The Life of the Blacksmith Scott Walton part 1

From this day forward, Scott acquired a new identity, and his miserable life began as a low-level worker in the Iron Sovereignty Guild.

This strange dream was completely different from traditional dreams, to the point that it felt incredibly real. Even the passage of time seemed unnaturally slow. No matter how hard Scott tried, there was no sign that he would wake up from this dream.

It was as if he had truly become someone else entirely, starting a completely different chapter of his life.

This was the era that preceded humanity's Dark Age.

For some reason, even in this body, he was called Scott Walton, which left him puzzled.

The Scott Walton of this body had a family—a wife and a young daughter. They lived together in a small village, but one day, magical beasts raided the village and completely overran it. Most of the villagers were killed, including his wife and child. He was utterly devastated, and the light in his eyes seemed to fade. In the end, when he was on the verge of death himself, he and a few other villagers were saved by members of the Iron Sovereignty Guild. In exchange for his rescue, he became a servant of the guild.

He wanted to die. Scott Walton longed to reunite with his beloved family, but he refused to give in. Given a second chance at life, he decided to seize the opportunity with all his might.

For the sake of his family, he made a vow—to live and avenge them by slaughtering magical beasts. He would kill them, torture them, and bathe in their blood. Even if he couldn't exterminate all the magical beasts in the world, he would kill as many as possible.

After working tirelessly every day as a guild slave, he finally managed to become an ordinary worker in the Iron Sovereignty Guild. From that point on, he realized that the best way to kill the greatest number of magical beasts was to become the guild leader.

Being a low-level worker in the Iron Sovereignty Guild was no easy task. As time passed, the burden on them grew heavier day by day.

At first, they carried 5,000 pounds of water and chopped down 100 giant trees. Then it escalated to carrying 10,000 pounds of boiling molten iron and cutting down 1,000 hardened trees daily. In addition, they had to swing the guild's 200-pound iron earth hammers 8,000 times.

It seemed that the low-level workers' instructor, the giant Leo, had a personal grudge against Scott. He caused him trouble every day during his three meals. If Scott made even the slightest mistake, he would undoubtedly be subjected to a barrage of the Thousand Metal Smelting Hammer technique, leaving him in a state between life and death—a pain so unbearable that one would wish for death.

Day after day, year after year, time in this dream world passed like flickering lights and fleeting shadows. It felt as if ten years had passed.

Day after day, the grueling labor brought inhuman suffering, gradually erasing Scott's sense of self. His past memories became mere grains of sand sinking into the depths of his mind—lost in the abyss of the ocean, leaving no ripples on the surface.

There were still a few memories that resurfaced occasionally—dreams of building a beach house, finding Horyang, and becoming an engineer. These things were deeply engraved in Scott's mind, yet they seemed to be buried deep within his subconscious.

Scott Walton, the civilized man, was no more. He had become Scott Walton, the ancient-era laborer—the most outstanding among the guild's low-level workers!

Twenty years of blood, sweat, and tears had forged his body into one of steel muscles and iron bones. Much to the giant's bitterness, Scott had completely mastered the essence of the Thousand Metal Smelting technique—his mastery even surpassing that of many Iron Sovereignty Guild members.

Except for the giant, people no longer called him Scott Walton. All the low-level workers referred to him as "Senior Brother."

In the twenty-first year, he finally became the second-best ordinary worker in the Iron Sovereignty Guild and earned the qualifications to enter the magical smelting chamber.

The following years passed in the blink of an eye.

Year 25: Scott Walton became a third-tier member of the Iron Sovereignty Guild and an official blacksmith. He was now qualified to assist in casting and forging low-quality magical weapons and brooms used by third-tier guild members.

Year 29: After forging and smelting countless materials, the guild rewarded him with his own personal furnace. Now, he was able to cast and forge low-quality magical weapons by himself.

Year 31: He became the top blacksmith among the guild's third-tier members.

Year 32: Magical beasts invaded the territories under the control of the Iron Sovereignty Guild. Scott Walton led the resistance of the Grand Sovereignty Guilds on the battlefield.

The Sovereignty Guilds were an alliance of multiple guilds in the Great Sovereignty World—one of the greatest worlds in the universe, a realm full of mysteries and secrets. These guilds possessed unparalleled weapons and resources, and the Iron Sovereignty Guild was one of them. Due to his exceptional skills, Scott served as the leader of the low-level members.

He slaughtered 50 magical beasts from the enemy sorcerers. His hatred for them, for what they had done to him, burned so intensely that he killed them with extreme brutality. At that moment, the Iron Sovereignty Guild discovered that he had refined the simplest technique—the Thousand Metal Smelting Technique—and advanced it into the Ten Thousand Metal Smelting Technique. He was, without a doubt, a genius beyond comparison.

Year 34: Scott Walton paid his respects to the leader of the Hundred Smelting Guild, the great Fitzgerald, and was promoted to a second-tier member.

Year 36: He advanced to a first-tier member and became responsible for the weapon smelting chamber.

Year 39: Among the young talents of the Iron Sovereignty Guild, Scott Walton distinguished himself as the first to become a mid-level sorcerer. No longer called Senior Brother, he was now addressed as Grandmaster.

Year 40: He married the daughter of the great Fitzgerald.

After what had happened to his previous wife, Scott Walton was afraid of taking another spouse. However, he couldn't refuse the orders of the great Fitzgerald.

At the wedding ceremony, Scott Walton shone like the radiant sun—his future seemed limitless. He recalled his days as a mere low-level worker when he once declared:

"One day, I will become the leader of the Iron Sovereignty Guild."

And now, it no longer seemed impossible.

At that time, he wielded immense power. He had access to endless resources, advancing steadily on the path of blacksmithing, achieving remarkable progress. Many guild leaders watched him from above, and countless comrades supported him from below. His future was truly boundless. He was at the peak of his glory, slaying magical beasts as he pleased.

Yet… when he recalled the words he had jokingly spoken decades ago, faint memories surfaced. Inevitably, a ripple from the depths of his mind emerged, making him feel a slight unease.

"Darling, we will definitely strengthen our Iron Sovereignty Guild together until it becomes the most powerful guild in the Great Sovereignty World..."

His beloved wife, Su Baria, lay on her bed, gazing at him with a gentle smile. Her misty eyes were as soft as water. Over time, their bond deepened, and they fell in love with each other. Thanks to her, Scott Walton was able to forget the wounds of his past, healing from the loss of his first wife.

But Scott Walton felt a deep, cold shiver.

A strange vision suddenly appeared. It was as if something was distorting space and time, tearing the world apart. His wife's face, lying on the bed, became blurry, mysterious, and distorted. A vision of a strange place surfaced in his mind.

A house overlooking the beautiful blue sea, where a man sat on a rocking chair, gazing at the scenery...

"Darling… are you okay?"

He nodded unconsciously. He blinked once and suddenly woke up.

It was an incredibly strange feeling—something like a soul separating from its body. He had turned into a transparent, empty shadow drifting in the air. He seemed completely calm, floating in Scott Walton and Su Baria's wedding chamber. He had once lived through these experiences, but now, he was merely a spectator.

"This… this isn't my life."

It was as if a stream of clear spring water had poured into his heart. His mind awakened to an incomparable, dazzling realization. In an instant, his sense of self returned, and the memories of the past eighty years shattered into multicolored fragments—a fleeting dream.