Basics of the Forge

"Alright Seo Jun, I've picked one out." Myeol Mang said after pulling out the chunk of iron.

"Good, now bring it over here and place it on the anvil."

Walking over to the anvil and sitting on the opposite side of Seo Jun, Myeol Mang then asked.

"What is the first step, Seo Jun?"

"The first step of forging a good sword is the quality of metal, so we must break the metal to check the purity within." Seo Jun replied as he gestured at the hammer hanging off the anvil.

Grabbing the hammer off the edge of the anvil, Myeol Mang raised his arm and swung down upon the chunk of iron.

Tunk!

After looking down at the unscathed chunk of iron for a moment, Myeol Mang then looked up at Seo Jun in bewilderment.

"Why didn't it break?"

"Well there could be several reasons. First, you didn't swing hard enough, second, the iron is highly pure and requires more force to break. Third, you somehow managed to grab a chunk of Cold Iron out of the box that wasn't supposed to be there."

"Cold Iron? What's that?"

"Cold Iron is a type of iron that is mined far north of here, and can only be found in very small patches in frozen ground. But what makes it good is that it's nearly impossible to break, and the longer it was frozen underground, the better it reacts with internal energy."

"Well hopefully I didn't get any Cold Iron so I don't mess it up on my first sword. Hahahaha."

"Yes, hopefully so. Now, back to the iron chunk at hand. This time, load internal energy into your arm when swinging down on the iron."

"Alright." Myeol Mang replied as he raised the hammer once more.

TUNK!

"Aggghhhh, the vibrations hurt on that one." Myeol Mang said as he dropped the hammer upon the anvil and began to shake his hand.

"Well, Myeol Mang. At least you managed to crack the iron open a little bit. I'd say one more strike with internal energy in the same spot will crack the iron apart."

"Aghhh, alright. One more time!" Myeol Mang responded as he grabbed the hammer and began to flow internal energy into his arm as it raised above his head.

Crack!

Watching as cracks formed within the chunk of iron and revealed the shiny grey luster of the metal within, Myeol Mang then grabbed a small chunk of the iron and brought it up to his face.

"What color is on the inside, Myeol Mang?"

"Greyish black."

"That's good, that not only means that you got regular iron, but that the quality of the iron is nearly perfect for sword forging."

'Master told me that this chunk of iron was nearly perfect. How did he know that without touching it?' Myeol Mang thought as he shot a quick glance at his master resting against the wall.

"Now, Myeol Mang. Take the smaller chunks of iron and place them into the stone bucket. Then place the stone bucket into the furnace."

"Seo Jun, can I ask a question?" Myeol Mang asked as he placed the smaller iron chunks into the stone bucket.

"What is the question?"

"Why did I have to break the iron into smaller pieces first?"

"Well, that's because we're trying to remove any impurities that are within the iron. And so we can stack the chunks onto each other to begin the folding process once the chunks have been flattened."

"So, the chunks aren't going to be fully melted right? I'm going to pull them out of the bucket when they're a certain color to hammer them into a flat shape?" Myeol Mang asked as he placed the iron filled stone bucket into the furnace.

"Yes, and I will be helping you with the flattening process so there won't be any mistakes."

"What are we going to do while waiting for the iron to heat up?" Myeol Mang asked as he sat back down in front of Seo Jun.

"I'm going to show you how much force you should put into each strike. As if you strike softly, no change will take place on the iron's structure. And if you strike too hard and too unevenly, the folds will make an uneven edge."

Pulling a glowing red chunk of metal attached to a dark rod out of the furnace, Seo Jun then set the metal on the anvil and grabbed a hammer.

"When forging a sword, your strikes must be swift and accurate. You must hit every part of the metal thoroughly to get an even layer on all sides."

Tink!

"It's the same with sword martial arts. Your swiftness will be compared to your opponents."

Tink!

"Your accuracy will be compared to your opponents."

Tink!

"Your sword and body's durability will be compared to your opponents."

Tink!

"And most importantly, your will shall be compared to your opponents."

Tink!

"And all of those comparisons start here, at the forging of your sword." Seo Jun said as he stood up and placed the now light red square of metal into the furnace.

"Wow…"

"It's good to be amazed, but save it for when you've finished forging your own sword. Now, were you watching how hard I was hitting the metal?"

"Yes, you were hitting every part of each side evenly."

"Good, now get ready. Once I pull the metal out of the furnace again it will be your turn to hit it."

"Yes sir." Myeol Mang replied as he grabbed the hammer from atop the anvil.

"Keep your elbow and wrist loose and keep your eyes on the part of the metal you want to hit. When you're ready, stand up."

Watching Myeol Mang stand up after taking a deep breath, Seo Jun then pulled the now bright red cube of metal out of the furnace and placed it on the anvil.

Tink!

"Again!"

Tink!

"Once more!"

Tink!

"Good, next side!" Seo Jun exclaimed as he flipped the metal over.

Tink!

Tink!

TINK!

---

'I forgot how boring the basics of blacksmithing are.' Thought the original Myeol Mang as he watched his younger self, inhabited by Thomas, hammer away at the iron chunk to flatten it.

Over an hour had passed since Myeol Mang had started flattening the iron chunks he placed in the furnace, yet in that time he had managed to flatten nearly all of the chunks into flat yet thick chunks of iron.

'Still, this process could have been so much faster if he had let me help him as well. Such a waste.'

Seo Jun had left the forge after Myeol Mang had successfully flattened a chunk of iron into the right shape, yet he insisted upon receiving no help from the original Myeol Mang.

'Well, it's not like I don't understand why he doesn't want help. He won't be able to rely on my help for every little thing, and he knows that.'

"Hey Master, how did you know which chunk of iron had the least amount of impurities?"

"I know because I turned that chunk of iron into a perfect piece of iron for sword making. It's still not going to be as good as Cold Iron or 'Manyilite' as you named it, but it will be better than all other swords not forged out of those materials if you create your sword properly."

"So that's how you knew, and while we're on the topic. I assume you know when the meteor that contains the Manyilite will crash into the Earth?"

"It's already crashed into the Earth, Myeol Mang. And it was the main cause of the raid three years ago."

"It's already crashed?! Who has it?!"

"Did you not just hear me say it was the main cause of the raid three years ago? I won't tell you the exact details of what happened that night yet, but just know that the discovery of Manyilite and the raid three years ago are linked."

"Wait… So not only did the Demonic Cult take away my 'father', but they also took away the strongest sword material on the planet? You've got to be kidding me…." Myeol Mang sighed out as he stopped hammering the last piece of metal and placed it onto the stack of other flattened iron.

"It's just one more reason for you to take down the Demonic Cult later, no? They massacred the original village you lived in, they're coming to raid Jin Tang's palace to capture you and Sung Ho, they have the Manyilite you so preciously want and they have your father working as a slave for them."

"The only thing I care about concerning the Demonic Cult right now, is them having the Manyilite and the upcoming raid."

"So you don't care for your father who is currently held captive by the Demonic Cult?"

"He's not MY father. He's YOUR father. This body may be related to him but my mind is that of Thomas Smith, who's parents are safe from the clutches of the Demonic Cult."

"I forgot that you're rather mature for your age. Both your mother and grandpa became engulfed with fury when they found out about Myeol Mang's father being enslaved. But you don't seem to care about him, why is that?"

"Because every time I come here, I feel like I'm in a fantasy land that only exists when I'm asleep. All of the people here have already died, Sung Ho, Mi Yeon, Jin Tang, Seok Hwan. They're all people from your past who I only have contact with because I'm acting as you when I fall asleep."

"So, if they were real people then you'd care for them?"

"It's not that I don't care for them, it's just that when it comes to their happiness or deaths, I won't mourn for them. Because they've already been dead for a long time."

"Well then, you'll be shocked to hear that everyone, every Demonic Cult member, Mi Yeon, Sung Ho, Jin Tang, Seok Hwan, Seo Jun. They're all alive right now, and they're alive when you leave the memories. Myeol Mang, these memories are not as simple as you think."