Genius Blacksmith’s Game - Chapter 206

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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 (10)
Ares is, ultimately, a game.
Upon crafting two Twin Dragon Swords of transcendent grade, I became certain of one thing.
Without the Narrative Stone, the Twin Dragon Swords would have emerged as either Unique or the closest thing to a Legendary Artifact.
‘It might not have even reached that level.’
In the game of Ares, superior materials serve as the foundation for crafting even more magnificent Artifacts.
Of course, exceptional Ore alone does not guarantee success.
The proper proportions are essential.
I possess skill; other Blacksmiths must have superior techniques and Blacksmithing stat bonuses to match.
In other words, creating a magnificent Artifact requires the synthesis of multiple elements.
Though my skill was unparalleled, my ability to acquire materials fell woefully short of supporting that mastery.
Moreover, the finest crafting materials themselves were extraordinarily rare and difficult to obtain.
Yet I had unexpectedly acquired a skill.
[Legendary Skill. You have acquired Gathering.]
Gathering.
Hearing the name alone, one might perceive it as merely obtaining something.
‘But this is undoubtedly the supreme skill that will completely compensate for my shortcomings.’
I exhaled endless exclamations of wonder.
Uncertain whether this was a dream or reality, I verified the Gathering skill once more.
(Gathering)
Grade: Legendary
Level: 1
Penalty: None
Mana Cost: None
Effect:
·Applies to both common and named monsters.
·Applies only to monsters you contributed to hunting.
·You can gather Blacksmithing crafting materials from monsters capable of being gathered.
·Gathering succeeds at a 3% rate.
·For named monsters, the gathering rate increases, and you can obtain materials of significantly higher grades.
·Targets with confirmed gatherable materials emit a black radiance.
·You can glimpse the materials obtainable from targets emitting black radiance.
It was a skill that warranted the word “insane” repeatedly.
‘A Blacksmith draws upon countless gifts of nature as materials.’
Multiple examples come to mind.
Ents, tree-type monsters, are said to inhabit the Elf Forest.
Should I hunt these Ents, which boast formidable durability and exceptional defense, I might obtain Ent wood at a low probability.
Another example: the Ash Wolf I had hunted before.
The Ash Wolf is an extraordinarily powerful named monster.
Though his level was low, he was an existence that no other User at that level could hunt.
From such a creature, I could obtain exceptional materials like the hide of an ash-grey wolf.
Entertaining such thoughts, Hyeon-su’s eyes widened in astonishment.
‘This is absolutely insane….’
In Ares, defeating monsters yields Crafting materials.
But the revelation wasn’t merely the common materials everyone could obtain—it was the possibility of acquiring entirely different materials.
And according to the skill description, Named Monsters dropped higher-grade materials.
‘If it’s a Legendary Monster, then I obtain Legendary-grade materials?’
Of course, it wasn’t a guaranteed drop, but the possibility existed.
A single image crystallized in my mind.
It was a Dragon.
In this Ares, most Crafting materials could be obtained through Quests.
But what if I hunted a Dragon?
Moreover, according to the text above, for targets with confirmed harvestable materials, it displays what materials could be obtained.
For example, like this.
[You can obtain Dragon Scales.]
[You can obtain Dragon Fangs.]
Hyeon-su finally understood.
The power this skill possessed was comparable to Custom Crafting and Emergency Crafting granted by the god of Blacksmithing.
First, through hunting alone, I could independently secure material supplies.
Second, I could obtain new materials that other Blacksmiths couldn’t acquire.
Of course, this skill’s rank was Legendary.
But the condition written on this skill.
‘I only obtain it if I contributed to the hunt.’
Other Blacksmiths couldn’t easily utilize this power.
Blacksmiths were weak, and the probability of hunting Named Monsters was extremely low.
But Hyeon-su was a strong Blacksmith.
Therefore, unlike other Blacksmiths, I could possess power rivaling the Divine rank.
Crunch—
Hyeon-su’s fist clenched.
The fantasy that Hyeon-su, a Blacksmith in Reality, had dreamed of could now become reality.
Crafting with materials dropped by demons or Dragons!
Others could only hope such things would drop.
‘Not me.’
Hyeon-su harbored grand ambitions.
Someday, hunting a Dragon and crafting Dragon armor or spears from its scales and fangs—such was my imagination.
‘Dragon Spear, Dragon Armor, Dragon Blade even. Hah….’
But soon, harsh reality blocked the path.
The public had wondered if Dragons actually existed in this game called Ares, and Lee Se-jin had addressed it.
‘They do exist. However, it will take quite a long time for Users to reach the level required to raid Dragons. I estimate it will take at least five years or more.’
This announcement was recent.
Users speculated.
‘The dragon must be level 800 or higher.’
That dream could only be realized in the very distant future.
‘I should get some sleep and go meet my father.’
So I decided to set aside this grand ambition for now.
Moreover, even without the dragon immediately, the materials I could obtain with this skill were infinite.
Hyeon-su had Logged out for my sake.
And I didn’t know it then.
The dragon was level 800 or higher, but a degraded version of the dragon existed in Ares.
*
*
*
The moment Hyeon-su fell into deep sleep.
The entire world was still ablaze.
As the year drew to a close, World Ares, which published only the daily newspaper of Ares, released an article.
-Master Craftsman Hyeon. Rises to the position of the One User.
-The throne changes hands.
It was like pouring hot oil onto an already scorching world.
Four years had passed since Ares opened.
That position, which Bahala had held unshakably for three years, had changed.
Furthermore, Ares’s selection of the One User literally meant that he had wielded the greatest influence in Ares this year.
World Ares immediately held a press conference.
Vice Director Hannah, standing at the podium, spoke before hundreds of cameras.
“The simplest indicator for selecting the most influential users is the World Message.”
The World Message.
An exclusive privilege that only users recognized by the system could trigger.
Ordinary users could never trigger a World Message in their lifetime.
“Hyeon triggered three World Messages over the past year. First, Crafting a Legend Beyond Legend. Second, Demon Hunting. Third, Crafting the first Transcendent Artifact and the message of rising to the first Legend.”
Hannah’s statement allowed everyone to reflect on the achievements Hyeon-su had built over the past year.
At this moment, a Chinese journalist spoke.
“I believe you’re aware that Bahala triggered a total of four World Messages this year.”
Hannah nodded.
“Of course.”
“I find it unbelievable that Hyeon, with only three, surpassed Bahala.”
Another Chinese journalist agreed.
“I also think the credibility is lacking. I suspect this result came about because Vice Director Hannah is Korean like Hyeon.”
It was a rude question.
But Hannah remained composed and spoke in a proud voice.
“While the actual World Messages were three, we’re counting them as four. By crafting the first Transcendent, he became the first Legend. It’s one instance but two World Message-level achievements, so instead of triggering simultaneously, they were compressed into one.”
The Chinese journalists still weren’t convinced.
“Isn’t it true that World Messages are more likely to trigger at lower levels? Surely you acknowledge this, Deputy Director?”
“I do acknowledge it.”
It was common knowledge that World Messages were easier to trigger at lower levels.
“The higher your level, the harder it becomes to trigger a World Message. High-level players pioneer what others haven’t yet achieved, while low-level users excel at what’s already been discovered—that’s the fundamental difference.”
In other words, the Chinese journalist was suggesting that Hyeon’s accomplishments weren’t enough to surpass Bahala.
But Hannah was skilled at this.
“While World Messages do trigger more frequently at lower levels, World Ares judged based on how extraordinary each World Message was. Though the legendary-tier crafting fell slightly short, demon hunting, the first transcendence, and the first legendary achievement rank among the highest-tier World Messages.”
People had developed a ranking system for World Messages themselves.
The most publicly recognized tier—accomplishments everyone knew about and attempted but failed—was classified as Tier 1.
The reason was simple: everyone knew about it, everyone had tried it, and everyone had failed.
Moreover, Hannah wasn’t the type to indulge a journalist’s nonsense.
‘They know Hyeon caused the biggest impact this year, yet they still make such statements….’
Hyeon had certainly earned China’s resentment. Hannah turned away without hesitation.
“Deputy Director, just one more word about whether this was fair….”
“…Are you avoiding the question!?”
“Deputy Director Hannah made a secret deal with Korea….”
Hannah let out a scoff.
They called themselves journalists, but these people represented only a tiny fringe of China.
In Korea, they had a specific name for such people.
‘Trash media.’
As Hannah exited confidently, those fringe Chinese journalists churned out sensational articles.
-Deputy Director Hannah. Korean-American. Was this year’s number one fair?
-Hyeon: 3 World Messages. Bahala: 4 World Messages. Ranking manipulation is obvious from the numbers alone.
The Ares Community was heating up.
Chinese users were flooding into the Korean Community.
-These bastards are just bitter about losing the Continental War, aren’t they?
-The whole world acknowledges it, so why are only you acting like this!
-Time to show the power of Korean keyboard warriors!
-Taiwan number one!
-Taiwan number one!
-You don’t have Hyeon~! You don’t have him!
In reality, most nations acknowledged Hannah’s announcement.
After all, World Ares’s selection of number one was the user who created the most impact that year.
In other words, the consensus was that Hyeon had indeed been the most impactful this year.
But Chinese users continued harping on the number of World Messages.
-Wait! He couldn’t trigger it twice, so he only triggered it once!
-Ugh!
The community grew increasingly heated.
Watching this controversy unfold, one person woke up, scratched their head in bewilderment.
“Nice?”
It was Hyeon-su.
He’d woken up to find himself ranked first in World Ares.
The ripple effect of being World Ares’s number one transcended imagination.
In other words, it had catapulted Hyeon-su—already riding the wave of stardom—to even greater heights.
And there was one reason why Hyeon-su was visibly elated.
Chinese Users had actually been swayed by the tabloid articles.
The Continental War defeat had only poured fuel on that fire.
But if he forged new proof at a moment like this, he could even turn the Chinese people to his side.
“Thank you, tabloid journalists.”
And because of this, Hyeon-su pulled out a card he’d obtained long ago.
He checked the screenshot he’d taken back then.
Upon seeing it, an uncontainable smile leaked through.
‘Hehehehe.’
Hyeon-su was certain.
This single line of a screenshot would convert even the Chinese people into his subscribers.
Just as Hannah and the tabloid journalists had said.
When someone accomplishes what everyone knows about, everyone has attempted, yet everyone has failed—triggering a world message—it’s classified as tier 1.
But this particular message was what people worldwide called tier 0—a world message.
Why?
Because all 1.2 billion Users had challenged it.
The screenshot read:
[Congratulations.]
[You are the first User to successfully complete Wooden Doll Breaking.]

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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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