Genius Blacksmith's Game

Hyun, who had turned five users to ash in a single stroke, used Recall to bring the Orichalcum Short Arrow back into his hand.

CHAK—!

[Rankings have been updated.]

[1st Hyun 7 kills.]

[2nd Carson 4 kills.]

[3rd ...]

Confirming the arrow’s power, Hyun let a small smile slip.

This is insane.

There was a reason he’d been able to pierce five. It was likely that a good number of them were below 40% HP.

He’d timed it for when their HP had fallen hard while they were tangled up, fighting.

And Hyun could see it.

The moment five users turned to ash, every user’s gaze swung toward him.

“......”

Eyes blazing, they stared at Hyun.

Staying calm, Hyun took a few steps back and slid the Orichalcum Short Arrow into his inventory.

If he fired before Recall’s cooldown was up, enemies could steal it.

“Get that bastard first!”

“He’s a title contender!”

“Take out the contender first!”

“Looks like he can’t use that arrow again!”

“He’s an archer—archers are easy to rush!”

Hyun looked at a user charging straight at him.

Assassin class, by the look of him.

He leaped with blistering speed, driving a dagger straight down.

“I got hi—!”

Hyun swiftly drew a standard Short Arrow.

CLICK—

PUH-OOOOOOT—

The rogue user popped four meters into the air and crumbled into ash.

Then, seeing more users charging him, Hyun turned and sprinted the other way.

CLICK—

KWAJAAAAAK—

“Ghk!”

Another user was blown back about three meters and tumbled across the ground.

CLICK—

KWAJAAAK—!

[You have forcibly logged out two users.]

[1st Hyun 9 kills.]

With every hit from his arrow, users went flying.

Soon, a swordsman entered Hyun’s engagement range.

Got you...!

The swordsman was certain of victory. Once distance to a swordsman closes under three meters, archers generally can’t bring out their strength.

In that instant, Hyun swapped weapons in a flash—then slashed the man’s neck with Radiance as he passed.

SKAAK—!

“Huh...? What?”

Turning to ash, the user couldn’t hide his bewilderment.

“Why did I go down in one...?”

[You have forcibly logged out one user.]

[1st Hyun 10 kills.]

[An overwhelming 1st place.]

[You receive an additional reward of +2% Contribution.]

And Hyun was carefully regulating his breathing.

Not yet.

He had to conserve skills. His plan hadn’t even begun.

“Ugh... monster...”

“What is that? I’ve never heard of a rookie like that.”

“I-I’m not going near him...”

“Me neither.”

And the users began to back off from Hyun’s astonishing damage.

Just then—

[Stage 1 will now end.]

[Those who have not logged out 3 users will be eliminated.]

PWAAAAT—!

Of the fairly large crowd, everyone vanished except roughly 150 users.

And Hyun tensed.

The 50% Contribution he’d planned before crafting the Orichalcum Short Arrow. It was a plan built on Hyun’s analysis.

For a normal user to stack 50% Contribution alone—that was, in truth, close to impossible.

But there was a single method in Hyun’s head that could make it possible.

[You gain +10% Contribution.]

[You are currently ranked 1st in the Super Rookie Tournament.]

Being 1st wasn’t enough.

He needed the king to see him. He needed Barad to want to meet him.

He needed to be that kind of 1st—the kind that would make a true martial man desire him.

And then—

THUMP, THUMP-THUMP-THUMP, THOOOOM, THUMP-THUMP—

The planned moment approached.

Hyun swallowed hard. A mass of giant golems was charging in.

[Stage 2 will begin.]

[In Stage 2, defend against the golems’ assault for 1 minute.]

[If you succeed, you will enter the final stage: the main event.]

[Golem Lv.61]

Stage 2.

This was the stage where what Hyun had planned could be realized.

In Stage 2, golems appear along with the boss monster, the Blood Golem.

However, the Blood Golem does not actually enter the battlefield.

The tournament merely shows that the Blood Golem is the key of this event. Those who fail to withstand the golem assault essentially fail to advance to the main event.

And the number of golems—

They were numerous enough to rival the 150 or so users.

Hyun drew the Orichalcum Short Arrow again.

Among the charging golems, the largest one caught his eye.

It was massive—easily five meters tall.

THUMP, THUMP-THUMP-THUMP—!

Watching the giant golem close in, Hyun felt something off.

What...?

The tournament always flowed in a similar pattern.

There could be minor changes, but the framework rarely changed much.

By what Hyun had seen, a Level 87 Blood Golem should be appearing.

But...

[Boss Monster appears!]

[Those who hunt the Stone Golem shall be rewarded.]

[Stone Golem Lv.109]

This was different from what Hyun knew. He sensed that something was wrong—and he wasn’t the only one.

Other users sensed something off as well.

“Where’s the Blood Golem—why is there a Stone Golem?”

“What’s a Stone Golem? Never seen that before.”

“Level 109?”

“How the hell are we supposed to kill a 109? This is a level-50 bracket tournament...!”

There was one more strange thing.

“Graaaaargh!”

The boss monster that appears in Stage 2 does not enter the match.

It simply watches for one minute while its golem underlings kill the participants, then leaves.

But this one was barreling through the golems as if to tear users to pieces.

THUMP, THUMP, THUMP, THUMP—!

“Why isn’t it stopping!?”

“Pureum Co., you sons of—! Is this a bug!?”

The Stone Golem didn’t stop—just kept charging.

Then a user, eager to fight the golem horde, boldly stepped up.

Apparently, he hadn’t realized something had gone wrong with the tournament yet.

“Come on! You golem bastards!”

He reached the Stone Golem at close range—and frowned.

“Huh? Why is the boss mob...?”

KWAJIIIII—!

“!!!?”

“!!?”

The Stone Golem smashed a fist down, and the man’s body burst apart—oxidizing to ash.

“Run...!”

“Ah, crap, we’re screwed...!”

“Aaaargh, this tournament’s cooked!”

Panic swept the users.

Hundreds of golems plus a Stone Golem. No way to win.

What’s more, if the boss monster Stone Golem was like that, it wasn’t going to leave after a set time.

“U-Urgh!”

PUSSSORK—

PUH-OORK—!

KWAJIIIK—!

A chill ran down Hyun’s spine at the horrifying sounds the Stone Golem made.

If it’s like this, then the plan...

But he soon shook his head.

No—we go with the plan.

Hyun believed this was the only way to make 50% Contribution.

And so he began to move according to that plan.

****

Tournament Director Bekel was hurrying to seek immediate audience with Sword King Barad.

Damn it...

He’d just received a report from the team in charge of summoning the golems.

They’d accidentally sent out the Stone Golem slated for the next tournament, instead of the Blood Golem.

Stone Golem.

Roughly twenty levels higher than the Blood Golem they’d used prior.

They’d created it because starting with the next Super Rookie, they were set to accept outsiders from Level 70.

The Stone Golem is an uncontrolled golem.

Of course, that lack of control was intentional.

Level 70 outsiders should be able to handle at least that much.

But the ones in ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) the arena right now were Level 50.

In the worst case, the outsiders will be wiped out in Stage 2... we have to stop it.

A shiver ran down his back.

“I must see His Highness!”

“...So there truly is an issue with the tournament.”

“Yes!”

The knights watching the match must have sensed something too—they quickly led Bekel in.

Bekel was granted audience with His Highness Barad.

Prostrating himself, he hurriedly reported.

He explained the whole story from start to finish. Barad’s expression as he listened remained flat.

A user—apparently an archer—had caught his interest for a moment, but it had quickly cooled again.

A mistake by the hosts in such a situation. Punishments could come later.

For now, he gave an order.

“Such a thing must not occur at a tournament hosted by the kingdom.”

At that, Bekel lifted his head slightly. It was, in effect, the king’s approval.

“We will halt it immediately!”

With approval given, he had to move quickly.

But then Barad spoke.

“...Wait.”

Bekel, who had begun to back away on his knees, stopped. Lifting his head, he looked up at Barad’s face.

Watching the screen, the king let out an “Oh...”

On the display—

All the outsiders were fleeing. Tangled together, they looked like people running from a fire.

Opposite the direction they fled, there were the golem hordes and the Stone Golem.

But between the fleeing outsiders—

A single man was running the other way, closing in on the Stone Golem.

That one...?

Bekel recognized him. The outsider named Hyun. He remembered what the man had said to him not long ago.

Fortunately, I’ve thought of a way to meet him now.

He’d said, absurdly, that he might have a way to meet the king.

Standing twelve meters from the Stone Golem, face-to-face, the man drew his bow.

“Don’t tell me—that method is...?”

Barad’s gaze sharpened at Bekel’s stunned whisper.

“You know him?”

“Yes, that man...”

At his ensuing explanation, Barad grew interested.

“Finds a way to meet me? Director.”

“Yes!”

“It seems he’s figured out the method. What is it?”

Barad smiled. He was quite curious what that method might be. Bekel said:

“...To kill the boss monster—the golem—alone. That is my assumption.”

“...Bold.”

Barad sat back down and looked upon the display.

“Proceed with the tournament. And so that the outsiders are not slaughtered, allow them to use one of their mysterious powers again without a cooldown.”

“Pardon?”

Bekel couldn’t hide his confusion as the king chose not to halt the match.

The king fixed his eyes on the user on the screen.

“There is still one martial man left, so I cannot end it.”

****

“GRRAAAOOOOR!”

The Stone Golem, eyes feral, was charging.

All alone.

Cold sweat trickled down Hyun’s back as he stood facing it, alone.

The plan’s hit a snag, but...

There was no helping it.

Unless he hunted the boss monster alone, 50% Contribution was out of reach.

And with things like this, his mind began to spin fast.

FWIIIP—

He aimed the bowstring at the onrushing brute. Then realization struck.

No good... A normal arrow won’t stop it, and Piercing Arrow’s cooldown isn’t up yet.

Even with the Orichalcum Short Arrow, he couldn’t stop that thing.

His mind raced, finding another way.

[Beginning God’s Emergency Crafting.]

KURURURUR—

In midair, ore melted at speed. The molten metal cooled and passed through refinement.

In an instant, the red-heated mass began to take shape.

This Emergency Crafting was far faster than the first time.

It happened in just three seconds.

And the completed item was none other than a gauntlet.

Hyun slowly raised his right arm.

CHEOL-KUUK—

The gauntlet slipped onto Hyun’s right arm by itself.

[Effect application rate is 85%.]

[God’s Emergency Crafting lasts only 30 seconds.]

The gauntlet’s effect focused on one thing.

[Strength increases by 121.]

FWIIIP—

When Strength increases, the force with which you draw a bowstring increases.

The arrow that flies then also gains destructive power and penetration.

“Grrr...”

Hyun clenched his teeth. Veins rose on his right arm as his muscles strained.

TAUT—

[With the Strength increase, Penetration +32%, Physical Attack +15%, Skill Damage +22%.]

TA-AT—

Hyun released the bowstring.

DING!

At the notification, a smile tugged at Hyun’s lips.

[Piercing Arrow]

The passive version of Piercing Arrow had procced on a dramatic chance.

The passive version is entirely different from the active.

It’s twice as strong as the active!

[An arrow is fired with Penetration +150% and Physical Attack +140%.]

[Target is stunned for 4 seconds.]

KWA-RRRRRRK—

With a sonic screech, the arrow fired like a shell. A user shouted:

“Are you stupid!? A golem’s body is solid rock—how are you gonna kill that with an arrow!?”

Every user present thought the same thing. Arrows can’t do anything to a rock-bodied golem.

And yet...

KWA-A-A-AANG—!

“GUUEEHHHH!!!!!!”

The Stone Golem, charging at full tilt, took the arrow and was blasted roughly seven meters back.