I unpacked my things in the room guided by Ariel.
Mind you, my luggage consisted of just a few clothes that I hadn’t thrown into an alternate space, so it didn’t take long at all.
‘…Is this a room?’
I glanced around the interior, feeling a bit skeptical.
It was so large and expansive that it felt less like a room and more like an entire separate house.
The furniture was shiny and looked quite valuable too…
If the mansion was huge enough to be considered a castle, did all guest rooms match this standard?
When I asked Ariel, it turned out not all guest rooms were like this.
To be fair, there weren’t many rooms of this size around the mansion.
“This room is for precious guests, usually one to two per generation. The head of the clan has also stayed here before.”
[That makes sense.]
I nodded at her explanation.
The head of the clan, Choi Ji-yeon, wasn’t originally from the Gop-hwa Clan.
She was a renowned hero from outside and became part of the Gop-hwa Clan after marrying the current clan leader, Hong Jin-sun.
Moreover, she unexpectedly discovered her skills… not in battle, but in administration and management, using them to effectively rise to the head position and manage the clan’s affairs.
…But I understood that the position of the head was a demanding one.
Given the size of the Gop-hwa Clan, the workload for the one overseeing it was unimaginable.
I was certain of this after just glancing at the mountain of paperwork piled up in her office.
Thus, Choi Ji-yeon openly yearned to step down from the head position.
In the original story, even after Hong Yeon-hwa ascended to the clan head, Choi Ji-yeon still held the position of head.
I finished organizing my things while listening to her explanations.
After a moment of thought, I asked Ariel a question.
[Can the verification be done this afternoon?]
“I’ll schedule it before the afternoon banquet.”
[Thank you.]
Ariel nodded in response.
I had asked to avoid wasting too much time, but fortunately, it seemed we could do it right away.
‘Hmm…’
I checked the time. There was still time before dinner.
[May I wander around a bit?]
Of course, I could observe just sitting here, but it would be better for me to explore in person.
“Yes, of course.”
Once again, I received a positive answer.
Nodding, I got up from my seat.
.
.
.
One of the Gop-hwa Clan’s defining features is its overwhelming combat power.
Starting from the clan leader, who ranks among the top heroes, there are numerous combat units capable of solo operations even in the midst of demonic calamities.
This is a characteristic stemming from the clan’s unique abilities, which are heavily geared towards combat.
The requirements to become the head of the Gop-hwa are a testament to this feature.
A must-have for the clan leader is raw power.
While knowledge, wisdom, and intelligence are appreciated, lacking in power means it’s impossible to ascend to the position of clan leader.
That’s how seriously power is regarded in the Gop-hwa Clan.
However, the Gop-hwa Clan’s advantages are not limited to just raw power.
– Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sounds ringing in my ears were intensely vivid.
What started as a faint sound from afar grew noticeably louder as I approached its source.
It was so intense I worried that prolonged exposure might result in a hearing loss.
I scanned a building located at one end of the expansive Gop-hwa Clan grounds.
It was a massive structure built in a rough style.
The thick iron door at the center was extraordinarily sturdy, and the tall chimneys punctuating the roof sent plumes of black smoke billowing into the air.
A blacksmith’s forge.
I had already received permission to enter.
Instead of the central thick iron door, I entered through a small side door located in the corner.
– Whoosh!
The moment I opened the door, a burst of hot air enveloped me.
My clothes fluttered as the heat seeped into my body, almost burning. I feared an average person might suffer serious burns with this intense heat.
While I didn’t burn myself, my body felt overheated and uncomfortably sticky.
Sweat trickled down my cheeks. I wiped it away with my hand and glanced back at Ariel, who stood a few steps behind me.
She didn’t seem the least bit thrown off. I felt no magical protections either.
Although she claimed to be retired, her past capabilities as a top-tier hunter seemed intact.
‘Hmm…’
Should I counter the heat with magic? Or wrap myself in the feathers of the sky?
I thought about it for a moment but didn’t act.
Instead, I decided to endure the heat and stepped inside.
The sound of my footsteps was drowned out by the heavy, intense sounds of hammering nearby.
The loudest sound was the hammering of metal, followed closely by the distinct sound of roaring flames.
I had observed it in advance, but there were quite a few people inside.
The central area on the first floor served as a kind of common workspace.
While personal workshops were set up on the second floor, the first floor also had a lot of people.
It was filled with blacksmiths.
In front of them were solid anvils, along with smaller working tools scattered around.
As they brought down their thick hammers, the red-hot metal wedged between the anvil and hammer emitted various sounds and transformed.
This was the traditional image of a forge and blacksmiths. However, there were also extraordinary sights that defied conventional expectations.
I approached a blacksmith working in a corner. I didn’t engage in conversation and instead stood a little away, careful not to disturb his work.
The blacksmith was an old man.
His hair was white, and his face bore the marks of time, covered in wrinkles.
But his physique was incredibly robust, packed with muscles.
His arms, wielding the hammer, were thick, and despite sweating in front of the blazing fire, he didn’t emit a single groan. His swinging was relentless.
Next to the blacksmith was a furnace.
With flames gently dancing, melting metal, one blacksmith reached out to it.
– Whoosh!
In an instant, the fire flared up, engulfing his hand.
It was a scene that would send most people into a panic, yet no one around seemed concerned.
To them, it was merely a regular occurrence, not a threat at all.
– Whoosh…
As the flames subsided, the intense blaze that had surged at the blacksmith’s command gradually calmed and was controlled.
This was a skill that could only be maintained by someone with an exceptional affinity and control over fire.
The fire visibly quieted down, lying low and calmly flickering as the blacksmith nodded at it.
Then, flames erupted from the blacksmith’s hands.
Intense flames were poured into the furnace.
The subdued fire, like it was being fed, jumped up, rising with a power unlike before.
Yet, it still remained under the blacksmith’s control. After gauging the intensity of the flames, the blacksmith pushed a metal ingot into the fire.
The ingot melted under the powerful heat.
‘Gop-hwa.’
The flames flickering in the furnace were Gop-hwa flames. Moreover, the flames emanating from the old man’s hands were also Gop-hwa flames.
In fact, most of the flames dancing in this space were Gop-hwa flames.
Although the Gop-hwa Clan is primarily known for its combat power, a comparable characteristic is its metallurgy.
To work with metal, fire is essential, and Gop-hwa flames are considered the strongest fire in this world, perfect for metallurgy.
I hadn’t learned much about crafting techniques. My experience was limited to basic sewing or woodworking done alone.
During my downtime, I had only grazed the theory of crafting a bit.
Thus, I couldn’t fully grasp the work being carried out in this workshop.
It felt like just melting metal, hammering the glowing metal, quenching it in water, and refining it through repeated processes.
All of these visuals were captured in my observations. It wouldn’t just be fleeting memories but would remain as reference material accessible at any time.
“What do your eyes see?”
The old man I observed suddenly spoke, not questioning my identity.
In front of the roaring flames, he continued to hammer away.
[Not much, really.]
[Just a feeling.]
“That’s better than just wearing shiny decorations.”
He didn’t attach much explanation regarding my sensory capabilities.
Yet, it seemed he understood just from that and nodded.
The old man didn’t ask any further but kept working, hammering and shaping the metal.
The other blacksmiths did just the same, hammering down and refining the metal.
Yet, the information I observed was entirely different.
The hammering of the old man differed from that of the others. The process and the outcomes were distinct as well.
From the observed information, it was clear. The skill of this old man was on a different level than the others.
[Can I watch a bit longer?]
“Do as you please.”
While he came off as somewhat curt, it was still a positive response.
I nodded and squatted nearby, closely observing the old man’s movements.
I kept watching his actions.
Most of it was beyond my understanding, but merely observing heightened my understanding of metallurgy and crafting techniques.
Just standing still here watching the blacksmiths was proving to be a great education.
My mind buzzed. I nodded at the sensation of growth in one aspect of being a jack of all trades.
‘So this is the guy.’
I had my doubts, but it appeared to be true.
I looked at the old man, just hammering away, with a strange expression.
Tan-Hwa, the master of flames.
He was one of the foremost metallurgists in this world.
The leading blacksmith of the Gop-hwa Clan, having crafted exclusive weapons for both the current and several previous clan leaders.
I sat quietly beside him, quietly studying the old man’s movements.
*
[Your unique ability “Jack of All Trades” is growing.]
[Your unique ability “Mana Affinity” is growing.]
[Your ??? is growing.]
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