WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Occult World’s Coveted Blacksmith ◈

Chapter 41: After the Long, Long Night.

──────

Creak.

“Here it is.”

Click.

The lights came on, revealing a workshop in the research building.

As I followed Si-yeon inside, I glanced out the window.

It was already pitch-dark outside.

More time must have passed than I’d realized.

“Will this much space be enough?”

“Yes, it’ll be plenty.”

I set the Portable Forge Kit I’d been carrying on my back down on the floor.

Ever since I’d watched Si-yeon use her Soul Separation Technique, I’d been drawing circuits in my head.

My hands were itching to get started.

“...But are you sure you’re okay?”

I stopped unpacking the kit and looked back at Si-yeon.

The dark circles under her eyes made her look exhausted.

“It’s late. If you just lend me the materials, I can work on it myself. If I have any questions, I’ll ask you again tomorrow.”

Pulling all-nighters was nothing new to me, but I had no intention of keeping someone else up with me.

“O-Oh, no.”

Si-yeon hurriedly waved both hands.

“I-I really want to see how you do it. Would it be okay if I watched from the side?”

“Sure. If that’s what you want.”

She wanted to watch, so there was no reason to stop her.

I’d probably have questions as I worked anyway.

“Then.”

I opened the kit and took out the work sketch inside.

“Let’s get started.”

* * *

I closed my eyes.

I recalled the flow of Spiritual Power from when Si-yeon had demonstrated the Soul Separation Technique just moments ago.

The image formed clearly in my mind.

Thump. Thump.

Her beating heart.

The waves of Spiritual Power spreading from it through her body.

Even the unique tremor that had risen inside her body the moment the Spell Formula activated.

The key was transferring all of that onto a blueprint.

There was one problem, though.

It was easy to read circuits artificially engraved into Ritual Implements or other objects.

But Spiritual Power flowing and pulsing through a human body was tangled up with countless other currents beyond the flow needed to activate a Spell Formula.

Power surging from the heart, rising from the dantian, spreading through the limbs.

Picking out only the flow meant for the Spell Formula from that vast, tangled whirlpool was no easy task.

Still...

Rustle.

I opened the materials Si-yeon had handed me.

She had organized the Spell Formula she’d developed in her own way, turning it into diagrams with written explanations.

Of course, she’d put it together based on her own sensations, so there were plenty of rough spots and missing pieces.

‘All right. First...’

Let’s transfer this onto my sketch.

Scratch, scratch.

As I began drawing the diagrams by hand, the circuits gradually sorted themselves out in my mind.

In the game, there had been a feature that let me display circuits in front of me in a 3D status window while designing.

Reality didn’t have that, so I had no choice but to draw by hand and work it out in my head.

I sent a trickle of Spiritual Power into the starting point of the Spell Formula in my mind.

‘Just as I thought.’

Missing parts stood out all over the diagram she’d organized.

Since she’d assembled it through instinct alone, it seemed even she hadn’t fully understood the mechanism behind activating her Spell Formula.

If I overlaid the real flow of Spiritual Power I’d seen inside her body onto this sketch...

‘Now I can finally see something.’

I pruned away the flows of Spiritual Power unrelated to the Spell Formula.

Then I erased the parts of her diagram that differed from reality and redrew them.

I weeded out the sections that did nothing even when Spiritual Power was fed into them.

At the same time, I streamlined the unnecessarily tangled circuits.

Scratch, scrape, scratch.

Without pause, I filled the blueprint, erasing and drawing again and again.

Flap. Flap.

I turned through several pages, drawing a multilayered, three-dimensional circuit diagram.

“Si-yeon.”

“Y-Yes!”

She jolted back to attention and straightened slightly in her chair.

“When you pull out your soul, where does the sensation of that tether coming loose begin?”

“Ah... I-It feels like a knot comes undone around the center of my chest...”

“What direction does it loosen in? Upward or downward?”

“Um... Upward. Like it’s being pulled up.”

“...I see.”

As I listened to her answer, I adjusted the direction little by little.

I asked more questions, then added more lines.

Whenever I hit a snag or needed her particular sense of the technique, I asked Si-yeon directly and filled in the gaps.

‘...This should be enough to complete the circuit diagram for the Soul Separation Technique.’

Scratch.

I took a gourd bottle from my pocket.

It had turned out pretty well, all things considered.

There wasn’t time to carve a new gourd bottle from scratch.

I was dying to engrave the Spell Formula I’d just completed as soon as possible.

All I had to do now was add Si-yeon’s Soul Separation Technique circuit to the gourd bottle’s existing Spell Formula.

‘Good thing I emptied it beforehand.’

After the Cursed spirit escape incident had mostly been resolved, Professor Gu and I had taken the ones inside the gourd bottle out and moved them elsewhere one by one.

There had been side effects to keeping several of them trapped in one place.

Strong Cursed spirits had devoured weaker ones inside.

A few minor spirits meant for practice had already been absorbed by monsters like the Heuksan Ghost and disappeared.

‘Well, they did say they were grateful I’d caught them again.’

I slowly spun the empty gourd bottle on my fingertips.

Once again, I pictured the Soul Separation Technique’s circuit diagram in my mind.

This was, after all, a circuit meant to activate inside a human body.

Engraving it onto a Ritual Implement was another matter entirely. Every material had a different shape and internal grain.

In the end, a blacksmith’s skill came down to how well they bridged that difference.

‘Well, that’s the most fun part.’

Grin.

Shall I start engraving it?

I scanned the circuits already engraved into the gourd bottle, transforming Si-yeon’s circuit in real time.

So they wouldn’t interfere with one another.

The gourd bottle’s existing core mechanism was to fire Spiritual Power, bind a Vengeful spirit, and suck it inside.

Now, I would add a new property to that pulling force: the principle behind the Soul Separation Technique I had just refined.

The Spiritual Power emitted by this gourd bottle would now seize the target while also locating the tether connecting the body and soul.

The fundamental mechanism of cutting the tether and loosening it was the same.

All I had to do was emit a short, powerful burst of Spiritual Power and sever it in an instant.

Then suck it in during that opening.

Once its supply of Spiritual Power was cut off, the Spiritual Body would crumble and disappear.

‘Heh heh heh...’

It was so fun that I couldn’t help laughing.

It felt like honey was dripping through my brain.

Why was I so good at this?

Making something new really was the best.

* * *

Si-yeon, meanwhile, was stunned as she watched the ridiculously handsome younger guy... no, Master Do at work.

He skimmed through only the necessary parts of her materials, which ran to more than one hundred pages.

Then he began filling blank sheets of paper with dense drawings.

What was all that?

‘Could all of that be my Spell Formula?’

It was drawn in an instant, then erased.

The Spell Formula was being assembled and refined, gradually optimized.

‘What... is this person?’

No, was he even a person?

Every now and then, he asked her something.

Each time, Si-yeon did her best to explain the theories and sensations she knew.

Then...

Scratch, scratch.

As soon as she finished speaking, another empty space was filled.

Tap.

At last, the master set down what looked like a sketchbook.

It was packed with complex Spell Formula diagrams and tiny notes.

‘Could it be... finished? Is that really the true Spell Formula circuit diagram for the Soul Separation Technique I came up with?’

She couldn’t help being shocked.

There was a reason her research had made no progress, no matter how hard she worked at it.

It was far too complicated.

She had created the Spell Formula by relying on instinct and her inborn constitution.

So that was what the structure inside her body looked like to activate it.

How many years would it have taken if she had tried to organize this on her own?

No, would she even have been able to complete it?

She had wanted to give up on this research dozens of times already.

‘Is that... what they call a genius?’

That was what Eul-tier meant?

Only now did she understand why artisans capable of engraving Spell Formulas received the highest regard in the Occult World.

You had to be able to do that.

You had to be that much of a monster to be a real artisan, didn’t you? (No.)

Slowly, the master took out a gourd bottle.

He turned it over in his hands, then rubbed his chin for a moment.

After seeming to ponder it briefly, he gathered Spiritual Power at his fingertips.

Sizzle.

Si-yeon stared blankly at the sight.

What kind of sorcery was that?

Was he burning the gourd bottle’s surface?

Why?

It was completely incomprehensible.

But... she soon realized.

That insane genius artisan was engraving a Spell Formula.

He had just organized the Soul Separation Technique’s Spell Formula, and now he was engraving it right away?

The diagram for a Spell Formula and the Spell Formula needed to engrave it should be different.

And he was doing that... in real time?

Si-yeon’s heart swelled simply at the thought that her Spell Formula was going into a Ritual Implement made by such a genius.

As she watched him in a daze for a long while...

.

.

.

“Si-yeon? Si-yeon?”

Sniff...

It seemed she had dozed off.

When she opened her eyes, it was still dark outside.

It must have been around five in the morning.

She struggled to gather her hazy thoughts and lifted her head.

“I’ve finished.”

“...What?”

“Thanks to your help, I was able to make a Ritual Implement. Thank you.”

“Ah, no... Really?”

This quickly?

Were Ritual Implements normally made just like that?

The sun had not even risen yet.

“Here. Take this.”

“...?”

On his outstretched palm lay something that looked like a necklace strung on a cord.

“This is a small token of my thanks for sharing your research and allowing me to use it in a Ritual Implement.”

Si-yeon accepted it without thinking.

Hanging at the center of the necklace was a dark blue piece.

It was a little carving shaped like a turtle.

‘It’s so cute.’

He had even carved her a pendant necklace as a gift while he worked.

An Eul-tier artisan.

And a keepsake personally carved by the superstar Do Emperor.

‘Can I really accept something this precious?’

As she internally fussed over how she had to pass this down through generations...

“It’s a Ritual Implement.”

An unexpected statement came from his lips.

This wasn’t a carving, but a Ritual Implement?

“It’s a Ritual Implement that can supplement your Spell Formula.”

For a moment, Si-yeon couldn’t process the situation.

So, in that short time...

He had not only fully unraveled her incomplete Spell Formula and organized it into a diagram.

He had completed a Ritual Implement.

And that still wasn’t enough, so he had made another Ritual Implement that could supplement her Spell Formula?

“How... is that even possible...?”

Si-yeon asked in a daze, and Do-hyeon seemed to think she was curious about the detailed principles.

He started to explain, then stopped.

A mischievous smile appeared on his face.

“It wouldn’t be fun if I told you.”

“...What?”

H-He could make that expression too?!

Her heart lurched again at the devastating smile from the younger guy.

“Would you like to try it now, like before?”

* * *

The Soul Separation Technique was a sorcery that consumed tremendous concentration and Spiritual Power to keep the extracted soul from scattering.

That was why she needed to stay in a familiar place and wear familiar clothes, preserving the same sensations as much as possible, if she wanted to return safely.

‘Can I really do this here?’

The place was different, and so were the clothes she was wearing.

Yet that confident expression.

When she remembered Do Emperor’s reputation and what he had done during the escape incident, she strangely found herself trusting him.

Well... he was an Eul-tier artisan.

Anything he did would probably be on another level.

What she had just witnessed alone had gone far beyond common sense.

“You know Suppression Talismans, right? Wear it around your neck like one. Make sure the turtle’s belly rests against your chest.”

Si-yeon put on the necklace and lay face down across the empty workbench.

‘Can I do this sitting... no, lying down?’

She had succeeded when she saved the student last time, but the situation had been so urgent then.

She had managed it in the heat of the moment.

It would be difficult to do it properly in this position.

‘Whatever. Let’s try it first.’

She slowly exhaled and steadied her breathing.

Then she drew her awareness down to the place deep in her chest where Spiritual Power gathered.

Slowly.

She focused on the sensation of the knot always tied there, then on the sensation of it gently loosening.

Huh?

Compared to usual...

It felt as though the knot was coming undone with ease, even though she had gathered less Spiritual Power.

‘Is it just my imagination?’

Her fingertips began to tingle.

Her body grew as light as a feather from her toes upward.

Float.

Her body rose into the air.

But...

‘This can’t be.’

Her mind was clear.

Normally, when she pulled her soul out of her body with the Soul Separation Technique, her head would feel vaguely foggy, like waking from a dream.

She had to squeeze out every bit of concentration to maintain consciousness.

But now, it felt just like normal.

No, her mind was even clearer than usual, as if she were more awake.

Her soul did not scatter even without intense concentration.

Her Spiritual Power consumption also seemed far lower.

‘W-What is this?!’

Excited, Si-yeon darted around the workshop.

Normally, it would have been unthinkable.

The farther she went, the more concentration and Spiritual Power it required.

More than that, she had always carried the vague fear that she might not be able to return.

But... she could move!

Si-yeon began racing around in delight.

‘Wow! This is incredible! It’s awesome.’

Like a child again, she floated through the air as if dancing.

* * *

Meanwhile, Do-hyeon was also watching Si-yeon.

‘Looks like it’s working properly.’

The Ritual Implement was steadily sending her Spiritual Power to her soul.

Si-yeon probably thought people couldn’t see her while she was out of her body, but Do-hyeon could see her just fine.

Her voice came out as a faint hum, but she seemed incredibly excited.

Heh heh heh.

Of course she was.

She said she had suffered from it since childhood, so she must have worried and struggled with it for a long time.

And now she could control it however she wanted in a single stroke.

It was only natural she would be happy.

Seeing someone smile because of something Do-hyeon had made always made him feel good.

It wasn’t like he had done anything amazing.

She said she needed familiar sensations to return, so he had simply made her a Ritual Implement that could serve as a coordinate.

‘Now she’ll be able to activate it without having to lie at home in pajamas.’

He had also engraved a Spiritual Power stabilization circuit, allowing Spiritual Power to flow more steadily and efficiently through the tether leading to her soul.

That optimized the amount of Spiritual Power she used as well.

Now that she had a coordinate, she wouldn’t lose her way even if she went far away.

* * *

Si-yeon woke up.

“How was it? I added a stabilization circuit, so you won’t have uncontrolled out-of-body experiences when you don’t want them anymore.”

“R-Really?”

Her eyes widened in shock.

“Yes. And as you felt, you’ll be able to go much farther and stay out much longer now. I also engraved a safety device that’ll automatically return you to your body if your Spiritual Power gets too low.”

She couldn’t believe it.

It would be okay now?

She had suffered her entire life.

And now it would really be okay?

‘Will I no longer have to live in fear, wondering when my soul might leave my body again?’

Sniff...

She barely held back the surge of emotion rising in her chest.

Her nose stung.

Whether the master understood how she felt or not, he continued explaining everything.

Then he smiled softly at Si-yeon.

“Thank you, Si-yeon. Thanks to you, I was able to make another fun Ritual Implement...”

His voice trailed off, and he quietly cleared his throat.

“...No, no. I was able to make a Ritual Implement that will save residents in danger.”

That wasn’t right.

She was the one who should have been thanking him.

Yet he was the one bowing his head in gratitude.

How much had she suffered all this time?

The dangerous moments caused by her soul leaving her body whenever it wanted.

Being ostracized by those around her.

The strange looks people gave her.

The research she couldn’t make progress on no matter how hard she tried, and the days she spent constantly sleepy from practicing every night.

The professor and fellow students who had considered her research pathetic.

The nights she had cried her eyes out because she wanted to give up flashed through her mind.

Si-yeon had always been alone through those long, lonely nights.

No one had reached out to her. No one had tried to understand her.

But this person...

So casually...

Had cut through the shackles that had bound her for her entire life.

He told her that the research everyone else called worthless had value.

He had pulled her out of the long darkness she had struggled so desperately to escape.

‘And yet... he’s thanking me?’

It felt as though all her effort, all her desperate struggle that no one had acknowledged, had finally been rewarded.

No, perhaps more than becoming normal like everyone else...

Maybe what she had truly wanted was someone who would see her for who she was.

Unable to hold it back any longer, tears poured down her face.

Si-yeon cried for a long time.

“Sniff... sniff...”

Sob...

“Th-Thank you... Sniff, really... thank you so, so much...”

After she pulled herself together, she felt embarrassed that she had burst into tears like that.

Si-yeon wiped the tears gathered around her eyes.

“Um... Si-yeon?”

She raised her head at Do-hyeon’s call.

At that very moment.

A bluish dawn began to break beyond the research building’s wide windows.

The blazing morning sunlight spilled through the windows behind Do-hyeon.

It created a dazzling halo around his silhouette.

With tears still glistening in her eyes, Si-yeon stared up at him blankly.

Do-hyeon smiled lightly and held out his hand.

“Let’s go test it now.”

“...What?”

“Thanks to you, the Ritual Implement is complete.”

He smiled.

“Let’s go see Professor Gu.”

Footnotes:

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