Genius Blacksmith’s Game - Chapter 249

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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
Babylon (5)
Hidden Quest: Grant Me Your Blessing.
Abbreviated as ‘Grant Me Your Blessing,’ what could this be?
According to the Quest description, it reads as follows.
‘The Sage King was a figure who boasted deep connections with many exceptional and powerful individuals.’
‘You, as the Sage King’s successor, must prove that you too will walk that path through encounters with outstanding individuals.’
‘When you meet them, place your hand upon theirs and speak the words “Grant Me Your Blessing,” and you shall receive their blessing, allowing you to increase various attributes such as stats and skill proficiency.’
Grant Me Your Blessing is a Quest that commands you to build deep bonds with many, just as the Sage King did.
Through that process, the special energy the Sage King possessed flows forth, and you can receive blessings from those individuals.
This Quest appears to grant blessings easily, but it does not.
‘From the unremarkable, unremarkable blessings shall descend.’
‘From the exceptional, exceptional blessings shall descend.’
Such are the blessings that flow.
The way to predict what blessing they will grant is to check how high the blessing gauge rises.
‘As an example, Bella rose to 18%.’
‘Sage Artega rose to 27%.’
‘Bok-deung-i rose to 49%.’
Hyeon-su did not know it, but Bok-deung-i was one of the Four Divine Beasts, which is why the blessing gauge rose nonsensically high.
In any case, I was given four opportunities and used two.
To apply one of the remaining two, I grasped Bahala’s hand firmly.
[He is one who leads the age.]
[An unprecedented, immense blessing is felt.]
This was a notification that had never been heard even from Bok-deung-i, who had raised the gauge by 49%.
‘One who leads the age….’
I could not deny it. Bahala was one who led the age forward.
‘Could it be…?’
I could discern one fact.
Bahala’s potential before and after grasping Babylon had risen dramatically.
According to the explanation I heard from him, one must possess a complete Babylon to walk the Path of the Sword God.
And the Babylon I had confirmed was a Blade that could not be used even after Restoration.
By exchanging that Blade, work that should have taken years was shortened.
Moreover, Bahala’s possibility of ‘becoming a Sword God’ rose nonsensically.
In other words, the Babylon I sold was returning to him as an immense blessing.
[He has accumulated 221 wondrous Achievements.]
[He possesses the potential to become a god and the power befitting that potential.]
[Grant Me Your Blessing is being applied to the individual it desired.]
Ding!
[Hidden Piece. True meaning of ‘Grant Me Your Blessing’ completed.]
[Additional blessing gauge acquired.]
Right, the inner faction’s intention was to build connections with many of the Strong Ones.
I grew curious.
Just how much of a blessing percentage was Bahala raising with such a notification?
Soon, just as Bahala had experienced, my mind went blank.
[Bahala’s blessing descends upon you.]
[You acquire 56% blessing degree.]
‘…Damn.’
It was a level that could only be obtained by combining nearly two legends.
Then I recalled one fact.
‘The blessing you receive varies depending on what power the target possesses.’
Bahala wielded only the Sword.
I was also a User who handled blades and swords.
[Sword Mastery increases by 4.]
[Sword attack power increases by 8%, magic attack power increases by 8%.]
[Damage of all Sword-related attack skills increases by 20%.]
[Proficiency growth rate of Sword-related skills accelerates by 20%.]
[Cooldown time of Sword-related skills reduces by 20%.]
[You are a Blacksmith.]
[When you craft a Sword, the Sword’s base attack power increases by 5%, and all effects become 5% superior.]
‘This is insane….’
I had become more than 15% stronger than five minutes ago.
Of this, nearly 5% of the power was likely due to the increased possibility of becoming the Sword God now that Bahala held Babylon.
‘Of course I regretted it, and truthfully I still do.’
It couldn’t be helped.
Babylon’s value was immeasurable in currency.
‘The frequency of demon appearances in Second Ares will increase.’
Demons were not monsters an individual could hunt. They were beings that required large-scale raids.
But Bahala was different.
‘Someday I might be able to hunt even greater demons alone.’
The value of monopolizing those rewards was significant.
Then an additional notification arrived.
[Job Quest: Sword God and Blacksmith God Complete.]
[You have completed an impossible Quest as a wondrous Achievement.]
[The system measures your reward.]
[As a Descendant of the Blacksmith God, you felt greed toward the perfected Babylon.]
[However, you kept your promise to the request you received and maintained true pride as a Blacksmith.]
[As a result, you created a connection between the Descendant of the Blacksmith God and one who walks the Path of the Sword God.]
[Babylon is the ring that connects two gods.]
[Special properties applicable only to you are added to Babylon.]
‘…Properties that apply only to me? What does that mean?’
Babylon is not a sword that Hyeon-su wields. Yet the fact that something special has been added to him doesn’t make sense.
[You have acquired the title: Creator of Babylon.]
Hyeon-su found it absurd that for accomplishing something so tremendous, he’d received merely a single title.
‘Are you serious?’
But the moment he checked the details, he was taken aback.
(Creator of Babylon)
My exclusive title
Grade: S
Special Abilities:
·The Creator of Babylon is something extraordinary.
·Whenever the owner of Babylon accumulates a wondrous Achievement, you randomly gain 1~3 stats.
·When the owner of Babylon successfully hunts a common demon, you randomly gain 10~30 stats.
·When the owner of Babylon successfully hunts a greater demon, you randomly gain 40~70 stats.
·This is a special title born from the connection between the owner and creator of Babylon.
·This title automatically disappears after 2 years.
‘Well done, Hyeon-su.’
I wanted to applaud myself.
I had regretted it, but without hesitation, I’d sold this sword to Bahala.
Based on this, every time Bahala accumulates an Achievement, I can sit idle and build up stats.
Of course, wondrous Achievements—I’ve only accumulated fewer than 30 of them until now.
But this monster Bahala has achieved over 200, as the previous notification proved.
According to statistics, the average User achieves a wondrous Achievement about 3 times per year.
But Bahala achieves about 50 times per year.
Of course, as his level has risen, that frequency must inevitably decrease.
About 30 times.
Yet with just these 30 times, I can sit idle and gain approximately 50 stats per year.
Moreover, when Bahala engages in life-or-death battles, I simply sit and eat rice cakes.
Especially considering that Babylon is specialized in hunting demons.
‘Bahala hunts a greater demon and gets 40~70 stats randomly? That’s insane.’
Of course, since it disappears after 2 years, I wonder if it’s possible within that timeframe, but if the hunt succeeds, I gain an average of about 50 stats.
And since it’s random, even the legendary stats like Dominance and Will!
To describe this title, it’s like this:
‘Automatic hunting through the Supreme One…?’
The framework was only roughly similar, but it was undoubtedly a mad power.
The synergy created by the connection with the Supreme One made a smile bloom on Hyeon-su’s lips.
‘Hehehehe, hehehehehehe.’
I have no regrets.
Selling Babylon to Bahala.
Rather, it was becoming a tremendous gain.
Meanwhile.
“….”
For a full minute, Bahala shook my hand in silence.
Hyeon-su, who had clasped his hand.
He alternated between tightening and loosening his grip, his lips curling upward as he smiled.
That expression resembled someone trembling with anticipation.
His face also bore the look of ‘Finally, I’ve held your hand. Hehe….’
This was the first time Bahala had ever offered his hand to anyone.
In that sense, one could say he had opened his heart to me for the first time.
That was why he could not speak a single word for that entire minute.
Only when I gripped too tightly did he say one thing.
“…You’re squeezing my hand too hard.”
“Ah, sorry.”
Bahala hastily withdrew his hand.
His emotions were complicated.
The first person to whom he had opened his heart.
Bahala stood at the entrance of the Blacksmith Shop, his back turned.
Bathed in warm sunlight, Bahala’s complex expression was like a single brushstroke painting.
Bahala gazed down at his own hand.
He spoke to me, who had been fidgeting with my fingers.
“…I understand and respect your preferences.”
“…?”
Bahala. He turned his head and spoke with an extraordinarily complicated expression.
“But I cannot.”
“???”
His voice carried firm resolve, and he spoke out of consideration for me.
“Once a year, I will allow you to touch my hand.”
He was quite kind.
Of course, only to me.
*
*
*
I cleared up the misunderstanding(?) by explaining about the inner chamber.
Of course, I did not mention the creator of the title Babylon.
This was not a title I had created, but one that had been bestowed upon me.
Even so, from Bahala’s perspective, he could feel displeased about someone else getting credit for his Achievement.
Sometimes it is better to remain silent.
Bahala had made a reasonable proposal.
“Six billion. I acknowledge it. This Sword’s value is six billion. No, it is worth even more.”
Of course, the Sword itself was worth about three billion.
However, the process had made this Sword worth six billion or more.
“But must we settle this with money?”
Hyeon-su understood the weight behind those words.
‘See, Hyeon-su? I told you it was the right move, didn’t I?’
What did money mean to Hyeon-su?
There was a time when the lack of it felt suffocating, yet now he possessed the confidence that abundance would follow.
With each passing day, he grew certain that greater wealth would accumulate.
Bahala understood that what Hyeon-su truly needed at this moment transcended mere currency.
“I will give you three billion Won. And I ask that you name three things you desire. If they are not unreasonable, I will help you achieve them.”
Hyeon-su’s heart trembled.
Three things he desired.
Three wishes granted by Bahala, ranked first in the world, held far greater value than three wishes from the Sword King himself.
But was Bahala truly offering this to Hyeon-su without expectation?
‘No, that is not it.’
The value of the knowledge regarding Babylon’s creation process was a fair equivalent to those three wishes.
“We meet tomorrow then. And I’m relieved.”
Bahala’s expression softened with genuine relief.
He glanced back and forth between his own hand and Hyeon-su’s.
“…Won’t you log out soon? Should I force you out?”
“Heh.”
Bahala chuckled softly before logging out.
Hyeon-su felt it in that exchange.
They had grown considerably closer.
[You have logged out.]
Returning to Reality, Hyeon-su pondered three things.
Three things he truly desired.
Their value exceeded the three billion Won he had foregone.
These three wishes held such significance that he could ask for Artifact materials to be procured.
Hyeon-su retrieved a notepad and pen, and two of the three wishes crystallized quickly in his mind.
And the third.
As he deliberated, one thought emerged.
‘The ultimate aspiration any Blacksmith would naturally harbor. Let me achieve it through Bahala.’
Hyeon-su finished writing all three wishes.
The next day.
Hyeon-su met with Bahala again.
“Will you be able to help me when I need it?”
Bahala and Hyeon-su were like the Sword King and Ben.
They did not move based on personal affection.
Moreover, a relationship sustained solely by one-sided favors could not endure.
“It depends on the circumstances, but it is possible. I will answer your call once and render my aid.”
This was exactly what Bahala had anticipated.
And this is something whose value can change astronomically depending on the circumstances.
Then Hyeon-su met Bahala’s gaze to speak of what came next.
This second matter was precisely what connected the Blacksmiths and the ultimate goal that Hyeon-su desired.
What was it?
Hyeon-su had already achieved one of the ultimate objectives within that grand framework.
It was the dream of crafting Artifacts using materials derived from dragons.
He had realized something that was thrilling and wondrous merely to imagine.
And now there existed another material that could be obtained.
“Will you take me along on the demon hunt?”
Dragons, classified as transcendent beings.
Demons, another variety of transcendent beings.
He would not miss the opportunity to gather demon materials through collection and craft Artifacts from them.

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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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