Genius Blacksmith's Game

Fenrir was the most widely known legendary monster.

Even on the Asgan Continent—the Korea server—there were fragments of Fenrir, and those fragments spread across the world as well. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Because of that, everyone knew what made Fenrir terrifying.

Its defense that couldn’t be brought down, and its massive total HP pool.

Only someone strong enough to match a strong foe can kill them.

They knew that, and since Hyunsoo’s attack had landed, they knew he was that kind of powerhouse—but the world denied it.

And everyone watching together on this battlefield denied it too.

But where Hyunsoo was right now—

They saw where he stood, and they understood.

Inside the mouth.

Whether human or animal.

Every living creature has parts that can never become truly hard.

The most obvious example was the eyes, but eye attacks were rarely allowed in the first place.

The moment something flies toward your eyes, instinct makes you shut them—pure reflex.

And even if your eyes get hit, you might lose an eye, but you don’t necessarily take catastrophic damage.

But ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) inside the mouth?

That’s different.

The inside of the mouth can’t be trained, and it can’t become hard.

Soft flesh with a pink sheen.

The most fragile place on any monster’s body.

So what happens if you drive an attack straight into its maw?

You couldn’t even imagine it.

And if that damage was the newly awakened power of the Sword King, there was nothing more to say.

[Sword Frenzy]

Originally, Hyunsoo’s The sword’s cry combined a stun-type status effect with roughly forty blades that shredded everything that entered the radius, and its additional attack power was only about 200% at most.

But Sword Frenzy was different.

[60 blades shred all targets recognized as enemies with 410% additional attack power.]

And both The sword’s cry and Sword Frenzy shared one weakness.

Those blades were indiscriminate in where they surged.

So when you attacked a single target, more than half of them would strike somewhere meaningless.

But it was different when Hyunsoo was inside Fenrir’s mouth, aiming for its throat.

He could ram all sixty blades straight into its throat.

FWOOOOOM—!

If The sword’s cry overwhelmed enemies with a metal-scraping shriek, Sword Frenzy made a red aura go berserk and erupt from the sword.

Everyone held their breath at the red aura forcing its way up through Fenrir’s mouth.

And Hyunsoo—

GRIP—!

—felt it as he clenched the Twin Dragon Sword with all his strength.

This power was so violent that if he slipped, even he could be crushed beneath it.

At last, Hyunsoo stood on Fenrir’s tongue.

Then he hurled it with everything he had.

SHRK-SHRK-SHRK—!

With a massive ripping roar, a single blade struck straight into the throat of Fenrir—the one called the Great Mountain.

KWAJAAAAK—

[You deal 121,016 damage.]

Ares was a game based on reality.

If you hit a vital point, naturally, a higher grade of damage followed.

Starting with that first blade, all sixty blades lodged into Fenrir’s throat.

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

But those blades didn’t just dance madly inside its throat.

True to “within the radius,” cutting effects also tore through Fenrir’s massive body outside its mouth.

[You deal 131,301 damage.]

[You deal 111,094 damage.]

[You deal 100,001 damage.]

[You deal 141,051 damage.]

[You deal 131,001......]

[You deal 111,001......]

[You deal 149,413......]

[You deal 93,077......]

[You deal 113,008......]

[You deal 154,018......]

Damage numbers erupted off Fenrir.

There were so many, they flashed by too fast to track with the eye.

And Fenrir—having allowed dozens of blades into its throat—

“YIP— YIPIPIP......!”

—couldn’t endure the agony, and started letting out nothing but the cries of a dog.

Right in front of everyone.

Fenrir, standing firm at 11 meters tall.

SCREEEEE—!

Its strength drained away and it began to tilt, slowly—then that enormous body collapsed.

THOOOOOM—!

A thick dust cloud rose, and then Hyunsoo appeared—wearing his brown coat, breathing hard.

And in contrast, Fenrir lay collapsed with the inside of its mouth wrecked beyond recognition.

The whole world was struck by the image.

And everyone focused on one thing.

Just how much damage had that ultimate, driven into its mouth, done to Fenrir—the legendary monster with the highest total HP pool?

[Fenrir’s HP drops below 7%.]

When the damage finally showed itself, everyone was stunned.

Forty percent of its HP in one hit.

Fenrir, whose HP pool was said to make even most demons look small in comparison, had taken that much damage from a single attack.

And the Blood Ghoul Corps supreme commander Pick—frozen in place—

refused to accept it, and feared it.

If Fenrir dies, when His Majesty Bolond learns of it, he’ll exterminate every last one of the Blood Ghoul Corps.

That was how immense Fenrir’s value was. Somehow, they had to stop this.

“Everyone, protect Fenrir! Take it and retreat!”

A shocking order came down.

The Great Parion Empire.

A place at least thirteen times larger than the Kingdom of Goyard.

And experts had said that fifty thousand Blood Ghoul Corps were comparable to five hundred thousand regular troops.

And yet that mighty army was issuing a retreat order because of a single master blacksmith’s might.

And Supreme Commander Pick—

THUNK—!

“.......”

—tilted his head at the sword that had stabbed him from behind.

He hadn’t even had time to hear it.

What was even more shocking was the voice that followed.

“Your master is something, huh. To think there was a method like that. That should be enough.”

Enough for what?

“To become the new king.”

“......!?”

Only then did Pick realize it.

The one who had annihilated the Blood Ghoul Corps and reduced Fenrir to this state today.

The king who would one day lead a new Goyard.

Of course, Pick would never see him become king.

FWOOSH—!

Because Luxiu ended him.

*****

Hyunsoo felt it.

All the denial from everyone—vanished in that single strike.

And then he felt the Blood Ghoul Corps surging in a frenzy to protect Fenrir.

At the same time, Fenrir snapped back to itself.

Its entire body was shredded into a wreck, but it still felt hope.

Its remaining HP: 7%.

But Fenrir knew its value—even at 7%.

Even that was a level the one called Goyard’s Sword Duke couldn’t dare to cut down.

And the man in front of it had already spent a great deal of power.

I have to run.

The Goyard army witnessed an unbelievable sight.

Fenrir—the one that had taken two fortresses and threatened even the capital—

THOOOOOM—!

—was trying to flee with its tail between its legs.

That sent a thrill through the Goyard army, but it also birthed another emotion.

It can’t get away!

It’ll come back!

Hyunsoo agreed.

But could he really catch Fenrir again once it ran?

While everyone was questioning it—

Link.

Two letters were branded onto the Twin Dragon Sword.

This Link made casting faster and unleashed stronger power by linking powers together.

A representative example was Gather.

Gather was an amplified version of Pull.

But Hyunsoo’s brain spun fast.

Even if he pulled it once, Fenrir’s escape wouldn’t change.

So he carved a new “concept” into his mind and pushed Pull to its limit.

[Pull]

SHRRAAAAAK—!

Fenrir, which had fled far away, was dragged back in.

Up to here, nothing had changed.

KWA-BOOOOM—!

It still got hit and blown back, staggering.

But the changed Pull held a power like this.

[Pull]

[For 4 seconds, the struck enemy is pulled infinitely.]

Fenrir tried to run again the moment it was struck—

and it was pulled again.

SHRRAAAAAK—!

KWA-BOOOOM—!

Then it tried to flee into the sky—

SHRRAAAAAK—!

—and it was pulled again.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Five.

Eight.

Endlessly pulled, endlessly struck.

Master Blacksmith Hyunsoo shone brighter, and legendary monster Fenrir was made to suffer humiliation.

One trying to flee.

One absolutely preventing escape.

“YIP— YIPIP!”

[Fenrir’s HP drops below 1%.]

At last, Fenrir—unable to run anywhere—screamed in front of Hyunsoo.

The cry of a gigantic wolf that had lived for over a hundred years.

Only one victory blade remained.

[One Strike, Two Halves.]

The flower of Link.

Hyunsoo drew the sword back, and that final cut stirred.

And then—

“This is.......”

At the sight of Hyunsoo opening his mouth, a woman trembled.

It was Nell.

Too fast.

Hyunsoo’s achievement, right now—and everyone who had witnessed it—

proved it.

Hyunsoo was about to become a hero by building a feat Goyard would never see again.

And the moment Hyunsoo started with “This is......,” Nell thought:

It’s too fast, but we can’t help it. This is the right moment.

What he was going to say—

Nell believed it would be something like:

This is my land, and the country I will rule.

The wording might differ, but she didn’t doubt it would be the same meaning.

Nell was in awe.

Because the moment he said it, it would drive the stake in—declaring that a new king was being born in Goyard.

Say it. Hurry and say it—announce that a new king’s world is opening.

That was what she hoped.

Somewhere else.

A king gave a bitter smile at the words about to come from those parting lips.

...You’ve already come this far?

Barad had understood what Hyunsoo was going to say, too.

And what kind of shockwaves would follow once he said it.

If Hyunsoo spoke in a way that hardened his own footing—

...I’ll end up walking the road of stepping down under pressure.

Barad would not be handing over the throne.

He would be forced off it.

It hurt, and it stung.

It wasn’t the picture he had wanted—but it was the result his friend Hyunsoo was making.

“......”

The king forced a smile.

It held half a true feeling—because Hyunsoo was his only friend.

And because he was the successor to the swordsmanship only the family bloodline could have.

Ban... it’s time for your father to step back.

It truly hurt, but he truly blessed him as he turned away.

But then the next words made the king’s eyes shake.

Words neither he nor Nell had expected spilled from Hyunsoo’s mouth.

*****

Hyunsoo knew it well.

It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

He admitted it was too fast, but if he could do it, he should.

But he also knew.

His friend Barad—the one who had given him so much, guided him, and cared for him—would be put on the road of being pushed out.

He didn’t want that.

So Hyunsoo hardened his own footing in his own way—

and went further, protecting the king’s footing as well.

His lips parted.

“This is.......”

Everyone focused only on Hyunsoo’s mouth.

“My king, my people, my soldiers.......”

He didn’t point only to himself.

He was applying it to everyone.

And at the end—

“It’s our country.”

Hyunsoo didn’t point only to himself.

If anything, the shockwave was even bigger.

“.......”

The three marquises were moved.

In a place where he could have made only himself shine, he declared that this was “our country.”

Sword Duke Lysen let out a shout before he even realized it.

Hyunsoo had said we fought together, and at the same time, he had spoken of Barad—saying it was his country as well.

And by saying “my,” he announced that his footing as the king’s descendant was firm.

By saying “our,” he showed respect for everyone.

And with that—

SHIIING—!

Fenrir turned to ash-gray dust and scattered.

Hyunsoo had spoken of Barad, the people, the soldiers—everyone who fought today.

And because of that, the people and soldiers wanted to praise Hyunsoo even more fiercely.

And the king, too, was made to keep his place.

The moment Fenrir fully dispersed—

Hyunsoo, who had said “our,” implied that he was walking the king’s path in his own way.

[The cheers of all the people spread through Goyard.]

And there he stood, amid the cheers that contrasted the retreating enemy.

Everyone there felt it.

Hyunsoo was building a new kingdom in his own way.

And the country he would make—

was our country.