Genius Blacksmith’s Game - Chapter 223

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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
The Seed of Life (2)
Tao turns over the three kings in his mind.
The Tyrant King, the Despot, the Sage King.
And Atlas, the Saint, and the Sage King were all conceived in China.
‘The power the Sage King possesses… a king of all continents.’
A king with invincible overwhelming strength and a slaughter king raging like a madman.
It is true that they too possess extraordinarily superior kingly power.
But Tao believes the Sage King is no less than them.
Sage King means a virtuous and benevolent ruler.
Is that all there is to it?
‘No.’
Because the Sage King is a virtuous and benevolent ruler, individual power operates on a different principle than the Tyrant King or Despot, whose strength defies convention.
That is talent incomparable to any ordinary kingdom.
The Sage King is one who can command more talented individuals than any other ruler.
But it was as Lee Se-jin had said.
‘Even if one fulfills the qualifications of Sage King, one cannot obtain it now—it will be obtained when one becomes king.’
Furthermore.
‘There is no setting where one rises to Sage King by merely collecting Seeds of Life. For that to be possible, one would need to gather an absolutely absurd quantity.’
Tao finally let out a relieved laugh.
He understood the essence of the Seeds of Life better than anyone.
‘I admit it. Hyeon’s Forge is an elite force of the highest caliber.’
But that was the problem.
‘The Seed of Life Quest can be received by every being in the territory. However, because Hyeon’s Forge has so few members, the quantity obtained after completing the Quest will be far too insufficient.’
Of course, if they overcome the Quest with absurdly exceptional power, they would obtain a greater number.
In any case, Hyeon’s Forge was at a disadvantage compared to ordinary territories in obtaining Seeds of Life.
Then Tao remembered something.
“Ah, Representative Lee Se-jin.”
-Yes.
“The Chinese Special User Management Team said it seems we no longer need to monitor. Should we delegate authority back to Korea?”
Branch Director Tao felt a bitter taste in his mouth.
In truth, one reason for taking over monitoring of User Hyeon-su was surveillance itself.
That surveillance concerned connections with the Korean branch.
But the Chinese Special User Management Team now acknowledged User Hyeon-su.
No, it was beyond mere acknowledgment.
Before coming here, Team Lead Wang had spoken with a dazed expression.
‘Branch Director, User Hyeon-su is a crazy user. It seems we can transfer monitoring authority back to Korea now.’
Lee Se-jin answered.
-That seems difficult. There is still one more week remaining in the promised period. The Korean branch values its commitments.
And Lee Se-jin wore a bitter smile once more.
—And the Korean Special User Management Team acknowledged the high intensity of their work during that period and took special leave, so as far as I know, they should be on a hotel vacation right now.
Two images flashed through Tao’s mind.
The first was the Korean team lounging on sun beds by the hotel pool, sipping mojitos.
“Ahhhh! Nothing beats mojitos on vacation!”
“Absolutely! Hahahaha!”
The second image was the Chinese team, worn down by alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine.
“P-please… save me…”
“I want to go home…”
“Huh? Where… where am I? Ah… so this is the hell of overtime work.”
Tao’s eyes began to sting.
After all, he too was working overtime.
*
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*
Click—
Lee Se-jin, who had just pressed the video call end button, wore a bitter smile.
“It seems Branch Director Tao didn’t catch that.”
I decided not to mention it since he seemed quite worried.
“He’s misunderstanding what the Saint truly is.”
He was under the mistaken impression that the setting of commanding talents superior and more remarkable than any other kingdom—the crux of what made the Saint special—would be something he’d enjoy after becoming king.
“But if the Seed of Life truly reaches that point, the story won’t unfold that way.”
Not after becoming king, but during the period of becoming king, Hyeon-su might gain the power to obtain far more talented individuals.
And those countless talented people would finally form his kingdom.
However, Lee Se-jin shared the same concerns as Branch Director Tao.
“Hyeon’s Forge Guild members and the territories and forces he possesses are far too few.”
It’s too limited to obtain the Seeds of Life.
“Moreover, if he obtains many Seeds of Life, side effects will occur.”
Those side effects might actually put Hyeon’s Forge in crisis.
Soon after returning to the executive office, Lee Se-jin murmured to himself.
“To obtain many Seeds of Life with a small force, we need great and powerful forces.”
Lee Se-jin wore a bitter smile.
“What kind of powerful forces might those be?”
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[The Seed of Life Collection Quest has begun.]
[You can obtain Seeds of Life from various locations throughout Atlas Territory, and it includes countless things such as Quests, Monsters, and Territory Development.]
The guild members, soldiers, and territory residents that Hyeon had relocated.
Quests began to issue throughout the territory for everyone.
“As you can see, everything in Atlas was destroyed by the Bone Dragon. The houses have been in ruins for hundreds of years. Could you perhaps create a warm home anew for us?”
Building Construction Quest.
“Ah… Atlas suffers from a severe shortage of food. The land is barren—seeds barely sprout into crops, and the specialty goods of ancient times have vanished entirely. Could you perhaps reclaim this parched earth and restore its fertility? Could you develop new specialty products for us?”
“We don’t have any farmers, though?”
“….”
Farming Quest.
“As you know, Atlas is isolated. Trade with the outside world is difficult. It’s all because of the monsters threatening us near our territory—could you hunt them down for us?”
“How many monsters are we talking about?”
“Around seven thousand, I’d say?”
“…We have less than two hundred soldiers?”
“….”
Monster Hunting Quest.
“Oh dear, Priest. A plague has swept through the territory, and the people are suffering terribly. Please heal them and restore health to our citizens!”
“Where should I start?”
“With me.”
“….”
Quests continued to pour in relentlessly.
The members of Hyeon’s Forge Guild, standing at the center of it all, were left speechless.
“….”
“….”
The guild members numbered fewer than ten.
The territory residents brought along—merely dozens.
Military forces—almost nonexistent.
Only Bella, who had assumed the position of Knight Commander, and the knights she had brought with her remained.
‘When will we ever finish all of this with these numbers?’
‘This is hopeless….’
It was a moment when the world seemed to darken before their eyes.
The members of Hyeon’s Forge did their best to proceed with the Quests.
But then….
[You obtain 5 Seeds of Life.]
[You obtain 3 Seeds of Life.]
[You obtain 3 Seeds of Life.]
A problem emerged.
The number of seeds obtained from completing Quests was far fewer than expected.
Even if everyone worked together all day, gathering a hundred seeds seemed impossible.
And then there were the five hundred fifty seeds Hyeon-su had obtained.
“Was it because hunting the Bone Dragon and drawing the Saint’s Sword were impossible tasks that we received such an absurd amount?”
“I never knew obtaining Seeds of Life would be this difficult.”
After moving about all day to execute the Quests, they reached a conclusion, and Bark spoke.
“It seems we get more seeds for accomplishing grand and significant feats….”
“But that doesn’t seem easy at all.”
It was then that Risel asked a question.
“Hyeon-su, you mentioned you were in the process of obtaining seeds through Artifact Repair, right? Where did Nel go?”
“That’s strange—Nel is nowhere to be seen.”
They tilted their heads in confusion.
[Bark: Nel, where are you?]
[Nel: ^^, I came out for coffee~]
[Risel: I’ve been hunting monsters all day long. *sigh*]
[Belia: Seriously…]
[Nel: I’ll explain when I get back, but I’m planning to drink quite a bit~]
After that, Nel didn’t respond.
“Seems like tea time is quite enjoyable!”
Belia’s expression turned pouty.
Bark looked bewildered.
“Nel does like coffee, but drinking a lot? What does that mean?”
They exchanged confused glances.
Soon after, the group scattered to return to their respective tasks.
Watching them was Karn and the territory’s elders.
Karn and the territory’s elders.
They were, in essence, the elders of this Atlas Territory.
The composition of the elders was straightforward.
They consisted of the previous Lord, the Lord before that, the Lord before that, the Lord before that, and so on.
They let out sighs.
“The number is far too insufficient.”
“At this rate, we won’t be able to awaken many.”
“Awaken? At this rate, we’ll barely meet the minimum threshold.”
They were those who had protected this territory, believing only in legend.
Karn, his mouth bitter, spoke.
“It’s fortunate that the Lord has secured over five hundred seeds through his skill, and we’ve met the minimum threshold. The problem is that once Seeds of Life begin to appear, the number obtained decreases drastically after a certain period passes….”
What that meant was this.
“If we don’t gather many in the near future, it will take a long time to awaken the Great Territory.”
“Indeed. It may take decades.”
Of course, if it awakens even then, that would be fortunate.
But when the true Great Territory awakens, they will be long dead.
They were old.
They had spent their birth, youth, and middle age all waiting for the new Lord.
Yet Karn spoke.
“Still, I will live for the current Lord.”
“I feel the same.”
“As do I.”
The image of the Lord, who had not set down his hammer for days, appeared noble.
Then.
Rumble, rumble, rumble—
“Huh?”
“What?”
They felt the ground suddenly trembling beneath them.
That tremor was created by an enormous number of footsteps.
“With this many footsteps…”
“Could it be from the Balas Territory?”
Karn shook his head.
“The forces of Balas Territory cannot move, as they must defend that place.”
“Then what are these footsteps?”
Just then, a soldier rushed in urgently.
“S-sir, unknown forces bearing the Prime Kingdom’s emblem are approaching the territory.”
“T-the Prime Kingdom?”
The Prime Kingdom.
In the distant past.
I knew that the Prime Kingdom and the Saint’s nation had never been on good terms.
Moreover, Atlas had been hidden away because it was exposed to many threats.
There were countless who sought to seize this ancient territory of Atlas.
Karn moved urgently.
“Tell the soldiers to prepare for battle. Does the Lord have any information about this?”
“No.”
Then Hyeon-su appeared.
Hyeon-su felt the vibrations growing stronger.
He too sensed danger.
‘Prince Barad leads the Goyad Kingdom, and Prince Ben leads the Fraham Kingdom.’
In other words, these could not possibly be reinforcements sent by those two.
Soon all of Atlas fell into chaos.
“Quickly, the children and the elderly, the women first!”
“Damn it! We’ll all be dead before the ancient territory awakens.”
“Run, run faster!”
“Waaaaah!”
Hyeon-su could see the figures revealed beyond the horizon.
‘Three thousand? No, four thousand?’
As they drew closer, sweat began to bead on Hyeon-su’s palms.
Then.
“…!”
A strange light flickered in Hyeon-su’s eyes.
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Nel was in motion, heading out to enjoy tea time.
She had no way of knowing how many more cups of coffee she would need to drink.
This was her own independent action, yet it was also tea time for Hyeon-su and Hyeon’s Forge.
She understood something well.
Sometimes what others say resonates more powerfully than what the person themselves speaks.
Just a few hours ago, she had enjoyed her first tea time.
‘…One of the 10 Legends, Master Craftsman Hyeon. What more needs to be said?’
Those enjoying tea time with her were astonished.
‘…Why are you telling us such things?’
They questioned her.
After taking one final sip of coffee, Nel answered.
‘You must make a good impression before the future king, after all.’
With those words, she handed them a map leading to Atlas Territory.
Now it was time to head out for her second tea time.
The Papal See appeared before her eyes.
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*
Hyeon-su, whose demeanor had shifted, asked the one leading at the front.
“Why do you show such courtesy?”
“When we first met, you seemed unremarkable, but that is no longer the case.”
“Why do all of them show courtesy to me as well?”
“Because we now witness our legend standing before our very eyes.”
“All four thousand of them?”
“Indeed. Descendant of the God of Blacksmithing.”
Hyeon-su’s heart began to tremble violently.
The single Blacksmith at the very front.
The four Blacksmiths behind him, and then thousands of Blacksmiths beyond them.
The Blacksmiths cried out.
“We behold the descendant of the God!”
[Four thousand Blacksmiths’ faith in your legend is unshakeable.]
Their true identity—the Tower Masters and Blacksmiths of the Blacksmith Tower.
Hyeon-su felt it deeply.
‘The dream I harbored is becoming reality.’
It was the dream of establishing a nation of Blacksmiths.
There was one more curious fact.
‘How many seeds do I obtain through these people?’

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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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