Jin Yongchan. One of the undisputed greatest blacksmiths in the world.

‘Made by Chan.’

Just having that logo attached would make the price of an item of the same rank double or even triple. That was the level of Jin Yongchan’s craftsmanship.

His items gained widespread fame not for any other reason. From the start, his metallurgy was already recognized as the best in Korea.

His trait was none other than [S Rank] Dwarf’s Touch. A trait already optimized for metallurgy from the outset.

‘I’ve had my life saved multiple times thanks to Elder Jin’s items.’

It was true. Back when the Gate Break occurred, Sungshik had happened to be staying here, at Paju’s workshop district. During that time, he formed a considerable bond with Jin Yongchan. The elder took care of Sungshik, who had nowhere to go, showing him kindness.

‘Thanks to Elder Jin’s weapons and armor, my growth speed was twice as fast.’

That was how exceptional Jin Yongchan’s metallurgy was.

Moreover, shortly after the Gate Break, Jin Yongchan underwent a Second Awakening. A phenomenon extremely rare even among superhumans.

The trait he acquired through his Second Awakening was none other than [SS Rank] Limit Break. It was an ability that pushed the potential of weapons and items to their absolute limits. For someone who was already a master of metallurgy, it was a trait that granted him wings.

‘But…’

As Sungshik continued his thoughts, he recalled Jin Yongchan’s final moments and closed his eyes tightly. Despite possessing S and SS-ranked traits, they were non-combat traits. As the Trial of the Night progressed, it became increasingly difficult for non-combat superhumans to survive.

In the end, Jin Yongchan perished during the Third Trial of the Night. That was how he was lost.

Sungshik had thought he would never see him again, but now that he was heading to meet him once more, it felt incredibly strange.

‘Going empty-handed feels wrong, but…’

The old man had always disliked superficial gestures and gifts. That much wouldn’t have changed even now.

‘Simply giving him good materials to work with will be a gift in itself.’

Jin Yongchan had always loved working with high-quality materials. The fact that Sungshik was entrusting him with rare materials to craft a scabbard would be enough of a gift.

“Wow, it’s still the same.”

Amidst the numerous modern buildings stood a lone hanok(TL/N: a traditional Korean house).

That’s right. Jin Yongchan’s workshop was a traditional hanok, the kind one would see in historical dramas. It looked as if it had been left behind in time.

‘Huh?’

At that moment, Sungshik sensed a large number of people gathered inside the workshop. Having reached the realm of Seven Stars, he could easily perceive such things with his Hyper-Sense.

Roughly ten people were gathered in one place. He wondered if something was happening. He considered turning back but decided to step inside first.

“What’s going on here?”

A middle-aged man with a kind expression, his hair half-bald, greeted him. A familiar face. He was one of Jin Yongchan’s apprentices. Before Sungshik’s regression, he had also shared a good relationship with this man.

And the moment he saw his face, Sungshik was convinced that his commission would be accepted.

“I came to request an item to be made.”

“Hmm, you seem to have traveled far, but what should we do? We’re not taking any commissions for the time being…”

The man spoke apologetically. In response, Sungshik took out Mammut’s Ivory and Black Bear Leather.

“I’d like to use these to make a scabbard. Is that not possible?”

The man couldn’t take his eyes off the Mammut’s Ivory and Black Bear Leather that Sungshik held out.

‘If you’re anything like I remember, there’s no way you’ll be able to resist these materials.’

Gulp.

“T-This is…”

These were materials obtained from a 6-Star and a 5-Star+ boss monster, respectively. At this point in time, materials from a 6-Star boss monster were incredibly rare.

“So, what do you say? Is it possible?”

Sungshik grinned as he asked.

“W-Wait just a moment.”

The man hastily retreated inside after saying that. He was likely going to report to Elder Jin. Even if they had a reason for not accepting commissions, a 6-Star-ranked material at this stage… would be too valuable to pass up.

The desire of a blacksmith to work with excellent materials was no different from a warrior’s desire to wield a superior weapon.

‘No, if anything, their desire might be even stronger.’

From what he had seen in his past life, they were even more driven by such urges than they seemed.

*Murmur, murmur…*

While Sungshik was briefly lost in thought, the man who had disappeared inside returned, accompanied by several others. Among them, one person stood at the center, immediately catching Sungshik’s attention.

‘Elder Jin.’

A man appearing to be in his mid-50s. Though his frame was on the lean side, his presence was imposing.

He was exactly as Sungshik remembered. No, perhaps he looked even younger than in his memory.

“Nice to meet you. I am Jin Yongchan, the owner of this workshop.”

“Yes, it’s a pleasure. My name is Heo Sungshik.”

Sungshik returned the greeting. Seeing him up close, the feeling of nostalgia grew even stronger.

“I heard from my first disciple that you’ve brought something quite valuable?”

Jin Yongchan’s gaze shifted toward Sungshik’s hands, where the Black Bear Leather and Mammut’s Ivory still rested.

‘The old man hasn’t changed a bit.’

His obsession with high-quality materials was exactly the same as before. Finding that amusing, Sungshik grinned and handed over the two items.

“Yes, here they are. One was obtained from a 6-Star boss monster, and the other from a 5-Star+ boss monster. They are ivory and leather, respectively.”

“Ho… A 6-Star, you say.”

A small murmur of astonishment spread among Jin Yongchan and the gathered blacksmiths.

It was understandable.

‘At this point in time, 6-Star boss monster materials are extremely rare.’

To obtain 6-Star materials, one would have to clear at least an A-Rank Gate. And so far, in Korea, there had only been two successful A-Rank Gate raids.

As expected, materials from a 6-star boss monster were so rare that they were practically nonexistent. In fact, the only way to obtain them was through the community of superhumans.

The same went for Black Bear Leather. While materials from 5-star+ boss monsters weren’t completely unavailable, they were still extremely rare.

Moreover, this Black Bear was not just any ordinary 5-star+ boss monster. It was a boss monster that had evolved with a singular focus—making its hide tougher and more resilient. As a result, its leather’s uniqueness was on another level.

‘With this, it’d be hard for them to refuse the request.’

That’s why Sungshik was confident that his request would be accepted.

“With this…”

Just as Sungshik was about to speak, Jin Yongchan spoke first, his expression shadowed.

“First of all, I apologize.”

“The scabbard… Huh?”

Sungshik hadn’t expected to hear an apology, and for a moment, he was taken aback. Seeing his confusion, Jin Yongchan continued.

“Both materials are incredibly valuable. Just looking at them makes me want to start working on them right away.”

Jin Yongchan sighed before continuing.

“However… our workshop is currently facing an issue, and we’re not in a position to take on commissions. I’m truly sorry.”

What was he talking about? Sungshik couldn’t immediately understand. A problem with the workshop? While this wasn’t Jin Yongchan’s personal workshop, the many workshops he had passed on his way here seemed to be operating normally.

“Would it be alright if I asked what the problem is?”

At Sungshik’s question, Jin Yongchan stared at him for a moment, seemingly in thought. Then, he opened his mouth.

“It’s not exactly a huge secret, so I don’t mind telling you. Would you like to come inside for a bit?”

“Of course.”

Sungshik readily accepted Jin Yongchan’s invitation.

It had been a long time since he had stepped inside Jin Yongchan’s workshop.

Moving to the guest reception room, Sungshik sat down with Jin Yongchan and several other men. These men were blacksmiths from other workshops within Jin Yongchan’s network.

“You might not know this, but our workshops source iron from a mine owned by the workshop.”

This was something Sungshik was aware of. Jin Yongchan and several other workshops owned a mine near Paju.

“All the iron we use to run our workshops comes from that mine.”

“We are completely dependent on that source of iron.”

“So if there’s any disruption in the supply from the mine… our workshop operations also suffer greatly.”

That had been the case during the Gate Break as well. Sungshik recalled how the entire workshop had come to a standstill when iron supplies were cut off.

“But now, there’s a problem with the iron ore coming from the mine.”

“A problem…?”

“For some time now, the mine has only been producing low-quality iron ore—so poor that it can hardly even be called iron ore anymore.”

At those words, one of the men beside Jin Yongchan, who had been watching the conversation, pulled out a piece of iron ore and placed it in front of Sungshik.

“This is…”

At a glance, it barely resembled iron ore. It had a faint, earthy hue and looked incredibly weak.

“May I touch it?”

At Sungshik’s question, Jin Yongchan silently nodded. Reaching out to feel it, Sungshik confirmed what he saw—it was extremely weak. This could hardly even be called ore.

‘Insight.’

[Depleted Iron Ore]
— Grade: Common
— Quality: Lowest
— All of the iron’s essence has been absorbed, making it hardly recognizable as iron ore.

“!”

Sungshik’s eyes widened at the information revealed through Insight. It wasn’t just that the ore’s quality had deteriorated—the iron’s essence had been completely absorbed. This meant the ore’s degradation had been artificially induced by someone or something.

‘No way…’

Sungshik had heard of this before, even in his past life. The situation seemed familiar, and now he finally remembered why—it was something he had only heard about, not witnessed firsthand.

‘Bulgasari. That monster that nearly destroyed Japan left behind traces just like this.’

Bulgasari. The Iron Beast. A monster that continuously grew by absorbing iron and other metals. Eventually, it became so powerful that it was compared to the Lord of the Night. Japan had been devastated by Bulgasari alone, proving its immense power.

‘Why are there traces of that monster here?’

Bulgasari had only ever appeared in Japan. It had never surfaced in Korea. The fact that things were unfolding differently from the past made Sungshik furrow his brow.

— Why are you so worried? No matter what kind of monster it is, just take it down.

At that moment, Heaven-Splitter spoke, having read Sungshik’s thoughts.

Simple yet effective. Heaven-Splitter had a point.

‘Yeah, he’s right.’

If Bulgasari had appeared in Korea instead of Japan, then all he had to do was eliminate it.

Sungshik had surpassed the limits of humanity, becoming a 7-star superhuman. No matter how much Bulgasari had grown, could it really withstand his sword? If the creature was in front of him, he would simply cut it down and move on.

‘Besides…’

From the beginning, one of the things Sungshik had wanted most after returning was a particular material—Bulgasari’s Scales. Perhaps this was his chance to obtain them.

Looking at it this way, this situation was actually an opportunity for him. A smile naturally formed on Sungshik’s lips.

“If my guess is correct… I might be able to solve this problem.”

At his unexpected words, everyone’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Y-You really think so?”

Even Jin Yongchan, who rarely lost his composure, sounded shocked.

“If my guess is right, yes.”

After scanning the room, Sungshik spoke again.

“Would you be willing to leave this matter to me?”

His confident words were accompanied by a deep smile.