Genius Blacksmith’s Game - Chapter 309

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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
Museum Construction (1)
“In the morning, just kalguksu, at lunch spicy kalguksu, and I’ll end the day with a large kalguksu in the evening.”
“With just ten thousand won, you can eat something warm and satisfying—what a remarkable and magnificent food this is! I’m going to dedicate the rest of my life to kalguksu.”
Takashi had become an absolute kalguksu enthusiast.
‘I’m glad he seems happy….’
Though something felt odd (?), Takashi genuinely appeared content.
‘If I create a manual with the old master and distribute it to the blacksmiths who’ve relocated here, that alone should satisfy them.’
‘And since he lives close to my home, he could truly become my mentor, and I could gather information about Ares as well.’
But it was difficult to broach the subject first.
Then…
“Tsk, a greenhorn boy just sitting around taking it easy.”
Hyeon-su was taken aback.
“Your hands are so slow, good grief! And your Korean is so sloppy…!”
Takashi called a greenhorn?
Soon I found myself speechless upon seeing Kim Chun-ok, the proprietor of the 28th-generation Premium Gukbap Restaurant and a spry 105-year-old woman this year.
Perhaps this was only natural.
How well could a man in his seventies perform work in a restaurant?
From Kim Chun-ok’s perspective, her grandson had brought him in to try once, but it was a complete failure.
“I should fire him.”
“….”
Cold sweat dripped from Takashi’s forehead.
And here I’d sworn to walk a path devoted entirely to kalguksu?
Soon Kim Chun-ok’s eyes widened.
“Huh?”
A mysterious young man sitting across from Takashi!
Because of that young man, the restaurant began to bustle.
“Right? It’s really Master Craftsman Hyeon-su!”
“Wow….”
“Gasp…!”
The 28th-generation Premium Gukbap Restaurant had exquisite flavor but poor publicity, and being in a remote location, it was going under.
“Young man, come by often! I’ll give you plenty of service!”
With that, Takashi discovered the only way he could survive at this establishment.
He grasped Hyeon-su’s hand.
“I sensed it from the beginning. When you said in Japan that you wanted to become a blacksmith like me, I knew that when you grew up, you’d become a truly great master craftsman.”
“…Just recently you told me to make sashimi knives, but then you asked why I was making swords instead, calling me a rice bug and all. You said you’d never seen such a massive grain weevil before.”
“….”
“….”
“I knew you’d do well. And your hands—how are they so soft? So delicate~”
Hyeon-su’s hands were covered in calluses, the very epitome of a man’s hands.
Plink, plink—
Takashi poured water for me.
A desperate struggle to achieve my second dream!
That’s when Kim Chun-ok spoke from the kitchen.
“Tanaka, how many days have you worked?”
“It’s Takashi, not Tanaka. Why do you ask?”
“Oh, I need to calculate your daily wages and pay you right away….”
I gripped his hand firmly as well.
“What could I possibly ask of you, Elder? I just miss you, so it would be wonderful if you’d visit our territory from time to time, play with the Blacksmiths, offer advice while saying ‘I wonder if our Hyeon-su is doing well with his blacksmithing~’, and occasionally scold me too!”
“Hehehehe, you glutton of a fellow…!”
“Hahaha, Elder~ I really am a glutton~!”
The two of us locked eyes, and Takashi let out a small chuckle.
I spoke to Kim Chun-ok.
“Grandmother, I’ll visit often!”
“Really!?”
“Of course, the gukbap here is too delicious. In return, please take good care of our grandfather. I’ll come every day!”
Kim Chun-ok, who had been placing the daily wages in an envelope, quickly tucked it into her bosom and hid it away.
“Even dung has its uses, hohohoho!”
“Ha, hehehehe…!”
“Hahahaha!”
The three of us laughed in our own ways.
It was a happy ending.
*
*
*
After logging into Ares, I sat in a corner of the Blacksmith Shop, lost in thought.
‘Do you believe that was true crafting?’
The skill, Divine Emergency Crafting.
It was certainly a skill that had saved me from many dangers thus far.
Yet, the words of Takashi, a Master Craftsman with fifty years of blacksmithing experience, resonated deeply.
‘What is your true strength?’
It lies in not depending on skills.
Suddenly, images of Legendary Grade items created through Divine Emergency Crafting flashed through my mind.
Royal Sword.
Turtle Ship.
Tyrfing.
Twin Dragon Sword.
The input time for Divine Emergency Crafting was merely five to seven seconds at most.
‘I’ve already strayed from my original pursuit of not becoming a mechanical blacksmith.’
I consider, for example, a machine that forges mechanically.
Mechanical forges strike with rhythmic precision at regular intervals—clang, clang, clang.
But as a Handcrafting Blacksmith, I could apply the most appropriate force with perfect control.
Now, reflecting on it, there’s something equally absurd to consider.
‘I crafted the Turtle Ship through Divine Emergency Crafting….’
It was utterly ridiculous.
Yes, creating a Turtle Ship would normally require dozens of people, countless hours, and immense effort.
I could have invested that labor to fill in the gaps properly.
“When I think about it this way, it’s nothing but a skill.”
Not a robot fusion—fabricating an entire Turtle Ship in five to seven seconds.
At that moment, I arrived at a profound realization.
“Between something created through Divine Emergency Crafting and something meticulously handcrafted—which would be superior?”
Even a fool could answer that.
The handcrafted work would inevitably be superior.
Because it’s more refined.
Because it’s born from necessity.
Because it uses minimal materials with maximum precision.
Seduced by convenience, I had abandoned the very essence of what a Blacksmith should be.
‘I may have forsaken the opportunity to develop true mastery all this time.’
[Delete Divine Emergency Crafting?]
I felt it then.
Divine Emergency Crafting only brought momentary satisfaction.
In the long term, it was merely eroding my potential.
“Yes.”
[Divine Emergency Crafting has been deleted.]
Of course, there was a pang of regret.
Yet by deleting the Emergency Crafting, I felt I had gained far more.
“From now on, I’ll strike the forge one more time, exert myself just a little harder each moment.”
There was no other choice.
I no longer had the luxury of ten-second crafting.
Only the arduous path of pouring endless effort remained.
Then.
[Hidden Piece: True Blacksmith’s Spirit—Complete.]
[You abandoned convenience and chose the difficult path, never doubting that it would lead to greater self-improvement.]
[You have proven yourself a Blacksmith capable of crafting perfect weapons above all others.]
[The God of Blacksmiths commends you for awakening to true essence.]
[A new hidden skill from the Blacksmith God is now unlocked.]
[You have acquired Divine Craftsmanship.]
[Job Quest: Temple Construction has been generated.]
I felt elation surge through me.
‘By sacrificing one thing, I have gained something new.’
What mattered was whether this new skill surpassed the Divine Emergency Crafting from before.
(Divine Crafting Method)
Active Skill
Grade: Divine
Level: 1
Effects:
·Using the Divine Pencil and Paper, you can inscribe blueprints and detailed specifications for crafting.
·If the design is original, the probability of crafting equipment of a superior grade increases significantly.
·The Crafting Method will guide you on how to obtain the necessary materials.
·Compared to ordinary crafting, creating equipment based on personally drawn Crafting Methods dramatically increases the probability of producing superior equipment.
·The grade of Artifacts produced through the Crafting Method varies infinitely depending on the skill level of the Blacksmith who drew it.
·Artifacts crafted based on the Crafting Method exhibit 10~50% superior effects compared to ordinary crafted Artifacts.
·Current Crafting Method uses available: 4/4
·Automatically regenerates once per year.
“Gasp…!”
An exclamation of astonishment escaped involuntarily.
Better than Divine Emergency Crafting?
It depended on perspective.
For Hyeon-su, who had sworn never to hastily craft again, this was nothing short of magnificent.
‘A single skill with detection capabilities too?’
The fact that it guided the materials needed for the Crafting Method itself was absurd.
‘And if I base it on the Crafting Method, not only does the probability of superior equipment skyrocket, but even creating the same grade could be 50% more powerful!?’
If this 50% probability applied when crafting a Legendary Grade Artifact, it could practically unleash the power of the lowest tier of Transcendent Grade.
But did that mean such a Legendary Grade would lack value compared to Transcendent Grade?
‘Absolutely not!’
The reason was that the level requirements of Transcendent Grade Artifacts themselves were likely unequippable for even current rankers in most cases!
Hyeon-su decided to test it immediately.
[The Divine Pencil and Paper are generated.]
I pondered which equipment’s Crafting Method to inscribe in meticulous detail.
What I needed now was a “comparison standard.”
I needed clear confirmation of how much difference there could be between what I had hastily crafted through Divine Emergency Crafting and equipment I would craft with careful planning and detailed Crafting Methods.
Hyeon-su began drawing the Crafting Method.
He drew from the foundation with solid precision, inscribing how to craft it in every detail.
‘A Royal Sword.’
It must be forged in the year and month when the tiger’s essence becomes sufficiently abundant.
He carefully drew and wrote the Crafting Method while contemplating.
‘The twelve constellations.’
Their symbolism.
However, the world had changed, and now I believed there was a need to convey the meaning of this Royal Sword more directly.
Thus, instead of the twelve constellations, I decided to engrave a single fierce tiger into the pattern.
Thus, Hyeon-su perfected the method for crafting Royal Swords, seamlessly blending the ancient and the modern.
It appeared effortless, as though he were simply striking metal—but it was far from simple.
Over four hours, he repeated revisions and refinements, pouring his effort into every detail.
Yet through this cycle of correction and enhancement, he awakened to a profound truth.
‘Like a sculpture carved with precision, growing ever more beautiful with each stroke.’
‘Like a flawless work of art that tolerates not a single speck of imperfection.’
The very act of dedicating himself to this method made him viscerally aware of something he had forgotten.
He realized he had been crafting a ‘counterfeit’—and yet, he discovered that he was genuinely enjoying this process itself.
At last, Hyeon-su set down his pencil.
Ding!
[The Royal Sword crafting method has been completed.]
Upon seeing the completed Royal Sword crafting method, Hyeon-su’s legs gave way beneath him.
Thud—
“…What is this?”
In truth, Hyeon-su had believed he could no longer grow—a conceit born of arrogance.
He was still incomplete, and there remained Master Craftsman Takashi to fill those gaps, along with countless other artisans from hidden realities yet undiscovered.
(Royal Sword Crafting Method)
Grade: Legendary ~ Transcendent
Attack Power: 578~766
Crafting Requirement: Craftsman Rank Level 500 or higher.
Crafting Materials: Ore imbued with divine power, Tears of the White Tiger.
Substitute Materials: Guidance provided upon hint discovery.
Special Abilities:
·Divine power increased by up to 64%.
·Attack power against evil or undead increased by up to 300%.
·Defense against evil or undead increased by up to 300%.
·Merely holding it grants up to 80% increased attack and defense against evil.
·When attacking evil or undead, defense penetration up to 70%.
·Active Skill: White Tiger’s Aura.
·Active Skill: Song of the King.
·Passive Skill: Those Who Do Not Retreat.
·All stats increased by up to 8%.
Description: A Royal Sword crafting method created by preserving the strengths of the old while compensating for its weaknesses through new knowledge.
A divine crafting method.
This skill’s effect does not determine the ‘grade’ of the Artifact to be created.
In other words, the result depends entirely on Hyeon-su’s own mastery.
‘Royal Swords ranging from at minimum Legendary to Transcendent grade can be crafted….’
That is, when Hyeon-su immersed himself in creating the method and crafting, the results would begin at Legendary grade.
Moreover, all the stat values of the Royal Sword produced by this new method far surpassed those of the previous ‘counterfeit’ Royal Sword.
The Royal Sword created next would be born as something genuinely real.
Hyeon-su, whose legs had given way beneath him, collapsed to the ground and let out a triumphant cry.
“Aaaaaaahhhhh…!”
The Blacksmith, who had been stagnant, was now stepping onto a new path.

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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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