Genius Blacksmith's Game

Continental War.

It had been Pureum’s large-scale event, where users drafted from two nations fought with their countries’ pride on the line.

At the time, its worldwide viewership had not fallen below 15% even once.

And.

The Korea vs. China Continental War had achieved the astounding feat of producing Hyunsoo, one of Ares’s greatest stars, and Twin Dragon Sword, the first Transcendent.

It had also delivered results that shocked even the host, Pureum.

During that single month when Continental War was held, the number of new sign-ups had exploded by roughly 600%.

Right after Continental War ended,

people around the world once again wanted content the whole world could enjoy.

The kind of content the world wanted was not something grand in itself.

They wanted something they could gather around the TV to watch, eating chicken and drinking beer while cheering, exulting, crying, and getting fired up together.

However, although Pureum had been preparing a follow-up to Continental War, it had not been easy.

Instead, something else had taken its place.

The Great Atlas War.

The first event ever conceived by a user.

“Even now, when I think back on it, Hyunsoo’s plan back then was perfect.”

“Because high-rankers from all over the world were targeting him. Hyunsoo basically told the entire world one thing.”

“Come all at once. Ha!”

The Great Atlas War was still talked about like this even inside Pureum’s event planning team.

Of course, part of the reason it had created that kind of impact was because Pureum had stepped in and officially turned it into an event.

Even so, after succeeding with Continental War and the Great Atlas War, Pureum had continued preparing something new.

The event planning team went into meetings every single day.

“What about gathering high-rankers from all over the world to raid a Transcendent monster together?”

“That would be fun. But could it create an impact on the level of the very first Continental War?”

“What about having the retainers the users have acquired fight each other? We could determine whose knight is the strongest.”

“That doesn’t sound like a bad idea either.”

The mission of the event planning team was to expose viewers to a major event for as long as possible and draw strong ratings over an extended period.

Of course, peak ratings mattered too, but how long viewers stayed and kept watching also determined how much influence Pureum could seize.

That was why Han Suo, the head of planning in charge of the event, knew that although excellent ideas were overflowing, none of them would last long.

Because the suggestions being made, including the Transcendent monster raid, would all be over in a single day.

Then, at that moment—

“What if we gathered all of these and held them all at once?”

Han Suo gathered up the proposal sheets the team had put together while cutting back even on sleep.

Everyone on the team lit up.

And Han Suo immediately ran to report the idea to CEO Lee Sejin.

Gulp.

Han Suo had already been rejected many times before.

Sejin did not simply want money and new users. As CEO, they genuinely wanted content that users would enjoy.

And for someone like Sejin, a smile came only rarely.

“Continental War: World Championship.”

“...Pardon?”

“That will be the name of this event.”

The moment Sejin heard the plan, that was the only name they could think of.

The name World Championship suited it especially well.

“In the Continental War, two nations tested their strength. But in this Continental War: World Championship, the entire world will fight with national pride at stake through stories like these.”

“Like the Olympics?”

“Exactly.”

The Olympics.

Once, they had been loved by people all over the world.

National representatives from every country had been selected, all desperate to win gold medals in their respective events.

But what about now?

Starting in 2030, Olympic ratings had begun to plummet. By now they had reached rock bottom, to the point that the Olympics were effectively on the path to being abolished.

That makes it an opportunity.

No one in the world was unfamiliar with the Olympics.

The whole world would grasp the format instantly.

And now world-class rankers will fight for their countries. Across a variety of events!

Han Suo could not help but admire Sejin, who had taken the framework Han Suo built and put flesh on it.

Sejin and Han Suo continued discussing it together.

“Should we divide the medals into gold, silver, and bronze like the Olympics?”

“Of course. In the real Olympics, medals existed because they motivated the athletes and encouraged participation.”

“There should be rewards for each user too, right?”

“Certainly. For a user who wins a gold medal, a reward that raises all stats by 2 should be suitable. But the most important thing will be the MVP reward, just as it was in the old Continental War.”

MVP.

The reward given to the user who had made the greatest impact.

The MVP reward was decided faster than expected.

For swordsmen, a sword or skill of Transcendent grade or higher.

For mages, a magic tome of 7th Class or above.

For cooks, Transcendent cooking tools.

And finally—

“What about blacksmiths?”

There was a reason Han Suo singled out blacksmiths.

How explosive this Continental War: World Championship became would inevitably depend on who participated.

Their participation itself would be publicity, and a guarantee of success and ratings.

Pureum could not possibly move forward while excluding its star, Hyunsoo.

Lee Sejin smiled faintly.

“Obviously, minerals. It would have to be at least a Mythic-grade mineral.”

“The others are getting things like Transcendent-grade weapons. Will that really be all right?”

“Of course it will.”

To begin with, a completed Transcendent weapon was worth 3 billion, while a Transcendent mineral was only worth 300 to 400 million.

Just because one forged an artifact out of Transcendent mineral did not mean a Transcendent artifact would automatically come out.

“God’s mineral, Adamantium.”

“Gasp!”

Han Suo was stunned.

At the same time, though, Han Suo understood Sejin’s thinking.

“So you mean to make sure user Hyunsoo participates no matter what. You’re talking about a Mythic mineral.”

“What are you saying? It is only a reward obtainable by becoming MVP. There is no guarantee user Hyunsoo will become MVP.”

Han Suo accepted that.

This was different from Continental War: Korea vs. China.

Back then, two nations had clashed.

This time, the entire world would.

That meant there would be countless extraordinary and powerful users.

Especially because, at that time...

—I, Valhalla, formally request a duel with you.

—Do you have any shame?

It was when Valhalla had challenged Hyunsoo to a duel through the Code of the Sword.

That alone had become a global issue.

More than anything, the very fact that Valhalla and Hyunsoo would fight in a public setting had established itself as a massive headline.

And.

If Hyunsoo participates, Valhalla will {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} participate too.

The time they had agreed to fight overlapped with the time Continental War: World Championship would be held.

Since they were going to fight anyway, there was a high chance they would clash in a variety of ways inside the event.

On top of that, in terms of raw individual power, Hyunsoo was still far behind Valhalla.

“Ares. What is the probability that user Hyunsoo becomes MVP?”

—At present, 0%. Besides Valhalla, multiple other users are expected to be variables.

Lee Sejin was a thorough person.

And because the event followed an Olympic-style format, this Continental War: World Championship would not allow someone to rack up a high score simply by being strong alone.

Most of all.

The reason Ares cited multiple variables was because Korea was currently expected to rank very low.

If his home country ranked low, it would not be easy for Hyunsoo to achieve MVP.

Adamantium is an unbelievable reward.

That was why Sejin had thrown out bait.

Bait Hyunsoo would have to bite.

And in the end, the fish would not get to eat the bait. It would only be used by it.

Lee Sejin was, ultimately, a person who pursued profit.

They personally valued and respected user Hyunsoo, but that was a separate matter.

Time passed, and it became today, one day before the Continental War: World Championship announcement.

Sejin, who had spent every day busy with Continental War and various other duties, casually asked for the first time in a while.

“Ares. What is the probability that user Hyunsoo becomes MVP?”

—At present, it is estimated at 6%.

“...?”

Sejin was shaken far more than expected.

6% was not a small number by any means.

Especially considering that not much time had passed, it was an absurd figure.

The biggest problem was—

—It cannot be guaranteed how high it may continue to rise.

—that Ares had effectively given up on measuring it.

And Ares displayed the reason in a notification window.

What is this...?

[User Hyunsoo possesses more than 10 kg of Adamantium.]

“...?”

The MVP reward they had set was a mere 2 kg.

Would Hyunsoo, who already possessed over 10 kg, even bother joining the Continental War: World Championship for something like that?

And if he did not participate, Valhalla would not participate either.

Their participation was practically the guaranteed box-office draw of Continental War: World Championship.

After learning this, Han Suo came running in and said urgently,

“...I think we need to revise the reward. We should add an extra reward to the MVP prize. If the MVP score exceeds expectations, the reward should be upgraded by one level.”

“...How?”

“A ticket that lets the user create any Mythic mineral they want.”

The ability to specify the exact mineral one wanted was more incredible than it sounded.

Still, that was better than Hyunsoo’s participation remaining completely uncertain.

And Sejin also knew that the existing reward would not be attractive to Hyunsoo, who already held more than 10 kg of Adamantium.

“...Approved.”

After Han Suo hurried off,

Sejin finally burst into laughter.

I got hit with one clean shot!

They had acted smug, thinking Hyunsoo would have a hard time becoming MVP, and yet the world Hyunsoo was creating felt endlessly entertaining.

On top of that, user Hyunsoo had done nothing but sit still and received the special treatment of having the reward upgraded for him.

Even so, Sejin was delighted.

Because they could feel themselves growing impatient.

What if he still doesn’t enter even with a reward like this?

Lee Sejin, the richest billionaire in the world and a scientist.

This was the first time they had ever waited so anxiously for someone’s decision.

Then they tilted their head.

Hm? Where did he go?

Because Hyunsoo, unlike usual, was logged out.

*****

A Jersis dealership in Gangnam.

Lee Daejin, dressed in a suit, was in a very bad mood right now.

A tall man kept opening and closing the door of a Jersis car while looking it over. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

One could not tell whether someone was rich or not just by their appearance.

Approaching carefully, Daejin asked,

“What brings you here today?”

“My friend’s father said he’d show me a car, so I came to take a look.”

“Your friend’s father?”

“Yes.”

The world had become increasingly focused on VVIPs.

That was why this Jersis dealership, which had opened only a few years ago, was used almost exclusively by ultra-VVIP clients.

Officially, however, it remained open to the public, because barring ordinary people from entering would invite public criticism.

Even so, everyone who knows anything also knows that only VVIPs come here...

Its regular customers were, at minimum, people with assets in the tens of billions.

Curious about this so-called friend’s father, Daejin asked,

“It sounds like your friend’s father knows our dealership very well. May I ask what he does?”

The man thought for a moment, then said,

“He sells phones, and milk too... hmm... lately he’s been working hard at construction sites as well. He’s a very diligent man.”

“...?”

He sells phones, delivers milk, and does construction work? What kind of low-class person is this!?

Lee Daejin was dumbfounded.

In other words, he was the type to do anything that made money.

When he mentioned construction, that meant day labor.

Lee Daejin no longer even wanted this man’s fingerprints on a luxury car like Jersis.

So Daejin said stiffly,

“You can’t keep opening and closing it like that. And please don’t touch it so casually.”

“Aren’t you going to show me around? I heard people usually get a guide when they come to look at cars.”

Daejin gave a snort.

“Our showroom is like a luxury boutique. I take great pride in that. So if you want a proper guide, become luxury first.”

He was telling him to leave, in a roundabout way.

But Daejin really did not care.

A day laborer’s friend’s son? Give me a break.

What could someone like that possibly do?

But then, just then—

The door opened, and a man walked in.

Ding-dong.

It was none other than Chairman Lee Taesung of Hansung Group, the owner of the Jersis brand.

“Ch-Chairman! Good day, sir!”

Caught off guard by the chairman’s sudden appearance, Daejin bowed at a perfect ninety degrees.

“You’re working hard.”

Taesung greeted him with a casual lift of the hand.

Daejin assumed the chairman had come because he had something to discuss with the branch manager.

But something completely unexpected happened.

Chairman Lee Taesung walked straight up to the tall man.

“Hyunsoo, have you been waiting long?”

“No.”

Daejin panicked.

Wait, but didn’t he say the man sold phones and did construction work...? D-Don’t tell me!

That was exactly it.

The phones he sold were Hansung Electronics.

The construction work was Hansung Construction.

And the milk he sold was Hansung Foods.

The two of them continued talking.

“So? Did you at least look around a little?”

“No.”

“Hmm? Why didn’t you?”

At least then, Daejin relaxed a little.

The man in front of him—

Hyunsoo—

was none other than Master Blacksmith Hyun.

And Master Blacksmith Hyun was a grown adult.

Surely a grown man wouldn’t go tattling.

Above all, how could the First King possibly do something like that?

At that moment, Hyunsoo moved faster than light.

“That man told me not to touch anything because I’d leave fingerprints. He even said this showroom is luxury, and that he’s basically luxury himself too... then told me I should become luxury first. I’m hurt, Chairman. I guess I must be a counterfeit.”

Hyunsoo ratted him out with tremendous enthusiasm!

After hearing that, Chairman Lee Taesung stepped forward until he was standing right in front of Daejin.

“And who exactly do you think you are?”