Chapter 2
“What the hell…?”
The notification window blocked Cheol’s vision, causing him to lose his balance and roll across the floor. A curse escaped his mouth, but unlike his words, his face was glowing with excitement.
“I actually awakened?”
There were an estimated 100,000 Awakened people in Korea.
Whether they entered dungeons or not, they all earned noticeably more money than ordinary people.
The reason was the Coin System.
Whenever an Awakened person performed activities related to their class, they earned Coins, which were used to upgrade skills and increase abilities.
For example, if someone awakened as a warrior, even practicing swordsmanship would earn them a few Coins.
And once an Awakened person reached a certain level, they could actually use those Coins.
I heard you can even exchange them for money…
The exchange rate and available items differed depending on the class rank, but one thing was certain.
Coins were valuable.
In other words, no matter how low your rank was, awakening was always a good thing.
“I hope it’s a sword-related class.”
Cheol couldn’t help imagining a bright future.
If I awaken, I can personally test the swords I make. I can sell them to my teammates too, use that as advertising, buy better materials with Coins…
It wasn’t a completely unrealistic idea.
The only flaw was that he planned to take on dangerous dungeon work just so he could keep doing the hard work he actually loved.
Objectively speaking, if he could make money as a Hunter, there would be no reason to remain a blacksmith.
Again, even an average Hunter earned far more than most regular jobs.
Whether they were sword-wielding warriors, spell-casting mages, or even Pathfinders whose main role was mapping dungeons, they all made excellent money.
Blacksmiths, on the other hand, were one of the most replaceable labor-intensive professions.
But Cheol had never reached that conclusion.
If making money had been his only goal, he would have given up the forge years ago.
Ever since becoming the owner, he’d survived on his savings more often than he’d actually made a profit.
The only reason he continued being a blacksmith…
Was because he truly loved it.
And now…
Something had suddenly appeared that could support that passion.
This has to work!
Unable to contain himself, Cheol shouted,
“Status Window!”
Immediately, a screen appeared.
***
Kang Cheol (Human)
Class: Metallurgist (3rd Generation) (Mythic) ▶ More
Forge Level: 1/7 (0%) ▶ More
Skills (Remaining SP: 0)
- Tutorial (Limited, 1/1) ▶ More
- Eye of Insight (Mythic, 0/6) ▶ More
- Coin Exchange (Advanced, 0 Coins) ▶ More
Special Trait
Inherited Class Holder
***
“A blacksmith…!”
It’s my perfect calling.
His overwhelming happiness lasted only a moment.
Seeing how short the status window was, Cheol frowned.
Putting aside the fact that it wasn’t a combat class…
There was almost nothing here.
Normally, a status window should have attributes.
It should have several skills.
Only then could you invest Coins to grow stronger and earn even more Coins.
A short status window basically meant…
The class had a low ceiling.
No matter how efficiently he could exchange Coins, his earning potential would eventually hit a limit if his abilities stayed low.
“…Come on. Don’t get my hopes up just to give me this.”
The moment he complained…
A notification suddenly popped up.
—Kid, this isn’t a dud. Seriously. This class is amazing. Really amazing.
“…?”
As Cheol stared in confusion, another message appeared.
—It’s incredibly awesome, so just give it a try. Try it. Trust me.
Its tone was unbelievably strange.
* * *
After several minutes of a rather confusing conversation between Cheol and the notification window, he learned a few things.
The most reassuring discovery was that his expected Coin income wasn’t actually much lower than other Awakened.
“Then why do I have so few skills? What about stats? At least Strength, Agility, or Constitution would make work easier.”
—You worked just fine before awakening. Besides, doesn’t a blacksmith only need to be good at handling metal? Planning to go fight monsters, kid?
“Well… that’s true.”
—The way you’re hesitating tells me you were about to bring up wood, leather, gathering materials, and all that stuff. Am I right?
“…Even so, the number of skills…”
—Everything needed to work with metal has already been properly prepared for you. Don’t worry, kid.
But the most important information came afterward.
Everyone who awakened became a combat class.
There was only one exception.
Him.
“You?”
—Not me. You.
“Why?”
Even if someone never entered dungeons, couldn’t they awaken as something like a tailor?
Or a chef?
He hadn’t expected any particular answer.
Instead, the notification lazily replied,
—Do you know exactly how the internet works every time you use it? Just accept it and move on.
“If you’re going to explain it, then explain it properly, you jerk.”
Still…
The system wasn’t unwilling to help.
“So I absolutely can’t tell anyone I’ve awakened.”
Being able to exchange Coins meant he now had a way to make money.
But not being a combat class meant he couldn’t defend himself.
In other words…
If everyone found out, he’d become the perfect kidnapping target.
A living Coin-producing machine.
—Good choice, kid. Your father never told you he’d awakened either, remember?
“…Huh? Wait… Dad?”
There was a longer pause than before.
Then, almost as if it were trying to recover from accidentally saying too much, the notification displayed another message.
—I’m too lazy to explain now. Just do the tutorial. You only get one chance.
“Seriously? You have to explain that! Hey!”
—Start Tutorial?
Yes / Yes
“Oh, damn it!”
—Prepare for impact.
The moment those words appeared…
The old, worn-out Gangcheol Forge suddenly shone with light.
Machines began moving on their own.
People who weren’t there moments ago suddenly appeared.
The warmth of blazing furnaces…
The chatter of workers…
Everything came alive.
“Looks like the boss is working during the day today.”
“Apparently we got a custom longsword order.”
After years of silence…
The forge was once again filled with familiar faces.
Employees who had quit not long after his father disappeared into the Gate.
“The boss… Then that means…”
“Kang Cheol!”
And standing at the end of Cheol’s gaze…
“D… Dad?”
A younger version of himself ran straight through his present self.
Only then did Cheol realize…
He was witnessing one of his own memories.
“This was when he was making that important project…”
Fragments of an old conversation surfaced in his mind.
“Come watch me work. It’ll help you someday.”
“Can’t you just show me when that day comes?”
“Brat. Have I ever been wrong?”
Young Cheol simply shrugged.
His father laughed heartily and began selecting pieces of steel from the workbench.
—Stop spacing out and watch the steel that’s glowing red, kid.
“Ah…”
Cheol quickly shifted his attention.
Only then did he finally understand why his father had insisted he watch.
“Ideally we’d use flat bar steel from the steel mill, but since Gates opened in Pohang, we’ll have to use recycled steel.”
“You’re just looking for an excuse to do extra work, aren’t you?”
“Haha, you caught me. Anyway, this time we’ll use forged truck springs. Let’s see…”
His father…
The Second Generation Metallurgist…
Carefully examined each piece of steel.
The moment he picked one up…
It glowed red.
Not all of it.
Certain sections shone brighter than others.
“Hmm… This section needs to be reforged later.”
The area he repeatedly touched glowed even brighter.
Back then…
Cheol had never noticed it.
Never understood it.
“Can you tell something’s wrong just by touching it?”
“Someday, Kang Cheol, you’ll know just by looking.”
His father had been right.
Back then…
Cheol hadn’t understood.
Now…
He understood more clearly than ever.
At least now that he had awakened.
He could actually see that the glowing areas were where stress had accumulated inside the steel.
Not only that…
He could even see information about who had forged that piece of steel.
—The Eye of Omniscience. You can see whatever information you want.
“So Dad was always seeing things like this?”
—If you’re curious, earn more Coins and buy the upgrades.
The notification answered teasingly.
But Cheol no longer cared about its annoying tone.
He finally understood why his father had always been right.
This…
Was the decisive difference between his father and every other blacksmith.
Including himself.
His father’s voice interrupted his thoughts.
“Whenever you work, inspect the steel first. You know that without me saying it, right?”
“You’ve said it so many times I probably say it in my sleep.”
“Good. I’ll make sure you dream about the rest too. Watch carefully.”
“Ah…”
Understanding dawned on Cheol’s face.
—You figured it out, huh?
After that…
Neither Cheol nor the notification wasted words.
Whenever his father used a skill, the notification simply named it.
Cheol silently watched and engraved every detail into his memory.
—Design. Reveals structural flaws and points where force concentrates.
—Shaping. Applies to every process that forms an object’s shape.
—Heat Treatment. Allows you to see the temperatures of both steel and fire.
Throughout every stage of forging the blade…
The Eye of Insight was constantly at work.
Gathering.
Smelting.
Designing.
Shaping.
Heat treatment.
It was a collection of abilities that ensured…
As long as there was even a piece of steel available…
He could turn it into a usable blade.
“So you really only need this one skill.”
—Now it’s time to work, kid.
“Obviously.”
For the first time…
It seemed like Cheol and the notification agreed.
“Time to make a knife.”
—No. First solve the problem with the customer who’s demanding the penalty.
Apparently not.
—W-What are you talking about? He literally threatened to shut your business down today!
“True enough.”
**—Exactly! Time to work! Eliminate the troublesome customer!”
“But this is only the inspection. We’ve still got three days.”
—Hey! You nodded when you saw the steel! You even said ‘Oh!’ I heard you!
The notification became increasingly frantic.
The tutorial wasn’t merely a memory.
It was one enormous hint.
There was something wrong with the steel.
Both the steel already used…
And the unused pieces.
The system wanted him to use his new ability to solve the problem.
But contrary to its expectations…
Cheol remained perfectly calm.
“Yeah, I can see defects in the steel now. But I still have to keep my awakening secret.”
—…That’s true.
Cheol scratched the back of his head.
“Besides, I can’t openly solve everything myself. But if I can see things like Dad did… making knives sounds ridiculously fun now. Doesn’t it?”
—…
“So Dad had something this amazing all to himself all this time.”
Chuckling happily…
Cheol walked toward the rack where the steel was stored.
He set aside the customer’s steel and muttered to himself.
“Knives are fun… longswords are fun too… What should I make?”
Worrying was difficult.
Indulging his hobby…
No, creating things…
Was fun.
For now…
Cheol decided to satisfy his own desires first.
* * *
“I’m home.”
“Welcome back. You seem to be in a good mo… Wait… What’s this?”
His mother accepted the plastic bag and looked surprised.
She wasn’t asking because she didn’t recognize it.
The rich smell of fried chicken mixed with spicy seasoning filled the air.
The familiar mascot holding a cooked chicken drumstick.
It was a takeout bag from a fried chicken restaurant.
Something they hadn’t seen in a very long time.
“I made a little money today.”
Cheol smiled.
It was the kind of warm, compassionate smile that reminded people of a saint.
After spending roughly eight hours pretending to work while actually indulging his newfound passion…
He had earned 12 Coins.
Exchanging them into Korean won gave him 240,000 won.
“What about you?”
“I’ve got something to look at, so I’ll eat in my room. Please make sure Ayeon gets hers.”
He bought two whole chickens.
Left one for the family.
Took the other into his room.
—You’re a good family man, kid.
“Of course.”
—I’d feel a lot better if you were just as good a company owner.
“I’m working, taking care of my family, and saving face all at once.”
—All at once?
Cheol reached into the chicken bag and pulled out something long.
It was the customer’s piece of steel.
—Wait… Are you one of those workaholics who voluntarily brings work home?
“Earlier I couldn’t do anything because I had no way to figure it out.”
—And now?
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
Before the notification could finish asking…
Rapid footsteps echoed outside.
Cheol smiled.
“She’ll be here.”
—The solution?
He nodded.
“She’s strong, but not very bright. If I want information from her… it costs two whole chickens.”
—Didn’t you leave both chickens outside?
“My little sister isn’t the kind of kid who’d steal Mom’s share too.”
The footsteps stopped right outside.
Then…
Bang!
The door flew open.
“CHICKEN!”
