Genius Blacksmith's Game

It is the ugliest sword I have ever seen. The blade is uneven, and the balance is off. It is such an unsightly sword that everyone would turn away from it.

And yet Barsen, holding that sword, was embracing his father with the happiest smile in the world.

The father who had deluded himself into thinking he had turned away from his son as punishment for the sin of doing so in days past now held that son in his arms and smiled brightly.

This was, in truth, the most beautiful sword in the world.

Hyunsoo did not regret it.

Not even giving up the sword that grew alongside its wielder, the one that might perhaps have become Transcendence grade.

Not even taking the difficult path when there had been an easier one.

Not even choosing not to turn away when he could have.

This scene before his eyes was enough.

His father’s words came back to him.

Hyunsoo, it doesn’t matter what it is. If they receive something we made and they’re happy, isn’t that all that matters?

Just like that.

Feeling a truth he had forgotten, he gained another realization.

And the system Hyunsoo had experienced always gave a reward befitting whatever you accomplished.

Though it was shaped at the Nameless King’s fingertips, it is true that I led things so it could become this.

Soon, the special thing the notification had mentioned occurred.

[The first mythology is written.]

“......!??!?!?!”

It was a shocking event that went beyond even Hyunsoo’s expectations.

Then he understood one thing.

Just as the system itself had said.

This was “the most beautiful sword in the world.”

There had been a story no one could imitate, and a beauty no one could accomplish.

And another realization came to him as well.

It was not something that only the overwhelmingly powerful could reach.

That was right.

Just as the Four Tiger Sword had been a sword that led an era because it had been forged for Joseon, even though it had possessed no real killing power.

It did not have to be a strong sword to be born.

That sword, which represented the greatest beauty of the current age, had surpassed every other sword in this moment.

However—

[You did not craft it personally.]

Just as the notification said, it had not been shaped through Hyunsoo’s own hands.

So what—now that he knew the result, did he regret it?

No.

Hyunsoo knew.

From the very beginning, the only reason a mythology could be born was because the two of them had made ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) it together.

I don’t even find it a shame.

He asked himself another question.

The most beautiful sword in the world.

Could he make it himself through skill?

He did not know.

And he also knew that it was still difficult for him to reach mythology with his own ability.

But if he could reach mythology even in this way, then he was satisfied.

There were rewards as well.

[No effect occurs from mythology-grade crafting.]

[Though you did not craft it, you receive rewards equal to having crafted it.]

[You obtain 2,000 Fame.]

[You obtain 300 Overwhelm.]

[You obtain All Stats 30.]

3, 30......!?

It was enough to make his breath catch in his throat.

When including the basic five major stats he currently possessed as well as all his other stats, it meant he had just gained at least 250 stat points.

And the stat potion he had obtained on Floor 8 raised them by about that much as well.

And with this alone, Hyunsoo could confidently say he had become far stronger than before, yet the notifications still were not over.

[Job Quest: True Blacksmith is generated.]

Ding!

[Job Quest: True Blacksmith]

Grade: SSS

Restriction: One acknowledged by the God of Blacksmiths

Reward: An armament left behind by the God of Blacksmiths

Penalty on failure: None

Description: Those who commission the making of something each have their own reason. If, among those various reasons, something more special is achieved and their satisfaction becomes greater, it can be completed.

Also, when they become satisfied, you will randomly obtain one of the three armaments left behind by the God of Blacksmiths.]

“Gasp.......”

The difficulty and reward of that quest were enough to nearly stop his breathing all over again.

The God of Blacksmiths was, quite literally, a god.

Three armaments left behind by him!

This is a quest that appeared because a mythology-grade artifact was born. Could it be......?

The odds were extremely high that they were mythology-grade artifacts.

Hyunsoo was seized by endless shivers.

Even if he judged that his own skill was still lacking to make one.

Perhaps, by another route, he might wind up seizing the first mythology-grade artifact that no one else could obtain!

Of course, it doesn’t look easy.......

How much satisfaction would be needed?

At the very least, probably something on the level of the Nameless King standing before him now.

And then the final notification sounded.

[No World Message rings out.]

[However, it becomes known to people.]

[Rumors spread of the blacksmith who forged the most beautiful sword in the world.]

[Bards sing for the blacksmith who forged the most beautiful sword in the world.]

[Painters paint the blacksmith who cannot be guessed at.]

[Many people grow curious about the blacksmith who forged the most beautiful sword in the world.]

Hmm.......

What would it have been like if Hyunsoo had been able to ring a World Message?

Of course, it could have been done anonymously, but anonymity and rumor were different things.

A rumor could be an exaggerated story, whereas anonymous confirmation was a fixed case.

Of course, if he had been given the chance for a World Message, even Hyunsoo did not know what choice he would have made.

I’m still lacking as a mythology-grade craftsman.

At a time like this, he needed to weigh whether sounding it would be beneficial or not.

Objectively, it would not be beneficial.

It would draw even more attention to him, and that meant exposing himself to even greater danger.

And a person without that level of skill being known as someone that extraordinary was exactly like this case.

A singer with no real skill somehow being rumored to be a top-tier vocalist, then ending up in a situation where they had to perform live!

Wow, just imagining it is making my palms sweat.......

Hyunsoo decided not to regret that part and logged out so the two of them could spend the rest of their time together.

And though Hyunsoo did not know it, the rumors were more enormous than he had imagined.

And they were bringing him something far greater than he had expected.

Throughout all of Ares.

Countless NPCs began talking.

“Have you heard that rumor?”

“What rumor?”

“The story of the blacksmith who forged the most beautiful sword in the world.”

“Wh—? The most beautiful sword in the world!? Just how beautiful is he for such a rumor to exist!?”

Rumors were terrifying things.

An NPC in some tavern stood on a platform and spoke as though they had witnessed it personally.

“It was so beautiful that if you stood before him, you could hardly even keep your eyes open! And that blacksmith who forged the most beautiful sword possessed a genius aesthetic sense! Just how beautiful was it, you ask? They say it was more beautiful than every flower in the world!”

“Whoa!”

Just as words without legs traveled a thousand miles, the rumor spread rapidly.

Ding-a-ling~

“Ahhh~ the man who forged the most beautiful sword in the world~”

“He has a sense of beauty greater than any blacksmith in the world~ a finer eye than anyone else~ only he could forge ittt~”

As the bards sang to the strumming of guitars and the stories spread, the tale reached the ears of users as well.

And it spread with terrifying speed in an instant.

—You guys hear the story?

—Please stop being late to the party.

As users heated up, the next to move were the media outlets, writing one article after another.

—The blacksmith who forged the most beautiful sword in the world—who is he?

—It is said to be the first mythology grade ever......

—Does the God of Blacksmiths still exist?

—Netizens speculate that in the making of the God of Blacksmiths’ creation, that blacksmith played a major role.

And then, amid the rapidly spreading media and stories, the experts stepped in.

But then something absurd happened.

—Hyun’s era is over.

They were surprisingly logical.

—Some people are saying that blacksmith is Hyun, but that makes no sense.

—From the beginning, even if there once existed an extraordinary someone in some age, there will always appear another who surpasses him.

That was true.

Just as no one person could remain unrivaled forever.

New geniuses were bound to appear.

—The blacksmith who contributed to creating the most beautiful sword accomplished what Hyun could not, and from now on will replace everything Hyun has done.

—Even now, that is obvious. They achieved what Hyun could not, didn’t they?

—And since it is mythology grade, NPCs all over the world are making such a fuss.

—I’m curious. When the creator who forged the most beautiful sword in the world reveals himself to the world, what sort of shockwave will it cause?

One man watching that burst out laughing.

“HAHAHAHAHA!”

It was Lee Sejin.

Having gotten some sleep and come back, Sejin could not hold back his laughter at what the rumors and people’s imagined interpretations had created.

“In reality, he will cause an enormous shockwave.”

Because on that day, the mass media of the entire world would focus on him!

“It might even be bigger than when User Hyunsoo forged the Twin Dragon Sword in the continental war.”

The first reason was that they were declaring the end of Hyun.

The second was that while Hyun’s era had ended, the era of the ‘rumored blacksmith’ who had forged the most beautiful sword was opening.

And the third was—

“When they find out the two are the same person, the ones making all this noise right now are going to foam at the mouth and collapse.”

In the end, this would bring tremendous benefit to Hyun.

And Sejin’s attention was also fixed on the quest Hyunsoo had obtained, “True Blacksmith.”

User Hyunsoo is really walking away with a lot.

From the beginning, that quest was exactly as he had predicted.

A quest that could only open after the first mythology grade was born.

In other words, the armaments of the mythology-grade God of Blacksmiths could only be obtained by one who was qualified.

And yet now, with only half the qualifications, Hyunsoo had opened it.

And contrary to what User Hyunsoo thinks, this may actually be easier than expected.

The reason was that this quest ultimately stemmed from satisfaction and from becoming a true blacksmith.

Even if, for the birth of this most beautiful sword, it had not been the Nameless King but an ordinary father.

If they had gone through the same process, that sort of sword would still have been born.

Because the story and Hyunsoo’s process had played a crucial role.

Which meant it did not necessarily have to be triggered by the strongest people or those in high positions!

Of course, it might be an excessively favorable privilege.

But just like the quest name True Blacksmith, it was something Hyun fully deserved, because he was walking the path worthy of it.

However, even Sejin, who thought that was something Hyun fully deserved, began to focus on the screen......

......At last?

It was all beginning from the Nameless King’s resolve.

*****

There was an absolute king.

One who had deluded himself into believing he had remained indifferent even in the face of his son’s death.

That king was awakened from that delusion by a blacksmith.

And because of that, the king was happy that he had been able to give the most beautiful gift to his son.

Those who knew him called the king this:

Overlord.

It was the Nameless King’s true name.

Barsen, held in his arms, passed away.

And along with him, every trace of regret, every shred of guilt that had tormented him for so long, departed as well.

“......”

For a mere father, the happiest moment was nothing more than seeing his son happier than anyone else in the world.

He had seen enough of that.

Barsen, holding that sword, ran around like the hero of some great tale, swinging it this way and that.

Watching him with both arms folded, he smiled brightly and let everything go.

Shhhhh—

As he watched Barsen scattering away and this world disappearing, he understood.

The reason that blacksmith had discarded his work.

That first sword he had made would only have become endless pain.

When he crossed the timeline again and faced him—

“Was it a pleasant journey?”

“......”

He was able to face the man smiling at him.

And then he learned another astonishing fact.

That this sword was a sword of the absurd grade called mythology.

Perhaps that man might want this sword.

When he looked down at the sword, the man said:

“Take good care of it.”

Those words made the Overlord come to a decision.

*****

Hyunsoo was not greedy.

It’s true that he made it too.

Hyunsoo believed that pointless greed was bound to bring disaster.

The only thing he wanted was for this quest, whose grade had been marked ???, to be completed splendidly!

Only then can I prepare for the worst-case scenario, if it comes.

That possibility—the worst-case scenario—would be when Gremory revived.

[Secret Quest: My Beloved Son! completed]

[You have cleared it in the finest possible way, to the point that even a god offers praise.]

[A marvelous achievement.]

[The grade of the quest is determined.]

[It is Grade SSS.]

[Transcendence grade. You obtain Overlord’s Armor.]

[Transcendence grade. You obtain Overlord’s Helm.]

Seeing that, Hyunsoo almost found himself thinking:

Huh?

Maybe it would be okay even if Gremory revived......?