Genius Blacksmith's Game

Kouga and Musashi’s invasion of Elaim was being watched by a huge number of people.

China’s best cavalry, led by them.

Japan’s best ninjas.

And Elaim territory itself was a place run by the strongest users in Korea, so it couldn’t not draw attention.

It looked like Hwarang’s defeat was going to be stamped in history in the most hollow way possible.

Right up until the moment Master Lee Hwan received the scabbard.

And Musashi’s remark became the fuse.

Their reactions flipped the instant Kouga got one-shot.

The feed flooded with the same stunned reaction, copied and pasted over and over.

When Master Lee Hwan chained Invincible Draw and Flash Draw, sweeping away around 40% of the cavalry and ninjas in one go—

When he drew four times in a single second and Musashi got forcibly logged out—

The reactions changed again.

And as everyone locked onto Master Lee Hwan’s mouth, he shouted—

“Hyunsoo... he’s a god!!!”

That sentence smashed into the viewers like a hammer.

It had the same explosive impact as the first time the Twin Dragon Sword appeared in the world.

Because one fact had just been confirmed beyond doubt:

Master Lee Hwan couldn’t equip Transcendent-grade artifacts.

Giving Transcendent-level power to someone with a penalty that prevents them from wearing Transcendent-grade gear?

Hyunsoo—he’s a god.

No one could deny it.

And around the world, there were more users than people thought who had artifact equip restrictions.

Even they had no choice but to place a new hope on Hyun.

And the leftovers still inside Elaim territory—

“Don’t let a single one of them live!”

Elaim territory had always been packed with Korea’s top users.

With Kouga and Musashi gone, the remaining enemy force was basically a rabble.

And in reality, they wiped them out—every last one.

Korean reporters who had been waiting rushed Master Lee Hwan the moment it was over.

They wanted to know how someone could become that strong just by getting a single scabbard.

“It was only possible thanks to Hyunsoo’s grace... Hyunsoo, he is a god. And this scabbard amplifies the Phantom Blade’s power that Hyunsoo crafted for me... so Hyun is a god. And Hyunsoo thought of the best possible way to fulfill the commission he received, so he is a god, and... anyway... Hyunsoo, he must be a god.”

“...?”

The world—watching the interview—froze.

Because during that interview, Master Lee Hwan said “Hyunsoo is a god” exactly thirty-two times.

The whole world was getting brainwashed by “Hyunsoo—he’s a god.”

Meanwhile...

Hyunsoo was panicking.

“Hyunsoo, isn’t the fact that you’re a god-class supposed to be a secret?”

“...Yes.”

In truth, Hyunsoo had been hiding the existence of the first god-class.

But now, because of Master Lee Hwan’s outburst, people across the world were saying things like Is Hyunsoo a god? and Hyunsoo—he’s obviously a god!

Stop it, you lunatic...!

DRIP DRIP—

Cold sweat ran down Hyunsoo’s forehead.

*****

Master Lee Hwan and the Hwarang guild members arrived at Atlas.

On the way here, Master Lee Hwan talked about the scabbard’s value.

Originally, it was 5.25 million won per day—but Hyunsoo said he’d apply a “discipline discount” of 5% and rent it out for a special price of about 5 million won a day.

Of course, that came out to about 1.8 billion won per year, but the scabbard could only be made by Hyunsoo—and it produced Transcendent-level power—so in a way, it was a fair price.

Master Lee Hwan didn’t realize it, but Hyunsoo’s honey pot had gotten a whole lot bigger than before.

Anyway, Master Lee Hwan was happy.

“I agree.”

“I also agree.”

“Seeing Master Lee Hwan’s scabbard and Phantom Blade of Flash made it clear. The way for Hwarang to leap forward... is to stand with Hyun.”

Hyunsoo—whom he now believed in like a god. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

The people of Hwarang, who had denied him, cursed him, and hated him...

Now they were acknowledging Hyunsoo.

More than anything, Master Lee Hwan was deeply moved by a single person’s words.

“...A promise exists to be kept.”

Benjers.

Master Lee Hwan’s dependable right-hand man.

The one who cherished Master Lee Hwan more than anyone else in the world—his eyes were even reddening.

I won’t fall anymore. All that’s left is to rise, together with Hyun’s Forge.

Master Lee Hwan was truly grateful.

Those reddened eyes—surely it was emotion overflowing because Master Lee Hwan had stepped past his limit and climbed higher.

And the promise Benjers was talking about...

What else could it be?

Benjers had said it before.

I will make Master Lee Hwan the very best!

So Benjers had to be happy that he could finally keep that promise, even like this—

“...?”

Everyone there went stiff.

Because the moment the sixty-something musclebound old man Benjers stepped into Hyun’s favorite forge—

He started doing a Zero Two dance that had been trendy twenty years ago.

DUN, DUN, DUN, DUN, DUN-DUN—!

One guild member muttered.

“...He said he’d do a Zero Two dance if we made an artifact that satisfied the guild master... but I never thought he’d actually do it...”

“A man’s word is worth a fortune...”

Wait—so he wasn’t crying because of me...? Why is it all muscles... Ugh...!

Why is he good at it...?

No—why is he so good at it?!

Ghk...!

What terrified Master Lee Hwan the most was Hyunsoo’s reaction.

How could Benjers do something this shameful right in front of Hyunsoo!?

Master Lee Hwan hurriedly turned his head—

And got shocked again.

“Oh.”

“Mm.”

“Hooo...”

“...?”

Hyunsoo—who Master Lee Hwan expected to swear or explode—was staring with the serious expression of someone appreciating a work of art.

Is this... the kind of thing he likes...?

Meanwhile...

Hyunsoo was horrified.

What kind of idiot nonsense is this...?

From what he heard, this was a promise Benjers had made in front of the executives.

Honestly, Hyunsoo wanted to drag him out on the spot—but he couldn’t.

He’s an old man in his sixties—and he’s even got tears in his eyes while he’s giving it everything he’s got!

And a perfectly reasonable suspicion followed.

At this point, isn’t he doing it because he WANTS to?!

But Hyunsoo saw a lot in Benjers’s face as he danced.

Benjers had come to him before, asking him to make a good artifact.

Hyunsoo had felt how sincere he was about caring for Master Lee Hwan.

It was the same now.

“I have no regrets even if I die. Heh. Hehehe!”

Maybe that dance started as a promise—

But the old man Benjers right now looked truly, genuinely happy.

No, wait. I almost got charmed—does he have some kind of seduction skill? How long is he going to keep doing this?

The other members of Hyun’s Forge could only watch in silence.

They couldn’t bring themselves to attack an old man...

Then a savior appeared.

THUD—

A flying hammer cracked Benjers right in the head.

“Get lost, you worthless freeloader.”

“......”

It was Takashi.

Only an old man could chase off an old man like that.

Benjers left the forge, still looking regretful.

Anyway.

“I will protect Hyun’s Forge.”

[The Hwarang guild forms an alliance with Hyun’s Forge.]

[The Hwarang guild will answer Hyun’s Forge’s call at any time!]

Hyun’s Forge gained its first allied guild.

And that guild was Hwarang—Korea’s strongest guild.

*****

Master Lee Hwan made a suggestion.

“How about we go out for a guild dinner?”

Hidden inside that suggestion was his desire to see Hyunsoo in real life, too.

“A guild dinner?”

And Hyunsoo, too, found himself looking forward to the idea of a group get-together.

After they set the date and time, people started asking questions in the group chat.

[Master Lee Hwan: What kind of food do you /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ like, Hyunsoo?]

A meal where everyone gathered and ate together.

And the fun drinking session that would follow.

Hyunsoo pictured a perfectly ordinary meat buffet.

A buffet where you can eat until you’re solid and enjoy a ton of variety!

[Kang Hyunsoo: A buffet.]

The guild members reacted in their own... unique ways.

[Taeha: Then I’ll reserve The Garden at the Korean Hotel. It’s our hotel anyway, so we’ll be able to eat comfortably.]

“Ghk...”

The Garden was a luxury buffet that cost 300,000 won per person.

And reserving the whole place meant they’d be taking over a venue meant for hundreds of customers—just for themselves.

No, I just want to go to a normal meat buffet...

This time, Hyein reacted.

[Hyein: Buffets look cheap, but they aren’t. Most use low-cost ingredients, and the profit structure relies on people who can’t eat much. Based on what I calculated, in order to break even at a buffet...]

Hyunsoo panicked again.

She was running exact calculations in her head... over a buffet meal?

Ah. Right.

Hyunsoo realized it then.

My guild members... aren’t normal, are they?

[Kang Hyunsoo: No, just a meat buffet. A meat buffet...!]

[Taeha: Then we’ll reserve the whole meat buffet...]

[Hyein: If it’s a meat buffet, based on my formula you should even more strongly avoid it...]

Hyunsoo stared blankly at the chat.

Then a man delivered a critical hit.

[Takashi: Is there such a thing as a soup rice buffet, too?]

[Hyein: ......]

[Kang Hyunsoo: ......]

[Taeha: ......]

Hyunsoo instantly understood.

This dinner was not going to be easy.

Anyway, Hyunsoo forced it through, and everyone piled into a perfectly normal rib buffet.

As expected, every single one of them overflowed with personality.

Benjers—Park Daegil—whom he’d gotten closer to this time, really was a musclebound old man in real life, too.

“I take a table to myself.”

Built like a mountain, he occupied an entire table alone and spoke while eating meat at the speed of four normal people combined.

“Protein is extremely important for building muscle.”

SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK—!

And Lee Taeha, sitting across from Hyunsoo, said—

“So a restaurant that sells meat like this exists.”

“......”

Lee Taeha wore the expression of someone witnessing a new world for the first time.

Hyein, on the other hand, looked disgusted.

“I’m telling you again, Hyunsoo. Meat buffet meat is—”

“...Just eat for now.”

Hyunsoo shoved a piece of meat into Hyein’s mouth, and then into Taeha’s.

“...?”

Hyein froze.

She’d never once come to a meat buffet in her life, because of her “formula.”

But the moment it hit her tongue—sweet-savory, with a good texture—she straightened up.

“...It’s not bad.”

Taeha was the same.

“...It’s good?”

The two of them immediately started inhaling meat like a storm.

Hyunsoo smiled, satisfied, as he ate until he thought he’d burst.

At least Uncle Hyuksu is normal. Thank god.

Then Hyuksu—who had been eating—stood up and started talking to the buffet owner.

“Do you think there’s redevelopment potential around here? And roughly how much is the monthly rent here?”

“...?”

Hyuksu explained that rent was expensive in this area, and the owner started asking Hyuksu for advice.

“...?”

And then...

Why is the buffet owner going to the second round with us?

Hyunsoo was losing his mind.

Hyuksu was absolutely a social butterfly.

The second round was an arcade.

In one corner of the arcade, Hyuksu started an intense debate with the buffet owner about nearby land.

Then the arcade owner walked over and joined the debate too.

Meanwhile, Taeha made a bored face.

“An arcade? This is my first time in a place like this. And I have no need to ever come to a place like this, because our group uses a private theme park—”

“Just ride it.”

Taeha got on a motorcycle game.

He gripped the handlebar with his left hand, raised his right hand high into the air—

“KYAAAHOOO!”

In another corner, Hyein sat down at a Tekken machine.

“Tekken is too simple and easy. If you measure the formulas for the combos and apply them, you win easily. It’s so easy I feel like I’ll yawn.”

Hyein—who had tried applying her “formula” to Tekken—went pale.

“This... can’t be...”

She got K.O.’d without landing a single hit.

Worse, elementary school kids on the other side laughed at her.

“Pfft. That lady is so bad at Tekken. She didn’t even hit once!”

CRACK—

Hyein proceeded to lose ten rounds in a row.

My formula was perfect. How?

The kids taunted her again.

“Pfft! Lady, are you scared?!”

“Pfffft!”

“You little—!”

Hyunsoo had to struggle just to hold Hyein back from fighting elementary schoolers.

Elsewhere—

The moment the massive Benjers—Park Daegil—swung and punched the strength machine...

KRAAAAK—!

“...?”

“...?”

The machine shattered.

Fortunately—somehow—Hyuksu had already become best friends with the arcade owner, so it was smoothed over as long as they paid for the machine.

But Hyunsoo’s real problem was this—

Why is the repairman coming to the third round with us too?!

And the arcade owner was coming along as well.

Anyway, for the third round everyone went to a karaoke place together.

At some point, the karaoke owner had gotten friendly too—so the repairman, the karaoke owner, the buffet owner, the arcade owner, and Hyuksu all linked arms and sang together.

Taeha, who claimed karaoke wouldn’t be fun, belted seven ballads in a row.

“Singing is simple. As long as you do diaphragmatic breathing and control pitch and rhythm.”

Hyein, dragging her weird “formula” into it, was truly terrible at singing.

Then Park Daegil—drunk on the alcohol Takashi handed him—started doing a Zero Two dance, and everyone broke into a sweat trying to stop him.

“......”

Hyunsoo watched it for a moment—

Then smiled brightly.

Even if they were strange.

Even if they were overflowing with personality.

Even if they were weird, and special.

It was the most fun guild dinner in the world.

Today, Hyunsoo was the happiest he’d ever been.