I got this one recommended to me as a completed manhwa while I was doom-scrolling. I wasn’t particularly interested at first, but I started reading it anyway because I had nothing else to do at the moment. Looking back, I kind of regret being lazy and not grabbing my list to read one of the manhwas/mangas/manhuas I was actually more interested in. The protagonist of this story nearly dies in a dungeon but awakens memories of a past life because of it. In that life, he became a powerful hunter (a person who gains mana and conquers dungeons) and witnessed the end of the world. Usingthis knowledge, he is able to make use of his weak skills with the experience of hundreds of life-and-death battles, eventually defeating the monster that almost killed him. While thinking about the situation, he quickly realizes that there seems to be someone targeting hunters who would later become heroes with special abilities. Because of this, he decides to hide from them while steadily growing stronger.

If Weapon Creator had followed this idea more strictly, it could have been a somewhat generic but still quite interesting story. An inconspicuous guy secretly being a powerful blacksmith, supplying weapons to heroes while acting from the shadows—count me in. That would have been an interesting twist on the “reincarnated into the past” genre as well as a solid, intrigue-focused story. Sadly, it doesn’t stay that way.

Other characters discover his true powers rather quickly, before he even has the chance to properly train them. Instead of remaining a shadowy figure known only to a select few, equipping his choosen heroes with strong weapons while guiding them using his knowledge of the future, his identity becomes known to more and more people until it feels like the manhwa completely forgets its original concept. On top of that, the story turns into a “gods behind the curtain playing with the world” scenario, which I personally despise. One of the main strengths of this genre is an overpowered protagonist whom not even gods can defeat—but once actual gods start pulling the strings, he is neither stronger than them nor the true mastermind behind what’s happening, ruining both of the story’s most promising features.

All in all, I think you can still have some fun with this, as it’s an okay example of its genre. I find it really stupid that it just kind of forgets its own concept, but if you’re just looking for a quick, not-too-thrilling or engaging read that won’t distract you too much while cleaning up or killing some time, this one is fine.