Chapter 68
Several days passed since the duel with the Sword Empress.
During that time, there had been a major change in the Academy.
That change was none other than Yoo Iseo’s return.
Starting with the awards ceremony, Yoo Iseo had rejoined the Academy.
Her appearance upon returning to the Student Council was colder than ever before.
Whatever traces of humanity she once had, thanks to Seo Da-hee and Ha Yoon, had completely vanished.
It seemed that during her long period of seclusion, she had closed the doors of her heart completely.
As proof of that, the Academy’s suspicion level had risen.
【Suspicion Level: 18】
It had been 10 when I first arrived at the Academy, so it had nearly doubled.
Considering the things I’d done within the Academy, it was still a rather low number—but it meant I had to move carefully from now on.
【Student Council President Yoo Iseo is suspicious of internal members of the Student Council. Instructor Kang Jae-seok has weak suspicion toward you.】
Of course, I was the one who told her not to trust anyone—but that didn’t mean she had to suspect me too.
Then again, it wasn’t me as Yoo Seongwoo who said that, but me as the Devil Knight, so I supposed it couldn’t be helped.
Thankfully, her suspicion wasn’t limited to me alone.
According to the system message, she was suspicious of the entire Student Council.
In other words, even Berid was among those she distrusted.
Perhaps because of that, ever since her return, Yoo Iseo had become almost fanatical when it came to eradicating Demons.
She declared that she would intensify large-scale Demon eradication efforts.
Her actions were so aggressive that one might think she intended to reveal the Student Council’s covert Demon-slaying missions to the public.
Because of this, Berid’s movements—which had been quite active for a while—would likely calm down for the time being.
That was good news, of course… but at the same time, it was a bit tricky.
After all, in the game, there had never been a case where Yoo Iseo acted with this kind of intensity.
It seemed that my warning as the Devil Knight had had some effect, but whether that would turn out to be a blessing or a curse, I couldn’t yet tell.
For now, I needed to lay low.
Any careless action might only draw more of Yoo Iseo’s suspicion.
What I needed most right now was to regain her trust.
Just then, I heard someone’s voice from afar.
“Sorry, I overslept. I rushed to get ready, so I’m a little late.”
“Helena being late? That’s unexpected.”
“I came exactly on time, you know?”
It was the weekend, and as planned, Helena, Park Siwoo, and I left the dormitory together to visit the Chiwoo Workshop.
Originally, I was supposed to meet Lia and Seo Da-hee, but given the circumstances, I had asked for their understanding.
Then Helena, who had been chatting with Park Siwoo, turned her gaze toward me.
“Why is someone who has nothing to do with our plans here?”
“I don’t really know what you mean.”
She frowned and approached me, irritation written all over her face.
“Are you picking a fight? You should know that man and I don’t exactly get along.”
“To be honest, it couldn’t be helped.”
“Why? Did that guy Dan Chun-woo threaten you with a sword or something?”
Helena’s sudden outburst was because she had spotted Dan Chun-woo standing off to the side, arms crossed in his usual defiant posture.
Threatened with a sword, huh. Well… that wasn’t too far from the truth.
A few days ago, the Sword Empress had contacted me.
I didn’t know how she found out about our plans, but she had asked me to take Dan Chun-woo with us to the Chiwoo Workshop.
She said that if I did, she’d owe me a favor—a favor from the Sword Empress wasn’t something to take lightly.
Having received many favors from her already, I couldn’t bring myself to refuse.
Honestly, I expected Dan Chun-woo to reject the offer himself.
But to my surprise, he readily accepted and decided to come along—leaving me just as bewildered as the others.
Then Dan Chun-woo looked our way.
“Do you really have that much of a problem with me coming along?”
“Of course I do! Why are you even going to the Chiwoo Workshop? You already have a weapon!”
To be fair, that was something I’d been wondering too.
Dan Chun-woo didn’t need a weapon.
From the very beginning of the game, he had a graduation-tier item granted to him—his beloved sword, Mua.
It was a blade personally bestowed upon him by the Swordmaster.
Of course, starting the game with an endgame weapon would break the balance.
That was why the sword’s power had been sealed. The seal would gradually loosen as Dan Chun-woo leveled up.
In other words, it was a growth-type item.
Moreover, he had a personal collection of swords—so if necessary, he could set aside the not-yet-fully-unsealed Mua and wield any number of other weapons.
That was why players using Dan Chun-woo never had to worry about weapon choices.
No wonder he had always been considered a beginner-friendly Playable Character.
At Helena’s question, Dan Chun-woo glanced at me.
There was a faint trace of resentment in his eyes.
“Because someone broke four of the swords from my collection during their duel with my sister.”
“Ah.”
Now that I thought about it, even during the awards ceremony, Dan Chun-woo had gritted his teeth watching the Sword Empress make her grand entrance with one of his blades.
She had told him not to worry about it—but she wasn’t the one who had owned the sword in the first place.
So that was why she told me to bring him along.
She was pretending not to care, but in her own tsundere way, she was looking out for her younger brother.
In the end, all of us headed to the Chiwoo Workshop together.
Surprisingly, the Chiwoo Workshop was located right in the middle of Gangnam.
It was just a twenty-minute bus ride from the Academy in Yeouido—a short distance.
I couldn’t help feeling a little excited.
In-game, the Chiwoo Workshop was just simplified as a “cash item corner,” so this was my first time seeing what it looked like in the real world.
I imagined a historical, traditional space filled with the weight of craftsmanship—
—maybe with a drunken dwarf-like old man, face flushed from drink.
Something like that, perhaps?
We soon arrived at the Chiwoo Workshop by bus.
And the moment I saw it, my expectations shattered completely.
Gone was the image of a shabby blacksmith’s forge tucked away in a corner of the city.
Gone too was the drunken, reclusive old man.
What stood before us instead was an astonishingly sleek building that gleamed under the sun.
It looked to be at least twenty stories tall.
“Wow.”
Park Siwoo let out an admiring gasp beside me, and Helena explained,
“This is the Chiwoo Workshop.”
“Which floor are we going to?”
“No.”
At Park Siwoo’s question, Helena shook her head.
“Not a floor. This entire building is the workshop.”
Huh. Even at a glance, the building looked to be at least twenty stories tall—so the whole thing belonged to the Chiwoo Workshop?
I tilted my head back, looking up toward the distant top of the building.
There, the old-fashioned Chinese characters for Chiwoo were engraved in bold strokes.
There went my sense of romance...
Just then, Dan Chun-woo’s voice rang out.
“Don’t just stand there like an idiot. Let’s go in.”
Following Dan Chun-woo’s lead, we entered the building.
As expected of the Swordmaster Family’s son, he seemed very familiar with this place.
The first floor of the building was filled with countless products from the Chiwoo Workshop, displayed as if a grand exhibition were being held.
Between rows of magnificent weapons and armor stood numerous stands organized by type—it felt more like stepping into a massive department store than a forge.
Dan Chun-woo began to explain.
“From the first to the fourth floors, they sell industrial products open to the public. Things made by apprentices or trainee smiths.”
In other words, the lower-grade merchandise.
Even so, the price tags hanging from those items were in the hundreds of millions of won—if not billions.
Even if they were mass-produced or apprentice-made, they were still Chiwoo Workshop goods. From a glance alone, I could tell the displayed items were of excellent quality.
In game terms, they’d probably be equivalent to high-tier drops from mid-scenario mobs.
“So where can we see the weapons made by the true masters?”
“They’re on the upper floors. Only members are allowed access to the master-crafted items.”
“So we can’t see them, then?”
At Park Siwoo’s question, Dan Chun-woo didn’t answer—he simply pulled something out of his inner pocket.
It was the engraved token we’d received at the awards ceremony—Chiwoo Workshop’s priority reservation badge.
“Did you forget why we came here?”
“Wait, that badge was that special?”
“Just possessing this makes us equivalent to VIPs. Not only can we view the member-exclusive weapons, but we’ll also receive consultation for custom commissions.”
Park Siwoo stared at his badge in awe.
Then, someone began approaching us quickly from a distance.
Judging by the uniform, it was probably an employee.
The staff member reached us in an instant and bowed deeply.
“Welcome, honored guests. I sincerely apologize for the delayed response. I only just confirmed your credentials.”
We were momentarily silent at the employee’s overly polite tone.
So they were monitoring the badges in real time—and dispatched staff accordingly?
That was some serious security.
Dan Chun-woo addressed the employee in a familiar tone.
“Since you’ve seen the badge, you should already know where we intend to go.”
“Of course, sir. I’ll escort you to the workshop immediately.”
After that, we took the VIP-exclusive elevator up to the workshop.
When the elevator doors opened, what lay before us was…
I rubbed my eyes, thinking I must’ve been seeing things.
This was supposed to be a forge?
I had expected that once inside, we’d finally see a proper blacksmith’s workshop.
But there were no blazing furnaces, no bellows, no anvils—only high-tech machinery like something out of a cutting-edge research lab.
Soon, the employee began to explain.
“As VIP guests bearing the engraved badges, you may choose any of our smiths to commission your desired weapon. You don’t have to decide right away—you may consult with several smiths before making your choice. All of Chiwoo Workshop’s official smiths are masters of their craft, though each has their own specialty. We recommend selecting a smith whose expertise best suits the weapon you desire.
The Swordmaster Family has already covered all production costs. Please enjoy your time here.”
I raised my hand to stop the employee before they could leave.
“Wait a second—I have a question. With this badge, would it be possible to commission Master Gu Ryun?”
Master Gu Ryun.
The owner of the Chiwoo Workshop—and known as the greatest blacksmith in the world.
He was the one who had crafted the weapons of Baek Hyun-joong, once hailed as the strongest Hero, as well as all of the Swordmaster’s cherished blades.
Heroes and Villains alike coveted his creations—each weapon forged by the Master was a treasure beyond measure.
But perhaps because so many desired his work, the Master’s identity remained shrouded in mystery.
He had never once appeared before the public or the media, and those who had met him in person could be counted on one hand.
Still, since I had the badge, it was worth asking.
The employee gave a troubled smile and bowed apologetically.
“I’m sorry, sir. The Master is currently only accepting special commissions.”
“So in other words, I can’t request a weapon from him.”
“There are many smiths here who have studied directly under the Master himself. I assure you, even if you entrust your weapon to one of them, you’ll be more than satisfied.”
I nodded in understanding, though I couldn’t help but ponder for a moment.
Then Dan Chun-woo spoke beside me.
“Don’t tell me you actually thought that old man would bother meeting someone like you?”
“I didn’t expect him to. I’m just curious—he’s such a mysterious figure, after all.”
A thought suddenly crossed my mind.
Come to think of it, maybe Dan Chun-woo had met the Master before?
After all, the Swordmaster and Master Gu Ryun were said to have a fairly close relationship.
When I asked him about it, Dan Chun-woo replied,
“He’s just a stubborn old man. Shy, too—and scared of people. He never steps outside his workshop.”
“Really?”
Hearing that only made me more curious about the Master’s true identity.
It wasn’t just about wanting help—it was simple curiosity as a former Become a Hero player.
Then Dan Chun-woo shot me a sharp look.
“This isn’t the time for you to be worrying about things like that.”
“Ah, right.”
Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t come here to commission a new weapon.
My goal was to restore or enhance the Guardian’s Sword.
For that, I needed to find a smith capable of handling such work.
But which of them would give me the best results?
Fortunately, I had someone right beside me who was well-versed in this area.
My gaze naturally turned toward him.
“Chun-woo E-mong, among the smiths here at the Chiwoo Workshop, who’s the most skilled one?”
At my question, Dan Chun-woo’s face twisted with irritation.