He Became the Genius Blacksmith of the Namgung Family - Chapter 27

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 27

Episode 27

Martial families in the Martial Arts World separately distinguish the martial arts that direct descendants and branch family members can learn.

Branch family members cannot recklessly learn direct lineage martial arts without merit.

Moreover, even direct descendants don’t learn everything the martial family has to offer.

Especially, they thoroughly prevent the leakage of divine arts .

Only direct descendants under the family head’s direct command, and only permitted blood relatives at that.

If unauthorized branch family members learn direct lineage martial arts, they investigate the authenticity.

If illegal circumstances are detected, their dantian is sealed or their limb meridians are severed.

What more could be said about divine arts?

Their head and body would be separated, never to meet again.

Even direct descendants don’t escape this scope.

In other words, leaking divine arts is a tremendous grave sin, regardless of who does it.

And Namgung Cheon-gang had committed this grave sin, which was seen through by the Head of the Namgung Family.

He had fallen for the leading interrogation like a snake slithering over a fence!

Ah.

Who would have thought the reward for perfectly completing his mission would be ‘death’.

Who could have known this wasn’t a position for ascending to direct lineage, but a place where his execution was confirmed.

If this was how it would end, why did the lifespan timer even exist?

Damn it all.

‘Father, Mother, Uncle, my yet-to-be-born nephew. This uncle, this unfilial son is going first. This unfilial act of going to the afterlife before Father, I’ll repay in hell.’

Thank you for accompanying Namgung Cheon-gang’s reincarnation saga thus far.

Bow.

Ugh.

Thud.

Eyes tightly shut.

“…The sin of learning divine arts. I shall repay with this life. However, my family knows nothing of this matter. I alone realized and learned it, so please take only this sinner’s neck and life, and forgive them!!”

The heart hoping harm wouldn’t reach his family.

He shut his eyes tight, knelt down, and prostrated himself while crying out.

“Hmm. So you admit to learning the Cheonryejeowang Sinkong… Your attitude of not denying your sin is quite admirable.”

The family head’s voice reached him.

There was no inflection.

Judging by the meaning, he didn’t seem angry either.

Was he moved by the sincere confession and planning to forgive the sin?

“However, didn’t you clearly say before that you awakened your current energy after seeing lightning?”

Ah.

“Now you say this, but before you said otherwise.”

The voice that had no inflection gradually lowered.

“Then, you ultimately made a fool of Namgung’s family head with words.”

The temperature dropped sharply.

A chill swept across his nape.

“Truly audacious. No, should I say there’s no precedent for such a case? Hahaha.”

He laughed, but it wasn’t laughter.

It was frightening.

His body trembled involuntarily.

“Perhaps—”

The laughter stopped.

However, the chill sweeping his neck deepened further.

It felt like a sword was above his neck.

If he raised his head even slightly, it would be severed with a thud.

A sword sharpened to such keenness.

“Say any last words you might have. I shall listen once in my generosity.”

Dark clouds gathered in the sky.

Patter, ice chunks fell.

The sharp sword that had been on his nape was now placed all over his body.

If he moved even slightly, he would be cut, stabbed, and spill blood.

The room that had been filled with warm laughter was gone.

This place had become the North Sea, filled with awl-sharp, cold wind.

Just from the voice’s tone lowering.

The world itself had changed.

Former S-rank Hunter.

He had met and fought monsters strong enough to risk his life and S-rank villains.

He had connections with top-tier world rankers too.

But among all those people, was there anyone comparable to ‘Namgung Cheon’?

No.

Namgung Cheon-gang could assert this with certainty.

He didn’t even think of resisting.

His reincarnated, younger body.

Even though he had lost all his previous life’s power.

The experience carved into his soul told him that the being called Sword King was heaven itself.

And that heaven was quietly enraged.

How could a human oppose heaven?

Ah.

Damn it.

He had long realized that such trouble would arise due to the martial arts gained through resonance.

He had been thinking he should prepare for it.

However, he hadn’t done so properly.

He had been too complacent.

He had looked down on Namgung too much.

And so it came to this.

He was about to die before he could deal with anything.

Should he make excuses?

No.

Forget it.

It wouldn’t work.

Rather, it would only further awaken the Sword King’s anger.

Right now, he was only being generous.

If he made excuses, even that generosity would disappear and a storm of cold air would engulf his family.

Asking him to make excuses was itself a trap.

This was someone who had known he learned Cheonryejeowang Sinkong and endured until now, then confirmed it again to gain certainty.

If he didn’t understand the true intention contained within, he’d rather die.

‘No, even if I die, if I want to protect my family and end it with just my life, it’s better to stay like this.’

Right.

This is the correct answer.

“…What excuses could a sinner have? I shall gladly accept the punishment for secretly learning martial arts beyond my station. However, please end it with this one life and forgive my family.”

“End it with just your life, you say.”

Namgung Cheon stroked his chin.

After a moment’s silence.

He slowly opened his mouth.

“That would be difficult.”

Shock struck him.

‘Please show mercy and spare my family.’

Namgung Cheon-gang tried to cry out with a suppressed voice, but.

“If you admit to learning the divine art, that means the technique has been leaked.”

Namgung Cheon speaks first.

“Then, there must be a copy of the leaked divine art in your family. This means someone else might be learning it. How can I, as the master of a martial family, stand idly by?”

It felt like ice-cold water being poured over his head.

His mind snapped to clarity.

‘A branch family member learned an unauthorized martial art.’

Then, it’s highly likely that his family is also learning unauthorized martial arts.

Even if not, there’s no way to know for sure.

So, the family head is right.

His reasoning is correct.

In other words, with his current words and actions, far from saving his family, he had put them in danger.

‘Such an idiot! Fool, damn bastard!!’

Namgung Cheon-gang harshly blamed himself.

Remembering his past life means he also remembers the family from that time.

However, his current family is in the martial arts world.

They are in this Namgung Family.

Father Namgung Gang, uncle Namgung Ho, mother Ryu Seong-hwa.

From birth, they shared affection, became connected, and formed strong family bonds.

Not outsiders, but flesh and blood relatives.

They, my father, my mother, my uncle have fallen into danger.

Because of me.

This is something he could never forgive himself for, even if he went to hell.

He must save them.

He must take all the blame upon himself.

As the Sword King, the master of Namgung, he is currently fulfilling his duty regarding this situation.

What must be done as a family head.

Namgung Cheon-gang’s excuses to save his family would not work on him—

Even if his head gets crushed against the ground.

Even if he destroys his own dantian.

Even if he cuts off his own limbs, he will prevent harm to his family.

That is the filial piety an unfilial son can show.

Determination settled in Namgung Cheon-gang’s eyes.

Striking the ground with blood prostration.

Bowing with blood while striking the earth.

Bone-crushing kowtow.

Bowing by smashing his head against the ground until his skull might break.

Pleading with his body.

Just as he was about to try to save his family.

“Tsk tsk. Family head. That child’s household has nothing to do with the divine art.”

An old man’s voice could be heard.

The old man who had risen from where he was sitting and now stood tall before Namgung Cheon-gang.

“No relation to the household?”

“The one who taught that child the divine art was me, so how could it be related to his household?”

It was Mak Noya.

“Are you saying Mak Noya taught Namgung’s divine art?”

Namgung’s Sky turns his eyes to the elderly blacksmith.

The elderly blacksmith looked up at the sky and nodded.

“That’s right. I taught that child the divine art.”

What is this about now?

Why is Mak Noya doing this for me….

No, that’s not what’s important.

If things go wrong.

Another innocent person might have their life endangered because of him.

How can he just watch this happen?

“No, wait, Mak Noya, no, elder!”

So he cried out urgently.

He lifted his head sharply, with surprised eyes, looking at him not to do this.

“Even if you are an elder, this crosses the line.”

“I understand. Protecting the family as a family head is a grave matter. As the master of a martial family, protecting the martial arts and divine arts that are its core is a grave matter. Therefore, you have no choice but to hold accountable those who leaked them without permission and their families. This is understandable.”

Creak.

The room shakes.

Sky is about to draw his sword.

Though not in anger.

This is a place for punishing crimes.

He’s about to draw his sword to exact the price.

“Family head! The elder misspoke! The elder doesn’t know the divine art!”

Namgung Cheon-gang shouted at Namgung’s Sky with a voice that seemed to tear his throat.

He cried out that Mak Noya had absolutely nothing to do with this matter and himself.

However, whether he couldn’t hear.

Or whether he had closed his ears.

There was no answer, no turning around.

He only concentrated the aura of heavenly punishment toward Mak Noya.

When that was about to take shape.

“If you said it’s what you must naturally do as a family head, then you wouldn’t have any resentment either.”

“How could there be resentment? If one commits a crime, receiving punishment is natural law. However—”

When that heavenly punishment was about to fall on Mak Noya’s head.

When Namgung Cheon-gang jumped up to protect Mak Noya.

“If that is truly Namgung’s divine art, that is.”

As if nothing was happening.

As if nothing was occurring at all.

The old man’s words that had been continuing calmly came to an end.

The materialized sword stopped at the tip of the old man’s crown.

Mak Noya stepped back two steps to the side.

Crash!

Namgung Cheon-gang, who had jumped to protect Mak Noya, lost his purpose and flew through the air.

He rolled over the table.

And was buried under the teacups and teapot on the table.

“…You mean it’s not Namgung’s divine art?”

Namgung Cheon’s quiet question.

“That’s right. It’s not Namgung’s divine art.”

Mak Noya’s confident nod.

“Then, what is it?”

Sky’s following question.

“It’s the divine art of the sect this old man belonged to.”

The elderly blacksmith’s answer.

“The divine art of the place Mak Noya belonged to…?”

“That’s right. Strictly speaking, it’s a divine art exclusive to blacksmiths.”

“A divine art exclusive to blacksmiths… Mak Noya, the words you just spoke. You know what they mean, don’t you?”

“Yes. I do.”

“You know that you’re saying I saw wrong and felt wrong?”

“Yes. You saw wrong and felt wrong.”

“When someone who usually praised this worthless person as the king of the Martial Arts World says such things, I don’t know how I should accept it. Well then. Could you tell this king you praised what went wrong?”

A polite tone.

However, he doesn’t withdraw his energy.

The chilliness still fills the air.

In that chilliness, Mak Noya smiled gently like an old pine tree and answered.

“It’s not a difficult matter. With Cheonryejeowang Sinkong, that child cannot freely wield that giant hammer. This is not because Namgung’s divine art is lacking.”

Divine art is indeed divine art, as the name suggests.

It surpasses any other internal cultivation method.

Moreover, Namgung’s divine art, belonging to the greatest martial family in the Martial Arts World, is undoubtedly one of the best under heaven.

However, to properly extract the efficiency of that divine art.

To wield a heavy weapon like a light weapon, there are minimum requirements.

First-rate level internal energy.

Since the efficiency is supreme, the amount of internal energy consumed before reaching mastery cannot be ignored.

To perform even the basics, first-rate internal energy—at least one cycle of sixty years—is absolutely necessary.

Without that, the power of Cheonryejeowang Sinkong cannot be properly unleashed, which the head of Namgung would surely know.

“Of course, even with third-rate internal energy, one could show power above second-rate, abilities close to first-rate, but the recoil would be equally strong. The stronger the martial art, the more it bears the name of divine art, the more demanding its usage conditions become.”

“You’re saying that child’s internal energy is insufficient to deploy Cheonryejeowang’s divine art.”

“Yes. That’s correct. However, it’s not a blacksmith’s divine art. Because it’s a divine art created to suit blacksmiths, it can show lightning energy beyond fire in an instant, divine strength beyond monstrous strength for a brief moment. Even if it’s the blacksmiths’ internal cultivation method, since it’s a divine art, wouldn’t it have such abilities?”

“That child learned this? Did you personally teach him, Elder Mak Noya?”

“Yes. That’s right. Isn’t that so, Cheongang?”

“…Pardon?”

As if representing his bewilderment at not knowing what to say.

Slowly.

The teacup placed on Namgung Cheon-gang’s head fell down so smoothly.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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