Genius Blacksmith’s Game - Chapter 142

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Genius Blacksmith’s Game
Hatching (1)
Standing atop the roof, Nel was consumed by exhilaration.
‘Incredible….’
She had believed Guild Gwangmyeong could never withstand this.
Currently, Guild Gwangmyeong’s forces numbered merely ten.
The Swift Wind Squad members and the Knight Luke who led them.
Other Users besides.
In any case, these mere ten had toppled warriors who reached the strength of territorial forces.
Of course, those of Guild Gwangmyeong were already battered beyond recognition.
They appeared so ravaged that death at any moment would have been unremarkable.
Crash—
Risel collapsed as he felled the last remaining Knight.
“Huff… huff…”
“Gasp!”
“Ugh, I thought I was done for.”
“Hehe, but we made it!”
Their teamwork had proven better than expected, making this victory possible.
Individual strength mattered, certainly, but each fulfilled their assigned role with precision.
Risel was the most formidable damage dealer while Bark served as the stalwart tank.
Belia was the supreme priestess, and Ian dashed across rooftops, continuously rescuing guild members from peril.
The synergy these four generated was extraordinary.
Then, at that very moment.
A torrent of black energy erupted from Alhyeon Hall, engulfing the sky.
The entire Balas Territory was consumed by darkness.
[Calamity of Darkness]
[Ronso’s subordinates are being demonized.]
[Only slaughter and destruction instincts surge forth.]
[The dead awaken anew with HP restored to 30%.]
Risel soon witnessed the Knight he had just felled rise with an unnatural, jerking motion.
Crunch—
Ignoring the movement of shattered bones, the body rose as its skin darkened to black.
Demonization.
A grotesque power bestowed by the demons worshipped by the Calamity Sect.
It strips away fear and dread.
Lower-tier demonization is said to rob one of reason, while mid-to-high tier preserves rationality while amplifying strength.
[Knight Fon Lv.341]
Knight Fon, whom Risel had just defeated, now ten percent stronger, pressed down upon him.
“Grrgh!”
Already ravaged beyond measure, they struggled to endure against these empowered demonized foes.
What made him particularly troublesome was how he charged forward without fear of being cut.
Then.
A deafening screech tore through the air—
Suddenly, around twenty Hellhounds burst forth from the rifting space.
Growwwwl!
The Hellhounds tore into the throats of the territory’s residents nearby.
Crunch—
“Ugh, aaahhh!”
Then they began descending upon the residents scattered throughout the territory.
In an instant, the entire territory became a hellscape.
Originally, Ronso’s subordinates had been attacking only those from Guild Gwangmyeong.
But as their destructive and murderous instincts boiled over, the Mines and Hellhounds began indiscriminately slaughtering the territory’s residents.
“Ugh, aaaahhh!”
“Gaahhh!”
“Kyaahhh!”
The Guild Gwangmyeong members, who had been struggling to hold their ground, made a swift decision.
“Fall back to a defensive formation around the residents!”
“Move quickly!”
The residents were gathering in one place to escape the Hellhounds and Mines.
The members of Guild Gwangmyeong stood before them, desperately holding the line.
And Nel joined them there.
Nel was left speechless by the horrific carnage before her.
She saw the residents huddled together in one place, and over a hundred Mines and Hellhounds closing in on them.
Soon the Mines and Hellhounds began pressing forward.
“Bark!!!”
The tank Bark stepped forward to block the surging horde, his entire body becoming a mass of wounds.
Risel, who had stepped forward to protect Bark, had his body torn apart by the Hellhounds’ fangs.
“You damn bastards!”
Whoosh—
Twang!
Ian, firing Short Arrows to counter the Mines and Hellhounds, soon had his right arm bitten.
Craaash—
“Ugh!”
With his right arm mangled, Ian could no longer draw his bow.
Then Bark suddenly drove deep into the midst of the Hellhounds and Mines.
“I’ll buy us time—take the residents and fall back!”
“Bark!”
Bark was a tank.
Because of that, he possessed an exceptional aggro skill unlike anyone else.
Though their numbers were overwhelming, holding their aggro for an extended period was entirely feasible.
Krahahahaha—!
The tank’s cry activated, drawing the aggression of every surrounding entity toward Bark.
In that instant, the Hellhounds and Mines began attacking Bark in unison.
The sight itself was grotesque.
“Hurry, go.”
Buried between over a hundred Mines and a pack of Hellhounds, Bark gritted his teeth and activated a skill to endure.
[The Undefeated]
A wondrous power that tripled defense for five seconds.
Bark smiled bitterly.
‘I must save as many as possible.’
As his vision gradually became engulfed by Mines, Bark’s eyes held the terrified residents of the territory.
‘The representative seems to be enjoying himself lately.’
‘Indeed, at my age to discover a new purpose—that is truly joyful, haha!’
A new purpose. To make Guild Gwangmyeong the greatest.
For that, this territory is an invaluable place.
A place we built together. A place we must continue to build.
Wrrrrgh—
Being torn apart by Hellhounds, Bark laughed bitterly.
‘Perhaps I rushed here too hastily.’
What takes others a year, we accomplished in mere months.
We are still far from sufficient.
Then Bark’s dying eyes widened.
Clang—!
The glass window of Alhyeon Hall shattered.
A spear flew in a straight line, piercing through several Mines and Hellhounds.
Screeeech—
Kiiiiing—
Immense holy power erupted from the spear, causing them agony.
“…!”
Then Hyeon-su soared over the window frame.
[Calamity’s Leap]
[You can fly freely through the sky.]
Around his neck hung a necklace he had never seen before.
Bark understood immediately.
‘That fourth Calamity appearance notification I heard earlier… does that mean he defeated it and obtained this?’
Bark’s eyes wavered.
The ability to fly through the sky? Truly wondrous.
Hyeon-su flew in a straight line, his coat fluttering, and landed before Bark, blocking the creatures.
Boom—
Kheeegh—
Kraaaaaagh!
Shrieeeek—
The monsters surrounding Bark recoiled from the holy power radiating from the spear.
Hyeon-su withdrew the spear.
“Are you alright?”
“Y-yes, I’m fine.”
Bark was taken aback. Hyeon-su’s back, shielding him, loomed like a towering mountain.
A fleeting memory surfaced—that pitiful young man hunched with despair when they first met, floundering in hopelessness.
But that was then.
“You can rest assured.”
The young man drowning in despair no longer existed.
‘When did he….’
Change so much?
[Hyeon-su Lv.290]
His level now stood mere steps away from 300, the threshold of the elite.
Yet the battle situation remained dire.
The enemy numbers were overwhelming.
Then, hidden behind Hyeon-su’s form, Bark felt something emanate from the spear.
‘What is that spear?’
Torrential holy power surged from the spear Hyeon-su wielded.
[Annihilator of Evil]
[Attack power against evil increases by 660%.]
At that moment, Bark spotted a Hellhound targeting Hyeon-su’s flank.
“Watch out….”
Hyeon-su pivoted the spear and cleaved through it in a single motion.
Crash!
‘In one strike!?’
Whoooosh—
Bark gasped as the Hellhound scattered to dust in that singular blow.
And then he understood.
‘It wasn’t too early….’
Our coming here wasn’t premature—Hyeon-su had simply grown far beyond measure.
Somewhere along the way, he had become an entirely different person.
“I’m going in.”
Swoooosh—
Hyeon-su moved.
*
*
*
[20 seconds.]
[19 seconds.]
The spear combining the Royal Sword and the trident possessed the advantages of both artifacts.
Some of its skills were newly born, while others were inherited from before.
Among them, Annihilate Evil was a power that existed in the original Royal Sword.
What was originally a 400% attack power increase against evil had been strengthened further, now unleashing 660%.
Can you imagine it?
Even a basic attack dealt an additional 660% damage against evil.
Furthermore, the newly acquired Calamity Necklace that Hyeon-su obtained contained 30% attack and defense power against evil.
And this spear’s attack power surpassed anything Hyeon-su had ever wielded.
Hyeon-su’s eyes swept across the surroundings.
Around fifty corrupted knights, roughly twenty hellhounds, and approximately one hundred soldiers.
Guild Gwangmyeong already incapacitated and the territory’s residents trembling in fear.
A legend beyond legends.
This spear also possessed an aggro ability.
Screeeech—
At the ear-piercing sound of metal scraping from the spear, every creature turned its head toward Hyeon-su.
Whoosh—
Whoosh—
There was one fortunate thing.
‘Those creatures now had less than 30% of their HP remaining.’
Ding!
[Lord Quest: Salvation of the Territory’s Residents]
Rank: A
Restriction: Lord
Reward: Faith in the Lord, All Stats +2
Penalty for Failure: Annihilation of Balas Territory.
Description: You have become the lord of a new territory. Save the residents and become the true master of Balas Territory.
[16 seconds.]
[14 seconds.]
“Grraaaaahhh!”
“Guuuh!”
“Grrrrrrr!”
At the sound of scraping metal, all the creatures rushed toward Hyeon-su.
Hyeon-su extended the spear and cut them down—in a single stroke, they turned to ash and scattered.
Whoooosh—
Yet seeing the creatures pouring in from all directions and Hyeon-su already battered and bruised, everyone trembled with anxiety.
“H-Hyeon-su…!”
“What are you doing?!”
Currently, Hyeon-su appeared to be leading nearly 150 evil creatures alone.
Evading the evil creatures clinging to his back, Hyeon-su continued to sprint forward.
Even amidst it all.
Crack—
Thud, thud—
Crash—
I continued to allow their endless assault.
“Ugh!”
Fear and confusion were mounting.
Before long, those who had been chasing me had formed a circle, and the faces of the territory’s residents had gone pale.
The Blacksmiths and Ger alike trembled as they watched me.
As the enemies slowly drew closer, I made no move.
Then Ger soon understood.
‘He’s not frozen—he’s waiting for them to come.’
And almost simultaneously, the enemies rushed in.
[7 seconds.]
[6 seconds.]
“Hyeon-su!!!”
“Kyaaaah!”
Many screamed or called out my name.
[5 seconds.]
I heard the notification as I combined two Artifacts.
[You can imbue a skill containing the advantages of both Artifacts.]
I gazed into the distance.
I thought not only of the enemies surrounding me, but of the guild members and residents beyond.
A single inspiration came to me.
That inspiration stemmed from a festival in Haman, Gyeongnam Province, where I had walked hand in hand with my Father as a child.
‘This game was a folk tradition held to pray for the well-being of the people.’
Watching the beautiful lights created at that festival, I thought to myself.
Truly, a beautiful spectacle it was.
“Run! Please, get away!”
[4 seconds.]
I drove the spear I held in both hands forcefully into the ground.
Thump—!
In that instant, the darkened territory became even darker, as if someone had drawn a blackout curtain.
Through the pitch-black darkness where not even an inch ahead was visible, my voice spread forth.
“Falling Blossoms Dance.”
In that absolute darkness where even adaptation was blocked, something strange began to unfold.
Impossibly thin, impossibly long threads connecting roof to roof, building to building.
The shimmer of those delicate threads briefly parted the darkness before it darkened once more.
In that brief glimpse, they had already reached my immediate vicinity.
Then.
Hundreds of threads erupted into flame.
The fires immediately began raining sparks downward along the threads.
Whoooosh!
The sparks were fine as dust, yet their embers blazed brilliantly through the darkness.
The moment tens of thousands of sparks cascaded down and touched the malice surrounding Hyeon-su.
Sizzzzzzle—
All of it began to melt away.
And then.
Whoooosh—!
The world brightened as if someone had suddenly drawn back a heavy curtain of darkness.
At the center stood Hyeon-su, watching the malice scatter into ash and the spear dissolve into nothingness.
The moment he smiled at the relieved citizens of the territory.
Emblems of anvils and hammers began to appear across the clothing of the territory’s people.
Ger, the master Blacksmith of Balas Territory.
He walked forward toward Hyeon-su, leading hundreds of Blacksmiths, holding the Royal Sword he had crafted for the Lord.
And he respectfully presented it to him.
[Ger offers the Royal Sword.]
“We greet our new Lord.”
The surviving citizens of the territory followed suit, showing their respect.
[10,310 citizens of the territory develop reverence for their Lord.]
Hyeon-su gazed at them in silence for a long while.
The reality of this moment—that he, who had once been at the very bottom, had truly become a Lord—felt utterly surreal.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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