Genius Blacksmith’s Game - Chapter 170

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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
Friend, Help Me (5)
Durandal, Stormbreaker, Tyrfing.
Cursed Blades are familiar to the masses.
Some became famous through novels, while others originate from Norse mythology.
And everyone has surely heard of them.
The cursed blade that thirsts for blood.
The sword that devours blood.
Or the cursed blade that kills enemies unconditionally, even at the cost of dragging its wielder to ruin.
This Tyrfing was crafted with that very concept in mind.
Even as a child, Hyeon-su encountered and forged numerous cursed blades.
He had always yearned to witness those legendary blades from fantasy novels become tangible reality.
And the power dwelling within this Tyrfing.
It lay in the complete absorption of an enemy’s blood.
Hyeon-su had conceived a singular thought.
‘If the source of power is blood, then I shall drain every drop and convert it into my own strength.’
[The eighth legend is being inscribed.]
Tyrfing, born from the fingertips of a genius blacksmith.
That blade of pure obsidian darkness calls forth the blood that Graut had suspended through his blood festival.
The blood streams into Tyrfing, drawn inexorably inward.
Krrrrrr—
Graut had unleashed the absolute pinnacle of his power.
That colossal force rages uncontrollably within Tyrfing.
The earth trembles and heaven and earth convulse.
The obsidian Tyrfing stains crimson like blood itself.
[Blood power accumulates within Tyrfing.]
[53%]
[Blood power accumulates within Tyrfing.]
[89%]
[Blood power accumulates within Tyrfing.]
[132%.]
[Tyrfing…]
[Tyrfing…]
Ding!
[Accumulation complete.]
[583% accumulated.]
Graut witnessed all the blood from his body being drawn into the single blade.
His pupils trembled.
Even the blood flowing through his own flesh—the very source of his power—was being consumed by that cursed blade.
[Graut’s HP drops below 30%.]
[Graut, Blood Demon Lv.378]
Hyeon-su could never have imagined this—what he had witnessed while forging this blade and checking the Quest window.
[Final Quest: Slay Graut]
Rank: SSS
Restriction: Only those who triggered the final story
Reward: Ring of the Blood Demon, story progression beyond imagination, World Message.
Penalty for failure: Total annihilation
Description: You have reached the final chapter of yet another story. With each stage of this story, the difficulty escalates. Upon clearing this final Quest, your story progression will transcend all comprehension.
‘There was something even more astonishing.’
Just moments ago, everyone summoned through Friend, Help Me had vanished.
Barad and Ben must have possessed the highest contribution rates.
His own contribution was likely around twenty percent.
But contribution works such that when those around you perish or disappear, theirs vanishes with them.
In other words, one hundred percent of the contribution for slaying the demon Graut would be credited to Hyeon-su.
Hyeon-su extended the blade and aimed it at Graut.
[Using the Enemy’s Strength Against the Enemy]
“With the enemy’s power, I slay the enemy.”
Graut’s spine tingled. That power which had shaken heaven and earth.
Hyeon-su drew the demonic sword Tyrfing behind his back and channeled force into his right foot planted firmly against the ground.
“This is impossible!”
The demon Graut charged forward, desperate to kill Hyeon-su by any means.
But he felt it.
‘What is this…?’
His body moved differently than usual—far slower, while Hyeon-su’s movements were swift.
It was only natural.
The current Graut was merely a boss monster in the level three-hundreds range.
At last, Hyeon-su unleashed the blade he had drawn back.
A tremendous spray of blood erupted across the landscape.
Vast torrents of crimson engulfed a radius of thirty meters.
And in the span of a mere 0.1 seconds, it condensed above Graut’s head.
A small, spherical mass of blood formed.
Yet like a nuclear warhead, though diminutive, it possessed the power to obliterate everything in its vicinity.
[Blood Burst]
[Within a forty-meter radius, Blood Burst exerts additional attack power of 1,005%.]
[The title ‘Creator of the Mightiest Single Strike’ shines brilliantly.]
[Double damage is applied.]
At last, that small, spherical mass of blood pierced into Graut.
A deafening sonic boom erupted.
Everything in the vicinity vanished without a trace.
Hyeon-su knew.
‘A power that can never be unleashed twice.’
It was a force made possible by absorbing the Blood Festival.
Within that colossal explosion, Graut couldn’t believe it.
‘Am I truly to die at the hands of a mere human?’
Graut’s eyes wavered as his entire body crumbled into dust and dissipated.
‘And to none other than a Blacksmith…?’
With that final thought, Graut could think no longer.
The last thing he witnessed was Hyeon-su watching Tyrving dissolve into nothingness.
Soon after, Graut vanished completely.
“Haa… haa…”
Hyeon-su’s chest burned with exhilaration.
He knew it well.
‘No renowned ranker in the entire world has ever slain a demon before.’
The rewards this priceless Achievement would grant—beyond imagination.
[You have hunted Graut, Blood Demon.]
[You acquire 3,310,010 Experience Points.]
Hyeon-su’s eyes widened in disbelief.
‘Three million…?’
It transcended amazement—it was nothing short of miraculous.
Moreover, Hyeon-su’s level had been in the 320s.
[Level Up.]
[Level Up.]
[Level Up.]
[Level Up.]
[Level Up…]
Hyeon-su had leveled up thirteen times in total.
‘Thirteen levels from the 320s? I’ve never even heard of a level-up like this….’
The Gold rewards were equally absurd.
[You acquire 831,689 Gold.]
Equivalent to 800 million won.
It was the amount Hyeon-su would need to earn by crafting and selling legendary Artifacts.
[You acquire Black Stone (8).]
[You acquire Fragment of Graut.]
[You acquire Ring of the Blood Demon.]
[You acquire Demon Byproduct.]
[You acquire Essence of Demon-kind…]
[You acquire Demon Tail…]
The notifications continued for quite some time.
In particular, the Artifact Hyeon-su had anticipated was also among the rewards.
(Ring of the Blood Demon)
Rarity: Legendary
Durability: Infinite
Defense: 130
Requirement: Level 330 or higher
Special Abilities:
·All Stats increase by 2%.
·Magic Resistance increases by 50%.
·Attack Power against Evil increases by 10%.
·Attack Power against Good increases by 25%.
·Passive Skill: Life Drain.
Description: A ring worn by Graut, Blood Demon. The power of this Artifact is defined by a single skill called Life Drain.
(Life Drain)
Passive Skill
Level: None
Effects:
·Recover HP equal to the damage dealt to enemies.
·Triggers with a 6% probability.
·Sometimes mental fatigue disappears when damage is dealt to enemies.
·Triggers with a 1% probability.
·Only applies to Basic Attack damage.
Hyeon-su marveled at the ring.
The Life Drain Passive triggered with a 6% probability and only applied to Basic Attack power, yet it was utterly broken.
Potions, after all, could not be used indiscriminately.
They possessed cooldown timers.
This ring, conversely, could be used infinitely without any cost whatsoever.
Moreover, it recovered HP equal to the damage inflicted.
What made this ring truly remarkable was its absurdity in battles against multiple enemies.
In combat against many foes, I would continuously trigger this effect and recover health.
[Final Quest: Elimination of Graut Complete]
[Completed with Extraordinary Achievement.]
‘This Story Rate must serve as a connection that grants some form of reward.’
Of course, I could not know what it was.
But the higher this Story Rate climbed, the greater the returns would be for me.
Particularly, the Quest reward was written as follows.
Story Rate beyond imagination.
I could not even begin to fathom how high it truly was.
Notifications continued to arrive.
[Additional Story Rate is being accumulated for progressively advancing through another chapter of the narrative.]
‘Oh…!’
The tasks I had accomplished step by step.
[Linked Quest: Fragment of Graut, Blood Demon]
[Story Rate increases by 10%.]
[Linked Quest: Monsters Closing In]
[Story Rate increases by 10%.]
A total of 20% additional accumulation.
With this, my total Story Rate now exceeded 90%.
Soon, another notification arrived.
[Final Quest: Story Rate for Eliminating Graut is accumulated.]
[The system recognizes your remarkable Achievement.]
[The level difference between you and Graut can be considered 200 levels or more.]
[Additional Story Rate is accumulated as a result.]
[Story Rate increases by 20%.]
At the end of it, the Story Rate for the final Quest was announced.
[You receive Story Rate for Eliminating Graut, Blood Demon.]
[Story Rate…]
I doubted my own eyes.
The number seemed so abnormal that I couldn’t help but question it.
But I soon understood.
I had a low level, and this was a Quest that would be difficult to clear even for any high-ranker.
Moreover, this Quest was SSS-rank.
It was the same grade as the Quest I had received to become a legend.
In fact, SSS-rank Quests were so rare that fewer than 10 had been cleared.
‘I accomplished this.’
The manifestation of the remarkable skill, Friend, Help Me.
The ghostly steps born from the power of Skill Affinity.
They were all rewards for the path I had walked.
[Congratulations.]
[You are the first User to successfully hunt a demon.]
[World Message.]
[Your Achievement will be announced to all Users worldwide.]
[You may choose to remain anonymous, use your desired name, or use your character name.]
I closed my eyes for a moment and thought.
The World Message allowed anonymity or character name.
In fact, I could have hidden my identity here and triggered the World Message.
There was a reason I was considering this.
‘People still don’t know. That Crazy Rookie and Hyeon are the same person.’
Because of this, it could become known that Blacksmith Hyeon is strong.
Soon, having organized my thoughts, I smiled faintly.
‘No, that won’t happen.’
The puzzle in my mind fell into place.
And Hyeon-su needed it.
‘The power this World Message grants.’
Hyeon-su was unstoppable.
A World Message echoed across the world under the name of Blacksmith Hyeon.
*
*
*
Lee Se-jin stopped the car heading to the Airport.
Watching the anchor’s commentary flowing from the digital billboard and the World Message-related text scrolling at the bottom of the screen, Se-jin was filled with admiration.
And he asked Tae-seok the most pressing question first.
“What Story Rate did we achieve?”
Soon Tae-seok’s voice came through.
-234%.
Se-jin was astounded.
Story Rate was far more difficult to accumulate than ordinary percentage Quests.
When an ordinary percentage Quest accumulated 2%, only 1% of Story Rate was accumulated—that was the Story Rate of another story.
[The Story Rate accumulated from subjugating Graut reached a staggering 120%.]
Se-jin couldn’t even imagine it.
He was already anticipating what rewards Hyeon-su would receive.
Where would Artea, who had nowhere to go, end up?
‘There’s now a possibility that Artea will grant additional rewards.’
Such an extraordinary percentage was a hint of rewards someone would bestow.
Of course, given the high degree of freedom, it could be otherwise.
‘What exactly could he obtain?’
Ending that thought, another one emerged.
‘How was User Hyeon-su able to capture a demon?’
It was something he’d judged impossible by common sense.
Soon he could learn about the skill Hyeon-su had created.
Se-jin’s hand holding his Mobile Phone trembled faintly.
Sword King Barad, Spear Heaven Ven.
The simultaneous summoning of Bella and Gwangmyeong alongside them.
And it was a Unique-grade skill with penalties attached.
And he wondered.
‘Who would dare call Barad and Spear Heaven Ven friends and summon them?’
Only User Hyeon-su could do such a thing.
This had to be acknowledged.
‘It was User Hyeon-su’s power. Not a balance break or anything else.’
Soon Se-jin got into the car.
Heading toward the Airport, he pondered.
‘Why did User Hyeon-su broadcast the World Message under his own name?’
For him now, it was a double-edged sword.
Lee Se-jin also knew that he was hiding his identity.
Lee Se-jin paused for a moment, lost in thought.
‘The Users won’t think that Hyeon caught him.’
He let out a small laugh.
‘Quite a clever User.’
Lee Se-jin boarded the airplane.
From his first-class seat, he closed his eyes.
A mysterious smile played at the corners of his lips.
‘User Hyeon-su still has more rewards waiting.’
Lee Se-jin deliberately refrained from checking those rewards now.
The airplane flew for twelve hours.
‘It must be absolute chaos.’
All across the world.
On one hand, Lee Se-jin felt proud of Hyeon-su.
When he descended from the airplane and got back into the car.
Lee Se-jin entered the Auction House to finally confirm what he had been anticipating and longing for.
“This is insane…!”
An exclamation of astonishment escaped his lips before he could help himself.
What he was witnessing.
The subscriber count of Hyeon’s Forge had skyrocketed explosively in just twelve hours.
It had risen to a degree that could truly be called insane.

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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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