NoveLight ™
Upon arriving at the room Ariel guided me to, I unpacked my belongings.
Not that there was much to unpack; it was just a few clothes I hadn’t stored in my personal subspace, so it didn’t take long.
‘...Is this a room?’
I hesitantly scanned the room’s interior using Observation.
The space was so large it was hard to consider it merely a "room." It was practically a separate residence of its own. The furniture was extravagant, too—each piece looked like it was incredibly valuable.
The mansion itself was so vast it resembled a castle, but could it be that all guest rooms here were at this level?
When I asked Ariel, she clarified that not every guest room was like this.
Indeed, from what I’d observed of the mansion, there didn’t seem to be many rooms of this size.
“This room is reserved for only the most esteemed guests, maybe one or two per generation. Even the Overseer has stayed here once.”
[I see.]
I nodded at her explanation.
The Overseer, Choi Jiyeon, wasn’t originally from the Guhwa family.
She’d been a renowned hero from outside the family but married the current family head, Hong Jinseon, thus joining the Guhwa family. Surprisingly, she had a natural talent—not in combat, but in administration and management, which she utilized fully to ascend to the position of Overseer, managing the family’s affairs.
...Though, I’d heard that the position of Overseer was notorious for being brutally demanding.
The Guhwa family’s sheer scale meant that the workload given to whoever managed it was beyond imagination.
After seeing the mountains of paperwork stacked in her office just now, I was sure of it.
For that reason, Choi Jiyeon had always harbored an open desire to step down from the position of Overseer.
In the original story, even after Hong Yeonhwa became the family head, Choi Jiyeon still held onto the Overseer role...
I listened to the explanation while casually finishing up my unpacking.
Then, after a moment of thought, I asked Ariel.
[Would it be possible to hold the assessment this afternoon?]
“I’ll schedule it for before the evening banquet.”
[Thank you.]
Ariel nodded in response without hesitation.
I’d asked because I didn’t want the matter dragged out, and it seemed I’d be able to proceed without much delay.
‘Hmm...’
I checked the time. There was still some time before evening.
[Would it be alright if I took a look around?]
Sure, I could just sit here and use Observation to scan the area, but it seemed more fitting to go see things myself when possible.
“Yes, of course.”
Once again, she answered affirmatively.
I nodded, stood up, and prepared to head out.
The defining characteristic of the Guhwa family was always their combat prowess.
The family head alone was one of the most powerful heroes, even among top-tier heroes, and under him were numerous combat units capable of conducting solo operations in dangerous areas.
The family’s hereditary trait, a combat-focused power, was the main reason for this reputation.
This trait was also a key criterion for becoming the family head.
For someone to become the head of the Guhwa family, they had to possess great strength.
While intelligence, wisdom, and prudence were desirable, strength was ultimately a prerequisite for ascending to the position of family head.
This emphasis on strength was deeply ingrained in the Guhwa family’s values.
But strength wasn’t their only advantage.
The sound echoing in my ears was powerful.
The closer I got to the source, the more intense the sound became, to the point that I wondered if prolonged exposure would make me go deaf.
Using Observation, I scanned a massive building located on one side of the sprawling Guhwa estate.
The building was large, built in a rough style.
Its thick metal doors at the center were imposing, and tall chimneys scattered across the roof billowed black smoke.
A forge.
From the ringing sounds and the appearance of the building, it was easy to deduce that it was a forge.
I’d already received permission to enter.
Instead of the thick central metal door, I entered through a smaller side door.
As soon as I opened the door, a wave of heat engulfed my entire body.
The heat was so intense that my clothes fluttered, and I could feel it seeping into every inch of me. It was hot enough that an ordinary person would likely suffer burns from the exposure.
Though I wasn’t in danger of burns, the heat was enough to make me feel uncomfortable.
Sweat trickled down my cheek. I wiped it away and glanced at Ariel, who was standing a few steps behind me.
Her composure didn’t falter in the slightest. I didn’t sense any magical intervention either.
Although she was retired, her skills as a once-top-level hunter clearly hadn’t faded.
‘Hmm...’
Should I use magic to neutralize the heat? Or wrap myself in my Heavenly Wings for protection?
I pondered briefly but decided against taking any action.
Instead, I tolerated the heat as I moved forward.
The sound of my footsteps was buried beneath the rhythmic hammering echoing through the air.
The loudest sound was that of hammering, followed by the characteristic roar of flames.
I’d observed beforehand, and there were quite a few people inside.
The center of the first floor served as a shared facility.
While private workshops were located on the second floor, the first floor was also bustling with people.
They appeared to be blacksmiths.
Anvils lay in front of them, accompanied by various smaller tools.
Each time a thick hammer struck down, the red-hot metal trapped between the anvil and hammer emitted different sounds and changed shape.
It was a typical scene of a forge and blacksmith, yet there were aspects that went beyond what one would expect.
I approached a blacksmith working in a corner. I didn’t speak to him, positioning myself a short distance away so as not to disturb his work.
The blacksmith was an old man.
His hair was graying, and his face was deeply wrinkled with age.
Yet his physique was impressively muscular, almost excessively so.
His arm, thick as it was, wielded the hammer without the slightest hint of strain, and despite the intense flames before him, he didn’t break a sweat or utter a single complaint. The hammer in his hand fell with unwavering precision.
A furnace lay right beside the blacksmith’s work area.
Hot flames continuously surged, melting metal within, and the blacksmith reached his hand into it.
Flames flared up, engulfing his hand.
It was a sight that would likely startle most, but none of the other blacksmiths reacted.
To them, it was a normal, non-threatening part of their routine.
The flames subsided.
The flame, which had intensified when he reached out, gradually died down, obedient to his control.
It was a level of flame control and affinity that could only be achieved by someone exceptionally skilled.
Once the flame subsided, leaving a low, steady burn, the blacksmith nodded in satisfaction.
Then, fire erupted from his hand again.
A strong flame poured into the furnace.
The once-subdued fire roared back to life, expanding with a force vastly different from before.
Yet the flames remained under the blacksmith’s control. After gauging their strength, he pushed a metal ingot into the blaze.
The metal could not withstand the intense heat and began to melt.
‘Guhwa Fire.’
The flames flickering within the furnace were Guhwa Fire. The flames summoned by the old man’s hand were Guhwa Fire too.
In fact, most of the flames flickering in this space were Guhwa Fire.
Although the Guhwa family was known for their combat prowess, they also excelled in metallurgy.
Since fire was essential for working with metals, Guhwa Fire, regarded as the strongest fire, was a fitting tool for smithing.
I hadn’t learned much about crafting skills. My knowledge was limited to a bit of sewing and woodworking I’d picked up on my own.
During my downtime, I had only brushed up on a bit of theoretical knowledge about crafting.
Therefore, I couldn’t fully understand the work taking place in this workshop.
To me, it appeared as a process of melting metal, hammering the red-hot metal, cooling it in water, reheating, hammering, and refining it with various tools.
I observed it all. This wasn’t just a fleeting memory; it would remain as a reference I could review anytime.
“What do you see with those closed eyes?”
The old man I’d been observing suddenly spoke up. He wasn’t asking who I was.
Despite the intense flames before him, he continued hammering without missing a beat.
[I’m not sure.] [I can only feel it.]
“That’s better than those who wear trinkets without a clue.”
I didn’t bother to explain about my sensory abilities.
But the old man seemed to understand regardless, nodding in acknowledgment.
Without asking further, he continued his work. He struck the metal with his hammer, shaping it anew.
The other blacksmiths were the same. They gripped their hammers, striking the metal, forging it.
The information I perceived was different.
The old man’s hammering technique was unlike the others. The process was different, and the outcome of his actions was distinct.
My Observation allowed me to understand that this man’s skill was on a whole different level.
[May I watch a bit longer?]
“Suit yourself.”
Though he sounded somewhat curt, his response was positive.
I crouched nearby, nodding as I resumed my observation in detail.
I continued to watch the old man’s movements.
I couldn’t understand most of it, but merely watching his actions deepened my understanding of metallurgy and crafting techniques.
Just by observing the blacksmiths at work here, I was learning a great deal.
A tingle ran through my head. I nodded as I felt my Polymath ability progressing in a specific direction.
‘It really is him.’
I’d been uncertain, but it seemed I was right.
I watched the hammering old man with a curious look through Observation.
Tan Hwaju, Hwa Byeok-un.
One of the most skilled blacksmiths in the world, and the Guhwa family’s master blacksmith, who had crafted weapons used by the current and even some previous family heads.
Sitting close by, I quietly studied the old man’s movements.
[Unique Ability "Polymath" is advancing]
[Unique Ability "Affinity for Mana" is advancing]
[Unique Ab?lit? "?" is advancing]