Genius Blacksmith’s Game - Chapter 216

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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
Territory of Atlas (6)
Hyeon-su had reached a conclusion: the Sage’s Sword was practically a bug.
With that realization, he informed Nel of this fact.
[Hyeon-su: There have been display-type items with such issues before, but nothing this severe. How could this have happened?]
Hyeon-su was suspecting one particular aspect.
Nel shared the same opinion as Hyeon-su.
[Nel: Ares is preparing for a massive server integration soon. Moreover, this Atlas Territory wasn’t granted to us by anyone—it was a territorial reward for victory in the Continental War. It’s possible that this territory wasn’t originally designed as such, but was instead a test ground that was created in its current state. And based on what you just mentioned about the Korea Server having no such cases, we can form this hypothesis.]
Hyeon-su focused on that hypothesis.
[Nel: The hypothesis is that Atlas might not have been constructed by the Korea Server. In reality, the Korea Server has similar issues too, but nothing nearly as severe as this.]
It was a reasonable point.
What gave weight to this hypothesis was that the server integration update was coming soon.
Hyeon-su recalled what Lee Se-jin had said.
‘There shouldn’t be any concept of absolutes in Ares.’
He doesn’t use the word absolute, it’s said.
Absolutely impossible.
Absolutely cannot do it.
Absolute, absolutely impossible—who would want to play a game with such constraints?
Therefore, citing the words of Lee Se-jin, CEO of Pureum Corporation, one could say it like this.
“What’s absolute about Ares?”
Hyeon-su recalled the Unrepairable Artifact from before.
According to the settings, it was clearly an artifact that couldn’t be repaired, yet he had succeeded in repairing it.
‘If this is a real bug caused by someone’s mistake, then it’s a huge gain for me.’
After all, I could obtain such an impossible artifact.
Moreover, if I were to draw this Sage’s Sword, I would discover something hidden in this Atlas Territory.
‘Of course, normally it would be impossible to draw it, so the story would branch off differently based on that.’
For now, Hyeon-su wanted to at least attempt to draw it.
He exerted all his strength for about ten minutes, putting force into both hands to pull it free.
But it didn’t budge even slightly.
However, from this very lack of movement, he could find something peculiar.
‘Rust is coming off.’
Hyeon-su asked Karn.
“How long has this Sage’s Sword been here?”
“Eight hundred years. During all that time, no one has been able to draw it, and it has become like this.”
The Sage’s Sword, despite its magnificent name, was a blade covered in rust.
Much like the ancient swords in the National Museum.
And from the rust coming off, Hyeon-su realized one fact.
“I think I can draw this.”
The reason Hyeon-su thought he could draw it was because physical impact could be applied to it.
First of all, the first reason was that rust was coming off.
‘The second reason lies in durability.’
No matter how legendary a sword, it loses its luster before the ravages of time.
The Saint’s Sword, which once possessed a mere five thousand durability, had degraded naturally over the years until it now barely exceeded nine hundred.
In other words.
“This sword will shatter on its own if left untouched.”
“What…!”
Hyeon-su began his preliminary work.
To the inhabitants of Atlas Territory, this sword held profound symbolic meaning.
They would never accept their current Lord casually destroying or damaging such a symbolic blade.
However, I could create a justifiable reason.
“You can see for yourself—the Saint’s Sword is already deteriorating.”
Karn gazed at the Saint’s Sword with wavering eyes.
Though he wished to deny it, the First Lord’s blade had rusted completely, losing all traces of its former glory.
For Karn, who had preserved everything left behind by the First Lord in this Atlas Territory, it felt like the heavens were collapsing.
“B-but is there truly no way? Though no one could draw it, I cannot bear to watch this sacred relic crumble before my eyes.”
Karn did not wish to see this holy artifact disappear.
Thus, he turned to the new Lord Hyeon-su with sorrowful eyes.
And in this moment, Hyeon-su would achieve a twofold victory.
Their earnest desperation.
Hyeon-su had only recently arrived in this place.
He was merely a new Lord, not one they would follow unto death.
Yet there existed a method to instill deep and powerful reverence in their hearts while also obtaining the sword.
“I will restore the Saint’s Sword after breaking it.”
*
*
*
Team Lead Wang doubted his own ears.
‘R-restore it? Is such a thing even possible? How could that ever be feasible?’
To Team Lead Wang’s understanding, the notification that it could absolutely not be drawn meant it was absolutely irreparable.
In other words, it could not be restored through skill.
He hastily made a phone call.
To the Korean Special User Management Team.
A woman named Lee Ji-hee answered, the same employee from before.
“Is such a thing possible?”
Since this was China’s first time monitoring User Hyeon-su.
Only the Korean Special User Management Team would know if it were possible.
The answer that came through was shocking.
-It is possible.
He asked why it was possible, and the response came back.
‘S-skill…? It was pure skill…?’
Each branch shares information with one another, but they do not share Users’ personal data.
Of course, after the server integration, that will change, but it’s to prevent their personal information from being leaked.
Team Lead Wang’s face flushed red.
“Why didn’t you inform me in advance?”
He was attempting to shift the blame.
Soon, Lee Ji-hee responded in a blunt tone.
-Didn’t you say you didn’t need any information about User Hyeon-su when asked if there was anything you were curious about?
That was true.
Team Lead Wang had completely disregarded the Korean Special User Management Team.
Thus, when asked if that information was necessary, he had answered that it was fine.
In other words, it was entirely Team Lead Wang’s responsibility.
Then Team Lead Wang grasped at one last hope.
“Still, the very notion of extracting and then restoring it would be somewhat impossible, wouldn’t it?”
Lee Ji-hee recalled the time when Hyeon-su had restored a Horn Bow in the Beginner Zone and spoke.
-You must be aware that Restoration exists within Ares’s Blacksmithing skill.
Of course. This Restoration skill was the exclusive domain of high-level Blacksmiths.
-Moreover, when using this Restoration skill, the restored stats are applied at 50~100% depending on the skill’s level.
Let’s assume the minimum at 50%.
Since it was 200 uses, if restored, a minimum recovery of 100 uses would be possible.
However, that wasn’t what she meant to convey.
-Let’s assume a chef attempts to cook with the Sage’s Sword.
At the sudden analogy of a chef, Team Lead Wang wore a puzzled expression.
-And let’s assume another chef with far superior skill. If that more skilled chef creates the exact same thing using the same ingredients he used, what do you think would happen?
Team Lead Wang’s eyes wavered.
“It would become… much more delicious…”
-Exactly. It would become more delicious. Then, if the Sage’s Sword were restored by a Blacksmith more skilled than its original creator, what do you think would happen?
The answer was far too obvious.
“Ares, acknowledging him, would apply not just 50~100% of the restoration, but 100% or more within the same capabilities.”
And soon, Lee Ji-hee spoke from beyond the receiver.
-That’s correct. This occurred entirely due to the inadequacy of the Chinese Branch, and the Chinese Branch Director, Tao, said he would take full responsibility for granting Atlas Territory as compensation to the User.
In other words, all of this was something the Chinese Branch would have to bear.
The call ended.
Team Lead Wang had denied it all this time.
‘Wasn’t it said that the Korean team works overtime like it’s nothing?’
‘They say the company is their home!’
He had thought their overtime was merely to appeal to their diligence.
The time approached 8 PM.
However, there was only one thing Team Lead Wang and his team members could do.
“We sit here and monitor until that Sword is crafted…”
That was simply hoping it would be restored poorly.
If all those hypotheses were truly to become reality, the Chinese Branch would have needed to enter negotiations directly.
And the team members could understand what Team Lead Wang meant.
Until the Sword Crafting was complete, they would all be working overtime.
*
*
*
‘Yes, this is an absurd Artifact. If I succeed in restoring this, the balance will collapse.’
Because of this, I knew one fact.
‘Pureum Corporation cannot seize what a User has built. However, with something of this magnitude, they will demand negotiations from me.’
There was a way to seize more in those negotiations.
‘Restore it more excellently.’
Karn spoke.
“…Please restore this Sword, my Lord!”
Ding!
[Quest: The Heart of the Protector]
Rank: S
Restriction: Those who have received Karn’s proposal
Reward: The Secret of Atlas
Penalty upon failure: Decreased intimacy with Territory residents
Description: The reason the Territory residents of Atlas remained in this crumbling Territory is because they believe in the legend of the First Lord. Succeed in restoring the Holy Artifact, the Sword of the Saint, which is part of that legend.
Karn was the one who led the Territory residents.
All thousand-some Territory residents were grieving the fact that the Sword of the Saint would inevitably break.
“My Lord….”
“Please, do not let the Holy Artifact of the First Lord disappear….”
“I beg you!”
Hyeon-su spoke.
“I will show you what kind of Lord I am.”
The restoration work began.
Rather than pulling it out, when I tried to break it, the Sword of the Saint snapped cleanly in half.
The hint to this lay in the durability decline, so it was already a known fact.
The important part was this.
‘Whether the remaining blade tip can be pulled out or not.’
Hyeon-su wore a triumphant smile.
[The Sword of the Saint loses its power as a Holy Artifact.]
The broken Sword of the Saint was extracted far too easily.
And the notification now stated that this Sword of the Saint had lost all further function.
And when Hyeon-su grasped those two severed Swords, this notification rang out.
[The Sword of the Saint is an Unrepairable Artifact.]
As expected, the Sword was made impossible to obtain through skill alone.
And Hyeon-su threw the Sword of the Saint into the Furnace.
And he broke into a smile of conviction.
‘The Saint’s Sword is a blade imbued with holy power.’
Hyeon-su possessed a method to make it even more perfect.
He retrieved a piece of ore.
[This is the Legendary Mineral Asynium.]
One of Asca’s three greatest minerals, obtained long ago but never used until now.
Among ores infused with holy power, none superior to this could currently be found in these lands.
Considering the Saint’s Sword had become damaged in places, he intended to blend this ore into the restoration.
In other words, superior materials combined with superior craftsmanship.
He removed the impurities from the melted Saint’s Sword.
Then he placed the Asynium into the Furnace and melted it down.
Hyeon-su had already perfectly sketched the design of the Saint’s Sword in the past.
It would possess an appearance no different from before.
‘No—it will be even more magnificent than before.’
The Restoration began.
Hyeon-su continued the Restoration work for two days, then four days.
The territory’s people yearned for a perfect Restoration.
And Karn, standing at the center of it all, spoke to Hyeon-su.
“My Lord, perhaps you should rest a little….”
“No, I won’t rest. You all have protected what remains in this Atlas Territory for eight hundred years, so it’s precious, isn’t it?”
Karn was deeply moved.
Of course, Hyeon-su was the type of man who would drown if thrown into water.
In any case, Hyeon-su’s crafting continued, and finally, after five days of Restoration work, it was complete.
And upon finishing the Restoration, Hyeon-su let out a cry.
“No, no, no, no! It’s ruined…!”
The cry was almost a wail.
Staring at the completely restored sword, Hyeon-su clutched his head.
*
*
*
Puff, puff.
Nicotine.
Gulp, gulp—
“Bring me another cup of coffee.”
“Team Lead, that’s already your sixth cup today.”
Caffeine.
“Please, let the Restoration fail, please let it fail, please!”
Gulp, gulp!
“Sir, drinking alcohol during work hours….”
Alcohol.
Team Lead Wang’s eyes were sunken with dark circles, the result of maintaining those three essential nutrients(?) in perfect balance.
His stiff neck stretched forward like a tortoise’s, and his hair stood disheveled in all directions.
Many of the Chinese Special User Management Team members looked exactly the same.
Team Lead Wang finally understood.
He couldn’t survive without those three essential nutrients(?)
After Hyeon-su completed the Restoration, a completion notification appeared.
And then came Hyeon-su’s reaction.
-No, no, no, no, no! It’s ruined…!
At that anguished cry, hope flickered in Team Lead Wang’s eyes.
‘Thank goodness, thank goodness! I can go home! I don’t need to negotiate! Our branch doesn’t have to take responsibility!’
Holding onto that hope, Team Lead Wang immediately examined what had been completed.
“….”
Upon seeing it, Team Lead Wang let out a hollow laugh.
“Ha, hahahaha, hahahahahaha.”
Between Team Lead Wang’s laughter as he examined it, these words scattered.
“Words and actions don’t match… it’s incredible….”
He revealed to his team members what sword had been created.
“It looks like I won’t be going home for a while.”

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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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