Chapter: 1

I'd often heard that I had a knack for craftsmanship in my past life.

I had a great talent for making and assembling things, and I didn't know that it would continue even after reincarnation.

'Mount Heaven,' the main base of the Heavenly Demon Church.

It was a force that appeared countless times in martial arts novels in my past life, so I could immediately realize that I had been reincarnated into a martial arts world.

I chose the profession of blacksmith so that I could make use of my skills, and soon I realized that my talent was a bit special.

Every weapon I made was hailed as a masterpiece, and martial artists jumped for joy. My reputation spread quickly.

"Your swords are truly amazing, no matter how many times I see them."

"How can you make such a masterpiece so easily? It's fortunate that you're a talent of the Church."

Soon, news of me reached the ears of the Church's high-ranking officials, and I was immediately summoned and given a workshop of enormous size as a gift. I churned out masterpieces like a machine.

"Hah, huh! What are these swords?!"

"You are truly the best blacksmith! Among the swords I've used throughout my life, there has never been anything greater!"

But after a few years of doing this, it became boring and tedious.

So I decided to make them.

Legendary weapons that only appear in fantasy novels.

'Ego Weapons.'

Weapons with egos that slowly erode the owner's mind and eventually lead to destruction, the so-called demon swords.

Of course, depending on the novel, they are sometimes introduced as ordinary guys who can just talk a little, but I'm not interested in such settings.

As a genius blacksmith, I'm only interested in legendary 'demon swords'!

An attractive setting is what completes the narrative of the sword.

While I was thinking about various candidates, someone burst open the workshop door.

"Hey! Ghostly Blacksmith!"

A woman with a bright and cheerful atmosphere came in energetically, her black hair fluttering.

'Ghostly Blacksmith' is one of the nicknames I have, literally made to describe my ghostly talent.

"What is it? Merchant riffraff."

"W-What?! Merchant riffraff?! I told you not to call me that!"

"Then what should I call you?"

"Ahem! How about 'Head of the Heavenly Demon Church's Special Incident Analysis and Handling Group'? It's a nickname for my position that I came up with after thinking hard yesterday."

"That's too long and cheesy. What is that?"

"What?!"

"It's not like everything that's long is cool."

"T-That can't be! Isn't your nickname 'Ghostly Blacksmith' cool because it's long?"

"I've never thought of it that way."

"Gasp!"

'Hyuna,' that's her name.

She usually acts light and somewhat lacking, but in reality, she is an assassin disguised as a merchant, handling major missions in the Central Plains.

She's even the leader of the assassin group.

Her combat power, as well as her ability to hide her presence, is overwhelmingly dominant within the group.

So, the fact that she came in such a fuss means that she came for something unrelated to her main job.

"So why did you come? I'm doing something important right now."

"What, are you always busy?"

"Of course, isn't it strange if the best blacksmith of the Church is idle?"

"I guess so. That makes sense...!"

Hyuna nodded and made her unique understanding face.

As I kept looking at her, Hyuna quickly said what she came for.

"Did you hear? The Sword Demon is returning this time."

"The Sword Demon? Already? Why?"

"I didn't hear the details, but it seems the Blood Demon Church is involved."

"Ah, so what."

There are seven high-ranking officials in the Heavenly Demon Church.

They are called the 'Seven Demons,' but one of them died during an operation in the past, so one seat is vacant, and there are actually six.

Among them, the one who is called the top tier in terms of martial power is the 'Sword Demon.'

As the name suggests, he is a person who is very good at handling the 'sword,' the most common weapon in the martial arts world. According to rumors, he can even fight against several masters of the orthodox sects with a rusty sword.

Of course, he was using a masterpiece I made.

Even such a great person can have problems with his mission if the evil and sinister Blood Demon Church is involved.

According to rumors, the ghosts of the Blood Demon Church, the Blood Demons, each have unique powers and regenerative abilities.

Of course, I've never seen them myself because I'm stuck in Mount Heaven.

'I'm not really interested either.'

"By the way, what does the Sword Demon returning have to do with you coming to see me?"

"It doesn't have anything to do with it? I'm just saying."

"Ah."

Returning to the essence of the story, I could see that this woman had come to bother me again because she was bored.

"Get out! I'm busy."

As I waved my hand to chase her away, Hyuna pouted and showed that she was sulking.

"Tch! You workaholic blacksmith with no fun at all!"

"You know that so well, yet you come to see me every time. You're really persistent."

While I was organizing the plans for the demon sword, something suddenly flashed through my mind.

"Hey, are you allowed to take items from the Church out?"

"Hmph, I'm not going to tell a boring guy!"

"I won't say anything even if you come to see me for a week without any business, and I'll even serve you tea, so tell me."

Hyuna's eyes sparkled as if she had never been like that before, and she opened her mouth.

"Yeah! If it's necessary for the mission, I can take some things out!"

"Really? Then are weapons okay too?"

"Hmm... I don't know? I haven't really taken anything out except for my personal weapons, but I think it's okay? The higher-ups don't really regulate it strictly because of the nature of our mission."

"Good. Perfect."

"What's good and what's perfect?"

"Be my errand girl."

"What? An errand? Me? Me, the leader of the best assassin group in the Demonic Church?"

Hyuna pointed at herself as if she was dumbfounded and asked back.

"Yeah. If you do me a favor, I'll give you a masterpiece."

I made an offer to her that no martial artist could refuse.

"No, why are you talking about giving a masterpiece so lightly, as if you're buying a cheap iron sword displayed in a local market?"

"That's what a masterpiece means to me."

"I guess so, it's definitely like that for you."

"Now you're going to be a proud masterpiece owner."

"What's an owner?"

Hyuna tilted her head and asked, as it was a word she had never heard before.

"It means owner. It's mainly used for those who own luxury goods or expensive items."

"Oh, luxury goods! That's what an owner means? I didn't even know it existed, but the feeling is unique! It's cool!"

Of course, it's a Western word, so the feeling is bound to be unique, but I didn't bother to say this.

"So I can be the owner of a masterpiece now?!"

"That's right."

"Wow!"

I gestured slightly behind me and said, showing the weapons that were displayed in a cool way.

"I'll let you choose what you want from the swords behind you right now. How about it?"

"R-Really?!"

"Yeah. It's real, you idiot. Of course, assuming you unconditionally grant my request..."

Before I could finish speaking, Hyuna drooled and immediately leaped to the weapon display stand and picked up two ornately decorated daggers.

-Grab

Holding the daggers in both hands, Hyuna looked around with shining eyes.

From a third-person perspective, it looked as if her soul had been stolen by the weapons, but this was understandable enough.

To put it in modern terms, what if a famous car designer said that if you do me a favor, I'll give you the supercar you want?

While pointing to his garage and telling you to pick one you want... wouldn't you go crazy?

So I understand.

That's why Hyuna is hugging the swords and carefully licking them...

"Hey! What the hell are you doing?!"

"This sword is mine now! It's mine! No one can take it away!"

"No, at least wipe it before you lick it! It was in the display case, so there must be dust on it!"

"I'll take care of the dust~! My babies~!"

"U-Ugh..."

I shook my head as I saw something I couldn't bear to see.

Why are martial artists so simple?

According to rumors, there's even a mentally ill person who wants to marry his sword, is it that level?

Whenever I have these thoughts, I compare the tool called a sword to a modern car.

A mentally ill person who licks and shows affection to a car?

Surprisingly, there is!

A mentally ill person who is in love with his car and wants to get married?

Surprisingly, there is!

Ah, I see.

So a sword is such an existence for a martial artist.

I can't empathize with it because I instinctively feel repulsed, but I understand it in my head.

"Yeah. That's possible."

Thinking differently, these characteristics of martial artists were quite good for me, who was going to proceed with the demon sword making project.

I can enjoy it because I have to be overly immersed in the weapon to convey my will.

If I meet a guy like me who treats weapons as mere tools and ignores them, my interest will quickly fade.

It's fun to watch when a martial artist bickers with his sword like a real living friend or enemy.

'The concept is finished for now. Should I make one first?'

"I really have to work now, so get out."

"Okay, okay! Okay!"

Hyuna, holding two daggers in her hands, followed my words and went out of the workshop without knowing what was going on.

She's really a simple-minded girl.

"Then let's show off my skills."

I rolled up my sleeves and melted the metal in the furnace to prepare the demon sword that would become the vessel for the Ego Sword.

"Perfect~!"

My first Ego Weapon, made with all my heart and soul for several days without sleep.

The demon sword 'Soul Severing Sword' was completed like that.

The red eye attached to the connection between the handle and the blade moved back and forth, creating a 'demon sword' aura that could only be seen in fantasies.

Of course, the eyes are only for appearance, and in reality, they are just red jewels that have been sharply trimmed and have special metals inside to make them look like eyes.

After that, I put my will into the prepared demon sword along with demonic energy.

-Shuaaaaaa

Black demonic energy escaped from my body and began to dwell in the demon sword.

The demon sword's eyes pulsated like a heart and soon fully opened, sharing my gaze.

I calmed my pounding heart and opened my mouth with my will in the sword's cold metal body.

"I am the Soul Severing Sword, the first demon sword."

And so, a blacksmith was knocked unconscious while intoxicated.