Genius Blacksmith’s Game - Chapter 263

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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
Party of the Supreme Ones (3)
“Give me your loyalty.”
Lucifer gazed at the outstretched hand.
Loyalty—a word meaning genuine service and respect.
The Undefeated Knight Lucifer was a man abandoned by the king he had once protected.
Yet in the moment the man extended his hand, Lucifer felt a powerful compulsion stirring within him.
That compulsion was an irresistible draw to grasp it.
A portion of the description written in the Retainer’s Oath.
‘Should you first suggest to someone that they become your retainer, depending on various circumstances beyond merely their story, you may awaken deeper reverence and loyalty within them, allowing them to become your retainer.’
Thus, the Retainer’s Oath wielded far greater power over those with multiple reasons binding them.
Lucifer had more than enough reasons—indeed, an abundance of them—to serve Hyeon-su.
Because of Hyeon-su, Robbs had died, and he who was becoming a demon had been restored to humanity.
Yet Lucifer posed a question to himself.
‘If I grasp this hand, will I be able to take my revenge?’
The difference between Lesser Demon Luxiu and the current Lucifer was vast.
Where once he had stood at level 600 as a lesser demon, he now lingered at merely 457.
Conversely, Lucifer knew all too well how formidable a being the demon Gremory truly was.
And so when the man posed this question—could he create such a possibility?
“…Did he unleash that much destructive power with such a blade? Insane.”
The man’s gaze fell upon the sword resting nearby, on the verge of shattering.
Gremory and Robbs had treated Lucifer as nothing more than a tool, interested only in transforming him into a demon.
The sword he had wielded—a pitiful blade no different from those grasped by common soldiers, rusted and worn.
In that instant, another possibility revealed itself: a way for Lucifer to slay the demon.
“Take it. Cut down Gremory.”
What he offered was a longsword wreathed in obsidian light—the Supreme Blade.
The Supreme Blade was Ares’s greatest legendary sword before the Twin Dragon Blade.
Lucifer had wielded many blades in his time, yet upon receiving the Supreme Blade, he gasped in astonishment.
[The Undefeated Knight meets a legendary blade of greatness.]
[A wondrous combination.]
[Perfect synergy achieved.]
[Lucifer’s level is updated.]
Ding!
[Lucifer Lv.486]
Merely by grasping the new blade, power surged through his body like boiling blood.
Moreover, Lucifer himself was a swordsman who had once represented an entire kingdom.
The synergy between the greatest swordsman and the greatest legendary sword defied all convention.
‘…The path has opened.’
By offering merely a single blade, he had unveiled such possibility.
And Lucifer found himself curious—how did this man of such formidable power come to possess such a legendary sword?
The man smiled faintly.
“…I’ll craft you some armor later.”
“…?”
In that moment, Lucifer finally understood.
The massive blade he wielded.
The brown coat emanating an aura of malice that he wore, and the artifacts adorning him.
Beyond that, even the man in white armor standing here who wielded Babylon, and the Asura man who held a dagger.
‘They all received crafting from this man.’
A hand extended once more.
Crack—
Lucifer grasped that hand with all his strength.
It meant they would fight together, and after the battle ended, he would follow this man.
The moment he grasped that hand, Hyeon-su’s possibilities were opening as well.
*
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[Sudden Quest: Seal]
Rank: SSS
Restriction: The one who summoned Gremory
Reward: Experience points and artifact drops equivalent to slaying Gremory.
Penalty for failure: The destruction of Atlas.
Description: As the creator of Babylon, Gremory has branded you with a mark that can never be erased.
The marked one can be located by Gremory, and she can peer into your mind to glimpse many things.
Now that Gremory knows you are a lord and the master of Atlas, she feels a desire far greater than when she created the Lesser Demon Lucifer.
If you cannot seal her now, Gremory will destroy Atlas and make you her instrument.
This Quest was issued to Hyeon-su the moment the mark was branded.
The instant Hyeon-su saw this Quest, his mind went blank.
There was no way he could seal a demon with only himself and Bahala.
Moreover, this would spread as cascading damage.
The moment Gremory descended leading her twenty-two legions, the Goyad Kingdom would fight to stop her.
Barad, whom Hyeon-su cherished, and everything he had touched could be annihilated.
And.
‘She didn’t even deem me worthy of her attention.’
The only emotion she felt was a desire to possess a certain tool.
Thus she summoned a worshipper to end him.
And in that process, she likely intended to instill helplessness and despair in him to make him submit.
But the situation was changing.
In the brief moment when Gremory, struck by a powerful impact to her brow, could not move.
In that shifting situation, Hyeon-su judged that he must elevate those possibilities further.
Just as the grace of his lord and his inner strength had already proven before.
After handing over the Supreme Blade, Lucifer grasps the hand Hyeon-su extends with all his strength.
[Grant me your loyalty.]
[Lucifer shall follow in your footsteps.]
Loyalty’s Blessing is a superior version of Blessing’s Grace.
Blessing’s Grace grants only a single blessing.
But Loyalty’s Blessing is different.
The moment activation succeeds, if the target approves like with “Grant me your blessing” and clasps Hyeon-su’s hand, the retainer descends with blessing.
And that blessing…
‘Varies depending on what latent potential the one who grasps my hand possesses, and what power they harbor.’
I’m curious.
Lucifer, whether willing or not, had acquired the latent potential of a demon.
Even though he became human, does that potential fade?
[You have obtained a retainer to lead the era.]
It was not.
Here and now, Hyeon-su grows once more.
Though it is merely fifty percent of Blessing’s Grace.
[Sword Mastery increases by 2.]
[Sword attack power increases by 10%.]
[Sword-related skill attack power increases by 15%.]
[Total HP and MP increase by 6%.]
[All skill cooldowns are reduced by 5%.]
[You acquire 30 bonus stat points, distributed evenly.]
One step further forward.
Hyeon-su and Lucifer, Bahala and Kabel walk toward one place.
Where they gathered, Gremory was there, her brow gradually recovering.
Still, they held no certainty about the demon seal.
[Hyeon-su: Why are you all beat to hell?]
[Bahala: …]
[Kabel: …]
Lucifer is included in that.
“….”
Lucifer had died and awakened as human.
In Hyeon-su’s eyes, his HP was barely below five percent.
The problem was that Bahala and Kabel’s situations were not much different from Hyeon-su’s.
Both Bahala and Hyeon-su had their HP drop below ten percent from the battle with Gremory.
The greater problem was that even though Bahala had awakened to new power, most of his mana was already depleted, and numerous skill cooldowns had not yet returned.
Kabel was the same.
Until just moments ago, he had been in fierce combat with Asura Kabel and had nearly reached the brink of death.
[Hyeon-su: Gremory seems perfectly positioned for the finishing blow? Did we become golden goblins?]
[Bahala: …]
[Kabel: …]
Lucifer.
“….”
Everyone faced the harsh truth.
It was then that Hyeon-su began to feel a brilliant light radiating from his chest.
That light originated from something given by a being he had met before departing.
*
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Lee Se-jin hurried into his office.
‘…This is insane.’
Lee Se-jin was, after all, just a person—and also a viewer like any other.
He didn’t want to miss this fascinating scene.
This was different from when they hunted Graut.
Back then, the NPCs had been the primary force in toppling the demon, but now the Users had become the main players.
Yet Lee Se-jin also grasped the reality of the situation.
“…Why are their conditions like this?”
He understood they had awakened and grown stronger.
The problem was that they were only half-complete.
And then there was the seal success probability transmitted by the supercomputer Ares.
[Probability of successful sealing: 24%.]
It had stagnated and refused to climb higher.
Then.
[The probability of successful sealing has been updated.]
The percentage surged exponentially.
Soon, Lee Se-jin rose from his seat as he discerned the reason.
“…That one isn’t here, yet he fights alongside them?”
Beyond the four members, there existed another entity opening up new possibilities.
*
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“Bok-deung-i, you’re not going home.”
“How many hours have you been here already?”
Atlas.
A small puppy standing at the entrance, nose running, gazed toward where his master would be.
“Whimper, whine….”
Bok-deung-i, whining from his seated position, had heard just moments ago that his master and Bahala were heading out to hunt a demon.
Bok-deung-i knew this was an extremely dangerous endeavor.
He wanted to follow, but he could not.
In his current state, he was too weak to be anything but a hindrance.
But Bok-deung-i realized he would soon transform into another being.
On the other hand, he also discovered he could imbue something he had cherished for so long with extraordinary power.
The day Hyeon-su departed.
Bok-deung-i gave him the thing he treasured and loved most.
“Woof, woof woof!”
A soft luminescence erupted from Bok-deung-i’s body, surging skyward.
That light raced faster than lightning toward the object he had just handed over.
*
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*
Gremory’s HP was erased by 80% in a single strike.
The dagger embedded between her brows, amid that shock, clouded her mind with confusion.
Though only mere tens of seconds had passed, she shook her head violently, sensing powerful forces emanating from all directions.
‘What are these forces…?’
They were far too potent.
The Sword Saint of old, who once protected the Continent from demons.
Demons trembled at the Sword Saint’s aura, it was said.
The demon Gremory trembled not at what could be called the Sword Saint’s aura—too faint for that—but at the convergence of multiple forces that no human should be able to produce.
Yet she grasped reality.
No matter how they had grown stronger through whatever means, Gremory understood.
‘They are dying embers.’
No matter how fiercely those embers burned, without kindling, they could not ignite.
The pierced brow fully healed, and Gremory recovered to 25% HP at an absurd rate.
“Insignificant insects, what changes when you gather…?”
She could not finish that sentence.
Light falling from the sky.
And what slipped free from the Babylon Crafter’s embrace, floating suspended in mid-air.
It was merely a ridiculous object.
A small barbecue doll, gnawed in places by a puppy, its fabric tattered and worn.
Yet a transcendent being could perceive what lesser creatures could not.
The light falling from the sky and the trivial doll converged.
Fwoooooosh—!
The true entity concealed within materialized in her vision.
Seven meters in height.
Lustrous white fur.
Eyes vast and fierce, befitting a great predator.
That colossal form, visible only to Gremory, roared.
“Grooooaaaaaahhhhh!”
Flinch—!
She who had glimpsed what others could not see retreated.
A colossal presence that even a mere transcendent being dare not meet eyes with leaves her bewildered.
And then.
Whoooosh—
It scatters like nothing more than a mirage, and something else begins to reveal itself.
“…What manner of being is Bok-deung-i?”
“What’s certain is that it has protected you all along. And today, it protects us. Truly a beloved puppy.”
“…But I am the master, am I not?”
The sacred presence vanishes, and at last, those who were concealed emerge.
Not a dying flame.
[Bok-deung-i’s Benevolence descends.]
[Restores HP and MP to 100% for all allies.]
[All skill cooldowns are reset.]
Figures of flame so fierce they devour every shred of demonic energy.
Even the system had known.
[The Strong Ones are beings difficult to unite.]
That is usually the case.
Just as Barad and Ben had growled at one another.
[Powerful beings unprecedented in history and unseen in the future unite their strength to form a party.]
This notification rings out to all save Lucifer.
They too understood one another.
From this moment on, who they would entrust their backs to and fight alongside.
[Sword Saint’s Successor Bahala Lv.487]
“I shall take the left flank.”
[Asura Kabel Lv.468]
“I shall take the right.”
[Undefeated Knight Lucifer Lv.486]
“I shall handle the front.”
Three gazes turned toward one man simultaneously.
A man in a brown coat wielding twin dragon swords.
[Master Craftsman Hyeon-su Lv.372]
Hyeon-su meets their gaze and levels his weapon at Gremory.
“I’ll just crush her.”
All nodded in agreement.
And another notification worthy of their accord resounded.
[Hidden Piece. Formation of the Party of the Supreme Ones complete.]
[You acquire the title: Party of the Supreme Ones.]
And Hyeon-su felt it keenly.
The demon—a transcendent being.
By its hand, they had been reduced to mere prey. But no longer.
The cold sweat beading on Gremory’s brow told him so.
“We begin the demon sealing.”
Now the demon had become our prey.

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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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