Genius Blacksmith’s Game - Chapter 182

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

The Genius Blacksmith’s Game
Royal Command (3)
“In ten minutes, we’ll breach the Barrier and advance.”
The Goyard Royal Palace was not sitting idle.
583 people.
The number of talented survivors after thirty had fallen.
Barad moved toward the Barrier. All he needed was ten minutes to pass.
Yet Barad harbored doubts.
‘Can we endure during that time?’
Watching the fierce battle unfold, Barad reached the most dispassionate conclusion.
Within the bounds of his reason, the most pragmatic judgment was for Hyeon-su to withdraw.
‘Those who can live must live.’
If there existed a way to survive, that was the right course.
A cruel judgment, yet one befitting a king.
And with this thought came another.
‘Hyeon-su.’
Before the Kingdom’s crisis, Barad felt it keenly.
‘I have grown old.’
Though he called it a dispassionate judgment, his concern for his friend had colored his words.
The younger Barad would never have spoken thus.
What saddened Barad was this.
‘You still have such a long road ahead.’
And to Barad’s words, Hyeon-su replied.
“We have won.”
Barad’s chest burned with heat.
He knew his friend was not one to speak from arrogance.
‘Did you see something I could not?’
And furthermore.
‘Are you accomplishing what I could not?’
He was drawing ever closer.
It was beyond imagination.
Gulp—
Barad swallowed hard.
If that truly came to pass, what would unfold?
Contribution points.
They were being applied to Hyeon-su.
No—the moment the Kingdom’s message activated, they applied to all citizens.
Beyond such trivial rewards, what if he truly slew Helenya?
‘The hero who saved the nation, Hyeon-su, has delivered us!’
‘A new age dawns before us!’
‘A hero has emerged!’
The people would clamor.
‘Ahhh~ A new one walking the path of kings~.’
The bards would sing.
I’m curious what reaction Marquis Constantino and the talented ones inside will show.
Moreover.
‘What must I do for you?’
Even thinking about it feels overwhelming.
What could I possibly give to a hero who saved the nation?
*
*
*
Helenya’s spine tingled with dread.
[The legend of the Divine Archer is being written.]
A single archer targeting her.
Blood streaming from his eyes, ears, and nose, yet he remained unbroken.
-It’s Ian.
-An enormous power emanates from Ian!
The commentators burst forth with gasps and exclamations, their excitement mounting.
-Oof?
-Ian was hiding his strength!
1.8 million.
No, it was different now.
As the battle escalated toward its crescendo, more viewers flooded in to witness it.
[Current viewers: 2,031,011.]
Before the eyes of the entire world, cold sweat dripped down Helenya’s back.
Helenya had believed that only Legendary Grade beings could kill her in this place.
No Legendary Grade existed here.
No one could match me.
Yet, she felt the power of legend.
‘This… this can’t be real…’
Was that archer the Divine Archer’s legend?
In that moment, Helenya understood.
‘That single shot—that alone is legend.’
Helenya grew desperate. Her spear shaft was being held by Hyeon-su.
She launched herself upward, forgetting even to retrieve it.
Whoosh—
In that instant, an arrow was loosed.
Then Hyeon-su spoke.
“My friend’s arrows never miss.”
Ian possessed numerous archer skills that Hyeon-su did not have.
A power that temporarily granted him the strength of a single turtle ship.
The reason this power was applied to Ian became clear.
The fired arrow twisted its trajectory and flew toward Helenya.
It moved at a speed Helenya could not react to.
An instinctive defensive skill activated within her.
[Queen’s Resilience]
[Defense increases by 50% compared to normal.]
Helenya’s defense already reached approximately three times that of those at her level.
With this, she became even more fortified.
And yet.
Whoooosh—
Crash!—
Helenya’s eyes rolled back from the direct impact of the arrow.
This was beyond what could be called pain.
Her body was literally being pierced through.
Rumble, rumble, rumble—
The arrow, spinning with ferocious force, sent Helenya flying.
Boom!—
Helenya crashed into the fortress wall and burrowed straight through it.
Crunch, crunch, crunch—
Buried within the wall, Helenya could not regain her senses.
[You have dealt 138,031 damage.]
[Helenya’s HP has dropped below 10%.]
In that moment, Helenya had one thought.
‘I must escape….’
This was truly a critical moment.
With the defense she possessed, she could still flee.
She pulled herself out from within the wall.
Then she spread her wings and soared into the sky.
The open sky above Baldrom Fortress, constructed like a massive colosseum.
She laughed, overcome with relief at having reached the barrier alive.
Then.
[Retrieve]
The space where she had been changed.
Her face, mere moments from crossing the barrier, contorted in bewilderment.
In her gaze toward the sky, a figure appeared.
Hyeon-su planted his weight on his back leg and pulled the Twin Dragon Sword with all his might.
For Helenya, time seemed to have stopped.
Such is the nature of mortals.
People naturally refuse to pass the ball to others and instead covet the method to win by their own hand.
“H-how is this possible…?”
The trembling in her voice revealed just how overwhelmed she was.
“I know only myself.”
The words resonated through the Twin Dragon Sword.
In legend, the hero who saved the nation was not created by a single person.
There were countless things that supported him.
“I knew I would lose.”
[Know your enemy and know yourself.]
“My comrades knew strength.”
[Undefeated in a hundred battles.]
“Your pathetic blade cannot cut me!”
Again, Helenya attempted to soar into the air.
She would only endure a single sword strike before escaping.
But I would be faster.
Hyeon-su thrust the Twin Dragon Sword forward with all his might.
Skreeeeeee—!
Helenya’s expression twisted in shock.
Until moments ago, the sound she heard was a metallic clang.
Her superior carapace had been protecting her.
Then Helenya glanced downward.
Her thick carapace, struck by the arrow, was already shattered.
Her face drained of all color.
‘His arrow disabled me, and his blade cut me down?’
Shhhhk—
Helenya was bisected horizontally.
Watching Helenya scatter, Hyeon-su’s heart raced wildly.
His heartbeat was more violent than ever before.
As mentioned, Hyeon’s Forge tomorrow would be different from today.
I wondered what I would gain through this process.
And there was one more thing that made my heart race.
The Warlord’s Coat.
The Calamity Pendant.
These two Artifacts bound by calamity were set Artifacts.
When set Artifacts are equipped together, they grant additional + effects.
Moreover, I desperately hoped.
‘Please, please, please…’
There was one Artifact I desperately needed.
At last, the message came.
[You have vanquished the First Calamity, Helenya.]
[You have defeated three Calamities.]
[A special event unfolds.]
Hyeon-su’s expression turned puzzled.
‘A special event?’
[It is unprecedented for three Calamities to be slain by a single individual.]
[The Calamity Sect targets you.]
[Yet the Ares Church protects you.]
[For hunting the First Calamity, you receive double experience and artifact drop rates.]
‘…!?’
An unexpected windfall.
[You obtain 2,010,010 experience points.]
[Level up.]
[Level up.]
[Level up…]
My level skyrocketed to 339 in an instant.
Six levels gained in total.
[You obtain 431,689 Gold.]
The Gold from hunting a single monster amounted to four hundred million won.
And finally, the notification I had been waiting for appeared.
[You obtain Calamity’s Armor.]
“…!”
Armor was precisely what I needed and had been anticipating.
I had worn the Mad Warlord’s Armor for a long time.
The Mad Warlord’s Armor was a Rare-grade Artifact.
Essentially, it was something I had obtained in the Beginner Zone.
The reason I continued wearing it despite this was because it possessed the special skills of Damage Reflection and Damage Reduction.
However, its defense was woefully inadequate for my current level.
‘If all else failed, I considered crafting one myself….’
Since I hadn’t obtained suitable materials to forge armor, I had simply kept it.
Moreover, the Calamity’s Coat and Calamity’s Necklace were Unique grade.
But this was different.
[It is Legendary Grade.]
Furthermore, Calamity artifacts typically inherit the power their wielders possessed.
Calamity’s Armor was a leather armor forged from dark metal.
I verified it at once.
(Calamity’s Armor)
Grade: Legendary
Durability: Infinite
Defense: 589
Requirement: Level 300 or higher
Special Ability:
·All stats increased by 2%.
·Physical defense and magical defense increased by 35%.
·Passive Skill defense tripled.
·All effects increased by 5% when equipping an additional Calamity Artifact.
Description: This is the Calamity Armor worn by the First Calamity. Just as her defense was absurdly high, the armor she wore followed the same principle.
Hyeon-su was astonished.
‘Insane….’
The defense of the Calamity Armor was utterly broken.
A typical Unique-grade armor had around 300 defense.
Yet this one reached 589—nearly double.
Moreover, the Passive Skill triple defense activated at a 10% chance, making him nearly as durable as Helenya.
I should equip it immediately.
[Set effect applied. All effects increased by 5%.]
The characteristic of Calamity Artifacts was that each one obtained granted an additional 5% effect boost.
Then, suddenly, something occurred to me.
‘The foundation of set artifacts is three pieces.’
When I possessed all three, I could obtain the set effect as indicated.
However, occasionally there were cases where four pieces of such set artifacts were obtained.
The probability was one in a thousand set items.
The reason such cases were difficult.
It was hard for a single set to contain so many pieces.
Armor.
Boots.
Helmet.
Necklace and so on.
It was rare for such items to harmonize and form a set of three or more pieces.
‘But I’ve heard that when there are three or more pieces, tremendous rewards are granted.’
As I entertained this thought, I gazed at Helenya, who was completely scattered.
Suddenly, something flashed through my mind.
My heart raced once more.
‘Could it be…?’
[Helenya has consumed the Second Calamity, Rogal.]
What this signified.
[Calamity Gauntlet obtained.]
[The Third Calamity, Ran, does not possess a Calamity Artifact.]
The reason the Third Calamity did not possess a Calamity Artifact.
The Third Calamity, Ran, was uniquely a User.
In other words.
[You have collected all Calamity Artifacts that exist on the Asgan Continent.]
[All set effects improve by an additional 6%.]
The Second Calamity was the embodiment of the strongest humanoid Named NPCs on the Korean server.
[Something extraordinary unfolds.]
The final notification left Hyeon-su in awe.
[You can create your own Calamity.]

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