“I actually feel refreshed after feeling angry…?”
Youngwoo seemed to have nightmares the whole time he slept. But a dream was just a dream. The anger and inferiority he had felt in his dream motivated him.
‘…Agnus.’
Agnus was a necromancer. Was there any other class that would be as overpowered as a necromancer in real life? Honestly, Youngwoo was really jealous.
‘But I am overgeared.’
Even if the world changed, it was enough for Youngwoo to make good armor and equip himself with it, just like a blacksmith. This way, it would hurt less if he got hit.
‘…There is no way I can use just any weapon.’
Youngwoo was relieved and called Secretary Jang.
Secretary Jang was Yura’s closest confidant. He was a nice individual who helped Youngwoo in various ways.
–Hello, Youngwoo-nim.What do you need me to do?
As expected, Secretary Jang was quick. He always answered the call before the second ring.
“Do smithies still exist in the world nowadays?”
Various agricultural tools and daily necessities such as scissors, kitchen knives, and so on… Most things made of metal had long become industrial products. Youngwoo wasn’t sure if such objects made by hand still existed nowadays.
Secretary Jang’s reply was an unexpected one.
–Of course.They have become more common in recent years.
After watching Youngwoo in the game, many people dreamed of becoming a blacksmith. This used to be a trend at some point. The smithies which used to be run by a very small number of craftsmen became popular and were treated as a special social phenomenon.
A social phenomenon created by only one player’s influence… Of course, the media covered this extensively. However, Youngwoo himself didn’t know this. There was a lot of news about him, so it was difficult for him to keep up with everything. This was understandable because, at some point, there used to be absurd articles with headlines like, ‘Grid is a known canned tuna fanatic. Will he eat canned tuna for breakfast?’
“…Really? Um, well, I would like to visit a well-equipped smithy.”
–Sure. I will make a list and pass it on to you.
Secretary Jang had more than one or two good qualities. What Youngwoo particularly liked most about the secretary was that he never complained about anything.
After the call ended, Youngwoo changed his mind about accessing Satisfy. He wasn’t feeling that great.
“I will run just a few laps.”
He wasn’t in peak condition yet. According to the news, the Overgeared members were fighting incredibly well at the moment. The night before, the troops commanded by Jishuka inflicted a serious blow on the Full Moon Fortress. Lauel replaced Jishuka early this morning and surrounded the Full Moon Fortress, eating away at the enemy’s physical strength.
A large army of hundreds and thousands surrounded the Full Moon Fortress. At first glance, they seemed like they were the elite among the elites who could fly, but that wasn’t the case. A significant number of soldiers could only fly with the help of magicians and Overgeared members. They didn’t actually have the capacity to engage in air combat.
However, the enemies didn’t know this. They were greatly pressured because they mistakenly believed that hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers had trained enough to be able to fly despite being mortals.
The Tomb of the Gods also fired artillery. Thousands of cannonballs rained down with such power that it shook the cameras installed at ultra-long range. Even Youngwoo was impressed, and he was the one who had created the masterpiece known as the Tomb of the Gods, as well as the Overgeared Cannons.
However, the Full Moon Fortress, where mystical characters appeared every time it was bombarded, was also incredibly durable. It seemed that the cultivators had installed all types of secret arts on the final fortress.
‘It’s only a matter of time until it falls.’
The most important thing in war was morale. NPCs were more affected by morale than players. From a player’s perspective, morale was more or less their mental toughness or mindset, but for NPCs, it was a stat that was actually quantified and applied.
The cultivators trapped in the Full Moon Fortress would gradually lose morale and become weaker as a result. Lauel would launch a full-fledged offensive when the right time came.
‘The situation is similar in the East Continent.’
There was only one Full Moon Fortress left on the East Continent. That one was also under siege by tens of thousands of soldiers who were floating in the sky. The tens of thousands of troops over there were truly elite. Each and every one of them could pose a threat to the cultivators. They were all ranker-level players.
The Four Auspicious Beasts were in the sky. On the ground there were hundreds of thousands of troops from Valhalla and the Chivalrous Robbers. It was a brilliant display of power even from Youngwoo’s perspective. Youngwoo was particularly focused on Juander’s group.
Juander was the former emperor. He used red energy. There was also Armored Cavalryman Chensler, who was unable to die. They were both colossal powerhouses. Over the past few years, they had been traveling all over the continent to save people and become stronger. Unofficial rankers, including the African Leopard Kujarak, worked with Juander. They seemed to have formed a deep bond.
‘Kujarak…’
He was also a legend who had become a Transcendent. If someone asked Youngwoo who was the most powerful player outside of the Overgeared Guild, he would consider Kujarak as a candidate.
“Hello.”
“Good morning!”
The neighbors greeted Youngwoo when they saw him jogging. Seeing their joyful expressions, it seemed that it had been a while since they were this excited for something to happen. They were enthusiastic about a future without cultivators.
Ordinary people weren’t aware of how reality was changing. They seemed to have forgotten about the asteroid that had suddenly disappeared near the moon. This was to be expected since everyone was busy living their daily lives. People had talked about the unknown asteroid for only a week. After that, they no longer cared about it. The fact that governments deliberately concealed the news surely played a major role in the people’s disinterest.
‘As expected, sweating is the only way to clear my mind.’
Youngwoo became progressively more cheerful as he ran and breathed in the fresh air. His jog had started off lightly, but now he was gradually approaching a speed that would break the track and field athletes’ records for sprinting.
Just then, Secretary Jang sent him a message. Youngwoo stopped running for a while to check the contents of the translucent hologram.
“Around here…?”
Secretary Jang had sent him a total of twenty-seven smithy addresses. One of them happened to be on the outskirts of Youngwoo’s neighborhood. Youngwoo had never visited that place before because it was below a small mountain. But as the saying went, what you’re looking for tends to be right under your nose.
“Seven kilometers… It’s a good pre-meal exercise.”
Youngwoo smiled. He decided to find the smithy right away. The moment he started running properly, he was so fast that the people exercising nearby looked at him dumbfounded.
***
“Is anyone here?”
At first glance, the smithy looked like a fairly large materials store. The entrance was so wide that two fifteen-ton trucks could easily pass side by side. Beyond the entrance, an area measuring several hundred pyeong spread out. All types of materials were piled up here and there, like movable property.
“Where is the office?”
Youngwoo was walking around and looking for people who didn’t answer even when he called, only to stop walking. He found a pile of iron ore.
“Wow…”
This was the first time he had actually seen a mineral in real life. Of course, the transparent gems on the necklaces he had gifted to Yura and Jishuka were also classified as minerals, but in any case… This was the first time he had seen such a crude stone in real life.
‘Satisfy is amazing. The texture and the smell are all the same.’
He had touched Iron ore countless times in Satisfy. Now that he touched it in reality, Youngwoo’s eyes lit up as he cherished the new emotion that overcame him. All the other materials piled up around him were also necessary for blacksmithing. Of course, all of the minerals were just ordinary. In Satisfy, blacksmiths below intermediate level could work with them.
But this was reality. There were no materials such as mithril, black iron, or white phosphorus wood, let alone Greed. Therefore, the minerals seemed good enough. It was safe to say that this place was a blacksmith’s paradise.
“Who’s there?”
Grid had been focused on everything around him when he finally heard a loud, distant voice. Based on the sound of the footsteps, the person’s estimated weight was around 82-90 kilograms. They seemed strong, but they sounded more nervous than necessary.
‘Was he doing something illegal?’
Youngwoo tilted his head after analyzing the slightest tremor in the other person’s voice. As he had expected, a burly man approached him. He appeared to be in his late thirties, and held a hammer in one hand.
“Huh?”
The man’s eyes widened. The smithy was in a secluded place, and he’d just launched his business, so he was getting very few customers. Therefore, the owner was suspicious of this unexpected guest who was inspecting the minerals without asking for permission. But as he approached, he recognized the guest.
“G-Grid?” he shouted, his voice trembling even more. This time, however, he wasn’t nervous, but happy. He was a fan of Youngwoo and had become interested in blacksmithing because of him. Unexpectedly, he was naturally skilled at blacksmithing and he ended up establishing a smithy. Youngwoo visiting him seemed like a dream.
“Ah! I-Is this a dream? I-It has to be real, right?”
The man was restless. He was mesmerized by Youngwoo’s presence.
Youngwoo greeted him. “Haha, hello.”
The man finally realized he wasn’t imagining this. He bowed at a ninety-degree angle.
“It’s an honor to meet you! Grid, I am a big fan of you! I’m a really, really, long-time fan… By the way, why did someone like you come to such a shabby place like my business?”
The man slowly regained his calm. He was trying to have a normal conversation even though his voice was still trembling. He was worried that the person he wanted to impress, whose visit seemed like fate, would just leave.
Youngwoo immediately got to the point. “I’m thinking of building a few smithies soon. I am going on a tour to see if I can get any references. If possible, I would like to try some blacksmithing at your place.”
“Sure! I’d be glad to help you!”
“Thank you.”
Youngwoo had long become accustomed to people reacting enthusiastically when they met him. Many worshiped him like he was a real god. No matter how much the other person would freak out, Youngwoo always remained calm and never got upset.
Youngwoo followed the man’s instructions and looked around the smithy, taking photos of the building’s structure and various facilities. He stood in front of the cold anvil and relaxed.
‘Will I be able to properly use my skills in real life?’
Youngwoo had crafted more than tens of thousands of items so far. All the processes and movements necessary for blacksmithing were engraved in his muscle memory and brain. He was confident that, no matter what he crafted, he would produce a high-quality piece of work.
However, he shouldn’t be satisfied with just high-quality pieces of work. This world now had people like Agnus, who could use skills.
Youngwoo also needed to keep up with Grid in terms of strength.
‘I can’t lag behind.’
Youngwoo’s eyes were glowing red because they were reflecting the blazing flames of the furnace. He gripped the hammer.
‘Wait, does he have a license?’ the blacksmith suddenly thought anxiously. However, he kept his mouth shut because, after all, this was Grid he was talking about.