Genius Blacksmith's Game

Not long ago.

The whole world was turned upside down.

Because what the Ares users all over the world were currently most interested in—who would become the “first king”—

and what the minimum conditions for becoming a kingdom were,

had finally been officially announced.

People on the community forums said:

It referred to the money required to found a nation.

The minimum conditions for becoming a kingdom.

People had only guessed at them, so once they became an established fact, it was only natural that many would begin moving with that as their goal.

And after Ares announced the minimum conditions “for becoming king,”

those across the world who wanted to become kings had been hoping a kingdom might be possible with even “1 million” people.

But users around the world came to learn that was wishful thinking.

Because of that, there was someone raging right now.

“Those lunatics at Pureum! 3.5 million!? I had my doubts, but they really want us to command 3.5 million citizens to become a kingdom!?”

It was Musashi, a Japanese high-ranker and the master of the largest guild in Japan.

Musashi, too, had dreamed of becoming a king someday.

But he had realized just how unrealistic that was.

The 50 billion founding fund was the easy part.

Because the amount of wealth a high-ranker in a country could bring in was enormous.

And for a nation to be founded on the Japanese server, 3 million Japanese users would have to be absorbed into Musashi’s territory, which was absolutely impossible.

Just then—

“A guest has arrived.”

Musashi made a puzzled expression.

The person walking in.

Was none other than the master of the guild with the largest number of guild members in China, and a high-ranker—

Sword Emperor Fond.

He had come carrying some kind of “proposal.”

“It’s been a while.”

“......Yeah.”

After the two exchanged brief greetings, they sat facing each other in the lord’s office.

Fond said,

“When I saw these new minimum conditions for becoming a kingdom, I figured out what Pureum was thinking.”

“What they were thinking? Aren’t those bastards always the same? They can’t stand seeing users do well. It’s like they’re saying we can’t [N O V E L I G H T] found kingdoms at all.”

That was right.

The dream high-rankers in every country around the world had carried.

Musashi had judged that the goal of becoming king had turned into nothing more than an empty fantasy.

But Fond shook his head.

“From the beginning, founding a kingdom was never something an ‘individual’ user could accomplish, Musashi. You’re saying right now that founding a kingdom is impossible, but what if it looked like this?”

“......?”

Musashi looked at the “proposal” that was held out to him.

[User Kingdom Union Proposal]

[Signatories]

[Sword Emperor Fond.]

[Poison King Roun.]

[Vera, Gremory’s representative.]

[Pang, Commander of Agares’s Legion.]

[Tamer Relly.]

[Necromancer Wei.]

[Archmage......]

[Radiant Monarch......]

Musashi’s eyes shook as he looked over the names of the signatories.

The dozens of names listed there were high-rankers who wielded the greatest power in their respective countries.

And among them were many like Musashi—lords who ruled territories, and guild masters.

“......What is this?”

“From the beginning, Pureum was saying that ‘individual’ kingdom founding was impossible. But in this case, it’s different.”

Musashi realized what that meant and stared in shock.

“The users form an alliance, and instead of one user founding a state, the ‘users’ join forces and build one together?”

“Exactly. 3.5 million?”

At that, Fond smiled and revealed the core contents of the proposal.

[The vassals, guild members, and citizens of the signatories are included in the User Kingdom Union.]

[Total: 1,151,105.]

“......!”

Musashi was seized by admiration and endless exhilaration.

The founding of a kingdom, which had seemed impossible.

He had realized there was no need for one individual to do it alone.

Fond spoke with confidence.

“What’s more, Necromancer Wei and Tamer Relly have each come to command Legendary monsters and undead.”

Musashi marveled.

According to the announcement, if one possessed a Legendary-grade being, each one would be recognized as being worth 100,000 citizens.

Which meant this user union had already secured 1.3 million people.

As Musashi signed the proposal, he asked with a trace of doubt.

“Was it really impossible for an individual to found a nation?”

[You have become a member of the User Kingdom Union.]

[The guild you belong to has been included in the User Kingdom Union.]

“An individual user becomes king? This announcement made it certain, didn’t it? That’s impossible. If there really is some bastard who can personally gather numbers that rival our union, if someone like that exists, I’ll lick his toes if I have to.”

He was showing just how certain Fond was.

*****

Huh?

Hyunsoo, who had been walking after receiving the Heavenslaying Bow Commission from King Antro, suddenly stopped in place.

WIGGLE, WIGGLE—

Why do my toes feel this weirdly gross?

“What’s wrong?”

Nell said, looking at Hyunsoo, who had stopped walking.

At that, Hyunsoo put a hand to his chin.

“My toes feel weirdly gross. Why do they feel so gross?”

“Didn’t you wash?”

“I haven’t washed in real life for two days. Is that why?”

“......”

“???”

Anyway, Hyunsoo, who decided it was probably just because he had not washed for two days, had also seen the recently posted announcement about the minimum conditions for becoming king.

So he checked the overall status of everything under his command.

(Hyun’s Forge Guild)

· Territories Held: Atlas, Valhalla

· Total Citizens: 606,316

· Total Military Strength: 235,951

· Total Knights: 7,313

· Named NPCs: 38

· Legendary Beings: 9

· Potential to Become Legendary: 21

· Treasury Status: 25,313,901 ten-thousand gold

· Minimum Conditions to Become a Kingdom:

Insufficient citizens, insufficient military strength, insufficient treasury, sufficient knights, sufficient Named NPCs.

· You currently possess 9 Legendary beings.

· Each Legendary being counts as 100,000 people, increasing the minimum-condition citizen count for becoming a kingdom by 900,000.

Judging by the beings with the potential to become Legendary, it would not be wrong to say Hyun’s Forge had effectively satisfied about 1.7 million people.

Looking at it like this, the Legends I have really are impressive.

Sage Arte, Lucky Lump, Kkoko, Golemmy, Pretty, Kabel, and the rest.

Then Hyunsoo voiced a question he had always had.

Do I count as one of the Legends? I’m still a god class, but does the system judge that I’m not a complete god yet? Hm...... Then that makes seven, so who are the other two?

Hyunsoo could only be puzzled.

For now, he put that question aside and realized he had already reached half of the minimum holdings required to become a kingdom.

He also immediately checked the contents of the quest he had received from Antro.

[Kingdom Quest: Heavenslaying Bow Commission]

Grade: SSS

Restriction: One who has received Antro’s commission

Reward: Citizens and military forces, artifact value x2

Penalty for Failure: Hostility with the Parkro Kingdom.

Description: You saved the Parkro Kingdom in its moment of crisis and received a commission to create the Heavenslaying Bow, which vanished long ago. Create the Heavenslaying Bow, which the people of Parkro regard as a legendary treasure, to an excellent standard and win their recognition.

“......It looks like King Antro didn’t state the reward outright, but there’s definitely a reward here.”

That was Hyunsoo’s impression after reading the quest details.

“Why?”

“Because the reward says the Heavenslaying Bow commission fee gets doubled.”

“......He really is a smart king.”

Nell and Hyunsoo could both tell that they had made an alliance with an intelligent king.

What he was saying now was this.

If you want to gain

more citizens,

and a greater price for saving the kingdom,

then make it well.

If he made a Legendary one, what should have earned him 600 million would rise to 1.2 billion.

If it was Transcendent, that would mean 10 billion instead of 5 billion.

I’m going to do this right.

Hyunsoo felt the weight of responsibility.

Just then—

“......Hyunsoo. I have something to say.”

“......”

Kabel approached Hyunsoo with a serious expression.

Hyunsoo hurriedly tried to move away.

“I’m busy. I have to make the Heavenslaying Bow. Later, um...... I got three weeks for the Heavenslaying Bow crafting period, okay? So let’s talk three weeks from now.”

“......”

Hyunsoo was avoiding him right now.

And Nell knew why.

The reason Tyrant Jebar gave up on Lord Kabel.

Kabel had told them himself.

That he had personally fulfilled a great many of the conditions for becoming the God of Death.

Because of that, Tyrant Jebar—who was no more than a mere Legend—had become unable to covet him.

The moment Kabel drew near, Hyunsoo had realized it.

“......”

When Kabel looked at Nell, she spoke as she passed by.

“......Thank you. Our friend, Kabel.”

Nell did not stop him.

This was different from Tyrant Jebar.

Back then, it had been by force.

Now, it was by his own choice.

Kabel had said, in front of the people of the whole world watching,

“I have no friend except you.”

It had not been true.

At that time, Nell and everyone from Hyun’s Forge had all been running toward him the moment they heard, “Friend, help me!”

That alone proved it.

Whenever Kabel walked through the territory, many people greeted him.

There had been the poor housewife who held out an apple and said, “Try one, Lord Kabel.”

There had been Resil saying, “Want to see my car?” and asking to meet once in real life.

There had been Nell saying, “Our Hyun’s Forge,” with Kabel included inside that “our.”

And every morning, after waking up and living as an “information broker,” the first thing Kabel checked was this:

[Hyunsoo: Everyone up? Is Kabel asleep?]

[Nell: I’m up~]

[Bark: Me too^^]

[Resil: Ugh...... I drank too much yesterday.]

[Hyunsoo: You can’t even drink.]

[Resil: ......I had four cans of cola.]

[Kabel: .......]

[Nell: .......]

[Hyeji: ???]

[Taehun: Damn...... that’s not overdrinking, that’s over-soda-ing...... you’re going to get diabetes at that rate.]

That was how it was.

He woke up early in the morning, looked over the group chat messages from the members of Hyun’s Forge, and let out a quiet laugh.

He, who had been born an orphan, was now living a new life.

“Do you really have to go? Who’s going to protect our Lucky Lump?”

And when he saw Hyunsoo’s eyes redden with emotions unfamiliar to him—regret and sadness—he realized this was not as bad as he had thought.

“......It’s grown up now, so it’s fine.”

And Kabel looked at what this young Hyunsoo had accomplished.

He knew about the movement of the user union, and he could feel that there was one person who surpassed it.

Now, Hyunsoo had enough power to protect himself.

And now it was time for him to head toward what could be called a “new goal,” and he knew that doing so would also be another way of protecting Hyunsoo and Lucky Lump.

And because of him, Hyunsoo had learned much, gained much, and accomplished much.

So he steadied his heart and smiled.

“......I was able to do it because of you, Kabel.”

Kabel turned around and walked away with a faint smile, like his original self, like a wanderer who had never been tied down by bonds.

From behind his back—

“......When we meet next time, can I call you big brother?”

“......”

Those words made him realize something.

That maybe, for an orphan like him, he had gained a family.

“Of course.”

At last, Kabel went farther and farther away.

And before leaving, Kabel gave a gift he had prepared for his family.

[Kabel: ......You know that if you possess a Legendary being, it counts as 100,000 citizens, right?]

[Hyunsoo: ......I know, but why are you whispering about it?]

[Kabel: .......]

Kabel swallowed the words because I’m embarrassed.

And then it was revealed.

His goal, and the “reason he was leaving.”

[Kabel: When I return as a god, how many ‘kingdom citizens’ do you think I’ll count as?]

[Hyunsoo......!!!!!!]

Kabel was going to make Hyunsoo a king.

And so—

For the sake of a new king, one who sought to become a god.

[Kabel has left Hyun’s Forge Guild.]

Set out on a new journey.