Genius Blacksmith's Game

Ares Community.

Heln, a JoyTuber with 1.1 million subscribers, posted for the first time in a while.

[Guys, this is insane lol, I found a crazy territory, artifacts sold at normal forges are better than average. Turning on a stream soon.]

The influence of a JoyTuber with 1.1 million subscribers was huge in Korea.

Especially for Heln, who thoroughly dug into any territory he covered, so tons of people relied on him.

[That punk shows up after forever and starts freaking out lol.]

[Seriously, haven’t been any decent territories lately, right?]

But since it was Heln’s stream, community users felt a small spark of expectation.

[Heln starts a live broadcast.]

[Current viewers: 34,414.]

The moment he went live, over thirty thousand viewers poured in.

“This place is called Vallas Territory, located in the west of the Kingdom of Goyard. It’s known as a blacksmiths’ territory.”

-Huh?

-Vallas Territory? Isn’t that the place some other NPC swallowed up?

-Vallas blacksmiths are famous for selling garbage.

-Wasn’t that ranked #1 in that survey about territories people want updated?

-Don’t the Vallas blacksmiths get forced into labor? They were so exhausted their artifacts were way worse than normal ones.

Heln chuckled softly at the viewers’ doubts.

“Guys, do you think I’d go live without doing homework? I know all that already.”

Heln smiled as if telling them to look forward to it.

-If this is bait, you’re gonna get flamed so hard lol.

-Did you lose it because you couldn’t find a decent territory for months?

Soon, the territory itself appeared on screen.

-Why are users crowding in there?

“I’ll prove it right now.”

On screen, Heln walked into a forge.

They were selling none other than a single spear.

-Oh, that looks pretty decent?

-They made it carefully.

-Hurry and check the detailed info already.

With a wicked smile, Heln spoke to the forge owner.

“It’s really sturdy. You crafted it well.”

“Right? It’s all thanks to that gentleman. Because of him, I was reborn as a new blacksmith. And I awakened to something—every single weapon has to be made with your full effort.”

-That bastard’s stalling.

-Who the hell is ‘that gentleman,’ you nerd? lol

The viewers didn’t care who “that gentleman” was.

But then Heln opened the spear’s information.

“Alright, everyone, you calculate the average stats for this artifact yourselves.”

And there were lots of blacksmiths watching, too.

-This is nuts. It’s 4% better than the average for the same grade.

-What are you talking about, it’s just the same old artifact lol.

-For real, stop overreacting.

Then a pretty famous blacksmith among the viewers showed up.

-Excellent. Even though it’s Normal grade, it looks like top-tier work.

-Wait, that’s Ford, blacksmith ranking #17?

-You’re making this huge fuss over 4%? lol

Heln didn’t reply and headed for another forge.

It was fine. That user Ford would explain it for him.

-It’s not “just 4%.” If you guys had to choose between an artifact that’s 1% better and a normal one, what would you pick?

-Oh...

-Exactly...

-That’s demand. Consumers buy the one that’s even 1% better, and pick the one that’s even 100 won cheaper.

Then Heln went into another forge. And there, the viewers finally gaped in shock.

“Alright, this one is Rare.”

-???????

-What?

-Don’t lie, man.

-What kind of street forge sells Rares?

Heln flicked his eyes to the viewer count.

[Current viewers: 76,010.]

Viewer counts usually rise as time passes. Especially if the content is good—they rise faster.

By now this has to be blowing up in both the blacksmith community and the Ares community.

“Alright, let’s check.”

Heln revealed the artifact information.

-Wow, that’s insane...

-They really are selling Rares in a street forge...

-What the hell...

Artifacts above Normal grade were not something you could easily find in street forges.

There were places that sold them sometimes, but they were rare.

Heln moved to the next forge.

And there—

-Is this real...?

-Hey, that’s Epic...

-Holy shit, Epic...!

Most users didn’t even own a single Epic item.

Epics were usually only sold at the Blacksmith Tower.

Or in territories with a most-famous local blacksmith known for incredible skill.

Even then, that was an extreme minority. Over 90% of Epics came from monster drops, quest rewards, and so on, with user-to-user sales being the norm.

-This feels staged.

-Yeah, Heln, you’re bribing NPCs now too?

-Bribing NPCs for a fake stream lol

Heln had been waiting for this moment.

“What does it say in the description?”

One viewer read it out.

-It says it was crafted as Blacksmith Can’s masterwork after receiving the teaching of an outstanding blacksmith...

“Alright, what’s the NPC’s name here?”

In the viewers’ sight, the name Can floating above the blacksmith’s head could be seen clearly.

“It says Can crafted it, and the blacksmith standing here is Can.”

Now the viewers latched onto something else.

-The teaching of an outstanding blacksmith?

-So that person is ‘that gentleman’?

“Who is that gentleman?”

At Heln’s question, the blacksmith smiled contentedly.

“I can’t tell you about that gentleman. Someone like my own master. What I can say is that they’re an extraordinary person.”

No matter where Heln went, it was the same answer.

-Voldemort at least says his name. This guy won’t even give a name?

-Maybe it’s some blacksmith who learned a teaching-specialized skill?

-That’s actually possible.

-This is crazy. A blacksmith with that kind of power? Blacksmiths have been nonstop news lately—Blacksmith Hyun, and now a teaching blacksmith.

Heln’s eyes glittered.

“Nice ring to it, right? A teaching blacksmith. I can say this for sure: everything’s going to sell out fast, and these folks don’t sell anything they made before learning from that person.”

-ㅠㅠㅠㅠ

-Are we already too late?

-Bro... I want good gear too.

“You’re not too late. Want to know why? You can place crafting requests. What are you guys doing?”

-???

-Scratching my belly watching your stream.

“Get your asses over here and put in crafting requests!”

-Oh...

-Right...

-Damn, if we’re late in the queue we’ll get our gear in three years.

-Hey, where’d that blacksmith ranker go?

Heln was able to land a perfect stream-ending beat. Ford answered with quick wit.

-The important thing is running to Vallas Territory.

After the broadcast ended, posts kept flooding the Ares community and the blacksmith community about two topics.

Vallas Territory, and the teaching blacksmith.

*****

“Ugh...!”

After waking up, Hyun stretched hard.

He hadn’t slept for days, so he had slept for nearly twelve hours.

Feeling fully refreshed, Hyun washed up and then tried to check his phone.

“Huh? Why is it turned off?”

With a puzzled look, Hyun plugged his phone into the charger and walked straight to his capsule.

There weren’t many people who had reason to contact Hyun anyway, so he planned to log into Ares right away.

Did the development go up a lot?

Hyun had one regret.

The quest Barad gave him was ultimately time-limited.

Barad needed justification to tell the nobles, “I will not abolish this territory.”

So raising development quickly was best.

Of course, Barad had said he would be satisfied with only a 20% increase, but Hyun still felt unsatisfied.

Once selling starts and users pour in, it’s ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) bound to take time. And it’ll take even longer for the story to reach the blacksmiths who left.

In other words, the development he could raise within a fixed time was limited, and that was why it felt frustrating.

Maybe it went up around 3%?

He had only slept.

Even if that much had risen, he should be grateful.

[You have logged in.]

But after logging in, Hyun’s mouth fell open.

“Line up!”

“Everyone, wait your turn!”

Because users were filling the once-empty forge street to the brim.

[Outsiders are flocking to Vallas Territory.]

And that wasn’t all.

“Bels, is that you!?”

“Can! It’s been a long time. Your story already reached Pruuk Territory next door!”

“So you came back?”

“Yeah!”

[Blacksmiths who had left hear the rumors and return to Vallas Territory.]

[Forty-nine blacksmiths have returned.]

[Rumors about Vallas Territory are spreading rapidly.]

[Development...]

[Development...]

Hyun couldn’t hide his shock as the notifications fired off rapidly.

The development went up this much...?

And he understood why.

“So this is the ‘must-visit territory’ that JoyTuber Heln introduced?”

“Look at that waiting line.”

Heln?

Hyun hurriedly opened a hologram and searched Heln on JoyTube.

A video that looked like a recording was up.

[Views: 45,013.]

What the hell?

After watching the broadcast, Hyun couldn’t help admiring it.

This is insane.

The firepower created by a chance visit from a 1.1 million–subscriber JoyTuber was beyond imagination.

And there was something even more surprising.

“Who’s the blacksmith managing this place?”

At the words of someone who looked like a noble, Ger rushed out.

“I am.”

“Splendid weapons. I am Lord Roke of Ghenya Territory. I wish to receive weapon supplies from you—would that be possible?”

“...I—I will do my absolute best!”

[Vallas Territory is expected to sign a weapon-supply contract with Ghenya Territory.]

[Development...]

“I’ll speak with your lord as well.”

And Hyun realized one fact.

“Who is the teaching blacksmith?”

“Blacksmiths, please tell us!”

“No.”

“We will not speak about that gentleman.”

Hyun’s eyes met Ger’s.

Ger smiled ever so slightly and passed by Hyun.

The other blacksmiths did the same.

[Thirty-eight blacksmiths have found new lives because of you.]

[They will not hesitate to die for you.]

Right now, they were thinking only of Hyun.

They refused to act like they knew him so they wouldn’t cause even a speck of harm to their benefactor.

[Development...]

[Development...]

Hyun felt dizzy from the development soaring beyond his expectations.

Now that he had more than enough development, Hyun went to see Sword King Barad.

When he met him, Barad drew a sword whose identity Hyun couldn’t discern.

A sword holding a bright light. When it brushed past Hyun, notifications rang out.

[The national power of the Kingdom of Goyard increases by 1%.]

[You gain 100 Charisma.]

[You gain 1,000 Renown.]

Even Hyun startled.

National power, 1%?

Then Barad asked, his expression heated.

“...What percentage of development have you achieved?”

A confident smile spread across Hyun’s lips.

*****

Barad had never waited for someone’s single answer as much as he had today.

Hyun, smiling with certainty, replied.

“I achieved 110%.”

At those words, Barad’s eyes shook.

He had told Bella that 40% would be enough.

He had thought of Hyun as just one candidate among dozens being tested as a possible successor.

Those dozens included a marquis, someone dreaming of Legend status, and even a Sword Saint.

Yet right here, Barad saw it.

That you might hold the greatest possibility.

He steadied his heart.

There was no need to speak of the distant future right now, and there was still much left to see.

For now, it was time to talk about what Hyun had done.

And Hyun heard the notifications.

[Quest: Develop Vallas Territory completed.]

[You have achieved 110% development.]

[You have recorded a staggering achievement.]

Hyun’s chest trembled.

A staggering achievement.

That notification always made Hyun’s heart race.

Because whenever it rang out, something a bit more special tended to happen.

“I will bestow upon you 220,000 gold.”

[You gain 220,000 gold.]

Barad still felt it wasn’t enough.

Vallas Territory would now rise as a territory leaping into a new era.

He could crush the nose of Marquis Sophia, the strongest opposing force against him who had insisted this territory be pushed aside.

What should he give?

A territory?

It was too early.

And because of Hyun’s level, even if he wanted to, he couldn’t give it yet.

Then what?

There was another reward.

“I wish to bestow one more thing upon you.”

Hyun knew his guess had been right.

Barad smiled faintly.

What a blacksmith needed most, and what mattered most to them—

“I will bestow a forge upon you.”

It was the moment Hyun finally gained a personal forge.