Genius Blacksmith's Game

The whole world was thrown into an uproar.

World messages rang out four or five times a day even under normal circumstances.

Users usually paid little attention to them, but this time was different.

[A world message rings out.]

[An obscure painter has unveiled the first Magnum Opus artwork by a user, delivering a new teaching to the evolved world of art.]

[His painting will be spoken of for a long time to come.]

Every media outlet focused on that world message.

“Ares has been open for years. Countless famous figures chased the dream of creating a Magnum Opus, but not a single one ever reached that level.”

Experts chattered excitedly.

“Today, an obscure painter has created a Magnum Opus, making a world message ring out.”

“At present, art-class users in Ares account for not even one-fiftieth of the number of ordinary production-class users. The appearance of the first Magnum Opus has overturned not only the art world inside Ares, but the real-world art world as well.”

Art classes made no money, could not hunt, and were not fun.

That was why almost every art-class user chose the class, then deleted the character and started over.

“It is not enough for a work of art to simply be well painted in order to become a Magnum Opus. The soul of the one creating it and the story surrounding the subject being painted must come together in proper harmony. A Magnum Opus is the equivalent of a Transcendent-grade artifact. Its impact rivals the moment Hyun created the Twin Dragon Sword a year and a half ago.”

“It is hard to say whether crafting a Transcendent-grade artifact is more difficult, or whether creating a Magnum Opus artwork is more difficult, but in terms of sheer impact, I would say it truly matches the birth of the first Twin Dragon Sword.”

The experts’ words were persuasive, and they were quickly proven true.

The global portal-site trending searches:

-Wow, a Magnum Opus. This is insane. What kind of painting is it? I want to see it.

-Seriously lol what the hell did they paint to get a Magnum Opus?

-How much would a painting like that even cost?

Then someone appeared who could satisfy the curiosity of countless people.

It was Clan, an appraiser in real life and, in Ares, a user whose class was Exalted Appraiser.

“To begin with, I have not seen the painting in question, but the fact that it is the first Magnum Opus ever created means that alone must command an enormous price. Also, high-grade artworks in Ares are special. Simply looking at them can grant buffs. That is why they sometimes sell for even more than artifacts.”

“And artworks are, in the end, luxury goods for the rich. The demand from those who want to purchase the first Magnum Opus will be overwhelming, while the supply is only one. Its price will start at a minimum of 6 billion won.”

People marveled.

-Damn!!!!!

-That’s insane!!

-And the painter’s obscure too lol. People are guessing it’s some broke young painter who started drawing in Ares out of desperation and actually pulled it off.

-Is that even credible?

-Yep, heard it from a friend.

People loved talking nonsense, and there were plenty who loved pulling attention with it.

At the same time, the greatest interest shared by everyone in the world was this:

-I really want to see it.

-What kind of painting is a Magnum Opus?

The desire to see the first Magnum Opus in Ares.

It was a desire any human being would have.

However—

“When the nation of Hyun is complete, this painting will hang at its center.”

The obscure painter Yibaek believed that the first person to see this painting would be Hyunsoo.

And the buff effect possessed by Old Man Ben, the first Magnum Opus ever born into this world, was astonishing as well.

(Old Man Ben)

Grade: Magnum Opus

Durability: Infinite

Special Abilities:

·The moment anyone sees Old Man Ben, they receive a buff effect.

·Vitality +60%, all stats +15, all skills +1 level.

·EXP gain and artifact drop rate increase by 45%.

·Duration: 5 days.

·For one person alone, it is even more special.

·After all of the above effects are applied to user Hyunsoo, the chance of producing a better artifact during artifact crafting additionally increases by 100%.

Description: A portrait of an old man waiting for the death that is soon to come. One of dozens of works depicting the nation of Hyun painted by the painter Yibaek.

What is this?

Even Yibaek, who had painted it himself, was looking at an effect he could not understand.

Specifically, the buff effect that only applied to user Hyunsoo—after all the above effects took hold, the chance of producing a better artifact while crafting would further increase by 100%.

Why does this effect apply only to Hyun?

At first, Yibaek had thought it might be because he was painting the nation of Hyun.

But after checking Old Man Ben, the detailed explanation that followed told him otherwise.

[This work contains the small wish of an old man. Before the death that will one day come to him, the old man personally came forward and wanted a portrait for the one who would grieve for him.]

[It contains his small wish that, after he is gone, the one who sees him smiling within the portrait will grieve less, and go on to grow further.]

So it was Azure Heaven Ben...

Only then did Yibaek remember who Ben was.

He was an old man who was Hyun’s dear friend.

Yibaek had sympathized with the skill, the soul, and the story involved, and had painted it magnificently, but now he understood that the real reason this painting had been able to become a true Magnum Opus lay in Old Man Ben’s heart.

Every great work contained a story, and the story of this work was Ben and Hyunsoo.

At my age, I’m still learning something new.

Yibaek stared for a long while at the old man in the portrait,

smiling faintly as though to say: don’t be sad.

*****

The old man who had met the painter Yibaek heard the news.

“They say the Overlord’s people have migrated to the nation of Hyun.”

Those were the words of Prak, Heir of Azure Heaven.

The old man’s years could not be ignored.

“Heh-heh, I doubt he can handle them...”

The people who had been waiting for the Overlord had suddenly found themselves serving not the Overlord, but a blacksmith king.

There was no way they would simply obey.

“They’ll try to leave.”

That was why the old man had come to visit.

His portrait had only been an extra.

Still, he had been pleased to encounter a master painter far better than he had expected.

Azure Heaven Ben drifted for a moment into memory.

Into his lonely life, which had passed without even a single child, a young man had come and given him new joy.

He had gained friends named Barad, Antro, and Hyun.

And he had gained the people themselves as dear friends as well.

The people of the Prime Kingdom thought so highly of Ben that their praise seemed ready to pierce the sky, and all the citizens treasured Old Man Ben.

And the old man also knew how Hyun could capture those people’s hearts.

So he set off.

*****

The Turtle Ship, and museum.

“So, The King Who Wanted to Live... Does that mean he became king because he kept striving to live?”

Inside it, Elder Andallo and the people were leaving with the sense that the one who had achieved all this was a better king than they had expected.

However—

“I still wonder whether he truly has enough strength to protect his own kingdom.”

“He seems to have crossed many mountains already. The problem is that if we become his people, we’ll have to cross even greater and higher mountains with him.”

No human wanted to risk danger.

And there were other countries that would welcome them lavishly if they went.

At that moment—

Andallo spotted an old man shambling toward them.

Who is that?

Andallo felt that the old man looked strangely familiar.

But the old man’s appearance was shabby.

He wore loose ramie clothes and walked with his hands clasped behind his back, and he was thin to the point of gauntness.

That old man stopped right in front of Andallo.

Andallo.

He was, without question, the spiritual pillar of Bardrei, a nation now left without a king.

He was not someone whose path could be blocked by an old man who looked like a mere commoner.

“Who are you!”

“How dare you block Elder Andallo’s path!”

“You’ve got a death wish!”

Then—

“...Hm?”

One man reacted.

His name was Amtrong.

He was the current Commander of the Kingdom of Bardrei, and a man who had once fought a being called Urboros, known as a Legendary monster, and taken one of its fangs.

The members of the Ironclad Corps were now scattered to the winds.

But Amtrong’s great-grandfather had been a descendant of the Ironclad Corps.

And Amtrong himself was a master of the spear.

That very man stared in shock, then immediately rushed to the old man and bowed.

THUD—!

“I pay my respects to Azure Heaven!!!!”

“Heh-heh, it has been a long time.”

Andallo, the people, even the soldiers, all blinked.

Then the name Azure Heaven flashed through Andallo’s mind.

As mentioned before, Andallo too had wandered the world like Purung, searching for kingdoms.

And among the kings he had found impressive, there had once been a country ruled by an old man.

From afar, that old man had looked arrogant, great, and magnificent.

And more than that—

If it’s Azure Heaven...?

The Azure Heaven Andallo knew was the man who, in his youth, had created a spearmanship manual.

That manual was the Baram Spearmanship Manual, the very foundation of all spearmanship manuals across the continent.

“Azure Heaven Ben?”

“The creator of the Baram Spearmanship Manual?”

And to all who used the spear, he was an idol.

In truth, before the Baram Spearmanship Manual appeared, the spear had been a neglected weapon.

As Barad had insisted, everyone used the sword, and that was what was efficient.

Because of that, only five percent of the world’s weapon users used spears.

But after the Baram Spearmanship Manual appeared, the number of spear-users rose to twenty-five percent, and it was Azure Heaven who had saved the long-neglected spearmen.

The Kingdom of Bardrei too had many who used spears.

The soldiers who used spears became restless at Azure Heaven’s sudden appearance, and the old man merely smiled with his hands behind his back.

“I happened to see you once while passing by.”

“Yes... that’s right! I was still young back then! But now I at least have enough dignity to greet you properly!”

Like a loyal subject bowing before a great king, Amtrong, Commander of the nation of Bardrei, kept his head lowered and could not raise it.

The spearmen exchanged looks, then moved behind Amtrong and bowed as well.

The old man, who had come after hearing the story, asked,

“What brings you here?”

“Well, that is...”

Amtrong explained the whole situation.

Amtrong too was curious, so he slightly lifted his head and looked at Ben.

“And why has Azure Heaven come...?”

Ben smiled broadly.

“As for me, I came to see a dear friend.”

“A... dear friend?”

“That’s right. Hyunsoo of this nation is my dear friend.”

“Gasp...!”

Amtrong was startled.

Azure Heaven Ben was known as a lofty being who never made friends.

And yet Hyunsoo was his dear friend?

But what the old man said next was even more absurd.

“I came because I wanted him to play with me. But he said he was busy and refused.”

Hyunsoo had never said any such thing.

“So I’m thinking of going back and asking him to play with me again.”

With that, Ben returned to his own country.

But the thought that had lived in Amtrong’s mind—that this nation lacked the strength to protect itself—was beginning to change.

Andallo immediately corrected him.

“Get a grip. Even if it is not this nation, there are many other places we can go.”

In truth, the miracle medicine Andallo had obtained was of extraordinary value. If they offered it to the king of another nation, that king would likely welcome them gladly and give them a new life.

“The nation of Hyun will not win my heart so easily!”

They had waited too long, only to be abandoned by the Overlord.

Because of that, Andallo believed the only thing they could now embrace was a great and noble nation, and he declared it boldly.

And at Elder Andallo’s words, Amtrong steadied his own heart as well.

After all, this concerned the lives of hundreds of thousands of citizens.

It was not something to decide based on his personal reverence.

They began walking deeper into the nation of Hyun, following their guide, Nell.

And there was one man watching them.

The Overlord himself.

Just as I thought...

Having cast them aside and then immediately returned to the nation of Hyun as Rock, he had already sensed that it would not be easy.

The museum and Ben had helped, but their hearts had not been shaken easily.

Also, the Overlord and the king’s royal seal were connected.

The king’s royal seal judged whether someone possessed the qualifications of a king.

But Hyunsoo had only received it from another.

As the original owner, the Overlord could tell whether the king’s royal seal had truly acknowledged Hyun or not.

He took a false king’s royal seal from his chest.

It was not the real king’s royal seal.

It was connected to the one Hyun possessed, and it allowed him to tell whether Hyun, as the one who had inherited the throne, could truly be acknowledged.

[The approval rating of the king’s royal seal is 6%.]

That approval came from the citizens’ respect and acknowledgment.

And there was also a story passed down regarding the Overlord’s king’s royal seal.

“The one who holds the Overlord’s king’s royal seal shall obtain all that belonged to the Overlord.”

Of course, that was only if it acknowledged him.

At the very least, the approval rating of the king’s royal seal had to exceed 70%.

The time limit is two years.

Unfortunately, once two years passed, then no matter if he was the Overlord’s benefactor or not, he would lose the qualification and obtain nothing.

And the Overlord himself thought it would take at least two years for Hyunsoo to earn that qualification.

The Overlord started walking.

It was time for him to visit the Tower of Honor.

He spent about a day there.

Then, during that time—

“...?”

CRACK—

The Overlord frowned.

A strange sound had come from the false king’s royal seal he had tucked away in his chest.

When he pulled it out, cracks were spreading across it.

What is this?

Then, along with the cracks spreading through the king’s royal seal—

[The approval rating of the king’s royal seal is too high.]

“...?”

The Overlord, too, had once been acknowledged through the king’s royal seal, reaching an approval rating of 99%.

But this acknowledgment was far more extraordinary.

[The approval rating of the king’s royal seal’s owner has reached 154%.]

CRASH—!

At once, the false king’s royal seal shattered completely, and a message rang out.

[The king’s royal seal acknowledges its new owner.]