Genius Blacksmith’s Game - Chapter 4

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Genius Blacksmith’s Game

 

 

 

 

Still Want to Create (3)

 

 

 

Hyeon-su’s heart burned with passion.

Why was blacksmithing work so appealing?

Because even when everyone worked with the same ore, completely different results would emerge.

A fierce battle before the blazing flames.

And at the end of that battle, obtaining a complete work that was entirely his own.

Every time he brought such a creation to life, Hyeon-su felt an indescribable sense of achievement and became addicted to it.

Three years had passed since that incident.

‘Will I be able to do well?’

Honestly, he wasn’t entirely confident.

Nearly three years had already passed since he last held a hammer.

Then Ren, who was standing behind him, spoke.

“If your skills don’t match your arrogant words, I’ll beat you to a pulp.”

“If I accomplish this splendidly, would you be able to grant my request?”

Ren was dumbfounded.

It wasn’t like there had never been Outsiders who acted like know-it-alls like Hyeon-su.

Every time that happened, when he actually handed them a hammer, they would do all sorts of bizarre things.

However, Hyeon-su looked at him with eyes filled with sincerity.

‘I absolutely need this blacksmith shop.’

He had heard that quests didn’t necessarily have to be given by NPCs to activate.

“Fine, but if you fail, be prepared for the consequences. What do you want?”

“I would like you to let me use this blacksmith shop.”

“This blacksmith shop?”

Ren, who had been making an incredulous expression, let out a snicker.

“Go ahead then.”

 

Ding!

 

[Quest: Bet with Ren]

Grade: C

Restriction: One who has received Ren’s proposal.

Reward: Use of the blacksmith shop.

Penalty upon failure: Significant decrease in intimacy with Ren.

Description: Prove yourself to Ren by creating an excellent sword.

 

Ren crossed his arms and watched Hyeon-su, who had accepted this challenge.

‘Foolish bastard.’

He seemed to have picked up some trivial knowledge about blacksmithing from somewhere.

However, Blacksmithing Technique itself wasn’t as beautiful as he knew it to be.

It took an incredibly long time for a blacksmith to make a single weapon.

Even if it looked easy, it required going through numerous processes.

Before starting, Hyeon-su looked around his surroundings.

‘Now I understand why he’s a blacksmith in the Beginner Zone.’

 

[Novice Blacksmith Ren Lv.15]

 

He was at a level where he had just taken his first steps.

Hyeon-su first used tongs to remove the heated ore and placed it on the anvil.

Then he began hammering with the hammer gripped in his right hand.

After pounding for a while, the ore transformed into an elongated shape.

He literally folded and struck the glowing hot, elongated ore.

Clang-!

Clang-!

Clang-!

And each time he folded the ore, hot sparks flew up.

Hyeon-su repeated this action.

1 time, 2 times, 4 times, 8 times. Continuously.

“What is he doing?”

Ren furrowed his brow.

It was a question born from not being able to understand what he was doing at all.

At that question, Hyeon-su nearly lost his words.

‘He doesn’t know this…?’

Was this game’s novice blacksmith only capable of mimicking at best?

Come to think of it, this was a game after all.

If such a blacksmith existed in reality, he wouldn’t be able to make a living, but he was a level 15 blacksmith.

“Do you know why you haven’t been able to make better swords?”

Ren made a puzzled expression.

“It’s because you don’t use the Folding Steel Technique.”

“Folding Steel Technique…?”

“By repeatedly hammering through the Folding Steel Technique, you can remove more impurities and the iron gains much stronger hardness.”

“…?”

Ren stared at him with wide eyes.

No, Ren still didn’t completely believe him yet.

However, Hyeon-su continued to add.

“It seems the sword you were trying to make was close to a blade type. This is a method often used when refining iron for making blades.”

After saying that, Hyeon-su began moving more quickly.

Now he cooled it in cold water for quenching.

Hiss-

Blacksmith work was a repetition of quenching and hammering.

The more quenching was repeated, the better the iron’s strength became.

Time had somehow passed by several hours.

However, Hyeon-su had lost track of time.

‘This is fun…’

It was hammering and quenching for the first time in a full three years.

At first, it felt awkward and didn’t seem to go well.

But gradually, he was regaining his past skills.

Clang-!

Watching the fragments of fire flying up, he couldn’t hide his excitement.

It was fun.

So fun that he was going crazy.

The work he had wanted to do.

However, being able to do again what he couldn’t do with his damaged right hand was bringing him indescribable pleasure and joy.

And Ren watched his back as he showed tremendous concentration.

Soon, after repeating quenching and hammering countless times, he finally began to take shape.

Clang-!

Clang-!

Clang-!

Ren stared wide-eyed at Hyeon-su hammering in front of the hot furnace.

‘Th-this is different…’

Until just now, he thought it was just a routine process.

As he began his earnest hammering, his thoughts were changing.

And notifications of unknown origin were ringing out for Hyeon-su.

 

[You are displaying Blacksmithing Technique that defies common sense for your level.]

[You gain 1 Dexterity.]

 

Hyeon-su made a puzzled expression.

‘Is gaining stats normally this easy?’

And another notification came to Hyeon-su.

 

[Your intimacy with Ren increases.]

 

‘Oh…?’

He had also heard about the intimacy system from the Instructor.

You could think of it as a favorability rating, and the higher the intimacy, the more favorably the NPC treats you.

Especially when intimacy reaches its highest level, you can buy something for 8 silver that would normally cost 10 silver at the market.

And Ren continued to watch Hyeon-su as he took shape.

He was beginning to be captivated by Hyeon-su.

 

 

 

[Something nonsensical that doesn’t match the level is happening.]

 

Pureum Corporation’s Special User Management Team.

Employee Lee Ji-hee, who was monitoring the screen, showed a startled expression.

‘What is this…?’

The Special User Management Team is a team that monitors users who show hidden pieces, tremendous quests, or unusual behavior.

This was the first time Ji-hee had heard such a notification.

“T-Team Leader!”

Kim Tae-seok, the team leader of the Special User Management Team, hurriedly approached.

“Something nonsensical that doesn’t match the level…?”

Kim Tae-seok looked at the user named Hyeon-su inside the Blacksmith Shop visible through the monitor.

Kim Tae-seok had seen this nonsensical notification appear several times with cooks.

But this was the first time with a blacksmith.

This notification that occasionally came from cooks who were level 1 but displayed amazing knife skills as hotel head chefs.

But it wasn’t really something to worry about.

After all, cooking was something that ended once it was made.

Such notifications were quite common in the early days of the Ares game, and by raising the threshold, these notifications no longer came.

But now this notification had come after a long time.

‘What is this…?’

The monitor flashed again and spat out a notification.

 

[A level 1 user is displaying skills of at least a master-level blacksmith or higher.]

[Something nonsensical that doesn’t match the level is happening.]

 

“M-master-level!?”

Blacksmith levels are divided into beginner, intermediate, advanced, master-level, artisan, and Master Craftsman.

And master-level blacksmiths were at least level 300 or higher.

What’s more interesting is that among those level 300+ blacksmiths, there are fewer than five users worldwide who possess master-level Blacksmithing Technique.

Also, most of those users possess passive skills as well.

But that user is displaying master-level skills without a single skill.

And in the Beginner Zone at that.

Kim Tae-seok hurriedly explained the reason for the occurrence to Ji-hee, and soon she clicked her tongue.

“Do blacksmiths even exist in reality these days?”

“I know there are a few left…”

It was such a surprising event that Kim Tae-seok also stared blankly at the monitor.

Then Ji-hee became curious about something.

“If the level is low but the skill is excellent, what happens to the artifact that’s created?”

The probability of users getting high-grade artifacts is split fifty-fifty.

Half is luck, half is skill.

Actually, blacksmith users use Blacksmithing Technique, but when they press the ‘Auto-Crafting’ button, crafting begins automatically.

Naturally, doing it automatically has limitations in terms of detail.

Kim Tae-seok, who was breaking out in a cold sweat, said.

“If it’s well made, a good grade weapon that can be used at that level range would come out.”

It’s an obvious answer.

Even without skills, even with a low level.

If you craft with excellent skill, it’s natural that something good comes out.

“That’s not what we should be worried about.”

Employee Ji-hee swallowed dry saliva while looking at the monitor.

“We should worry about the reward that a user who creates with nonsensical skill gets.”

 

 

 

Before long, Hyeon-su’s work reaches its final stage.

After going through the oil quenching process, he’s working on engraving patterns on the sword.

‘Did I already gain five Dexterity points?’

It really was a game where gaining stats was easy.

The moment he finally finished even the pattern engraving work.

Clang-!

A notification came.

Ding!

 

[You have crafted an incredible sword in the Beginner Zone.]

[Grade is being measured.]

[It is Rare grade.]

[Please set a name for the sword.]

[You receive a reward for first crafting a Rare grade artifact.]

[You gain 1 to all stats.]

[You gain 10 Dexterity.]

[You gain 30 Fame.]

[You acquire the title ‘Beginner Zone’s One and Only Creator’.]

 

‘Why are so many notifications popping up?’

Hyeon-su tilted his head and looked at the sword he had finished crafting.

He knew that artifacts and skills were divided into grades: Common, Rare, Epic, Unique, Legendary, and Divine.

Furthermore, whoever creates an artifact of a certain grade for the first time receives rewards such as increased stats, Dexterity, and reputation.

Of course, after that, creating artifacts of the same grade won’t increase these stats.

 

(Undecided)

Grade: Rare

Durability: 1,000/1,000

Attack Power: 36

Restriction: Level 1~30.

Special Abilities:

·Strength +2, Agility +1.

·Active Skill Quick Draw.

Description: The finest sword a level 1 user can wield, born from the most crude materials.

 

‘Oh, this seems pretty good.’

The description kindly stated it was the finest sword a level 1 user could wield, didn’t it?

Hyeon-su briefly pondered what name to give the artifact.

And Hyeon-su, who was terrible at naming things, quickly decided on a name.

“Hyeon’s First Sword.”

 

[You have decided to name the sword Hyeon’s First Sword.]

 

It was quite an absurd name.

But if he continued playing Ares, Hyeon-su thought he would create many such artifacts.

In such cases, having someone’s name attached might turn it into a brand.

 

Next, he checked his title.

 

(The One and Only Creator of the Beginner Zone)

Unique Title

Grade: A

Special Abilities:

·All Stats +1

·Artifacts become 2% more excellent when crafted.

·Dexterity acquisition rate increased by 10%.

·Dexterity increased by 10%.

 

‘An A-grade title?’

Titles are divided into multiple titles and unique titles.

Multiple titles are titles that all users can obtain if they achieve them.

Unique titles can only be obtained by the single user who accomplishes it first.

Naturally, unique titles are much better, and title grades exist from D to SSS rank.

‘Is this pretty good?’

However, there was something more important right now.

It was because of the piercing gaze he felt from behind.

Hyeon-su held out his finished product to Ren.

Ren’s eyes widened as he examined the sword.

“Th-this is impossible…”

It was actually a Rare Artifact.

Blacksmith Ren also knew what kind of place this was.

It was where Outsiders first set foot.

Blacksmith Ren also possessed skills, though humble ones.

But this man couldn’t possibly have any skills.

Pure, complete skill alone.

“Is this enough proof?”

Moreover, Ren felt like he had become a slightly better blacksmith just by watching his crafting process.

Hyeon-su waited for his answer, and he gave the best response.

Thud—!

Blacksmith Ren fell to his knees.

 

[Quest: Bet with Ren completed.]

[You can now use the Blacksmith Shop.]

 

“Please…! Please teach me Blacksmithing Technique!”

Someone with the same profession wanted to learn from him.

He had clearly realized the gap between himself and Hyeon-su, and was showing that he wouldn’t be ashamed to learn from him.

In other words, it was the highest praise.

Then an additional notification came.

 

[Hidden Quest: Help Ren Grow has been generated.]

 

‘A Hidden Quest…?’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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