Genius Blacksmith’s Game - Chapter 172

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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 (7)
Many of the artifacts I had crafted were intertwined with legend and lore.
Haemosu’s Dragon Light Sword.
Jumong’s Horn Bow.
Yi Sun-sin’s Ring-Pommel Sword.
Poseidon’s Trident, and so forth.
‘The system grants power commensurate with how aptly and perfectly an artifact is crafted to align with its narrative.’
What was a Narrative Stone?
‘An ore that amplifies its power when imbued with a story.’
It was undoubtedly the most suitable mineral for me.
“Take a look at this.”
The Narrative Stone possessed a mystical appearance, its form composed entirely of white luminescence.
(Narrative Stone)
Grade: Legendary
Requirement: Blacksmith Level 400 or higher
Difficulty: Supreme
Special Abilities
·The artifact’s effectiveness increases by a minimum of 50% to a maximum of 350% depending on how perfectly the narrative is recreated.
·When crafting a blade, if there is no story, it yields merely 50% cutting power; if there is a decent narrative, 50-100% cutting power; if one has drawn forth a story that no one else could imitate, it may produce 100-250% cutting power.
Description: A special ore capable of holding a story within itself.
‘Ordinary ores display specific percentages of blade attack power, cutting power, piercing power, and so on when crafted.’
But this Narrative Stone bore no such specifications.
“With that much material, you could craft two artifacts.”
“I will use it well, Sage Artega.”
I would need to give careful thought to what I should create.
And Sage Artega had something he wished to verify.
“Can you show me the power of the legend that was created through me?”
“Of course.”
Soon Sage Artega examined the power of the bond that dwelled within me.
“This bond will grant you greater power in the future. Do you see ‘A special event may occur’?”
“Yes, I see it.”
Such explanations were already familiar to me.
“When this special event does occur, it will bestow upon you a new power befitting the name ‘bond.'”
For me, this was welcome news.
The skill Bond’s Power was already excellent as it stood.
Though admittedly, the activation probability itself was absurdly low.
And the very name “bond” itself suggested boundless potential.
‘Perhaps…’
I allowed myself to anticipate what might come.
Perhaps I could unlock the power needed to gain talented individuals.
Sage Artega, who had been watching Hyeon-su, spoke with a bitter expression.
“I cherish you. But you must understand that I cannot reveal everything in this world simply because of that.”
Artea was the same as Barad and Ben.
He understood that it wasn’t merely about giving things away.
Power must belong to those who possessed it, and information should rightfully be held by those deserving of it.
Moreover, there were certain constraints imposed by the system.
Crucially, Artea was not bound as a vassal but remained here as a friend, wishing to aid Hyeon-su.
“If you have questions, I shall answer them. However, depending on the nature of that information, there may be things I cannot divulge, or perhaps I may demand compensation.”
“I too have no wish to obtain Sage Artega’s information easily.”
Hyeon-su’s words made Artea laugh.
Most people would have said, “I want to know all the information.”
But Hyeon-su understood that such relationships never lasted long.
And Artea was not merely someone who spoke unpleasant truths.
“I intend to establish an academy in this Balas Territory.”
“…An academy?”
Hyeon-su marveled at this.
An academy was one of the greatest contributors to territorial development.
It planted knowledge in the hearts of the young.
The problem was that finding a good master to establish and operate an academy was like plucking a star from the heavens.
But if that master were Sage Artega?
[When Sage Artega establishes an academy, the probability of discovering exceptional talents increases by over 60% compared to ordinary territories.]
“At first, I shall begin with a modest academy, but as time passes, it may grow considerably.”
A fine academy naturally draws people to it.
Currently, Balas Territory required development, and for that, immigrants were most essential.
‘With an academy, I could even draw the children of nobles, securing that much more in taxes.’
This was what made Hyeon-su’s heart race most.
By the time Hyeon-su became king, the academy operated by Sage Artega would have grown to an incomprehensible scale.
It would lend tremendous power to Hyeon-su’s kingdom.
Shortly after, Sage Artega departed to the residence prepared for him.
And Hyeon-su, left alone, still had something to verify.
Namely, the increase in subscribers from the World Message.
Hyeon-su had deliberately refrained from checking until things quieted down.
If he sat before the computer and stared at it constantly, Hyeon-su himself would grow weary.
And Hyeon-su had never once forgotten his promise with Roun, the master of Blackmoru, ranked first in the Blacksmith rankings.
[Hyeon, please come to where I am. I shall be waiting. And if the day comes when first place changes, would you make me a proposal?]
[I’ll give you the position of Vice Guild Master. Aren’t you interested in coming?]
The meaning of this was that Hyeon’s Forge could absorb Blackmoru.
‘I might end up obtaining only a hollowed-out Blackmoru.’
Of course, Roun, ranked second in the Blacksmith rankings, possessed tremendous power.
However, the question was whether the guild members of Blackmoru would also join Hyeon’s Blacksmith Shop alongside him.
The easiest way to convince them was, of course, subscriber count.
Hyeon-su was in a situation where he was hiding the fact that he was a strong and exceptional blacksmith.
Yet there was a reason he had triggered the World message about hunting a demon.
And he was confident that this very reason would drive even more subscribers to his channel.
The problem was the magnitude of impact.
‘How much did it go up? 200,000? 300,000?’
Subscriber count followed a law of diminishing returns.
It was similar to the experience required for leveling up.
The more subscribers accumulated, the slower the growth rate became.
‘Reaching first place would still be difficult, wouldn’t it?’
The last time he checked, he was in second place with approximately 2.3 million subscribers.
Blackmoru, in first place, had recently surpassed 3 million subscribers according to articles from two weeks ago.
Hyeon-su logged out.
After taking a deep breath, he immediately tried to check the Auction House.
That was when.
Ding—
Hyeon-su heard his mobile phone ringing.
He was subscribed to an internet news service on his smartphone.
A single headline was displayed there.
[Breaking News. Hyeon’s Blacksmith Shop…]
“…What?”
Hyeon-su stood up from his seat.
The article contained shocking content.
A few days ago.
The world had been turned upside down.
Most of the world’s major portal sites featured this article.
[Blacksmith Hyeon hunts a demon.]
Endless breaking news followed in its wake.
Blacksmith Hyeon dominated the top real-time search terms across all major portal sites.
Korean communities were ablaze with discussion.
[Praise the legendary Hyeon!]
[Everyone, I’ve opened a fan cafe for the legendary Hyeon’s Blacksmith Shop, please join!~]
[The legendary Hyeon’s Blacksmith Shop fan cafe already has 50,000 members…wow]
And Hyeon-su had anticipated some of the reactions following the World message.
[Hunt? What hunt lol, a blacksmith hunted it?]
[Is Hyeon omnipotent? Crafting legendary artifacts one by one and also hunting demons lol. There’s no way such a user exists.]
From the start, people didn’t believe that Hyeon had actually hunted the demon.
Of course, the Expert Team, as always, offered their opinion.
[I believe you remember the Time Attack dungeon from before. The Korean representative team, composed of three geniuses who ranked 15th, achieved 1st place after Hyeon joined their team, setting an unprecedented record. At that time, the world judged it was possible because Hyeon crafted superior artifacts for them. This is the same situation. Hyeon’s artifacts enabled mysterious Strong Ones to set a record of hunting a demon.]
[What are you talking about? Lol.]
[Is there really someone who doesn’t know that?]
The Expert Team added hastily, as if they’d been caught off guard.
[What we need to focus on is this. Not long ago, hunters from around the world challenged demon hunting. They were a group composed of top-tier high rankers, numbering over ten. They were utterly annihilated—a clear demonstration of the demon’s power. However, a handful of artifacts created by Hyeon changed this entire dynamic. And there’s something else that surprises our Expert Team.]
The Expert Team uploaded screenshots of articles circulating across the globe.
[World Ranking 9th, Graham. In response to a journalist’s question, “Is there a user you’d really like to meet?” he stated he wants to meet Blacksmith Hyeon.]
[Demon Worshipper Lein. Made headlines by expressing his desire to commission Hyeon to craft a Demon Blade.]
[Corporations worldwide are reviewing advertising sponsorship proposals with Blacksmith Hyeon… It’s reported that no deals have been finalized yet…]
There was also an article that generated the most significant ripple effect.
[World Ares Selection. Blacksmith Hyeon’s name has been added to the list of the 100 most influential users of the year.]
[A remarkable achievement accomplished by a Korean for the first time.]
[It’s reported that breaking news has only just begun circulating in Korea…]
The virtual reality game Ares had changed the world.
World Ares.
Over a hundred branches exist across the globe.
And World Ares is Ares’s own independent daily newspaper, uninfluenced by the world branches.
What World Ares does is simple.
With 1.2 billion users playing the game Ares, it delivers Ares-exclusive articles to its readers.
And every year, World Ares selects the 100 most influential users in the world.
Being selected for this World Ares 100 is the dream of all users worldwide.
And today, Blacksmith Hyeon became the first Korean to be selected for World Ares.
[So, how far will Hyeon’s Blacksmith Shop’s subscriber count climb, riding on this wave of influence?]
Community users were checking it themselves in real time.
[People from around the world are pouring in!]
[Hyeon’s Blacksmith Shop, let’s go!]
[and… … There is a user selected for World Ares in Korea ㅠ]
Even before Hyeon-su checked the subscriber count, the community was ablaze.
[The subscriber count is insane, seriously lol.]
[If Hyeon crafts an artifact, I’ll do three bows and walk 10km vs. I won’t.]
[…The distance covered through three bows and walking has already reached 100km lol.]
[I’ll do it, I’ll do it 100 times, totally possible.]
[The subscriber count is absolutely crazy!]
[Isn’t that a bug? How did it climb that much?]
[Seriously, are you ignoring the World Ares 100!?]
*
*
*
Rising from his seat, Hyeon-su marveled.
[Breaking News. Hyeon’s Blacksmith Shop. Blacksmith Hyeon. Selected for World Ares, chosen as one of this year’s 100 most influential users, subscriber count skyrocketing.]
Hyeon-su couldn’t quite grasp the reality of it.
‘I’ve been selected for World Ares…?’
Suddenly, I recall my guild members grinning whenever they saw me.
‘How hard must it have been for them to keep this secret every time they looked at me.’
My heart pounds wildly in my chest.
The law of total subscriber growth.
I had thought my subscriber count would rise by 200,000 to 300,000 based on that principle.
That assumption has been completely shattered.
Hyeon’s Forge previously had 2.3 million subscribers.
Blackmoru, ranked first, had 3 million.
I logged into the Auction House.
And with trembling heart, I checked my subscriber count.
Click—!
“W-Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!”
I couldn’t help but cry out upon seeing the numbers.
The surge in subscribers was absolutely staggering.
[Hyeon’s Forge Subscriber Count: 2,796,013.]
[Current Ranking: 2nd Place Among Korea’s Blacksmith Shops.]
Nearly 500,000 new subscribers had joined.
My fists clenched tightly.
[Subscriber Gap with 1st Place Blackmoru Blacksmith Shop: 213,041.]
The position of Korea’s top-ranked blacksmith shop was now within arm’s reach.

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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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