It had been three days since Seong-Hwi arrived in Ferrum. He stretched as he took a deep breath of the refreshing morning air.

“Huuu. I feel great. It’s like I was made for Ferrum.”

Seong-Hwi smiled faintly as he stared at the sun, resembling a blast furnace, lighting up the steel city. His past few days had been wonderful. He had not had a single lucid dream, a side effect of Borrowing Destiny, since coming to Ferrum.

Not even sleeping pills and painkillers were effective for a good sleep in my past life.

The lucid dreams worsened over time because he borrowed more and more destinies, and his psyche got more and more corrupted as the figures slowly assimilated with him.

“It would be great if the days going forward are like the past few days. Hm?”

He witnessed a commotion from outside his window as he mumbled satisfyingly. Several dwarves were gathered around a field of dirt that looked out of place in the city of iron.

“It must be the iron thief again,” Seong-Hwi mumbled.

Two issues had been plaguing Ferrum lately: the iron thief and the artisan assassin. The artisan assassin aimed only for artisans who submitted high-potential items for the preliminaries. They mainly aimed for artisans ranked C and B, and some believed it was a group rather than an individual, because more than five artisans sometimes died on the same night.

The iron thief was what those called the individual who stole iron throughout Ferrum every night. They were shrouded in mystery because no one had even caught a trace of them in Ferrum, which was crawling with powerful people.

“I heard the Ferrum garrison has placed a bounty on the iron thief and artisan assassin... Should I aim for it?” Seong-Hwi mumbled as he watched the commotion.

If he captured the individuals, he could earn the favor of Faber, the dwarf society, and possibly even Bafor.

“It’s not a bad idea,” he remarked as he got out of bed and left his room.

***

Blazing flames danced to the rhythm of hammering. The first floor of the Haswell mansion was sweltering hot due to the heat generated from the hammering of metal by dozens of artisans. A few dwarves were repairing the damaged blast furnace, and smoke from tempering repeatedly appeared and disappeared from near the other blast furnaces.

Just then, a voice sounded from before one of the blast furnaces. “You’ve improved so much, my son! I’m... I’m so happy that I’m about to cry. Sniff.”

“For God’s sake! It’s been days! How long is this gonna go on for, Mom?! Stop crying and teach me how to smelt this newly developed tamateel!” Muka shouted as he hammered, having occupied one of the blast furnaces on the first floor.

Muka’s mother, Yuka, was beside him, wiping her tears with a handkerchief. Muka’s father, Maka, and his little sister Shaka stared at the mother and son.

“Sheesh. Mom only gives Muka attention,” Shaka remarked.

“Haha, are you jealous, Shaka?” Maka asked.

“Hmph! Not really.”

“Good morning,” Seong-Hwi greeted as he approached Maka.

He had been getting close to Muka’s family for the past three days.

“Oh, good morning, Seong-Hwi. Your complexion is much better now. You had such thick, dark circles when we first met,” Maka remarked.

“Haha, I think this place suits me well.” Seong-Hwi looked around and continued, “I don’t see Madam Rika today either.”

“Oh... She’s often away from home. She’s the leader of House Haswell and an elder of the Red Hammer tribe, so she’s always busy.”

Seong-Hwi nodded and thought, I suppose I won’t be able to become close to her.

He had been developing a friendship with the dwarves of House Haswell, but had not seen Rika, the most important person in his plan, for the past three days.

“Hmph! I’d bet Grandma is staying away because of Muka oppa,” Shaka remarked.

“You shouldn’t say that, Shaka,” Maka said.

“What? Dad, you know how much hope Grandma had in Muka oppa. Despite that, he just went up and vanished overnight.” Shaka shook her head as she stared at her older brother Muka, hammering away at metal. “What’s the point of being the most talented dwarf in House Haswell if he doesn’t care about the house?”

“Shaka!”

“What?! I didn’t say anything wrong! Oppa is too old-fashioned. The world has changed; we should too. He can’t stay pretending to be a noble artisan forever!” Shaka shouted as she ran upstairs.

Maka scratched the back of his head and said, “She may not look like it, but she cares deeply for Muka. When Muka disappeared, she never spent a day without hammering to fill the void left by him.”

“I see,” Seong-Hwi replied.

“Huuu, too many things have changed once we were Lost to the Mirror World from Adamas, our home dimension. Only about a tenth of Adamas’s population has been Lost. Many techniques and arcane arts have disappeared, which reduced the dwarves’ strength accordingly.”

Seong-Hwi nodded. He understood because the humans had gone through a similar experience.

Maka continued, “Only five tribes remain: Blue Anvil, Red Hammer, Steel Hawk, Black Furnace, and Green Hand.”

The five tribes then became the names of the five dwarven clans, which Seong-Hwi had heard of.

Seong-Hwi added, “Black Furnace makes armor, Green Hand makes ornaments, Steel Hawk makes items with unique designs, Blue Anvil makes items that anyone can use, and Red Hammer makes custom items.”

“Oh, that’s exactly it. Unlike Blue Anvil, we at Red Hammer aspire to create gear that fits only the individual for whom it’s made. However...”

“There is an issue.”

Seong-Hwi nodded in understanding. Making the perfect gear for the individual was a wonderful objective, but it wouldn’t do much for them in sales.

“Yes, there is. Not only is it unsuitable for mass production, but our client base is small. We’re like a good restaurant that only the regulars visit. One that only sells about ten dishes a day,” Maka said.

“It’s certainly inefficient.”

“It sure is. On the other hand, Blue Anvil has a wide client base. They’ve sold items to every race in the Mirror World. They’re swimming in Coins.”

“They create universal items that anyone can use.”

When Seong-Hwi visited item stores, he remembered seeing Blue Anvil’s mark on most of the items created by dwarves.

“Yes, that’s why Red Hammer and Blue Anvil don’t get along. However, if I were to say who is right... Honestly, I would say Blue Anvil.” Maka expressed sorrow and continued, “Look at the artisans who remain here and the ones in the Blue Anvil workshop. They have over ten times as many personnel.”

“Because it’s a surefire way to earn Coins.”

“Exactly. Coins are directly linked to one’s survival, power, and authority in the Mirror World. I can’t deny that Blue Anvil is a more enticing workplace than Red Hammer.” Maka stared at the fervently hammering Muka.

He continued as he sighed, “Huuu. However, Muka is a traditional Red Hammer dwarf. He takes pride in his mentality as an artisan. That’s why he left Ferrum, because he was so adamantly against the artisan exam becoming more of a show, and the Red Hammer tribesmen saying they should follow Blue Anvil’s example. ”

“Do you believe Muka was wrong?” Seong-Hwi asked.

“Wrong? I can’t say that he was wrong, but... It doesn’t match the stream of time, that’s for sure.”

Seong-Hwi remained silent and grabbed a steel plate, resembling a tortoise shell, from his chest. It was the Steel Tortoise Heart Guard.

He handed it to Maka and said, “Doesn’t match the stream of time, huh? You’re not wrong, but I support it. It saved my life, after all.”

“What’s this?” Maka asked as he examined its description.

[Steel Tortoise Heart Guard (Item)

Rank: D(99)

Description: A heart guard created by Muka of the Red Hammer tribe for his bosom friend. It was made with janateel, possessing extreme magical resistance and durability. It is infused with the Artisan’s Soul of Muka. A special skill is available when equipped by Cheon Seong-Hwi.

Skill: Steel Plate.]

It was a splendid item. Only a few dwarves could smelt janateel to be so thin and flat.

“But Seong-Hwi, only you can bring out this item’s full potential.”

“That’s correct. Only I can use the skill, Steel Plate. It’s a dud in terms of versatility, but its value skyrockets in my possession.”

Seong-Hwi took back the Steel Tortoise Heart Guard from Maka and placed it over his heart again.

Maka stared at Seong-Hwi and smiled, mumbling, “Muka must be happy. Not only does he have a supportive friend, but he’s also a muse...”

“Pardon?” Seong-Hwi asked, unable to hear what Maka had said.

However, Muka suddenly called, “Seong-Hwi! Come here! I need your help!”

Maka realized something as he stared at Seong-Hwi walking to Muka.

He said, “I was wondering why Muka returned, but it was because he met someone who relit the fire that keeps his hammer blazing. Hahaha!”

Muka had been spending the past few days absorbing new techniques developed over the past few years. Maka couldn’t wait to see the item that would be born from his effort.

***

Three more days flew by in a flash. Muka was chosen as one of the 11,103 to enter the knockouts among 1.15 million applicants. He had secured a D-rank artisan title. The knockouts were held in the Golden Iron Palace at the heart of Ferrum. The first week’s knockouts were to be held at the front yard of the luxurious golden palace. Various races had already set up camp.

“Hey! Don’t butt in line!”

“What the hell are you talking about?!”

“Ouch! Don’t step on my wings!”

“Chwik! Today is the day I will find a blacksmith to recruit to our clan!”

The palace was filled with audience members who had come to watch the artisan exam, and those who had come to scout standout artisans.

“What a zoo,” Seong-Hwi mumbled as he looked around.

There were 11,103 blast furnaces on the Golden Iron Palace’s front yard, with nervous blacksmiths standing beside each one.

A dwarf shouted from a tall podium with a voice amplification skill. “The thirty-fifth annual artisan examination will begin shortly! We ask the audience to please be silent!”

However, no one listened. The front yard of the Golden Iron Palace was already jam-packed, and so was the roof of a tall building where one could see the yard. On top of that, winged races like the birdfolk watched from the skies, elves summoned tall plants, and beastfolk with powerful legs hopped repeatedly to view the artisan exam as much as possible.

Seong-Hwi activated a skill to observe the Golden Iron Palace’s front yard.

[Activating Unique Skill: Symbol Embodiment.]

[Observer’s Earring, one of the symbols of No.9 The Hermit]

A golden hoop earring appeared on his right earlobe, allowing him to see the world in third-person view. VIP seats were prepared on the yard for famous clan leaders, Rankers, and superior races such as angels, demons, and dragons.

There he is, Seong-Hwi said inwardly.

He found Muka a little to the left of the center after much searching. He was frowning, dissatisfied by the show-like atmosphere, as he examined the furnace and the tools provided.

“Ten thousand people will fail in the first exam! All artisans may use only the equipment provided, and any form of misconduct will result in disqualification!” The dwarf on the podium explained. “In exchange, you are free to use skills or secondary forces! Every dwarf should have received enough of the Artisan’s Soul!”

Non-dwarves jeered at the announcement.

“Boo!”

“No fair!”

“Are dwarves getting special treatment, or what?!”

However, dwarves simply smiled arrogantly and snorted. Amidst the commotion, Seong-Hwi stared at what Muka was holding caringly with his left hand.

Is that the Artisan’s Soul? he wondered.

An iridescent flame blazed on a branch no longer than a finger.

Just then, Seong-Hwi heard a dwarf shouting from an area not far from the front yard.

“The first exam will begin soon! Would anyone else like to make their bets? Blue Anvil has authenticated us! Don’t get scammed by betting at a shady establishment and come to me instead!”

Seong-Hwi approached the dwarf and asked curiously, “Bet on what?”

“Oh! Welcome, human customer! Do you have Coins?”

“I have enough.”

The dwarf scanned Seong-Hwi from head to toe and noticed the Zanaka Karambit.

“Well, well! A drake’s claw, eh? Looks like you weren’t lying. You can bet on all kinds of things!” The dwarf pulled a flyer the size of a palm from his pocket and continued, “A decimal odd of 1.2 on that a new A-rank artisan will be born in this exam, 1.5 on that there will be at least a hundred examinees caught cheating, and more!”

The dwarf held up the flyer for Seong-Hwi to see and choose.

Seong-Hwi thoroughly looked through the list and asked, “Any bets on guessing who will become an A-rank artisan?”

“Oh! You like to play big, eh?” the dwarf said as he pulled another flyer.

[A-rank Artisan Predictions:

1. Blue Anvil - Kazafu (1.2)

2. Steel Hawk - Totoma (1.3)

3. Black Furnace - Shudaiji (1.5)

...]

It was a list of names of artisans ranked B and C. At the top were all dwarves, and Seong-Hwi also saw the names of non-dwarf artisans like orcs and elves. He saw a familiar name on the second-last line.

[99. Red Hammer - Muka (117.0)]

“I’ll bet on ninety-nine,” Seong-Hwi remarked.

“Huh? Let’s see... Muka of Red Hammer? Let me be real with you, man. It’s a gamble nonetheless, but just donate your Coins if you’re going to waste them.” The dwarf whispered to Seong-Hwi, “This Muka guy is also a dwarf, but he hasn’t produced any items for a while, and he’s not even a ranked artisan. He was put on the list because he was estimated to be a C-rank artisan, but... I’m certain he was just put in to complete the assortment. He’s still a dwarf, after all.”

However, Seong-Hwi did not change his mind. “I’m betting on ninety-nine.”

The dwarf stared at him dumbfoundedly and shrugged. “Well, doesn’t matter to me. You can bet a maximum of ten million Coins, and a minimum of—”

“I’ll bet the maximum. Ten million Coins.”

“What?”

The dwarf’s eyes widened in shock. Not only did the human have that many Coins, but he had bet it all on number ninety-nine.

Seong-Hwi brought his fist forward and asked, “Is it settled, or what?”

“Y-yeah, it’s settled! Let’s do it!”

The dwarf quickly bumped Seong-Hwi’s fist before he changed his mind. The dwarf smiled after receiving ten million Coins and pulled a piece of paper the size of a palm from his pocket. He wrote something down on the paper, pulled a peculiar-looking stamp from his pocket, and stamped the paper.

“Here, take this. It’s an unforgeable seal imbued with several verification skills! Once the bet is made, it can’t ever be canceled!”

[A-rank Artisan Prediction:

Subject: 99. Red Hammer - Muka (117.0)

Bet amount: 10,000,000 Coins.

Total Payout: 1,170,000,000 Coins.

*Blue Anvil has authenticated this betting paper.]

Once Seong-Hwi placed the betting paper in his pocket, the dwarf excitedly shouted, “Bets are closed! All bets are closed!”

The dwarf on the podium shouted almost simultaneously, “We will now commence the 35th annual artisan examination!”