Genius Blacksmith’s Game - Chapter 310

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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
Building a Museum (2)
[Occupational Quest: Temple Construction]
Rank: ???
Restriction: Descendant of the Blacksmith God
Reward: Divine Emergency Crafting Alternative Skill
Penalty for Failure: Temple Construction Permanently Unavailable
Description: As a Descendant of the Blacksmith God, you must reveal and demonstrate his greatness to the world.
When constructing the temple, items you wish to display will be exhibited as ‘display pieces,’ and if the temple’s completion rate exceeds 70%, visitors may receive buff effects.
This Quest opened after I deleted Divine Emergency Crafting.
‘A reward that’s an alternative to Divine Emergency Crafting…’
I shared this with Nel.
“Display pieces means that items I’ve crafted before will be exhibited with identical appearances. And if the completion rate exceeds 70%, visitors receive buff effects too…”
However, both Nel and I saw risks in this temple construction.
“If we build the temple, it might reveal that you’re a Descendant of the Blacksmith God.”
I agreed with her.
But there was a clear way to avoid this.
“What if we made it take the form of a ‘museum’ rather than a temple?”
“Hmm, with that approach, it certainly wouldn’t be discovered, but…”
Nel expressed her concern.
“Do we really need to build a temple right now?”
The temple construction Quest had no time limit.
“In fact, we don’t even have the funds to build a temple at the moment.”
Our finances were severely strained due to the Blacksmiths who had recently relocated here.
I nodded with a satisfied smile.
“That’s precisely why we must build the temple, Nel.”
“Pardon?”
Nel looked puzzled.
“Once the temple is completed with over 70% completion, visitors receive buff effects, right? And people coming to visit this museum will stay in our territory of Atlas Territory, eating, sleeping, and spending money.”
Atlas could no longer operate in secrecy like it once did.
It was better to open it up, attract many tourists, and have them spend more money.
“We’ll sell entrance tickets to those visiting the museum.”
I thought of contemporary art galleries.
Don’t people purchase expensive exhibition tickets to see sculptures or artworks by renowned masters?
“People will flock here to take vanity shots, verification photos, and pretend to be modern art enthusiasts. And beyond that…”
I smiled meaningfully.
“We’ll open a souvenir shop around it, selling items crafted by our Blacksmiths!”
Nel recalled it.
Souvenir shops always found at tourist attractions and amusement parks!
T-shirts selling for tens of thousands of won each—you’d think no one would buy them, yet countless people do.
An opportunity to squeeze every last penny from people’s modest, precious savings!
“Even better—families get a 10% discount on admission!”
“Gasp…!”
Nel marveled at the scheme.
Visitors from around the world who brought their children would hear the relentless pleas of those young voices!
‘Mom, buy me that!’
With just those words, merchandise would fly off the shelves.
And the taxes that would flow in from it all!
“We can build the temple on the Wasteland that was cleared of monsters just recently. At first, we’ll display smaller pieces.”
“Why?”
“So people will come back for the next exhibition! We’ll open Hyeon’s Spring Museum, then Hyeon’s Autumn Special Gallery each quarter—doubling the ticket prices. And we’ll feature major pieces like the Dragon Light Sword or Jumong’s Horn Bow as centerpieces, then sell merchandise alongside them!”
Nel’s expression grew more intrigued.
“Dragon Light Sword-shaped Bread! Dragon Light Sword toys, T-shirts with the Dragon Light Sword printed on them! Even Dragon Light Sword-shaped Magnets!”
It was a plan to drain every last coin from people’s pockets.
But Nel raised another concern.
“As I mentioned, we’ll need to build a museum with high enough quality that people will actually want to visit. The problem is our guild members are extremely busy, and if we use the Blacksmiths who recently relocated here for construction, we’ll face considerable criticism. Materials aren’t the issue, but labor costs will be.”
The Blacksmiths who had recently relocated hadn’t profited much through Atlas.
In such circumstances, there was no way they’d listen to Hyeon-su’s requests.
“There’s always a way. Don’t worry.”
Thus began the prologue to what would become known as the Hyeon-su Theme Park.
After logging out, Hyeon-su unrolled a stack of blueprints.
‘What matters now is how polished the museum will be.’
Appearance possessed the power to draw people in naturally.
And just yesterday, through something called ‘Crafting,’ I had proven that using it allowed for far more meticulous completion of work.
But Divine Emergency Crafting couldn’t be used indiscriminately.
‘Artifacts created through Divine Emergency Crafting possess effects up to 50% superior. Because of this advantage, the number of uses is limited.’
Only three uses remained now.
One additional use would be generated after a certain amount of time passed.
Divine Emergency Crafting had to be used sparingly.
Of course, it might seem odd for a Blacksmith like me to be unrolling museum construction blueprints.
‘But I know the method to build it.’
Sufficient time, sufficient effort, and sufficient people were needed.
And if those people had valid reason to give their best, a far more magnificent temple could be built.
I erased and redrew over a hundred times.
I consulted dozens of ancient texts.
Sacrificing sleep, I completed it.
Dozens of pages densely filled with detailed drawings.
With this, I would secure the ‘workforce,’ and I was certain of it.
‘This time, it won’t be fake. It will be real.’
He logged into Ares.
*
*
*
Atlas Territory was no longer a hidden domain.
People’s movement through it had become quite unrestricted.
The newly arrived Blacksmiths, in particular, harbored a singular obsession.
‘I want to get something—anything—from Hyeon!’
The reason they had come to the unremarkable Atlas Territory.
They hoped to learn something from Hyeon or perhaps catch some scraps of his knowledge.
Yet nothing of the sort had materialized thus far.
But then, not long ago, something changed.
‘What on earth is he doing?’
The barren wasteland that Hyeon’s Forge had recently reclaimed.
Hyeon-su began transporting enormous materials to that very place.
Most of these materials were timber felled from the nearby mountains.
Thwack, thwack, thwack—!
He hammered away relentlessly, the work continuing day and night without pause.
Unable to contain their curiosity, the Blacksmiths asked him.
“What exactly are you making?”
“It looks like you’re building something extraordinary.”
Hyeon-su responded with an embarrassed expression.
“Please don’t concern yourselves with it.”
Another voice pressed further.
“Can we help?”
Perhaps there would be some benefit or knowledge to gain.
But Hyeon-su shook his head.
“That’s kind of you, but you’re newly arrived Blacksmiths, and I’ve given you nothing yet. I couldn’t ask for your help. I’ll do this alone.”
With such resolute words, Hyeon-su continued his mysterious work in solitude.
People watched as he constructed something massive by himself.
Some observed his tireless dedication and wondered.
“What could he possibly be making that demands such unwavering effort?”
The matter even became a topic within the Ares Community.
-What is he building anyway?
-The height looks to be at least four meters….
-He’s clearly constructing something remarkable, and I’m dying of curiosity!
-I want to ask if I can join too!
-I already tried. He firmly refused.
Because he revealed nothing and worked with quiet determination, people’s curiosity only deepened.
And those watching reached a collective decision.
-What if we all went together and asked? Surely he’d tell us then?
-Oh, that’s actually a great idea.
They had no particular reason.
They were simply too curious about what I was making.
And Master Craftsman Hyeon-su was the hottest User in recent times.
In fact, the most accessible Blacksmiths came to me most frequently.
And I could see that over 300 people had gathered.
“Hyeon-su, I’m curious—would you mind telling us what you’re making!?”
“We want to help too!?”
Surprisingly, among them was Lee Hwan, the Master of the Hwarang Guild.
Lee Hwan had become a fervent believer of the Hyeon-su Sect without my knowledge!
He was simply too curious about what I was doing.
Only then did I wear a troubled expression before unfolding a blueprint made from several sheets of paper bundled together.
The blueprint was tattered, showing signs of being written and erased repeatedly.
‘What could the identity of a blueprint I drew with such dedication be…!?’
Whoosh, whoosh, whoooosh-!
Soon, those flipping through it quickly could understand what I intended to make.
“Could it be…!?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Everyone wore expressions of shock.
What I intended to create.
“I plan to build a Turtle Ship four times larger than the one we know.”
“…!”
“…!”
No one was ignorant of Admiral Yi Sun-sin’s Turtle Ship.
“Would anyone be willing to help? It will be quite a rewarding endeavor.”
Yet no one stepped forward eagerly.
‘It doesn’t even seem like a Quest is being formed….’
‘What do we gain from helping anyway?’
Then I spoke.
“Among those who help, I will accept a crafting commission from whoever accumulates the highest contribution.”
There was one who reacted strongly.
It was Lee Hwan.
And several others also showed a spark in their eyes.
Accepting a crafting commission from Hyeon—something money couldn’t buy!
Yet still, more people showed no reaction.
‘It’s just one person anyway?’
‘Is there really a reason to do this?’
They still couldn’t bring themselves to participate seriously.
One of them asked a question.
“So you’re making a Turtle Ship… was that why you were working so hard?”
The Turtle Ship.
To them, it was merely something one could see commonly at tourist attractions.
Of course, they understood how great a figure Admiral Yi Sun-sin was, but they couldn’t find a compelling reason to work so hard on it.
Then Hyeon-su began speaking of something entirely unexpected.
“Joseon is an unfortunate nation that was frequently invaded over five hundred years.”
Suddenly?
“Yet in those five hundred years, Joseon never once invaded another nation first.”
“…?”
People leaned in to listen.
Truly a lamentable nation.
A powerless, small country that never struck first, yet suffered endless attacks!
“But we protected ourselves from them for five hundred years.”
Those who had responded curtly to the Turtle Ship’s construction now listened intently.
After all, the Ming Dynasty’s population was several times larger than Joseon’s, and Japan too was a far mightier nation.
“It was because we had Blacksmiths.”
“…?”
A considerable number of those present were Blacksmiths themselves.
The profession they had chosen.
Those who had become Blacksmiths simply because they enjoyed production work were now astonished.
Before long, they found themselves drawn into the narrative.
Hyeon-su spoke of the Turtle Ship’s hidden genesis.
A story everyone knew.
Tales of heroes who boarded the vessel and vanquished enemies.
But the true story concealed behind it all.
“Blacksmiths who couldn’t even afford gruel lit the forges.”
To forge the Turtle Ship, to craft Swords, Bows, and Arrows.
Hyeon-su’s words materialized in their minds.
That day, the Blacksmiths had to forge weapons without rest.
With Hammers in short supply, when one gaunt Blacksmith collapsed from exhaustion, the next would seize the Hammer he’d been wielding and swing it anew.
Skeletal children drew water and poured it over the fallen Blacksmiths to revive them.
Wives who had sent their husbands to the Battlefield climbed snow-covered mountains to gather timber for the Turtle Ship’s construction.
Clang—!
Clang—!
Clang—!
Following Hyeon-su’s words, the sound of that day echoed forth.
‘We must do this!’
‘Do not retreat!’
‘We must finish before dawn breaks!’
‘Seize the Hammer of the fallen and complete the forging!’
‘If this Sword does not shatter, our comrades will live!’
‘I need this weapon…!’
‘I need this bow…!’
‘I need this ship…!’
‘I need this land…!’
‘We cannot retreat for the sake of our descendants!’
They came to understand Joseon’s history deeply.
That day, it was not only those who boarded the ships who fought.
All of Joseon had kept watch through endless nights and days.
And now, centuries later.
“Please help us recreate those heroes of that day.”
“Wooooah!”
“Sob, I never knew such truth lay hidden!”
“I will do it! Yes, I will participate!”
“I am honored to take part in such a precious endeavor!”
The descendants they had protected were now recreating their history.
Meanwhile.
[321 people are participating in the museum construction.]
[Their vitality increases by 10%, and they do not tire easily.]
[They will give their all to construct the museum!]
“…?”
Nel, watching him, was bewildered.
At first, seeing the sullen expressions on their faces, she thought all was lost.
But to think he could turn it around like this?
Nel had a habit of saving certain people in her mobile phone contacts under nicknames.
Today, she saved Hyeon-su under the nickname ‘the legendary Daeng.’

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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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