Genius Blacksmith's Game

Hyunsoo’s chest burned hot.

Why did he love being a blacksmith?

Because even when you start with the same ore, the results are never the same.

A life-and-death struggle in front of a raging furnace—

and the moment when you hold in your hands a piece that is truly your own.

Every time he created one, Hyunsoo felt a sense of achievement beyond words—and he became addicted to it.

Three years had passed since that day.

Can I still do it well?

He wasn’t sure.

It had already been nearly three years since he last held a hammer.

That was when Ren, standing behind him, spoke.

“If your skills don’t match your arrogant words, I’ll beat you senseless.”

“If I succeed, will you grant me a favor?”

Ren looked dumbfounded.

It wasn’t the first time a stranger had acted like they knew something.

And every time, when he actually handed them a hammer, they did the most ridiculous things imaginable.

But Hyunsoo’s eyes held genuine determination.

I need this forge.

He’d heard that not all quests had to come from an NPC directly.

“Fine then. But if you fail, be ready to pay for it. What do you want?”

“I’d like permission to use this forge.”

“This forge?”

Ren’s expression twisted into disbelief—then he let out a short laugh.

“Suit yourself.”

Ding!

[Quest: Bet with Ren]

Grade: C

Requirement: Received Ren’s proposal.

Reward: Forge access.

Failure Penalty: Major drop in affinity with Ren.

Description: Prove yourself by forging an excellent sword for Ren.

Ren folded his arms and glared at the young man who had accepted.

Foolish brat.

He probably picked up some half-baked knowledge about blacksmithing somewhere.

But true blacksmithing wasn’t nearly as glamorous as people thought.

To forge even one weapon took an incredibly long time.

No matter how easy it looked, there were countless steps to go through.

Before beginning, Hyunsoo scanned his surroundings.

So this is why he’s only the Beginner Zone blacksmith.

[Novice Blacksmith Ren – Lv.15]

Barely taking his first steps.

Hyunsoo grabbed the glowing-hot metal with tongs and set it on the anvil.

Then, gripping the hammer in his right hand, he began to strike.

After a long stretch of rhythmic hammering, the metal stretched into a long shape.

He folded the red-hot piece over and struck it again.

Taaang—!

Taaang—!

Taaang—!

Each time he folded and struck, bright sparks scattered.

Hyunsoo repeated the motion again and again.

Once. Twice. Four times. Eight times. Over and over.

“What are you doing?”

Ren frowned, unable to understand what he was seeing.

That question almost made Hyunsoo lose his words.

He doesn’t know...?

Were the blacksmiths in this game only capable of imitating motions?

Well, it was just a game after all.

A real blacksmith that clueless would starve—but this one was Level 15.

“Do you know why you haven’t been able to forge better swords?”

Ren blinked in confusion.

“It’s because you’re not using the folding technique.”

“The... folding technique?”

“When you fold and hammer the steel repeatedly, more impurities are expelled and the metal’s hardness increases.”

“...?”

Ren’s eyes widened as he stared at Hyunsoo.

He didn’t quite believe him yet.

But Hyunsoo continued, undeterred.

“The blade you were trying to make looked like a curved sword. The folding method is often used when refining metal for that type.”

After saying that, Hyunsoo’s movements quickened.

He plunged the heated steel into cold water for quenching.

Chiiiii—k.

Forging was a repetition of hammering and quenching.

Each cycle made the metal stronger.

Hours slipped by before he knew it.

But Hyunsoo had completely forgotten the passage of time.

This is fun...

Three years since he last hammered and quenched metal.

At first, it felt awkward—his touch unsteady.

But little by little, his old instincts returned.

Taaang—!

The burst of sparks flying from the anvil sent a thrill down his spine.

It was fun.

So much fun it was driving him mad.

This was what he wanted to do.

The work his damaged right hand had stolen from him—

now he could do it again.

And that alone filled him with indescribable joy.

Behind him, Ren watched, eyes wide, as the young man worked with incredible focus.

Hyunsoo folded and hammered the steel countless times, until finally it began to take shape.

Taaang—!

Taaang—!

Taaaang—!

In front of the roaring furnace, Hyunsoo’s hammer struck in perfect rhythm.

Ren could only stare, dumbstruck.

This... this is different.

He had thought it was just a process.

But once Hyunsoo truly began hammering, everything changed.

At that moment, a strange notification echoed in Hyunsoo’s ears.

[You are demonstrating blacksmithing skills far beyond your level’s norm.]

[Dexterity +1]

Hyunsoo blinked.

Is it usually this easy to gain stats?

Then another notification came.

[Affinity with Ren has increased.]

Oh...?

He recalled the Instructor’s explanation of the affinity system—

essentially a form of rapport.

The higher the affinity, the friendlier the NPC became.

At maximum affinity, an NPC might even sell a 10-silver item for 8 silver.

Ren continued to watch Hyunsoo shape the blade, unable to look away.

He was being captivated.

****

[An illogical action inconsistent with level parameters has occurred.]

Pureum Co., Ltd. — Special User Management Team.

Employee Lee Jihee stared at her monitor, startled.

What the...?

The Special User Management Team monitored users who triggered Hidden Pieces, rare quests, or displayed abnormal behavior.

Jihee had never seen an alert like this before.

“T–Team Leader!”

Team Leader Kim Taeseok hurried over.

“An action inconsistent with level parameters...?”

He looked at the screen, where the player Hyunsoo was working inside a forge.

He had seen that same alert a few times before—from chefs.

A Level 1 cook performing knife skills worthy of a hotel head chef.

But never from a «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» blacksmith.

Back in early Ares, such alerts were relatively common—

until the detection threshold was raised.

And now, after so long, it had appeared again.

What the hell...?

The monitor flashed again.

[A Level 1 user is displaying skills equal to or above a Master Blacksmith.]

[An action inconsistent with level parameters has occurred.]

“M–Master level!?”

Blacksmiths were ranked: Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, Master, Artisan, and Grandmaster.

Master blacksmiths were usually Level 300 or higher.

And even among them, fewer than five users in the entire world possessed Master-level techniques—most with rare passive skills.

Yet this user, without a single skill, was performing at that level.

In the Beginner Zone, no less.

Taeseok quickly explained the situation to Jihee, who could only gape.

“Do... real blacksmiths even exist anymore?”

“A few, I think... barely.”

The two of them stared blankly at the screen.

Then Jihee voiced a new question.

“If someone with low level but great skill makes an artifact, what happens to its grade?”

Artifact quality was split roughly fifty-fifty between luck and skill.

Most blacksmith players relied on the ‘Auto-Craft’ button—letting the system complete it for them.

Naturally, automation had its limits.

Sweat beaded on Taeseok’s back as he answered.

“If it’s well-made, it’ll probably come out as a high-grade weapon for that level range.”

A reasonable answer.

Even without skills or levels—

if the workmanship was good, the result would follow.

“But that’s not what we should be worried about,” he added quietly.

Jihee swallowed hard, eyes on the monitor.

“We should be worried about the rewards that user will get for making it.”

****

Before long, Hyunsoo’s work neared completion.

He quenched the blade in oil and began engraving patterns into it.

Have I already gained five points in Dexterity?

This was turning out to be a very generous game.

Finally, he finished the engraving.

Taaang—!

A new notification chimed.

Ding!

[You have crafted an unbelievable sword in the Beginner Zone.]

[Evaluating grade...]

[Grade: Rare]

[Please assign a name to your sword.]

[You are the first to forge a Rare-grade artifact. Reward granted.]

[All Stats +1]

[Dexterity +10]

[Fame +30]

[Title acquired: The Sole Creator of the Beginner Zone.]

Why are there so many alerts...?

Tilting his head, Hyunsoo examined the finished sword.

He knew artifact and skill ranks were divided into: Common, Rare, Epic, Unique, Legendary, and Divine.

And whoever first created an artifact of a given grade would receive bonus stats, Dexterity, and Fame.

Subsequent creators of the same grade would not.

(Undecided)

Grade: Rare

Durability: 1,000/1,000

Attack Power: 36

Level Requirement: 1–30

Special Effects:

· Strength +2, Agility +1

· Active Skill: Quick Draw

Description: The finest sword a Level 1 user can wield, born from the humblest of materials.

Oh, this is pretty good.

The description even stated it outright—“the finest sword for a Level 1 user.”

Hyunsoo pondered for a moment what to name it.

Not one for fancy titles, he decided quickly.

“Hyun’s First Sword.”

[You have named the sword “Hyun’s First Sword.”]

A ridiculous name, perhaps—

but if he kept playing Ares, he would forge many more artifacts.

And if each bore that mark, it might someday become a brand of its own.

He checked his new title next.

(The Sole Creator of the Beginner Zone)

Unique Title

Grade: A 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Special Effects:

· All Stats +1

· Artifacts you craft are 2% superior.

· Dexterity gain rate +10%.

· Dexterity +10%.

A-grade title?

Titles were divided into Shared and Unique.

Shared titles were obtainable by anyone who met the conditions.

Unique titles belonged only to the first achiever.

Naturally, Unique titles were far stronger, ranging from D to SSS grade.

So this is pretty good, huh?

But before he could savor it, he felt a burning stare on his back.

Hyunsoo turned and handed his finished sword to Ren.

Ren’s eyes went wide as he examined it.

“Th–This is impossible...”

A Rare-grade artifact.

Ren knew exactly what that meant.

This was where newcomers first set foot.

Even he—a blacksmith NPC—possessed skills, however humble.

But that man before him had none.

Only pure craftsmanship.

“Does this prove my point?”

Just watching Hyunsoo work had already made Ren feel like a better blacksmith himself.

Hyunsoo waited for his answer.

Ren gave the highest one possible.

Thud!

Blacksmith Ren fell to his knees.

[Quest: Bet with Ren – Complete.]

[You may now use the forge.]

“P–Please...! Teach me your blacksmithing!”

A blacksmith asking to learn from another.

It meant he fully understood the gap between them—

and that receiving his instruction would be no shame.

It was the greatest praise imaginable.

Then another notification appeared.

[Hidden Quest: Help Ren Grow has been generated.]

A hidden quest...?