Genius Blacksmith's Game

KHUAAARGH!

A barrier that slowly melted away.

Standing side by side, they looked at one another.

Hyeji, her eyes swollen from crying so much.

TWAAANG-!

She drew the bowstring.

And Hanul, adultlike and taciturn beyond his age.

And Taehun, with a cheerful personality.

And Hyunsoo—the real-world blacksmith they had only just learned about.

In this moment, everyone felt it.

The three of them had been together a long time, so their teamwork was better than anyone’s.

And Hyunsoo.

They had matched up only five times, but he blended into the team as if they’d known each other forever.

‘The last chance given to us.’

[Savage Labyrinth.]

[For 30 seconds, the use of all skills is controlled.]

The American users must have spent the most time at the entrance.

But for them, it was a completely different story.

Their real-world skill had reached a distant level, so they could clear faster than the American users.

FWAAASH-!

Through the barrier that had soon melted completely, the Lycans tried to pour in.

Faster than that.

THWACK-!

A Lycan collapsed with its glabella pierced clean through, and even the Lycan behind it was pierced as well.

THWIP-!

THWIP-!

Rapid fire.

And.

[A critical hit triggers.]

[A critical hit triggers.]

Hyeji’s arrows, which defied common sense, interfered with the approaching Lycans.

Soon dozens of Lycans came crawling along the walls.

At that moment, Taehun kicked off the wall.

KWAANG-!

KWAANG, KWA-KWA, KWAANG, KWAANG!

Kicks chained at high speed.

1 time.

2 times.

3 times.

13 times.

Kicks that flowed like water blocked all of the Lycans’ approach.

KIIIIING-

Hanul, the best swordsman with a single razor-edged sword, butchered the ones that surged in.

But the Lycans were nasty ones—fast feet, high HP, a savage ferocity that knew no fear.

Those attacks kept digging in, and kept pouring down.

FLUTTER-!

And the last person.

Hyunsoo, who now held a new weapon.

He moved with the Supreme Blade in hand—a black blade with a slightly curved tip.

In Ares, there are notifications that display the damage amount when you attack, or when you are attacked.

This function had an on/off setting, so users used it to match their preference.

And the three people besides Hyunsoo were all using this function.

Hanul, a swordsman with high-grade Sword Mastery and a rare sword at his hip, cut down another Lycan.

SHHK-

[You dealt 3,130 damage.]

Then Hyunsoo cut down a Lycan that was charging for Hyeji.

SHKRRK-!

[You dealt 5,113 damage.]

“......!?”

“......!?”

“......!?”

The three of them couldn’t hide their shock.

Hyunsoo darted through the Lycans in every direction.

[You dealt 4,933 damage.]

[You dealt 5,243 damage.]

Even before, Hyunsoo’s damage had been higher than Hanul’s.

But the difference hadn’t been like this.

‘What the hell is that sword......?’

‘This is insane......!’

There was something that shocked them even more.

[A critical hit triggers.]

[You dealt 7,313 damage.]

[A critical hit triggers.]

[You dealt 6,741 damage.]

‘How are critical hits triggering like that, over and over?’

Hyunsoo’s critical hits triggered too easily.

Critical hits usually triggered when you struck a vital point, and they dealt higher damage than usual.

The truth behind all of it was in the sword Hyunsoo had newly obtained.

(Supreme Blade)

Grade: Legend ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) above Legend

Durability: Infinite

Attack Power: 619

Restriction: Creator has no restriction, Level 400+ Swordsman

Special Abilities:

·All stats increase by 2%

·Critical hit chance increases by 70%

·Cutting power increases by 50%

·Sword Mastery increases by 6 levels

·Passive Skill Eightfold Slash

·Passive Skill Subtleties of Swordsmanship

·Passive Skill Once More

·Active Skill Pulling

·Active Skill Rampaging Sword

Description: A special Masterpiece only for Hyun. No sword will be superior to this sword.

Even compared to White Night he had held before, it was tremendous.

White Night’s attack power was 401, and Supreme Blade’s attack power was 619.

Also, because of the artifact effect “critical hit chance increases by 70%,” Hyunsoo could deal critical-hit damage several times more often than normal people.

SHKRRK-SHKRRK-!

And with the merit of “cutting power increases by 50%,” the cut Lycans were being severed.

Hanul made an expression of awe.

‘......Is this the power of a real-world blacksmith?’

But soon, Hanul understood.

Even to someone like him who didn’t know blacksmithing well, Supreme Blade was something outrageous.

He corrected his thought.

‘Is this the power of the greatest blacksmith?’

Soon Hanul felt the Lycans pushing deeper into the narrow space.

“Hold them back!”

And the three of them gave bitter smiles.

Before we knew it—

‘We’re following him.’

And yet it didn’t even feel bad, and they were accepting it as if it were only natural.

The three of them desperately blocked the ones forcing their way in.

Tree trunks surged up over Hyunsoo’s head.

He formed a single arrow and set it on the bowstring.

SWEEE-!

Because they had matched up so many times, the moment the arrow was fired, the three of them ducked at the same time.

Glory Golden Ghost Technique.

A single arrow multiplied to match the number of Lycans.

KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWAAANG-!

The moment the bastards were slammed into the ground, Hyunsoo shouted.

“Go in!”

A narrow space can sometimes work against you.

The four of them burrowed inward at the same time.

[Savage Labyrinth’s Wrath.]

[Lycans become 15% stronger.]

[Lycans’ HP recovers by 20%.]

THUD THUD THUD

CRUNCH

KHUWOOOOOOO!

KHUAAARGH!

The four of them scattered.

The ones that came in, now even stronger.

In truth, before Hyunsoo forged Supreme Blade, they had been sure they could never clear this dungeon.

It wasn’t like you had to taste shit to know it was shit.

But Supreme Blade opened a possibility.

The problem was that possibility came only from Hyunsoo.

The number of Lycans they had reduced was, at most, only around thirty.

Fighting the Lycans that swarmed in, Hanul despaired.

No matter how good your skill is, there are things you can’t do.

Hanul, retreating again and again, found his back colliding with Hyeji’s before he knew it.

She too was facing her limit.

Hanul looked at his rare-grade sword that now seemed pathetic.

“I’m jealous.”

“......Me too.”

What if we had a weapon like that too?

Could we raise the probability of clearing this place?

“KYAAARGH!”

Hyeji took heavy damage from the Lycans.

Hanul stepped in front of her.

Routes were drawn in his head.

A total of six.

‘No.......’

He couldn’t cut them down.

Not with his sword’s damage.

Then.

WHIRRRRK-!

“Hanul!”

A sword flew in.

It was an old man’s Masterpiece, born in a small territory.

The sword White Night.

Gripping it, Hanul moved.

SKAGAGAGAGAK-!

Moving fast, he cut down six Lycans in a flash.

A sword genius.

“The one closest to legend” that was placed in Hanul’s hands was making him the strongest right now.

“This is fucking insane!”

He felt like he could fly.

Lycans that hadn’t been cut were collapsing, creating new routes.

‘Jealous.......’

As Hyeji stared at Hanul in admiration, Hyunsoo appeared, cutting through the Lycans.

[You have obtained Orichalcum Baby Arrows.]

[You have obtained 300 Bamboo Guide Tubes.]

[You have obtained 300 Baby Arrows.]

“......I was curious.”

Hyunsoo grinned.

“What kind of power you’d show if you fought with the best weapons.”

Five runs together.

The reason he handed White Night to Hanul was because Supreme Blade now existed for Hyunsoo.

And the reason he handed Orichalcum Baby Arrows to Hyeji was because trust in them now existed.

“Do you know how to use it?”

“Who do you think I am?”

Hyeji’s eyes shone.

CLICK-

With a skill more practiced than anyone’s, she set it on the bowstring.

Even though no notification appeared, if it had, it would have appeared like this:

[The greatest archer and the strongest arrow meet.]

[Accuracy and penetration increase by 25%.]

TWAAANG-!

Drawing the bowstring, she fired at the Lycans rushing in.

SWEEE-!

KWAZAZAK-!

A baby arrow that blasted one bastard backward and pierced through went on to pierce three Lycans behind it.

Then the baby arrows and bamboo guide tubes Hyunsoo gave were fired.

One shot per second.

SWEE-!

SWEE-!

KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWAK-!

Hyunsoo couldn’t believe it even while watching it himself.

Baby arrows.

This weapon had one weakness, even though its destructive power and range were long.

Its accuracy was fatally low.

But Hyeji’s baby arrows were striking only the Lycans’ vital points.

[A critical hit triggers.]

[A critical hit triggers.]

[A critical hit trigge—]

“It’s melting, it’s melting!”

Ash scattered wherever her arrows passed.

Then.

A notification that should not have been heard right now rang out.

[You have hunted many Lycans of the Savage Labyrinth in a short period of time.]

[A new story begins.]

“......!?”

Hyunsoo’s face twisted into a miserable grimace.

‘The difficulty goes up more from here? How does it go up?’

Soon Hyunsoo could see it.

Amid the hundreds of Lycans.

The unknown bastard who had been crouched down stretched.

‘No way......!’

DING!

[Sudden Quest: Savage Labyrinth King and Lycans]

Grade: SS

Restriction: Those who triggered the Savage Labyrinth

Reward: On success, recorded time reduced by 20%

Failure Penalty: None

Description: The original method of hunting the boss monster after hunting all Lycans has been changed. Defeat the Lycans, and the Savage Labyrinth King.

‘We fight the boss monster together while we’re still fighting the Lycans, even though we were supposed to face it after?’

Everyone wanted to deny reality after hearing this notification.

Of course, the reward was a 20% time reduction.

Soon Hyunsoo looked at the bastard who had unfolded his crouched body.

Silver fur.

A wolf’s face.

Unlike the other Lycans that reached 3 meters in height, it was about the same height as Hyunsoo.

[Savage Labyrinth King Lv.383]

PRICKLE-!

Hyunsoo’s instinct sent a signal that it was dangerous.

Then the bastard disappeared right in front of his eyes.

KWAZAAAK-!

“Kgh!”

Hyunsoo’s HP dropped to 9% in a single instant. At the same time, at the speed of light, the bastard struck Hanul, Hyeji, and Taehun in the chest.

“KYAAH!”

“Kuhhk!”

“Kgh!”

Hyunsoo realized.

The bastard’s specialty was speed that transcended common sense.

The bastard, eyes blazing with savage light, came again.

The moment he collided with it, Hyunsoo was horrified.

KWAZAZAZAK-!

Because the bastard’s sharp claws struck Hyunsoo’s chest six times in an instant.

[HP falls below 50%.]

Reeling, Hyunsoo felt it approaching Hyeji, Taehun, and Hanul again.

‘No.......’

It was cycling.

If it attacked one person, it immediately went to the others, then the next.

It was playing with us.

The three people’s screams rang in Hyunsoo’s ears again.

“KYAAARGH!”

“Hyeji!”

“KUHHEOOGH!”

Hyunsoo realized.

‘If the third cycle starts, everyone dies.’

And Hyunsoo waited.

SHHHK-

Soon he heard the sound of it approaching.

*****

The Labyrinth King was annoyed.

Humans who woke him from a deep sleep.

They had skill that wasn’t too bad.

But with speed four times that of a normal Lycan—

And with the trait “Like the Wind”—

They couldn’t chase him.

The Labyrinth King knew it.

From the third cycle, normal humans learn and respond.

Just as expected.

This human was the same.

When he approached at the speed of light, the human swung his sword and attacked.

FLASH-!

In an instant, the Labyrinth King twisted his trajectory and moved elsewhere.

Opening a 20-meter gap in one shot, the Labyrinth King tried to charge to slam in with his body.

Then he felt something strange.

[Pulling]

His speed to close 20 meters was 0.7 seconds.

But in 0.3 seconds, in an instant, he was right in front of a man.

“Got you.”

Hyunsoo’s eyes flashed.

The Supreme Blade he had newly obtained was special.

The one who created the skills inside it was Hyunsoo himself.

A concentrated body made through what was most efficient for him, the best, and the most correct usage possible.

[Instantly pulls the enemy in and inflicts stun for 3 seconds.]

And Hyunsoo knew.

He had to kill the bastard alone.

But there was also an advantage.

The Wolf King title he had obtained after hunting the ash-gray wolf.

[The Wolf King title shines.]

[Attack power and defense increase by 17% against wolf-type monsters.]

On top of that, the power Hyunsoo had engraved into Supreme Blade.

He got the inspiration for this power by looking at the gauntlets of strength.

Those gauntlets were, literally, a power that raised the single stat called strength beyond absurdity.

Another power embedded in Supreme Blade activated.

[Rampaging Sword]

KUHOOOOOO-!

Black energy surging from his body was sucked into Supreme Blade.

[Attack power is determined by probability.]

[With 40% probability, 200%~ is applied, with 20% probability, 300%~ is applied, with 10% probability, 400%~ is applied, with 2% probability, 600%~ is applied.]

[By 10% probability, the sword’s basic attack power increases by 401%.]

[Lasts for 15 seconds.]

The sword’s basic attack power increased by 401%.

KWAZAAAK-!

“KUHAAARGH!”

Struck by that blow, the Labyrinth King felt pain he had never felt in his life.

But the Labyrinth King had high intelligence.

This level of damage couldn’t kill him.

Yeah, normally you could think like this.

Rather than making a skill called Rampaging Sword that raises basic attack power, wouldn’t it be much better to make a skill that deals an additional 600% attack power?

“KRRRRR......!”

The Labyrinth King was also noticing him.

But it was different.

Hyunsoo was more cunning and smarter than anyone, and he made thorough plans.

‘Yeah, this is.......’

Basic attack power increased by 401%.

If that power was added on top of it, what would happen?

SSSIIIK-

Hyunsoo laughed coldly, and the Labyrinth King realized something was wrong.

Hyunsoo muttered.

“Ghost Steps.”

A ghost holding a sword strengthened by 401% walked.