Episode 76 – Cheol Muguk
The Cheol Clan is a family of blacksmiths. Because of that, it wasn't uncommon to hear clanging, crashing, and booming sounds like
kkang, kking, or kkwaang!
coming from inside the clan grounds.
Those noises didn’t stop for day or night.
“The weak-hearted often succumb to inner demons just from hearing the sound of the Cheol Clan,”
That’s what the people of the Cheol Clan called Cheol Clan Resonance. Falling into inner demons because of it was no surprise. If sounds worse than upstairs noise echoed through the night, no one would get proper sleep.
Of course, the one explaining this, Young Master Cheol, did so with an immensely proud look on his face.
“I heard the Cheol Clan ranks their members with the title of Artisan. Is that true?”
“The young head of the Gwak Clan knows his stuff. That’s right.”
Where other clans ranked members based on widely accepted martial prowess standards, the Cheol Clan used blacksmithing skill as their basis.
Their ranking system had five tiers: Heaven, Dragon, Earth, Tiger, and Human. The duties assigned varied by rank.
“I, for instance, am a Tiger-grade blacksmith.”
Being fourth among five might sound unimpressive, but even Human-grade blacksmiths could supply weapons to prestigious families of the Martial World. Tiger-grade blacksmiths could craft weapons comparable to quasi-mystic blades.
Of course, from Dragon-grade and above, the playing field changed entirely. That was when one truly became capable of crafting treasured relics.
“Then the Clan Head of the Cheol Clan must be a Heaven-grade blacksmith?”
Gwak Jeong asked.
“No.”
I shook my head.
“The clan head is a Dragon-grade blacksmith.”
“You really do know your stuff, Lord Sado,” Young Master Cheol added. “Yes, my father is a Dragon-grade blacksmith.”
“Then that means the Heaven-grade blacksmith position is vacant?”
“It’s because the Cheol Clan evaluates absolute, not relative, skill.”
Cheol Muguk was certainly considered one of the greatest blacksmiths of his time. His craftsmanship was delicate and beautiful, despite his old age, and he was famous for his artisan spirit.
But even he had failed at the final threshold of the Heaven-grade for decades.
Young Master Cheol alternated his gaze between me and Gwak Jeong as he spoke.
“It’s best not to talk about Heaven-grade or Dragon-grade in front of Father. He’s the kind of man who’d yell at us for distracting him just by being here... and lately, his temper has only gotten worse.”
Upon hearing this, a thought came to me.
In the original Return of the Murim novel, Cheol Muguk never reached Heaven-grade. He succumbed to inner demons and exited early...
And in this world, early exit means death. When Mujin, the novel’s protagonist, returned to the cult after three years, Cheol Muguk had already died.
There was even a moment of shock, “Wait, is this Cheol Muguk’s final work?!”
‘If his condition’s gotten worse lately, he might already be suffering from inner demons.’
And if I could solve that, or even offer a clue...
‘Then earning the clan’s seal would be a piece of cake.’
Of course, I wasn’t reckless enough to say I’d solve it outright. But I believed in my destiny as a protagonist.
All the geniuses I’d met so far had managed to level up just from a few of my casual remarks. Cheol Muguk might be old, but he was surely one of those geniuses. I was sure I could find a clue somehow.
...At least, that’s what I thought—until I actually met him.
***
The Cheol Clan's image was that of bald, muscle-bound brutes.
The ideal Cheol Clan member looked like someone whose brain was made of muscle too—huge and boisterous.
But Cheol Muguk was different.
This guy is Cheol Muguk...?
He was tall but lean. Not bald. Not muscular. Not even shirtless like the rest.
His arms looked too thin to lift a hammer. If this weren’t a smithy, I would’ve never guessed he was a blacksmith.
He looked more like a grumpy old professor. But his eyes—his eyes were blazing.
As soon as Gwak Jeong met his gaze, he shrank his neck and flinched.
[He’s probably no more than first-rate at martial arts... maybe less. So how can he have such a presence?]
Even Skybreaker was in awe.
It was like being a Dragon-grade blacksmith meant he could shoot dragon-like eyes.
Maybe it was the kind of aura that only someone who had reached the pinnacle of mastery could emit.
‘Come to think of it, there really is a lot I don’t know about the time and place the original protagonist didn’t experience.’
The name Cheol Muguk came up often, but never his appearance or personality. So I couldn’t help but be taken aback.
Still, I didn’t let the pressure get to me. When I summoned the energy of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, a wave of unshakable poise surged from deep within.
I raised my chin and met Cheol Muguk’s gaze head-on.
Our eyes clashed for a long while.
“Who the hell are you people?”
“We are the Head of the Asura Demon Sect, Lord Sado Hwan, and the Young Head of the Gwak Clan, Gwak Jeong. We've come to pay respects.”
“I am Sado Hwan. I came because there’s something I need to say.”
“I see.”
Cheol Muguk nodded—without even looking our way.
“Then get lost.”
“…Excuse me?”
“I clearly said not to disturb me no matter who comes. Young Head.”
“But, Father…”
“Don’t make me say it twice.”
With that, Cheol Muguk sat back down in front of the bellows, as if we were invisible.
Normally, Skybreaker would’ve flown into a rage, and even I wasn’t feeling particularly great about it.
But—
As I happened to catch sight of his hand brushing the bellows’ handle, I felt a strange sense of awe. His fingertips were covered in scabs.
Wounds caused by handling heavy tools, reopening before they could scab, getting crushed again and again.
Those hands told the story of a man who—
That was when I noticed the bookshelves in the corner of the smithy, filled with volumes worn and smudged with use.
If that’s the case...
My work experience had sharpened one particular skill: reading people. In this world of Return of the Murim, full of cliché characters, most people were painted in broad strokes.
“Lord Sado,” Young Master Cheol said with an awkward expression.
“Gwak Jeong.”
“Yes?”
“Return to your clan. With your current level of martial arts, it’s dangerous to be exposed to extreme yang energy.”
“Then... what about you, Master?”
I turned to Young Master Cheol.
“I just need a chair.”
“As expected.”
Young Master Cheol nodded as if familiar with this.
“Do you need anything else?”
“A cup of tea, please.”
“Understood.”
Young Master Cheol, stealing glances at Cheol Muguk, brought over a chair and teapot. Gwak Jeong bowed to me and headed back.
I placed the chair where Cheol Muguk could see me if he looked up from his work.
Once seated, Skybreaker spoke.
[What are you thinking? A chair, all of a sudden?]
“My judgment tells me... Cheol Muguk is the classic artisan type.”
[Well, that’s to be expected from a Dragon-grade blacksmith.]
“No, that’s not it.”
In subculture media, artisans are often quirky and sensitive, but they all share one common trait—
“They value grit above all else.”
I had thought Cheol Muguk was a genius. But looking at his physique, that didn’t make sense. He was too thin to swing a hammer with ease.
But the moment I saw his hands, and the well-worn books, I knew—
Cheol Muguk was not a genius.
If he were, his hands wouldn’t be callused and torn. He wouldn’t have pored over books until they were stained with use.
He would’ve just “got it” and created results effortlessly.
Return of the Murim is a world overflowing with geniuses. In such a place, there’s barely any room for the average.
Not just in martial arts—look at Cho Ryang, who had a unique beast taming ability. Blacksmithing, too, had its own prodigies.
So for someone like Cheol Muguk to become the head of Iron Mountain Cheol Clan, one of the Six Demon Families, and a Dragon-grade blacksmith…
How much effort must he have poured in?
How great must his pride be—And how deep must the frustration run, knowing that his talent had reached its limit?
[So you're saying... if you show that grit, he'll take notice?]
“Exactly.”
[How?]
“Just sit here.”
[...I’ve heard a lot of nonsense from you before, but this might be the worst.]
“Wanna bet?”
[…]
Skybreaker fell silent.
What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?
I unstrapped Skybreaker from my waist and leaned him against the chair. Cheol Muguk’s eyes briefly flicked toward him—then went back to ignoring me.
He resumed working the bellows. The fire gradually intensified.
The smithy quickly filled with blazing heat. It was the kind of heat that would normally drive a person out in under a minute.
But Cheol Muguk, born of the Extreme Yang Art, showed no discomfort. He had likely long since grown used to this temperature.
As for me, I had the all-purpose Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
Forged with the will of the First Heavenly Demon, who vowed never to tire, this ridiculously powerful art made the body nearly impervious to external threats. Even for those who couldn’t release internal energy outward.
Other than not being able to project energy, my body’s basically top-tier.
But I didn’t channel the art. I just took in the heat head-on.
Beads of sweat welled up on my nose in an instant.
[I don’t have a body, so I can’t say for sure, but... isn’t this level of heat painful?]
“Yeah, probably.”
[Then what are you doing, you lunatic? If you’re not going to use the Heavenly Demon’s power, you’re going to cook yourself alive!]
Skybreaker was always so protective of my body.
If I endured it easily, it wouldn’t count as grit. Grit means enduring something the hard way.
[...You’re insane.]
“Thanks. And most importantly—”
I said, soaking in the blazing heat,
“My body’s been stiff lately. Feels good to get roasted a bit.”
Back when I worked sales and pulled all-nighters, nothing soothed me like a hot sauna floor.
After falling into this world, I’d missed that sensation—and now I finally got it.
[...Sauna? What sort of place is that?]
“You heat the floor and lie on it.”
[Where I’m from, that’s called torture.]
“Not for Koreans.”
[You’re making me seriously curious about your world now.]
No matter what Skybreaker said, the K-genes etched into my soul welcomed the burning heat.
And so began the strange cohabitation between me and Cheol Muguk.