Genius Blacksmith’s Game - Chapter 204

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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
Reunion (8)
One week before the Continental War.
Pond announced at a press conference watched by the entire world that he would participate as China’s commander.
He possessed neither Zhuge’s extraordinary tactical brilliance nor the numerical superiority that the Necromancer Wei could bring to bear.
Yet the reason he became commander was simple: he was overwhelmingly strong.
The Chinese people called Pond the Sky.
An Empire—one of only a handful that existed across the entire world.
He bore the recognition of the Sword Emperor from that place, displaying overwhelming power.
The memory of that press conference remained vivid in Pond’s mind.
Standing behind him as though it were the most natural thing in the world: Poison King Liu, Yong-wol, the Necromancer Wei, and the strategist Zhuge.
There was no tremor in his chest, no excitement he needed to conceal.
Representing China, called the second-greatest power in the world of Ares, felt entirely natural to him.
The journalists posed their questions to Pond.
“Can you capture it within ten hours?”
The question itself was flawed.
It should have been “Will you be able to capture it?” rather than “Can you capture it within ten hours?”
Yet no one found it strange, and he offered a fitting answer.
“Three hours will suffice.”
Pond was not foolish enough to display arrogance before the world.
“Do not all the indicators speak for themselves? China ranks second among the great powers of Ares, while Korea ranks around eighteenth. Moreover, with our nation’s overwhelming population advantage, we possess far more talented individuals.”
He gazed confidently at the journalists from the podium.
“Furthermore, we are one of the world’s economic superpowers. The Black Dragon Smithy, with over twenty million subscribers, is crafting Artifacts for our participants, and countless Chinese citizens are lending Artifacts to our competitors. Additionally, Zhuge, who has served as a strategist in the Kingdom, has devised brilliant strategies.”
“How will you respond to unforeseen variables?”
Pond was about to say he would respond through Zhuge’s brilliant mind, but he swallowed the words.
“…Regrettably, no variables exist.”
It was a statement that did not even regard Korea as a rival worth considering.
The press conference garnered tens of millions of views.
Yet neither the Chinese nor other people around the world left comments saying it was too arrogant, or asking what if Korea managed to stop them.
All the indicators proved exactly what Pond had said.
The World Cup? This was different.
That victory had come because Korea’s team happened to be in exceptional form while their opponents were in poor condition—a completely different story.
Every indicator was overwhelmingly in China’s favor, and the average level of their Users was far higher.
Yet what unfolded before their eyes.
In the moment Hyeon-su’s single sword strike swept past Liu and himself, a panorama of memories flashed in an instant.
The deaths of nearly a hundred Summoners, including the Necromancer Wei.
Hyeon’s Forge Artifacts deployed against Blacksmith Wang Gang.
Guild members from Hyeon’s Forge who had slaughtered dozens.
Yong-wol, Assassins, and ranged dealers.
And the complete annihilation of the Poison King’s Hydra and close-combat Users.
I had dismissed it as stubbornness and recklessness.
Even with only Liu and myself remaining, I thought things had worked out for the better.
Since I was China’s sky, I believed I had created a situation worthy of even greater applause for Hyeon.
The world would cheer because I had stopped Hyeon, who threatened China.
The panorama ends, and reality crashes down.
Pond turned to look at Liu standing beside him.
‘This… what is this…’
The Poison King Liu’s defense and total HP were low for his level.
To compensate for the massive mana consumption required to use poison, he had allocated stats and equipped armor differently from ordinary close-combat Users.
But one thing had to be remembered: Poison King Liu was the 19th-ranked User in the world.
And yet Liu was…
-Won kiiiiiiill!!!
-Something impossible is happening right before our eyes.
-Hyeon is writing another highlight moment!
Scattering apart with a single blow.
And Pond gasped as he saw the damage he had taken.
[You have taken 585,419 damage.]
It was damage in the 500,000 range.
Like Liu being sliced and scattered, Pond had taken massive damage.
[Your HP has dropped below 11%.]
Nearly 90% of his HP had vanished in a single strike.
[Status Abnormality: Severe Impact applied.]
[Status Abnormality: Fear applied.]
[Status Abnormality: Critical Injury applied.]
[Status Abnormality: …]
Pond had never seen so many status abnormality notifications appear at once.
Even when fighting named monsters, his HP had never been stripped away by 90% in a single hit.
Stagger—
Now, even if Pond wanted to move, movement itself was impossible.
He could see it as Hyeon walked toward him.
That statement I made at my press conference.
That statement would bring Hyeon unimaginable glory in return!
Yet Pond spoke in a low voice.
“No matter how extraordinary the Twin Dragon Sword is, to reveal all your power like this before the entire world? Pfft.”
It was Pond’s last desperate jab. But it was also a fatal point.
Since everything the Twin Dragon Sword possessed had been exposed to the entire world, countless countermeasures would emerge.
Being known to the public was something truly terrifying.
“Well.”
Yet Hyeon-su smiled meaningfully.
One fact that Pond and the entire world didn’t know: I was the holder of Divine Custom Repair.
Through the Recreation of the Divine Custom Repair, the Twin Dragon Sword could be imbued with new power.
This offensive Twin Dragon Sword was perfect, yet imperfect.
Crafted during the Continental War, it possessed forces befitting that very circumstance.
But I said nothing more.
To those who believed they had discovered my weakness, it would become a formidable variable.
Hyeon-su cut down Pond without hesitation.
Crash—
And it appeared before the eyes of all viewers.
[The Continental War has concluded.]
[Total defense time: 10 hours, 32 minutes, 11 seconds.]
[All Chinese Users have been annihilated.]
[Korea victorious.]
Shock.
A tremendous shock struck the entire world.
-Even China’s sky has collapsed.
-On the Ares play betting site, Korea’s win rate never reached even 5%.
-It’s no different from saying that over 95% of global bettors predicted Korea’s defeat.
-Chinese viewers are in shock, while Korean viewers are screaming and running about!
Korea was turned upside down.
The Beer House where Hyeon-su’s friend Ji-hoon was.
“Wooooooo!”
“Waaaaaah!”
“Long live Blacksmith Hyeon!”
“Long live, long live!”
They embraced each other at the sight of “Korea Victory” on the scoreboard and danced, while Ji-hoon, Hyeon-su’s friend among them, wept and cried out “Hyeon-su!” as he leaped about.
And Kim Hye-suk, who was watching TV with her husband Park Bong-sik, embraced him and danced.
“Our Hyeon-su did it!”
“Ah, I knew he’d make it big!”
They rejoiced as if it were their own achievement, while their son Park Hae-su watched the TV in disbelief.
“What, it’s like he scored six consecutive goals and turned it around…?”
But soon he felt it in his bones and shouted “Wooooooh, long live the Republic of Korea!”
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
Hyeon’s Forge.
Nel, arms crossed, smiling.
When she left the Golden Shield Guild, she had heard from its Master Rune that it would be difficult to nurture another guild.
And at Hyeon’s Forge.
They too, each with their own reasons, had circled around and ultimately shared the goal of making Hyeon-su king—and now they cheered with fervent passion.
And in another place.
Inside the Hospital.
The hospital director, doctors, Jin-seop, nurse Ji-hye, and Ho-seok watched the screen in disbelief.
They were witnessing both the depths of Hyeon-su’s despair and the pinnacle of his emergence unfold before their eyes.
A young man who had wept and pleaded to save his father when they first met, whose shoulders had sagged under the weight of hospital bills—this was what he had accomplished.
Doctor Jin-seop rushed swiftly to a certain hospital room.
A VVIP Hospital Room.
The television was on. Jin-seop had learned that Hyeon-tae had been listening to it all this time.
Looking at him lying there with a peaceful expression, he spoke.
“You have a truly remarkable son.”
Before leaving, Jin-seop could have sworn he saw a subtle smile playing at the corners of Hyeon-tae’s mouth.
“Waaaaaaaaah!”
AJ Internet Broadcasting Station.
PD Kim gazed out from the building. Countless people were cheering and running about outside.
Ares—the game played by one-third of the world’s population.
No, even those who didn’t play Ares must have watched the Continental War today.
Not quite like the 2002 World Cup, but with equally fervent passion, people shouted “Long live Korea” and “Long live Hyeon” in succession.
PD Kim looked up at the electronic billboard on the tall building.
-Breaking News: Blacksmith Hyeon leads Korea to victory.
-Korea in festival atmosphere.
Above the caption, Hyeon’s magnificent figure appeared on screen.
PD Kim asked the news director beside him with trembling anticipation.
“What’s the highest viewership percentage?”
The viewership rating for the Continental War broadcast worldwide.
The ratings had continued to climb. The miracles Hyeon created kept drawing people in, again and again.
“40.1 percent.”
A record-breaking viewership. It meant that forty percent of viewers worldwide were watching Hyeon.
Soon, watching dozens of screens, PD Kim knew the most crucial task still lay ahead.
At the site where the Continental War was unfolding.
There, Lee Se-jin, the CEO of Pureum Corporation—the world’s number one company by market cap—had appeared.
*
*
*
Lee Se-jin, CEO of Pureum Corporation, couldn’t quite process what was happening.
He recalled when the user Hyeon-su first triggered an alert for something nonsensical that defied his level, becoming the first in the world to destroy the Wooden Dummy.
He had thought then that this was a user of remarkable power, but he never dreamed he would reach this level in just one year.
Light materialized, and a podium appeared before Se-jin.
Standing on the podium, Se-jin could see Hyeon-su walking toward him.
The wounds covering Hyeon-su, enveloped in light, were healing cleanly as if being washed away.
‘Is this the first time I’m seeing him this close?’
Se-jin thought that the real thing was far more impressive.
Hyeon-su, who had come before him, could see Se-jin’s gaze sweeping across the surroundings.
An action that once again reminded him that there were no other survivors besides Hyeon-su.
And Hyeon-su felt his heart racing.
‘It’s burning….’
Even though he had known it beforehand, hearing it directly and merely anticipating it were entirely different things.
Lee Se-jin brought the microphone to his lips and began to speak.
There were no trivial pleasantries.
“I believe Korea, China, and the rest of the world would all acknowledge it.”
Lee Se-jin, wearing a small smile, soon met Hyeon-su’s gaze.
Lee Se-jin, the representative.
He was not a man to elevate others carelessly.
Moreover, because he was Korean, any misspoken words would have far greater repercussions.
Yet Lee Se-jin was now certain of something that the entire world would empathize with and could not object to.
A viewership rating of 40.1%. Before the entire world still watching their televisions, he made his declaration.
“You are the true MVP.”
[You have been selected as the MVP of the Continental War.]
And there was a reward that neither Hyeon-su nor the viewers knew about.
[You have acquired the title: MVP.]
The truth was that MVP was not merely a name given, but a title.
Moreover, the MVP title alone would grant Hyeon-su something so vast it defied common sense.
But in this moment, Hyeon-su was cheering passionately for something else.
[As an MVP reward, you may receive 1,000,000,000 won.]
One billion won in Korean currency.
While this was also very important to Hyeon-su, something else was more urgent.
[As an Ares reward, you may choose one of three options.]
[1. A top-tier legendary Artifact of your desired type.]
[2. A top-tier legendary skill of your desired type.]
[3. New-grade Ore and Crafting materials.]
There was no deviation.
Hyeon-su already knew.
‘I choose the third reward.’
[You have selected new-grade Ore and Crafting materials.]
Hyeon-su was curious.
‘The first transcendent-grade materials…!’
What kind of power would this transcendent grade possess?

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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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