Genius Blacksmith's Game

A few hours earlier.

Peru, an old man born in Balas Territory who had served Bellin’s father’s house for most of his life, watched the people of Balas fleeing toward the castle.

“Hurry!”

“...You have to move!”

Peru watched the young blacksmiths running to carry him along like a piece of baggage.

Then he stopped walking.

“Move, now!”

Peru, who had been watching Hyeji shout from atop the wall in an effort to save the territory residents, spotted a forge and came to a halt.

“...Go on without me.”

“...What?”

“What are you saying?”

“...I have to protect my home.”

Peru stepped into the forge and lit the furnace.

The young blacksmiths could not understand.

If he stayed inside the forge now, he would die.

But old Peru only chuckled.

“...An old fool had an idea. Besides, if I’m not here, who’s going to protect this territory? Off with you now.”

“...”

The young blacksmiths were treasures of Lord Hyunsoo.

By contrast, Peru was only a worn-out old man, a blacksmith who had once shone long ago.

“It’s an order.”

It was the final command of the elder blacksmith of Balas Territory.

In the end, they left the forge.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM, BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-CRASH—!

The massive explosions caused by Duke Lukael and the mages shook the ground and thundered through the air.

Peru braced himself inside the trembling forge.

For more than sixty years, he had forged weapons and armor, yet had never created so much as a single Legendary piece.

And now he lit the furnace.

KRRRRRRGH, KRRRRRRRRK—!

Resolved to die, Peru began sketching with frantic speed.

SCRAPE-SCRAPE-SCRAPE-SCRAPE-SCRAPE-SCRAPE-SLASH—!

BOOOOOM—!

The forge behind him exploded apart.

But Peru, buried in a single crafting method, felt his chest burn hotter than it ever had in his life.

TAAANG—!

TAAAAAANG—!

TAAAAAANG—!

Peru forged something.

[The old man’s tenacity activates.]

[The old man’s wish activates.]

[The old man’s Trance activates.]

Peru did not hear the notifications that continued without end.

But as he forged in that moment, he felt it.

That in all his eighty years, he was about to bring forth the most beautiful and greatest work of his life.

*****

Relly’s heart dropped.

She had clearly seen it just moments ago.

The instant that arrow had been fired, enormous demonic energy had burst outward.

And the clear reason she had believed that to be the bow’s finishing move was the status ailments that activated at the exact same moment.

Then, the moment it pierced the Wyvern King’s forehead, about thirty percent of its HP had vanished.

Even top-ranked archer users had to burn a finishing move to shave off around twenty percent of the Wyvern King’s HP.

That was simply what the Wyvern King was.

It was a creature that required at least twenty high-rankers to raid.

And yet the place where the Wyvern King lived only allowed a ten-person party to enter, which was why it had never been killed.

And a creature like that—

By someone not even level 450...

Could someone like that strip away more than thirty percent of its HP with power that wasn’t even an Active Skill?

Relly rejected the idea.

She thought it had to be false.

Right, that Great Bow of Demon-Slaying. It’s a Mythic item with the power to fire its finishing move twice in a row. Insane. That bow can use its ultimate twice!?

And then—

KRRRRRRRRRRRK—!

SKREEEEEECH—!

[The opponent lands a perfect weak-point hit.]

[Attack Power quadruples.]

[You have dealt 5,813,041 damage.]

“...!!!”

Looking at Hyeji, smiling as she stood there, Relly realized it.

This was not a dream. It was reality.

And this was not broken balance.

It was the combination of skill and artifact.

From the start—

If the opponent had not landed a perfect weak-point hit, Attack Power would never have quadrupled.

Of course...

Attack Power quadruples? Isn’t the maximum supposed to be double?

That too made her realize it was one of the bow’s functions—more precisely, one of its Passive Skills.

A function that multiplied damage several times over whenever a weak-point strike succeeded.

And that was exactly right.

Because that power was attached to the passive skill of the Great Bow of Demon-Slaying.

There was another reason the damage from Hyeji’s bow was so absurd.

This bow—

Only has one Active Skill.

That was right.

Most users liked Active Skills and did not value Passive Skills nearly as much.

Because Active Skills activated instantly whenever the user wanted, whereas Passive Skills were nothing more than probability-based skills that depended on chance.

In that moment, Relly wavered.

Six meters.

That was all the distance left.

Should she flee now?

Or face it head-on?

What she chose was to fight.

Six meters was enough for the Wyvern King—and for her—to reach Hyeji.

CLICK—

As Hyeji nocked the string yet again, the Wyvern King, its forehead hanging in shreds, lunged forward.

Its remaining HP was 38%.

As long as the critical damage multiplier only goes up to three or four times, I still have a chance.

But there was one thing she had overlooked.

KRAAAAAAAAAASH—!

The noise that erupted from the arrow that struck this time.

It was completely different from before.

Of course, tamers were usually fine even if one of their monsters died.

Their monsters would revive again in the pet summoning room.

But Legendary monsters were different.

Once they died, it took an entire month before they could be summoned again.

And the reason Relly suddenly felt like she could not breathe—

[The opponent lands a perfect weak-point hit.]

[Attack Power increases sevenfold.]

[You have dealt 12,813,041 damage!!]

Was that it was a Passive Skill whose Attack Power multiplier could rise as high as sevenfold.

[The Wyvern King dies.]

[The Wyvern King cannot be summoned for one month.]

And when someone kills a tamer’s monster, do they gain no experience?

No.

They gain experience.

From where?

The caster’s experience and the dead monster’s experience are combined and fed to the one who killed it.

That was the penalty borne by tamers who could command Legendary monsters.

But the Wyvern King had never died before.

Because it was a Legendary monster.

Yet because of what had just happened for the first time—

[Your level drops by 3.]

She suffered an enormous level loss.

But unlike her, Hyeji was wrapped in radiant light.

[Hyeji Lv.455]

Relly watched, now facing a Hyeji whose level had shot up by more than ten in an instant, as the next arrow aimed straight between her brows.

In that moment, Relly had thought the entire world would ridicule her for being killed by someone far lower-level and weaker than herself.

But then she remembered it.

[History begins to be recorded.]

That was the notification that had rung out across the whole world.

And realizing why that message appeared—that it sounded when someone reached a realm users could not attain—Relly felt a brief flicker of relief.

KRAAAAAK—!

Relly, killed in a single shot through the forehead, faded away.

And standing atop the parapet, Hyeji could not help but smile more brightly than she ever had in her life.

(Great Bow of Demon-Slaying)

Grade: Mythic

Durability: Infinite

Attack Power: 1,230

Restriction: Hyeji

Special Abilities:

·Strength increases by 32%.

·Piercing Power increases by 370%.

·Range increases by 350%.

·Attack Speed increases by 30%.

·Active Skill. Massacre Bow

·Passive Skill. Demon-Slaying Bow

·Passive Skill. Demon’s Mockery

Description: This is the most terrifying and outstanding Mythic bow in the world, forged by a blacksmith who even rejected the temptation of a demon, solely for the full bloom of one person. In exchange for having no option that increases accuracy, all of its other effects have been maximized.

As Hyeji held the bow, it felt more precious than anything else in the world.

It was written right there under Restriction.

This was a dedicated item that only Hyeji could use.

From beginning to end, Hyunsoo had made it for her.

The lack of any accuracy option was the proof.

The artifact restriction was the second proof.

And the line in the description saying it had been made for only one person was the third.

And on top of that—

A historical record.

Hyeji was puzzled.

Why was this becoming the record of one who leads an era, rather than a tale?

There was someone who knew the answer.

CEO Lee Sejin of Pureum.

Lee Sejin looked stunned.

“Arreya definitely didn’t acknowledge Hyeji as a Demigod. Then how is something like this happening?”

The supercomputer Ares answered.

-Because the most perfect archer and the most perfect bow have met.

“...!”

Demigod.

In Ares, there was a concept called the Five Chosen Gods.

And there had also been humans who wished to become gods.

They were called Demigods.

They had failed to become gods, yet were strong enough to chase after them.

One of them was Arreya, the mother of all archers, whom Divine Archer Baneka had gone to seek out.

And when a historical record occurs to a user instead of a tale, it serves to draw them closer to that state if they bring forth a Myth.

Lee Sejin asked,

“What is the condition?”

-Slaughter the entire army.

Sejin slowly nodded.

It was unfortunate.

Because on the screen, Hyeji was about to use the skill imbued in the bow—Massacre Bow.

Sadly, the more enemies there were, the lower Massacre Bow’s Attack Power became.

That was why Sejin had felt relieved.

Then—

[A new Master Blacksmith is born in Balas Territory.]

“...?”

Sejin frowned at the sudden notification.

And soon, on the screen—

Hyeji, about to use Massacre Bow, had realized that even she could not kill them all, and cold sweat ran down her face.

Then—

Old Peru appeared, carrying something in his hands.

*****

As she drew the bowstring, Hyeji realized it.

It’s an incredible skill. But it’s too wide-area.

Massacre Bow.

It truly was an overwhelming power.

But it was best suited for slaughtering enemies whose HP had already fallen below forty percent.

Then Hyeji remembered that she still had one last card.

Hyunsoo.

And she bit her lip.

Even after receiving a bow this incredible, do I still have to depend on Hyunsoo to the very end?

An unfamiliar instinct was telling her something.

These enemies were hers to wipe out.

Then—

DRIP, DRIP-DRIP—

Blood began to run from the torn finger tab on her hand.

Because the Great Bow of Demon-Slaying was a greatbow, it put this much strain on the body.

Right then—

“...It’s all torn apart.”

Old Peru approached her.

Things were so urgent that Hyeji had no time to pay attention to whatever notification had sounded.

“Why didn’t you run!?”

Hyunsoo and Kkoko were still sending the territory residents back to Atlas, yet ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) Peru had remained behind.

She could not understand it.

“Please put this on.”

Peru smiled faintly, then knelt and slowly fitted a silver gleaming gauntlet over her hand.

CLANK—

(Indomitable Gauntlet)

Grade: Legendary

Durability: Infinite

Defense: 302

Restriction: Hyeji

Special Abilities:

·Strength increases by 14%.

·Total Stamina triples.

·Active Skill. For the Divine Archer!

Description: This is a gauntlet forged by old Peru, who braved death and burned away the last of his soul, only for one woman. So long as this gauntlet exists, your hand will never tear again.

“Sir Hyeji.”

The old man clasped Hyeji’s hand with his wrinkled one.

His whole body was battered from running, and blood ran from his head.

And yet what he wished for was simple.

“Become the new Divine Archer.”

“...”

Hyeji’s chest ignited once more.

“Why... why...”

Hyunsoo and Peru were the same.

Both of them had forged artifacts for one person alone.

For Hyeji.

And when Hyeji saw the effect of the skill inside it—For the Divine Archer!—she smiled as brightly as spring.

“Kill that bitch!!!”

“Don’t forget there are 80,000 of us!”

“You think getting a single Mythic bow is enough to do anything to an army of 80,000!?”

“WAAAAAAAAAH!”

Amid the swelling roar of the enemy, Hyeji straightened the crooked silver gauntlet on her hand.

[This is the most perfect gauntlet.]

She drew the bowstring taut.

[This is the most perfect archer.]

And then it linked together.

[Massacre Bow]

[Massacre Bow summons a rain of arrows that covers a 200-meter radius and creates explosions that strike the enemy.]

[The attack range increases to its maximum.]

[Only 60% of normal attack damage is applied.]

DING!

[The effect of the Indomitable Gauntlet is applied.]

[The Attack Power of one skill designated by For the Divine Archer! increases dramatically.]

[Massacre Bow is upgraded from 60% of normal attack damage to 180%!]

She understood then.

That this power, which would be spoken of for years to come, had been born through one young blacksmith and one old blacksmith together.

[Congratulations.]

[You have discovered one of the hidden modifiers!]

[The modifier you have found is “Ultimate.”]

[Ultimate Massacre Bow is born!]

TAP—!

For the next several years, the strongest ultimate attack that no one else would be able to bring forth was revealed to the whole world.