Genius Blacksmith's Game

For Pureum Co., Ltd.’s CEO Lee Sejin, there was only one amusement.

It was watching user Hyun grow.

After a month, on his first day back in the office, Lee Sejin reported to the CEO’s room.

With a cup of coffee in hand, he monitored user Hyun and marveled without end.

“To think he saved all 96 miners—he’ll be able to receive a fine reward from them.”

Then he stroked his chin.

It’ll be a bit lacking, though.

Saving the lives of 96 miners was an extraordinary deed.

But those Hyun saved were only miners.

Rewards differ based on the counterpart.

Miners tended to be poor, and Miner-Captain Lex could not bestow a Blessing like those who had bestowed a blessing on Hyun before.

Will he at least haul off a load of Cold-Iron?

Well, for a blacksmith, nothing is better than getting ore.

What is user Hyun doing?

Even after clearing the mine dungeon, Lee Sejin watched Hyun not step outside.

Huh...?

Smearing the blood spilled in battle across his body here and there, he walked to the center of the dungeon and slumped against the wall.

Why on earth?

As the footsteps of miners approached, Hyun—whose face had looked lively a moment ago—made his face look as if he were about to die.

[THUD—]

His arm dropping limply to the ground reached its climax.

Miner-Captain Lex hugged him tight in tears, and the miners’ eyes reddened.

[Miner-Captain Lex and 95 miners would stake their lives for him.]

[The reward he receives will become much better.]

“That con artist...?”

Lee Sejin’s dumbfounded face broke into laughter.

“Hahahaha!”

User Hyun was an entertaining sort. He knew how to make a deal and was exceedingly clever.

Even now, with a mere ten minutes invested, hadn’t he improved his reward?

Who could fault a user for maximizing rewards? And Hyun had every right to do so.

Then Lee Sejin blink-stepped at the text that popped and was shocked.

[User Hyun has met the acquisition condition for Liege’s Grace.]

“What?”

Lee Sejin sprang to his feet.

Liege’s Grace was a special Title Lee Sejin had planned and made himself.

This Liege’s Grace was an S-rank Title, aimed at monarch classes, or commanders, or guild masters.

A blacksmith will obtain Liege’s Grace?

Yes—Liege’s Grace wasn’t for blacksmiths, it was for leadership classes.

A rare Unique Title that exists as only one.

Obtaining this Liege’s Grace is very difficult.

NPCs must feel they’ve received a favor from him they will never forget for the rest of their lives.

Not once, but multiple times—and most crucially, Named NPCs must be among them.

On top of that, it depends on how deeply many people now cherish him.

Come to think of it, user Hyun saved Subjugation Captain Hans and the subjugation squad.

That must have been the first step.

Second was Cassel Territory.

He blocked the update-scheduled Cassel crisis and achieved the second. Enormous, that.

The number of NPCs who didn’t die thanks to Hyun was beyond counting, and there they called him “Benefactor of the Territory.”

And this third one—here.

But here, the requirement for a high-ranking NPC was ignored.

Then why did it trigger?

Lee Sejin soon found the answer.

Because the gratitude the 96 miners feel toward him is too great.

He chewed over the earlier notification.

The miners would not hesitate to risk their lives for him.

Considering that this notification hadn’t rung at first...

Was it because what just happened maximized their hearts even further?

Highly likely.

[Liege’s Grace will be obtained when he founds a guild; it is already as good as obtained.]

[Upon acquisition, it will trigger unconditionally one time.]

And Liege’s Grace possessed a power that triggered at an 8% chance.

Lee Sejin looked at Hyun on the monitor.

Liege’s Grace is the best power Title for guild masters.

It had become a foregone conclusion that Hyun—who had yet to even make a guild—would obtain that Title.

The effect of this Title is to make NPCs into retainers.

Beyond gratitude, they come to revere him and gain the belief that with him they can overcome anything, and they volunteer to become his retainer.

Retainers.

NPCs, but when they follow users and a guild is run, they can be gained.

But for those called Outlanders to win an NPC’s heart is extremely difficult.

In other words, one of them would become Hyun’s first retainer.

It’s a relief they’re miners, at least...

Then Lee Sejin’s face hardened.

Was he in there?

He tapped the keyboard.

Tat-tat-tak—

Soon his suspicion became reality.

So he was there—the miner who will become a legend.

With an intrigued look, Lee Sejin sipped his now-cold coffee.

The crux was whether the one hidden among the 96 miners who would become a legendary miner would be the target.

For most cases, that power triggers on the one most deeply moved among them.

Then Lee Sejin laughed.

If a miner who will be a legend meets the God of Blacksmiths?

It was a combination you could only laugh at. Then one more thought arose.

“Lex said Thousand-Year Cold-Iron was buried in the mine.”

Half true and half false. Lex himself hadn’t mined it; he only thought it might be.

“Thousand-Year Cold-Iron, yes—but it’s ore that’s been buried for thousands of years.”

Therefore it is far colder and harder than common Thousand-Year Cold-Iron.

But at user Hyun’s current level, he could never mine it.

****

Hyun’s plan was perfect.

Then mark me to wake in two days.

About sixteen hours in reality. In that time, Hyun fully shed his fatigue.

And before logging into the capsule, he recalled the rewards obtained in the mine dungeon.

103 Iron Ore, 27 Cold-Iron, 3 Hundred-Year Cold-Iron.

Monsters in the mine dungeon dropped no other junk, only ore.

Having used 11 Cold-Iron, Hyun had now gained that much more Cold-Iron and even three more Hundred-Year Cold-Iron.

Iron Ore is about ₩500,000 total, Cold-Iron ₩1.6 million, Hundred-Year Cold-Iron a bit over ₩500,000 each... about ₩4 million?

Hyun smiled faintly.

Of course, the Hundred-Year and Cold-Iron would be used for Hyuksoo’s commission.

And my level rose by 21 to 80.

Without double EXP and double drop rate, he could not have achieved it.

Not efficient, though.

The Mine of Frost is a special place. The very fact Hyun was the first entrant told you that.

Because of that, he’d been able to obtain this much.

Spending time in a mine is inefficient.

So Hyun concluded. The regrettable part was the fact that, when there was a mine with special ore, he had to give it up.

Well, it can’t be helped.

Getting both at once was too hard.

Hyun walked to the capsule to log in.

Let’s give up on Thousand-Year Cold-Iron.

After trying already and thinking it over, he’d concluded he absolutely could not mine it.

Regrettably, spending time on that looked worse than spending time elsewhere.

[Connecting to Ares.]

When he opened his eyes, Hyun lay in a lodging the miners had carried him to.

Pleasantly, it was the best of the places where miners stayed.

Then Hyun reopened one notification.

[A special event will occur to you.]

What on earth is this?

A special event? Hyun was frowning in puzzlement when—

The door opened, and miner Lex came in.

Seeing Hyun awake, he approached with a glad expression.

“Did you sleep well?”

Hyun’s performance was flawless. He let his eyes quiver and asked:

“Are all the miners safe?”

Lex sat on the edge of his bed. With a warm hand, he set it on Hyun’s shoulder.

“Thanks to you, every one of them.”

And then he said something unexpected.

“And I have a request.”

Hyun was puzzled. There had been a notification that Lex and the miners would give him a good reward.

Yet he was asking a favor?

Had something gone wrong?

Then Lex looked to the sword carefully placed at the side.

“Would you lend me that?”

The very Damascus Longsword—also a pickaxe.

“Pardon?”

Hyun wore a puzzled look.

“You’ll be leaving soon—since you’re a blacksmith.”

Lex smiled gently. Then, with a creak, the door opened.

Beyond the open door, ninety-odd miners stood arrayed.

“We’ll now head to the mine and begin mining.”

Miners mining was nothing strange. The special part was—

“Today’s mining will be solely for you.”

“...What?”

Hyun was shocked. For a whole day, the miners would mine only for Hyun.

And more than ninety miners at that!

Nor did it end there.

“We’ll try to challenge it, using that pickaxe. I, too, have tried and failed countless times, but now it may be possible—with that pickaxe.”

Miner-Captain Lex was a remarkably capable man among the miners here.

Put that pickaxe in such hands and that power would be maximized further.

“We’ll mine Thousand-Year Cold-Iron and give it to you.”

It was the best reward Lex could give.

He bowed his head.

A man wholly changed from when they first met, when he had shown Hyun a bit of disdain.

“Lend it to us. We will use this entire day only for you.”

“Hyun, thank you!”

“Today, the Mine of Frost is yours!”

[The miners of the Mine of Frost are more motivated than ever.]

[Their mining rate increases by 5%, and they will not tire easily.]

Today, the Mine of Frost is mine.

What a fine phrase. When Hyun nodded, Lex and the miners let out a cheer.

“Let’s go!” 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

“Let’s mine ore for Hyun!”

Hyun’s heart thumped.

Could I truly obtain Thousand-Year Cold-Iron?

Hundred-Year is superb—and Thousand-Year surpasses it?

Then, through the open door, as the miners poured out, only Lex and a single miner remained.

“Hm?”

Hyun looked at the two who hadn’t left with a puzzled ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) expression.

****

Lex’s son Banya had nearly been buried in the mine, and lived.

When he came to, his father told him:

Blacksmith Hyun saved you—and all the miners.

It was like hearing a hero’s tale. Seeing the man who had made the pickaxe that mined ore so well, he thought Hyun a truly outstanding blacksmith.

As the man who had become the miners’ hero, Hyun became someone Banya revered.

But it was strange.

Beyond reverence, an unknown feeling arose.

Right now, only one thought filled Banya’s head.

I want to be with you.

Banya had recently injured his arm and was resting from miner’s work.

In truth, he was called the most talented miner in this mine.

The reason was his growth speed.

Before anyone realized, he had caught up to Lex’s mining speed—he was the mine’s prodigy.

He told his father his intention. It was something worth opposing, but Lex said this:

Had it been anyone else, I would have said no—but to serve him? It will be meaningful for you as well.

With his father’s permission, Banya took a step and entered the room where Hyun was.

****

Hyun soon looked in puzzlement at Banya crossing the threshold.

Banya, the very kind lad. Watching him, Lex wore a soft smile, turned, and walked off to mine.

Then, in front of Hyun seated on the bed, Banya knelt.

[A special event occurs.]

“Hyun, no—Benefactor.”

[It springs from the work wrought by your hands.]

“I, miner Banya, wish to follow you.”

[You made a miner move beyond respect to awe.]

“I pledge this. I will swing my pickaxe only for you, I will seek mines only for you, and I will mine only for you. Therefore, I beg you.”

[It is not a miracle. It is the work you wrought.]

Hyun looked at Banya in shock.

“Please accept me as your retainer.”

[Miner Banya swears eternal loyalty to you.]

[He is a talent who will become a legendary miner.]

[You can take him as a retainer.]