Genius Blacksmith’s Game - Chapter 152

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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
Weapons of the Peak (6)
Tae-hoon, Hye-ji, Han-ul.
Each of them had suffered two critical wounds from the King of the Ferocious Labyrinth, their HP now plummeting below 30%.
Even as an endless tide of Lycans surged toward them, their thoughts remained fixed on another.
We were confident we could hold out for at least one minute.
But Hyeon-su had gone alone to face the King of the Ferocious Labyrinth—a creature reaching level 380.
It was far too dangerous.
And yet….
Boom—
Crack—
Slash—
Thud, thud—
Whoosh—
Snap!
[Critical Hit triggered.]
[Dealt 24,546 damage.]
[Critical Hit…]
[Dealt 24,313 damage.]
[Dealt 16,356 damage…]
[Critical Hit…]
[Dealt 24,313 damage…]
[Dealt 25,518 damage…]
The three of them stared at him, utterly mesmerized.
In just 1.4 seconds, he had created twelve afterimages as he moved.
He—who had nearly been swallowed by the enraged King of the Ferocious Labyrinth—moved once more.
Only eight seconds had elapsed.
Though their own situation was dire, they found themselves captivated, their eyes unable to look away.
‘What exactly did we just witness?’
‘What kind of person is Hyeon-su?’
‘He’s insane.’
And when they regained their senses, they realized.
They were cornered, nearly dead, surrounded by roughly 150 remaining Lycans.
Tae-hoon, leading the charge, had his entire body torn by the creatures; Han-ul struggled desperately in a test of strength; Hye-ji, seated and firing without pause, unleashed arrow after arrow.
[The King of the Ferocious Labyrinth has been hunted.]
[The buff effect granted by the King of the Ferocious Labyrinth is dispelled.]
A truth too extraordinary to believe.
In that instant, a Lycan lunged for Tae-hoon’s throat.
Grrrrr—!
Then.
A piercing screech—
The sword that fell from the heavens cleaved the Lycan in two.
A flutter—
His coat billowing, he positioned himself before us, his gaze fixed upon the surging horde of Lycans.
A crystalline ring—
The pure, luminous resonance of the blade sang through the ears of all present.
In that moment of hearing such a beautiful melody, Tae-hoon, Hye-ji, and Han-ul shared the same thought.
‘We are not afraid.’
The primal terror that had consumed them moments before retreated entirely.
With blood-soaked hair and coat fluttering, Hyeon-su executed his Quick Draw.
[Sword’s Cry]
[Indiscriminately cuts all targets recognized as enemies with 190% additional damage.]
[Cuts all enemies within a 20m radius even without direct contact, ignoring all defense.]
A cascading shriek of devastation—!
401% Sword attack power enhancement, combined with the Sword’s Cry’s base 190% additional attack power.
All defense negation stacked upon it.
The densely packed horde that had rushed forward like shambling undead.
Miraculous numbers floated above approximately seventy Lycans.
[Critical Hit triggers.]
[30,146 damage dealt.]
[Critical Hit—]
[31,313 damage dealt.]
[21,356 damage—]
[Critical Hit—]
[34,313 damage—]
[25,518 damage—]
[Damage—]
[Damage—]
Seventy Lycans reduced to ash.
And now they understood why they were unafraid.
“Let’s go.”
The charisma he possessed.
The power to lead others.
The will to press forward without surrender even in the moment of desperation.
‘And the very power of an Artifact only he could create—’
Through all of these, an infinite courage took root: the certainty that together with him, they could succeed.
Hyeon-su moved first.
A thunderous crash—
Those who had fallen rose to their feet, following in his wake.
[Elapsed time: 8 minutes 11 seconds.]
[Elapsed time: 8 minutes 12 seconds.]
Like them, we wanted to prove that we were strong.
‘We are not some cursed trio.’
‘Every morning at 4 AM, we woke and ran for the gold medal.’
‘We will be the best here too…!’
In that moment, they did not know, but Lee Se-jin’s true worth was revealed.
Ding!
[Hidden Piece. The Most Radiant Power completed.]
[You have demonstrated the greatest power ever achieved at a similar level with a Normal Class.]
[The system judges that the source of this power originates from the purest strength—skill and experience.]
Ding!
[You can Job Change to the Hidden Class Iron-Blooded Knight.]
[You can Job Change to the Hidden Class Iron-Blooded Archer.]
[You can Job Change to the Hidden Class Iron-Blooded Fighter.]
All three accepted, and crimson heat shimmer rose from their bodies.
Han-ul.
[Sword base attack power increases by 20%, cutting power by 40%, Critical Hit probability by 20%.]
[The Iron-Blooded Knight is special.]
[Upon reaching Supreme Sword Mastery Lv.9, Grand Sword Mastery will be unlocked.]
Hye-ji.
[Bow base attack power increases by 20%, piercing power by 40%, accuracy by 20%.]
[Upon reaching Supreme Bow Mastery Lv.9, Grand Bow Mastery will be unlocked.]
Tae-hoon.
[Kick base attack power increases by 20%, destructive power by 40%, vital point Critical Hit damage by 20%.]
[Upon reaching Supreme Kick Mastery Lv.9, Grand Kick Mastery will be unlocked.]
A Hidden Class obtained together by three people—Iron-Blooded.
‘This class is perfectly tailored for us.’
There was no flashy or spectacular skill unlock.
‘For us who possess overwhelmingly superior skill compared to others, the mere increase in basic attack power transcends imagination.’
Soon the three began to reveal their true worth.
Boom—!
Tae-hoon, who previously needed at least 11 strikes to Hunt a single Lycan.
But now, just 8 strikes were enough.
Screech—!
Hye-ji’s performance was dazzling.
The synergy created by Short Arrows, skill, and the increased piercing power defied all logic.
Slash, thud, splat splat splat, splat—!
Han-ul moved with blinding speed between the Lycans.
Wherever his Sword passed, Lycans fell one after another.
The three were certain.
There would be no one at their current level who could defeat them.
‘Perhaps we could even hold our own against high-rankers.’
Their wavering gazes unconsciously drifted toward the figure of a single man.
Somehow, he had already reduced the last Lycan to ash.
The three of them stared at the elapsed time displayed before their eyes in disbelief.
‘H-how is this number even possible…’
A sudden awakening for the three of them.
It was the result he had created, and the true architect of it all was Hyeon-su.
‘If Hyeon-su hadn’t hunted the Labyrinth’s King alone, none of this would have been possible.’
They watched together as Hyeon-su, having felled the last Lycan, drew ragged breaths.
Then the three exchanged glances with one another.
They nodded in unison, having reached a single resolution.
Just as Hye-ji moved forward to approach that magnificent man.
Thump—
Hyeon-su suddenly collapsed with a soft sound.
“W-wait, Hyeon-su?”
“Are you alright?”
Hyeon-su, who had just displayed such commanding charisma.
He spoke with an embarrassed expression while lying on the ground.
“I’m naturally the type of tragic protagonist, you see.”
“???”
“I tend to collapse at the drop of a hat.”
The three couldn’t help but laugh at him.
*
*
*
[You have hunted the King of the Ferocious Labyrinth.]
[You have acquired 516,862 experience points.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up…]
[You have acquired 161,803 Gold.]
After hunting the Labyrinth’s King, Hyeon-su had gained five levels.
Using the remaining power of the rampaging blade that lingered after hunting the Labyrinth’s King in merely ten seconds.
He unleashed the blade’s resonance to rescue Han-ul, Tae-hoon, and Hye-ji.
After that, he immediately hunted down the Lycans.
It was then that he received a startling notification.
[Something special is happening to party member Han-ul.]
[Something special is happening to party member Hye-ji.]
[Something special happens to party member Tae-hoon.]
Hyeon-su, who had paused for a moment, turned to look at them.
He realized they had awakened after obtaining new classes.
Hyeon-su felt genuinely delighted.
Because he understood their struggles.
At the same time, he harbored a certain desire.
‘I want to be with them.’
Yet for now, he focused on what needed to be done.
When I defeated the final Lycan, my face contorted.
The world spun before my eyes.
‘Ah, not again…!’
Collapsed like a sunfish, I had no strength to move.
When I explained that this happened to me frequently, they burst into laughter.
‘How should I suggest it…?’
I pondered how to recommend they join the guild.
If I recruited them, now considerably stronger, Guild Gwangmyeong would become far more formidable.
Then I saw Hye-ji looking down at me where I lay.
Brown bob-cut hair and brown eyes.
Porcelain skin and a height of 160 centimeters.
She, whose beauty far exceeded any simple compliment, chuckled softly and spoke playfully.
“I’m a fan.”
I offered a wry smile in response.
Previously, I had jokingly thrown those words at them when I saw them feeling down.
And I had asked them for an autograph.
“Ah, then an auto—”
As I made a gesture to search through my belongings.
“Please accept us into your guild.”
I stopped.
Tae-hoon naturally helped me to my feet.
Rising, I could see the three of them smiling brilliantly.
They desired me just as much as I desired them.
“Anytime.”
[Hye-ji has joined Guild Gwangmyeong.]
[Tae-hoon has joined Guild Gwangmyeong.]
[Han-ul has joined Guild Gwangmyeong.]
The genius blacksmith had acquired three other geniuses.
Rumble, rumble, rumble—
The dungeon trembled.
[You have cleared the true Ferocious Labyrinth.]
[Clear time is being recorded.]
The four of them felt their hearts trembling.
The miraculous numbers were already laid bare before their eyes.
‘We really were amazing.’
‘This is us, you bastards of the world!’
They broke into radiant smiles.
[Elapsed Time: 10 minutes 1 second.]
And something extraordinary was added.
[Sudden Quest Complete: Ferocious Labyrinth’s King and Lycans Defeated]
The reward was straightforward.
[Your record is shortened by 20%.]
[Total elapsed time changes from 10 minutes 1 second to 8 minutes.]
[Rankings are updated.]
[Ferocious Labyrinth Time Attack Dungeon World Rankings.]
[1st Place: Korea 8 minutes.]
[2nd Place: United States 11 minutes 11 seconds.]
[3rd Place…]
[4th Place…]
[…]
[…]
“Ahhhhh!”
“We did it!”
“Insane!”
The three of them now understood that the world would no longer call them the cursed trio.
[Ferocious Labyrinth Time Attack Dungeon has ended.]
[You have achieved 1st place.]
With this, each of them received a precious prize of 100 million won.
Then.
[You have surpassed the 10-minute record.]
[This is a miraculous achievement.]
[The Ferocious Labyrinth acknowledges you, who have set a record that no one else will ever break.]
[The blessing of the Labyrinth descends upon you.]
[All stats increase by 2%.]
[For one month, experience and Artifact drop rates increase by 2x.]
The four of them marveled.
It was truly an extraordinary reward.
Especially for them, now exceeding level 300, a percentage-based reward was phenomenal.
Just Hyeon-su alone gained over 50 stat points from this alone.
And Hyeon-su knew.
‘My rewards are far from over.’
*
*
*
Breaking news, breaking news, breaking news!
An endless stream of bulletins and articles flooded across the globe.
[South Korean Team Achieves 8-Minute Record. A New Legend is Born.]
[World Experts Hail the 8-Minute Mark as an Absolutely Unprecedented Achievement.]
[Their Ranking Transformed Upon Recruiting Blacksmith Hyeon. Users Worldwide Turn Their Attention to Hyeon’s Forge.]
[American User Will Holds Official Press Conference, Issues Apology. Will States That Korea’s Record Will Go Down in History.]
[Will’s Sudden Reversal—Why?]
[Netizens Speculate Will Changed Course to Escape Criticism by Praising Korea. Yet Even His Effusive Praise Meets a Cold Reception Online.]
[The Massive Ball Will Threw. His Praise Only Ignites Hyeon’s Forge Subscriber Count Further…]
[High-Ranking Players Worldwide Comment. The Moment Servers Merge, We’re Heading Straight to Hyeon’s Forge.]
At that moment.
Nel was staring at her computer screen.
The real-time search rankings on Naver, the portal search site.
1st: Hyeon’s Forge
2nd: Ferocious Labyrinth
3rd: ….
Hyeon’s Forge had climbed to the top of every portal search site’s rankings, including Naver.
Click.
Nel entered the Auction House, clicked on Hyeon’s Forge, and let out a hollow laugh.
[A temporary error has occurred due to excessive subscriber growth.]
[Please try again in a moment.]
‘The ripple effect is far greater than when I crafted a Legend Above Legends….’
Even I couldn’t gauge the true extent of it.
At least a day would need to pass before I could see the full results.
The last time I checked, Hyeon’s Forge was ranked 7th with 1.73 million subscribers.
‘I’m curious.’
I smiled.
‘Whether we can break through the wall of 3rd place.’
And….
‘How far Hyeon-su will climb.’
I would find out soon enough.

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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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