Genius Blacksmith’s Game - Chapter 53
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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
The King’s Test (3)
Barad almost let out an exclamation of admiration without realizing it.
He knew well about the power that skill possessed.
It was the purest power a human could have, and the absolute power that made its possibilities infinite.
A power that could not be compared at all to mere probability and mere temporary strength.
‘Skill is the strongest weapon that produces the most consistent results.’
Barad. He felt an unknown flutter in his chest as he looked at Hyeon-su.
‘A blacksmith who can speak of skill in front of me.’
Strength entered his hand resting on the chair’s armrest.
He too knew the power of something called skill.
He was living proof himself, having come this far with skill alone.
Barad, who was taking in Hyeon-su with his eyes, smiled faintly.
“You possess the finest weapon.”
At this moment, Barad wanted to take a gamble. No one had been able to create a sword that satisfied him.
‘There isn’t much time left……’
Soon he would be unable to do what he had to do.
“I will gamble on your skill. Blacksmith Hyeon. A commission, no.”
Barad’s eyes settled calmly.
His eyes, like a deep lake, looked into Hyeon-su’s eyes.
“I ask you to craft my sword.”
That was the best courtesy the king who had ignored him could show.
[Intimacy with Sword King Barad increases.]
[Basic Sword Mastery Lv.2 proficiency increases by 45%.]
[You gain 20 Fame.]
And Hyeon-su was surprised by the notification that came.
‘Just from intimacy rising, Sword Mastery and Fame increase……?’
Thinking about it carefully, he could understand the reason.
‘Sword King Barad is a king……’
Goyard Kingdom was a small nation, but thanks to the king named Barad, it was not looked down upon.
Such a king would be the most difficult existence to raise intimacy with in Ares.
This would be the reward for building intimacy with such a king.
‘What happens when it reaches MAX?’
He felt anticipation about that as well.
A notification immediately appeared.
Ding
[Chain Quest: The King’s Test Complete]
He commanded his retainer.
“Bring all the remaining real materials.”
Soon the retainer placed materials contained in a golden box in front of Hyeon-su.
“I will give you a period of 2 weeks. During those 2 weeks, I want you to draw out the fire resistance that this cold iron contains to its maximum. It must be imbued with the power to cut down monsters with high fire attribute power.”
[Chain Quest: The King’s Crafting Commission]
Grade: S
Restriction: One who has received the king’s recognition
Reward: ???
Failure Penalty: Banishment from Goyard Kingdom.
Description: Sword King Barad of Goyard Kingdom has commissioned the crafting of a sword.
Hyeon-su, who received the Quest, made a puzzled expression.
This was because the reward was marked as ???.
Barad smiled confidently and leaned his upper body forward.
“I will pay the appropriate price for all the swords you have crafted. Also.”
Barad smiled confidently.
“Blacksmith who said the source of power is skill. Do not forget that I am a king. If you satisfy me……”
He smiled faintly.
“Tell me then, what is it that you desire.”
“……!”
Hyeon-su was surprised by that confident expression.
‘If I satisfy the king, what could I obtain?’
Hyeon-su’s heart trembled. However, this was the story of when he satisfied him.
Finally, he opened the golden box placed in front of him.
[You obtain Epic ore Hundred-Year Cold Iron.]
His expectation became reality. That cold iron was also divided into grades according to age.
‘The cold iron I just used would be the lowest grade.’
And Hundred-Year Cold Iron, Thousand-Year Cold Iron, and at the end, Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron would actually exist.
And Hundred-Year Cold Iron, which was presumed to be far superior to the cold iron from before.
That was the sword crafting material for the king.
Hyeon-su examined the amount of Hundred-Year Cold Iron.
‘It’s enough to make about three swords.’
He checked that information.
(Hundred-Year Cold Iron)
Grade: Epic
Restriction: Blacksmith Level 250 or higher
Difficulty: Medium-High.
Special Abilities
·Fire resistance increases by 56%
·Ice attribute skills increase up to Epic.
·Sword cutting power increases by 112%.
·Sword skill attack power increases by 35%.
·Durability increases to infinite.
Description: Hundred-Year Cold Iron that is far superior to cold iron. By being buried in cold ground for over a hundred years, it contains strong cold energy.
‘This is insane……’
Hyeon-su couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
It was literally an insane ore. Moreover, this ore displayed the highest efficiency when making swords.
‘A 112% increase in cutting power?’
After finishing his examination, Barad spoke.
“To satisfy me, those effects must approach their maximum values. The fire resistance should come out at 45% or higher.”
“Understood.”
Hyeon-su suddenly had a question.
“If there are materials left after making a sword that satisfies His Majesty, may I use the remaining ore?”
For the first time, Barad’s brow furrowed.
“No.”
He was firm. Then he crossed his legs and sat looking at him as he spoke.
“If I am satisfied, I’d rather take you to a place where you can mine that ore.”
It was an even more shocking proposal.
The point was this.
He had to dare to satisfy the king.
“Epic. It should be a sword of at least that grade.”
Soon Barad spoke in a loud voice.
“Vice-Captain Bella, come in.”
After a while, the door opened and a woman entered.
She was truly a beautiful woman.
Her silver hair and Western features formed a perfect harmony, and her snow-white skin was admirable.
Her silver eyes even gave off a mysterious feeling.
[Bella Lv.301]
Her level was also incredibly high.
“Bella will be with you while you craft the sword. Step outside for a moment, I have something to discuss with Bella.”
With that, Hyeon-su went outside.
After Hyeon-su left, he waited about 5 minutes before the vice-captain named Bella came out.
“I’ll guide you.”
Bella, with her cold-looking expression, led Hyeon-su to the Blacksmith Shop.
Arriving at the Blacksmith Shop, Hyeon-su looked at the vice-captain named Bella who had positioned herself in one corner.
‘Is she here to monitor me?’
Hyeon-su smiled bitterly. He felt a bit hurt by Barad, but it was natural.
Then.
[The doorbell is ringing.]
The doorbell from Reality was linked to the VVIP virtual reality Capsule.
Someone had pressed the doorbell at Hyeon-su’s house.
“I’ll go to the world where I live.”
Bella, who was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, nodded her head.
[You have logged out.]
Coming out to Reality, Hyeon-su heard the doorbell ringing again.
When he opened the door, his landlady was smiling awkwardly.
“Hello.”
“Hyeon-su. You were home?”
Hyeon-su was living in a small Studio Apartment on the second floor of a detached house.
“Hyeon-su, I’m sorry about this. My husband has been out of work lately, so we decided to sell this house.”
The landlady, Kim Hye-sook, had a bitter expression.
Hyeon-su smiled sheepishly.
“You don’t need to be sorry, I should be the one apologizing. I was often late with rent, and I’m even living here much cheaper than the market rate.”
Hyeon-su understood exactly what Hye-sook was getting at.
Once the house was sold, the new landlord wouldn’t be understanding toward Hyeon-su.
Currently, Hyeon-su was living at about half the market rate.
Even this was lowered after he fell behind on the original rent.
“When should I move out?”
“In about 2 weeks… I don’t have the face to look at you, Hyeon-su.”
“Please don’t say that, I really lived well here.”
It was true. The lady often brought him leftover side dishes or delicious food she had made.
The landlord uncle also always greeted him brightly and sometimes gave him rides to the Hospital.
“My husband knows someone who runs a factory, and the salary seems pretty good. Should I recommend you if you’re interested, Hyeon-su?”
Some might call it meddling. But Hyeon-su politely shook his head.
At least this landlady was someone who could meddle if she wanted to.
Hyeon-su smiled as brightly as possible at the apologetic lady.
“It’s okay, I got a job.”
“Really?”
The lady’s face brightened as if it were her own affair.
“Yes.”
“May I ask what kind of work it is?”
“…The work I do best.”
The lady made a puzzled expression at that.
“I’ll look for another place within 2 weeks. Thank you for everything.”
“Oh, don’t mention it. I have some fruit at home, should I bring some?”
“I still have some left from what you gave me before.”
After exchanging a few words, the lady hesitated as if she wanted to say something.
“It’s okay.”
At Hyeon-su’s smile, the lady spoke in a rambling manner.
“You know, Hyeon-su. Sometimes I feel bad because you’re too polite. I wish you could be like other kids your age… Oh, what am I saying. I should go now.”
The lady went downstairs as if fleeing.
After she left, Hyeon-su closed the door and entered his room, smiling bitterly as he looked around.
‘2 weeks later…’
Looking around the room, an indescribable sense of desolation washed over him. A small room of about 5 pyeong with a bathroom, half filled with a Capsule.
Of course, he had earned a lot of money, but he had spent it all.
But what was sadder than that was something else.
Just then, a call came from Ji-hoon too.
-What are you doing?
“Just here, why?”
-Why? Mom made side dishes, and the stir-fried anchovies and braised beef are amazing. When should I bring them over?
“……”
Hyeon-su was momentarily speechless.
-When are you going, you bastard.
“Thanks.”
-Huh? Kid, did you level up your embarrassment skill? Oh… I think I’m gonna puke… hanging up, gotta go throw up. Anyway, I’m coming tomorrow to bring side dishes.
Ji-hoon hung up hurriedly, apparently embarrassed.
Hyeon-su made a heavy expression.
He was grateful to the people who had helped him, but he also felt an inexplicable sense of wretchedness.
Then another call came in.
Nel. It was Kim Hye-in.
-Hyeon-su, what are you doing? I thought of a very interesting story.
“Just hanging around.”
-Huh? Why does your voice sound like that?
Hyeon-su had never actually met Hye-in in person.
Perhaps that’s why? His inner feelings flowed out. He didn’t talk about what he had experienced.
He only spoke about the kindness he had received and why he felt bitter about it.
-…I see. So you feel wretched.
“Yes, I’m grateful but I feel really bad.”
The other end of the line went quiet for a moment.
She spoke with a small laugh.
-Just repay them, Hyeon-su. You have the ability to do that.
Hearing her words, he felt some inexplicable strength rising.
[-Hyeon-su, you are the most valuable person in Ares in my opinion. That’s why I decided to become your first guild member.
It was strange. A small smile crossed his face at her comfort.
-Once you finish this Sword Crafting commission, you might be able to repay them.
‘Repay them…’
Yes, that could happen.
No, he would make it happen. If Barad was satisfied, the value would be beyond imagination.
Then he became curious.
“What did you want to tell me?”
She had said she thought of a very interesting story.
-Hyeon-su, you believe that if you satisfy King Barad, you’ll get a huge amount of money as reward, right?
“Of course.”
-But that would only be the primary reward. There’s an even more valuable reward.
“A more valuable reward?”
Hyeon-su made a puzzled expression.
Could there be a reward more valuable than that huge amount of money?
Hye-in spoke with an excited voice.
-Sword King Barad is one of the most influential NPCs in the current Korean server. When he appears somewhere, it gets on the game channels, and Users get excited just meeting him, and the Community fills up with stories about him.
That was certainly true.
The power of a super Named NPC called a king was beyond our imagination.
-That Barad will have the name ‘Hyeon’ engraved on his newly acquired sword.
“…Wow.”
Hyeon-su understood what she was trying to say.
-Can you imagine? The reaction of Users who see the character ‘Hyeon’ engraved on the sword he’s holding?
No, it was hard to even imagine.
-This will be the biggest first step in branding Hyeon.
Hyeon-su’s fist clenched tightly. An inexplicable trembling spread from his chest.
-Now you understand, right? That your fingertips will change many things. What are you doing?
She spoke with a powerful voice.
-Go right now and change your life.
Hyeon-su logged into Ares. To change his life.
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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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