He Became the Genius Blacksmith of the Namgung Family - Chapter 145
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 145
Episode 145
“Nothing happened, right?”
“Of course! I’m Siu of the Third Month, Hosiu. I’m not one to be easily dealt with!”
“Well, seeing how you talked with that Hyeolyogyo person who called himself a 4th-grade manager, it didn’t seem particularly dangerous.”
“Just in case you’re wondering, I’m not a Hyeolyogyo person, you know? I’m not a Blood Cult lackey either, and I have absolutely no corrupt ties with Hyeorin-gak, Master!”
“I know, I know. As you said before, you were born and raised in Hoyogyo, and somehow ended up with a slightly high position, right?”
“Yes! That’s right, Master! I just used the silver token I had to pretend to be an elder, that’s all.”
“An elder refers to someone who was high-ranking in Hoyogyo and then converted to Hyeolyogyo?”
“Yes. That’s also correct. From 3rd grade onwards, they’re treated as elders. This too, just in case, I learned through Haomun, Master.”
“Oh my, look at this person? Who’s saying what? It’s as if you think I would treat you as having corrupt ties or something. I’m hurt?”
“…Ah, I can’t say that’s not the case…?”
“Whaaaat? What did you saaay?? Corrupt ties, you say?? Cheonying! Just grab Hosiu’s neck and—”
“It’s a joke! Of course it’s a joke! Our Master is as upright as bamboo and his integrity pierces the heavens, so he would never do such a thing. Of course not. Ha, haha!”
Hosiu laughed.
He had to laugh to survive.
“Tsk. If you know that, then don’t try to make a big deal out of nothing. A single word can repay a thousand nyang debt! Right? What’s the point of saying strange and useless things? It just makes the atmosphere weird!”
“Yes, yes. I’ll be careful. Of course, it’s all my fault.”
“People shouldn’t act like that.”
For about a moment, Namgung Cheon-gang scolded Hosiu.
Only after seeing tears did he move on to the main topic.
“Anyway, I’m glad to hear nothing happened.”
“Of course. Thank you for worrying about me. It’s all thanks to Master’s grace.”
Hosiu looked dazed.
“Oh come on. What did I even do? Ahem, hmm… Oh right, just in case, you weren’t followed here, were you?”
“Yes! I checked several times. Besides, there was no one in the vicinity, so Master can proceed with whatever you wish to do.”
“Thank you, Hosiu. And we should proceed quickly with our work, right?”
“Oh. That’s right, Master. I was actually going to mention that, and as expected, you noticed right away. Although I’m properly disguised as a 3rd grade and fooling them, being discovered is only a matter of time. Therefore, for Master’s safety and the safety of the blacksmiths here, we need to move up the timing of calling in the support forces waiting outside for a surprise attack as soon as possible.”
“How soon do we need to move it up?”
Hosiu held up one finger.
“One day.”
It was quite urgent.
However, since it was the word of Hosiu, who had reached the Third Month of Haomun, it would be accurate.
If they missed that timing, everyone would be in danger.
“…In other words, there’s someone who would be hard to fool even with your disguise.”
“Every time you speak, I’m amazed by your insight, Master. That’s also correct. At the center of Hyeolyogyo, there’s an existence I can’t handle. Moreover, there’s someone else in danger who’s even more dangerous.”
“Hmm…”
From the way he ended that sentence, it seemed like someone related to him.
Namgung Cheon-gang didn’t pry further.
Because Hosiu’s face looked sad.
Personal matters should be respected.
“I don’t know what kind of existence it is, but seeing what’s being made at the forge, I suppose so. Since you said it’s the last.”
“Yes. That’s why it’s one day. In a way, it’s urgent, but we can say we’ve entered properly.”
“You know that this place is surrounded by a formation, right Hosiu?”
“I can’t say it’s not, Master.”
“Then tomorrow’s top priority will be breaking the formation’s core to call in the support forces.”
The problem would be where the formation’s core is located.
But this didn’t seem to be a concern.
“I know where it is.”
Hosiu knew.
Since he was someone who grew up here, there’s no way he wouldn’t know where the deployed formation’s core was.
‘The fact that he knows even the formation’s core means he knew from the beginning that this place was hidden by a formation.’
I’d like to ask why he didn’t tell Muyong about this.
But thinking about it, Hosiu is from the Heterodox Faction.
Muyong is from the Orthodox Faction.
Since they’re not in a relationship of helping each other without mutual benefit, there would have been no need to mention this.
If not that, then perhaps he came here alone to investigate something.
Hadn’t he hinted at such things several times?
‘So there’s nothing particular to ask about.’
Moreover, whether we go this way or that way.
Somehow, Orthodox and Heterodox factions ended up entering enemy territory together.
Now we just need to break through together.
Whether Hosiu understood Namgung Cheon-gang’s thoughts.
Or whether he felt the same way.
Hosiu’s narrow eyes drew a gentle arc.
He continued what he was going to say.
“The formation currently deployed is the Nine-Tailed Illusion Formation. It’s an illusion formation with cores both outside and inside, and its power can fool even the eyes of the Five Great Kings. Therefore, deceiving the Muyong Family’s eyes is an easy task.”
“Somehow I feel like there might be a nine-tailed fox. Don’t tell me the one you can’t handle at the center of this Hyeolyogyo is a nine-tailed fox?”
Hosiu’s narrow eyes widened.
“No, how did you know that?!”
“…”
So it was true.
No wonder.
The village name was Nine-Tailed after all.
‘So this incident really is connected to a nine-tailed fox.’
At least there’s no Naruto and Sasuke.
‘Or are there?’
I don’t know.
Since it’s come to this.
I’ll have to see it through to the end, what choice do I have.
“This goes beyond insight… Could it be that you’re a master of mind-reading techniques, or have you opened your mind’s eye?”
“…”
I have something even greater – the experience of a previous life.
‘…But when you hear about Nine-Tailed Village and the Nine-Tailed Illusion Formation, thinking of a nine-tailed fox is normal, right?’
It would be strange not to know.
“Ah, perhaps you received a divine artifact? That’s it! Maybe that’s right. Seeing how you create divine objects effortlessly, you must have received a god’s blessing!”
At this rate, he’ll ask about my fortune next.
“Um, Master? Could you tell me what will happen to me in the future…”
“…”
Unexpectedly, Hosiu seems to have a bit of a scatterbrained side too.
* * *
Although Hosiu and Namgung Cheon-gang had a long conversation.
That time was barely even one gak (about 15 minutes).
After making Hosiu, who asked for fortune-telling, come to his senses with Cheonryeo Paseong Soo.
They decided to move early in the morning to break the formation.
Of course, Namgung Cheon-gang is currently a blacksmith who was kidnapped while bewitched by blood energy.
External activities outside the forge are not permitted, but.
“If a 3rd-grade elder comes to take him away, who would say anything?”
“Aha.”
Easily resolved.
Anyway, after finishing that conversation.
Hosiu said he would look around this area a bit more to see what had changed.
Whether the core of the formation matched his memory.
He left saying he would check if there were any other dangerous situations.
Carrying a pot of beginner ginseng chicken soup.
With such a delicious aroma wafting, it’s natural he couldn’t resist.
And only then did Namgung Cheon-gang.
“Finally, we can have a conversation.”
Get to talk with the nine blacksmiths.
The nine blacksmiths who had been watching Namgung Cheon-gang talk with Hosiu while eating beginner ginseng chicken soup.
With bright, alert eyes.
“Nice to meet you. I am Namgung Cheon-gang, chief disciple of Master Mak Noya, direct lineage of the Namgung Family, and member of Cheongeumjeong.”
Facing them, introducing himself.
The blacksmiths were startled by Namgung Cheon-gang’s respectful bow.
“Ni-nice to meet you. I am Deoksu, blacksmith of Sammi Village. Thank you so much for saving us.”
“I-I also thank you so much for saving us. I am Ilsu, blacksmith of Ilmi Village!”
Including Deoksu, each of the tail village blacksmiths.
Introduced themselves like Namgung Cheon-gang and greeted him politely.
Their greetings contained both respect and reverence.
A benefactor for all eternity who saved them from a terrible illusion.
And that’s not all?
He says he’s the chief disciple of Mak Noya who taught them blacksmithing.
In a way, he’s like a senior brother, and as chief disciple, he’s like a grand senior brother.
If we’re talking about martial arts sects.
They couldn’t just greet him with ordinary courtesy.
So, after polite greetings, they tried to bow deeply.
But Namgung Cheon-gang stopped them.
“Oh my. Brothers. What’s with bowing to this young fellow? Please don’t do that. It makes me uncomfortable.”
If you count his previous life, Namgung Cheon-gang would be the older brother.
But in this life, he’s now a fresh 19-year-old young man.
Much younger.
‘I want to be young.’
I don’t want to be the older brother.
I want to be a young man.
I want to be the younger brother.
Let’s live this life as this life!
“Besides, if Master finds out you bowed to me, he’ll hit me with a hammer for acting high and mighty. That hurts.”
“Ah, that’s true, Master’s hammer really hurts a lot.”
“Ugh… Just thinking about Master’s hammer makes me jump up even in my sleep.”
“Don’t even mention it. I still have a bump from getting hit a year ago.”
“Huh. You too, Chunbok?”
“What? You too, Brother Samchu?”
The tail village blacksmiths looked at each other.
They all became blacksmiths after being taught by Mak Noya.
So they’re like fellow disciples.
They were like our brother, our younger brother to each other.
Whether they remembered getting beaten up.
Or because they were all in the same miserable situation.
Affection dripped from their eyes as they looked at each other.
They were about to rush and embrace each other for comfort.
“Let’s save the deepened camaraderie for later. Don’t we have work to do?”
The words of Master Mak Noya’s chief disciple slipped in smoothly.
Oh right.
That’s right?
This wasn’t the time to rush and embrace each other for comfort.
“Brothers. You didn’t know what you were all doing, right?”
Everyone nodded their heads.
Well, they worked in a dazed state, poisoned by blood energy, right?
How would they know what they were doing?
It’s natural they wouldn’t know.
“Honestly, it still feels like a dream.”
“We don’t really know where this place is either.”
“It’s okay. Sometimes, not knowing is medicine, and now is one of those times. And it’s still not completely safe.”
The beginner ginseng chicken soup only helped them regain their senses and restore their energy.
They hadn’t escaped yet.
‘And the escape timer is only one day.’
Apart from Hosiu’s story about only one day remaining, the time limit for the ‘mission’ was also exactly one day left.
‘Whatever it is, tomorrow. No, today is the last day.’
To finish everything.
It’s been long, so long.
But the end will be brilliant and perfectly concluded.
“Until the formation breaks and reinforcements arrive, it’s still not safe, so brothers must take care of yourselves. Act dazed whenever possible.”
“Understood.”
“Leave that to us.”
“And also, when the formation breaks, there will be chaos, and brothers will have something to do then too.”
“Something we have to do?”
“Yes. There are dangerous things, and we can’t just leave them alone.”
“…??”
“First, before explaining, please take these.”
Namgung Cheon-gang again takes something out from Baekseol’s subspace.
It was a blacksmith’s exclusive hammer.
Another item he created besides the pot lunch boxes made to turn the tiger’s den upside down.
Exactly nine of them.
He handed them out to the blacksmiths one by one.
The eyes of the nine tail village blacksmiths who received the blacksmith hammers widened.
“Th-this is!”
“I-I can feel the power!”
“I feel like I can do anything!”
It fits perfectly in their hands.
Like their own hammer they’ve used for a long time.
If they made anything with this, it seemed like wonderful things would pour out endlessly.
It was a treasure, a precious artifact.
Watching the blacksmiths beam with joy like children receiving New Year’s gift bundles, Namgung Cheon-gang smiled brightly.
“You feel powerful, right?”
“Yes!”
“You’re happy, right?”
“Yes!!”
“What should you do with that power and happiness!”
“Wh-what should we do?!”
“Please give us any task!”
“Shall we make it! Shall we repair it?”
“Destroy it!”
“Pardon?”
What kind of talk is this.
After that refreshing answer came confusion.
Namgung Cheon-gang kindly explained what needed to be destroyed.
First, what the blacksmiths had made.
Finally, he heard that the Nine-Tailed Village blacksmiths had used something called Blood God Stones here to make Blood Demon Stones and Soul-Binding Confusion Chains.
He roughly explained what they were used for.
To contaminate the land and bewitch people.
To make animals violent, and ultimately to throw the Martial Arts World into chaos.
‘I shouldn’t mention that this is about the brothers’ village.’
If they knew that their actions had contaminated the village’s farmland and turned the village into ruins, their guilt would be immense.
Isn’t this exactly why they say ignorance is bliss?
‘This way, I can pin everything on those Blood Cult bastards and eliminate even that guilt.’
That’s how it should be anyway, right?
“To think we were used to make such vile things!”
“How terrible!”
“To make such things that put people in danger! Absolutely unforgivable!”
In any case, the blacksmiths were enraged upon confirming that the intended use was clearly evil.
Now he seemed to understand what to do with this hammer given by Mak Noya’s disciple.
“Tomorrow, when things get chaotic, if you go to the forge, destroy all the Blood God Stones and the giant chains!”
Destruction means smashing vile things!
“Yes!!”
“Of course!”
“We’ll definitely smash them!”
Vile things are best when smashed!
At this moment when everyone was united in purpose.
Just then!
Something irrepressible welled up in Namgung Cheon-gang.
A stirring feeling that he absolutely had to shout out.
If he went to sleep without doing this, he’d get insomnia.
If he couldn’t hold it back, he had to let it out!
He grabs his hammer.
Everyone grabs theirs together.
“Hammer!”
“Hammer!”
“The blacksmith’s fury! Upon our enemies!”
“The blacksmith’s fury! Upon our enemies!”
“Hoooooo!”
“Hooo—!”
-Someone is coming.
“Brothers, to bed!”
Namgung Cheon-gang hurriedly lay down on his cot and curled up to sleep.
Following him, the blacksmiths also quickly got into their beds.
Soon the door opens.
A guard warrior enters.
“What? It was definitely really noisy. Did I hear wrong?”
Everyone is sleeping.
The only light is moonlight.
“Isn’t it here? Well, it wouldn’t be here. Everyone’s poisoned. If it’s around this area… our barracks? Those bastards, are they gambling again?”
Creak.
The door closes.
Thump thump.
The presence fades away.
Namgung Cheon-gang, who had been pretending to sleep, opened his eyes.
‘Our voices were too loud.’
He seemed too excited.
Still, there was regret at not finishing.
He had to resolve it.
If he went to sleep without resolving this, he wouldn’t be able to sleep.
It would be insomnia all the same.
He had to do it to sleep.
It wasn’t just Namgung Cheon-gang.
The Nine-Tailed Village blacksmiths had all gotten up together too.
Looking at each other.
Understanding each other’s hearts.
Exchanging glances.
Nodding their heads.
They firmly grasp the hammers held tight in their arms.
Namgung Cheon-gang leads the chant.
‘Quietly.’
‘Quietly!’
‘Hoooooo!’
“Hooo—!”
-He’s coming again.
That son of a—
Sleep!
Thud, thud.
Creak.
That same guy from before.
“Come to think of it, why does it smell so good in here? What is it? There’s no reason for such a delicious smell.”
Oh no!
It’s the aroma of the Beginner Ginseng Chicken Soup.
There’s no way he wouldn’t notice that delicious fragrance.
Sniffing around.
The unwelcome guest who had interrupted their chanting twice enters.
Finally, he discovers the empty earthenware pot.
“Why is this—”
Crack!
Thud.
The unwelcome guest collapses.
Behind him, Namgung Cheon-gang stands holding the empty earthenware pot.
“You smelled something you shouldn’t have.”
He was crushed by the disaster he brought upon himself.
Namgung Cheon-gang tied up the unconscious unwelcome guest with Baekseol’s sleeping silk.
He gagged him too.
Then together with the blacksmith brothers, they buried the guy.
Of course, they didn’t actually bury him in the ground.
In their sleeping barracks.
He tore up that wooden bed frame and buried it inside.
After drilling a single breathing hole.
“It’s seamless.”
“Hehe. Aren’t there nine blacksmiths who learned techniques from Master Mak Noya?”
“Tearing apart and reassembling isn’t even difficult.”
“A place that reminds you of the old military barracks has the great advantage that you could bury a person here and no one would know.”
“Military barracks?”
“Did you also work for the government?”
A story from his past life that came out unconsciously because they looked so similar.
He thought ‘oops,’ but.
“Yes. I heard they make them like this these days.”
Namgung Cheon-gang smoothly glosses over it.
“So military barracks look like this. Somehow it feels terrifying.”
“Something, something, like a place that shouldn’t exist.”
“It seems like there would be piles of very rough things.”
Everyone’s faces turn pale blue with terror.
‘As expected, military barracks are synonymous with terror regardless of the era.’
Just imagine 50 seniors looking at you with ghostly fires burning in their eyes.
Even Blood Cult followers would run away.
‘Hou!’
‘Hou!’
The final cry that finally came to an end.
Namgung Cheon-gang and the nine blacksmiths slept peacefully.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————