Genius Blacksmith’s Game - Chapter 240

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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 Golden Goblin (1)
-Pond. He is the shame of China.
After China’s defeat in the Continental War.
The arrows of resentment pointed toward Pond, China’s number one ranker who had commanded them all.
-If he hadn’t said those things, it wouldn’t have been so humiliating.
The Chinese users agreed.
Before the Continental War, Pond displayed unwavering confidence at a press conference, never even considering the possibility of defeat.
And what was the result?
-Over 300 of China’s top rankers, along with Pond, Liu, Wei, and Yong-wol, were annihilated by a single user.
-No matter that it was the final stages of the Continental War, no matter that Hyeon achieved the first transcendence, the fact that 300 were defeated by one is truly absurd.
-Pond and Liu deserve criticism for not lasting even a minute against the formidable power of user Hyeon-su.
The shattered pride of the Chinese people.
Because of it, Pond harbored a desire to tear Hyeon-su to shreds.
He announced his intentions without realizing that his own arrogant remarks had only further enraged the public.
“After the server integration, I will make up for this mistake. Hyeon’s Forge will vanish without a trace once the server integration is complete.”
Someone asked him.
-What if you lose again?
Pond spoke with absolute certainty.
“That will not happen. If it does, then I will gracefully accept defeat.”
Pond stood before two thousand Chinese users before their departure.
“It’s an undeniable fact that Hyeon’s Forge Guild has fewer than ten members. The military forces in the Balas Territory are sparse, composed mainly of blacksmiths. Their newly acquired territory? All of it is proven by data.”
These two thousand Chinese users were special.
Pond, descendant of the Sword Emperor, was a user with a count’s title and the leader of China’s largest guild.
He had selected only his elite forces, and half of them were users who received support from Chinese users’ resources.
These resource-supported users were those famous for high rankings or proven skill in China.
“Just as users from various nations became MVPs, territories were granted to the guilds that performed most brilliantly in the Continental War, but according to data, most of those territories were nearly identical.”
This too was information Pond could know in advance because of who he was.
“The average is three thousand territory residents with four hundred military forces. Even combining all the military forces from the Balas Territory that Hyeon previously possessed, it doesn’t reach six hundred.”
There was far too great a gap compared to the guild members Pond led.
“Anyone who loses to this is an idiot. Through the intelligence we’ve obtained, we will raid and destroy Hyeon’s new stronghold. We will slaughter all the forces, enslave the adults, and sell the children to the slave market.”
Pond was more forthright than Sword Master Roman.
“By massacring them, we will calm our anger and witness Hyeon’s despair together.”
Among the volunteers, some participated because Hyeon-su had brought shame upon China.
Pond’s plan seemed perfect.
But then. The first step went awry.
‘Kabel gave false information? Could he have been an impostor?’
The Endless Maze ravaged the mind.
Pond and his elite forces wandering within it grew increasingly exhausted.
“Fifty loops around just one place, what in the world…”
Even the use of Return Scrolls was impossible, and after Logout, he remained in this place.
He had lost count of how many days he’d wandered.
Then he encountered a group with far greater numbers than his own.
What particularly unsettled Pond was the young swordsman standing at the front, gripping a Sword.
[Sword Master Roman Lv.429]
‘A Named NPC…?’
And not just any Named NPC—one of the few that existed in an entire Kingdom.
Typically, even when a Named NPC matched a User’s level, they possessed overwhelming strength that transcended comparison.
‘And their forces outnumber us two to one.’
Of their four thousand, a substantial portion were estimated to be Knights.
‘So many Knights gathered in one place? Were they marching to war somewhere?’
Pond’s guild members tensed, weapons raised.
Meanwhile.
Sword Master Roman was equally tense. A Knight spoke up.
“Who are they?”
“I don’t know. What’s certain is they’re not from the Asgan Continent. They say all continents have been connected by divine will…”
Sword Master Roman had never trusted the Outsiders from the start.
Whenever he saw those greedy and covetous Outsiders, his teeth would clench.
Yet now he recalled what he had set out to accomplish.
‘I have a great task to complete. I should avoid unnecessary conflict.’
If there was no need to fight, there was no reason to engage.
Just then.
Roman saw a brilliant light appear in the center of their formation.
‘The light of a Warp?’
And Roman’s eyes widened in shock.
The figure that emerged from within it.
It was none other than Count Hyeon-su.
Roman’s jaw clenched immediately.
“You’ve crossed the vast Ocean to reach here. I knew you would come.”
This was because Hyeon-su, standing at the front of his group, embraced their commander in a warm(?) greeting.
*
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The moment Pond saw Hyeon-su, his teeth ground together. He concluded that it was Hyeon-su who had sent them to the Endless Maze.
Yet Hyeon-su embraced him.
“You’ve crossed the vast Ocean to reach here. I knew you would come.”
Pond was bewildered. Seeing Hyeon-su suddenly embrace him, he wondered if the man had lost his mind.
“What are you…?”
“You must have suffered greatly traveling such a distance.”
Pond and the Chinese Users were left speechless.
Hyeon-su stepped back and gently straightened Pond’s collar.
“I’ve seen the statements you’ve made as well.”
Hyeon-su knew that among those trying to capture him, Pond and the Chinese Users had posted the most.
In particular, Pond had repeatedly declared that he would destroy the guild Hyeon-su had painstakingly built and turn his territory into a sea of flames.
“But what’s this? Do you see the people from the Goyad Kingdom behind me?”
Pond’s eyes widened at those words. He took a step back.
‘Could it be…?’
Rumors were rife that User Hyeon-su was a disciple of Sword King Barad.
Could it be that the Sword King had sent his army for Hyeon-su?
Was such a thing even possible?
Yet the people standing right before him suddenly began glaring as if they would kill him on the spot.
That gaze.
‘Were these bastards…?’
‘We’re screwed, you damn fools.’
‘How dare you come at our Hyeon-su(?)?’
Pond swallowed hard.
“I hope you’d turn back now?”
Pond had no intention of turning back.
He glanced around at his guild members beside him.
They were preparing to use their skills with menacing intent. And Hyeon-su turned his body.
‘I didn’t lie.’
It was the truth.
Hyeon-su had never said “they’re my army.”
He had simply asked if Pond could see the people behind him.
Then he walked toward Sword Master Roman, whose eyes gleamed with sinister light as his body trembled.
Roman could tell that these people had crossed the continent.
‘And they’re Outsiders on top of that.’
They had crossed the ocean as well—unreliable creatures. To Roman and the Rebel Forces, they were like barbarians.
‘So many have come to help Hyeon-su? I was too complacent.’
Hyeon-su bowed respectfully to Roman.
Even though they were both of count rank, Sword Master Roman held a higher position in the hierarchy.
“Are you truly…?”
“As you can see, they have crossed the continent solely to meet me(?)”
Roman looked at those behind him. They took battle stances and glared at him as if they would kill him.
‘They came all this way to meet Hyeon-su.’
‘You’re all dead.’
‘It’s all or nothing now.’
Gulp—
Yet Roman had nowhere to retreat.
The rebellion had already begun, and if he failed to kill Count Hyeon-su, there would be no turning back.
In the eyes of the Wang, there was no longer any place for Sword Master Roman to stand.
“Kill every last one of them, Count Hyeon-su. I shall have them decorate the walls alongside you.”
“So you won’t back down after all. I understand….”
Before I could finish speaking.
A tremendous oppressive force bore down upon Sword Master Roman and the Knights.
As I turned around, the nine-headed Hydra was descending.
“Kiiiiieeeeeek!”
[Legendary Monster. Hydra has appeared!]
[Hydra Lv.511]
“What is that beast!?”
“This is impossible!”
The colossal Hydra emerged from Liu’s position.
[Hydra’s Wrath]
[Before the legendary monster, enemies lose their momentum and freeze in place.]
[They fall into a 2-second stun as poison surges through their bodies, blood pouring from their eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.]
With the magnificent Hydra’s arrival, all the Knights, including Sword Master Roman, stiffened and bled from multiple wounds across their bodies.
[The first legendary title shines with power.]
[One legend cannot suppress another legend.]
The Hydra could not suppress me as it had before.
‘The moment I summoned Hydra, the battle truly began.’
I quickly withdrew my body to a place where they couldn’t see me.
Kuuuaaaagh-!
Immediately after, the Hydra’s poison breath erupted, striking them as the battle commenced.
I watched the scene unfold with a quiet smile.
‘Fighting barbarians with barbarians. Thank you, Kabel.’
I observed a total of six thousand enemies.
Their current strength was beyond all comprehension.
First, Sword Master Roman.
True to his lineage from a renowned Swordsmanship family, he had gathered Knights from Swordsmanship families without exception.
The average level of the Knights was 320.
However, the Knights who served under him were far stronger than ordinary Knights.
The average level of the Knights accompanying Roman reached as high as 370.
Such warriors numbered four thousand.
Yet those brought by Pond were equally formidable.
‘China numbers two thousand.’
Still, they possessed the strength to overwhelm the four thousand.
This was because the China Server’s population was overwhelming, and these were elite forces selected from among them.
I could immediately see Liu, Yong-wol, and Wang Gang—all within the global top rankings.
Moreover, most were among the top 1% Users in China, with average levels ranging between 380 and 410.
In terms of individual strength, the Chinese Users held the advantage.
Hyeon-su couldn’t help but grin widely as he watched them.
‘Tehehehe, tehehehehe.’
‘Ehehehehehe!’
Hyeon-su knew they would soon learn the truth.
But he already understood what would unfold by then.
‘Both sides will have suffered catastrophic losses, with countless wounded and those in critical condition scattered everywhere.’
Hyeon-su was certain of it.
If Atlas faced them at full strength, they would lose one hundred percent.
But fighting them in their battered state, having exhausted their forces, was entirely possible.
And there was another reason for Hyeon-su’s smile.
‘Nel’s analogy was absolutely perfect.’
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“They will become golden Goblins.”
Golden Goblin was a term Users had coined twenty years ago in an RPG game.
“A golden Goblin is one that dies instantly with a single hit, yet drops incredible rewards. Could there be a more fitting analogy than this?”
Nel reviewed the announcement that had been posted after the server merge.
[Chapter 2: The Path of Kings begins.]
[Territory wars and large-scale battles will occur throughout the lands.]
[Victory in territory wars and large-scale battles grants Territory Contribution Points.]
[A ‘Territory Contribution’ shop opens in all territories.]
[Soldiers and Knights who participate in territory wars or large-scale battles gain experience when they achieve victory against those of equal or greater strength.]
[Gold drops according to the strength of those who participate in territory wars or large-scale battles.]
[However, if the level difference between participants in territory wars or large-scale battles exceeds 100, the contribution and experience drop rates decrease significantly.]
To ascend the Path of Kings, Users naturally had to wage war.
And to foster motivation, Pureum Corporation had implemented new systems alongside the server merge update.
Nel arrived at a forest with four thousand of Atlas’s troops.
Her heart began to race.
‘This is insane…’
It was truly absurd, yet she was curious.
How much stronger would Atlas become, and how far would User Hyeon-su’s standing rise?
And in the forest where she stood.
That was the entrance to the Endless Maze.
‘Let’s go hunt six thousand golden Goblins.’
[You have entered the Endless Maze.]
Atlas’s four thousand army marches forth to inscribe a new legend.
‘Count Hyeon-su has driven back two thousand plunderers from across the continent!’
‘Count Hyeon-su has quelled the rebellion and boldly advances as a heir to the throne!’
That legend would endure for quite some time.
Atlas wouldn’t suffer even a hundred casualties.

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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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