Genius Blacksmith’s Game - Chapter 251

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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 (7)
The virtual reality game Ares presents new chapters according to its schedule.
Chapter 1: Adventure.
Chapter 2: The King’s Path.
With such massive updates come countless changes and new content.
And within this game exists an absolute deity—Ares.
Currently, most Users believe that only Ares exists.
They are unaware of the Descendant of the Blacksmith God, nor do they know that Bahala walks the Path of the Sword God.
However, Chapter 2 is preparation for Chapter 3, and Users have the right to know more.
Hyeon-su received two notifications related to deities that he hadn’t heard in Chapter 1.
Chapter 2 had opened, and he could obtain hints about Chapter 3, which lay quite far ahead.
That hint was this: eventually, Users would encounter gods other than the absolute deity.
“Twice in just one month since Chapter 2 opened….”
Se-jin, who was at the Special User Management Team, marveled.
Securing advance knowledge of future events is incredibly important.
Sometimes it provides the foundation to prepare and move forward accordingly.
And through this notification, User Hyeon-su also learned that he would eventually receive commissions from gods.
Of course, he didn’t know when that “eventually” would be.
In any case, Se-jin focused on what came next.
“An Ore of unknown grade. That’s only natural. We haven’t established it yet.”
They hadn’t established it.
Pureum Corporation was already preparing a third Ares.
But they hadn’t established everything.
They establish things according to the Users’ growth pace.
However, they simply hadn’t registered it yet.
Moreover, its effectiveness wouldn’t be nerfed or anything like that.
“User Hyeon-su has probably already figured out what kind of Ore that is.”
Se-jin was confident that Hyeon-su held the same assessment of that Ore’s grade as she and Pureum Corporation did.
“You’ve really obtained an incredible Ore.”
“Right. Once you set the Ore’s name, you’ll also receive a reward for creating such an exceptional Ore.”
That reward would be measured by the supercomputer Ares.
But what matters now isn’t that.
“What will you create with that Ore?”
Se-jin became intrigued.
It had been months since User Hyeon-su last crafted an Artifact for himself.
And the power of that Ore, whose name would soon be decided, was expected to be extraordinary.
“From the way he’s trying to increase the probability, it seems he’s focusing on Passive Skills.”
Se-jin agreed, and Ji-hee tilted her head in puzzlement.
“It looks like he’s trying to make a secondary weapon, but wouldn’t using probability be wasteful?”
That was how Ji-hee saw it.
But Se-jin shook her head.
“User Hyeon-su possesses many things based on probability.”
Nine Consecutive Slashes.
A single attack strikes an enemy nine times, and it triggers probabilistically.
Once more.
When HP falls below 10%, it activates with a 40% probability, erasing the skill cooldown and allowing immediate reactivation.
Blacksmith’s Soul.
Though no percentage is listed, it ultimately triggers probabilistically, and Lord’s Grace operates identically.
Thus, User Hyeon-su possesses many things intertwined with probability.
“What demands attention is Extremity.”
“Extremity…?”
The Transcendent-grade Passive Skill that Hyeon-su obtained.
Of course, since it must grow, its activation probability remains absurdly low.
“If the 0.4% activation probability of Extremity doubles to 0.8%, what truly matters is the Extremity that triggers at 0.1% probability.”
A 0.1% activation unleashes twice the greatest power I’ve ever produced.
“The 0.1% Extremity is what Hyeon-su defines as an instant-death skill—naturally, it varies by target. But merely doubling that power to 0.2% is tremendously valuable. Moreover, each time Extremity grows, that probability adjustment accompanies it, so possessing such an Artifact now could generate extraordinary synergy.”
“Ah….”
Only then did Ji-hee understand.
A twofold increase in instant-death probability truly feels remarkable.
But Hyeon-su’s next words shattered Se-jin’s expectations for the Special User Management Team.
-The probabilistic increase comes as a secondary effect from the Artifact I’ll craft.
Secondary means to support.
Se-jin’s brow furrowed.
‘It wasn’t Artifact Crafting focused on probability?’
-The primary effect is storing the traits of Named NPCs.
“What…?”
Se-jin’s eyes wavered.
Named Monsters or NPCs possess unique traits.
Dragons and Hydra wield breath attacks.
The demon Graut possesses regeneration, and Fenrir elsewhere carries Death’s Fear.
Humanoid Monsters and Named NPCs are no different.
The Calamities serve as examples.
The Fifth Calamity wielded telekinesis.
The Fourth Calamity possessed absolute dominion.
The Second bore transcendent defense and so forth.
Those bearing the name Named possess traits.
Se-jin felt dread at User Hyeon-su’s conception.
Then she found relief.
“It’s no simple feat. Balance won’t permit it.”
But soon I understood one crucial fact.
Did User Hyeon-su not know this?
“If the probability is low enough, it becomes possible—that’s why I set the primary attribute to Named NPC Characteristics Storage and the secondary to probability. It was to increase the low probability of Characteristics Storage.”
A chilling design. It elevates diminished possibilities within a single Artifact.
Finally, Hyeon-su named the ore.
-Desire. I will name this ore Desire.
An apt name that perfectly captures who I am right now.
This was a first for Se-jin.
Watching his creations had always brought only anticipation and intrigue.
But today was different.
Anticipation came paired with apprehension.
The Artifact he sought to create.
Would be shaped by the ore Desire.
*
*
*
“Demigod.”
Having decided on the name, I murmured while gazing at the ore—Desire.
If I were to describe this immeasurable grade, wouldn’t that be it?
‘Superior to Transcendent yet inferior to Mythic—surely that’s correct?’
And I spoke to Pureum Corporation.
“Hurry up and get to work, won’t you?”
It’s possible I simply didn’t set it intentionally.
But the name alone wasn’t defined as Demigod.
This was clearly superior to Transcendent and inferior to Mythic.
Yet there was one regret.
‘Typically, being first comes with a reward, doesn’t it?’
But that notification didn’t appear.
I wondered if it was because this ore was immeasurable.
‘If that’s the case, it would be truly absurd….’
Then.
[The system measures the reward.]
My face brightened.
It wasn’t that it wouldn’t give a reward—it simply took longer to measure it.
And I received the greatest reward currently possible.
The ore Desire, its white and black hues blended perfectly, grew in size where it lay on the ground.
[You acquire an additional 500g of ore Desire.]
[You acquire 500 Renown.]
[You acquire 100 Overwhelm.]
An additional 500g. What reward could be more special than obtaining more of the ore Desire?
And thanks to this reward, I could now preserve the remaining quantity.
‘Even the smallest amount of the finest Ore will eventually be worth an astronomical fortune.’
Finally, I placed Desire into the Furnace.
This would become the finest Artifact for me right now.
The Artifact in question was a possession-type Artifact.
‘A possession-type Artifact exerts its effects simply by being held.’
Because of this, the general abilities fall short, and the special abilities that can be embedded are limited.
But I already possessed the greatest Weapon.
Thanks to the possession-type Artifact I owned, the Twin Dragon Sword would become even more powerful.
Furthermore.
‘This idea is only possible because I have Ore Desire.’
My understanding of the game was profound.
Combined with the Master Craftsman’s knowledge, I made my judgment.
The characteristic-storage Artifact I desired was impossible due to balance restrictions.
But I had Ore Desire to chase that balance.
‘Naturally.’
The characteristic storage of this creation would not happen unconditionally.
It would occur at a low probability.
But that was fine.
Clang—!
Clang—!
Clang—!
The additional power of this Artifact would raise that low probability!
I threw myself into the work with obsessive fervor.
I intended to complete it before departing to hunt demons.
‘Because I might be able to obtain Lucifer’s characteristics.’
I focused with manic intensity.
Meanwhile.
There was someone consumed by considerable worry, unlike me.
‘Crafting again?’
Nel watched me begin additional crafting following Babylon, and concern gripped her.
That concern was directed at those targeting Atlas.
After the server integration, those who crossed over to the Asgan Continent were not only Users from the China Server.
‘Japan’s Musashi, America’s Kelly, Vietnam’s Mio, Russia’s Cassandra… and many other high-rankers crossed over.’
Competitive spirit was first.
Second was the intention to defeat and subjugate me, then have me craft Artifacts for them.
Of course, Kabel had thrown them all into the high-level Dungeons of the Asgan Continent.
But the time for them to emerge had arrived.
‘And those possessing intelligence capabilities to replace Kabel.’
They would have purchased information from them, and whether he would actually guide them to Atlas or not remained uncertain.
‘Someone will arrive in this vicinity. I’m certain of it.’
What Hyeon-su and I need to do now is prepare.
We must position our forces away from Atlas’s entrance and annihilate every enemy in one sweep.
Atlas’s location must never be discovered.
‘You didn’t know that…?’
Nel was disappointed in Hyeon-su.
Of course, most of them would come down a single path.
Since the front of Atlas was infested with monsters, there was only one route.
We had to guard that passage at all costs.
‘No, why be disappointed? That’s exactly my role.’
Soon Nel let out a soft laugh.
She admitted that perhaps she had overestimated Hyeon-su, which was why she felt disappointed.
Hyeon-su had far too much to do and too many things to worry about.
So she had come directly to tell him this fact, intending to delay his crafting.
But….
Clang—!
“Of course I knew.”
There was no way Hyeon-su could be such an irresponsible person.
He spoke with perfect composure.
“I sent one capable person, so it’s fine.”
Nel was taken aback.
One capable person? But they come in groups in the first place.
Of course, they weren’t organized like an army of China Users, but at minimum dozens to hundreds came at a time.
Then Nel was startled.
[Hostile forces are crossing the boundary line.]
Nel’s face contorted.
She had installed expensive consumables that would alert the Territory if enemies crossed a specific path.
The warning level varied depending on the strength of those who crossed.
[Warning level: Danger.]
An extremely powerful group had entered within 2km of Atlas.
Hyeon-su should have heard this too.
But he seemed too absorbed in his crafting to even notice the sound.
‘No, who exactly is this capable person….’
Then Nel’s eyes went wide.
[Bahala has joined Hyeon’s Forge.]
*
*
*
At that moment.
Musashi, Japan’s top-tier User, had arrived near Atlas.
His guild had only thirty members.
But Musashi’s guild had only a hundred members to begin with.
Yet they were called Japan’s greatest guild.
Because their average level exceeded 400.
And they were ninjas. Musashi, who had been moving low and swift, was caught off guard.
“Who are you?”
A man in a cumbersome robe and a face mask blocked the passage.
The one blocking the passage was listening to a notification.
[The Achievement System comprehends the situation.]
The reason he had been able to achieve such an enormous number of Achievements.
The Sword God could pursue Achievements.
Until now, he had deliberately avoided clashing with Users, but today was different.
‘One last thing I ask of you. Protect Atlas until I reach Lucifer.’
Hyeon-su asks for something truly difficult.
The Achievement System revealed what could be accumulated.
[You designate a location and engage in battle.]
[You have become the Protector.]
[Slay endless enemies and safeguard what you wish to protect, accumulating Achievements.]
Bahala did not know at this moment.
That a 1:200 legend would be forged here.
The tale of a steadfast one(?) was beginning.
Meanwhile.
‘Did the plan succeed?’
Kabel, who had orchestrated everything by sending the Protector, stood before a door.
Inside the open door, thousands of grotesque entities shrieked.
“Grrrrr….”
“Kahahaha!”
Kabel gazed toward somewhere.
Where Atlas would be.
And he thought of Bok-deung-i and Hyeon-su, who would be there.
‘I will return soon as well.’
[You have entered the Hell Path.]
[Asura’s Trial begins.]
Another Protector crosses the gates of hell.

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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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