Genius Blacksmith's Game

Korea Hospital, first-floor lobby.

Hospital staff who knew Hyunsoo—including his attending physician, Jinseop—couldn’t take their eyes off the giant TV.

-At last!

-Atlas, the one everyone’s been talking about for months, is finally taking shape.

-Over 800 of the strongest people on the planet are throwing Atlas’s gate wide open!

Jihee, the nurse from Administration who’d once nursed a crush on Hyunsoo, was a fan now too—cheering him on like everyone else.

Staring at the opening gate, Jihee squeezed her eyes shut.

She played Ares too.

And more than half the people here knew Ares well.

It was said that even the user with the largest forces in the world didn’t have a full five thousand.

No matter how huge a guild was, even adding users and NPCs together, it was hard to break five thousand.

I can’t watch...

After Great Atlas War erupted, Jihee had dug into everything she could.

Hyunsoo hadn’t shown himself to the public for four months.

The Fall of Goyard.

It was true he’d appeared then and killed Fenrir, but the experts said user Hyunsoo hadn’t been able to secure reinforcements or anything like that as a reward.

It must’ve been the only choice he had.

To Jihee, it felt like Hyunsoo’s last bulwark—his final move to protect what mattered to him.

According to the experts...

“User Hyunsoo’s Atlas will be a wreck. There’s no record that Goyard’s soldiers withdrew to it, and it doesn’t appear the Kingdom of Praham provided any support either.”

“He’s been isolated, developing a small territory alone, so we expect the soldiers’ overall level to be dramatically lower.”

“Everyone, what exactly are you expecting? User Hyunsoo isn’t even a ruler-class—he’s a blacksmith. Don’t demand too much from a single user.”

Even Jihee couldn’t really argue with that.

-CREEEEAK—!

Right then—when she’d shut her eyes and whipped her head away—

“Waaaah...”

A collective gasp rolled through the crowd.

“No way... how in just four months...?”

The voice came from right beside Jihee.

It was Jinseop—Hyunsoo’s attending physician.

Jihee’s eyes snapped open.

-Our cameras can’t even fill the whole frame!

A twenty-thousand-strong army.

An elite force stood everywhere, wearing jet-black gear.

Thousands of them stood right in front of the open gate.

Others had been crouched on the ramparts—and now rose to their feet.

And others still were rising as they surrounded them in a huge ring.

What hit hardest was the emblem carved into their bodies.

A hammer like Mjolnir—the thunder god Thor’s weapon—crossed with the Sain Sword.

Jihee’s gaze moved.

Past the twenty thousand.

Searching for where Hyunsoo stood.

Meanwhile...

Roun, guild master of Black Anvil Forge, remembered.

I’ll give you the vice guild master seat—so how about it?

That was what Roun had said to Blacksmith Hyun.

Back then, Black Anvil Forge was Korea’s number one smithing guild.

But he’d asked anyway—if Hyun’s Forge surpassed them, would Hyun offer him a place in return?

Yes.

Roun had seen something in Hyunsoo that no one else had.

But after that, because Roun refused to check Hyun, discord began to spread inside his guild.

“Guild Master’s lost it.”

“You want us to go under Hyun?”

“If you want to, go by yourself!”

“If that day comes, Black Anvil Forge will completely turn its back on you!”

Everyone said Roun was insane.

And yet, in everything that followed, Hyun proved it.

Even so, it still felt like a wreck.

Atlas was dangerous—if they went under him, Black Anvil Forge would die a dog’s death.

Roun agreed.

He flew too high—so high that everyone started seeing him.

Hyunsoo drew more attention, and more danger followed.

Even now, Black Anvil Forge’s five hundred members were pushing back.

So Roun had given up.

Because after Great Atlas War, Hyun’s Forge would collapse completely.

But before Great Atlas War began—

[Hyunsoo: If we win Great Atlas War, can you fulfill our old promise?]

Roun hadn’t understood.

Now he did.

“G-Guild Master...!”

“Hyun’s Forge—!”

The conference room.

Roun’s eyes were already glued to the screen.

The executives—who’d mocked him and pointed fingers, calling it reckless—were changing right in front of him.

After the camera captured all twenty thousand troops in full, it slowly panned.

On the ramparts, Hyunsoo wore a brown coat, the Twin Dragon Sword slung across his shoulder, looking down on eight hundred of the world’s strongest users.

On both sides, Hyun’s Forge guild members contrasted him—draped in coats made of pure white, gazing down on the whole world.

At the far left stood Bella, the Heir of the Sword King.

At the far right stood someone who looked solid as a mountain—

a figure labeled:

“Black Wind Corps Captain Bon.”

And now everyone was looking at a single person.

Hyun’s Forge guild members in white.

The eight hundred rankers who had just set foot in Atlas.

The twenty thousand troops.

Even viewers around the world—

all of them kept their eyes on Hyunsoo alone.

If you win, I’ll give you Black Anvil Forge.

Black Anvil Forge—a guild that held five hundred of the best blacksmiths.

Today, Roun stood at the edge of a possibility: owning that massive guild.

And after every camera drank in the full panorama of Great Atlas War, the notice spilled out.

[Great Territory Atlas reveals itself.]

*****

[You are the lord of Great Territory Atlas.]

The twenty thousand soldiers of Atlas fixed their eyes on Hyunsoo alone, standing at the center.

In truth, they’d always known.

“The best people in the world are coming for our Atlas.”

“Any day now, it could become a sea of fire.”

“Atlas might vanish in an instant.”

From the moment eight hundred forces had first arrived at Atlas.

Even as they awakened those who slept in Atlas.

“I’m scared...”

“I want to live.”

“Why are they doing this to us?”

They’d had to live each day in anxiety and fear.

The lord had awakened them—so they lived because they had to, praying that tonight they could fall asleep safely.

Then one day...

Captain Bon of the Black Wind Corps—who had been asleep—awakened.

And another day, two hundred thousand lost ones swore loyalty to Hyunsoo and stood at our side.

I’m not afraid anymore, because...

All twenty thousand slowly nodded as they stared at Hyunsoo.

Because he was their master, they weren’t afraid anymore.

Yes—this was who we were: people who’d lived under pressure and persecution.

But—

“WAR.”

At his cold command, twenty thousand drew their bowstrings and aimed at the eight hundred enemies who’d come for us.

“No way...”

“H-how, in just four months...”

“This is impossible.”

“Even Montreo—the user known as the Grand Lord—still ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) doesn’t have ten thousand troops!”

The peaks that ruled the world trembled.

And Hyunsoo asked a question.

Why do we have to be persecuted by you?

It was strange.

They’d justified invasion with the excuse of competitiveness.

They’d threatened they’d find you quickly no matter where you ran.

They’d barked that you better not try to escape.

Hyunsoo understood it now.

Because we were weak.

And now we weren’t.

Now we become the strong.

“FIRE!”

KRAK-KRAK-KRAK—!

Twenty thousand armor-piercing bolts.

A synchronized volley aimed straight at the enemy’s hearts.

KRAK-KRAK-KRAK-KRAK-KRAK-KRAK-KRAK-KRAK-KRAK-KRAK—!

The storm of twenty thousand bolts skewered the eight hundred enemies in an instant.

But they were the strongest people on Earth.

Not a single one died from that volley—they endured it.

“Scatter!”

They split apart, charging straight into the twenty thousand.

“Draw swords.”

SHIIING—!

SHIIING—!

SHIIING—!

Atlas’s forces slung their bows to their backs and drew steel.

The rankers rushing them looked ridiculous.

“No matter how many of you there are—!”

Even the lowest-level user here was in the 450s.

The peaks had surpassed level 500 long ago.

The soldiers’ average level was barely over 300.

The knights were said to be over 380.

“You’re nothing but a mob!”

Twenty thousand, fifty thousand—it didn’t matter.

To rankers, they were just prey.

At least... until they collided.

CLAAANG—!

“...?”

The rankers froze.

With their weapons and stats, the normal outcome was obvious: slice through ordinary soldiers, armor and flesh together.

But the armor didn’t cut.

And the damage dealt to the soldiers was only half what it should’ve been.

Even more shocking—

was the soldiers’ skill.

“Hold the line!”

At Bon’s command, soldiers surged in as one.

W-who the hell...?

Who had raised an elite like this?

The rankers were shaken.

Of every army they’d ever faced, these soldiers were the highest-level, strongest.

In the blink of an eye, more than thirty rankers were forcibly logged out.

They’d believed it was only a numbers advantage—

but when numbers came with strength, it became monstrous power.

How long will it take to bring this number down?

Kali panicked.

Of course, eight hundred beating twenty thousand wasn’t impossible.

But it meant the eight hundred rankers would take massive losses in the process.

That was when—

“...The lord, you say? Fine by me.”

The five peaks turned their eyes to one man.

His name was Rolander.

One of America’s high rankers.

He wasn’t one of the five peaks.

And yet, none of the five peaks here dared treat Rolander lightly.

A nation’s five peaks were chosen by raid performance, PvP, level, number of titles, achievements, and more.

But Rolander was said to threaten even Bahala—world rank one—in a single field. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

PvP.

The legend of 5,421 victories in one-on-one combat.

In reality, he was also a JoyTube megastar—millions of subscribers—known as:

“God of PvP.”

[War God Rolander Lv.501]

His level was absurdly high.

“One minute is enough. If we take down Master Blacksmith Hyun within one minute, morale collapses, and Great Atlas War goes exactly as we planned—no variables. And honestly... they’re getting way too full of themselves.”

By Rolander’s standards, Hyunsoo was nothing but an upstart swaggering behind big numbers.

Rolander had always been arrogant.

Someone who’s won five thousand four hundred times...

Kali saw the possibility.

A kind of strength that felt different from theirs.

A feral beast—untrained, ungovernable—even the five peaks couldn’t easily control him.

Rolander had said it outright in an official interview, ignoring the peaks’ demand to “avoid reckless statements.”

“Master Blacksmith Hyun? Some bastard who fiddles with artifacts—how could he possibly be my match?”

No one argued.

That was how overwhelming Rolander was in PvP.

Rolander moved immediately.

“...!”

The eight hundred rankers—being pushed back—locked eyes on the charging Rolander.

He sprinted with a massive axe in hand—

and he was unbelievably fast.

“Stop him!”

Bon felt urgency and tried to block him.

But—

“Light-speed acceleration.”

FWOOM—!

Rolander shot high into the air and surged straight at Hyunsoo in a single bound.

-PvP’s god, Rolander!

-Even if he can’t kill Hyunsoo outright, we estimate he can inflict at least 70% critical damage!

-A lord being severely wounded causes massive damage in a duel between people!

-Experts report that if Master Blacksmith Hyun faces PvP’s god Rolander, Master Blacksmith Hyun’s win rate is extremely low—around 2%!

After countless one-on-ones, Rolander had learned to read it.

You’re going to Pull.

“Pull.”

FWOOOSH—!

Rolander was waiting for that moment.

Hyunsoo rose into the air and pulled Rolander toward him—

and as Rolander met him head-on, he smiled darkly and raised the axe overhead.

I’ll let you have one... then I’ll split your skull.

[All demonic power is concentrated into the axe!]

A presence like a mountain swelled around the blade.

“I’ll show you what kind of power PvP’s god really has!”

The instant Hyunsoo’s sword swung—

SLICE—!

FWOOOSH—!

“...?”

Rolander stared, stunned, at his HP—now 0%.

Hyunsoo watched him vanish and grinned.

[The ultimate technique activates.]

The first true instant-kill swallowed the world.

-...!?

-...!?

-...!?

-...!?

-...!?

The world—watching Rolander begin to scatter away—was stunned.