Genius Blacksmith's Game

Hyunsoo was sure of it.

This is going to be an unprecedented reward.

The higher the difficulty, the bigger the reward a user received.

I need to grow—and I’m the one who has the capacity to grow the most in this situation.

This was an era where high-rankers sat around level 420 to 440.

Hyunsoo was only in the 370s. Compared to them—or Bahala, or Kabel—his level was far lower, which meant his growth margin was massive.

And then there was the notification that had popped up when Gremory entered demonization.

[Sudden Quest: The reward for Sealing is changed.]

[If you succeed at sealing, EXP gained and artifact drop rate increase by 30%.]

Graut gave around 3.3 million EXP.

With anticipation boiling in his chest, another notification rang out.

[You have succeeded at sealing demon Gremory.]

[Congratulations.]

[For the first time among users, you have obtained over ten million EXP.]

[You acquire 10,312,051 EXP.]

[You leveled up.]

[You leveled up.]

[You leveled up.]

[You leveled up......]

Hyunsoo could barely keep his head straight.

Ten million......?

And that was with only 66% of the EXP.

His throat bobbed as he swallowed.

Then his level appeared.

[Master Blacksmith Hyunsoo Lv.399]

Hyunsoo couldn’t help but marvel. A user in the 370s had jumped twenty-seven levels in one go.

Even Hyunsoo himself was stunned.

How strong did I actually get from this fight?

Give me, your loyalty, Give me your blessing, and on top of that, the EXP from the hunt itself.

Even he couldn’t estimate it.

And the rewards weren’t over.

He’d been expecting drops and gold from a Transcendent being.

Those drops and that gold were also split according to contribution.

[You acquire 1,331,689 gold.]

Holy shit—thirteen hundred million won? That means one monster dropped two billion won’ worth.

It was an amount that defied common sense.

But Hyunsoo’s mouth still tasted bitter.

He had a special Skill Collection that other blacksmiths didn’t.

It was a way for a blacksmith to be self-sufficient—and sometimes it let you obtain materials nobody else could.

But the success rate itself was low, and because of that, he hadn’t gotten Transcendent-grade materials like Gremory’s horns or wings.

Gremory... those horns were seriously something.

Gremory’s appearance was clearly divided into before and after demonization.

The horns had been huge even before, but after demonization they’d grown several times larger.

And to Hyunsoo—the blacksmith—they screamed their purpose at a glance.

The best material for a horn bow.

Horn bows used water buffalo horn as a core material. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

And there was an old saying:

The source of a demon’s power comes from its horns.

He’d thought this might be the chance to test that possibility.

But it was pointless.

Not like I could ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) get it anywa—huh?

A notification made him realize he’d missed two things.

First: if you hunted a Legendary monster, a Legendary-grade artifact would drop.

That was why users were so obsessed with hunting “Legendary monster”—and why the accepted rule was that Transcendent species dropped Transcendent artifacts.

[You acquire Gremory’s Ring.]

Second: Skill Collection could sometimes obtain things others wouldn’t—and it also indirectly revealed what materials the target might drop.

[Party leader Bahala acquires Gremory’s horns.]

“......!?”

Demon materials he’d assumed were gone.

Bahala had gotten them.

And in a party, the most important things were trust and distribution.

Even though things were split by contribution, the party still had to coordinate and distribute appropriately.

In other words: Hyunsoo had obtained the first Transcendent-grade drop item, Gremory’s Ring, but it still wasn’t decided who would ultimately keep it.

Before sharing, he checked Gremory’s Ring.

(Gremory’s Ring)

Grade: Transcendent

Durability: Infinite

Defense: 147

Restriction: Level 399 or higher

Special Abilities:

·Attack and defense against evil increase by 15%.

·Ordinary evils recognized by the System fear a power they cannot approach.

·You can track the locations of legion commanders.

·Active skill: Gremory’s Authority.

·Active skill: Summon Gremory.

Description: A ring once worn by demon Gremory. It was used to borrow the power of legion commanders, and at times, it can also serve as proof that you hunted a demon.

“......?”

Hyunsoo couldn’t help being thrown off.

Because of what was written there, plain as day.

Summon Gremory?

It was absurd.

He checked it in order.

(Gremory’s Authority)

Active Skill

Mana Cost: 1,000

Cooldown: 30 minutes

Effect:

·You can borrow and use the power of a legion commander among the 22.

·However, you can only use one of the 22 legion commanders’ powers. After selecting, you cannot change it for 3 months.

It was a power he liked.

It’d be even better if I could borrow all twenty-two powers—but that would be completely busted.

Smartly, the System limited what a user could borrow through the ring to a single power, and even that could only be changed once every three months.

You can even check the list?

A full list of the legion commanders’ names—and their traits—unfurled in a long sequence.

(Summon Gremory)

Active Skill

Mana Cost: 300 per second

Cooldown: Once per month

Effect:

·You can summon demon Gremory.

·However, demon Gremory is not obligated to be loyal to you.

·Demon Gremory may kill the summoner.

·If desired, you can cancel the summon.

“???”

Hyunsoo was dumbfounded.

And then, as if to remind him of the danger the moment he stared at the ring, another notification rang out.

[You contributed the most to sealing demon Gremory.]

[On the day the seal is broken, demon Gremory will lead the 22nd Legion to annihilate everything you have.]

Summon Gremory.

That alone made the ring Transcendent-class.

The problem was—it looked completely unusable.

Like the notifications said, Gremory hated Hyunsoo more than anyone.

The moment she appeared, she’d attack him.

Is there anyone who can be on friendly terms with a demon?

For the ring to display truly Transcendent power, Gremory would have to accept Hyunsoo’s commands.

Maybe someday, Gremory will serve me—

[A demon cannot be tamed. Use the ring with caution.]

...Bullshit.

Hyunsoo snapped back to reality.

Demons treated humans like insects.

If a day ever came where he truly commanded Gremory, it would be after he killed someone like Baal.

A shiny apple that’s rotten inside. That’s exactly what it is.

It was the first dropped Transcendent item, but the power it actually showed looked closer to Legendary-grade.

That “Legendary-grade” power was: borrowing one of the 22 demons’ powers.

As Bahala and Kabel finished checking their rewards, they walked over.

“Can you share Gremory’s horns with me?”

“Of course.”

Hyunsoo placed his last hope on it.

Please—at least let Gremory’s horns be incredible.

(Gremory’s Horns)

Grade: Transcendent

Restriction: Level 500+ blacksmith

Difficulty: Highest

Special Abilities:

·When crafting bows, penetration increases by 330%.

·When crafting bows, accuracy increases by 160%.

·When crafting bows, critical chance increases by 300%.

·Strength, Agility, and Vitality increase by 25% or more.

·Attack speed increases by 80% or more.

·Durability increases up to Infinite.

·Applies weight at 50% or less of a normal weapon.

·All skills +3.

·Attack against good increases by 350%.

·Stat: demonic energy +450.

·Can apply skills linked to hellfire.

·Anyone can wield it freely.

“Ghk!?”

Hyunsoo jolted in shock.

He could say it with confidence.

It’s better than any material I’ve ever obtained.

Including the ore he’d gotten from a Transcendent-grade material box—and including Story Stone.

Right from the start, it said penetration could increase up to 330%.

Of course, percentages listed on artifact materials only meant it could reach that point.

In practice, even if only about 50% of what was written applied, it would still be incredible.

Even then, that was 165% penetration.

And just from the description, it was obvious.

This material was optimized for crafting bows, exactly as Hyunsoo had predicted.

And Hyunsoo was someone with a natural gift for crafting horn bows—like when he made Jumong’s Horn Bow.

If I use this material...

And if he paired it with the next material he planned to obtain: a branch from the true world tree—

Then even ten Jumong’s Horn Bows might not compare.

That was only if he succeeded, of course.

Hyunsoo felt a hot, rising desire.

A desire to obtain Gremory’s horns no matter what.

I’ll buy it with money.

As mentioned, after a party hunt, spoils had to be distributed.

Hyunsoo’s contribution was the highest, but he planned to pay extra according to distribution value and secure it somehow.

While he was holding the horns for information sharing—

“Why aren’t you taking it back?”

“Huh?”

Hyunsoo tilted his head, still thinking in terms of buying it.

“That’s yours.”

“......What?”

Hyunsoo was at a loss. Even at a glance, Gremory’s horns were a material that could fetch over a billion won right now.

But Bahala—and Kabel—accepted it like it was nothing.

“If it weren’t for you, we couldn’t have hunted Gremory. And I’ve already obtained something even more valuable.”

Bahala spoke with sincerity.

“It’s all thanks to you. Thanks to you, I can walk the path to becoming the Sword God faster.”

Bahala’s words made Hyunsoo’s chest pound.

The proudest user in the world might have been Bahala.

But no one could criticize them.

Because they had the right to be proud.

That sincerity, from someone like that.

Still, Hyunsoo knew it wouldn’t end with just Bahala’s will.

When he looked at Kabel, Kabel had their arms folded, wearing an expression that said it was obvious.

“Take the horns. And the ring, too.”

“You two, seriously......”

Hyunsoo couldn’t help being moved.

It wasn’t just their consideration.

It was the fact that he’d built friendship with the greatest people in this world that made him feel overwhelmed.

But he couldn’t just take without giving.

“At least let me pay—”

Right as he was about to insist on paying part of the value, Bahala delivered a blunt hit.

“One reason we’re giving it to you is because you don’t have money.”

Hyunsoo froze.

What do you mean I don’t have money?

Sure, he was investing heavily into territory operating costs.

But Hyunsoo was a man who owned a building in Hapjeong valued in the tens of billions of won.

Granted, he’d only gathered five billion so far and hadn’t finished paying the remainder, but still.

I have money too—

He was about to say it, and then his words died.

Bahala was the best user in the world, and Kabel reigned as the top information broker.

Articles he’d read about them flashed through his mind.

—World Rank #1, Bahala. Personal assets estimated to exceed 300 billion won.

—Top information broker, Kabel. Average contract fee estimated at 700 million won. Other brokers insist Kabel’s assets exceed the combined wealth of ranks #2 through #20.

Bahala said,

“I don’t want to see a friend drooping their shoulders because they’re broke.”

“Ah......”

“Same. Hang in there. You’ll have a lot of money someday, too.”

“A-ah......”

Hyunsoo was grateful, but his eyes felt hot.

He could feel their sincerity.

They were probably wrapping it like that so Hyunsoo wouldn’t feel burdened.

Hyunsoo spoke about the ring.

“This ring is Transcendent-grade, but it’s not really worth that much. Want to check it?”

He felt like he needed somewhere to vent.

That it was worse than he expected.

But the moment Kabel and Bahala checked it, their hearts pounded wildly and their gazes changed.

...I gave this away for free. What was I thinking?

I almost want to ask for it back.

They saw something Hyunsoo hadn’t.

Yet they didn’t scold him. They were rulers above even high-rankers.

And they knew saying it out loud would only burden him, so they didn’t.

Both of them understood.

This ring can’t be defined as a simple summoning ring.

They arrived at the same thought at the same time.

It’s a ring that can trigger the strongest status-infliction in a way that doesn’t exist anywhere else in this world.

Their hearts raced.

If Hyunsoo ever encountered tens of thousands of enemies—

That army of tens of thousands would hear notifications like this.

[Demon Descends.]

[You are afflicted with Extreme Despair (status ailment).]

[You are afflicted with Extreme Frustration (status ailment).]

[You are afflicted with Extreme Fear (status ailment).]

[Status ailment......]

[Status ailment......]

And they didn’t know it yet.

That Hyunsoo would find a way to use it even better—in his own way.

But one thing was certain.

Hyunsoo received the most valuable reward in all of World Ares.