Genius Blacksmith’s Game - Chapter 188

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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
Sword Master Lysen (3)
Barad had imparted the Sword King’s swordsmanship to Hyeon-su.
He had emphasized it clearly.
‘Remember this—appearance matters too.’
Now it mattered even more.
Without Sword Master Lysen and those who would become the future heads of the great families, Hyeon-su could never become king.
Moreover, because the Sword King moved driven by fate, I wished to see it.
Sword Master Lysen.
At first, he had come to test me and knock me down instead.
But now it was a test of whether I could entrust my back to him in the future.
Lysen, who had been watching Hyeon-su with wavering eyes, gripped his sword and looked at him again.
“….”
In that instant, one figure flashed through his mind.
It was the image of His Majesty Barad, sword extended, looking down upon him.
Crack—
Lysen gripped his sword with all his might.
“That’s right, the duel isn’t over yet!”
As Lysen pushed off the ground, he thought to himself:
A fox plays master in a tiger’s den, or so the saying goes.
To him, Hyeon-su was that fox.
Roooaarrr—!
He charged forward ferociously, never doubting that he was the tiger.
Yet every strike from that tiger’s blade was being blocked.
‘How, how, how is this—!’
What he could not accept was that he was overwhelming Hyeon-su in every aspect right now.
Strength, speed, stamina—all of it.
Yet in the skill that mattered most for the heir to the Sword King’s Kingdom’s throne, he was falling short.
Thud—
Hyeon-su blocked his strike with minimal movement and struck Lysen’s shoulder with his palm.
Stumble—
As Lysen staggered backward, Hyeon-su pursued him.
Lysen panicked as he tried to swing his sword.
Hyeon-su’s hand pressed down on the back of his sword hand.
“As I said, you can win by preventing the sword from being drawn.”
His left hand, which had pinned the sword immobile, struck three times in rapid succession.
Tap-tap-tap—
He lashed Lysen’s upper body repeatedly.
“Ugh….”
Lysen’s eyes widened as a shallow groan escaped him.
NPCs perpetually chase after greater power.
Thus, they inevitably pursue whatever strength they can find.
Lysen had long pursued something specific.
He had intended to reveal that power when he became king.
But here, he reveals it now.
It was a fragment of an ancient legendary power discovered in a distant cave.
“Taesan.”
He knew this power would allow him to momentarily reach the Sword King.
A blue aura ripples from Sword Master Lysen.
His eyes flash brilliant blue for an instant.
[All magical power surges forth, maximizing the aura.]
Hyeon-su was astonished.
[Sword Master Lysen grows temporarily stronger.]
[Sword Master Lysen Lv.425]
Lysen’s level had always been exceptionally high.
Moreover, those with higher levels display power that defies common sense far more dramatically than those whose levels rose incrementally.
“You have received His Majesty’s teachings admirably.”
Lysen appeared before Hyeon-su in an instant, his lips curling into a smile.
“I too wish to impart a small lesson to you, Count Hyeon-su.”
And the strength of Lysen’s Swordsmanship lay in spatial manipulation.
Designating a space with his eyes, Lysen unleashes transcendent power within that domain.
Finally, Lysen designates that space.
To Hyeon-su, a User, that space appeared like a Barrier erected upon the ground he stood.
Every muscle in Lysen’s body swells.
The swollen muscles resemble an overloaded machine.
They creak and groan under the strain.
But his Taesan allows him to ignore it.
Transcendent skill combined with overwhelming strength and spatial dominion—all of it crashed into Hyeon-su.
Boom—
[HP drops below 28%.]
Hyeon-su was shocked.
The damage he inflicted suddenly increased by 50%.
Moreover, despite his swollen muscles, his speed doubled.
‘And he combined it all with pure skill!’
Lysen’s movements transcend the Sword King’s.
Hyeon-su attempted to escape the space Lysen had created.
But he could not escape.
‘This is incredible.’
Within this space, Lysen truly wields power equal to the Sword King.
Screeeech—!
Six times.
The number of times Hyeon-su was slashed in an instant.
Yet something was strange.
“Wow, that’s incredible….”
“Is that the power of the Second Family Head!?”
Hyeon-su’s chest burned hot instead.
It stemmed from greed and anticipation.
Perhaps one day I could keep such a person by my side.
And that anticipation arose from how much power I possessed could be unleashed against him.
Inferno was a calamity created for those like Lysen.
Since the world overflowed with Strong Ones like Lysen, I had created it for myself, still far too weak.
Lysen’s blade that dominates space.
That tremendous swift strike extended toward Hyeon-su’s solar plexus.
[HP drops below 16%.]
“This has been enjoyable.”
In that moment, Hyeon-su finally unleashed that power.
Though it felt awkward, I did not forget the Sword King’s teaching that appearances too held importance.
“Ignite.”
[Inferno]
[A small spark ignites.]
Inferno is but a small spark.
So small it poses no threat—merely trivial warmth.
Yet no one could ignore it.
Because this spark would cling to surroundings and become a massive conflagration, burning with the greatest intensity.
Clang—!
With overwhelming speed, I parried the blade aimed at my solar plexus upward.
Lysen’s eyes widened.
As sword met sword, sparks bloomed into view.
Those sparks immediately became a raging inferno erupting from Hyeon-su’s body.
[All stats increase by 20%.]
[All skill levels increase by 2.]
[HP decreases while Inferno is active.]
[The small spark engulfs the world.]
Roooar—
A flame-like aura blooming from Hyeon-su’s body.
Though it burned fiercely, it was not actually hot.
Yet endless crimson flames flowed from his form.
Clang-clang-clang-clang—!
The exchange between the two continued.
Child struggled to follow the two with his eyes.
‘Is this the clash between one destined to become king and one who pursues that throne…!?’
The azure aura and the ferociously blazing flames collide.
They move too swiftly—only the sparks of clashing blades are visible.
Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang—
And Lysen felt it.
‘How…!’
The space I command is crumbling.
[Hyeon-su Lv.369]
Moreover, the flames’ advantage lay in elevating all Passive Skills by 2~3 levels.
That included the “Cuts Anything” ability possessed by the Calamity Gauntlet.
In an instant, Hyeon-su’s blade burned even more crimson.
[Cuts Anything]
[Instantaneously increases cutting power by 5.5 times.]
Screeeech—
Lysen gasped in horror as his blade collided with Hyeon-su’s.
The moment their swords met, half of his blade was severed.
Fortunately, with a swift reaction, he withdrew his sword before it was completely cut through.
With his half-severed blade, he struck at Hyeon-su.
Whoosh—
Hyeon-su’s HP plummeted from the flame damage and accumulated injuries.
Yet Hyeon-su possessed the Ore Astenium.
His HP refilled, while Lysen, who had struck Hyeon-su, was bewildered.
Clang—
From the impact of the strike, his blade finally shattered.
Yet still, Lysen attempted to press forward.
However.
Boom—
The moment his blade collided, the space he commanded completely collapsed.
Lysen understood.
This was the final move.
‘Since this is the final move, I will give everything…!’
Lysen had suffered tremendous damage, and his blade was reduced to half.
Hyeon-su overwhelmed him with explosive power, yet his remaining HP was critically low.
Lysen’s blood burned hot within him.
An immense competitive spirit ignited.
A burning determination to defeat him by any means!
Whoosh—
It was nearly simultaneous.
Lysen advanced with his half-severed blade, while Hyeon-su charged with his body blazing like flame itself.
Witnessing this, Child, who would succeed Sword Master Lysen, shook his head.
‘…Count Hyeon-su won.’
He felt a pang of regret. Not for Sword Master Lysen.
It was for Hyeon-su that he felt sorry.
Lysen was one of the second-generation family heads and the most renowned among them.
By defeating him now, Hyeon-su would gain fame, but Lysen’s shoulders would shrink in stature.
Moreover, the elderly family head who had believed himself to be the greatest would not accept his inevitable defeat gracefully.
Of course, there were those who might, but the Lysen that Child knew was not one of them.
But then.
Child was startled.
An explosive force surged through Lysen’s Sword, extending toward Hyeon-su’s chest.
His conviction that Hyeon-su would win crumbled in an instant.
‘No….’
Child’s pupils dilated.
Having poured all his strength into it, Lysen’s Sword might have killed Hyeon-su.
Lysen, who had momentarily lost his reason, had channeled everything into the tip of his broken Sword.
But then another unexpected turn unfolded.
By pressing harder against the ground with his feet, Hyeon-su succeeded in piercing Lysen before the Sword Master’s blade could pierce him.
“Ugh!”
Lysen, his shoulder pierced where he gripped the Sword, released the blade that carried murderous intent.
And he realized the truth—that moments ago, he had lost his reason and nearly killed the heir to the throne.
‘…How could I have lost myself and nearly struck down the king’s successor.’
A grave mistake.
The greatest error of his entire life.
Even if Hyeon-su were to snarl at him now, he would have nothing to say.
In a fair duel, he had tried to kill him.
So Lysen expected him to twist his lips in mockery.
But Hyeon-su’s response was different.
“Truly, you are Sword Master Lysen. This has been an invaluable lesson.”
“….”
Lysen quickly understood why he had given such a response.
Clap clap clap clap clap clap—!
“Magnificent!!!!!”
“Woooow!”
Only he, Hyeon-su, and Child knew the truth of what had transpired, and Hyeon-su was choosing to conceal it.
“The duel between Sword Master Lysen and Count Hyeon-su was truly extraordinary!”
“As expected of Family Head Lysen!”
“We learned so much from Count Hyeon-su as well!”
And then Lysen finally understood.
For him, victory and defeat had mattered, but for this man ahead of him, they did not.
For in this moment, he had already earned the recognition of the future family heads.
And he was even covering up his own mistakes.
*
*
*
‘The most important thing is to embrace. Embrace in your own way.’
This was the most memorable lesson from Barad’s teachings that stayed with me.
After receiving treatment, I met with Sword Master Lysen again.
Sword Master Lysen subtly tried to probe into the reason for my actions.
“Why aren’t you saying anything?
I was firm.
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
His mouth just kept opening and closing.
Sword Master Lysen, watching the still-excited clan members alongside me, spoke.
“That was an excellent match.”
Sword Master Lysen’s voice was gentle.
“And I learned quite a lot from it as well.”
And once more.
“And quite a bit….”
I nearly bristled at the word “quite a bit.”
It was the kind of word someone above you uses when evaluating others.
But that wasn’t his intention.
“I’m an old man whose heart is easily swayed, so I’ll simply observe.”
“….”
I turned to face him.
It was a pretext.
That he could become my ally at any moment. But also that he could become my enemy at any moment.
The power that carried was immense.
“Then you must show me.”
Whether I was someone the Sword Master could add his strength to.
I had merely created a small possibility.
But I knew that even this possibility alone was tremendous.
“…I see. I’ll have to make quite an impression then. And please, speak freely.”
Sword Master Lysen was an elder of the realm whom even Barad showed respect to.
“I shall.”
And this meant that Sword Master Lysen and I had grown slightly closer.
Also.
“Since your sword broke, you should purchase one from our Blacksmith Shop. We have many excellent swords. I’ll give you a good price.”
“Really?”
Sword Master Lysen turned to me like a child, his eyes bright.
He was well aware of the exceptional quality of swords from Balas Territory, and in truth, he had wanted to obtain one from this place.
And Hyeon-su also spoke to those who would become future heads of their families.
He told them to buy fine swords at fair prices.
Three hours later.
Lysen and the future family heads departed from Balas Territory, cradling quality weapons in their arms.
The group traveling by carriage exchanged words among themselves.
“That was truly a magnificent duel.”
“Both of them were incredible.”
“Sword Master Lysen was absolutely extraordinary!”
They had failed to perceive the true nature of what transpired.
Yet one person was sufficient to understand the essence.
Child, the young heir of the great family that would lead them all, spoke.
“You didn’t sense it, but Sword Master Lysen nearly killed Count Hyeon-su.”
It was a shocking revelation.
And once again, they marveled at his words.
Child, their leader and the future Sword King, spoke.
“We have gained a new sun.”
Everyone departing gazed upon the weapons they held and smiled.
Each one was extraordinarily magnificent.
‘Hehehehe.’
‘To acquire these at fair prices.’
‘Hehe, with just this blade…’
Hyeon-su, standing atop the castle wall, watched them depart with a contented smile.
Meanwhile.
“….”
Per, who had also sold quality artifacts in Balas Territory, observed the Lord standing upon the castle wall.
‘The Lord said he would give fine swords at fair prices!’
‘Oh, oh yes…!’
‘Which blade is the finest!’
The excited faces of those buyers flashed through his mind.
And the Lord had quietly approached and instructed him to receive twenty percent higher prices.
Blacksmith Per could clearly see the Lord’s lips curling into a subtle grin.
Indeed.
He had said fair prices—never cheap ones.

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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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