Chapter 4
Jinwoo never imagined he’d be holding a hammer this soon.
He stepped into the blacksmith’s workshop without hesitation.
“Hmm. Looks like the repair skill works more like an assist function.”
Jinwoo scanned the workshop from corner to corner.
“There’s even a whetstone.”
A hammer was lying around too.
The sword handed to him by the patrol captain was in the worst possible condition.
The blade was completely damaged, and its shape was so warped it couldn’t even be called a sword anymore.
Scrap metal.
That description suited it perfectly.
‘But depending on how you handle it, scrap can become a sword again—and that sword can become a masterpiece.’
Maybe it was because this was a tutorial quest, but all the necessary materials had been provided.
“A hammer and a whetstone will be enough.”
Jinwoo didn’t have any special skills, but he’d crafted just fine without them before.
‘Back in Eternal Sunshine, I could make things in 10 minutes with skill support.’
And once he got used to it, there were things he could make in under a minute.
But items made that way were only of mediocre quality.
That’s why Jinwoo never relied solely on skills.
‘Skills are tools that I control.’
In the end, it all depended on his hands.
“There’s even an anvil.”
Fwoosh—
He inspected the flames crackling in the forge.
“The forge is good. The flames are hot enough.”
He pumped the bellows a few times, and the flames grew even more intense.
“Do the buildings have fixed concepts based on profession? This must be a tutorial that assigns your class.”
If so, then he had come to the right place. Jinwoo had always aimed for a crafting class anyway.
“It’s been a while.”
He immediately put the iron into the forge.
Fwoosh—!
He heated the metal and placed the red-hot blade onto the anvil.
Clang.
It had been a long time since he’d held a hammer.
“Hooo…”
With a deep breath, Jinwoo began hammering.
CLANG—!
“!”
‘I can control the force.’
His senses were awakening.
‘It moves exactly how I want it to. Smoother than I expected.’
He had worried about the year-long gap. But his body remembered.
Vividly.
How he had struck the hammer.
How he controlled its power.
What he could achieve.
Even more so—this felt more realistic than back in Eternal Sunshine.
CLANG—! CLANG—! CLANG—!
—Excellent hammering!
—A Dexterity stat has been created!
—Dexterity has increased by [1]!
Each hammer strike made Jinwoo feel more alive.
The feedback from the metal. The satisfying ring of each hit.
—You’ve learned a skill.
—[Basic Repair] has been created!
Action creates skills. That was the core principle of New Gen.
Fwooooosh.
As he pumped the bellows, Jinwoo stared into the bright red flames.
He focused on his senses, just like he used to in Eternal Sunshine.
CLANG—!
And he realized something while repairing.
New Gen could recreate far more than the semi-virtual Eternal Sunshine.
He could feel with his hands more vividly.
Though it was his first time doing this in New Gen, it felt familiar.
‘This is fun.’
He smiled without realizing.
He could do this.
He could create.
That alone was satisfying.
Jinwoo continued hammering.
“Whoa.”
The patrol captain watching him was awestruck.
Normally, even striking a hammer like this would’ve been impossible.
After all, Jinwoo had just created his character—a total beginner.
But Jinwoo had an unusually high sync rate.
80%.
That incredibly high sync rate powered his hammer strikes.
“I’ve never seen anything like this…”
As Jinwoo hammered like a pro, the captain, who had been in pain earlier, widened his eyes in shock.
“You! Isn’t this your first time holding a hammer?!”
“Ah, yes. It is my first time.”
At least in New Gen, it was.
But the patrol captain interpreted it differently.
This skill—for a beginner?
He had planned to teach Jinwoo how to repair gear.
What was needed, how to approach it, how to use the tools. After all, Jinwoo was a stranger here.
Outsiders needed a lot of instruction.
But Jinwoo had naturally prepared and started hammering before the captain could say anything.
It left him speechless.
“There’s no way that was your first time.”
“Ah. Not ever—just first time here.”
Jinwoo remained humble, which only added to the captain’s confusion.
Could a beginner really do this so naturally?
Especially that hammer technique—it was on another level.
No beginner could manage that.
“But how are you so skilled…?”
CLANG—!
The hammering continued without pause.
The captain clicked his tongue in disbelief.
“This is absurd.”
He couldn’t take his eyes off Jinwoo’s hammering.
Being the captain, he sometimes made or commissioned gear for his squad.
So he could tell.
This wasn’t ordinary hammering.
Each strike was filled with raw talent.
The sword that had been near useless was regaining its original form.
CLANG—! CLANG—!
Just through repair.
‘This Basic Repair skill is pretty useful.’
“How is he so precise…?”
Though it looked like random hammering, the strength was consistent.
Refined.
Each strike embodied the very definition of precision.
Naturally, the repair time started to shrink.
CLANG—! CLANG—!
“Phew…”
The captain found himself immersed in watching Jinwoo work.
But Jinwoo stayed focused, ignoring the captain’s gaze.
‘Definitely faster than in real life.’
The shape quickly formed.
‘This is fun.’
And just like that, the sword was repaired in Jinwoo’s hands.
—You’ve repaired equipment!
—Perfect repair!
—Dexterity has increased by [2]!
“I-Is this really my sword?”
The captain trembled as he received the repaired sword from Jinwoo.
Shhhhk—
The once ruined blade now gleamed razor-sharp.
But Jinwoo wasn’t satisfied.
“Guess I’m rusty… it’s not that great.”
He had restored the shape and sharpness.
But the quality didn’t match what he had in mind.
“They say crafting is hard. Maybe the whole field is tricky here.”
Of course, it wasn’t all that hard for Jinwoo.
He hadn’t reached his old form yet, but he wasn’t a beginner either.
‘Back then, my character was ranked number one.’
Riding the momentum, Jinwoo wanted to craft more gear—but he stopped.
‘Let’s finish the quest first. I need the mid-quest reward.’
There was still a wyvern roaming outside.
“It may look rough, but it’ll be useful.”
Ssshhhk—
Finishing with the whetstone, Jinwoo handed the sword back to the captain.
The captain violently shook his head as he took it, then stared at Jinwoo with trembling eyes.
“This… this really is my sword? You only repaired and sharpened it… This is ridiculous. So I’ve been swinging a toothpick until now? You’ve turned my toothpick into a real sword!”
He burst into praise.
—The patrol captain is impressed by your skill!
—You’ve earned the patrol captain’s recognition!
—Quest complete!
—Rewards enhanced!
With the quest complete, the captain took something from his coat.
“Here, take this for now. It’s all I’ve got at the moment. I’ll give you a proper reward once this is over!”
He handed over some gold.
—You received 500 gold!
‘No idea how much that’s worth…’
It seemed like a bonus, not the real reward.
‘And it doesn’t seem like that’s the end of it.’
The captain looked far too impressed.
He was practically in awe of Jinwoo’s repair work.
—You’ve been registered in the Hall of Fame for the quest [Help the Patrol Captain].
—A miraculous result!
—You’ve earned an achievement!
<<Help the Patrol Captain>> Hall of Fame Rankings:
Jinwoo [150 points] NEW!
Inclassic [130 points]
Starlight [111 points]
MadeAWell [108 points]
…
“Hall of Fame?”
Jinwoo examined the ranking screen titled Hall of Fame.
“So each quest has its own ranking?”
Each quest had a score board.
“That explains the variable rewards. The way you complete a quest determines your score—and your reward is based on that.”
Apparently, your approach affected your score, which then determined extra rewards.
“Interesting system.”
Jinwoo had even gained an additional achievement.
Achievements were common in games, so it wasn’t unfamiliar.
“Wait, what?”
He rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
Looking closer at the scoreboard…
“I’m ranked first?”
The Help the Patrol Captain quest.
Jinwoo was sitting at the very top of its Hall of Fame.
“I figured I’d get a good score…”
It was his first time hammering in New Gen.
But he had adapted well, and his hand felt great.
Though the sword wasn’t perfect, it wasn’t bad either.
Jinwoo was just comparing it to his prime in Eternal Sunshine.
Even with clear senses, this was just the beginning of New Gen.
So he hadn’t expected to get first place.
“Jinwoo! Hurry, let’s go! If we’re too late, there’s no turning back!”
The patrol captain suddenly yelled in panic.
There was no time to relax.
“Yes, sir.”
Jinwoo followed the captain’s lead.
