The Cursed Blacksmith Who Regressed - Chapter 12

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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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Episode 12

Choi Kang-o’s trembling eyes.

The hammer should have been thrown just now, right?

It was thrown.

He had simply summoned it again.

Clang!

Choi Hyun accurately deflected the sword coming at him.

Choi Kang-o’s sword lost its direction.

The force of his swing crumbled after being struck on the blade’s surface.

Since he had been gripping and swinging with such force, it was impossible to twist his muscles again to change the trajectory.

But the hammer that had already completed one strike was capable of it.

It was even light with a short handle.

The hammer, as fast as a dagger, was pulled back again.

[ Ultra Focus is activated. ]

[ Dexterity is activated. ]

[ First Strike is activated. ]

In an instant, it crashed into Choi Kang-o’s temple.

Crack!

[ You have eliminated a candidate. ]

[ Number of eliminated candidates: 51. ]

Choi Kang-o was dead.

Thanks to that, the number of eliminated candidates surpassed 50.

Kim Dae-hyeok panicked.

Lee Su-yong also quickly raised his crossbow again, but it was difficult to focus due to his pierced eye.

And that wasn’t all.

Seeing Choi Kang-o get taken down in such a short time made his heart pound, causing his hands holding the crossbow to tremble.

‘What the hell is that bastard doing…!’

The panicked Kim Dae-hyeok hurriedly pulled himself together and raised his spear, but at that moment, a sword flew toward Kim Dae-hyeok’s body.

It was the sword Choi Kang-o had been using.

As soon as Choi Hyun threw Choi Kang-o’s sword, he ran toward Kim Dae-hyeok.

Kim Dae-hyeok was conflicted.

Whether to deflect the flying sword with his spear or twist his body away.

That was his downfall.

He should have moved immediately instead of hesitating.

Kim Dae-hyeok instinctively twisted his body, and the brief moment that occurred gave Choi Hyun enough time to close the distance.

“Damn it!”

Choi Hyun’s body entered deep into Kim Dae-hyeok’s range.

The panicked Kim Dae-hyeok tried to respond by using a skill, but Choi Hyun was faster.

[ Ultra Focus is activated. ]

[ Dexterity is activated. ]

[ First Strike is activated. ]

Crack!

[ You have eliminated a candidate. ]

[ Number of eliminated candidates: 52. ]

Kim Dae-hyeok was dead.

Only Lee Su-yong remained.

Choi Hyun looked at Lee Su-yong while holding his hammer.

“Sh-shit!”

The frightened Lee Su-yong used a skill to shoot an enhanced arrow.

However, Choi Hyun looked straight at it and dodged.

He shot again.

He dodged again.

Even though the movements weren’t large, he dodged so easily it seemed like a lie, making Lee Su-yong feel despair beyond helplessness, and fear began to wash over him.

At that moment.

Crack!

A sword pierced Lee Su-yong’s head.

Another candidate who had been waiting for an opportunity nearby had ambushed Lee Su-yong from behind.

“Haha, sorry about that.”

The unnamed candidate who killed Lee Su-yong briefly apologized to Choi Hyun with an apologetic expression.

Though he didn’t know what the apology was for, Choi Hyun shifted his gaze and moved to find other candidates. The test wasn’t over yet.

And after a long while.

[ The test is now concluded. ]

The test was over.

And the person who survived until the end in the arena was Choi Hyun.

* * *

A tea house located in Yokohama.

A middle-aged man visited the place.

He was dressed casually as if he had come for tourism, and upon entering the tea house, he admired the interior structure.

“Wow, so this is a traditional Japanese tea house.”

But even though a customer had arrived, the owner didn’t come out to greet him.

What was going on?

After looking around, the man spotted an old man enjoying tea ceremony alone in a corner and spoke to him.

“Excuse me.”

The man spoke in Japanese.

Though the man was Korean, he was fluent in Japanese.

When addressed in Japanese, the small-framed old man also showed interest.

“What can I do for you?”

“I heard there was a good tea house here, so I came, but is the owner not in?”

“The owner stepped out for a moment. He’ll be back if you wait a little.”

“Ah, I see. Then I’ll wait.”

The man politely bowed, then sat at a distance of a few tables from the old man and waited for the owner.

At the same time, he watched the tea ceremony the old man was performing from afar.

The old man was full of elegance.

Though he had a small frame, he somehow looked solid, and his tea ceremony skills emanating from that solidity made observers gasp in admiration.

Eventually, after warmly preparing a cup of matcha, the old man seemed to sense the man’s gaze and spoke to him.

“If it’s alright with you, may I offer you a cup of tea?”

“Oh, really?”

“Of course.”

“Then I’ll gratefully accept.”

At the old man’s invitation, the man sat before him and drank a warm cup of matcha.

The man enjoyed the tea ceremony quite well in Japanese style.

First, he admired the tea with his eyes, then held the tea bowl with both hands and drank respectfully. The first sip slowly, the rest divided into several portions.

Then he quietly gazed at the tea bowl. It was a gesture of looking with gratitude.

Seeing this series of actions, the old man said.

“You seem familiar with tea.”

“Haha, rather than being familiar, I just like Japanese tea ceremony culture, so I looked into it a little. I’m embarrassed.”

“Where did you come from?”

“I came from Korea. I visited Japan on business this time, and when I had some free time, I’ve been touring tea houses.”

“Who recommended this place?”

“I just saw it on the internet.”

At that moment, the man’s phone rang.

“Ah, just a moment.”

The man put the phone to his ear and covered his mouth with his other hand as he spoke. Naturally, it was in Korean.

“What? Yakuza? Oh my… They seemed rather gentlemanly when I saw them before, so why are they suddenly acting like this? Alright, I understand. I’ll look into it.”

A brief call.

When the man hung up, the old man asked.

“Is something wrong? I think I heard you mention Yakuza earlier.”

“Ah, well… Our company was proceeding with some business and ended up establishing connections with a Japanese Yakuza guild called Inagawa. But the people who were gentlemanly at first seem to be getting rougher as time goes on, which is causing us various difficulties.”

“I see. Yakuza are scary people. Be careful.”

“Is that so? But I didn’t think all Yakuza were bad people.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well… In the past, the government cracked down on them as violent criminal organizations, but I thought that was all just an image created by the media, and that they were actually people full of pride who inherited the samurai spirit. But from what I’ve experienced recently, that seems to be a thing of the past too. Today’s Yakuza appear to be becoming more like common thugs.”

“Hmm.”

The old man narrowed his eyes at the man’s words.

Then he took a sip of tea and spoke.

“It’s probably just unfounded worry. The Inagawa I know are chivalrous, as far as I’m aware.”

“Chivalrous… Do you know something about Inagawa?”

“Just things I’ve picked up here and there.”

“I hope it’s as you say, sir. I’m worried this incident might make our entire company think badly of Yakuza.”

“What’s your company’s name?”

“It’s called Daesan. We run a small guild business.”

Around that time, the man’s cell phone rang again.

“Oh dear, it seems there’s an urgent matter at the company. Thanks to you, sir, I was able to enjoy good tea. If there’s an opportunity next time, I’ll treat you to tea.”

“Haha, please do.”

The man bowed politely and left the tea house.

The old man stared at where the man had been sitting for a while.

“Pride…”

The old man pondered the words samurai spirit and pride for some time.

Then, after finishing his thoughts, he picked up his cell phone.

The cell phone was a very old model that was no longer being produced.

A young man’s voice came through the receiver.

– Yes, Shuzo sir.

“Do you happen to know of a Korean guild called Daesan?”

Shuzo’s eyes gleamed darkly as he made the call.

* * *

The test was over.

Naturally, it was Choi Hyun who survived to the end of the survival test.

When Choi Hyun emerged from the virtual reality device, those who had been eliminated earlier were waiting on one side, and the supervisors came out to congratulate Choi Hyun.

“Congratulations.”

“You took first place in the written exam and now first place in the practical exam too.”

“It seems a very capable Hunter has been born this time.”

Choi Hyun formally expressed his gratitude for their congratulations.

There were no further procedures.

They would simply disperse all at once and that would be it.

The reason those who were eliminated first were kept waiting was because it was a rule that everyone had to leave the test site together, since it was still an exam.

Therefore, before the dismissal order was given, Choi Hyun found one familiar person among the supervisors.

“Supervisor Jeong Cheol-min?”

“Yes?”

“Could I speak with you privately for a moment?”

“Ah, yes, of course.”

What could this be about?

However, instead of asking questions, Jeong Cheol-min quietly moved to a different spot, and as soon as they moved, Choi Hyun lowered his voice and spoke.

“I’ll get straight to the point. It seems that a professional Hunter, not a Hunter candidate, participated in this practical exam and committed fraud.”

“What? A professional Hunter?”

“I understand that the final test has all processes recorded. If so, I’d like you to summon the test-takers who joined forces as a group of three and attacked me together for a mana inspection. There were many aspects that absolutely cannot be overlooked, such as a professional Hunter deliberately participating in the Hunter exam and intentionally forming a team to try to harm me.”

“We didn’t notice anything particularly strange from our perspective. What made you so certain? In the case of the final test, there are sometimes people who temporarily form alliances to try to survive. It’s actually a method that’s widely spread among test-takers.”

“You probably didn’t notice because the stat values are standardized in the Infinity program, but I’m certain. Among the three who targeted me, the Player with the crossbow used an arrow enhancement skill at the end that can never be obtained at level 1. Since it’s arrow enhancement, it would be almost unnoticeable to the naked eye, but I saw it clearly. That’s why I’m making this formal request.”

“Ah…”

The evidence was solid.

Moreover, it was also a supervisor’s duty to verify suspicions when requested by a test-taker.

“Understood. But before that, may I ask you one thing?”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“Why me specifically? There were many other supervisors available.”

At that question, Choi Hyun smiled faintly and said.

“Well, among the people I know, you’re the most trustworthy supervisor.”

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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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