Genius Blacksmith's Game

“Blacksmith Hyun...?”

At Nell’s voice calling to him, Hyunsoo turned his head.

Seeing her looking at him with trembling eyes, he gave a small smile.

I figured I’d get found out.

In truth, it was fine to be found out. Yes—he needed at least one person.

Right now, the community was awash with every kind of speculation about Blacksmith Hyun.

He needed at least one person among those speculators who knew.

After giving just that smile, he finished the bell’s creation.

Ding!

[An artifact imbued with God’s Custom Crafting is being completed.]

[The experience and knowledge of a blacksmith possessing master-level skill have been infused, drastically raising the desired-effect application rate.]

[Effect application rate is 58%.]

[Grade is Unique.]

[Please name the bell.]

[The title God of Blacksmiths shines.]

[Artifact-creation bonus that can be activated only once per week: do you wish to apply an increase to all stats?]

“Yes.”

[You gain +4 to All Stats.]

[You gain +50 Dexterity.]

[You gain +100 Renown.]

Hyunsoo thrilled. An artifact of Unique grade.

Back when he made the Damascus Dagger, it had been an Epic artifact, and by the Soul of the Blacksmith it became Unique.

But this was different. This artifact had been reborn purely through his own knowledge and experience.

And another astonishing alert rang out.

[You have repaired an artifact imbued with holy power.]

[Proficiency in Holy Blacksmith Mastery Lv.1 rises by 57%.]

Holy Blacksmith Mastery unlocked!

A rapturous smile settled on Hyunsoo’s face.

So I’ve got a mastery now? Isn’t this something only the blacksmiths of the Church normally have?

It was this mastery that allowed one to infuse holy power.

In other words, Hyunsoo could now craft artifacts imbued with holy power.

And Hyunsoo looked at Nell, whose hands trembled as she brushed the bell.

He had deliberately engraved the character “Hyun (現)” on the bell.

Because he knew this bell would change many things in his life from here on.

After checking the bell, Nell spoke.

“I want you so badly it hurts...!”

“......”

It was what Hyunsoo wanted. He wanted many people to harbor that same desire.

But there was no time left to talk further with her.

[The gate of the Cassel Territory fortress will soon collapse.]

[Evacuate.]

Putting the bell into his inventory, Hyunsoo sprinted for the wall with Nell.

[The update to the Fallen Cassel Territory will soon be finalized.]

[Current progress: 85%.]

Standing atop the wall near the gate, Hyunsoo spotted Knight Commander Carl and the monster called the Death Lord.

Realizing Carl was in danger, Hyunsoo swiftly rang the bell.

When the bell tolled, the undead were greatly weakened, and the territory’s soldiers grew stronger in turn.

DAAAAAANG—

A mysterious power fired by the Death Lord struck the bell, but Hyunsoo smiled.

[The Durability of Hyun’s Second Custom Craft Bell is Infinite.]

Immediately, Hyunsoo put all his strength into striking the bell, activating Flame of White Blossoms.

“K-kkkhhaaaak!”

A fraudulent power that unconditionally cuts an enemy’s HP by 70%.

Flame of White Blossoms, ignited upon the Death Lord, flared from his body.

“Gggrrrrr...!”

Shrouded in flames, the Death Lord writhed in indescribable agony.

Worse, what was driving the Death Lord mad in that pain was that he could not move.

What is this... what is that bell! No—what is that bastard!

A 3-second stun.

From the start, a skill that seals the opponent’s movement for 3 seconds in Ares is considered broken.

Because in those 3 seconds, an enemy can do much.

Drip, drip-drip—

At that moment, a chill ran down the Death Lord’s spine.

It was because the knight Carl—blood dripping from the hand gripping his sword—was staring at him.

The Death Lord’s face went pale.

He’d been a man on the verge of death.

No—he’d been a man who would have died the moment his neck was cut.

But now the Death Lord was 35% weaker than usual, and because of that, the knight was stronger against the undead.

Fssshhhh—

Smoke rose from the Death Lord.

And from Carl’s blade flowed the aura of holy power!

Skaaaaa—!

Without hesitation, Carl cut through the Death Lord.

Carl thrilled.

Thank you... truly, thank you...

For helping them protect their territory.

The reason Carl had not fallen: to answer the will of the outsider named Hyunsoo by cutting down the lord of death.

Only after he felled him did Carl finally fall to his knees.

And then, the Death Lord—who had sensed his own death—snapped his eyes wide.

[The Death Lord’s HP falls below 1%.]

Alive.

The Death Lord had barely avoided death.

Looking back, he saw Knight Commander Carl gazing at him with wavering eyes.

But soon, the knight lost consciousness and collapsed.

Now only 1 second of the stun remained.

After that 1 second, he would flee.

He would return to the territory, fully recover his strength, and come back!

In the end, it would be his victory...

Just then—

“It’s not over yet.”

The Death Lord’s eyes bulged. The unknown man who had been atop the wall—

The man who had struck the bell with a hammer—was standing close to him, eyes cold.

The Death Lord’s eyes grew wider.

Click—

The man slid an arrow into a mysterious bamboo tube.

Drawing the bowstring with all his might, he aimed at the Death Lord’s head.

****

[You have crafted a new bell and greatly weakened the undead.]

[You can block the update and forge a new story.]

[New Story. If you make Cassel into a peaceful territory, you will receive a special reward from Lord Kern.]

You could receive a special reward from Lord Kern.

It was limitless.

It could be money, or that mysterious ore, or—like Subjugation Captain ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) Hans—a blessing.

This update was almost stopped.

But it needed to be stopped more decisively.

So that, from now on, the undead couldn’t even approach Cassel Territory, so that they’d lose their will to fight.

And so that they’d lose their focal point.

The method: kill the Death Lord.

Hyunsoo looked at Carl, whose eyes slid shut as he fainted. It was as if the knight were asking him.

Having run hard, Hyunsoo steadied his breath.

I’m just a Level-40 blacksmith...

Click—

The class considered the weakest in all of Ares.

The gap between the Death Lord and him was like heaven and earth.

But it was fine.

[The Death Lord’s HP falls below 1%.]

He was within 5 meters of the Death Lord, aiming at the monster’s head.

Fshhhhh—

He drew the bowstring with everything he had. The short arrowhead seated in the guide-tube.

A fierce swirl of holy power gathered there.

[You have activated Flame of White Blossoms.]

[For one strike only, Attack against evil rises by 450%.]

Yes—this was nothing more than a last hit.

And this last hit was also the best chance, one that might never exist again.

In Hyunsoo’s eyes, the Death Lord’s HP bar looked like a thread.

Only the slightest red thread remained.

Players call it this:

“Sliver.”

[Bulls-eye]

The arrow aimed at the monster’s glabella flew.

Swooooosh—

A rough sonic rip tore the air.

That single arrow that ripped through the air soon buried itself in the Death Lord’s glabella.

Thud!

Struck dead-on by that arrow, the Death Lord was flabbergasted. Because it was such a meager, paltry force.

In fact, the attack had landed, but the damage was far too slight...

Then—

Fwoooosh—!

The holy flame that began at the short arrow’s tip spread from his glabella.

The flame became a conflagration and filled even the Death Lord’s vision.

No—so he believed.

The Death Lord was being swallowed by light, turned to ash.

And Hyunsoo looked at him and gave a small smile.

[You have hunted the boss monster, the Death Lord.]

Heat thrilled through Hyunsoo.

[Your Contribution is very low.]

[Rewards will be calculated based on Contribution.]

[Contribution is 4%.]

[You gain 9,862 EXP.]

[Level up.]

[Level up.]

[Level up......]

[Congratulations.]

[You have reached Level 50.]

Hyunsoo was stunned. His level had jumped by ten at once.

Even with only 4% Contribution...?

Well, even if that was all, and even if all he did was the last hit, the level gap between Hyunsoo and the Death Lord defied common sense.

[You gain 185 Gold.]

[You obtain the Death Lord’s Finger.]

“...?”

Hyunsoo was perplexed. No, what was he supposed to do with a finger?

For no good reason, he resented Ares’s “Contribution” system.

The Contribution system existed to completely prevent kill-steal.

Of course, if you landed the last hit, you could get the highest Contribution.

Most of the real rewards would likely go to Carl.

Then Hyunsoo clenched his fist tight. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The forge...

Carl had promised.

If Hyunsoo repaired the Bell of Lamas, he would grant a reward befitting it.

I can find it... I can find my father’s forge...!

A hot shiver ran through him.

Now he had to go meet the lord.

If he could just meet the lord, he could... his father’s forge...

Huh?

[Fatigue accumulates.]

[You fall into Status Ailment: Faint.]

[If you sleep soundly in Ares, it has the same effect as sleeping soundly in reality.]

Hyunsoo’s vision blurred.

He had gone a week without sleep to make Hyun’s Second Custom Craft Bell.

In reality, that meant he had been awake for a little over two days straight, working in repetition.

Hyunsoo had already reached the limit of his mental strength.

No... the forge... I need to find it... I need to get the down payment from the lord.

Thud—

Soon, Hyunsoo collapsed and fainted.

After he passed out, Nell ran over.

“Mr. Hyunsoo, Mr. Hyunsoo...!”

Nell had snatched bits of sleep during the production phase. She understood why Hyunsoo had fainted.

Truly, an incredible man.

And watching him sleep, Nell gave a small smile.

Just then—

“......”

Nell noticed a crowd gathering around.

Those people had eyes only for a single man.

“I saw it—these two made the bell without sleeping a wink for a week.”

“This young lady was asleep every time I dropped by.”

“...Anyway, I saw it!”

A woman cried out in tears.

Everyone looked upon the outsider named Hyunsoo.

What is this...?

It was a sight Nell had never seen in her life.

Soon, countless people bowed their heads and stepped aside.

From within them, a man appeared.

[Lord Kern]

With bloodshot eyes, he gazed silently down at Hyunsoo.

Kern, who had been drunk, had snapped back to his senses. In the end, he had decided to evacuate.

He was not abandoning the territory. It was to prepare for what would come next.

Staring at Hyunsoo, Kern asked Nell:

“......What sort of blacksmith is he?”

Nell understood the gist of the question.

She answered plainly what she had seen.

“......I don’t really know.”

Right—she didn’t know. This stubborn man who possessed unknowable power. But she could say this:

“I know he did his very best.”

Kern’s fist clenched tight.

In the end, he had been about to flee.

But this blacksmith had not fled.

Kern gave an order.

“Bring him... No.”

Looking at Hyunsoo, he gave a small smile.

“Escort our benefactor.”

Notifications spread to the sleeping Hyunsoo.

[You are recorded as the benefactor of the Cassel Territory.]

[Affinity with all people of the Cassel Territory increases.]

[The people of the Cassel Territory spread the tale of their benefactor.]

[That tale reaches certain people who need you—or whom you have passed by.]

[You gain +300 Renown.]

[You gain +50 Charisma.]

[In the Cassel Territory, you can purchase all goods at a 30% discount.]

Ding!

Even the alert Hyunsoo had been waiting for reached him as he slept.

[Quest: Repair the Bell of Lamas — Complete.]

[The reward is changing.]

[The original reward was 30,000 Gold.]

[That reward will become immeasurably better.]