Genius Blacksmith's Game

“Line up, line up!”

“Hey, don’t cut!”

MURMUR—

The National Museum, which used to be so empty you could hear a fly buzz, was packed to bursting.

The long line that started at the entrance looked ready to blow past 100 meters, and the crowd was a mix of every background.

Japanese first, then Americans, Chinese, Russians, and more.

Tourists from dozens of countries wore faces full of anticipation.

A beautiful reporter stood in front of the camera, broadcasting the scene.

“It’s been two weeks since User Hyunsoo declared he would become king.”

“After that declaration, he released his highlight reel and caused a huge stir.”

“User Hyunsoo announced that every craft he has made up to now was created by ‘handwork,’ not by skills or a class—and as proof, he released a documentary recreating the Baekje Seven-Branched Sword.”

A Baekje Seven-Branched Sword restoration documentary.

The roughly hour-and-a-half documentary compressed Hyunsoo’s handwork ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ process into a single piece.

The Great Atlas War had recorded a massive hit, and because of that, the documentary’s ratings had surpassed 40%.

“The documentary uploaded to JoyTube recorded tens of millions of views. After that, it became one of the must-do travel courses for multiple countries, and many tourists have been....”

“Tourists intentionally visiting our country just to see the Baekje Seven-Branched Sword and the Dragon Light Sword have also increased....”

“And our country’s citizens are also lining up to see his crafts....”

“Some people are raising their voices, saying User Hyunsoo should be designated a Living National Treasure.”

National Museum staff member Kim Jinsu stopped mid-run while rushing around to control the incoming visitors.

This is unbelievable....

Even while experiencing the popularity of a handwork blacksmith firsthand, it was hard to truly feel real.

The National Museum’s daily visitor count had originally been so low it didn’t even reach 1,000.

Now it’s tens of thousands.

Suddenly, Kim Jinsu remembered something Hyunsoo had said in the past.

I just want to show them. That the job of blacksmith is still needed in this world.

In a present where everything had been mechanized and blacksmiths had practically vanished—

THUMP—THUMP—

Kim Jinsu felt his heart pounding as he looked at the thousands of people lined up to see the restored pieces and recreations.

He’s only in his early twenties....

Hyunsoo was making his dream real.

At that time.

Deeper inside the National Museum.

Children wearing bee kindergarten uniforms.

Among them, one child stared at the Baekje Seven-Branched Sword as if bewitched.

The child who had been staring with sparkling eyes asked the teacher,

“Teacher, if I learn, can I make a sword like that too?”

At the child Suhyun’s words, the kindergarten teacher beamed.

“Do you want to become a blacksmith too, Suhyun?”

“Yes!”

“If you work hard, Suhyun can become a wonderful blacksmith like Master Blacksmith Hyunsoo.”

“Hehe! But, Teacher!”

“Hm?”

“Is there really no one else in the world except Blacksmith Hyunsoo!?”

At that question, the teacher made a face like she was thinking for a moment.

She couldn’t be sure either.

“Maybe there are a few more people.”

Soon after, the children in bee outfits swarmed along, walking to see the next exhibit.

And a gaunt old man watched the child Suhyun, whose face had been flushed a moment ago.

He was next in line—and he was Japanese.

The old man couldn’t understand the child and teacher’s words, but he could read the situation.

A thing like blacksmithing isn’t something you should do.... If you’re holding onto a dream like that, you should drop it right now.

The old man scolded the child with that dream, at least in his heart.

Then, like a nightmare, that day’s news brushed past his ears again.

—Last night in Osaka, an assailant....

It felt like his chest was throbbing with pain.

Soon, he stood in front of the recreated Baekje Seven-Branched Sword.

Oh....

The old man’s name was Takashi.

He was a man who had been a blacksmith for twenty-six generations.

Literally, had been.

Once, he had been the only craftsman—an artisan—who could forge the finest Japanese sword in Japan.

He was seeing something different than the ordinary visitors.

Not bad. For a young man in his twenties to carve these patterns using the gold inlay technique used in the Baekje era....

Appropriate forging and appropriate quenching... he didn’t overdo it, and he didn’t try to make it flashy.

But even so.

He’s still just a novice, and he’s overlooking an important fact.

Takashi had watched Hyunsoo’s many videos that had gained fame.

It’s full of things made wrong...!

Takashi was a man who had worked as a blacksmith for fifty years.

Even if it’s lacking, you’re probably the only one who can fulfill my request. In my life, I never thought I’d commission someone.

One of the few artisans left in the world.

Also one of the people who had advised the blacksmith field inside Ares—and one of the four artisans named by CEO Lee Sejin.

The moment of Takashi, the master Japanese swordsmith, and Hyunsoo’s meeting was now close at hand.

Meanwhile.

SPARKLE—SPARKLE—!

The tourists waiting to see the Seven-Branched Sword were flustered.

A Japanese old man had been standing in front of the Seven-Branched Sword for ten minutes, his expression changing by the second, his eyes sparkling.

He even let out multiple exclamations of admiration.

That was right. No matter who looked, Takashi’s appearance right now—

It was the face of someone completely absorbed by the Seven-Branched Sword, and it was more than enough to make him look like Hyunsoo’s die-hard fan!

Takashi’s mismatch between words and actions was impressive.

*****

Atlas was crowded, packed by the users who had flowed in.

“Damn...! This is Master Blacksmith Hyunsoo’s territory...!”

“The place that declared the first Independent Nation by a user!”

At the Great Atlas War awards ceremony—

Hyunsoo had declared he would accept blacksmiths into the territory.

Because of that, Atlas was overflowing with people.

Those who had migrated breathed energy into Atlas.

“How much is this?”

More people traded through shops.

“...Will you do it for me?”

“Of course!”

Many also ran quests through Atlas.

And also—

“Looking for a girlfriend! I’m 11 years old, and people tell me I look like Park Seo-joon when you view me through a convex lens!!”

“...?”

People who enjoyed the game in all kinds of ways flowed in.

At the awards ceremony, the number of people who had applied to migrate to Atlas was around 400,000.

But Hyunsoo couldn’t accept everyone.

“This is way more than I thought...?”

Reality, compared to the roughly 100,000 Hyunsoo had expected.

So many applications that Hyunsoo and Nell’s prediction was completely off.

The ripple effect of a handwork blacksmith—of the one and only master—had exceeded both of their expectations.

[You have accepted 103,017 relocation applications.]

So Hyunsoo and Nell accepted 100,000 first.

Among them was Black Anvil Forge, which had once been Korea’s number one forge, and Roun, the guild master of Black Anvil Forge, became a full member of Hyun’s Forge in both name and reality.

The problem was the “promise.”

Hyunsoo decided he would steadily accept those who had applied for relocation, little by little, later.

Also, the 100,000 blacksmiths who had migrated immediately wanted something from Hyun’s Forge.

Atlas’s ordinary blacksmiths must have learned from Hyunsoo, right!?

They’ll improve our skills!

That was right.

Many of them wanted growth as blacksmiths, not System help.

The problem was that Hyunsoo couldn’t cover all of them, and that accepting the remaining 300,000 wouldn’t be easy, either.

Because Hyunsoo couldn’t stay inside the territory forever.

Because of that, Nell came to the forge.

“We need to find a method quickly.”

Otherwise, many blacksmiths would re-migrate fast.

Those who re-migrated would never return to Atlas again.

And they needed to prepare to accept the remaining 300,000.

Hyunsoo nodded.

“I want to accept them and make sure they grow.”

Nell admired that look.

Hyunsoo’s will to keep his promise!

And his desire to teach so many people!

“Because if 400,000 people grow, it’ll come back later as taxes—uhhehehe.”

“Ah...?”

Nell realized they had been thinking wrong.

Just like Hyunsoo said.

If they grew, later the blacksmiths who came in would be grown by them.

Also, the amount of arms and gear that could be traded would increase drastically, and the amount of taxes collected would increase too!

Hyunsoo was dreaming of taking high taxes like a ruthless loan shark!

So was Nell disappointed?

No.

The reason the blacksmiths migrated was because they wanted to gain something in Atlas.

Atlas gave them something to gain, and Atlas took profits worth that gain.

That was what became the fastest road to becoming a true king.

“What do you think is the easiest solution, Hyunsoo?”

“Someone who can lead the blacksmiths in my place.”

“Ah....”

It was too difficult a problem.

Someone who could lead the blacksmiths who had come in after seeing skill, and who could substitute for Hyunsoo.

For now, Pere and Roun of Black Anvil Forge were covering a portion, but that was nowhere near enough.

“There’s still no response?”

“...Yes.”

At Hyunsoo’s words, Nell shook their head.

Hyunsoo hadn’t actually expected much.

“You said it, Hyunsoo. Maybe the ‘real blacksmiths’ might show themselves.”

Hyunsoo had hoped.

If Hyunsoo revealed to Ares that he was a handwork blacksmith, would other blacksmiths contact him?

But it was still dead silent.

If it’s them, they might fill what I’m lacking.

Hyunsoo was still lacking.

There were tens of thousands of arms-and-gear crafting methods around the world.

Hyunsoo wasn’t good at making medieval-era armor.

He was also lacking with things like longswords.

But if other blacksmiths still truly existed, they could complete Hyunsoo.

Still, Hyunsoo knew it was greed, so he didn’t expect much.

“The person you talked about....”

“I’d rather you didn’t bring up that person.”

“Ah... I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

Hyunsoo gave a bitter smile.

Hyunsoo had once told Nell about one master.

That master was now a forgotten person.

Hyunsoo recalled the news from ten years ago that had shaken the world like a nightmare.

—Last night in Osaka, a man swung a Japanese sword, injuring 13 people and killing 8 in a horrific incident.

—The perpetrator who swung a Japanese sword in Osaka is a resident of Nara Prefecture....

—The perpetrator has been identified as 42-year-old Minato....

—The Japanese sword he carried has been confirmed as belonging to the master swordsmith Takashi, who is known to have forged Japanese swords for twenty-six generations, shocking Japan....

The last part of the report.

—Among the casualties, it has been reported that Takashi’s grandson and apprentice, Aoi, was....

At that time.

The master who had lost everything and vowed never to forge arms and gear again walked with sorrowful steps.

MUTTER—MUTTER—

“Blacksmithing... that’s nothing but something useless.”

An old man who was good at mismatching words and actions.

That old man was stepping into Hyun’s Forge in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, to commission a craft.