Genius Blacksmith's Game

After placing his crafting commission, Ressel left. He’d said he was short on time and hoped Hyun could craft it quickly.

‘Whatever I write, he’ll pay......’

Hyun stared at the sheet of paper resting on his palm.

His heart pounded. Ressel had openly revealed that he was the youngest son of Hansung Group.

In other words, it hadn’t been a lie when he’d said he’d give Hyun whatever he wrote.

‘What should I write?’

Money? A building? A car?

He could probably write down anything he wanted.

But Hyun tucked the paper safely into his inner pocket.

There was no need to write anything yet, when the work wasn’t complete.

‘So my hunch was right.’

A small smile tugged at Hyun’s lips. Listening to Ressel’s story, he’d felt two things.

First, that because of his own aura of mystery, he’d failed to earn Ressel’s trust.

That part was entirely Hyun’s fault.

Ressel had truly believed in him and had come in person to meet Hyun, but Hyun hadn’t been able to reveal anything.

Second, that if he, Hyun, approached people sincerely, they would try to repay him for what they’d received.

Hyun had felt that second part after revealing his identity to Ressel.

And with it, he’d gained confidence that Ressel wouldn’t blab about him.

Hyun recalled something.

‘I wasn’t as perfect as I thought.’

Effect application rate: 53%.

Hyun had used God’s Emergency Crafting to create Dragon-Flame Sword.

Dragon-Flame Sword.

The legendary blade worn by Haemosu, founder of Northern Buyeo. Interpretations of Dragon-Flame Sword varied widely.

But the Dragon-Flame Sword as Hyun understood it was a sword imbued with a dragon—and Hyun had actually restored that Dragon-Flame Sword himself in real life.

Back then, the National Museum had sent his father a restoration request.

Once it arrived, his father had tried to restore it, but had failed.

Because at the time, his father’s condition was so bad he could barely use his hands.

Years of blacksmithing had ruined his arms.

Hyun had restored Dragon-Flame Sword perfectly, following his father’s advice.

But they’d listed his father as the one who’d done it.

He’d wanted to protect his father’s one and only Master Blacksmith title.

‘I need a perfect Dragon-Flame Sword.’

The Four Tigers Sword and Dragon-Flame Sword were slightly different cases.

Hyun had already forged the Four Tigers Sword many times.

But Haemosu’s Dragon-Flame Sword had been created by restoring and recreating an existing frame.

Even if he was short on time, Hyun wanted perfection.

‘That dragon was a fake.’

How could he call that slippery little thing a dragon?

‘I need to see the real Dragon-Flame Sword again.’

[You have logged out.]

*****

National Museum.

Hansung Group chairman Lee Taeseong came here, unable to calm his troubled mind.

They’d said his father had made it past the critical point.

That crisis would soon return.

Leaving his secretary and security detail outside, Lee Taeseong walked in alone.

Inside, that sword awaited him.

When his father was young and he himself was a child—

Back when Hansung Group was nothing more than a tiny mom-and-pop store—

His father had loved dragons—or rather, because he had loved dragons, his father had pretended to love them too, and had brought him here.

‘This is the sword called Dragon-Flame Sword. People say a lot of things, but this is the only sword that truly holds a dragon.’

Back then, the sword had been rusted to the point of collapse, looking like it could snap any moment.

But it had been so beautiful that his younger self had stared at it, spellbound.

And now, Lee Taeseong was at a loss for words.

‘How......’

The sword, once rust-eaten and on the verge of breaking from age, was now tracing an elegant curve, showing off its beautiful form.

A blade similar to a ring-pommel sword, yet with its length bending in a single wave-like curve—a beautiful sword.

“Heh, heh-heh......”

Lee Taeseong could hardly believe it.

Just then, a female staff member approached and said,

“A few years ago, the only Master Blacksmith left in the world restored it with incredible skill.”

“......Amazing. I didn’t know something like this was possible. What a remarkable man.”

“That’s right. But sadly, not long after that, there was a fire, and he ended up in a vegetative state.”

“I see.”

Soon afterward, the staff member left.

Lee Taeseong stood there in a daze, staring for a long time.

Then—

A young man came to stand beside him.

He was very tall and looked solidly built.

With a mask and cap pulled low, he stood there for about twenty minutes, side by side with him.

But neither of them paid the other any mind.

Then—

“Hyunsoo? You’re Hyunsoo, right?”

“Yes. How have you been?”

The voice that answered was tinged with regret as the staff member spoke.

“I heard about what happened.......”

The young man gave a wry smile.

“So you’ve come to see the sword your father restored?”

“......Yes.”

The National Museum staff gave him a hug, exchanged a few words, then left.

Without realizing it, Lee Taeseong turned his head.

‘So this kid is the Master Blacksmith’s son.’

And again, the two of them silently gazed for a long time at the sword displayed behind the glass.

*****

The image from his visit to the National Museum came vividly back to Hyun’s mind.

That presence.

That beauty.

That mystery.

The keenly honed edge and the single gentle, wave-like curve of the blade.

A sword that followed the form of a ring-pommel sword while incorporating new techniques.

He started crafting.

The Dragon-Flame Sword he’d made with God’s Emergency Crafting, the supercomputer Ares had practically sneered at.

This wouldn’t cut it.

But now, it would be perfect.

The moment he’d stood before that sword, all the advice his father had given him and all the sensations Hyun had felt while restoring it had come back.

One day passed, then a second.

[You are demonstrating a Dragon-Flame Sword crafting method that defies common sense.]

[This will be the most perfect method for crafting Dragon-Flame Sword.]

Of course, he was using God’s Custom Crafting for this.

But God’s Custom Crafting wasn’t omnipotent. In the end, it had to be grounded in the user’s knowledge and skill.

The messages kept coming.

[This will be the most perfect method for crafting Dragon-Flame Sword.]

[This will be the most perfect method for crafting Dragon-Flame Sword.]

[This will be the most perfect method for crafting Dragon-Flame Sword......]

Hyun smiled.

Of course. There were only two people in the world who could craft Dragon-Flame Sword to absolute perfection.

His father, and Hyun himself.

Hyun had a feeling.

‘The real Dragon-Flame Sword is going to be born.’

And yet......

[Ressel: Hyun, I don’t think you need to craft it anymore......] 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

“......?”

Hyun’s face twisted in confusion at the sudden whisper.

“I think you all need to prepare yourselves.”

The attending physician spoke as the family looked down at the old man lying in the bed.

“It will be difficult for him to make it through tomorrow.”

The mood sank into /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ a heavy silence.

Taeha let out a sigh.

‘So in the end, I won’t be able to show him?’

He’d wanted to grant his grandfather’s final wish.

The old man lying there spoke.

“I want to see a dragon, a dragon. A beautiful dragon soaring up into the sky!”

Every day, his grandfather repeated the same words.

Listening to him, Taeha had a thought.

“......What if we have him log into Ares right now through that capsule and show him the dragon there?”

Yeah, Hyun was crafting it, and if they timed it right, it could work.

Chairman Taeseong’s brow furrowed.

“Is this that nonsense again? I already looked into it.”

Taeseong, too, had done everything he could to find a way to show his father a dragon.

Knowing that Taeha was trying to find that way through Ares, he’d asked numerous experts for advice.

They’d all said it was impossible.

So how......

“No, it might be possible.”

Taeseong felt stifled. Still, he approved of the fact that his “discarded” son was doing this for his grandfather.

But he wished the boy would stop spouting impossible dreams......

“If it’s Hyun......”

As soon as he heard that name, Taeseong’s brow furrowed again.

“Who?”

“Hyun. He’s the one crafting the dragon we’re going to show Grandfather.”

Suddenly, the memory of what had happened at the National Museum a few days earlier flashed through his mind.

‘Hyunsoo? You’re Hyunsoo, right?’

Chairman Lee Taeseong had been moved beyond admiration to sheer awe when he’d seen Dragon-Flame Sword.

‘Another Master Blacksmith born from a Master Blacksmith......’

The moment that thought came to him, Taeseong found himself thinking that maybe this wasn’t impossible.

He spoke to the medical staff and his secretary.

“Check whether he can log in right now and whether we can get him there. Check everything.”

Some time later, a call came in.

It was a high-ranking figure from Pureum Co., Ltd.

[We’re sorry, Chairman, but that’s impossible within Ares’s system. There’s no way a level 1 elderly man can get past the tutorial and reach Frea Territory in a single day.]

“How not?”

[A level 1 can’t use warp scrolls at all. And a level 1 will struggle just to get out of the Tutorial Zone. It’s not that it’s completely impossible, but if a level 1 pushes into a territory as he pleases, there’s a high chance he’ll be forcibly logged out. On top of that, with no scroll usage, an elderly man reaching Frea Territory in a single day is impossible.]

“Then at least my father......”

[We’re sorry, Chairman. You know we can’t break the rules.]

Yes, the rules.

The moment corporations broke those rules, everything would begin to crumble.

If a select few could receive systemic privileges, who would keep playing that game?

In a world where money and power could buy anything?

Taeseong ended the call weakly, and Taeha heard the reason.

Being a user himself, Taeha understood.

“They’re right...... Grandfather can’t get there. And on top of that......”

Taeha finally realized what he’d overlooked.

“A level 1 grandfather with dementia? That makes it even more impossible.”

Common sense said it couldn’t be done.

Lee Taeseong sank helplessly into a chair.

And in the end, Taeha bit his lip and sent a whisper to Hyun through his phone linked to Ares.

[Ressel: Hyun, I don’t think you need to craft it anymore......]

[Hyun: Could you tell me why?]

Ressel began telling him everything.

For a long time, no whisper came back.

Then—

[Hyun: I think I can bring him. I can......]

Taeha’s eyes trembled as he read those words.

‘What? What is he talking about? How is that possible?’

[Hyun: I’ve built it up, you see, so I think I can.]

Those were words you’d never expect to hear from a level 120 blacksmith.

But Ressel believed in Hyun.

Because Hyun had already proved himself once.

“Get Grandfather ready to log in right now!”

Taeha spoke in a firm voice.

Several falcons in front of Hyun took off at once, each with a note tied to its leg.

WHOOOOOOSH—

Watching them go, Hyun gave a wry smile.

‘Do I really have to go this far......’

He didn’t think that.

‘I should go this far.’

All he was doing was attaching a small favor to those who had their own wishes.

And he knew something else.

‘Because they wanted more, what I can write on this paper will grow even bigger.’

Hyun looked down at the blank sheet Ressel had given him.

Yeah. Once this succeeded, he’d be able to write a lot more on it.

He got back to work.

He was short on time, so he’d give it everything he had.

Come to think of it, this Dragon-Flame Sword had been the last collaboration between him and his father.

Even if, in reality, his father had only given him words.

Time flowed quickly.

[This will be the most perfect method for crafting Dragon-Flame Sword.]

[The most perfect Dragon-Flame Sword......]

[The most perfect Dragon-Flame Sword......]

The notifications kept ringing.

And then, at some point, they changed.

[You are approaching your second Legend.]

At that very moment—

Lord’s Castle in the Beginner’s Territory.Several falcons

Sitting in the Audience Hall with a bored expression as he listened to reports, Lord Vance noticed a falcon flying in through the open window.

He stretched out his left arm, and the falcon landed lightly.

‘Hyun?’

Seeing the sender, a faint smile appeared on Lord Vance’s face.

As soon as he read the contents of the note, his expression turned serious. Then, in a voice full of charisma, he ordered his retainers,

“Open every road.”