Genius Blacksmith’s Game - Chapter 306

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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 Final Masterpiece (1)
“Get in line, everyone!”
“Hey, no cutting in!”
Buzz, buzz—
The National Museum, which had seen nothing but flies for years, now teemed with bustling crowds.
A long queue stretching from the entrance exceeded one hundred meters, and the diversity of visitors was striking.
Japanese, Americans, Chinese, Russians, and more.
Tourists from dozens of nations stood with eager anticipation etched across their faces.
A beautiful reporter stood before the camera, broadcasting the current scene.
“Two weeks have passed since User Hyeon-su declared he would become king.”
“Since that declaration, he released a viral video of his work, garnering tremendous attention.”
“User Hyeon-su revealed that all his creations thus far were crafted through ‘Handcrafting’ rather than through skill or class abilities, and as proof, he released a documentary recreating the Baekje Seven-Branched Sword.”
A documentary on the restoration of the Baekje Seven-Branched Sword.
The roughly ninety-minute documentary compressed Hyeon-su’s Handcrafting process into a compelling narrative.
The Great Atlas Tournament had been a massive hit, and the documentary subsequently achieved viewership ratings exceeding forty percent.
“The documentary released on ZesTube recorded tens of millions of views. Since then, it has become one of the must-see destinations for travelers from multiple nations….”
“The number of tourists visiting Our Country specifically to see the Baekje Seven-Branched Sword and the Dragon Light Sword continues to grow….”
“Our own citizens are also visiting….”
“Some people are even calling for User Hyeon-su to be designated as a Living National Treasure.”
Kim Jin-su, a National Museum staff member, stopped in his tracks while managing the flow of visitors.
‘He’s truly remarkable….’
Even as he witnessed the popularity of the Handcrafting Blacksmith firsthand, it remained difficult to fully comprehend.
The National Museum had originally averaged fewer than one thousand visitors per day.
‘Now it’s tens of thousands or more.’
Suddenly, words Hyeon-su had spoken in the past came to mind.
‘I just want to show them. That the profession of Blacksmith is still needed in this world.’
In an age where everything had become mechanized and Blacksmiths had nearly vanished entirely.
Thump, thump—
Kim Jin-su gazed at the thousands of people lined up to see his restorations and recreations, and felt his heart quicken.
‘He’s only in his early twenties….’
Hyeon-su was realizing his dream.
At that moment.
Inside the National Museum.
Children dressed in bee-themed kindergarten uniforms.
One small child gazed at the Baekje Seven-Branched Sword as if entranced.
The child’s eyes sparkled with wonder as he asked his teacher.
“Teacher, if I learn, could I make a sword like that too?”
At the words of the young child, Su-hyeon, the kindergarten teacher broke into a wide smile.
“Does our Su-hyeon want to become a Blacksmith?”
“Yes!”
“If you work hard, our Su-hyeon will become as excellent a blacksmith as Master Craftsman Hyeon-su.”
“Hehe! But teacher!”
“Hmm?”
“Is Hyeon-su really the only blacksmith left in this world!?”
At that question, the teacher’s expression grew contemplative.
She too couldn’t be certain.
“Perhaps there are a few others?”
Soon after, children dressed in bee costumes shuffled forward to view the next exhibit.
And there stood a gaunt old man watching the excited child Su-hyeon from before.
He was next in line, and he was Japanese.
The old man couldn’t understand the child and teacher’s words because he was Japanese, but he could sense their meaning.
‘A blacksmith? Impossible. If that child harbors such foolish dreams, they should abandon them at once.’
The old man silently rebuked the child for nurturing such aspirations.
Then, like a nightmare, yesterday’s news flickered through his mind.
-Last night in Osaka, a mysterious assailant….
His chest felt heavy.
Soon he stood before the replica of the Baekje Seven-Branched Sword.
‘Hmm….’
The old man’s name was Takashi.
He was a man who had practiced blacksmithing for twenty-six generations.
Literally, he was merely someone who had done so in the past.
Once, he was the sole master craftsman in Japan capable of forging the finest Japanese blades.
He was seeing something different from the ordinary visitors.
‘Quite remarkable. A man in his twenties carving patterns using the gold inlay technique from the Baekje era with such precision….’
‘Appropriate forging and appropriate quenching… neither excessive nor ostentatious.’
Yet that was all.
‘Still, he’s merely a novice overlooking something crucial.’
The old man had also watched several videos of the now-famous Hyeon-su.
‘They’re all forgeries!’
The old man was someone who had practiced blacksmithing for fifty years.
‘Lacking though he may be, you’re the only one who could fulfill my request. Never did I think I’d commission someone in my lifetime.’
One of the few remaining master craftsmen in the world.
Also one of the blacksmithing consultants for Ares and one of the four master craftsmen designated by Lee Se-jin.
The encounter between Takashi, master of Japanese blades, and Hyeon-su was drawing near.
Meanwhile.
Sparkle, sparkle—!
The tourists waiting to see the Seven-Branched Sword were bewildered.
An elderly Japanese man had been standing before the Seven-Branched Sword for ten minutes, his expression shifting constantly, his eyes gleaming.
Moreover, he had uttered several exclamations of admiration.
That was right. To anyone’s eyes, Takashi’s current state was unmistakable.
He looked like someone completely captivated by the Seven-Branched Sword, and he bore an unmistakable resemblance to Hyeon-su’s most devoted fan!
Takashi was someone whose words and actions were strikingly inconsistent.
*
*
*
Atlas was bustling with newly arrived Users.
“Kh…! This is Master Craftsman Hyeon-su’s territory…!”
“The place where a User first declared an independent territory!”
At the Great Atlas Tournament awards ceremony.
Hyeon-su had declared that he would accept Blacksmiths into his territory.
The influx of people from that announcement was creating a bustling crowd in Atlas.
Those who had relocated breathed new life into Atlas.
“How much is this?”
More people were conducting transactions through the Shop.
“…Would you do this for me?”
“Of course!”
Many were also undertaking Quests through Atlas.
Furthermore.
“Looking for a girlfriend! I’m 11 years old, and people often say I look like Park Seo-joon when viewed through a magnifying lens!!”
“…?”
Users enjoying the game in various ways had flooded in.
At the time of the awards ceremony, approximately 400,000 people had applied to relocate to Atlas.
But Hyeon-su could not accept everyone.
“This is far more than I anticipated…?”
The reality was that I had only expected around 100,000 people.
The number of applications far exceeded both Nel’s and my predictions.
The influence of Handcrafting Blacksmithing, and moreover, the sole Master Craftsman, surpassed both of our expectations.
[You have accepted 103,017 relocation applications.]
Thus, Hyeon-su and Nel accepted only 100,000 people for now.
Among them was the Black Anvil, which had been ranked first among Korean Blacksmith Shops, and Roun, the master of the Black Moru Guild, had become a legitimate member of Hyeon’s Forge.
The problem was the ‘promise’.
Hyeon-su had decided to accept the remaining applicants gradually over time.
Furthermore, the 100,000 relocated Blacksmiths who had just arrived had expectations from Hyeon’s Forge.
‘Surely even ordinary Blacksmiths in Atlas learned from Hyeon-su!?’
‘They will improve our skills!’
That was right.
Many of them sought growth as Blacksmiths, not systemic assistance.
The problem was that I couldn’t cover all of them, and accepting the remaining 300,000 people was not an easy task either.
I could not remain confined within the territory.
This prompted Nel to visit Hyeon’s Forge.
“We must find a solution quickly.”
Otherwise, many Blacksmiths would rapidly relocate elsewhere.
Those who relocate never return to Atlas again.
Moreover, we needed to prepare to accept the remaining 300,000.
Hyeon-su nodded firmly.
“I want to accept them and help them grow.”
Nel marveled at his resolve.
Hyeon-su’s determination to keep his promise!
And his desire to teach so many others!
“If 400,000 people grow stronger, they’ll eventually return taxes to us, hehehehe.”
“Ah…?”
Nel realized she had misunderstood.
Just as Hyeon-su said.
Once they grow stronger, they’ll help develop the Blacksmiths who arrive later.
Moreover, the volume of weapons we can trade will increase dramatically, and the taxes we collect will multiply!
Hyeon-su was dreaming like a ruthless loan shark—of collecting exorbitant taxes!
So was Nel disappointed?
No.
The Blacksmiths migrated because they wanted to gain something from Atlas.
By giving them what they seek, Atlas reaps proportional benefits.
This was the fastest path to becoming a true ruler.
“In your view, what’s the easiest solution?”
“Someone who can lead the Blacksmiths in my stead.”
“Ah…”
An extraordinarily difficult problem.
Someone capable of leading the Blacksmiths who came for skill, someone who could replace Hyeon-su.
For now, Peru and Roun from Black Moru Blacksmith were covering some of it, but that was woefully insufficient.
“Have there been any responses yet?”
“…No.”
Nel shook her head at Hyeon-su’s question.
Hyeon-su hadn’t truly expected much from this anyway.
“You said it yourself—perhaps the ‘true Blacksmiths’ might reveal themselves.”
Hyeon-su had held hope.
Once he revealed himself as a Handcrafter in Ares, wouldn’t other Blacksmiths reach out to him?
But so far, there had been only silence.
‘They might fill the gaps in my knowledge.’
Hyeon-su still had much to learn.
Across the world, there were tens of thousands of weapon-crafting techniques.
Hyeon-su wasn’t skilled at forging medieval armor.
Moreover, it falls short even compared to a longsword.
However, if other Blacksmiths still existed, they could have filled what Hyeon-su lacked.
But knowing it was greed, he didn’t hold great expectations.
“The person you mentioned, Hyeon-su….”
“I’d prefer if we didn’t talk about that person.”
“Ah… I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
Hyeon-su offered a bitter smile.
He had once told Nel about a Master Craftsman.
That Master Craftsman was now a forgotten man.
Hyeon-su recalled the news from ten years ago that had shaken the world like a nightmare.
-Last night in Osaka, a mysterious assailant wielded a katana, leaving thirteen people seriously injured and eight dead in a horrific incident.
-The perpetrator who wielded the katana in Osaka resides in Nara Prefecture….
-The perpetrator has been identified as 42-year-old Minato….
-The katana he possessed was revealed to belong to Takashi, a Master Craftsman known for crafting katanas for twenty-six generations, shocking the Japanese archipelago.
The final article’s content.
-Among the casualties was Aoi, the grandson and direct disciple of Master Craftsman Takashi….
At that moment.
A Master Craftsman who had lost everything and sworn never to forge weapons again moved with sorrowful steps.
Muttering softly—
“Blacksmithing, such a thing is nothing but useless.”
An old man prone to contradicting his own words.
That old man was now entering the Blacksmith Shop in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, where Hyeon was.

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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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