Genius Blacksmith's Game

When the searing flame spewed by Ifrit swallowed the surroundings, Barad wanted to die.

Having fulfilled his final wish, he felt no further value in remaining alive.

‘It was because of me.......’

Barad had lived in regret.

If only he had firmly refused Ban’s pestering to see the Fire-Dragon’s Nest—or if only he had been a little stronger.

It was while he clutched his necklace and looked up at the ceiling, waiting for death. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

“Will dying like this bring him back?”

Barad turned his head. Hyun, clad in blue armor, was looking at him.

“......You don’t know. No one else could know.”

This knot in his chest.

“I’m sure your deceased son would be thrilled with that.”

Those words angered Barad.

He seized Hyun by the collar with all his strength.

“Do not speak carelessly! What do you know! Do you know the grief of losing your child because of yourself!?”

A feeling none could understand.

He was the only blood kin left.

“......I know.”

But the one called Hyun spoke. With a bitter smile, he began his own story.

How he had rushed into the forge to save his father, and yet his father still had not awakened.

“If only I’d been faster then. If only I hadn’t gone to meet a friend that day. If only I’d been by my father’s side that day.”

Barad looked into those eyes.

“But I’ve decided not to live like that anymore. Do you know why?”

Hyun gave a small smile.

“Because Your Majesty’s son—and my father—would want us to live well and be happy.”

At those words, Barad crumbled.

He hung his head and sobbed.

The blacksmith Hyun.

While patting his back, he said:

“......It wasn’t our fault. So let’s live. Just as they would want.”

The heart of the broken King steadied.

The greatest comfort was empathy, and in his words that it wasn’t their fault.

FWOOOOOSH—

The blue armor on Hyun dissolved, and he was soon swallowed by flame and turned to ash.

Watching him vanish, the King murmured:

“......Thank you.”

And he stepped out of the blaze by his own will.

Finishing the recollection, Barad found himself longing to see the outsider Hyun and said:

“Hyun. I miss that boy so very much.”

“I will bring him at once.”

He raised a hand to stay Bella, who was about to go.

“Call the chancellor first.”

“Yes.”

A short while later, Chancellor Bolson of the Kingdom of Goyard entered.

“I take it you’ve already finished appraising the three swords.”

“That is correct, Your Majesty.”

Chancellor Bolson had heard from Bella and immediately appraised the three swords.

“How did they seem to you?”

“As for the two Epic-grade swords, I judged them close to Unique in value. The Fourth Custom Craft Sword of Hyun possessed Fire-attribute Resistance that defied common sense, and the Fifth Custom Craft Sword bore a wondrous mystic power.”

Within the given grade, the chancellor set the highest price for the two swords.

“The last sword?”

“This humble one had never before seen a Legendary sword in person.”

Even now, the lingering awe from first seeing that blade had not faded for Bolson.

“By precedence of other Legendary swords sold, I assessed the price. It falls on the lower side among Legendary swords, yet I considered that with that sword alone one would wield unmatched power when fighting Fire-attribute monsters.”

Barad nodded slowly. And Bolson could not discern why His Majesty’s questions continued.

His Majesty took no interest in others’ affairs.

Nor was He a man to concern Himself with the price of a sword.

However expensive, to the king of a kingdom it was another matter.

Soon Barad spoke.

“Add 30% to the appraised prices of the swords.”

“......Pardon?”

Bolson was astonished. Even at the current valuations, a common blacksmith could live idly for years.

And yet His Majesty Himself was increasing the amounts?

Soon Bolson was struck by the look in His Majesty’s eyes.

What dwelled there was affection for Hyun.

“Understood.”

“Speak the amounts you assessed. I shall reward him personally.”

There in the audience chamber, Bolson added 30% to each of the amounts previously assessed and reported them.

After Bolson departed, Barad donned his robes and went to the audience hall.

****

One day in reality. Three days in the game.

Hyun took a day off and looked for a new place to move into.

‘The landlady really gave me a big discount, huh.’

The new place he found was a semi-basement studio. Similar in size to his current place, but twice the price.

He had not signed yet.

‘How much could I get?’

Hyun checked the going rates.

A recently traded Legendary artifact went for ₩800 million.

Compared to that, Hyun’s Sixth Custom Craft Sword was a little below that armament.

‘He should be awake by now, right?’

Hyun also worried about Barad’s condition. After a sip of water, he entered the capsule.

[You have logged in.]

The moment he connected, Hyun’s chest tightened.

‘Ugh...... Lv. -1......’

In Ares, if you are forcibly logged out, you incur a penalty.

Bella came at once.

“His Majesty has awakened. He is asking for you, Hyun.”

Hyun walked after Bella. Soon, in the audience hall, he could pay respects to Barad, who looked much recovered.

Looking at him, Barad spoke.

“I have something to ask.”

“Please speak.”

“......I know that Outsiders revive even if they die. You too knew, in that moment, that you would die. Is there a reason you risked death just to say those words?”

“There are two reasons.”

“Two reasons?”

Barad wore a puzzled look.

“The first is that I wanted Your Majesty, who bears a weight like mine, to live.”

To live.

Strangely, those words resounded greatly in Barad’s chest.

Barad knew. If it had not been Hyun but someone else—

If Bella or another had said such words, he would not have been moved.

But when Hyun said them, the reason his heart steadied was empathy.

He bore pain like Barad’s, and sincerity could be felt in his words.

“The second?”

At Barad’s question, Hyun met his eyes.

“Because I am confident I will be sufficiently repaid for it.”

Barad gave a small laugh at words that could have sounded arrogant.

He intended as much. Those words told him how shrewd this man was.

Of course, even had he not gained compensation for the second reason, he would have made the same choice.

[Affinity with Barad becomes MAX.]

Hyun could not hide his inner astonishment.

Before being forcibly logged out inside the tomb, Hyun had heard several notifications that Affinity had risen.

And with those just now, that Affinity had reached its peak.

‘Affinity MAX with a Named like Barad......’

Hyun’s heart pounded.

And Barad said:

“You are right.”

[Linked Quest: The King’s Crafting Commission — Complete]

[For your astonishing achievement, King Barad grants a reward.]

Again.

Whenever Hyun accepted a quest or the like, he would hear this notification.

For your astonishing achievement, a reward.

Originally, the notification ended with ‘You may receive a reward.’

Usually, this was heard when you had performed a quest excellently.

“I have finished price assessment of the three swords you crafted.”

At Barad’s words, Hyun swallowed dryly.

Epic-grade swords. And among swords of a level that Barad could equip, the average was about 3,000 Gold.

“First, regarding the two Epic-grade swords. According to Chancellor Bolson, even within their grade, they possessed value worthy of being called top-tier.”

Hyun listened in silence.

“For the Fourth Custom Craft Sword—8,600 Gold. For the Fifth Custom Craft Sword of Hyun—9,000 Gold I will pay.”

Hyun was startled.

‘I thought if I got a lot, it would be 5,000 Gold per sword......?’

Of course, 5,000 Gold would not have been small either. One sword would be about five million won.

Together the two totaled 17.6 million won.

“Lastly. Let us speak of the value of the sword that saved my life. First allow me to say I am pleased to come to possess such a peerless blade.”

Barad looked to Hyun’s Sixth Custom Craft Sword, well placed to one side, and smiled faintly.

Hyun tensed.

He was curious about the {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} value of the first Legendary artifact he had made.

****

At Hansung Hospital, Team Lead Hoseok of the Administration Office received a call from Nurse Ji-hye.

‘Mr. Hyun wants a consultation for a VVIP room.’

Hoseok oversaw VVIP rooms in the Administration Office and managed the entire Administration Team.

‘Kang Hyunsoo?’

And Hoseok furrowed his brow upon hearing that the one who wanted the VVIP consultation was Kang Hyunsoo.

The truth was, Hoseok did not like Hyun.

Of course, at first, Hoseok also felt sorry for him.

But how much had the higher-ups hounded him over Hyun’s unpaid hospital bills?

Being dragged in to the department head and told to kick him out immediately was not a once or twice thing.

A hospital is not a charity; it was natural.

Of course, he had heard that recently Hyun had paid about ₩50 million in one go.

‘A VVIP room and paying ₩50 million are different things.’

VVIP rooms are used by people who earn at least several billions of won annually. More—hundreds of billions in assets is common.

And that Kang Hyunsoo who had been in arrears?

‘Why on earth does Ji-hye like that guy?’

The reason Hoseok had come to dislike Hyun, despite having shielded him from the department head’s pressure until recently, was Ji-hye.

Because he learned Ji-hye liked Hyun.

Hoseok liked Ji-hye.

‘Is she just young and lacking a sense of money? I should make it clear: forget the VVIP room and focus on paying your bills.’

Hoseok intended to speak very firmly.

And part of him wondered if Hyun, with a young mind, had touched a fairly large sum and gotten vain.

Thus Hoseok entered the consultation room.

Inside, he found Hyun seated on the sofa.

Hyun rose and bowed his head.

“You want a consultation for your father’s VVIP room?”

“Yes.”

Seated, Hoseok got straight to the point.

“For a VVIP room, you must prepay at least three months.”

A VVIP room costs about ₩20 million per month.

“I’d like to make a prepayment and move him today.”

At Hyun’s words, Hoseok wore a puzzled look.

Make a prepayment? Then would he prepay around one or two hundred million won?

It was quite unexpected.

‘Even so, maintaining a VVIP room while paying his own treatment bills would be far from enough.’

He asked:

“How much will you prepay?”

“₩1 billion.”

Hoseok’s eyes flew wide.

“W-Will you deposit it right away?”

“Yes.”

And Hoseok could immediately see that ₩1 billion had been deposited into the hospital account.

“H-How......?”

Hoseok was aghast.