Genius Blacksmith’s Game - Chapter 242

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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 (3)
‘I wonder if they arrived safely?’
Old Man Per had crafted an Artifact closest to Legendary status thanks to Hyeon-su, and had risen to the rank of Master Blacksmith.
He gazed toward where the Atlas army, which had departed a few hours ago, had been stationed.
He also saw the Tower Masters preparing to return, and the Blacksmiths of Balas Territory with whom he had tended the Furnace for several days.
‘I cannot believe it.’
Per felt a fresh wave of emotion.
Balas Territory had originally been walking the path toward ruin under the Blacksmith Examiner’s judgment.
Despite being called the Blacksmith’s Territory, it had reached a point where almost no one sought it out.
But everything changed when Hyeon-su arrived.
Balas Territory became overflowing with visitors, and the Blacksmiths who had been deteriorating like alcoholics now lived new lives.
And what else he could not believe.
‘I will soon craft a Legendary weapon.’
It had not been long since he created something ‘closest to Legendary.’
The reason he was so certain was that his skills had achieved a dramatic leap, and he had witnessed other remarkable things as well.
‘They too are reaching new heights, or perhaps they have already reached them?’
The Blacksmiths who had been instructed to craft Artifacts from Dragon materials.
They had created armor and Weapons for the Soldiers to wear.
Yet their skill had become incomparable to that of the Soldiers themselves.
‘It is all thanks to the Lord.’
In the end, the Blacksmiths of Ares also receive the aid of Mystical Power.
But the Blacksmiths of Balas Territory possess a strength that other Blacksmiths do not have.
That is, their skills are enhanced by Hyeon-su.
In other words, the Blacksmiths of Balas Territory now.
Could be said to be one tier higher than their original level.
And proof of this was shown in this mass production.
[Leron crafts an Epic Artifact.]
[Karl crafts a Unique Artifact.]
[Colon crafts an Epic Artifact.]
Since beginning this Dragon equipment production, truly many Blacksmiths had reached new heights, and crafted Artifacts they had never made before.
‘Why?’
It was the synergy between their exceptional skills and the superior materials provided by Lord Hyeon-su.
Of course, the materials distributed to ordinary Blacksmiths were merely Epic grade at best.
But in what Territory would ordinary Blacksmiths be able to use Epic-grade materials for crafting Soldier Artifacts?
And with the completed items, four thousand troops were armed and marched forth.
“Is this the world His Majesty desired?”
Per had initially thought the Sword King was overestimating Hyeon-su.
It was unavoidable.
Hyeon-su, who was not even the greatest User on the Asgan Continent, was being kept as the King’s heir.
Everything has changed now.
‘The advantage of Dragon materials lies in their lightness and unparalleled durability—they cannot be cut. When forged into weapons, they possess exceptional cutting power and penetration. Moreover, befitting their draconic nature, their magical defense is beyond comprehension, and they maximize the Swordsmanship of Soldiers and Knights.’
Soldiers and Knights equipped with such armaments had marched forth.
‘Atlas has become exactly as the Sword King desired.’
A Territory where the power of Blacksmithing and the power of Soldiers created synergy.
A miniature of what Barad had envisioned.
Per was curious.
What kind of power these Artifact-equipped Soldiers would display.
*
*
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[You have been afflicted with Status Abnormality: Overwhelming Pressure.]
[You stiffen from breathtaking tension.]
[Immense dread and crushing oppression make it difficult to move your body.]
Pond and the China Users nearly gasped in shock.
They could scarcely believe what they saw approaching before their eyes.
‘What is this…?’
‘They said only 600?’
‘The Guilds that ranked first in the Continental War each received Territories with only about 500 troops…’
‘This has to be thousands…’
It was accurate information and reasonable deduction.
The Guilds that had accumulated the highest contributions in the Continental War.
Guild Masters who enjoyed displaying their power had revealed what they had obtained.
Moreover, throughout the Asgan Continent, there were countless rumors that Hyeon-su was suffering from side effects.
Sword Master Roman was the witness to this.
“W-what in the world is this…?”
Sword Master Roman, being an NPC rather than a User, understood better.
As the head of a prestigious Swordsmanship Family, he possessed power equal to the Marquises of Goyad.
Before the rebellion, Barad had reviewed whether any military forces had been leaked from the Kingdom.
‘There were none.’
Then where did this staggering number of troops suddenly appear from?
Could they truly be an army sent by the gods themselves?
And Sword Master Roman’s suspicion that this was a divine army arose from something else as well.
‘Can Soldiers truly wear and wield such things?’
At first glance, the ivory-hued armaments they wore were extraordinary and defied common sense.
Of course.
Every Territory equips its Soldiers’ armaments with the most standard items.
Even the finest quality given would only be exceptional within the Common grade.
Such are Soldiers.
Yet why did these wear gleaming Artifacts?
‘Is Count Hyeon-su an idiot?’
Soldiers are not equipped with superior weapons because on the battlefield, they are inevitably consumable.
Yet he equips them with such exceptional arms?
But that was wrong.
It wasn’t because Hyeon-su was an idiot.
While others typically purchase weapons to arm their soldiers, Hyeon-su was the only one capable of crafting them directly within his territory.
Realizing this truth, Sword Master Roman took a step back.
‘I desire a kingdom where Blacksmiths and Knights coexist.’
It was a declaration Barad made before the pillars of the kingdom.
Sword Master Roman had thought Barad was truly mad.
Yet it was materializing before his very eyes.
An Achievement that even Sword Master Roman could not accomplish, even if he dared to become king.
That was precisely why.
The suffocating pressure left my body unable to move.
‘Why won’t my body respond?’
Both NPCs and Users harbored the same question, and it stemmed from the overwhelming Legendary stat.
Moreover, the Users analyzed and calculated Hyeon-su.
But they were wrong.
Hyeon-su had acquired many new powers.
‘No, it must merely be a dazzling facade.’
‘Yes, the very idea of equipping soldiers with superior Artifacts makes no sense.’
‘Unless their territory overflows with Gold!’
They rationalized to themselves.
That rationalization crumbled in an instant.
The moment Hyeon-su lowered his raised hand.
Four thousand Dragon Short Arrows loaded into the Tonga fired simultaneously.
Peppeppeppeppeppeppeppep—
Those struck directly in front of him.
Their bodies were pierced by the arrows, and those behind them were skewered as well.
Whoooooosh—
A single volley of Short Arrows reduced a thousand Knights and Users to scattered ash.
Click—
And then another volley.
Peppeppeppeppeppeppeppep—
This time, two thousand fell to ash.
Merely four seconds.
Pond and Roman lost a total of three thousand allies in a single moment.
They could only stiffen further.
Hyeon-su, transformed into a golden Goblin, gazed coldly at the scattering enemies.
[Soldier Colon has leveled up.]
[Soldier Den has leveled up.]
[Soldier Kalam has leveled up.]
[Soldier…]
[Soldier…]
The soldiers’ level-ups were not merely a single occurrence. On average, they gained two to three levels.
‘The enemies are mostly Knight-tier.’
Meanwhile, our forces were Soldier-tier.
Whether NPC or User, it was only natural that they gained more levels when defeating or hunting those of higher rank than themselves.
And they dropped correspondingly more Gold and Artifacts.
Hyeon-su knew this well.
‘They judged that I commanded only around five hundred troops.’
So they must have intended to annihilate all five hundred of those soldiers.
In fact, Wei, who had led this expedition, had made such a declaration.
‘After killing every last one, I will broadcast the scene of Hyeon-su kneeling before the entire world.’
Hyeon-su’s teeth ground together.
Had they known he commanded four thousand troops, would they have made such a statement? Would they have even attacked?
‘No.’
They had merely seized the opportunity because they judged him weak.
Hyeon-su felt the urge to wield his reckless blade.
The five hundred soldiers who had nearly perished by their hands no longer existed.
“Draw swords!”
Shhiiing—!
Four thousand soldiers simultaneously unsheathed their blades.
“Charge!”
At Hyeon-su’s command, his army surged forward.
Roman’s Knights, caught off guard, twisted their lips.
“Mere soldier rabble…!?”
A Knight’s blade swept horizontally across a Soldier’s chest, then hesitated.
Clang—!
“….”
The bone armor had small gaps between its segments.
But penetration was not easy.
The densely packed bones between the gaps blocked the blade’s bite. Cutting was even harder.
The armor was far too hard, massive, and light.
Moreover, even though they were Knights, they were currently exhausted and wounded.
Thruuust—!
The Soldiers’ blades pierced through the weary Knights’ bodies as they advanced. Mages unleashed wide-area spells among their ranks.
“Explosion!”
“Wind Cutter!”
“Firewill!”
Boom—
Boom, crash—
Boom, rumble—!
Pond and Sword Master Roman anticipated the devastating sight of Hyeon’s army ravaged by the explosion and wind blades.
Yet those who emerged from the shockwave were damaged but largely intact.
“…!?”
“…!?”
[Dragon Armor equipped.]
[Magic Defense increased by 73%.]
They did not know.
The armor worn by Hyeon’s army.
It was not ivory but dragon scales, and it possessed defense that defied common sense against magic.
Screech—
Screeeech—!
Each time Hyeon’s soldiers passed through the enemy ranks with disciplined precision, ash was left in their wake.
Ten minutes had elapsed since combat began.
[Not a single ally has fallen!]
[4,434 enemy soldiers have perished.]
[Atlas’s forces are writing a new legend!]
A battle worthy of legend unfolded before them.
Meanwhile.
Sword Master Roman and the Knights were not unable to strike because Hyeon’s soldiers’ skill and artifacts were simply too superior.
‘I cannot use Aura….’
They had exhausted all their mana and could not use Aura. The same applied to the China Users.
‘My skills are on cooldown….’
‘All we can rely on are Passive Skills.’
‘The Endless Maze prevents us from using potions.’
They had depleted all their ultimate abilities.
It was during the battle with the Knights.
One example of those ultimates was Liu’s Hydra Summon.
Had the Hydra been summoned and engulfed four thousand soldiers, this would have been simple.
‘How could the timing be so perfectly matched…?’
‘Could it be…?’
They were horrified by Hyeon-su’s eerily precise timing.
In that instant, Hyeon-su moved.
A woman leaped to intercept his towering ascent.
[Yong-wol: I will hold the line. Use this time to recover your cooldowns.]
Yong-wol, true to her nature as an Assassin, was meticulous in her analysis.
She calculated everything—the speed of the Twin Dragon Sword’s swing, Hyeon-su’s skill level, damage output, stats. All of it.
Even artifacts specially tailored for combat against him.
Whoosh—
Yong-wol exulted as I descended from the sky, my coat tails fluttering, and drove my blade forward.
‘Just as I calculated. Accounting for his speed and mine, I can definitely hold my ground!’
Her short blade extended toward my chest.
Screech—
She froze.
My sword had cut through her far faster than she’d anticipated.
The Twin Dragon Sword was a blade that dealt tremendous damage.
Once struck, Yong-wol stared at me in disbelief.
‘This isn’t right… What is this?’
She didn’t know, but their calculations had been thoroughly shattered.
Due to the effect of your blessing upon me, I had grown exponentially stronger.
Beyond that, there was also the level increase from hunting the Bone Dragon.
I had become twenty percent stronger without them realizing it.
‘My analysis was perfect… There were even many posts saying Hyeon-su hadn’t been spotted at the Hunting Ground.’
I had risen to stardom.
Nowhere was there even a single post claiming to have seen me at the Hunting Ground.
As Yong-wol watched me raise the Twin Dragon Sword once more before her, everything collapsed.
The sense of loss from me.
The frustration from me.
Being overwhelmed by me.
[You have received a Critical Hit.]
With that, Yong-wol, split in half, fell to the ground.
Of course.
[You have obtained Pharaoh’s Short Blade.]
Displaying the true nature of a golden Goblin.
Thud—
The surviving high-rankers watched me descend to the ground in shock.
Liu, Pond, Wei.
Three people were being overwhelmed by one.
Under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t have come to this.
They were aware of what would happen soon, judging by their skill cooldowns.
All three thought simultaneously.
‘We were not wiped out.’
‘We simply turned back from the Endless Maze without encountering Hyeon-su.’
‘Yes, who would have seen? If we all keep our stories straight, nothing happened.’
If word of their defeat spread, the worst would unfold.
At that moment, I narrowed my eyes as I walked forward.
I had decided to perform the executioner’s dance.
The first blade the executioner swings is their total annihilation.
And the executioner’s second blade was.
“This is being recorded.”
It permitted not even a mouse hole to hide in.

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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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