Genius Blacksmith's Game

Writer Lim said,

“P–Producer, sir, the viewer count keeps going up. It started rising fast the moment his face appeared on the live screen.”

“How much has it gone up?”

“About two hundred people have come in within a minute.”

Producer Kim Minwoo was startled.

Two hundred new viewers in just a single minute. What shocked him most was that there was no precedent for this.

“Up until now it’s only ever gone down.”

Producer Kim also knew one thing very well.

That the viewers called their program’s interview segment the Room of Truth.

It was a name attached because, when the true face of someone they had imagined in a cool, stylish image was revealed, most of them turned out to be plain or unattractive.

Now there were even people who shut the stream off as a joke the instant a new guest turned out to be even just average-looking.

So after a minute passed, they would be down a few hundred compared to before they started.

‘To think this Crazy Rookie guy would be that handsome.’

Kim Minwoo let out a small sound of admiration.

Standing there in that brightly lit space, Crazy Rookie’s height was close to 184 centimeters.

On top of that, he was dressed in a sharp suit, and his hair was slicked back cleanly with wax.

The virtual styling space was a strange place.

Once you input the style you want, it changes your clothes or hairstyle in a second.

Thanks to that, it’s easy to find the outfit and hair that suit you best.

“If Blacksmith Hyun had come out together, the impact would’ve been even bigger.”

“You know the rumors about Blacksmith Hyun.”

“True.”

The current live broadcast title was “Crazy Rookie Wielding a Weapon Made by Hyun.”

But unfortunately, the rumors about Blacksmith Hyun’s appearance were far from flattering.

“There are all the basics like him being a potbellied fifty-something uncle, and people saying he’s really short in real life. Or calling him an actual dwarf in real life. Stuff like that.”

“It’s the image Hyun himself created, so it can’t be helped.”

Blacksmith Hyun was maintaining his mystique.

And while the public was curious about that mystique, they inevitably created all sorts of rumors.

Especially because he never showed his face, more than 90% of the speculation was that he was ugly.

‘If he had that face, now that would really be a busted character.’

Producer Kim gave a wry smile.

In truth, while Crazy Rookie and Blacksmith Hyun were both the hottest names these days, if you had to pick the one on top, Hyun was overwhelmingly ahead.

If Hyun was a seven, Crazy Rookie was a three.

Crazy Rookie was an amazing user, too, but Blacksmith Hyun was a blacksmith whose name just kept spreading and spreading.

‘Well, he did make Sword King Barad’s sword, so of course.’

Producer Kim was staring blankly at Crazy Rookie standing still when he snapped back to his senses.

“Producer, sir, you need to start the interview.”

“Ah, right.”

Recently, AJ Broadcasting Station’s budget had gotten so small they couldn’t even hire an MC.

So Producer Kim himself had to walk over to conduct the interview.

****

Standing there after finishing his styling in the styling space, Hyun was quite tense.

By nature he wasn’t the type to stand in front of the public, so it would be more accurate to say he was somewhat frozen up.

Soon, the producer approached.

“We’re going to start the interview. Before that, could you look at the screen in front of you?”

Hyun could see the chat window blown up in front of him.

–He’s handsome...

–I came in here to feel good and now I’m depressed. This is a depression-inducing stream, he’s stupidly handsome, damn...

“The response is good.”

Hyun was also watching the viewer count climb in real time.

“Since it’s an interview, let me ask you a few questions. How old are you?”

“I’m twenty-three.”

“Nice, that’s the best age. You know why they’ve been calling you Crazy Rookie lately, right?”

“Yes. As far as I know, it’s because I won the Super Rookie Tournament.”

“I watched the footage too. Even if your face was mosaicked, it was amazing.”

“Thank you.”

Producer Kim was surprised at how smoothly the conversation was going.

What he liked even more was that it was obvious just from looking at him that he valued manners.

‘He’s handsome, his skills are great, and he’s polite. This is insane. Absolutely insane.’

The chat window was getting even more fired up.

–If it’s a Crazy Rookie like that, I can give him my heart. Will you go crazy for me?

–Dude’s unhinged lololol

–Look at him sitting up straight in that chair doing the interview, it’s so cute.

–He’s sweating on his forehead. I want to wipe it for him. slurp

–Kick the slurper, please.

–User “Slurper” has donated ₩20,000.

“We just got our first donation during the interview. Twenty thousand won.”

“There are donations too?”

–He really doesn’t know anything, huh?

–The fun is in ruining them lolol

–slurp slurp

–User “Slurper” has donated ₩20,000.

–That guy donates every time he types slurp lol

“Yes, after taking a fee, all donations are passed on to the guest. Since we’re an internet broadcast.”

“Ah, that’s nice.”

At Hyun’s smile, Producer Kim stole a glance at the viewer count.

‘Ten thousand?’

It was just an interview, and they’d already hit ten thousand.

‘Is it really all about looks?’

Producer Kim kept firing off questions.

“What’s your job?”

“For now, I’m just playing the game hard.”

“Do you have a girlfriend?” 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

“I wish I did.”

Anyway, this was only a teaser, so none of this was important.

AJ Broadcasting Station didn’t dig deep, either. Viewers were extremely sensitive about jobs.

After that, they wrapped up the questions about Crazy Rookie.

“Crazy Rookie, you said you’d answer the interview questions on behalf of Blacksmith Hyun, correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Right then—

–Blacksmith Hyun has donated ₩100,000.

“Oh, looks like Blacksmith Hyun is watching right now.”

“Looks that way.”

Hyun caught on immediately.

‘Nell?’

Nell was as smart as ever. She was laying the groundwork to erase suspicion.

–Isn’t this Blacksmith Hyun’s first time appearing in any kind of official capacity?

–So what did he even “appear” as lol

–Sir, please make me some artifacts ㅠㅠ

–What grade is Sword King Barad’s sword?

Since he had the opportunity, Producer Kim went for the hottest possible question.

“Hyun, you’re watching, right? Is it possible to reveal the information on the sword you made for Sword King Barad?”

And then, Producer Kim glanced at Hyun for a moment.

Hyun deliberately waited about ten seconds before answering.

“Ah, I just got a whisper. He says if the live broadcast hits 150,000 viewers, he’ll reveal it at Hyun’s Forge.”

–So, you’re saying it’s not happening lol

–This show hasn’t hit 150,000 in two years...

“That’s what he says.”

At Producer Kim’s words, Hyun gave a wry smile.

“If I do my absolute best, maybe we can hit it...?”

“R–Right?”

Beyond that, Producer Kim also asked various things of Hyun.

The questions were much more detailed than the ones for Crazy Rookie.

“Your job?”

“Blacksmith.”

“Ah, too obvious. Your level?”

“That’s a secret.”

“Where do you live?”

“Seoul.”

“How old are you?”

“That’s a secret.”

“How tall are you?”

“That’s a secret.”

Producer Kim’s expression turned puzzled.

‘This is a problem...’

–Isn’t he hiding way too much?

–I’m telling you, he’s really an old dude lol

–You just know the answers would be: “How old?” Fifty. “How tall?” One-fifty. That’s why he can’t say it lol

Listening to those questions, Hyun thought, This is dangerous. If the mystique goes too far, it could actually damage Hyun’s image even more.

He came to a decision.

“He says, ‘I’ll prove myself through my creations.’”

“...Through his creations?”

–Whoa, that confidence...

–Holy...

–Nice. A blacksmith’s face doesn’t matter anyway!

–Right, right. Who cares who Hyun is! For a blacksmith, his creations are his face.

And Producer Kim was impressed.

‘He summed it all up in one line.’

Blacksmith Hyun said he would answer all the complaints about himself through his creations, planting a seed of expectation.

And that amplified expectation was enormous.

Producer Kim decided to wrap up the interview around here.

“Crazy Rookie and Hyun will be challenging a time-attack dungeon.”

A time-attack dungeon.

A dungeon that must be cleared within a set time limit.

And the faster you clear it than other people, the more your record is updated. It was one of AJ Internet Broadcasting Station’s fixed segments.

“We’ll give you a total of ten days. In that time, Hyun will need to craft three artifacts.”

–Three in ten days? Damn...

–That’s tight as hell lol

–Even top-tier blacksmiths would spit out three commons if they tried to make three in ten days.

Sure enough, Producer Kim’s demands were quite excessive.

For ordinary blacksmiths, having a speed-up skill to accelerate crafting was essential.

The problem was that the faster you made something, the lower the chances became of producing a high-grade artifact.

On average, it took typical blacksmiths four days to create a single artifact.

And that was before you factored in the rest you needed afterward.

–Hyun talked big and now he’s screwed lol

–A master never blames his tools, but he does blame time lol

–If he pumps one out every three days, it’s going to be Common, Common, Common.

Hyun was already familiar with this time-attack dungeon.

“He says he’ll give it a try.”

“All right, then in ten days...”

Right then—

–Blacksmith Rowoon has donated ₩500,000.

–???

–Isn’t he blacksmith rank #2?

–Holy crap, is that really Rowoon?

–He’s the guild master of the #1 blacksmith guild in the country, right?

–Damn, one of the Three Masters!

The chat window exploded.

It was because blacksmith rank #2 and guild master of the blacksmith guild currently ranked #1 in Korea had suddenly appeared.

Soon, the chat quieted down as if on cue.

–May I place a mission?

Hyun looked ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) at the chat window. Producer Kim swallowed dryly as he watched him.

And after ten seconds, Hyun answered,

“He says yes.”

–If any of the artifacts you craft in ten days comes out Rare, I’ll donate ₩1,000,000. If it comes out Epic, ₩3,000,000. If it’s Unique, I’ll send ₩10,000,000.

“...?”

It was extreme. Extreme enough to surprise Hyun. And there was something puzzling as well.

“The amount’s huge. Why are you offering so much?”

After a while, Rowoon’s message appeared in the chat.

****

Black Anvil Forge.

The #1 blacksmith guild in Korea.

The forge with the highest subscriber count.

Rowoon watched the monitor with a flat, emotionless gaze.

“I made the bet because it’s not easy in the first place.”

Black Anvil had data that Pureum Co., Ltd. had never made public.

Crafting three artifacts in ten days was possible.

The problem was that if you did, your character got exhausted.

Auto-Crafting, the longer you kept it running, the more it made the artifact’s grade drop.

On top of that, he had to make one every three days.

If you crafted that fast, the grade typically dropped by around 10%, and the effects dipped as well.

‘The second piece you make consecutively drops it by 25%.’

After that, the probability of producing a lower-grade artifact climbed as high as 45%, and even the artifact’s effects themselves ended up disappointing.

‘Why are they hyping him up this much?’

Rowoon knew.

Up until now, Hyun had put auction items up only at long intervals.

In other words, he put in the time and effort to make a good artifact and then only sold those.

Then, by using a mystique concept, he raised the value of his own name.

Of course, that was none of his business.

He simply had a decision to make.

‘Blacksmith Hyun. I should probably recruit him. How much should I offer?’

As far as he knew, Hyun was currently fielding offers in the ten-billion range.

Rowoon had said he would watch the broadcast himself and decide.

‘I’m a master-level blacksmith.’

Number one, number three, and himself.

Those three alone were called the Three Masters, and their actual in-game blacksmith rank was Master.

‘Even I wouldn’t be able to count on getting a Rare, let alone good effects, if I crafted under those conditions.’

The damned system was the problem.

‘There’s no way he’s a higher rank than us, so he won’t manage it.’

Even if the grades turned out low, he still had reasons to place the bet.

‘If the effects are good relative to the grade...’

In truth, the reason he’d placed a mission on this broadcast was to evaluate Hyun’s value.

‘How much should Black Anvil pay him?’

He would just name the fair price.

For him, there was no such thing as more than that.

Black Anvil’s name was that valuable.

Rowoon typed into chat.

–My expectations for you are high, Hyun. But I have one condition. If you don’t produce an Epic, could you reveal the information on the sword for Sword King Barad?

He estimated it to be Epic.

‘He’s deliberately not revealing it.’

Hyun was a shrewd one. People would definitely assume it was Unique. But if it really were Unique, that would mean he’d achieved a tremendous feat.

There had to be a reason to hide that.

While it was better to let people think it was Unique than to have it revealed as Epic.

And soon, Hyun answered through Crazy Rookie.

“He says, ‘All right.’”

Rowoon felt a thrill of anticipation.

“How much do I have to offer you?”

For his value.

Any amount at all was fine. Rowoon had always bought every blacksmith with money up to now.