The morning after my awakening, I rose from a deep slumber.Ever since the advent of the New Humanity, the orphanage had become utterly unforgiving.Children slated to join one of the orphanage-affiliated guilds would be granted a single day of rest, after which they would travel by the guild’s integrated bus to its main headquarters the very next morning.As for the others, those deemed unworthy of selection, the orphanage presented a mere two choices.They could either remain at the orphanage, working as staff, or depart immediately with a subsidy of five million won.Their decision had to be finalized by nine o’clock this very morning.
“Right, Yujun, you awakened as an E-rank Strength-type, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Are you planning to stay on at the orphanage? You’re aware that’s not a guaranteed position, aren’t you? With an E-rank… frankly, it seems unlikely to be viewed favorably.”
From this juncture, the Orphanage Director himself no longer bothered to listen to each child’s case individually.Instead, the task fell to staff members who had chosen to remain at the orphanage from previous cohorts.The one assigned to me was an older sister who had always treated me with particular kindness.
“We’re short on time, so could you make up your mind already? You should have decided before you went to bed last night.”
Her demeanor had undergone a complete transformation, likely because she now knew I had awakened as an E-rank Strength-type—a development that spelled utter ruin for my prospects.
“I’ll choose independence.”
“Oh, will you? That’s a good decision. Still, if you head to a construction site (TL Note: ‘nogada’ refers to manual labor, often on construction sites), you’ll likely find decent treatment there.”
She affixed a stamp to my document, formalizing my choice for independence, and then requested my signature.
“Alright, your belongings… I imagine you don’t have much anyway, but gather whatever you have and vacate the orphanage by noon. The money will be transferred to your account in batches by six in the evening.”
In such an anticlimactic manner, my life at the orphanage drew to a close.It wasn’t that I cherished my time at the orphanage, nor was I particularly saddened by my failure to join the Twilight Guild; yet, a profound sense of emptiness still settled over me.After all, it had been my home for a solid seven years, ever since I was thirteen.
“Yujun…”
Moreover, it was a place brimming with memories of Kwon Yena, who now gazed at me, her eyes welling up with tears.
“Are you going independent?”
“Yes, it’s what I must do.”
“…*Sniff*”
“Wait, are you actually crying??”
“Nooo…”
“It’s not as if we’ll never meet again, so why the tears?”
Ultimately, I gently wiped away the tears tracing paths down her cheeks with the back of my hand.To be frank, there was absolutely no reason for tears.Kwon Yena would pursue her activities within the Twilight Guild and could simply meet me whenever she pleased, just as I could live independently and spend time with her at any given moment.Since Kwon Yena herself surely understood this, perhaps her tears stemmed from a belief that I would struggle to survive on my own?
“*Sniff*… Yujun, don’t you worry! I’ll earn heaps of money and soon buy a house where we can live together!”
So, it was true then…She truly believed I was incompetent, that I wouldn’t survive on my own after leaving the orphanage, and would simply be left behind…While I appreciated her concern, it stung me in an odd way.
‘It’s a relief I’m not actually an E-rank Strength-type.’
With this thought, an immediate urge surged through me to discover precisely what [Forge Creation] entailed, and why this single skill was deemed EX-rank.
“Alright, alright… stop crying.”
“*Sniffle*…”
“I need to pack my things, so help me out.”
“Okayyy…”
****
The first-floor space of Building A, which we had occupied until now, had entirely shed its gender divisions.With all the orphans from Twilight Orphanage’s 8th cohort having moved out their belongings, the building had temporarily relinquished its role as a dormitory until the 9th cohort moved in that evening.Orphanage residents now moved freely between the formerly segregated male and female sections, exchanging farewells and gathering their possessions.Kwon Yena and I, too, entered my former room to begin packing my belongings.
“Oh, hey there?”
“…Yeah.”
Stepping into the room, we found my roommate, Kim Suhyuk, packing his belongings. I hadn’t seen him since he hadn’t returned the previous night until after I’d fallen asleep.
“Looks like you awakened a strong ability, didn’t you? Are you joining the Twilight Guild?”
“…Yeah.”
Kim Suhyuk responded to my inquiry with a curt, weighty affirmative.
“Hey! Why are you treating Yujun with such blatant disrespect!”
“…”
“Are you belittling him just because Yujun’s an E-rank?! Huh?! Even if he is incompetent, I’ll make sure he’s fed myself! Yujun isn’t someone you get to look down on! Only *I* get to look down on him!”
“…”
While her words seemed to contain far more jabs at me than genuine defense, Kwon Yena, nonetheless, expressed her indignation on my behalf.
“Yena, it’s not like that. Suhyuk is just naturally reserved.”
“Huh…?”
“Even so, it’s our last day, and he’s already answered me twice.”
“What…?”
“Isn’t that right, Suhyuk? You seem a little wistful, given it’s our last day.”
“…That’s right.”
Suhyuk and I had always shared this kind of relationship.We lived quietly, careful not to intrude on each other’s lives, and as a result, our privacy was guaranteed, almost as if we each had a private room.
“Really…?”
“I’m telling you! If we genuinely didn’t get along, we would’ve requested a room change. You know Suhyuk and I have shared a room for seven years since we first arrived here.”
“…”
Our friendship, forged over seven years, required little in the way of extensive conversation.
“Seven… seven years…”
“Yeah~”
“You’ve been ignoring Yujun for seven whole years!?!”
“*Sigh*…”
Abandoning any hope of clarifying the misunderstanding, I retreated into the room and began to pack my belongings.Yena then quietly followed me inside, but rather than assisting with the packing, she simply observed from the sidelines.
“You don’t have much to pack, do you…?”
“Exactly, isn’t it? There’s hardly anything I’d truly claim as my own.”
With just my phone, bankbook, and wallet, the rest truly held little importance.While I would pack a few days’ worth of clothes, even if I lacked them, I could simply purchase new ones immediately.Nevertheless, I placed my bankbook and wallet into my bag, then bundled a set of clothes sufficient for about three days.
“Suhyuk, I’ll contact you.”
“…Yeah.”
Since Kim Suhyuk intended to stay for one more day, I exchanged my final farewells with him before stepping out of the room.As parting ways so abruptly felt regrettable, and given that Yena had patiently waited for me to pack, I naturally followed her into her room.
“Ah…”
Upon spotting me, Yena’s roommate, who was already inside, overtly expressed her discomfort.Nevertheless, perhaps not daring to voice her displeasure directly to Kwon Yena, she instead chose to exit the room herself.While we weren’t particularly close, we had always exchanged greetings whenever we encountered each other.Her abrupt shift in demeanor could, predictably, only be attributed to a single cause.
“Is she joining a guild too?”
“Oh, Hyunji? I don’t know her exact profession, but she’s B-rank!”
Just as I suspected, having awakened a respectable rank, she had now donned the mantle of E-rank contempt.Such individuals typically scorn E to D-rank awakened individuals who preceded them, often doing so even before their own awakening.They hold an baseless conviction that once they awaken, they will invariably surpass those ranks, that they are, in essence, special.When such a person actually awakens a formidable ability, they invariably turn out exactly like her.
“Yujun… don’t you dare get too disheartened… Since I’m S-rank, well… together, we’re an average B-rank!”
It was a blessing I wasn’t genuinely E-rank, for Yena’s attempts at consolation were truly abysmal.
“I’m fine.”
While I was, in fact, perfectly fine, I surveyed the room under Yena’s gaze, which seemed to convey an understanding that I was anything but.
“You don’t have much either, do you?”
“*Hehe*…”
I hadn’t held any particular expectations, yet I was surprised by how strikingly similar it was to the boys’ room.Five minutes later, with our packing swiftly concluded, we sat together, and she called out to me once more, her voice laced with a tremor.
“Yujun…”
“I keep telling you, it’s not as if we’ll never see each other again…”
“Still… I have to undergo training, so we won’t be able to meet for a month…”
“That’s true.”
“You absolutely *must* stay alive until then, okay??”
“What a ridiculous question to ask…”
“Then what’s your plan!”
“My plan…”
That was something I had to formulate right now.One thing was certain: I would, in all likelihood, squander all five million won of the subsidy I was soon to receive within three days.I would secure a studio apartment, and every last penny of the remaining funds would be entirely invested in my journey to become a blacksmith.To elaborate on this plan, I would also need to reveal that I had awakened as a true blacksmith, not merely an E-rank.While I certainly trusted Kwon Yena, there was absolutely no benefit in disclosing my current ability to anyone.
“I’ll be deciding that starting now.”
“Eeeek!”
*Thump- thump- thump—*
“Ouch!! That hurts!”
“Oh… sorry…”
Kwon Yena’s playful ‘nyang-nyang punch’ (TL Note: A Korean onomatopoeia for a cat’s soft pawing, here referring to a light, affectionate tap), which she frequently gave me, now felt surprisingly painful.
“What’s your Strength stat?”
“D…”
“Ah…”
It wasn’t that she had forgotten her own awakening.It was simply because I was far weaker than she had anticipated.
“Yujun… you said you were an E-rank Strength-type, right…? What are your stats…?”
“…All E.”
“Ah…”
This, at least, was no fabrication.Regrettably, every single one of my stats was E.It was no wonder, then, that even Yena’s nyang-nyang punch, delivered by someone with a mere D-rank in Strength, caused me pain.
“You’re S-rank, but with D-rank Strength, you must be a magic-type, right?”
“Yes… I’m a Wind Mage…”
An S-rank mage, and a Wind-attribute one at that—a rare attribute—was practically nobility itself.Yet, she didn’t seem happy at all as she spoke.
“Oh, Yujun, what will you do…?”
Her worry for me culminated in a deep sigh.
“*Haaah*…”
“Ah! Are you okay?!”
“Huh…?”
“Oh, thank goodness… I was worried you’d be blown away by an S-rank Wind Mage’s sigh…”
“Are you serious?”
“*Hehe*…”
I had been unsure, but she was indeed teasing me.
“Are you mad~?”
Kwon Yena wrapped her arms around my waist, pouting affectionately and pleading for forgiveness.I had made a resolution.My first goal as a blacksmith was to create a fitting weapon for Yena, who had awakened as an S-rank.However, the plan required a complete overhaul.Kwon Yena crying and begging me to make her a weapon wouldn’t be enough.I decided I would only consider Kwon Yena’s request after she performed a dogeza (TL Note: A deep bow, where one kneels and touches their head to the ground, signifying profound apology or request).
****
“*Sniffle*… Yujun, you *must* answer my calls every day… no, whenever I call, okay??”
“I told you I would!”
*Squeeze—*
Yena, still hugging me, tightened her arms even further.The crushing pressure was almost unbearable before she finally released me.
“Then, I’ll call you.”
Kwon Yena remained, watching me as I walked further and further away, not returning to the orphanage.Because of her, I had to keep waving until I reached the main road and turned the corner.
“*Phew*…”
Of course, I was sad to part ways, but I was also dying to check my skill immediately.Besides, we weren’t parting forever; we could meet freely again in a month.
[Forge Creation]
Just how magnificent was this ‘creation’ that it warranted an EX-rank?
I immediately boarded a bus, heading to a place where I could safely use my ability.
‘Heh heh… all you PseudoBlacksmiths are dead meat now.’
