Chapter 64

< Senpai? >

“This skill makes it seem like there’s an actual forge?”

“Yes.”

“...It exists?”

No, it’s not like fire or ice would suddenly burst out, but a forge? I’ve never heard of such a skill before.

“According to the description, it says that you can enter a subspace with a golden forge.”

“Wow...”

Wow, what is this? It’s completely different from the skill format I know.

‘It seems more like an item than a skill.’

Like the S-rank trap item, the House of Sweets, or the SS-rank defensive item, the Silent Chamber. Both are special items that only appear much later.

However, I’ve never heard of a skill that creates a building. Skills are basically intangible abilities. They can gather energy or elements to form simple shapes, but a forge? With a furnace and anvil? Does that even make sense?

“How do you enter it?”

I asked as I stood up.

“Just like this.”

Mingwoo extended his hand towards me. If I want to enter, I just go in? I put the piece back in the cage and placed Piyak on the sofa.

I was a bit skeptical about its stability, but I thought I should at least go in once. There was still time left for the final favor.

“Can you bring anyone in?”

“If I want to.”

“Then it could be used as a hideout. Maybe you could stockpile emergency rations?”

I said as I took his hand. If the subspace with the forge is safe, it could be a great place to hide in an emergency.

The feeling of passing through a dungeon gate washed over me, and the scenery before my eyes changed.

It was a room where sunlight streamed in through large windows. The first thing I saw was the flickering fire inside a large furnace. The golden fire burned without any wood or straw, blazing on its own.

The walls were made of intertwined branches and roots, which didn’t match the name. A strong scent of wood and fire filled the air. I could see hammers, large tongs, and other tools hanging on the walls.

It was an old-fashioned forge. In the center, on a large anvil, there was a bouquet of flowers and a note. It was quite unexpected.

“...What’s with that bouquet?”

“Beats me.”

Mingwoo approached the anvil and picked up the note. There was something written on it, but it wasn’t in Korean, Chinese, or any alphabet I recognized. It was a script I had never seen before.

“This seems to be addressed to me.”

“To you? Can you read it?”

“Hmm... Welcome, successor. May the blessings of fire and molten metal be upon your future. It says.”

So it’s an item, not a skill. The mention of a successor suggests that some unknown senior prepared it.

“I guess I’m the successor. Does that mean there was someone before me who had the skill of the Golden Forge?”

Mingwoo tilted his head and asked.

“I don’t know. Awakeners have only existed for about three years, so it’s hard to call them seniors or successors. No equipment has been made so far. At least in our world, you’re probably the first.”

As I said this, I thought about the system administrators. Could any of them have had the skill of the Golden Forge in the past and prepared various items for the next skill owner? Is that even possible?

‘What are these people really? The more I think about it, the more questions I have.’

At that moment, Mingwoo turned the note over.

“There’s something written here too... Ismuar?”

Whoosh!

“Step back!”

The fire in the furnace suddenly shot up. I tried to block Mingwoo, but he moved forward instead of stepping back.

“Eunjin, you step back! Your stat level is lower right now.”

...No, I’m still under the final favor. I can’t say that.

“...I have a defensive skill item. The guild leader of Seong gave it to me.”

I had planned to use it on Mingwoo.

“Of course, you were going to use it on me.”

...When did he become so perceptive? But my current stat is above B, and a B-level defensive shield isn’t really necessary...

“No, that’s not it. It’s not that, but... Look at that!”

I changed the subject and pointed to the rising flames. They had taken on a human-like shape, alternating between a small child and a tall adult, eventually settling on a middle form.

Then it transformed into a fully human-like shape.

It looked like it was made of fire, clearly not a real human. Is this an item too?

“Nice to meet you, Master.”

...It spoke?!

“It speaks?!”

Mingwoo was also startled. It was the first time he had seen a speaking non-human. Except for the system administrators, of course, whom he had never seen in person.

“I am Ismuar, a spirit born from the last breath of the Creator.”

“...There are spirits like this?”

“...I don’t know.”

Mingwoo shook his head. Are there really spirits? I had only heard of them in games and novels, never in reality. No Awakeners had the skill to summon spirits.

But suddenly, a spirit? What is this?

While we were confused, Ismuar, the self-proclaimed spirit, looked down at us with emotionless golden eyes. Is it a living being?

‘Will the leaf skill work?’

I tried the skill to check. But... no status window appeared. Instead, information floated in my mind.

‘...Fire spirit, very strong, can control flames. Fully grown. Contract holder is the person next to me. What is this?’

The information didn’t appear in a rectangular window but was directly felt. It was vague compared to written text. How strong is it? It’s probably at least A-level. The skill doesn’t register. I can control fire freely, but I don’t know much else. Physical attacks don’t seem to work.

What is this? Is there a system error?

I opened my status window in confusion, but nothing appeared. I couldn’t even feel my own status or information. No rank, level, skill, or title. I knew nothing.

It felt like being thrown into a dark, sealed room.

“...Mingwoo, can you open your status window?”

“Status window?”

Mingwoo hesitated for a moment, then opened his eyes wide.

“Oh, it doesn’t appear? Was the awakening canceled?!”

“No, mine doesn’t appear either. But I think the skills still work. The stats are probably the same. It’s just... the system window doesn’t appear. The inventory... I can’t see the contents, but I can take things out and put them back.”

I took out a bottle of mana powder and put it back. Normally, I could see the list of contents, but now it doesn’t appear.

“If the skills haven’t disappeared, that’s a relief. Is this space strange?”

“Probably.”

Is it because it’s a subspace, outside the system’s influence? ...But isn’t awakening itself part of the system? If the windows don’t appear but the stats remain, does that mean the game-like system and awakening are separate?

...My head is getting complicated.

“Please tell me your name, Master.”

Ismuar, who had been floating silently, spoke. Or rather, his voice came out while his mouth remained closed.

“Are you asking for my name? My name is Mingwoo.”

“Mr. Mingwoo. Would you like to receive the basic training prepared by the Creator?”

“Basic training?”

“Yes. It’s just basic training. If you already have sufficient proficiency as a blacksmith, you don’t need it. But if you’re just starting, it can help you grow quickly.”

It seems like a very kind person, thinking of the successor. I wish I had such a senior.

“Of course, I’ll take it.”

As Mingwoo answered, Ismuar’s gaze shifted to me.

“My flames are safe only for the contract holder. If your resistance to heat is low, there’s a risk of burns or scalds.”

Is the workshop safe? It’s made of wood.

“I’ll go out.”

“Okay. Here, take this too.”

Mingwoo handed me the bouquet. It would burn if left here. A moment later, I returned to the living room alone.

-Piyak!

Piyak, who had been sitting on the sofa, perked up and recognized me. The piece outside the glass wall also wagged its tail. From their reactions, it seemed that time flowed similarly in both the living room and the subspace.

‘I want to enter the dungeon and dig right away.’

If I go now, I’ll probably just get an emoji saying I can’t. But it’s only a few days away.

‘Before that, I need to make peace with Hyun.’

He hasn’t answered my calls since yesterday. He might be busy, but he’s probably mad at me. Should I bring him some flowers?

“What kind of flowers are these?”

I looked down at the bouquet in my hand. It consisted of five large flowers, about ten medium-sized ones, and several small ones. They were all flowers I had never seen before.

I’m not an expert in flowers, but they don’t seem to be from this world. The large flowers faintly shimmered. Among the small ones, the golden ones felt hard and cold like metal. When I peeled a petal, it wasn’t real metal. The orchid-like flowers occasionally... moved on their own.

Clearly, they’re not ordinary flowers, but no description window appeared like with dungeon items.

They are pretty, though.

“Can I mix them with ice?”

Yerim, who had brought a frappe, looked at the cup in front of me and asked. I had mixed a mana potion with ice.

“It shouldn’t matter.”

“It looks like orange flavor. Isn’t it getting boring?”

“It is.”

How could it not? It was barely edible to begin with, and drinking it like water is getting tiring.

I sighed and looked around.

To find a B-rank or higher special initial skill owner, I rented a first-floor cafe on a busy street. Besides Yerim, there was one A-rank Hunter and three B-rank Hunters. One of the B-rank Hunters had previously worked at the cafe and was making various drinks.

“...Should I try mixing a mana potion with coffee?”

“It will probably taste terrible. Rather, mix it with real orange juice. Seriously.”

“The orange flavor is getting boring... Apples too.”

“Why don’t you order a custom-made mana potion?”

“That’s a good idea.”

It will be expensive, but if I keep drinking this for a few more days, I’ll probably throw up.

“I should focus on equipment that enhances mana. I have to drink it too often because my mana is low.”

But it’s also stifling. It’s summer, after all. I grumbled and turned my gaze back to the window. People were walking along the street. My target is a B-rank or higher special skill owner. Of course, I can’t miss A-rank or higher stat owners.

But I haven’t found anyone yet.

“Another C-rank. Good speaker.”

“Oh, that’s the person? He’s a famous middle school teacher. His lectures are very clear. He received a lot of offers from academies.”

He must have found his aptitude.

“Surprisingly, there are quite a few C-ranks. Aren’t there more D-ranks?”

“Yes. E-ranks are almost half.”

I nodded, and Yerim tilted her head.

“If you have an E-rank or higher skill, you can get a Hunter’s license, but only about 1% of Awakeners are Hunters.”

“Well... Most Awakeners so far have combat-related skills?”

Based on a brief look this morning, I can’t be sure yet, but most people’s aptitudes are not combat-related. I hadn’t paid much attention to those below C-rank, so I hadn’t calculated the ratio, but it makes sense.

A hundred years ago, it might have been different, but how many modern people have a talent for fighting? Besides, we haven’t had a civil war for over fifty years and have been relatively peaceful. There’s not much opportunity to handle proper weapons outside the military. Archery, fencing, and shooting are mostly hobbies, and not common ones.

“If more than half of the people have better-than-average talents, what percentage of them are combat-related? I think it’s not many.”

“Indeed, it’s a very small number.”

Yerim nodded.

“Since they were forced to awaken with combat-related skills, most are probably FF. F-rank is well-known for modern people’s lack of exercise.”

If F-rank was divided into plus and minus, there would probably be many F-minus.

“It’s surprising how many people don’t know their own value and are buried.”

The C-rank initial skill owner who passed by earlier would probably have gotten an F~E-rank combat auxiliary skill if they had gone through the awakening center normally.

“That company employee over there has a C-rank singing-related skill. When I went to the broadcasting station last time, I saw a few good singers, and one of them had the same initial skill as that guy.”

“Really?”

Yerim looked excited and stared at the man I pointed to.

“Shouldn’t we go tell him? Tell him to debut!”

“Being a celebrity is hard even if you can sing well.”

“But it’s better than not knowing.”

Yerim drank her frappe and suddenly looked at me with a worried expression.

“But... If there are so many E-ranks or higher, won’t it be hard for you? You’ll have to help 50 out of 100 people.”

“Oh... That’s true.”

I hadn’t thought of that.

< Senpai? > end

ⓒ Geunseo