Genius Blacksmith’s Game - Chapter 153

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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
The Pinnacle Weapon (7)
Our Country’s people initially showed no interest in the Ferocious Labyrinth’s timed attack dungeon.
Korea consistently ranked outside the top thirteen, and naturally, interest faded away.
But this time was different.
-Insane, our country’s at ninth place?
-For real?
-How’d they manage that?
-They recruited a new party member with top-tier Orichalcon, and it looks like they made a good choice?
They marveled at the unexpected name.
-Blacksmith Hyeon?
-Wait, just adding one blacksmith got them ranked this high?
That day.
With their newly formed party, they surged to sixth place in one breath, and by evening, American user Will provoked Korea.
That provocation instead drew more users into the community.
Naver real-time search rankings.
[19th place. Will Interview.]
Content creators and personal broadcast streamers who craved sensational material began to move.
Encyclopedia of All Things, who boasted two million subscribers, condemned Will.
“Ah, brothers, this is seriously not okay. How can the user representing America say such things at an official event? Korean team, let’s make them eat their words by taking first place this time.”
[Current viewers: 298,414.]
Encyclopedia of All Things’s live broadcast drew in a massive audience.
-For real, he crossed the line.
-Han-ul, Hye-ji, Tae-hoon, Hyeon. Please show us what you’ve got!!!
Some believed America’s reaction was justified.
-Honestly, our country can’t really compete with America….
-How are we supposed to beat 11 minutes 11 seconds… Let’s be realistic….
The hottest expert channel on Ares. Commonly known as the Expert Team’s channel.
This expert channel also boasted one and a half million subscribers.
The most famous expert among them went live.
“It’s unfortunate to say, but securing first place seems difficult. A five-minute time gap is hard to close. Think back to the long-distance running from the fitness test. Just a few seconds or tens of seconds can determine the tier. That’s how difficult it is to narrow a five-minute gap in a timed attack dungeon. We can only hope our country’s team surpasses the wall at fifth place.”
[Current viewers: 270,031.]
-But that’s actually true….
-Still… we believe in miracles!
-Oioioi!
Credibility tilted toward the Expert Team.
Korea’s renowned rankers also sided with the Expert Team.
But then….
[Rankings are being updated.]
[1st place South Korea 8 minutes.]
-?
-??
-?????
A tremendous shift had occurred.
This mere number on the screen had single-handedly reversed the entire situation.
The Encyclopedia of All Things cried out in excitement.
“Brothers! Our Country did it, didn’t I tell you!? Eight minutes—that’s a revolutionary figure!”
[Current Viewers: 370,313.]
-What… is this even possible?
-How in the world could something like this happen?
-This is a miracle….
The Expert Team’s channel sprang into action immediately.
“I must apologize for my reckless remarks. Many viewers are hoping we’ll explain how such a record was even possible.”
[Current Viewers: 431,741.]
“After consolidating our Expert Team’s analysis, we’ve concluded that Blacksmith Hyeon must have crafted some sort of miraculous artifact—just as he did when creating a legend beyond legends. The World Message didn’t sound because there’s a constraint: it doesn’t trigger when an already-achieved artifact is created. And our Expert Team is absolutely delighted.”
-Why are you guys happy lolol
-What’s there to be happy about, let’s see.
“Because Blacksmith Hyeon is a citizen of Our Country, and….”
-Sir, don’t blush like that….
-Why’s he getting embarrassed lololol
-Is that blush real lololol
“I’ve subscribed as well. To Hyeon’s Forge.”
The viewers realized something.
That they shouldn’t be sitting around like this.
Everyone rushed to the Auction House to hit the subscribe button.
But….
[A temporary error has occurred due to excessive subscription attempts.]
[Please try again in a moment.]
They couldn’t subscribe even if they wanted to.
-Ah, Hyeon, please let us subscribe…!
-Godly Hyeon… are you now blocking even my subscription? Kekeke….
Misfortune piled upon misfortune.
-Will said Hyeon’s a user who’ll go down in history….
-Hey, foreign players are subscribing too…!
-Is Blacksmith Hyeon from Korea?
-World-ranked players are asking Hyeon for commissions, so the issue keeps spreading and drawing more people….
The next day.
Those who logged in early in the morning succeeded in accessing.
-Hey, I can log in…!
They were left speechless.
-Is the subscriber count real…?
The numbers were so staggering that even seeing them with my own eyes, I couldn’t believe it.
*
*
*
Early morning.
Hyeon-su woke to the shrill ringing of his phone.
After clearing the Ferocious Labyrinth time attack.
Emotionally drained, they had decided to rest for the entire day.
“Ugh… Hello?”
Hyeon-su answered the phone with a weary voice.
-It’s me, the landlady from the two-story house.
“Yes, ma’am!”
Hyeon-su snapped awake instantly.
It was Kim Hye-suk, who had taken good care of him with side dishes and other things while he stayed at the two-story house.
-I saw it on TV. You’re really the blacksmith named Hyeon, aren’t you? Congratulations! I’m so proud of you.
The landlord’s voice could also be heard through the receiver.
-Ha ha ha, didn’t I tell you? That guy’s going to do great things! The TV won’t stop talking about the Blacksmith Hyeon!
Hye-suk spoke up.
-By the way, we’re not the type of people to be tactless, so don’t worry too much. We haven’t told anyone.
“Ah, yes. Thank you anyway!”
Hyeon-su’s expression grew puzzled.
‘I did expect news coverage to come out….’
But yesterday he had been far too exhausted.
And if he had checked Hyeon’s Forge subscriber count in real time or watched TV, he wouldn’t have been able to sleep, so he had fallen asleep immediately.
As soon as he hung up, another call came through.
It was Ji-hoon, his close friend.
-I’m pretty proud of you. Congratulations.
“… What’s this about so early in the morning? What rank am I in subscribers?”
-Just check it yourself. Anyway, congratulations.
He also received calls from his physician Jin-seop and nurse Ji-hye.
“Why won’t anyone tell me…?”
Hyeon-su turned on the TV with a bewildered expression.
-Yesterday evening, the Ares Auction House experienced an extended outage. This is believed to be due to a massive influx of users worldwide to Hyeon’s Forge, which led the time attack dungeon….
Hyeon-su bolted upright.
‘I was thinking it would be good enough to just make the top five….’
The reason I first challenged the time attack was to obtain the highest-grade Orichalcon.
The increase in subscribers was something I hadn’t anticipated as a bonus.
‘Though an eight-minute record is pretty absurd, I suppose.’
Hyeon-su sat down in front of his computer.
‘The Encyclopedia of All Things on Joyful Tube…?’
Skimming through the details, it seemed countless events had unfolded while they conquered the time attack.
Hyeon-su soon accessed the Auction House with trembling anticipation.
‘The last time I checked, the 7th ranked subscriber count was around 1.7 million, right?’
But the numbers displayed before his eyes left him astounded.
[Hyeon’s Forge Subscribers: 2,216,013.]
[Current Ranking in Korea’s Blacksmith Category: 2nd Place.]
‘Second place…?’
In the time he’d been away, subscriber count had swelled by roughly 500,000.
The shock was so profound it left him momentarily speechless.
‘If we consider about a month as the stabilization period….’
Typically, once a channel gains significant traction, subscribers flow in steadily for an entire month.
‘After another month, we could reach 2.5 million subscribers.’
Now the subscriber gap between us and Black Anvil was merely 500,000.
Securing 500,000 more subscribers would cement Hyeon’s Forge as the nation’s number one.
Hyeon-su smiled faintly.
‘That shabby little forge now reaching for first place.’
Then Hyeon-su suddenly recalled the notification that had sounded when he reached level 300.
‘A new occupation Quest….’
Hyeon-su logged in.
*
*
*
“Is it finally being revealed? He held out for quite a while.”
Special User Management Team.
Tae-hoon, Ji-hye, and Lee Se-jin monitored the screens together.
Within the monitors they observed was a single Assassin lurking within the Lord’s Castle of Balas Territory.
Kabel, the information broker.
An unofficial ranker and an elite of extraordinary caliber, rivaling the top-ranked Assassin.
The information broker Kabel was renowned for his exceptional intelligence network and his ability to uncover diverse secrets.
Recently he had pursued the truth behind Hyeon’s Forge and, reaching Balas Territory, had discovered it.
“Will Kabel sell the information immediately?”
Kabel had always sold information he obtained at premium prices.
The concealed Hyeon’s Forge might be exposed, and they could face grave danger.
“Most likely.”
Kabel’s concealment ability transcended normal limits.
Currently, no one had detected him.
Yet a single entity within the monitor had sensed Kabel’s presence.
“…?”
“…?”
“…?”
The presence was none other than Bok-deung-i.
-Maaaang?
Bok-deung-i, having spotted Kabel lurking in the darkness.
Its tail wagged like a helicopter rotor.
An endless stream of mucus dripped from its nose.
And then the creature….
Flump—
Rolled onto its back right in front of Kabel.
[Bok-deung-i’s Cuteness Passive Skill activates.]
The three watching couldn’t help but break into parental smiles.
Soon Ji-hye’s expression darkened.
“…Won’t Kabel harm Bok-deung-i to avoid being discovered?”
Kabel is a ruthless and dangerous individual.
Indeed, the Special User Management Team had witnessed many such acts from Kabel.
Lee Se-jin shook his head.
“Do you know what rank Bok-deung-i’s Cuteness Passive Skill is?”
Bok-deung-i’s Cuteness.
All other skills Bok-deung-i possessed were marked with ??? for their rank.
Tae-hoon let out a hollow laugh.
“Could it possibly be Divine rank?”
“…That’s right.”
Yes, despite its appearance, Bok-deung-i was indeed one of Ares’s Four Divine Beasts.
Each skill it possessed was extraordinary, and most of their effects remained concealed.
Moreover, it was written in Bok-deung-i’s Cuteness Passive Skill description.
‘Something special might unfold.’
Lee Se-jin spoke.
“That power sometimes manifests similarly to the Lord’s Blessing that User Hyeon-su possesses.”
Lord’s Blessing.
A power that draws people in and instills loyalty.
Of course, it would activate in a somewhat different manner.
Then Lee Se-jin let out another hollow laugh.
“Come to think of it, User Hyeon-su gave Bok-deung-i quite an apt name.”
Bok-deung-i.
It meant bringing good fortune.
“We’ll have to wait and see what unfolds from here on.”
Lee Se-jin watched Kabel and Bok-deung-i through the monitor.
*
*
*
Kabel, the information broker.
He had been pursuing the most recent traces of Hyeon.
In the process, he judged that the Teacher who had revitalized Balas Territory might be connected to Hyeon’s Blacksmith Shop.
Because of this, he went into hiding in Balas Territory and discovered something astonishing.
‘Hyeon, the Teacher, and Crazy Rookie were all the same person?’
It was truly a shocking revelation.
Kabel planned to gather more information within the castle for a few days before selling it.
Then he encountered a certain being.
“…?”
From their first meeting, this creature lay sprawled out with its belly completely exposed, gazing at him with an oddly serene expression.
“Maaang….”
[Bok-deung-i is asking to be petted.]
He was dumbfounded.
‘How in the world did it find me?’
It made him question whether he was lacking in some way.
In any case, Kabel decided things had become dangerous.
He released his killing intent.
Most who encountered Kabel’s killing intent would flee or lose consciousness on the spot.
But….
“Grraaaam….”
Bok-deung-i, its rosy belly exposed, yawned.
Kabel couldn’t make sense of it at all.
Then.
[Bok-deung-i’s Cuteness activates.]
Kabel’s expression grew puzzled.
Suddenly, some forceful power seemed to pull him toward it.
‘What on earth is this power…?’
Kabel was a high-ranker.
A power that pierced through his high resistance to status abnormalities.
Moreover, though Kabel didn’t know it, this power didn’t activate randomly on just anyone.
According to the description of Bok-deung-i’s Cuteness:
‘It activates only on those who possess special power.’
Kabel was certainly among those who possessed such special power.
In the end, Kabel was compelled by that forceful power to stroke Bok-deung-i’s belly.
Then Bok-deung-i’s eyes blinked slowly closed.
Along with it came a peculiar notification.
[Your body fills with vitality and your mind becomes at ease.]
[You are a target of Bok-deung-i’s Cuteness activation.]
[You cannot harm Bok-deung-i.]
‘What is this…?’
I merely touched the puppy, yet my mind became crystal clear and strength surged through my body.
Moreover, that item inscribed with “something special will happen” revealed its power.
Ding!
[Hidden Quest: Daily Walks with Bok-deung-i!]
Rank: A
Restriction: Those who have touched Bok-deung-i
Reward: One level increase in the Assassin skill of your choice
Penalty for failure: None
Description: You have been chosen by Bok-deung-i. Should you walk Bok-deung-i for one hour every day for a month, you will receive a special reward.
“…!?”
Kabel had never been more shocked while playing Ares until today.
‘What, what is this?’
If I walk this mysterious puppy once a day for a month, one of my chosen active skills would increase by a level.
For top-tier high-rankers, raising stats or skill levels had become nearly impossible.
And all I had to do was walk the puppy for a month?
Furthermore, I realized something.
‘This is extremely important and valuable information.’
The one bestowing this reward was this mysterious baby Sigorzab Bell.
If I sold this information and people came flooding in, they might discover this as well.
“….”
Kabel.
I gazed at the puppy named Bok-deung-i, now sleeping in my arms.
‘I can always sell the information after a month.’
The reward was far too great to refuse the quest.
Perhaps when the month of walks ended, I would receive a new quest.
‘I should stay here for now and take care of the walks.’
And at that moment, I did not know.
That a person named Kabel would become an immense blessing to Guild Gwangmyeong, just like Bok-deung-i’s name suggested.

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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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