I’m Here to End This Fight

Chapter 171: Coexistence (1)

The forest echoed with a thunderous shout, loud enough to shake the trees.

It wasn’t just a single yell.

Soon, another shout followed.

“What are you doing, not jumping out right away? Scared, you coward? Hahaha!”

The rough and deep voice was full of confidence.

Gunther followed the voice and peeked beyond the watchtower.

‘Huh?’

Standing there was an old man of small stature, dragging a cart.

Gunther blinked at the sight.

‘Wait… an old man?’

Judging by his clothes, he definitely wasn’t a member of the Black Sword Corps.

But why was someone not from the Black Sword Corps wandering around the Cradle?

Gunther stared down in surprise, then finally noticed Segyung’s true identity.

‘…A member of the Bone Clan? What’s one of them doing here?’

Nothing made sense.

For Gunther, who was unaware of the circumstances, Segyung’s presence was nothing but sudden.

Perhaps sensing Gunther’s gaze, Segyung looked up and his eyes met with Gunther’s, who was peering down from the watchtower.

“Huh? Who’s this? I’ve never seen you before.”

“Oh, I’m…”

As Gunther tried to respond, Segyung cut him off without even listening.

“Ehh, I came here after so long, and there’s this weird thing standing in my way? So, where’s the entrance here? Who the heck set this up like this? Tsk.”

Grumbling and muttering, Segyung kicked at the wooden wall that blocked his way.

The enormous wooden wall had been built after Gunther joined.

Since the fortress was still incomplete, the entrance was currently under construction.

For now, they had just blocked the entrance with logs.

Of course, that was enough for those living inside.

Poppy had the strength to move the logs, and the others were agile enough to climb over them.

So they hadn’t paid much attention, but the sudden visitor caught Gunther off guard.

‘What should I do? Should I call Poppy to clear the logs?’

Just as Gunther was about to tell him to wait a moment, he thought to himself:

“Well, uh…”

Segyung interrupted Gunther once more.

“Ehh, forget it. If there isn’t one, I’ll just make my own.”

“……”

Gunther felt a bit annoyed at the Bone Clan elder’s attitude, who had cut him off twice and only said what he wanted.

Gunther tilted his head in confusion at Segyung’s incomprehensible words.

Meanwhile, Segyung rummaged through the cart he had brought with him.

Clank.

Soon, a 110 cm long dark green cylinder emerged in his hands.

Thunk.

‘What is that?’

Gunther watched with curious eyes as Segyung slung the dark green cylinder over his shoulder.

He couldn’t even begin to guess what would happen next.

“Let’s see, hmm… that spot looks good.”

After estimating where it would be easiest to pull his cart through, Segyung didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger.

Flames spewed from the dark green cylinder.

Bang!

The thunderous explosion startled Gunther, who had been casually observing the scene.

“……?!”

When the object fired from the dark green cylinder struck the wooden wall.

Boom!

A massive explosion shattered the thick wooden pillars in an instant, creating a huge hole.

Crash.

“……”

As Gunther stood there with his mouth agape in shock, fragments of wood, blasted apart by the explosion, rained down like a shower.

Rumble.

The vibrations from the shattered wall shook the entire structure, reaching the watchtower where Gunther stood.

Having witnessed the colossal explosion and felt the tremors firsthand, Gunther…

Hiccup.

He let out a hiccup as he half-lost his senses, his eyes oddly looking a bit sorrowful.

‘Two weeks… my hard work…’

A part of the wall he had painstakingly built had been blown away in vain.

“……”

Seeing the perpetrator calmly dragging his cart inside the wall, Gunther muttered like a sigh.

“This place… definitely has bad vibes.”

Crazy people keep showing up here.

It’s not just bad, it’s terribly bad.

With that realization, Gunther’s eyes wavered as if an earthquake had struck, and a squeezed-out murmur escaped his lips.

“Maybe running away… really is the best decision.”

Gunther’s internal conflict deepened further.

Hearing the explosion, Yuri and his group rushed out.

The first thing that greeted them was the wide, gaping hole in the wooden wall.

It wasn’t hard to find who was responsible for this mess.

Creak, creak.

Segyung Walker appeared, dragging his small cart.

Seeing the Explosive Demon boldly walking over, Yuri yelled at the top of his lungs.

“Hey, you damn old man…!”

“Huh? What’s with you?”

Clank.

The dark green cylinder that was still slung over Segyung’s shoulder pointed at Yuri.

No one in Yuri’s group didn’t know what that thing was.

As a result, Arin, Theresia, and Poppy all quickly hid behind Yuri.

Yuri was instantly turned into a human shield.

He swallowed dryly and forced a strained smile.

“Ha, ha, ha… I… I’m just glad to see you. That’s why I called out to you.”

…Yuri swallowed his tears and surrendered to the violence.

If Segyung started shooting that weird explosive device, the hard work they had put in for the past two weeks would be obliterated in an instant.

Only then did Yuri reflect on his past actions.

‘So this is what it feels like…’

Was this how Segyung felt every day when Yuri smashed his mechanism and he had to repair it?

With that, Yuri gave a servile smile and rubbed his hands together.

“Haha, ol… elder? Let’s… talk this out! Put that thing down!”

Meanwhile, he subtly prepared himself.

If Segyung showed any signs of firing that damn bomb, he was ready to run up and smack him on the back of the head.

Fortunately for both Yuri and perhaps even Segyung, Segyung tossed the explosive device from his shoulder back into the cart.

Clank.

The dark green cylinder landed in the cart with a loud clatter.

Yuri and his group were the only ones nervous, wondering what would happen if it exploded.

Segyung, looking completely unbothered, dragged his cart forward.

Standing before Yuri, he declared boldly.

“Let’s start the third round!”

Seeing Segyung’s confident smile, Yuri let out a deep sigh.

“Old Boozer, sigh… The sun is about to set. Don’t you think people need to sleep?”

The sun had almost set, and darkness was creeping in.

But Segyung responded nonchalantly.

“The flames of a forge burn brighter at night!”

“…Of course, they would.”

Yuri sighed with a resigned expression, ready to let things go however they would.

Shaking off his unease, he returned to his usual demeanor and asked.

“Fine, I accept your challenge! What’s the third task?”

“It’s nothing special.”

Segyung replied as if it were no big deal, but from his confident expression, Yuri sensed that this task would not be easy.

And then it happened.

Segyung suddenly pulled back the cloth covering the cart he had brought.

Flap—

Beneath the fluttering cloth, various tools were revealed.

Showing this to Yuri, Segyung grinned widely.

“The third challenge is… you’ll have to replicate the metallurgy technique I’ll demonstrate.”

“Metallurgy? Really?”

Yuri’s eyes sparkled.

He finally felt like they were facing a task worthy of a challenge.

Seeing this, Segyung smirked inwardly.

‘Yes, for now… enjoy it as much as you can.’

He doubted Yuri would still be so pleased later on.

With that mocking smile, Segyung continued.

“The metallurgy I’m going to teach you today is… called ‘Metal Star Infusion.’”

“Oh? Just from the name, it sounds… incredibly difficult?”

“Ha! Difficult? This is something anyone in the Bone Clan can do. Any. One!”

“Is that so?”

“It sure is!”

Yuri’s smiling eyes met Segyung’s.

At the same time, Yuri snickered inwardly.

‘This old man is spouting nonsense that even a three-year-old wouldn’t believe.’

In a situation where winning this round would secure his overall victory, did Segyung really prepare an easy challenge?

This old man with such an annoying personality?

It didn’t sound plausible.

The smile faded from Yuri’s face as his narrowed eyes scrutinized Segyung.

‘What is this old man up to?’

Segyung, catching Yuri’s intense gaze, responded with a delighted look.

“Hehehe. Well then… shall we begin?”

Theresia, Arin, and Poppy.

Just like before, they sat down closely, tearing into their food pouches, eager to watch the spectacle.

Meanwhile, Gunther ambled over to where they were sitting.

“Number 4, you’re here?”

Arin waved lightly to greet Gunther.

“Hungry?”

Poppy offered Gunther a food pouch from his side.

“Ah, I’m fine, so Poppy, you should just…”

Gunther hesitated when he saw Poppy holding a bundle of food pouches.

After a moment of hesitation, he accepted what Poppy offered.

“…Thanks.”

Holding the food pouch awkwardly, Gunther turned his head towards Yuri and Segyung and asked.

“Hm… Could someone explain what exactly is going on over there?”

“Oh, that?”

Arin, munching on her food, responded to Gunther’s polite request.

“It’s nothing much, so…”

Arin gave a rough explanation of who Segyung was and why he had come here, as far as she knew.

Gunther’s eyes widened in surprise as he listened.

“A challenge? Those two are having a challenge? But why?”

“I don’t know the details. A long time ago, that old man came here and blew the whole place up, you know?”

“…So the traces I saw when I first arrived were from that incident?”

“Yeah, anyway, that old man who was rampaging around started talking to Yuri about this and that, and then suddenly, they decided to have a challenge.”

“…So you know so much about the situation, but you don’t know what the challenge is?”

“We were scared, so we stayed far away. Right?”

“Hungry.”

Poppy nodded in agreement with Arin’s story.

Gunther, still curious, asked.

“Is this the first challenge?”

“No, today is the third round out of five.”

“So they’ve already had two rounds before this?”

“Yeah.”

“Huh? Then how did those two rounds go? What were they about?”

Gunther’s curious question caused Theresia, Arin, and Poppy, who were busily munching on their food, to pause.

“……”

“……”

“……”

After a long silence, the three of them finally spoke with serious expressions.

“…Licking iron?”

“…Picking iron by taste?”

“…Hungry?”

Hearing the trio’s responses in succession.

“…What?”

Countless question marks popped up over Gunther’s head.

Segyung finished unloading all the items he had brought and looked at Yuri.

“Normally, we’d start by lighting the fire, but since we’re short on time, I’ll put in some extra effort. Watch closely, as witnessing how the Bone Clan controls fire is a rare sight.”

He threw the dry firewood he had prepared into the furnace and ignited it.

The first spark was a red flame.

It quickly caught onto the dry firewood.

Whoosh—

Gradually, the flames consumed the wood, growing in size.

As Segyung watched this, he began to pump the bellows he had brought, sending strong gusts of air into the furnace.

Whoosh—

The air he forced in turned the red flames yellow in an instant.

With just a single push of the bellows, the color of the flames changed.

It was a sight that would have shocked any ordinary blacksmith.

But Segyung’s work didn’t end there.

He threw a black substance into the furnace and continued to pump the bellows.

Whoosh— Whoosh— Whoosh—

The rhythmic pumping of the bellows seemed to breathe life into the furnace’s flames.

The yellow flames gradually began to turn transparent.

Even so, Segyung did not stop working the bellows.

At that moment, it almost looked like Segyung was dancing.

No, it was indeed a dance.

The movement that summoned wind to fan the flames.

A dance that only a master of the Bone Clan, who had spent decades mastering fire and wind, could perform.

After a few more dance movements, the flame finally turned blue.

The furnace, which Yuri’s group had only used for roasting meat, now emitted such intense heat that it was hard to even approach.

As Yuri and the others watched in awe, a booming shout erupted from Segyung.

“Now, the real work begins! Watch closely!”

He threw the iron ingot he had prepared into the blue flame.

After a short while, as the silver-gray iron ingot turned red-hot, Segyung grabbed it with tongs and placed it on the anvil.

“Ssshh!”

With half-closed eyes, Segyung took a long breath and gripped the hammer tightly.

At the same time, his arm muscles twitched powerfully.

“Hup!”

A short shout echoed, and as his shoulders rotated smoothly, the hammer, which had risen high, came crashing down on the red-hot iron like lightning.

Bang!

With the brief sound, a peculiar wave swept over the onlookers.

Thump!

‘W-What is this?!’

As the onlookers felt the strange sensation, that was just the beginning.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

With each strike of the hammer, an unusual wave continued to crash over them.

Along with it, a thumping sensation resonated through their eardrums.

‘What is this?’

‘…What’s happening?’

Theresia, Arin, Poppy, and Gunther.

They quickly realized that the hammering happening before them was no ordinary hammering.

No, it was impossible not to notice.

With every strike of Segyung’s hammer, their mana cores responded.

So they stood there, almost entranced, silently watching Segyung’s hammering.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

As the hammering continued, sweat poured down Segyung’s face like rain.

The red-hot iron gradually turned blue, as if soaked in sweat.

And finally.

Bang!

The hammer struck the iron with a powerful, resounding blow.

Sizzle!

As Segyung plunged the iron into water, he began to speak.

“Just as humans have innate potential, so too does metal.”

Sssss—.

Bubble, bubble—.

Segyung’s voice mixed with the sound of cooling iron and boiling water, creating a peculiar atmosphere.

“A blacksmith must draw out that potential, and when they can fully bring out all the potential within the metal… that’s when they truly become a master.”

Segyung slowly pulled the iron ingot from the water.

The metal he had struck with all his might.

It looked almost the same as it did before it was placed in the furnace—a simple, rectangular ingot.

But despite its appearance, it was noticeably different from before.

The change was visible to the naked eye.

It now had a sparkling luster and sheen.

And a subtle, glowing radiance.

It no longer looked like a mere iron ingot, but rather, resembled a finely polished silver artifact with a stunning shine.

The silver glow from the iron ingot reflected off Segyung’s face.

Standing in the glow, Segyung wore a soft smile as he continued.

“Metal Star Infusion is a metallurgy technique that draws out the metal’s inherent potential to its extreme.”

A metallurgy technique that elevates the metal’s potential to its utmost limit.

Just from the explanation alone, it was clear this was no ordinary technique.

Not even within the Bone Clan.

Metal Star Infusion (鑛性極化術).

It was one of the five secret techniques passed down within the Walker School.

A technique that the master of the Walker School must learn.

And it was the only secret technique Segyung had mastered over the decades.

The technique was extremely difficult to master, and even once mastered, it was not easily used.

That’s why Segyung had to spend weeks practicing to regain his touch to demonstrate the Metal Star Infusion technique here today.

After countless failures, Segyung finally succeeded in honing his skills to the extreme.

Having demonstrated the Metal Star Infusion impressively in front of everyone, he felt confident.

No matter how much of a genius someone was.

Even if they were the next master of the Walker School.

There was no way they could succeed in Metal Star Infusion in just one day.

This was a fact proven by the long history of the Bone Clan.

With confidence, Segyung turned around, holding the iron ingot transformed by Metal Star Infusion, and showed it to Yuri.

“Now, it’s your turn! Let’s see if…!”

Let’s see if you can make something exactly like this! If you can, then this challenge is yours! The method? I’ll tell you, sure, I’ll tell you everything! Hahaha!

…was what Segyung intended to shout.

But he couldn’t say what he had in mind.

“……?!”

Segyung froze in place, mid-turn, like a statue.

As a result, the iron ingot he was holding with the tongs dropped with a thud.

It was a situation where he couldn’t help but react this way.

Right in front of Segyung.

There stood…

Ssshhhh.

Yuri, with half-closed eyes, was enveloped in a subtle glow.

Seeing this unbelievable scene fill his view, Segyung muttered under his breath, squeezing out the words.

“This… this guy… again?!”

Yuri’s sudden enlightenment.

And the strangely familiar, repeated scene.

This made Segyung’s chest swell with a sudden surge of unease, as if thinking, ‘Could it be?!’