Genius Blacksmith’s Game - Chapter 208

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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 (12)
Hyeon-su gripped his father’s hand, unconsciously squeezing with all his strength.
The words still echoed vividly in his ears.
That day, someone had been in the Blacksmith Shop.
His father, pulling him closer into an embrace, spoke.
‘I heard it hazily through sleep, but that single word he muttered—I cannot forget it.’
Nestled in his father’s arms, Hyeon-su listened about that word.
‘He was definitely speaking of Ares.’
In other words, it was something that happened because of someone connected to Ares or some connection to Ares.
The problem was that he had no other information beyond that.
But his father’s words—to become a king—were growing ever more vivid.
Whether he was someone connected to Ares.
Or whether it was to obtain something related to Ares.
Or whether he simply let the word Ares slip casually—one thing was certain.
“I’ll stand at the highest position and make sure you never touch me again. No—I’ll make you pay the price.”
The first king among Users.
That held enough power.
‘What is the value of a single kingdom in Ares?’
Previously, I had estimated this on a program called “Let’s Try for Fun.”
Even the smallest nation in Ares holds a value exceeding 30 billion won.
Since that’s in Korean currency, the wealth in Ares would be incomparably greater.
‘This time, Hyeon’s Forge is also supposed to receive a territory.’
Funds for developing the territory were necessary.
Hyeon-su realized he was still quite busy.
He looked at his father lying in bed.
“Don’t worry, Dad. I won’t live consumed by anger.”
Hyeon-su smiled faintly.
It seemed he could hear his father’s voice.
‘That’s my son. Keep living joyfully like that.’
Living joyfully—that would be my first priority.
Leaving the Hospital Room, Hyeon-su sat down in front of the Bus Stop.
Now Hyeon-su understood Ares.
And what would happen to him after the Continental War.
It was advertisements coming in.
‘It will be different from now on.’
Most of the advertisement proposals Hyeon-su had received until now were the type that internet individual streamers received.
But now it’s different.
‘Corporate advertisements are coming in.’
Hyeon-su opened the inbox of Hyeon’s Forge after a long time.
‘What in the world? Over thirty thousand messages…?’
Hyeon-su typed “advertisement” into the keyword search.
When he entered advertisement, approximately five hundred ad messages appeared.
-Hello, this is the advertising team leader from Wang Chang’s…
There were advertisements selling vitality recovery potions.
‘After taking this, my energy surges when I craft!’ It seemed they wanted an advertisement like that.
Another advertisement.
“Wait, why am I getting cosmetic ads…?”
Did they want something like, ‘The cushion doesn’t smudge even in front of the Blacksmith Shop’?
But this wasn’t the type of advertisement Hyeon-su wanted.
Rather than the concept of benefiting the corporation and receiving advertising fees, he wanted advertisements that would benefit himself.
‘Should I put these on hold?’
The mere fact that corporations were proposing advertisements of this caliber made his heart race.
But they were fundamentally different from what he had in mind.
Then.
[A new message has arrived.]
[It has been pinned to the top.]
‘Pinned to the top?’
Hyeon-su, who had been staring at his smartphone, tilted his head in confusion.
A message pinned to the top?
Something flickered across his mind.
The Blacksmith Shop was a special system available only in Ares.
In other words, being pinned to the top might mean it was connected to Pureum Corporation, the game’s developer.
Hyeon-su’s eyes widened as he checked the message content.
‘Insane…!’
There it was—exactly the advertisement he wanted.
Not just benefiting the corporation, but something that could maximize the benefits for both Hyeon and his Blacksmith Shop.
*
*
*
Server integration was the foundation that made the Continental War possible.
The nations playing Ares were separated under the name of Continents.
As the game entered its fifth year, users craved more content.
Server integration became the stage for enjoying content unlike anything before.
And there were two foundational preparations for server integration.
One was conducting Continental Wars for each nation.
After Korea versus China concluded, the Continental War between the United States and Russia was currently underway.
And this entire Continental War would conclude one month later.
The moment this Continental War ended, the second preparation would be unveiled.
The second preparation was like this.
“Let’s feature Hyeon in the server integration teaser. That’s a brilliant idea.”
The plan was to release the server integration teaser immediately.
All servers would merge simultaneously with the update.
And the teaser had been prepared to introduce him to the world.
The global branch directors were in the midst of a meeting at Pureum Corporation’s headquarters.
The woman who had just spoken.
She was Japanese and served as the head of the Global Promotion Team—Ayaka.
And like Ayaka, the others showed no signs of objection.
It was the opinion of Ares’s founder, Lee Se-jin, and John, the branch director of the United States, the world’s strongest nation.
“It’s only natural that the hottest user in the world right now makes an appearance.”
“I’ll place great expectations on this server integration teaser, Ayaka.”
All the branch directors looked toward her.
Her competence had been proven.
She was scheduled to oversee the server integration teaser from beginning to end.
The reason was that the visual quality produced by Ayaka and her team was nothing short of spectacular.
Japan, once called the land of manga.
Of course, that epithet persisted even now, but it had also claimed the title of the land of visual media.
In particular, Ayaka had gone to Hollywood in her teens and learned much while doing odd jobs.
Then in her mid-twenties, she worked as a member of the Japanese branch’s promotion team before rising to team leader.
Many of Ares’s teasers that spread across the globe were created by her and her team’s hands.
And now that this matter had been confirmed, Ayaka had one crucial task ahead of her.
“I plan to draw up a contract with Hyeon first.”
The meeting concluded.
Upon stepping outside, Ayaka immediately sent a contract-related note to Hyeon’s Forge.
*
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*
Hyeon-su, who checked the note at the Bus Stop, was astonished.
Just as he had anticipated, the note came from someone at Pureum Corporation.
The note read as follows.
[Hello, this is Ayaka, the head of Pureum Corporation’s Global Promotion Team. I have a proposal for you, Hyeon, the First Legend. Regarding this server integration, we at Pureum Corporation are preparing a teaser that…]
‘A… a teaser?’
Hyeon-su was stunned. It was a proposal for a global integration teaser.
‘My appearance in a teaser will be broadcast worldwide?’
Only now did Hyeon-su truly grasp the magnitude of the First Legend’s power.
He read through the entire content.
Hyeon-su’s heart continued to race uncontrollably.
And he sent a reply via note.
First, he needed to have the contract drawn up.
A response came back swiftly after he sent the note.
[Tomorrow at 2 PM at Korea Hotel. Does that work for you?]
Hyeon-su quickly confirmed the appointment.
And the team leader Ayaka added a note.
[We were disappointed that we couldn’t find any videos related to Hyeon. If you have any footage or fan-made videos, we’d appreciate it if you could bring them.]
Hyeon-su relayed this information to his guild members.
Hye-in posted something puzzling in the group chat.
[Kim Hye-in: Tomorrow at 2 PM… we’ll be heading to the Battlefield, so we’ll need guns and ammunition, right?]
Hyeon-su tilted his head in confusion.
‘Guns and ammunition? Where did that come from?’
*
*
*
The next day.
“The first Legend is no different from the rest.”
Ayaka recalled yesterday’s events.
The moment she sent the message, she was able to schedule a contract signing with the first Legend, Hyeon-su.
This was the reason Ayaka smiled.
“So naive.”
Before proceeding with the server integration teaser shoot, the most crucial step was drafting the contract.
Ayaka deliberately mentioned Korea Hotel at 2 PM the next day.
Most elite corporate employees would have sensed it.
‘Isn’t that too soon?’
It was a way to give themselves adequate time to prepare.
But Hyeon-su simply accepted the meeting without hesitation.
‘Well… most of them were like that.’
Ayaka smiled knowingly.
As the head of the Global Promotion Team, she had met countless people.
A significant number of them were rankers.
Among those hundred rankers, many were surprisingly naive.
According to statistics, rankers averaged 14 hours of playtime per day.
It was their own dedication.
That dedication isolated them from the world.
Most rankers were like that, which was why Pureum Corporation often secured favorable contract terms with them.
In fact, Ayaka was planning to set Hyeon’s contract fee—currently the hottest topic—quite generously.
After all, that was her role.
Then another thought crossed Ayaka’s mind.
‘I wonder what the real Hyeon is actually like?’
Ayaka knew this well from meeting many high-rankers before.
‘Ares only shows a false appearance.’
Ares couldn’t change his appearance settings very much.
However, I could control my weight to a certain degree.
Because of this, my appearance differed slightly from reality.
Suddenly, the rankers flashed through my mind.
In other words, those called sudden rankers typically lacked self-discipline.
There had been time spent struggling and striving to reach that position.
Thus, after gaining fame, they usually rushed to start managing themselves.
Conversely, the employees of Pureum Corporation prioritized their public image.
“Team Lead, we’re ready.”
Outside, the team members stood prepared to head out for the contract signing.
And Ayaka wore a bitter smile.
Their elite group would easily steer this contract in their favor.
‘That will be far too easy.’
She left the office.
At that moment.
The Hermes VVIP Room, accessible only to the most exclusive clientele.
The owner of this department store was none other than Lee Tae-ha, the youngest son of the Hanseong Group.
Following Lee Tae-ha’s instructions, Kim Min-hee, the employee who had prepared clothes to his exact measurements early that morning, felt her cheeks flush as she watched the young man emerge from the fitting room.
‘What is this…?’
She had dealt with many VVIP customers before.
But she had never felt a tremor like this.
First, his height made the suit fit extraordinarily well.
It wasn’t that the clothes followed his frame—rather, the fabric seemed to trace the lines of his body itself.
His shoulders were broad and defined, his form impeccably sculpted, and his hair was styled immaculately.
She found herself staring, momentarily entranced.
Then the young man spoke.
“How does my ammunition look?”
“Pardon? Ammunition?”
Ammunition? Where did that come from?
“Ah, I used my own terminology. My apologies.”
“It’s fine, really.”
He then continued.
“Now I need to go find a gun. Thank you for taking such good care of me.”
After he left, Kim Min-hee found herself thinking.
“Wow, really… he looks so much better in person?”
She had joined Hyeon’s fan cafe today.
*
*
*
[Lee Tae-ha: It’s time to use Dad’s taxi card.]
Dad’s taxi card? Hyeon-su heard that familiar phrase and climbed into the taxi.
Hyeon-su was far from perfect. At twenty-three, soon to be twenty-four, he was still remarkably young.
Fortunately, however, those around him possessed the qualities he lacked, complementing his shortcomings beautifully.
When Hyeon-su arrived at a certain location to use Lee Tae-ha’s father’s car chance, he was taken aback.
The moment Lee Tae-ha flipped the switch.
A brilliant light flooded the space—
“Wait, this is your father’s car collection?”
Hyeon-su was bewildered.
The world’s finest automobiles from the 2030s lined the showroom in pristine rows.
“Yes, if you’re not satisfied, there’s also my mother’s car collection.”
“Your mother’s cars?”
“Yes, they’re in the adjacent showroom, though mother’s collection is somewhat smaller. Around fifteen vehicles?”
“…?”
Hyeon-su selected one of the vehicles.
“This is one of your father’s finest. Taking this one might actually get you scolded, but that’s what makes driving father’s cars fun.”
“…?”
A soft beep sounded—
As he pressed the key fob, the engine roared to life.
The engine rumbled powerfully—!
“It’s a Black Pearl Edition, limited to thirty units by Rolls-Royce.”
“How much does something like this cost?”
“Around 3.5 billion won? Go ahead, get in.”
Hyeon-su felt a strange sense of emotion wash over him.
He settled elegantly into the driver’s seat.
He imagined himself commanding this magnificent machine down the road.
“Why aren’t we leaving?”
“I don’t have a driver’s license.”
“…?”
Faced with this fatal flaw, Lee Tae-ha was momentarily flustered.
“I’ll have my personal chauffeur accompany us.”
Hyeon-su settled into what was commonly called the executive seat.
As the car pulled onto the road, it drew the attention of pedestrians passing by.
Sightings of the vehicle were even being posted on the automotive community forum.
In any case, a soldier wielding the perfect gun and ammunition—no, a thermonuclear-grade weapon—had set forth.
Their destination was Korea Hotel.

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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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