The man’s long, pointed ears drooped all at once. Watching him glance around nervously, looking so timid, he almost resembled a hamster wringing his hands together. It was enough to make Sehyun laugh under his breath.
“Yes, I’d be grateful if you did.”
As if he hadn’t expected acceptance, the man’s eyes widened. His drooping ears slowly rose again. Soon, shuffling forward, he gathered materials from the side and carried them to the forge.
“Is there… a particular weapon you want?”
“Can you make a crossbow? If not, then the weapon with the highest attack power.”
“A crossbow? Crossbow… crossbow… oh! Here it is.”
Hearing that cheerful reply with such an innocent smile, a wave of resentment swept over Sehyun. In his own menu, not even the “cross” of crossbow appeared, but this guy skimmed through the list and came back with an easy answer.
Ah, am I really so miserable I should just Awaken already…
“…Can you tell me the item stats?”
“Based on E-rank, attack is 16 and durability 30. It’s the best among bows. With luck, I might make it up to C-rank.”
“I’ll be counting on you.”
Sehyun gave the most pleasant smile he could manage. Call it shallow, but he had no room to care about appearances now. From tomorrow he would be back in the magic stone squad; to improve his chances of survival, he needed any preparation he could get. And someone who could craft a C-rank weapon at level 1 was practically a prodigy.
“Yes. L-leave it to me. I’ll do my best.”
With a solemn look, the freckled man hefted a heavy iron basin. His demeanor already screamed professional. Sehyun stepped aside, careful not to interfere, but kept a close eye on his work from over the shoulder. If he got the chance later, he’d try to mimic it himself. Though honestly, with how much he’d already ruined, blaming it on lack of technique felt hollow.
For about twenty minutes, the man worked in steady concentration, sweat pouring off him. At last, tying the taut string to the stock, he finished the crossbow.
The result: C-rank. And among C-ranks, it was top grade. Checking the stats, the man finally relaxed his shoulders and wiped his drenched brow, smiling at Sehyun with relief.
“Luckily, it came out C-rank. The attack is only about two points higher than the average C-rank, but… n-next time I’ll make you something even better. That is, if you ever need anything again. No, I mean… sorry, that was presumptuous of me.”
There was no need for him to humble himself so much, but the man rambled as if trying to sink into the ground. Sehyun simply accepted the crossbow without comment.
The arrow rest and stock were wooden, but the reinforcement for repeated fire and the sight were metal-plated. The string was twisted like wire, thick and evenly braided.
Though the stock looked rough, the grip felt comfortable and the weight was balanced. It wasn’t suited for one-handed firing, but for this world, it was clearly a high-class weapon—well above beginner level.
“…What’s your name?”
“Me? I’m… Yoon Jeha.”
“I’m Do Sehyun. Thank you for making such a fine weapon. You’ve Awakened, right? Your talent must be blacksmithing?”
“Ah… yes. Yesterday in the Ability Development Hall, I obtained blacksmith skills. Even back home… my father ran a metalworks and casting business, so I grew up playing in the workshop… though, that’s not really anything to brag about…”
Like Gwak Junghan, he had an aptitude closely aligned with his racial trait. He also carried a blacksmith’s essential humility. Who would have thought Korea had so many hidden masters?
Even among the great Empires, there were players who had acquired blacksmithing skills. But their arrogance was so notorious that requests often ended in frustration, driving many nations to train their own blacksmiths. Sehyun had once been one of those, too.
“I’m sorry! I’m rambling about myself again… If you ever need another crossbow, p-please let me know.”
“Yes. In return, if there’s anything I can help you with, I will. But only once. Nothing beyond that.”
“…Huh?”
Yoon Jeha blinked, stunned by Sehyun’s blunt declaration. Sehyun paid him no mind, simply examining the crossbow in his hands, studying its structure.
The more he looked, the more impressed he was. Maybe he should ask Yoon Jeha to make one for Jaeyoung as well, he thought. But before he could decide, the tightly shut door burst open with a loud bang.
Both Sehyun and Yoon Jeha turned. Three men stood there. The one who had kicked the door leaned against it with a crooked grin.
Recognizing him, Yoon Jeha flinched back in fear.
“Well, well, look who’s here—our little parasite.”
“Damn, this bastard was holed up here yesterday too. What’s he doing stirring shit from morning?”
“After all that mooching, now you finally feel guilty? Heard you got blacksmith skills. Think you can just bang a hammer and strut around? Pathetic.”
As they strode in, Yoon Jeha’s face drained pale.
There’s always this type. The weak picking on the weaker, scum reeking of inferiority. Sehyun scanned them lazily, then froze on one.
One of them was the same race as the village head: Kural. Sehyun had joked, calling them Australopithecus, but the proper name was Kural—combatants gifted in weapon throwing.
He remembered hearing they were so hot-blooded they fought even among themselves, endlessly divided by rivalry.
“Say something, asshole. Don’t just clam up.”
“I… I just wanted to make a weapon…”
“Oh, listen to that! Our blacksmith wants to make weapons, huh!”
The Kural threw his head back, laughing like a monkey. Sehyun had never seen him before. He must have been one of the replacements summoned through the Gate of Dimensions after yesterday’s deaths in the magic stone squad. Four had died, so four Kurals had arrived.
Normally, a village or Empire’s race matched its Daegong’s. This case was unusual because the residents were all players and thus human. But since this village now belonged to Kim Gapjun, it should technically have been a Kural village.
No doubt the Daegong was pleased with the Kurals’ appearance.
“But too bad for you, parasite. I’ve got blacksmith skills too.”
“You think you compare to this parasite?”
“Parasite, why don’t you back down today? We’ll be using this place. Got to polish up our skills and grab some rank, yeah? Fuck the magic stone squad. What, are they telling us to die out there?”
Ignoring the men treating him as if he were invisible, Sehyun returned his focus to the crossbow. He felt a twinge of pity for Yoon Jeha’s whitened face, but he had no reason to intervene—unless Yoon Jeha himself asked for help.
And surely, he would.
“Can’t skills be transferred? Damn, if I had blacksmith skills, I could just sit here and take it easy.”
“Yeah, meanwhile the labor squad has to haul rocks and wood all day. I’d rather gather food like this parasite.”
“Parasite, weren’t you on morning duty? What, planning to slack again and whine about coming back empty-handed?”
“…Today I’m on lunch duty. And I’m trying… I do have…”
“‘I do have’ what, you little shit? Spit it out before I—”
Sehyun raised the crossbow, aimed at the refinery wall, and pulled the trigger hard. With a crack, the arrow shot out, punching straight into the wood. Splinters sprayed. Unbothered by the startled stares, Sehyun simply admired the crossbow again.
“As I thought… it’s too well made.”
So well, in fact, it deserved more than one favor in return. Maybe two. Not three, but two at least.
“W-what the fuck, man! You scared me!”
Finally, their eyes left Yoon Jeha and turned on Sehyun. Growling, narrowing their eyes, they closed in. But Sehyun was busy considering the weapon’s mechanics. If the string were tightened further, would the speed increase? Could its destructive power rise?
“Hey.”
“What, asshole?!”
“That guy! That’s him—the one who defied the village head and got stripped of resident status! Acting all high and mighty, still looking human!”
They jabbed fingers at him, but Sehyun ignored it, raising the crossbow again. Another arrow shot, embedding in the wall—not in the same spot as before, but close.
Rubbing his shoulder, he stored the crossbow in his inventory and moved to retrieve the arrows. He didn’t forget to speak, either.
“You’re not supposed to bother with parasites. Why are you wasting your time? It’s not like you’ll be sharing meals with him. He’ll fall off on his own. Unless you plan to feed him? From where I’m standing, he won’t last more than a few days anyway.”
At Sehyun’s words, the men gave boastful snorts, puffing themselves up. Yoon Jeha, meanwhile, lowered his head even further.