Chapter 13

Chapter 4

The Provoker of Complacency

<Item Crafting Contest with the Mero Guild!>

The difficulty of this quest is A.

In other words, it is classified as high difficulty.

It is practically impossible for a level 21 player to clear an A-class quest.

Do you think I will fail this quest? Why did I accept such a difficult quest?

It’s not a stretch. I accepted it because I am confident I can clear it.

If this quest were related to combat or adventure, I wouldn’t have this confidence. No, I would have refused it. Even if I were a legendary class, I couldn’t clear it at my current level.

However, this <Item Crafting Contest with the Mero Guild!> quest is about winning through crafting.

It’s a quest where you win by crafting a better item than the blacksmith hired by the Mero Guild!

“I am a legendary blacksmith who crafted epic-grade arrows! Even if the Mero Guild hires a high-level blacksmith, there’s no way I can lose! Heheh, this is a quest… no, an event made for me!”

Using the moonlight seeping through the window as my light, I stood there, making a graceful expression like a protagonist in an animated movie, delivering a splendid monologue with a refined smile.

Just then, Kan, who had come out of the warehouse with the item crafting tools, was taken aback by my appearance.

“Did the dinner I ate earlier go bad…? Your expression looks like you’re in pain. Are you okay? Should I bring you some medicine? No, I’ll run and fetch a doctor right away!”

“…What makes you think I look like I’m in pain?”

Kan seems to have a poor sense of aesthetics.

‘Tsk, a blacksmith is also a kind of artist, after all.’

The items Kan made are bound to look shabby, regardless of their performance.

Just as I was thinking this, Kan brought out a sword and helmet that were as beautiful as a work of art.

“These are my masterpieces. What do you think? They’re pretty good, right? Even though I look like this, I was famous in the north for making beautiful weapons and armor in my prime. My aesthetic sense was always talked about among artists. Hehe.”

…Is this guy reading my mind?

When I gave him a disapproving look, Kan quietly moved the sword and helmet to the side and laid out various crafting tools.

“As you can see, the tools are all properly prepared. There’s steel, various ores, and different types of wood stacked in the warehouse. I haven’t had any business for months, so the materials are in excess… But in the end, it’s a good thing. You can use them to train.”

With a bitter smile, Kan, I asked a question that had been on my mind.

“The Mero Guild cheated you into a huge debt and even hired thugs to interfere with your business. They also threatened and assaulted you. Why didn’t you ask the lord or the police for help? Why did you just take it lying down?”

Kan sighed deeply.

“I also tried to resist the Mero Guild. I reported them to the police and petitioned the lord several times. I hoped the police would protect me and the lord would resolve my grievances. But they ignored me. They dismissed all my requests.”

“…It seems the Mero Guild’s influence is at work.”

“Right. The Mero Guild is the largest and richest guild in the north. The lord and the police had already been bribed by the Mero Guild long ago. It’s not just me. Many residents of Winston have been driven out by the Mero Guild, but the lord doesn’t even think about helping them.”

In the end, money is the ultimate power.

Feeling the greatness of money once again, I reaffirmed my determination to become rich.

“By the way, thinking about it, isn’t Winston part of the Steim Barony?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Then why didn’t you and the residents collectively go to Steim Baron and report the lord of Winston? Then the baron could punish the lord… or is the Mero Guild’s influence reaching even the Steim Baron?”

Kan shook his head.

“It doesn’t seem so. We tried to meet Steim Baron several times as you suggested, but the lord, who noticed our intentions, always interfered, preventing us from leaving Winston. Even if we petitioned, it would be burned in Winston and never reach the baron… If the baron and the lord were in cahoots, the lord wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to stop us.”

“Doesn’t the inspection team come?”

“The inspection team was already bought off by the lord long ago.”

So, in the end, money is the ultimate power.

I got up from my seat. While lighting the furnace, I comforted Kan.

“Don’t worry too much. Now you have me. I’ll flatten the noses of those Mero Guild guys. Trust me? You entrusted me with this important task because you trust me, right?”

“Of course I trust you. As a descendant of Paguma, you will surely win no matter what blacksmith they hire… Grid, you’re really reliable. If my youngest son were still alive, he would be about your age… He would have grown up to be a fine young man like you… Huh…”

Kan was a very emotional old man.

But he doesn’t seem foolish.

It means he has many wounds.

‘What a pitiful person.’

…Huh?

What is this? I shouldn’t be feeling this sentimental.

For some reason, I keep feeling weak-hearted in front of Kan.

Is it because the Hongik Blacksmith ideology was implanted in me without my knowledge when I became a descendant of Paguma?

‘No, it’s probably because Kan is a blessing to me, and I’ve developed a strong liking for him without realizing it.’

I caught Kan, who was wandering around looking for alcohol, and sat him down next to me, then started the bellows.

“Old man, watch me work all night. You’ll soon forget about alcohol. You’ll start itching to work as a blacksmith again.”

“R-Really?”

Aah! Why am I like this? Why do I always smile warmly when I see this old man?

…Ah.

Looking at the flames of the furnace, a forgotten memory from the past comes to mind.

In my elementary school days, I found great happiness at my grandfather’s house during the summer break.

Thanks to the warm love of my grandparents, I always felt good.

That’s it. Kan seems to have a similar tone and atmosphere to our grandfather.

“Have a cup of tea. It’s made from Reunul leaves and has a very good aroma.”

“Not bad. But wouldn’t it be better to give me some pocket money…?”

“Huh? What did you say? I couldn’t hear you well because it’s so noisy!”

“You must have heard me.”

“I can’t hear you at all!”

“…You’re really good at pretending.”

Clang! Clang!

In this moment, sharing tea with someone I like and working with fire and iron, my heart swells.

This was the first moment I felt Satisfy as precious as reality.

“But you… your hammering form doesn’t seem very smooth. Is it just my imagination because my expectations were too high? No, it’s not. It’s really not good. Try to hit it more firmly. No, bring your elbow in a bit more… Are you really a descendant of Paguma? Be honest. You’re not a fraud, are you? If we lose to the guild guys, I must have been crazy to accept that guy Rabbit’s proposal!”

…This old man.

“Be quiet! I’ll get better as I work. Just leave me alone, will you? Why are you taking my hammer?!”

“Get better as you work? That sounds a bit strange! If you’re a descendant of Paguma, you should have mastered this long ago! You’re a fraud! A fraud!”

Ah, I… I’m losing my patience.

Clang! Clang!

The night deepens, but I don’t rest.

I’m in peak condition. I thought this was the day to hone my skills all night.

That night, I actually improved a lot, and Kan stopped calling me a fraud.

From the next day, the training intensified.

Watching me work, Kan regained his composure and gave up his addiction to alcohol. He quickly showed the demeanor of a blacksmith with 60 years of experience. He used his vast knowledge and skills gained from years of experience to help me greatly.

“When making armor, durability is not the only consideration. It’s most important to design it so that the wearer can move freely.”

I learned how to make armor and tried making it,

“Whoa! Is the strength balanced? Just correcting your posture won’t do. Focus! Even a three-year-old isn’t this scattered!”

I was scolded,

“You’re amazing, really amazing. To change so much just by focusing? Your talent is boundless.”

I received more praise than scolding.

“There are always foolish people who think that forging is a task that’s good to do but not necessary. Their logic is that ‘if you’re short on time, you can skip forging as a last resort,’ but they are mistaken. Forging is never a secondary task. If you skip forging, the whole point of tempering and quenching is lost. If you really don’t have time, you should skip the tempering process, not forging.”

I received deep teachings,

“I agree. To begin with, how can you skip certain processes and make incomplete items just because you’re short on time? No matter how long it takes, you should strive to make better items.”

“Ah! What a respectable craftsman’s spirit. To have such a noble philosophy at such a young age, you are truly a descendant of Paguma!”

“It’s not that grand. I just said it because you can sell better items for a higher price…”

“Hahaha! You even have the virtue of modesty. You are truly an excellent young man! I admire you! Grid! Meeting you is the greatest fortune of my life!”

“…”

I was misunderstood while sharing opinions.

Nonetheless, it was a happy time.

***

“Mmm…”

I woke up before the alarm clock rang.

Pulling back the curtains, I saw that it was still dark outside. I checked the time.

“It’s only 4:00 AM.”

It’s too early to wake up. I have at least 30 minutes to spare to get some more sleep.

If it were me in the past, I would have grumbled about waking up too early and gone back to bed. But today was different.

“What a refreshing morning.”

I feel really good.

The day before, I spent two nights in Satisfy, honing my blacksmithing skills, and the results were excellent.

I made a total of three armors and two swords, and two of the items were rare grade.

Thanks to this, all my stats increased by +4, my Legendary Blacksmith skill experience increased by nearly 20%, and my Legendary Blacksmith’s Breath experience increased by about 8%.

My concentration and precision during work also improved significantly, greatly enhancing my production speed.

Kan was a great help. He is completely different from the blacksmith in the village of Vairan.

“Even though I’m not in my best condition and my skills haven’t fully returned, to achieve this much shows that there’s a huge difference in skill and knowledge between a low-level blacksmith and a high-level blacksmith.”

I miss Kan. I want to make items with him and receive his teachings as soon as possible. It’s a different kind of growth from leveling up.

“Huh.”

To think of the person I was with until I went to sleep, as soon as I wake up in the morning?!

“Am I overreacting? Hehe. Let’s take a shower first.”

I headed straight to the bathroom.

After washing up with warm water and coming out, my mother was setting the breakfast table.

“Good morning.”

“Seems like our Young-woo is feeling refreshed after taking a day off yesterday. To wake up so early?”

“It’s the power of ox-tail soup! I felt the effect right away after eating something good. My condition is very, very good. So, can we have some eel soon…?”

“Where would a guy with no girlfriend use eel?”

That was my father, who had just come out of the bedroom with a newspaper.

I flared up.

“Don’t underestimate me just because I don’t have a girlfriend. There are many places to use strength even without a girlfriend… No, if I really wanted to, I could get a girlfriend easily.”

“What? Hahahaha~!”

My mother started laughing, holding her stomach. She was laughing so hard that tears were welling up in her eyes.

‘What is this?’

Seeing my mother’s reaction, I felt like I was being ignored.

Feeling bad, I confronted my mother.

“Mom, why are you laughing? Why is it so funny to hear that your son can get a girlfriend?”

My mother couldn’t stop laughing.

“Hahaha~! It’s funny to hear such a confident statement from someone who has never had a girlfriend in 26 years! Even though you’re my child, you really have guts! Your guts are really something! Hahaha~!”

“…”

This is blatant disrespect.

Is there another son in the world who is so openly disrespected by his own mother?

While I was reeling from the shock, my father, who had been silent, not only didn’t stop my mother but also joined in.

“Son, while we’re on the topic, please try to get a girlfriend next year. It’s time to start preparing for marriage, isn’t it? But, thinking about it, it seems impossible. First, you need to pay off your debt, right? In this day and age, what woman would date a man in debt? No matter how confident you are, the world isn’t that easy. Can a mediocre man get a girlfriend just by being confident? Just give up on getting a girlfriend for a while.”

“…”

This is also blatant disrespect.

I was having a morning that started with a very good mood!

Just a moment ago, my condition was at its peak, but now, at this moment, it has completely crumbled.

“Isn’t this too much, both of you! What’s the reason I haven’t had a girlfriend until now? It’s not because of my debt or anything! It’s because you two made me this way!”

I poured out all the words I had kept in my heart for so long.

“It’s all your fault that I don’t have a girlfriend! If you two had given birth to me as handsome as a movie star, I could have dated women non-stop for 26 years! Damn it! Because you two made me unattractive, women don’t pay attention to me!”

“Dear, is it our fault that you were born this way? Look at your sister. She was born from the same womb as you, yet she was born so beautiful. Why didn’t you just be born as beautiful as Se-hee?”

“Appearance isn’t everything… When will you grow up? Tsk, the more I look at you, the more pitiful you seem.”

“…”

This is blatant disrespect.

To be so openly disrespected by my own parents from the start of the day!

A serious question lingers in my mind.

‘Am I an adopted child?’

Maybe my parents are not my biological parents?

‘Even a hedgehog thinks its own offspring is beautiful, so how can my parents treat me like this…? Am I really an adopted child?’

If the two people who raised me for 26 years are not my biological parents, then who are my real parents? Where are they?

…No, what am I doing?

It’s almost time to go to work. I don’t have the luxury to indulge in such unrealistic scenarios.

I calmed down and changed the topic by asking my father.

“By the way, Father, how is Grandfather these days? I assume he’s as healthy as always, right?”

“Hmm? Why are you suddenly asking about Grandfather’s well-being?”

“There’s an old blacksmith NPC in the game who reminds me of our grandfather. It made me think of him.”

…If I say that, I’ll be called a game addict or something.

No, it’s not just a matter of being called that; I might even get a beating after a long time.

“I just suddenly thought of him.”

My father firmly said to me, who was trying to dodge the question.

“Don’t just think of him. Come with us when we visit Grandfather next month. Do you know how disappointed he is that you haven’t visited him for a whole year?”

For the past seven years, our family has been visiting Grandfather’s house frequently, even when it’s not a holiday. We do this to comfort Grandfather, who has been living alone since losing Grandmother seven years ago.

Father and Mother tried to persuade Grandfather to live with our family, but he firmly refused. He might think he would be a burden.

I, who had received a lot of love from Grandfather since I was young, used to visit him with my family every time until last year.

But since I started playing Satisfy, I haven’t visited him even once.

I wanted to play more games instead of spending time traveling to and from Grandfather’s house.

‘I’ve been a really unfilial son, haven’t I?’

Is our Grandfather also feeling lonely like the