Genius Blacksmith's Game

Takashi was a blacksmith from Japan’s Sakai City region.

And in Sakai City, the Sakai sashimi knife had gained worldwide fame.

One of chefs’ dreams around the world is owning a Sakai sashimi knife. It’s absolutely one of the blades that represents modern Japan.

But Hyunsoo’s face darkened.

There’s no way I can make a Sakai sashimi knife... let alone at a level that would satisfy Takashi.

Just then, Takashi spoke.

“I’ll teach you the method.”

Hyunsoo’s heart pounded.

Receiving new instruction.

Takashi was a Master Blacksmith who surpassed both me and my father.

He was someone who had inherited a craft method passed down for fifty years—over twenty-six generations.

Hyunsoo slowly nodded.

Now was the time to say the most important thing.

In that moment, Takashi felt the greatest misery of his life.

He had already donated all of his remaining assets to society.

And due to Ares’s influence, Master Blacksmith Hyunsoo’s price tag was now higher than Takashi’s had been at his peak.

So I’ve lived to seventy, only to end up in a position where I have to beg this young man...

Right then, as Takashi’s lips twitched, Hyunsoo said to him:

“The commission fee is 100 yen.”

“...?”

Hyunsoo rose from his seat.

“I want to start crafting today.”

In truth, Takashi had been looking at things through tinted glasses.

He thought blacksmiths in today’s world shouldn’t even exist.

After what happened back then, he’d developed a negative view.

And he believed Hyunsoo was someone who exploited that reality perfectly, as a business.

But Hyunsoo stood up and bared white teeth.

Takashi knew that smile was meant to hide his misery.

And—

“It’s an honor to take part in Master Blacksmith Hyunsoo’s last craft.”

—he realized those words were also sincere.

The two of them stepped into the forge together.

Takashi also knew that Hyunsoo was currently crafting with his left hand, not his right.

“I’ll fill in your lacking left hand with my left hand. Ha... doesn’t that sound ridiculous?”

Yeah. It was ridiculous.

Two Master Blacksmiths, and both of them had one hand that didn’t work right.

But as he said it, he felt it.

Whatever would be made when two incomplete hands met—would never be ordinary.

RRRRRUMBLE—!

Fire flared in the furnace, and the crafting continued for a long time.

Takashi built him up from the fundamentals.

“You idiot. Do you not know that if it’s only hard, it breaks?”

“Japanese swords don’t break because they mix soft iron into the core.”

“For this moment, accept this—not the sword-making method you thought you knew.”

As the crafting stretched on, Hyunsoo was stunned.

The joy of learning something new, of taking it in and making it mine...

It was a new emotion he hadn’t felt in a long time.

And there was so much he was gaining from Takashi’s instruction.

“In the game Ares, you churned out those fakes... and this is all the skill you’ve got?”

“...”

Hyunsoo also felt it—Takashi was the only blacksmith who could scold him like this.

“What exactly is fake?”

The reason Hyunsoo had set the price at 100 yen.

It was for the sake of Takashi’s noble intent, yes—but there was another reason, too.

If he learned under Takashi like this, maybe he could find the truth behind what he’d been feeling lately:

Something is wrong.

Being taught by Takashi was worth tens of billions of won to Hyunsoo.

“Heh. You want to know? Then make a sashimi knife that satisfies me.”

“Ghk...!”

“Hey—can’t focus? If your mind wavers, you can’t strike dead center!”

“I’ll satisfy you, no matter what!”

“Again.”

“Again.”

“Again!”

“Agaiiin!”

At last, part of the instruction ended.

In truth, Takashi was surprised.

...So it wasn’t just flashy. He’s a pretty excellent blacksmith.

As Takashi looked at Hyunsoo, his eyes suddenly turned sad.

Come to think of it... if Aoi hadn’t died, he’d be about this age.

After swallowing his grief, Takashi and Hyunsoo moved into the real work.

Takashi watched the molten metal flowing down.

And during the forging work, he took the assisting role with the tongs.

CLANG—!

CLANG—!

CLAAANG—!

The forging and quenching neared completion.

Yet the closer it came to being finished, the more uncomfortable Takashi’s heart became.

And at the same time, he was excited in a different way.

It was the feeling he used to have when he forged.

But he shoved it down and finished the quench.

SSSSSS—!

Then, after polishing, they engraved a pattern.

Before they knew it, a blade so beautiful it was intoxicating had taken shape, and Hyunsoo used wood to make the handle.

Looking at what was nearly complete, Takashi said:

“I want to engrave my name on the blade.”

“...”

From long ago, famous Japanese blacksmiths often engraved their names on a part that would be hidden once it was joined with the handle.

And even now, centuries later, a sword’s value changed depending on how famous the blacksmith had been.

But Takashi was known precisely because he had never engraved his name even once.

“Who knew I’d end up doing something so embarrassing.”

“...”

Hyunsoo saw sorrow reflected there.

It was like watching an old man visiting a photo studio to take a portrait for his memorial photo.

And with every character he engraved, one by one, the old man’s breathing grew rougher.

Because of me...

Even now, whenever Takashi tried to fall asleep, it felt like he could still hear the screams of the dead from the Japanese sword he had made.

A weapon I made killed people.

He engraved the final character of his name.

And then, the last step.

At the moment they had to join the handle and blade, Takashi gripped it and couldn’t move for a long time.

Of course, this wasn’t something he had made.

But it remained like trauma, tormenting him.

“Ghk....”

No matter how he tried to put strength into it, he couldn’t—and trembling spread through his whole body.

Then two large hands covered both of Takashi’s hands, slowly applying force and joining it together.

GRIP—!

“Are you going to say that line too, like everyone else?”

Takashi smiled sadly.

It’s not your fault.

If it was something like that, he’d heard it a hundred times, a thousand times, and more.

CLANK—!

When at last his final work—his masterpiece—his grandson’s dream—his gift in reply for the Seven-Branched Sword was completed...

“You were my dream.”

He looked into Hyunsoo’s eyes.

And he understood why he’d felt like he’d met Hyunsoo before.

About eleven years ago.

Back when Aoi was still alive.

He remembered a Korean boy who had come holding hands with a blacksmith in his mid-forties.

Staring at the Japanese sword on display, the boy asked a question.

“Grandpa! Can I make a great sword like this someday too!?”

And Takashi had patted the kid’s head and laughed heartily.

“Of course. Ha, ha.”

Tears began to flow from the old man’s eyes.

“Heh... ha, ha... HAHAHAHAHA!”

That’s right.

I was someone’s dream—and together with him, I gave birth to my final work.

*****

The finished Sakai sashimi knife was beautiful.

Starting from the tip and running down in a slow descent, it gleamed—though it was only reflecting sunlight.

CLICK—!

After placing it in a box embroidered with a dragon and locking it, Hyunsoo handed it to Takashi.

“This is something you have to do, sir.”

“...”

Takashi told Hyunsoo he should deliver it to the National Museum, and Hyunsoo refused.

“Putting something on display at the National Museum isn’t something we can do just because we want to. But if you—someone who used to be Japan’s greatest Master Blacksmith—deliver it with the sentiment that it’s a gift in reply for the Seven-Branched Sword, the press will move.”

“...”

Takashi looked filled with fearful eyes.

Hyunsoo knew ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) what it was.

He’s afraid he’ll be condemned because of the incident ten years ago.

But Hyunsoo could almost see what would unfold.

“...I’ll do it.”

Takashi nodded.

He looked... rather relieved.

“What will you do now?”

Takashi gave a small smile.

“...I found something I want to do.”

“Something you want to do?”

It was a happy thing.

That an old man who had been losing the will to live had found something he wanted to do.

Hyunsoo didn’t pry.

“Emergency Crafting.”

“...Pardon?”

At the words that followed, Hyunsoo wore a puzzled expression.

Why was a skill name suddenly coming up?

“The reason I said it was fake is exactly that. You forged Korea’s greatest famous swords with something called Emergency Crafting. And there were other things too, I’m sure.”

In that moment, Hyunsoo began engraving a massive realization into himself.

“Do you truly believe that was real crafting?”

Like an easy problem to others becoming hard when you’re the one thinking about it—

Takashi was pinpointing it precisely.

“What is your strength?”

That was right.

Hyunsoo’s strength was that he was a blacksmith who could craft from start to finish without relying on skills.

Yet at some point, he’d thrown that away and started relying on the power called Emergency Crafting.

He’d slapped together Tyrfing out of what was in his head.

He’d slapped together the Sain Sword that was supposed to be made on a twelve-year cycle.

And the Twin Dragon Sword—something he should have crafted with deeper immersion than anything else—he had forged with Emergency Crafting.

Regression...

Somewhere along the way, he’d been relying on “skills.”

It was a tremendous awakening.

“Don’t forget how you forged in reality.”

Hyunsoo had something he wanted to say.

But he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

The old man turned, and his figure grew distant.

A few days later, Hyunsoo saw his movements through the news and articles.

-Japan’s Master Blacksmith Takashi, who vanished without a trace. States his intent to donate a Sakai sashimi knife to our National Museum...

-The National Museum responds that it’s an unprecedented case, and they’re at a loss...

-Netizens are ecstatic at the claim that it’s a repayment for Baekje’s Seven-Branched Sword.

-Who is Takashi? A Japanese Living National Treasure who received the title of Master Blacksmith from Japan’s former prime minister...

-The Osaka Japanese sword rampage incident from ten years ago is brought back into focus...

Seeing the last line, Hyunsoo frowned.

But the response he’d expected erupted.

-Korean and Japanese netizens are leaving messages to Master Blacksmith Takashi saying, “You worked hard, Takashi”...

-It’s been revealed that a significant portion of Japanese people are supporting the Master Blacksmith’s final wish...

-The voices of a tiny minority of anti-Korean Japanese have been completely buried...

-Netizens gather signatures, saying you can’t even donate freely?

-It’s reported that over one million people have signed...

-The National Museum announces, in an unusual move, that they will accept and house Master Blacksmith Takashi’s Sakai sashimi knife...

-After the donation, Takashi’s whereabouts are once again unknown...

In truth, Hyunsoo wanted to say this to Takashi.

Please become my teacher.

But he couldn’t say it.

No—more than anyone, he knew it was something he must not say.

Because it would have been purely his own greed.

But it really felt like there was so much to learn from Takashi.

Maybe it would have become the foothold for Hyunsoo to grow dramatically.

And also—

Takashi is someone who was involved with Ares’s blacksmith advisory work.

Maybe Ares’s side could have received major help as well.

And he might have known about other advisors whose whereabouts were still unknown.

Still, Hyunsoo decided to be satisfied with just discovering that his problem was Emergency Crafting.

No matter what you do... I hope you live happily.

Hyunsoo truly cheered Takashi on as he walked forward.

Meanwhile.

Takashi, who had found a new dream he wanted to pursue—

was quite happy.

In a way, isn’t this also a kind of crafting? Ha, ha!

Takashi recalled that old feeling.

Back when he first became a blacksmith—people who had been genuinely delighted and happy with what he made for them!

Wasn’t this work not all that different from that?

And so he was doing his best at the task now given to him.

The work he was doing now.

[28th-Generation Premium Soup Rice.]

He was learning the trade at the soup rice shop that had delighted his palate more than anything across his entire life.

Just as a blacksmith makes people happy through what he crafts—

Takashi realized cooking could be the same.

Taking the secret method he learned here, Takashi dreamed of opening a second location in Japan.

Then—

DING—!

The door opened, and someone walked in.

It was Hyunsoo.

Hyunsoo, who had come to eat at the 28th-generation soup rice shop, froze in shock.

Because Takashi was wearing an apron, mixing cubed radish kimchi.

“Sir, why are you here...?”

Takashi shouted proudly.

“Welcome!”