The Occult World’s Coveted Blacksmith - Chapter 45

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

◈ The Occult World’s Coveted Blacksmith ◈

Chapter 45: A Curse on the Cutting Board

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“This one... and this one too.”

Wow. Every single thing looked delicious.

This was only the second hotel buffet I’d been to in my life!

Today, I’d come to the buffet on the first floor of TK Hotel.

I was here to service the kitchen knife I’d made for Chef Kim Hye-yun.

‘Didn’t I make it for her just recently? Already?’

It was a little strange.

Maybe she’d dropped the knife and broken the Spirit Stone.

Or perhaps the Spell Formula inscribed inside had gone out of alignment.

‘Well, I’ll find out when I get upstairs.’

Chef Kim had sent me a meal voucher for the buffet on the first floor, telling me to eat while I was here.

Ahem. She was a very considerate person. Hehe.

‘You have to eat well before you work.’

Just looking at it made my mouth water.

Hehe, it was delicious.

Butter-grilled abalone? Lobster? There was no way I could resist.

I seriously wanted to eat this every day.

I had plenty of money now, so should I just hire a personal chef?

...I almost said that.

It was so delicious, I was saying whatever came to mind.

No matter how much money I had, free food tasted twice as good as food I paid for.

Ahem. Anyway.

‘Ji-an looked like this wasn’t her first or second time here.’

Sitting across from me, Seo Ji-an elegantly cut into her steak while dressed in a luxury designer set.

Wow... Look at all that salad she piled onto her plate.

That wasn’t human.

“Wh-Why are you looking at me like that?”

I must’ve stared too much.

Seo Ji-an stopped cutting her steak and asked.

“It’s nothing.”

“Eh... Why? What is it? Why were you looking at me?”

Her eyes suddenly sparkled.

“It’s really nothing.”

“Tch... How boring. Hehe. Master Do, look at this. Ta-da.”

Seo Ji-an held her phone screen out to me.

[HOT] Do Emperor Did It Again... He Sealed a Divine Beast?

└ Wow... Do Emperor is insane.

└ I’m seriously speechless now.

└ A Ritual Implement that can seal a divine beast? How the hell did he make that?

└ I wondered what he was doing after his stock rose so much, but he was out there saving the country?

└ He’s just the Do-Emperor.

└ Because that’s Do Emperor.

└ Wow... Do Emperor has looks, skill, and even a great personality. What doesn’t he have?

“It made Best again! Hehe.”

‘...When did they ever see my personality?’

“See, Do-hyeon? What did I tell you? I said this one would really blow up, didn’t I?”

Ji-an excitedly swiped to the next screen.

“You’ve also shot way up the sorcerer popularity rankings.”

The sorcerer popularity rankings... Wasn’t that where Yoo-ha had climbed the ranks before?

“Artisans could rank there too?”

“It almost never happens, but Do-hyeon, your popularity is just ridiculous right now! Apparently, the site got flooded with requests.”

Ji-an hummed as she opened another tab.

“Look at this. And this too. Requests are pouring in, pouring in.”

She was right.

Even people from prominent families had unofficially sent in request after request to meet with me.

Ji-an’s behind-the-scenes work had played a big part in spreading word of this incident so quickly.

This time, I’d watched her write the posts beside me, and it was honestly shocking.

‘Anyone watching would think she was a full-time forum addict.’

While I was at it, I asked her to make sure people knew Si-yeon had helped with the technique.

No matter how much I’d engraved and improved it, it was only right to clearly acknowledge whose idea had formed its foundation. That was basic professional courtesy.

Still, it was impressive.

This would be a huge help for my next business venture too.

That’s right!

I couldn’t stay basking in past glory forever.

I’d already finished planning my next creation.

While making that gourd bottle, I’d noticed something after seeing students from the sorcery university walking around with spirit beasts.

After searching the forums, I found that it seemed incredibly inconvenient to keep spirit beasts hidden all the time.

Chickens and creatures like that were one thing.

When they hid their Spiritual Power, they could still pass as normal animals.

But many other animals stood out just by being taken around.

The Occult Management Bureau strictly prohibited spirit beasts from being exposed to ordinary people.

Hehe.

That was why I’d given Si-yeon Seo Ji-an’s contact information.

Ji-an had repeatedly warned me about protecting my identity, and I didn’t look at my phone while I was working anyway. It was better to give Si-yeon Ji-an’s number.

They’d probably have a lot to ask me while finishing the paper.

I could at least help with that much.

Besides, I’d need their contact information too if I wanted to move forward with my next business.

‘Hehe. This’ll be fun.’

Just thinking about what I’d make next made me happy.

Ding, ding.

I’d finished eating and stepped into the elevator to head up to the floor with the restaurant.

Bzzzt.

[Professor Gu Do-gyeom: ...Have you eaten?]

Bzzzt. Bzzzt.

He kept messaging me.

“Who is it...?”

Ji-an asked from beside me.

“Ah, Professor Gu. He asked for my contact information, so I gave it to him without thinking...”

Ever since then, he’d contacted me whenever he had the chance.

“But it’s kind of...”

Strange.

If I loosely interpreted the messages Professor Gu had sent so far, they went something like this.

Please~ Sob sob.

I’m not even asking for an Eul-tier one.

Please just make me anything similar~

Of course, he kept up a polite tone on the surface.

But every message was clingy.

Mm. It was probably because I’d let him try it once back then.

It must’ve felt that good in his hands.

‘Didn’t I say I’d make one next time?’

He must’ve taken it as empty politeness.

That was probably why he greeted me every day.

I was starting to understand why Seo Ji-an had wanted me to hand out her business card.

“Ah, right. Han Ji-myeong contacted me again today too.”

“Ah, that Grade-1 sealing sorcerer from the Bureau?”

“He begged so desperately to meet you just once. I’m telling you, it was hard turning him down.”

I really should make something for them when I had the time.

But I was too busy planning my new business right now!

Ding.

[La Vian]

The restaurant doors opened.

“Hello!”

Chef Kim Hye-yun warmly greeted us.

“It’s been a while. Have you been well... Huh?”

Something was off.

‘Her complexion...?’

Just like when I’d first met her, she looked unwell again.

Dark circles hung beneath her eyes, and she looked exhausted.

There was even a bandage on one side of her face.

“Were you hurt?”

“No... It’s nothing.”

What was this? Don’t tell me.

First, I checked the knife.

“...”

I looked up at Chef Kim.

“Do you see something again?”

She flinched.

“W-Well...!”

She hesitated as if she were hiding something.

There was nothing wrong with the Spell Formula or the Spirit Stone inside.

Only the Spiritual Power within had been completely drained.

...Then why?

“Let me take a look around for a moment.”

I inspected every corner of the kitchen.

I carefully checked the ceiling and corners for a hidden Cursed spirit, just like last time.

But there was nothing.

What was going on?

“Um, well... Master Do...”

After I’d searched for a while, Kim Hye-yun finally spoke.

It was just as I’d expected.

Lately, strange things had started coming to visit every night.

‘Were those family bastards behind this again?’

“But... it looks like House Hyeonmu has stopped attacking for the time being. After what happened with the sous-chef, it seemed like the Bureau stepped in to mediate.”

The Occult Management Bureau might give the Four Great Houses a certain amount of leeway, but apparently, there were still lines they couldn’t cross.

“Then what could be causing this?”

Good question.

There had to be a reason.

‘Ah, first...’

To look for traces of cursed power, I had briefly undone my Suppression Talisman, then fastened it again.

I couldn’t let the chef collapse again.

...But then!

Could it be...!

“Because of the Spirit Stone?”

“Pardon?”

No way.

That was it!

Why did sorcerers all wear Suppression Talismans?

Because anything containing Spiritual Power was like a tonic to Cursed spirits.

If ordinary people were one-experience-point goblins to a Cursed spirit...

Then sorcerers with Spiritual Power were golden goblins!

Wasn’t that why Cursed spirits gathered around sorcerers who went around with their Spiritual Power exposed?

“But I’ve never heard that ghosts gather around someone just because they have a Spirit Stone...”

‘No. Mine is a different case.’

Ordinary Spirit Stones were tightly sealed so Spiritual Power wouldn’t leak out, then shattered to use all at once.

But the one I’d made was rechargeable.

Since it kept getting used, the Spiritual Power inside had been leaking out in tiny amounts.

‘...So that was it.’

The Cursed spirits had picked up the scent and gathered around the chef every night.

‘Damn...’

This was my oversight.

In the game, it was just mana, so I’d never had to worry about something this troublesome.

‘Then I’ll need to engrave a new control device so she can turn the Spiritual Power concealment on and off.’

But...

‘How could the chef see ghosts?’

Ordinary people without Spirit Sight couldn’t see Cursed spirits, even with the power of a Spirit Stone.

The ones from last time had been exceptionally strong, and they’d deliberately latched onto the chef to torment her, so that was one thing.

But it made no sense that she could see even the little stragglers gathering around her now.

I quietly examined the chef again.

“M-Master Do?”

‘...?’

A little Spiritual Power had appeared in her body.

‘...!’

She’d been constantly harassed by Cursed spirits lately, and because she used the knife I’d made every day, it seemed her Spiritual Power had awakened.

Apparently, when stimulation from Spiritual Power kept building up, Spirit Sight sometimes opened like this.

‘Hmm...’

Well. It wasn’t a huge problem.

I just had to whip up a neat circuit for her.

Swish.

I took out the Suppression Talisman I wore beneath my shirt again.

I could structure it similarly to the Suppression Talisman.

* * *

The workshop at the Goblin Market.

“It’s already finished?”

“Sorry. It took a while, didn’t it?”

Whoever made this...

They’d made it incredibly complicated.

I didn’t know whether it was intentional, but it had a lot of parts that weren’t necessary for the suppression function. It took quite a bit of effort to sort through them.

They must’ve been quite skilled.

“Huh? No, not at all. Have you made a Suppression Talisman before?”

Seo Ji-an, who had been listening beside us, cautiously cut in.

“This is my first time.”

“...Your first time?”

Ji-an paused.

“Ahaha. Of course it is...”

Then she muttered something under her breath.

Chef Kim had the afternoon off, so we moved to the workshop.

“Now that you’ve awakened to Spiritual Power, you’re a sorcerer too, in a way. And here.”

I handed over the repaired knife and held out a small pouch.

“This is...?”

“It’s a Suppression Talisman. Um... it conceals something called Spiritual Power. If you wear it, this shouldn’t happen again.”

With sincere regret, I bowed my head.

“I’m truly sorry. You could’ve been in danger because of the knife I made.”

But then...

“Pardon?”

Kim Hye-yun’s reaction was strange.

“Actually... I didn’t really mind?”

“...?”

“I was fine with it, though?”

“What?”

When I asked again, wondering if I’d misheard her, she said,

“Actually... it was kind of fun.”

“What???”

* * *

The first time they appeared...

She had been flustered and afraid.

She thought the nightmare she believed had ended was starting all over again.

But then...

‘No. Don’t come closer. Stay away!’

Kim Hye-yun stumbled backward in fear, then swung the knife she was holding without thinking.

But then...

Slice!

[Kyaaaaaaak!]

The Cursed spirit’s face was cut as it approached.

“...!”

The Cursed spirit let out a scream of pain and fell backward.

At that moment, a thought flashed through Kim Hye-yun’s mind.

‘Actually... ghosts...!’

‘Are they really weak?’

!!!!

It was unarmed... and I had a knife?

Huh?

‘Then... am I the predator?’

Every memory of being tormented came rushing back.

Seeing Hye-yun’s expression, the Cursed spirit stepped back.

“Hehehe... All right, shall we start cooking?”

Haa... Haa...

It was blissful.

Using this knife to cook had already felt amazing.

But the feeling of cutting Cursed spirits with it was simply...

“Gnnngh... This is the best!”

Swish.

Slice.

[Kieeeeeee!]

The terrified Cursed spirits started fleeing.

Hehehe.

Hehehe, come here!

Good, you’ll be diced...

[Kueeeeeeeek!]

It felt absolutely incredible.

That texture when she cut through a sticky Cursed spirit.

That sound.

The overwhelming feeling of competence flowing from her fingertips.

She would no longer hide.

“Come here! I’ll cook you up nice and delicious!!!”

* * *

“Pardon...?”

I was left speechless after hearing Kim Hye-yun’s cheerful tale of heroism.

Then what was that bandage on her face?

“Hahaha... I was having so much fun that I brushed against a shelf while running.”

She shyly smiled as she touched her bandage.

“If anything... I kind of look forward to nighttime now...”

For her, Exorcism was just another kind of cooking.

I blankly shook my head.

‘Th-This is how it turned out?’

“Ah, yes... Um, do whatever you want.”

So that was why.

It did seem like it had happened more than once or twice.

A considerable amount of Spiritual Power had leaked out.

This crazy chef had been luring Cursed spirits in every night and cooking them!

Well... it wouldn’t be pointless.

There might be times when Cursed spirits absolutely couldn’t be allowed to come around.

Since I’d finished analyzing the Suppression Talisman too...

Then.

“Ji-an?”

“Yes?”

“You know those three works we sold at the auction house? We can contact the people who bought them, right?”

“Ah, yes, of course.”

Gyeongseong Auction was said to be extremely strict about customer security.

But with consent, it could provide contact information between buyers and sellers for services related to the item, quality matters, and after-sales support.

“I think I need to service the other buyers’ items too. Could you contact them? They’re all sorcerers, but I think it’d be better if they came as quickly as possible.”

“Yes! I’ll contact them so they can come as soon as possible.”

When I looked over, Kim Hye-yun was staring intently at me.

‘Uh...’

She really did seem like a strange person.

Or was she?

More than one or two people had reacted like that while holding a weapon I’d made.

“Um... then, can I go now? I have work tomorrow too.”

“Ah, yes. Of course. Get home safely.”

...She really was going home to sleep, right?

Well, none of my business.

“Ah! I’ll walk you out! But before that, over here for a moment...”

“What?”