"Hehehe, a Blacksmith!"
It was so great.
Because if I were to awaken, I unconditionally wanted to become a Blacksmith.
However, there was something else that caught my eye.
The second item one must pay attention to in the status window when an Awakened first awakens.
"Ability!"
In fact, this was the core.
Because even with the same class, an Awakened's disposition varied vastly depending on this ability.
Even among Warriors, some gained the 'Superhuman Strength' ability and swung greatswords lightly like chopsticks.
Some gained the 'Swiftness' ability and ran around the battlefield as fast as the wind.
In that sense, my ability was...
"So, what is this?"
Even reading it, I could not quite figure out what kind of ability it was.
Forge of Time.
Could it be a subspace-type ability like those seen in novels?
Moving to a forge within a subspace when using the ability?
While I was making various guesses...
-Pleased to meet you. Jang Gang-cheol.
"Uwaak?"
A voice suddenly rang in my ear.
A stiff voice that felt completely devoid of humanity, yet was incredibly natural.
Its identity was exactly...
-I am 'Ember', who will introduce you to Jang Gang-cheol's unique ability, the 'Forge of Time'.
"Ember?"
It was my ability.
I did not know if it was like this for other Awakened.
Somehow, much like receiving a tutorial in a game, it seemed this system named Ember was introducing the ability to me.
Sure enough.
-First, I will explain how to use your unique ability.
The first step of the tutorial was heard from Ember.
-Would you please call out the Forge of Time?
There was no other way for now, so following her words...
"Forge of Time?"
The moment I called out the command.
RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE!
"Uwaaak?"
The floor.
No, my entire small and precious studio apartment began to tremble.
Was there an earthquake?
RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE!
No.
If only the floor was trembling, I could suspect an earthquake.
This was not it.
The walls and ceiling, including the floor.
Every structure in all directions was vibrating.
Presently.
"Crazy, what is this! No!"
The walls and ceiling began to collapse.
The studio apartment I had contracted by scraping together my entire fortune.
It was shattering into pieces because of my ability.
Whether it knew my insides were burning or not.
RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE-.
The space where the walls had collapsed was filled with blackened stone materials.
That was not all.
A coldly cooled furnace, a rusty anvil and hammer, etc.
A forge one would only see in a fantasy game.
And a forge that was old, rusty, and looked like it had been abandoned for tens or hundreds of years at that, was being formed.
The moment I faced the 'Forge of Time' created in such a way.
The first thing that popped into my head was...
"Noooooo!"
The deposit for my small and precious studio apartment.
"What do I do? At this rate, I will not be able to get my lease deposit back, will I? No, is that enough? I destroyed the entire room, so I have to pay compensation too. No, is this even a problem that can be solved just by paying compensation in the first place?"
My studio apartment contracted with a full lease loan.
It was already hard enough paying the monthly maintenance fee right now, but what if I could not get the lease deposit back?
What about the loan?
How do I compensate for the damages?
I could not find an answer.
As I was having such thoughts...
[ Forge of Time Lv 1 ]
-Welcome to the Forge of Time.
-Jang Gang-cheol.
Ignorant of my feelings, Ember's polite voice could be heard.
It felt like Ember's voice was brimming with pride regarding the forge, but...
That was not what was important to me right now.
"Cancel, cancel! Send me back! This can be restored to its original state, right? Please tell me it is! Please!"
I had to get my studio apartment back right now.
If that did not work, awakening or not, my studio apartment would disappear, and of course, I would become a debtor without even a home.
...Understood.
Fortunately, Ember obediently listened to my words, and...
CRUMBLE-.
The blackened stone materials that formed the walls all collapsed.
The coldly cooled furnace collapsed as well.
As I was desperately hoping for my studio apartment to return to exactly how it was...
"Phew..."
Familiar wallpaper began to reveal itself from between the collapsed stone materials.
Before long, my small and precious studio apartment regained its original appearance.
I was worried what if it was an ability that turned the room itself into the Forge of Time, but...
Fortunately, that did not seem to be the case.
Just as I first thought, it felt closer to the format of moving to a subspace.
Looking at the size of the forge, however, it did seem like its size was based on my studio apartment.
"You startled me."
-I apologize. Jang Gang-cheol.
-I did not anticipate such concerns.
Seeing that the room had completely returned, it did not seem like I needed to pay for the lease deposit.
Truly.
Forget awakening; I almost received a lawsuit from the landlord and hit rock bottom right away.
Anyway, since I now knew that using the ability would not affect my small and precious studio apartment...
"Can we go again?"
-You simply need to call out the Forge of Time.
"Ah, right. Forge of Time."
RUMBLE!
Along with the vibration I experienced earlier, the forge revealed its form once again.
"So this is my ability, right?"
-Welcome once again.
-Jang Gang-cheol.
It was fascinating.
To think it was an ability that summoned the space itself and overlaid it onto reality.
However.
"Is this actually good?"
Honestly, I was not sure.
It was true that a Blacksmith needed a forge, but could I not somehow acquire a forge in reality as well?
Thinking about it that way, was it not the same as having no ability?
If possible, I would have preferred an ability that practically helped with item crafting, like 'Craftsman's Touch', 'Swift Hammering', or 'Scorching Flames'.
"No, this might actually be better."
Thinking about it, it was a bit ambiguous.
If I were to build a forge myself in reality, I would have to buy the land to use as a forge, build the structure, lay the furnace, and also acquire equipment like a hammer and anvil.
I did not have a single bit of leeway to do that right now.
With that thought, I calmly looked around the forge.
"How old is this? There is not a single thing that is proper."
The walls looked like they could collapse at any moment.
The coldly cooled furnace seemed impossible to restart.
The only things that looked somewhat intact were the anvil and hammer placed in the center of the forge.
Even those were old and rusty, but these were the only items that looked usable right away.
Therefore, as I carefully picked up the hammer, I felt a cold, rough texture and a hefty weight.
Simultaneously.
[ Blacksmith's Hammer Lv 1 ]
It is a precious hammer that can be called the entirety of a Blacksmith.
-Crafting Lv 1
-Repair Lv 1
-Disassembly Lv 1
The item description for the hammer popped up.
Fortunately, its content did not differ much from the Final Gate I used to play, so I could immediately understand it.
"So, that means I can use Crafting, Repair, and Disassembly through this hammer, right?"
-That is correct.
-As expected, an insight befitting the master of the 'Forge of Time'.
The hammer was strangely familiar.
Even though I was the 1st ranked Blacksmith in Final Gate, this was my first time actually holding a hammer.
As if I had been swinging a hammer all this time.
As if it was my hammer to begin with, the hammer's handle fit perfectly in my hand.
"To use this, I ultimately need materials..."
Do I have to go out and buy iron?
Or since I have the Disassembly skill, should I bring a kitchen knife from the kitchen and disassemble it?
As I was having such worries...
-Currently, the 'Mine' has not been unlocked, so materials cannot be supplied.
-However, the minimum materials for Jang Gang-cheol have been prepared.
FLARE!
Along with Ember's voice.
The torches hung on the walls of the forge lit up.
Thanks to that, the brightness of the once-dark forge increased a little, and...
"Ooh!"
I was able to discover it thanks to the torches.
On one side of the forge.
A pile of iron ore left neglected in the corner.
It looked old, but what did that matter?
I picked one of them up and placed it on the anvil.
After that, not knowing what to do, I forcefully swung the hammer for now like a true Blacksmith, but...
CLANG!
"Keuk!"
ZIIING!
Not even close.
Along with a sharp metallic sound, a thrilling shock was felt in my wrist.
Naturally, no changes occurred to the iron ore.
Only then did Ember's voice come through.
-As described in the 'Blacksmith's Hammer', you can use three skills while holding the hammer.
-Among them, if you use the 'Disassembly' skill, you can disassemble an item into materials.
"...You should have told me that sooner."
Since it was reality and not a game, I had just swung the hammer first to see.
Seeing that I was handling items using skills, my awakening ability seemed much closer to a game rather than reality.
Thinking so...
"Disassembly."
The moment I used the Disassembly skill.
WOONG!
Something like a small magic circle popped up above the iron ore.
And that was...
"A point?"
It was a magic circle I knew very well.
Because item crafting in Final Gate worked this way.
Of course, looking at the details, the shape or color of the magic circle was slightly different, but...
It was very similar to Final Gate's crafting format.
-When using all skills, points like the one above will be generated.
-The success rate of the skill increases depending on how quickly and accurately you strike those points.
-Ember's explanation that followed was also similar to that of Final Gate.
As such.
CLANG!
I immediately swung the hammer.
Even though I had swung a hammer all day long as a Blacksmith in the game, this was my first time swinging a hammer in reality.
Whether it was because I originally had talent or thanks to awakening as a Blacksmith, my hammer landed accurately on the point, and...
[ You have successfully disassembled the iron ore. ]
[ A lowest-grade iron ingot has been created. ]
The iron ore turned into a lowest-grade iron ingot.
I thought perhaps it had disassembled in one hit simply because the level of the iron ore was too low, but...
-Indeed, you are excellent.
-Even if it is lowest-grade iron ore, I did not expect you to accurately shatter the point on your first try.
"Did I do well?"
-You are incredibly excellent.
Ember's praise could be heard.
I did not know if it was flattery, but who dislikes hearing praise?
Praise makes even whales dance, so in a good mood as well...
"Crafting!"
I shouted the next skill.
Ember had not explained it yet, but I was nominally the 1st ranked Blacksmith of Final Gate after all.
Just by hearing the description of the Disassembly skill, I could at least predict the next step.
Sure enough, as soon as I shouted Crafting.
[ Using the Crafting skill. ]
[ Please select an item to craft. ]
A new system message popped up.
This was also similar to Final Gate's system, so I could understand it quickly.
Here, I first had to select an item to create from the listed categories.
[ Craftable Items ]
Dagger
Longsword
Short Spear
.......
"There is only normal equipment."
-It cannot be helped.
-As your unique ability grows, you will be able to make a wider variety of items.
Only the most basic items were visible in the index.
Still, what else could I do?
I had to at least make these.
I chose the most standard 'Longsword' among them, and...
[ Please select the materials. ]
I tried putting in the piping hot lowest-grade iron ingot I had just created, but...
[ Insufficient materials. ]
"...Ah."
Crafting did not begin.
Thinking about it, it was an obvious outcome.
Because creating a longsword required two iron ingots.
Since it was bothersome to bring more iron ore, I selected the 'Dagger', which could be crafted with just one iron ingot for now, and...
[ Crafting begins. ]
Simultaneously with the system message.
WOONG!
A small magic circle, a point, was generated above the iron ingot.
"Good!"
CLANG!
I swung the hammer immediately.
When disassembling the iron ore, it ended with this single hammer strike, but not now.
Points popping up consecutively.
Thanks to reviving my memories of Final Gate.
CLANG!
I was able to pound the next point right away.
Points continued to pop up after that as well.
As if playing whack-a-mole.
As if playing a rhythm game.
The difficulty was quite hard, but it was something I always did in Final Gate.
For me, who had created the 'Execution Sword of the Black Dragon, Nadan +20', the difficulty of crafting a dagger was easier than eating cold porridge.
The problem was that the current crafting involved actually holding and swinging a hammer instead of using a keyboard and mouse.
"It is manageable, though?"
CLANG!
This was not a big problem either.
Perhaps thanks to awakening as a Blacksmith, the hammer felt incredibly light.
Rather than being difficult, it was fun.
Of course, enjoying the crafting of Final Gate in reality.
It had to be fun.
As a result of pounding the points numerous times like that.
[ Crafting complete. ]
[ Crafting Evaluation: A ]
[ You have acquired a 'Standard Dagger'. ]
"Ooh!"
I was able to finish crafting my first item.