“How did you hear about me?”

“I heard a rumor about a master hiding here, way across town,” I explained.

“A master? Well, whoever blabbed about it must have an eye for talent. So what brings you here?”

“Eunhye and I, as we’ve mentioned, are aspiring hunters and—”

“Ah, you need weapons. That’s good. Come on in.”

Chulyi led us to the workroom inside the shop. Instead of the flashy weapons displayed in the showroom, this room housed more practical weapons—tools meant for real hunters, not collectors. The others seemed more like ornamental pieces made from beautiful materials and lacked practicality.

“So, two weapons... Do you have a particular weapon in mind?”

“A spear. I’d like to commission a custom one.”

“A spear? Good choice. And you?” Chulyi inquired, turning to Eunhye.

“Hmm... Is it okay if I look around a bit more before making my decision?” Eunhye said, frowning slightly as she examined the weapons.

Chulyi, seeing that she hadn’t made up her mind yet, turned back to me. “Why don’t we start off with you?”

“All right. I’d like a two-meter-long spear.”

“Only the shaft?”

“No, including the blade. And I’d prefer the shaft to be made of metal, not wood.”

“A steel spear... It might be heavy and difficult to handle. Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

Chulyi swiftly jotted down my requirements on a piece of paper, sketching a design right there on the spot. “What about the material?”

“I’m not sure what’s available.”

“I have everything you can imagine.”

“In that case, adamantium for the blade and mithril for the shaft, please.”

“Well, I definitely don’t have those,” he replied, guffawing loudly. “It’s a shame we can’t gather materials from the fictional world!”

“A shame indeed. I’ll leave the choice of materials up to you.”

I added a few more specifications, describing the shape of the spearhead, its weight, and the thickness of the shaft in detail.

Chulyi stroked his beard and studied me with apparent interest. “Lee Seojun, did you say your name was?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“And you’re an aspiring hunter?”

“That’s right.”

“But your skill in ordering weapons is like a veteran.”

“I’ve just heard a lot about it,” I replied nonchalantly. I had conveyed the requirements the weapon needed to meet but gave the blacksmith enough room to choose the specifics of the design. My orders were enough to express my trust in him, but not enough to be burdensome.

Chulyi seemed to understand my intention and appeared to appreciate it. “Right, I’ll take your order.”

“How long will it take?”

“Your weapon alone will take me a few days. Leave me your contact details and I’ll let you know as soon as it’s ready.”

“I will. Thank you very much,” I said, unable to hide my satisfied smile.

No matter how unknown Chulyi might be at the moment, his skill was undoubtedly that of a master. He could easily craft a single weapon within a few hours. But taking several days to complete it was basically declaring that he would be putting considerable effort into it.

“What about the young lady? Have you made up your mind?”

“I’m not quite sure. Can you recommend something?”

“For beginners, it’s best to try out various weapons. Swords are a common starting point.”

“A sword...”

Chulyi mentioned it casually, but it was valuable advice. For beginners, it was best to explore different weapons until they found the one that suited them. Everyone had their combat style and the type of weapon that felt right for them. Rushing to choose a weapon was foolish.

“Seojun, what do you think?”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

Of course, I knew exactly which weapon would suit her the best. “Sir, could you perhaps craft a bow as well?”

“I’m not a blacksmith who only hammers metal. Of course, I can.”

“In that case, what do you think about a bow?” I asked, turning to Eunhye.

“A bow?” Eunhye’s eyebrows furrowed. There were no bows on display, so it was probably not an option she had been considering.

Both Eunhye and Chulyi looked puzzled, but the reason for my decision was quite simple: Eunhye was a natural archer. Before my return, Eunhye joined the Knights and, following the guild’s policies, used a sword. But her proficiency with a sword was unimpressive. At best, she was a third-rate swordsman, with occasional flashes of second-rate skills. But one day, during a quest, she lost her weapon.

She later mentioned in an interview that it broke. It seemed the guild’s blacksmith back then had done a shoddy job, and Eunhye ended up picking up an abandoned bow that was lying around without an owner. That bow changed her life. Eunhye’s talent shone through as she quickly rose to the front lines.

“Eunhye, you have good focus, agility, and excellent on-the-fly judgment,” I said.

“Really?”

“You’re also flexible, strong, and capable, so I thought a bow might suit you.”

“Hmm... You have a point...” Eunhye was gradually persuaded by my argument, and the blacksmith also nodded in agreement.

“You can also try out practice weapons,” Chulyi suggested.

“No, I’ll go with the bow, just like Seojun said.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, he knows me surprisingly well.”

It was a much easier decision than I’d anticipated. She must have felt a strong connection to the bow, unlike a sword or spear.

Chulyi, on the other hand, expressed some concerns. “It’ll take quite some time to get accustomed to a bow. It’s not the best choice for a beginner.”

“Eunhye is quick to learn anything,” I explained.

“I see you hold your wife in high regard. A bow it is then.”

I began discussing the structure of the bow with Chulyi, starting with my own suggestions. “Can you craft a compound bow?”

“What do you take me for? Of course, I can.”

“The riser should be a standard size, and we need to customize the grip.”

“What about the string?”

“Three should be sufficient for now.”

“Because she is a beginner, I recommend adjustable bow cams rather than replaceable ones.”

“Good point. A guide too, please.”

Listening to our conversation, Eunhye and Seola exchanged glances.

Tilting her head to one side, Seola asked, “Mommy, what are they talking about?”

“Mommy doesn’t know either,” Eunhye replied.

***

“The total price for the two should be around this,” Chulyi said, showing me a piece of paper.

Eunhye’s eyes widened as she checked the price. Considering our financial situation, it was an unthinkable sum. She didn’t respond, only bit her lip and pulled me closer so Seola and Chulyi wouldn’t hear. “Is that price correct?”

“Yes. To be honest, it’s quite reasonable.”

“Do you have the money?”

“Yeah, I have some savings.”

Thankfully, I had some money on hand from a savings account that held just enough for the weapons.

Eunhye shook her head. “I can’t.”

“Why?”

“I can’t afford it. I wish I’d received an advance or something.”

“I told you, I’ve saved up enough money.”

“Huh?” Eunhye seemed to misunderstand my point as her puzzled eyes locked onto mine.

“I can afford both.”

“You’re offering to buy mine too? Why?”

“Because I said I’d take care of you.”

“Now I feel like I’m Seola.”

In truth, the amount of money was not a large sum for a hunter, and the weapons met my minimum requirements. If things worked out the way I hoped, I planned to buy even better ones with better materials.

Eunhye seemed to contemplate her choices momentarily and nodded in acceptance. “Okay. I’ll pay you back.”

“You don’t need to.”

“I’ll pay you back no matter what, no matter how expensive it is.”

In the end, we decided to make the purchase. After reaching an agreement, I turned around and my eyes met with Seola’s.

“Mommy?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Is it very expensive?”

Both Eunhye and I were surprised by her question. It seemed Seola had heard the last part of the conversation and she looked slightly dejected.

“It’s not like that, Seola.”

“Can you buy it if I eat a little less ice keem?”

Eunhye bit her bottom lip, and I recalled a conversation from back at the hospital. When she was raising Seola by herself, she couldn’t afford to buy her a lot of ice cream and had refused her daughter’s pleas, saying it was too expensive.

Seola looked resigned, nodding as if to say it was okay. “I’m okay. I ate a lot of ice keem at the hospital.”

“Seola, you don’t need to give up your ice cream.”

“But you said you need to pay back the money, Mommy.”

Eunhye was clearly at a loss for words. She had meant she would be paying me back personally, but it seemed her little girl had mistaken the debt to be to the bank.

As if to share the misunderstanding, Chulyi was also looking at Eunhye and me with empathetic eyes. “Listen.”

“Y-yes?”

“I don’t know the details, but I gather you’re in a bit of a rough spot right now.” The blacksmith, who had moved next to Seola, stroked her head in an attempt to comfort her. He then scratched out a couple of numbers on the piece of paper and showed me the total cost again.

Eunhye and I were shocked when we saw the revised cost.

“No, we can’t—”

“That should be enough.”

“But this is barely enough to cover the cost of materials.”

I knew the approximate prices of the materials used in our weapons. While I had chosen cost-effective materials, they were still of good quality and their prices weren’t modest, not to mention the cost of labor. Considering the craftsman was Kang Chulyi, a future world-class master, the price seemed like a clear loss for him.

“You both seem like good people and I’ve taken a liking to the kid, so I’ll give you a special discount.”

“Are you sure about this?”

“You talk too much. Are you going to take it or not?”

“I’ll take it. I’ll definitely take it. Thank you so much.”

“You better come back often.”

“Of course. We promise this will be the only blacksmith we use.”

Kang Chulyi gave us a satisfied smile. This elderly man was known for pride in his work and loyalty to his customers. He especially valued long-term regular clients, which I would soon become.

“Do you see those weapons in the corner?”

“Yes, I do.”

“They are test pieces I made. You may choose one each.”

We were even given test pieces to use for practice while the weapons were being crafted. Chulyi called the pieces mediocre, but in reality, they were very good quality weapons only made of average materials. Despite his humble words, his generous intentions were clear.

I always thought he was a stern person. When I first met the blacksmith, he was already a world-class master. He had a stubborn expression and was quite reserved, giving me the impression that he was tough. But now that I had spent some time with him, I found out he was simply a kind-hearted elderly man who wanted to do something good for us.

Then again, he had a good reputation back then too. He seemed to show a lot of favor to people he liked, and since I’d heard he liked well-mannered people, maybe our manners had won him over. Or it could have been Seola’s cuteness. In any case, he seemed to have taken a liking to us and it felt like the beginning of a good relationship.

“Thank you, sir.”

“Thank you so much.”

“Thank you!”

Eunhye and I expressed our heartfelt gratitude and even Seola bowed politely.

With a grin, Kang Chulyi stroked Seola’s head one last time and sent us away. “Now get out. I need to work.”

“See you next time,” I said as he rolled up his sleeves with a determined look on his face. Leaving the workshop, I felt a rush of excitement and anticipation.

“Seola?”

“Yes, Daddy?”

“Do you want to go get some ice cream?”

“Okay!”