little brat just because I’ve been late to the cradle?”
“The sight of you calling yourself a little brat at your age is quite strange, you know. It’s already been a while since you became part of the Gop-hwa Clan─”
“It’s even weirder seeing Tan Hwajoo-nim, who can bash monsters with a hammer, calling himself an old coot.”
And so began the sudden conversation between them. I walked quietly, choosing not to intervene.
It was quite convenient since I was struggling to find a response, and thanks to Ariel, I could avoid it smoothly.
After a while of walking, we arrived at the mansion’s basement.
After traversing a long underground corridor, we faced a thick iron wall. I observed the inside.
‘The overall material is flame-resistant Flameus metal, and the internal magic is “Fire Resistance”… This must be a testing ground.’
The thick iron door and interior looked like they were designed for fire resistance.
With a creaking sound, the heavy iron door opened. Inside, there were already three guests.
There was Hong Yeon-hwa, seemingly lost in thought, and the same Chungral-joo Choi Ji-yeon I had seen in the morning.
And…
“Oh, you’ve arrived.”
With bright red eyes staring at me through the open door, a man burst into a hearty laugh and pointed at me.
“Hyung-soo, you’re here.”
“Please call me Chungral-joo in public spaces.”
“Eh? It’s not like we’re in the conference hall; is it really necessary to be so formal here?”
“Strictly speaking, this is still… No, never mind.”
Choi Ji-yeon, who had been elaborating on her words, suddenly squinted and rubbed her neck, sealing her lips tight.
The man who laughed at her reaction stepped forward, extending a hand as big as a pot lid.
“Finally, I’m meeting the person of interest. I’m Hong Jin-hyuk.”
The man’s behavior and demeanor appeared somewhat easygoing.
In good terms, he had a friendly and approachable impression, but poorly put, he seemed too casual for his position.
Hong Jin-hyuk.
While there could be others in this world with the same name, being a member of the Gop-hwa Clan and referring to Choi Ji-yeon as Hyung-soo made him identifiable.
Jeong Hwajoo (停火主) Hong Jin-hyuk.
He was the younger brother of the clan head and the captain of the Gop-hwa Clan’s combat unit, Jeonghwa-da.
[Lee Ha-yul.]
[It’s an honor to meet you like this.]
“Oh, you’re the type to observe etiquette.”
We shook hands. Just as I had expected from his pot-lid-like exterior, his hand was thick and solid.
Even an extraordinary physique wouldn’t have many scars, yet clearly visible calluses were present.
And I also observed his inner self.
When I first laid eyes on Hong Yeon-hwa, I felt the internal flame lying dormant within her.
It was something I could perceive even when using my distorted spatial perception without realizing the abilities of spatial and observatory powers.
Now that I had grown, I could acquire even clearer and more detailed information.
“Hmm… This is interesting.”
It seemed he could sense me just as I had sensed him.
But it appeared he hadn’t gained any satisfactory information as he tilted his head in confusion.
“Gop-hwa isn’t felt at all. Even if it’s tightly hidden, it shouldn’t be able to be concealed like this… Oh!”
– Slap!
“Don’t be rude, get out of here.”
Choi Ji-yeon slapped Hong Jin-hyuk’s back of the head, shaking her hand in exasperation.
.
.
.
After some back and forth, I ended up standing alone in the center of the facility.
The verification process was straightforward.
The purpose of our meeting was to verify whether I could indeed utilize Gop-hwa.
In other words, it simply meant I needed to demonstrate Gop-hwa once.
[Shall we start?]
“Yes, please.”
At my question, Choi Ji-yeon, watching from behind a glass panel, nodded.
Beyond the glass wall, there were also Hong Yeon-hwa, Tan Hwajoo Hwa Byeok-un, and Jeong Hwajoo Hong Jin-hyuk.
Hong Jin-hyuk had expressed that he wanted to feel Gop-hwa directly, but… he was again dragged out by Choi Ji-yeon.
Overall, he seemed quite informal. Perhaps it was because of their familial ties.
‘Enough of these thoughts.’
Now was the moment to clear my mind of unnecessary thoughts.
I mustn’t forget. Gop-hwa burns anything, but the firewood that it consumes best is the owner’s emotions.
Furthermore, if there aren’t enough emotions to feed it, it has the rotten ability to forcefully incite the owner’s emotions.
If used in a muddled state where my mind is distracted and emotions are stuck, I could lose control and end up being devoured instead.
– Huuu…
I exhaled, calming my head, and summoned my magical power.
The mana poured from my core, cascading along the circuits and overflowing focused on my right arm.
I arranged the mana. Inflating and expanding my uniqueness.
Instead of creating something new, I brought it forth to replicate what was already there.
Mana Affinity Extension Ability
Homogenization (同質化) – Gop-hwa (劫火)
Flames surged powerfully from my arm wrapped in the sleeve.
*
A wave of bright red flames rushed towards the glass wall.
The wave of flames filled the interior of the facility, continually colliding against the glass wall.
Hwa Byeok-un reached out, touching the glass wall.
It was hot.
The flames… I could feel the heat Gop-hwa possessed.
This glass wall was an insulating wall crafted by Tan Hwajoo Hwa Byeok-un himself.
It was engineered and designed to withstand even the toughest of Gop-hwa, but if exposed to those flames, it would likely melt away quickly.
“Old man.”
“Why, you little brat?”
“Am I just imagining things?”
Hwa Byeok-un turned his head. The once easygoing expression on Hong Jin-hyuk’s face was now serious.
Surprised by this sudden shift, Hwa Byeok-un instinctively touched his own face.
He could feel his own rigid facial muscles as well.
“……”
Was it just my imagination?
Hwa Byeok-un couldn’t answer immediately.
He felt the same discomfort, yet he couldn’t come to a clear conclusion about it.
Over 200 years, the Gop-hwa Clan had passed down the Gop-hwa as a unique ability.
But not everyone could manifest Gop-hwa.
Moreover, not everyone manifested it with the same traits.
The fundamental intensity and ferocity of the unleashed Gop-hwa were similar, yet there could be distinct differences based on the user.
So, there were cases where variations could differ just slightly.
That boy’s manifested Gop-hwa felt odd.
Hong Jin-hyuk, who had fought countless battles enveloped in Gop-hwa, and Hwa Byeok-un, who had dealt with flames and hammered iron for ages, both sensed a dissonance in that Gop-hwa.
There was a peculiar property to it.
It had a strength akin to the remarkable output of Hong Yeon-hwa’s Gop-hwa, which was unprecedented in clan history.
Moreover…
‘That…’
200 years.
While it may seem short in the span of human history, it’s more than enough time for a traitor to appear among the bloodlines.
The special ability passed down from the founding ancestor was rare, yet there were instances where it was not used for the peace of humanity.
And.
Not long ago, there was a manifested user of Gop-hwa who inflicted great damage on civilians.
In the “Reverse” named new city, a disaster occurred right in the center of the bustling district.
Thousands of civilians lost their lives on the spot, caught in flames spreading in all directions.
Considering the indirect victims, the count would easily surpass several times that.
The perpetrator of that calamity, marked by the association as the “Immediate Extermination” order, exhibited a filthy characteristic of Gop-hwa.
It seemed to mix within that boy’s Gop-hwa.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
