WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ The Occult World’s Coveted Blacksmith ◈

Chapter 13: I Thought He Was a Scammer.

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Screeeech.

The bright red sports car Seo Ji-an was driving glided to a stop in front of the hotel entrance.

"We're here."

A massive building came into view beyond the upward-opening car door.

'...Wow. It really is huge.'

One of Seoul's finest five-star hotels.

After spending ten years holed up in my room playing games, I'd never been somewhere like this before.

As I hesitated, Ji-an got out of the driver's seat and smoothly handed the keys to an employee in uniform.

"Thanks for taking care of it."

"Of course. Have a pleasant visit."

It all looked completely natural to her.

"Let's go, Do-hyeon."

The moment I occupied one compartment of the revolving door, spun around with it, and stepped inside...

"..."

A gigantic chandelier filled the ceiling. Gentle classical music played somewhere in the background. An enormous abstract painting covered an entire wall.

Employees in sharp suits bent at the waist in ninety-degree bows to greet us.

"Welcome."

'So this is a five-star hotel.'

I awkwardly nodded back, then looked around as I headed inside.

When someone brushed past me, my hand instinctively went to the Suppression Talisman inside my clothes.

They said ordinary people could be affected by Spiritual Power.

Still, this thing was hiding mine perfectly, so I probably looked like nothing more than an ordinary young man to everyone else.

Then a man in a neat suit approached us from one side of the lobby.

"We've been expecting you, Ms. Seo Ji-an."

"Hello. This is the artisan I mentioned, Master Do of the Tianshan Sect."

Ji-an handed him a business card as she introduced me. He was the executive assistant to a director of TK Group.

He accepted the card and started to bow to me, but froze for the briefest instant.

'Hm?'

The assistant's eyes wavered slightly as he looked at my face.

He was probably taken aback because I looked far too young for someone with the grand title of artisan.

Still, as expected of an assistant at a major corporation, he quickly wiped the surprise from his face and bowed politely.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Please follow me."

I followed him deep into the hotel, toward the kitchen of a private restaurant.

Once we arrived at the kitchen...

"...It still hasn't been resolved?"

The assistant asked quietly toward the back. Another assistant standing ahead of him hesitated with an uncomfortable expression.

"Well..."

The other assistant turned his gaze aside and spoke uneasily.

"It's been going on for weeks, but we haven't been able to find the cause..."

"I keep telling you, there's nothing here."

The interruption came from an unexpected direction.

I looked over and saw a man in a black leather jacket and jeans.

He leaned against a chair with one foot cocked to the side, looking like some punk who had come out to a club.

"I searched this place for three whole days and found nothing. She's probably just not sleeping enough."

The man snorted at the assistant.

"You know how chefs are. They're under so much stress that they start seeing things. Anyway, I'm sure there's nothing here. I checked everything myself."

'...What's with this atmosphere?'

The assistant didn't bother dealing with the punk-looking man any further.

"...I'm sorry you had to see that. This way, please."

After briefly apologizing to us, he headed farther into the kitchen.

A woman in a white chef's uniform stood where he led us.

"This is our restaurant's head chef, Ms. Kim Hye-yun. And this is Master Do, who will be making the kitchen knife."

"...Hello."

The woman bowed awkwardly.

'...She doesn't look well at all.'

Her face was bloodless, and dark circles hung beneath her eyes. It was obvious she hadn't slept properly for days.

The way she kept clutching her arm also made her look strangely anxious.

I gave her a light nod in greeting.

Just then, the assistant's phone rang.

"Yes. They've arrived. Yes... Yes, understood."

After hanging up, he turned to Ji-an.

"Ms. Seo Ji-an, I'm sorry, but could you come with me for a moment? The director would like to see you."

"...Ah, yes."

Ji-an looked at me.

"Do-hyeon, I'll be right back, so please make yourself comfortable and talk with her."

The door closed.

"Then..."

"Ah, yes...!"

Chef Kim swallowed nervously, then neatly placed the knife case she was holding on the table.

She opened the leather case and slowly took out the kitchen knife inside.

"...I'd like something like this, to start with."

I accepted the knife she held out.

'A Western-style chef's knife.'

The blade was a little over eight inches long. It had a G10 composite handle and full-tang construction. The balance was decent, but the blade was slightly too thick.

For a small-framed chef to use for long periods, it would put strain on her wrist.

I glanced around the kitchen. This was a Western restaurant.

"What do you usually work with?"

"Ah... Mostly meat preparation, and I handle vegetables often too."

"Could you show me your knife work once?"

"L-Like this?"

The chef placed a green onion on the cutting board and began chopping.

Thock, thock, thock.

'...Hm.'

Her form itself was clean.

As expected of someone from a prestigious Michelin restaurant, there was nothing to criticize about her wrist angle or control of the knife tip.

The problem lay elsewhere.

Every time the knife came down, the tension in her shoulder shifted slightly. She didn't seem aware of it herself, but her wrist was trembling faintly.

With a knife like that, she might seem fine normally, but using it over a longer period would strain her ligaments.

'...I should make the knife lighter.'

If I shaved another 0.5 millimeters off the blade thickness and moved the handle's center of balance slightly toward the blade, the strain on her wrist would decrease sharply.

I couldn't sacrifice the blade's strength, though. It was still something the head chef of a Western restaurant would use every day.

'I'll go with a high-carbon steel...'

Then mix in a small amount of an alloy with good Spiritual Power affinity...

'...That should do it.'

A complete design took shape in my head at once.

Her hands were small, so I'd make the handle one size smaller. She put particular force into her index finger, so I'd carve out that part of the grip slightly so her finger could rest there naturally.

Once I had it all worked out, I raised my head.

'...By the way.'

I looked back at the chef.

Extreme fatigue from a lack of sleep. Her muscles had tightened, throwing off her balance.

If she kept gripping a heavy kitchen knife in that state, her wrist ligaments wouldn't last.

And that person outside earlier, too.

The man from before came to mind, and I glanced in his direction.

The man sitting with his legs crossed seemed to be glaring at me for some reason.

'He was a sorcerer, right?'

The Suppression Talisman hid my Spiritual Power, but apparently it couldn't completely conceal spiritual sight.

Maybe he hadn't brought one, or maybe he normally left it off while working. Either way, he wasn't hiding his Spiritual Power.

Something was definitely going on here.

"You haven't been sleeping well lately, have you?"

"Ah... Yes, haha. I guess it's obvious. I've been having nightmares recently..."

Her hand tightened around her arm.

Her eyes were bloodshot too. It didn't seem like she'd only been having nightmares...

Then I noticed something strange in my field of view.

'What's that?'

A faint black haze flickered near the ceiling behind the chef's shoulder.

It stretched in a thin line toward a large ventilation fan in the corner of the kitchen.

I was following it with my eyes when Seo Ji-an, who had gone outside, returned in a hurry. Her face had gone stiff.

"Excuse me for a moment. Do-hyeon, could we talk?"

"Ah, yes."

I turned to the chef and briefly excused myself.

"I'll step out for a moment."

"Ah, yes. Take your time."

I quickly followed Ji-an.

"Do-hyeon... We have a problem."

"What's wrong?"

Seo Ji-an looked around and lowered her voice as much as she could.

"The client is TK Group, but this request... They didn't call us here just because they needed a knife. It's because of cursed spirits."

"What do you mean...?"

"I just confirmed it with one of my informants. Apparently, TK Group recently had some trouble with a branch family under one of the Four Great Houses. I heard the group ignored the sorcerers' warnings over a redevelopment site and pushed ahead with construction."

Ji-an's explanation boiled down to this.

TK Group had seriously offended that family, so the entire Occult World was avoiding them out of fear of retaliation from a major family.

That was why, even though the restaurant's chef was suffering from unexplained sorcerous harassment, no competent sorcerer would set foot here.

"They said it was a VIP request, so I went in to see them. Then they said that, if possible, they wanted us to perform an Exorcism too... I think they called us because they knew we had connections to the Occult World."

She bit her lip, looking apologetic.

"I'm sorry, Do-hyeon. I should've investigated more thoroughly beforehand... You can just say you won't do it. They called us without telling us in advance. I think they were worried we wouldn't come if they told us the truth. You're only just making your debut, and there's no real benefit in getting involved with one of the Four Great Houses."

'...Hm.'

I understood everything she said.

But honestly, it didn't seem like a big deal.

I had brought a few sheets of Gwaehwangji for protection just in case. Couldn't I just get rid of those things and make a kitchen knife?

Besides.

That strange thing I'd seen beyond the ventilation fan.

The chef's bloodless face, the dark circles under her eyes, her trembling fingers clutching her arm, even that anxious expression.

Maybe if I hadn't seen it, I could've walked away. But after coming all this way...

"Ji-an, let me ask you one thing."

"Yes."

"I'm part of the Tianshan Sect now. So nobody can touch me, right?"

Wasn't that identity created so I wouldn't have to worry about these families in the first place?

If I kept doing this work, I was bound to get tangled up with families sooner or later.

There was no reason to avoid this one just because it was happening now.

"Yes...? That's true, but..."

Ji-an hesitated.

"I'll do it. I'm just making a knife, that's all."

"..."

I hadn't put much thought into it.

I came all this way, so I should at least take the five million won.

For some reason, though, Ji-an's expression stiffened strangely.

She stared up at my face for a while, then brightened as though nothing had happened.

"You're right. Someone of your caliber, Do-hyeon... There was no way something like this would shake you. I was worried for nothing."

She shrugged with a meaningful smile.

'...Here we go again.'

She seemed to have misunderstood something badly, but correcting her sounded like a hassle, so I kept my mouth shut.

* * *

Elsewhere.

Jin Mu-yeong bit his lip in irritation.

He was a sorcerer who had only recently risen to Grade 3.

At Grade 3, one could be called a veteran who had seen it all in this line of work.

He had long heard that this group had seriously offended a major family.

But he didn't care. He himself had gone independent as though driven out of his family.

If anything, it worked out well. Let the bastards from the family who drove him out choke on it.

Drawn in by the scent of money, he had quietly wormed his way in, intending to make a substantial profit.

But.

Even after turning the kitchen upside down for three days straight, he hadn't caught even a trace of a demon.

Naturally, he'd assumed the chef had been cursed somehow, but no matter how closely he examined her, he couldn't see anything or find even a single clue.

His pride was starting to take a hit, and irritation surged through him.

At this point, it really seemed like there was nothing here.

'Damn it, I came here for nothing.'

As he was about to pack up, the sight of a newcomer whispering with some broker in the corner of the kitchen caught his attention.

'Another sorcerer?'

More than one sorcerer had passed through this place already. Because TK Group was blacklisted in the Occult World, the only ones who came of their own accord were all worthless nobodies.

They too had said they couldn't find anything, then tucked their tails between their legs and left.

Apparently, they didn't trust his claim that there was nothing here and had called in yet another sorcerer.

'...This is annoying.'

Who was he?

Wasn't he a veteran sorcerer who had just risen to Grade 3?

Grade 3 freelancers weren't common. He had enough experience that he shouldn't be treated this poorly anywhere.

He subtly extended his senses and examined the newcomer.

'...'

He couldn't read anything.

He could feel a faint amount of Spiritual Power, but that was all.

'What the hell? This guy barely has any Spiritual Power.'

It wasn't as though the man had none at all, but people at that level were everywhere. At most, he had a little stronger energy than average or somewhat sharper instincts.

A mocking smile formed on Mu-yeong's lips.

'Looks like some rookie broker found an empty shell with no Spiritual Power and is trying to run a scam.'

That was all he thought.

He turned away without a second thought.

"Either way, I've done all I can."

He bluntly addressed the assistant standing before him.

"I can't return the advance payment under the rules, so keep that in mind."

Just as he was about to leave...

"Ah... So it was hiding here after all. Just a moment. This will be over soon."

Mu-yeong unconsciously turned around.

That scammer from earlier was staring quietly at one corner of the ceiling.

Then he rummaged through his clothes and took out a sheet of yellow paper.

It was Yellow Talisman Paper.

'Well, look at that. He's pulling out a Talisman when he doesn't know his place?'

The sorcerer scoffed internally.

How was he planning to catch cursed spirits that didn't even exist? There was a limit to showing off.

But something was strange.

He didn't take out a brush or Mirror Cinnabar.

And the Gwaehwangji in his hand was so completely blank that Mu-yeong could tell even from a distance.

Did he not even know how Talismans were made?

Mu-yeong gave a hollow laugh.

Still, he decided to watch for a little longer.

Watching a shameless fraud pretending to be a sorcerer make a fool of himself was entertainment in its own way.

The guy walked beneath the kitchen ventilation fan.

He stared blankly at something for a moment.

Then he raised an arm toward empty air.

And sharply pulled it back.

At that moment.

Vooooom!

The ventilation grille began shaking as though it would burst apart.

"What the fuck is that?"

He had been sure the guy was a scammer.

Then black smoke came rushing out.

There was no mistaking it.

It was sorcerous power.

And a considerable amount of it.

[Kuwoeeeeeeeeek-!!]

With a deafening roar, pitch-black cursed spirits began pouring out.

"...!!"

'W-What the fuck is going on?!'

Mu-yeong's face turned pale.

He hadn't seen anything all this time? He had searched for three days?

It made no sense. If that much spiritual energy had been trapped inside the ventilation fan, there was no way he could have missed it.

And there weren't just one or two of them.

At least dozens of cursed spirits were smashing through the grille and pouring out in a black torrent.

Mu-yeong hurriedly reached for the Ritual Implement inside his clothes.

But.

'H-How am I supposed to deal with those...?!'

Those cursed spirits were already beyond what he could handle.

At least... Grade 2.

No, even if a Grade 2 sorcerer came, there was no guarantee they could handle them.

As his mind went blank while he wondered whether he should run, the young man pressed a bare fingertip to the Gwaehwangji in his hand without using a brush.

Then.

Sizzle.

Faint smoke rose from the paper, and dark red patterns began engraving themselves onto the completely blank sheet.

'...W-What is that?'

Something was being inscribed on the paper without a brush touching it.

The young man lightly threw the Talisman, now inscribed with a Spell Formula, toward the mass of cursed spirits pouring out.

The Talisman reached the area near the ventilation fan.

At that instant.

Fwooooooosh!

A blinding flash burst forth, as if someone had embedded the sun there.

[Kieeeeeeeek!]

Dozens of cursed spirits that couldn't even properly scream turned to ash and vanished in an instant.

"..."

'...Who the hell is this person?!!!'

* * *

'...Well, this should be enough.'

I looked up at the ventilation fan one more time.

The black haze had disappeared without a trace.

I dusted off my hands.

There had been more of them than I expected, but one Talisman had been enough to deal with them, so I guess it really wasn't a big problem.

I had been worried it might not be enough.

That punk sorcerer behind me seemed to be staring at me like he'd seen a ghost.

'...Whatever. Why should I care?'

I simply turned back toward the chef.

Now I just need to make the knife.

Footnotes:

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