Genius Blacksmith’s Game - Chapter 232

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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
Server Integration (1)
Territory population: 23,000. Total military force: 4,500 soldiers.
The notification spoke.
[You are the User with the largest territory population and military force among all Counts.]
This phrase “among all Counts” included the entire world.
As Hyeon-su gazed upon the countless territorial residents and soldiers before him, he felt both concern and anticipation.
That concern was identical to what he had already wrestled with before.
‘Is walking the path of the Saint truly the right choice?’
The dual-class Saint would undoubtedly be an exceptional Lord class.
Moreover, according to Karn’s words, the Saint’s power lay in cultivating those around him.
‘The power to cultivate those around me.’
It was certainly something I desperately needed.
But there was another perspective to consider.
‘If I obtain the Saint here, I can never obtain another class.’
A triple class?
That wouldn’t appear for another ten years at least.
In other words, if I became the Saint, I would have to live my entire life as the God of Blacksmiths and as the Saint.
‘The Saint is certainly remarkable.’
There were definitely aspects of the Saint’s power that were desirable.
That stemmed from Karn’s words.
The Saint was the one who created the Mythstone.
And Karn had said this.
If I became the Saint, wouldn’t I inherit the power to shape Mythstones?
Yet greedy as I was, I could only feel regret.
‘I don’t know what other dual classes might exist in the future….’
In fact, I pinpointed this as the core issue.
‘I’ve already obtained two major things that the Saint could have given me.’
Those were the Legendary Stat Dominance and the Transcendent-grade skill Extremity.
Since I had already obtained them, there was no way to unlock anything comparable to them anymore.
To walk the path of the Saint despite already having gained so much of the Saint’s power without even becoming one—it seemed almost redundant.
Yet Hyeon-su came to realize something.
“Are you our new Lord?”
“My Lord…!”
“Are you the one walking the path of the Saint?”
Perhaps I had no choice but to walk the path of the Saint.
The Seed of Life awakens them, but it was never said to earn their reverence.
A full 23,000 territorial residents and 4,000 soldiers.
The easiest way to calm and make them accept this chaos was for me to walk the path of the dual-class Saint.
Karn approached.
“Lord, please inherit the power of the Saint without delay.”
Hyeon-su understood why Karn was saying this.
It stemmed from the Quest he had received from Karn.
[Occupational Quest: Seeds of Life]
Rank: ???
Restriction: Lord of Atlas.
Reward: Dual Class Saint.
Penalty for Failure: Cannot Job Change to Saint.
Description: You are the Lord of Atlas. You can obtain Seeds of Life through Quests, monster hunting, and all other means throughout the land. Gather as many Seeds of Life as possible.
Looking at this Quest, there was the matter of collecting Seeds of Life, but the reward stated that I could obtain the Dual Class Saint.
“Do you not possess more than sufficient qualifications? Why have you not yet inherited it? If you ascend that path, you will quell their confusion.”
“I know.”
Hyeon-su was equally bewildered.
The reason was clear—such a notification should have appeared to him.
[Dual Class. You can now Job Change to Saint.]
It was different from what I expected.
‘Why haven’t I heard it?’
Regardless of whether anticipation and worry accompanied it, this notification should have sounded the moment I used the Seeds of Life.
“Lord?”
When Hyeon-su gave no answer, the people of his territory seemed to grow even more confused.
And the confused were not only them.
*
*
*
Saint Harun.
He was more bewildered than anyone by the current situation.
‘Forty percent have awakened…?’
Initially, he had set it so that only about seven percent of the territory’s people and soldiers would awaken with the Seeds of Life.
Moreover, if only that seven percent awakened, they could have walked the path of the Saint if he were not evil.
But far too great a variable had emerged.
Furthermore, the [Occupational Quest: Seeds of Life] was ultimately a trial that Harun had given.
If it was accomplished as a remarkable achievement, then something befitting that must be granted.
‘The Saint is insufficient.’
That degree was utterly unreasonable.
And so Harun had this thought.
‘Then what of the Sage King…?’
That too made no sense.
What he had accomplished was too great to become a Saint, yet too trivial to become a Sage King.
Moreover, the Sage King itself was a power that only a nation’s ruler could wield, not something a mere lord could possess.
Harun closed his eyes for a moment and fell into contemplation.
I devised the best possible approach given the current circumstances.
Opening my eyes, I conceived of that method.
“Woof, woof!”
Bok-deung-i barked softly beside me.
Harun smiled bitterly and stroked the creature’s head.
“Yes, all of this has come to pass because your master is so exceptional.”
Harun set his new plan into motion.
*
*
*
[The awakened Territory inhabitants and forces are falling into chaos.]
A notification reached Hyeon-su as if on cue.
Perhaps this was only natural.
Eight hundred years ago, before the Saint became nothing but ash and vanished, he spoke these words.
‘You shall awaken again in the future, so do not fear.’
‘Saint, are you asking us to serve another?’
Their sorrow and anxiety deepened.
It was only natural.
To suddenly have their lord change was unthinkable.
Yet the Saint spoke.
‘Fear not, for he is the one who shall succeed me.’
They could find solace in that.
For if he were to inherit that Saint’s pride, he was worthy of trust.
Yet when asked if he was the Saint’s successor, he said nothing.
Since I had not yet become one, I could not answer that question.
Then a voice familiar to those who had awakened, but unfamiliar to me and Hyeon’s Forge, rang out.
-He cannot become a Saint.
[You cannot become a Saint.]
‘What did you say?’
My face contorted.
The Territory inhabitants grew even more confused by that decisive voice.
For it sounded as though I lacked the qualification to become a Saint.
Yet the situation reversed.
-Because he possesses the makings of a Holy Sovereign.
[You possess the makings of a Holy Sovereign.]
[A Holy Sovereign was a being who led an entire Continent.]
A Holy Sovereign.
Learning of this, I was astounded.
‘I possess the makings of a Holy Sovereign?’
The events that unfold because of me.
[The Saint is merely a lesser version of the Holy Sovereign.]
How could one destined to be a king walk such a humble path?
The notification spoke thus.
[The Holy Sovereign’s potential is exceptional.]
[You need not walk the path of the Saint.]
[When your kingdom is founded, you will be able to obtain the Holy Sovereign.]
[You already possess two of the Saint’s most formidable powers.]
[You can unlock the final one through a Quest.]
Hyeon-su was momentarily confused before grasping this new revelation.
‘Walking the path of the Holy Sovereign when I establish my kingdom. That means I don’t need to obtain a dual class right now!’
It was a relief for Hyeon-su.
His concern.
It meant the opportunity to obtain a dual class—something one could only acquire once in a lifetime—would not disappear while he became a king.
‘It will take at least a year or more before I become a king.’
During that period, Hyeon-su could choose a better dual class or a better path if one existed.
Yet in that situation, Hyeon-su had additionally acquired the powers left behind by the Saint.
These three powers were the core forces that represented the Saint.
‘Without even changing jobs, I possess the Saint’s powers, and I can become the Holy Sovereign later or choose a different path.’
Hyeon-su was moved.
It was a moment when all his worries melted away like snow.
Moreover, Harun’s voice that had echoed moments before no longer reached him, like a mirage.
Yet the affirmation of one they had once served wielded tremendous power.
“You possess the makings of a Holy Sovereign…!”
“Long live the new Lord!”
“Please guide us forward!”
[The awakened territorial citizens and soldiers rejoice at the path their new Lord walks.]
Of course, earning their loyalty would depend on Hyeon-su’s actions going forward.
*
*
*
The Chinese Branch’s monitoring period for Hyeon-su had ended.
-If you wish, we can extend it for another week….
“No, thank you! Really, it’s fine, truly fine!”
-…?
The Chinese Special User Management Team shuddered.
In any case, Director Tao participated in the video conference with the compiled Atlas information.
-What!? 23,000 territorial citizens and 4,000 troops!? No other User has yet achieved such a scale!
-The Saint class that should be obtained in the Second Act? And he became the makings of a Holy Sovereign without even becoming a Saint, yet awakened a considerable portion of the Saint’s powers!?
Director Tao could not believe it even as the words left his own mouth.
‘What is this…?’
The Atlas, entirely planned by China, had transformed User Hyeon-su into a formidable lord.
And they had seized upon the matter of his potential to become a sage-king.
Director Tao let out a hollow laugh.
“He simply hasn’t undergone his Job Change yet, but he will eventually become a sage-king. There’s nothing in this process that would cause User Hyeon-su to choose a different class.”
Lee Se-jin responded to Tao’s words.
-Director Tao, I am a dreamer.
Indeed, Lee Se-jin was known to indulge in elaborate fantasies.
-Most of those fantasies were things that couldn’t be realized, but many of them actually were. The most prominent example is this very Ares.
‘What is he talking about right now?’
Tao couldn’t comprehend what he was saying about being a dreamer.
-Even with a 0.1% possibility, we must never use the word “absolute” in this Ares. User Hyeon-su has become the one unique User.
The one unique User.
All the branch directors listened intently.
-That unique User means he can turn his gaze toward other paths while having obtained all the power of the Saint. And as you know, sage-king is not a class.
That was true.
Since sage-king is not a class, it doesn’t fall under dual class.
It is a royal epithet, a royal throne.
“What are you trying to say? What kind of fantasy are you spinning exactly?”
Director Tao pressed him on it.
-In my fantasy, I see User Hyeon-su walking the path of sage-king while challenging the path of the tyrant-king, drawing near to the power of the Tyrant.
“…You, isn’t that an utterly absurd fantasy?”
Yet all the branch directors conceded.
They acknowledged that his fantasy had indeed gone too far.
However, the branch directors understood Lee Se-jin’s intention.
John, the United States branch director, spoke.
-The opportunity to choose a dual class comes once. But User Hyeon-su is the sole User who has been granted another opportunity to choose. Through this, the path of the Tyrant, the path of the tyrant-king, and countless other paths lie open to him. The very fact that an additional opportunity was granted is itself something that defies logic.
“….”
Only then did Tao understand.
That a single additional opportunity had opened up infinite possibilities.
And all the branch directors regarded him with solemn eyes.
Their gazes spoke thus.
-You bear responsibility for this.
*
*
*
Se-jin ended the video call.
He himself knew it was an absurd fantasy.
‘Walking the path of the tyrant-king, challenging the path of the Tyrant.’
Yet Se-jin harbored another thought.
‘How many fantasies like this have I actually realized?’
Curiously, many of the fantasies I had harbored while observing User Hyeon-su had come to fruition.
When Lee Se-jin entered the executive office.
Knock, knock—
Ayaka, the Global Promotion Team leader, walked in.
With the server integration now imminent.
I knew Ayaka had been wrestling considerably with the story setting during this time.
Yet her expression radiated confidence.
“We’ve produced a teaser superior to the first one.”
“What…?”
In truth, Lee Se-jin already understood this.
Surpassing the original is ordinarily difficult.
Most commercial films follow the pattern where the first installment succeeds, but the second fails.
“This result became possible because User Hyeon-su provided assistance with the story setting.”
“User Hyeon-su?”
“Yes, in three days, with the server integration, all Ares players worldwide will witness the integration teaser.”
Indeed, players across the globe have no choice but to view this teaser.
The moment they log into the Ares Capsule, this teaser will display.
After Ayaka departed.
‘User Hyeon-su provided assistance?’
This was what delighted me.
A teaser that 1.2 billion Ares users would witness.
‘This too was one of my fantasies.’
When I first conceived that fantasy, User Hyeon-su had seemed so insignificant and pitiful.
I found myself anticipating the server integration day.
For one reason alone.
“I cannot wait to see it—the server integration teaser.”

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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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