Genius Blacksmith's Game

Tower Master Deng of the Blacksmith Tower of Sword and the other seven Tower Masters couldn’t understand Colson.

The greediest one, who had denied the god alongside them, had turned his back on them and was now standing on the god’s side.

When he said, “The god is coming,” they talked among themselves.

“Serve a god with no believers? What does that even mean?”

“Why would there be no believers? The myth of the God of Blacksmiths is wrapped up nicely enough, but if you look at its substance, it’s pitiful compared to the myths of other gods.”

They all agreed on that point.

And this was the thing that weighed on them the most.

“By Outsider standards, reaching level 100 is barely taking your first steps, yet we’re supposed to serve him? Someday he might try to take what we’ve built in the false name of ‘god.’”

They thought he was just someone who had come wearing the god’s name.

And when they met the divine envoy Balam, they were pleased among themselves.

“Until they reach level 100, Outsiders are just learning to walk. Only now is he starting to step beyond that. How could he possibly have any ‘achievements’?”

“There’s no way he could. Of course not. It’s something that simply cannot exist.”

“Now you can relax. At least in this generation, the Successor of the God of Blacksmiths will not exist.”

It wasn’t that they absolutely refused to serve a god.

It was just that the one called this god’s Successor was far too weak, so their doubt was mixed with, why are they forcing that on us?

They couldn’t understand that myth.

Can a blacksmith even become a powerful warrior!?

The Sword God had a myth where he unfolded Mind-Sword.

So how did a myth spread that the God of Blacksmiths was some kind of powerful warrior?

That sort of false myth was instead turning the God of Blacksmiths into a false god.

It was even worse because the man in question was an Outsider.

Outsiders can open up their stats with something called bonus points. That’s a strictly limited number.

Because that number was limited, there was only so much they could raise.

“He might have learned some swordsmanship somewhere, I’ll grant that.”

“Sure, he might have. The kind of swordsmanship soldiers or lowly knights learn, at best.”

Even the sword hanging at Hyun’s waist made them feel he was chasing a fragment of the God of Blacksmiths’ myth.

But wasn’t the quality completely different?

The Sword God who unfolded Mind-Sword, versus someone wielding nothing more than the swordsmanship of ordinary people?

Hyun drew the Sword Left by the God of Blacksmiths back behind his back. Meeting their eyes, he finally opened his mouth.

“One. I learned Sword King’s Swordsmanship.”

“......!”

“......!”

The instant they heard those words, denial—it has to be a lie—swallowed the Tower Masters.

But the mysteries of Sword King’s Swordsmanship, manifesting as mirages in every direction, sent their hearts into a wild rampage.

Who was the Sword King?

The greatest swordsman of the age.

One of the Ten Legends of the continent, and the king of the Kingdom of Goyard.

Hyun moved the sword again, clearly for them to see.

“I saved the Sword King.”

Lex shook his head.

How...

How could that possibly be?

How could a baby just learning to walk save someone as overwhelmingly great as the man called Sword King!?

“I crafted the first Legend.”

[His recognition rate exceeds 45%.]

But the Sword Left by the God of Blacksmiths proved him right before their eyes.

One side of the space was completely freezing over.

Before they knew it, the divine envoy Balam was in their field of view, slowly sinking to his knees as he looked at Hyun.

[If you fail to prove at least 40% recognition, your qualification as Successor of Asca will be revoked.]

The test of the Class Quest had begun as soon as he arrived at the tower.

Hyun looked at the deathly pale Deng and Colson.

The ones who believe in me.

Hyun didn’t want to disappoint people like that. Caught between the other eight Tower Masters, they must have been blamed again and again.

I don’t want them to be condemned for believing in me.

And he wanted to show them. Who he was, and what he had done.

With every “one” he spoke, the achievements he had piled up were laid bare.

“I crafted the second Legend and, in a world without dragons, I made a dragon.”

[Recognition rate exceeds 76%.]

A single dragon rose on one side.

Leaving behind the creature that snorted and took them in with a gaze full of majesty, Hyun took another step forward and swung.

SWOOOOOOSH—

“I crafted the bell with the purest sound in the world and became a benefactor.”

[Recognition rate exceeds 91%.]

Mirage.

It was the power of a hologram.

At high speed, ore was smelted, refined, and forged, and the glowing-red Bell of Lamas regained its original color.

The white bell slowly swayed and struck itself, and a clear, pure sound filled the entire tower.

DOOOOOOOONG— 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

And again, another “one.”

“I won the Super Rookie Tournament more splendidly than anyone.”

There wasn’t a single person here who didn’t know the Super Rookie Tournament.

It was one of the famous festivals of the neighboring Kingdom of Goyard.

Listening to these impossible achievements one after another, Lex had at some point been left standing with his mouth hanging open.

He looked around at the other Tower Masters beside him.

“I crafted a bow that can house the weight of a thousand pounds.”

[Recognition rate exceeds 100%.]

The Tower Masters, who had been standing awkwardly half-bent, were now each down on one knee, holding themselves with proper courtesy.

One of those who had denied the Successor of the God of Blacksmiths. Tower Master Bray of the Spear Tower spoke.

“I denied you. I only thought that this so-called Successor who appeared from nowhere was trying to take what we had. I beg your pardon. I am Bray, Tower Master of the Spear Tower, paying my respects to the Successor of the God of Blacksmiths.”

The Tower Master of the Armor Tower.

“I as well...”

The Tower Master of the Cloak Tower.

“I was the same. Please kill me!”

As he looked at them, Tower Master Lex of the Shield Tower realized he too was already down on one knee, looking up at Hyun.

What should he say?

What excuse could he possibly offer?

And before Hyun knew it, he was looking at all of the Tower Masters prostrated in front of him.

The man called the divine envoy Balam was flat on his face, not daring to lift his head.

To be honest, Hyun was embarrassed.

Most of the Tower Masters belonged to level-300-plus named NPCs.

I’m still just a shell.

Yes, Hyun had achieved many things, but there was still far too much left for him to do.

He spoke.

“Everyone, please stand up.”

At Hyun’s gentle voice, Lex looked up with shaking eyes.

They had denied him, refused to acknowledge him, and right up until just now had been watching him with sneers.

And yet he—

“You’re overdoing it.”

He spoke with a gentle expression. Could he possibly be someone with a heart that’s too soft?

A god had to be firm at times, so a small worry rose up.

Just then—

“When I’m standing in a higher place, I’ll accept it more proudly then.”

No, he wasn’t soft. He knew the right time.

When that time came, he would accept it calmly and lead them just as calmly.

And that confident voice and smile seized every one of the Tower Masters.

“Yes, we’ll wait! For the true day when you will lead us!”

All of the Tower Masters had now changed, united in one heart and one mind.

And Hyun noticed it.

Recognition, huh...

The first Class Quest was about checking what he had built up so far.

Naturally, the higher this recognition value, the more special the reward would be.

[Class Quest: The Sword Left by the God of Blacksmiths complete.]

[You have recorded a marvelous achievement.]

Hyun held a firm belief.

Those notifications he had heard several times—marvelous achievement—had never once disappointed him and had always brought him even greater rewards.

Soon, the Sword Left by the God of Blacksmiths resonated.

WOOOONG—

[The Sword Left by the God of Blacksmiths dispenses a reward.]

[All stats +2, 10% increased chance to obtain a higher grade...]

[Correction.]

[The Sword Left by the God of Blacksmiths judges this insufficient.]

Hyun looked at the sword with a puzzled expression.

He had felt it when he first took hold of this sword—this thing practically had a will of its own.

So the original reward was all stats +2 and a 10% increased chance to roll a higher grade...

A Class Quest was supposed to give something related to that class.

Not a bad reward, but it was true that Hyun himself hadn’t been all that satisfied with it.

[Reward assessment complete.]

[A Class Quest is generated that allows you to obtain one of the five Secret Artifacts of the God of Blacksmiths.]

[You will still receive the existing reward.]

[All stats +2, 10% increased chance to obtain a higher grade.]

[You may learn ahead of time about the God’s Secret Artifact.]

[New story begins.]

Hyun was now familiar with Ares’s system, so he was sure.

Whenever I clear a new story, something huge always follows.

Hyun waited for the notification of the new Class Quest that was about to ring out.

*****

[User Hyun will begin a new Class Quest.]

Special User Management Team.

Associate Lee Jihee’s face twisted in surprise.

“A new story...?”

Of course, the phrase new story itself wasn’t something especially rare for the team that managed special users.

The notification new story appeared when you recorded a great achievement in a limited place.

Hyun’s new stories had always been in limited places.

The Subjugation Force of the Beginner Zone.

The Beginner’s Territory war in Cassel Territory.

Even the most recent new story that had broken out via the broadcast was in the limited place called Time-Attack Dungeon.

“A new story breaking out from a Class Quest isn’t easy. That’s how much it means the God of Blacksmiths recognizes Hyun as the right person.”

At the voice from behind, Jihee realized CEO Lee Sejin was standing there.

“Sir, good afternoon.”

Team Leader Kim Taeseok and Jihee hurriedly greeted the CEO who had appeared like a ghost.

Waving a hand, Lee Sejin spoke.

“The ‘Secret Artifacts’ of the God of Blacksmiths were never meant to be easy to obtain in the first place.”

It wasn’t for nothing that the name Secret Artifact had been attached to them.

The varieties of these Secret Artifacts could be upper versions of [N O V E L I G H T] things you already had, or completely new things you’d never known before.

“A different Class Quest is going to break out, not the existing Class Quest, so what sort of Class Quest is it going to be?”

This was the key issue the Special User Management Team needed to focus on.

A new Class Quest.

The question was how that would manifest.

Just then—

[For Saint’s Child Belia, Class Quest: In Search of the Savior is generated.]

CEO Lee Sejin’s expression twisted in surprise as he opened the quest that Saint’s Child had received.

[Class Quest: In Search of the Savior.]

Grade: A

Restriction: Saint’s Child

Reward: Divine Power 200

Penalty on failure: Destruction of the temple.

Description: Your temple, and the Saint Aria you serve, are in danger. Set out to find the savior. That savior is currently located at the Blacksmith Tower of Sword.

Lee Sejin’s expression turned intrigued.

So this is how the story links together.

Kim Taeseok looked puzzled.

“What sort of connection do Saint’s Child and Hyun, the Successor of the God of Blacksmiths, have that a Class Quest would trigger?”

At that, Jihee hurriedly clacked away at the keyboard.

“According to the setting, the God of Blacksmiths once made a promise to the other gods. That someday, he would craft artifacts for their temples and present them as gifts. It seems related to that.”

It was a setting that did exist.

Soon, Lee Sejin murmured.

“Saint’s Child Belia might become the best healer in our country, which is a bit worrying.”

Team Leader Kim made a confused face.

“Why is that worrying, sir?”

Lee Sejin could only give a bitter smile.

“Who’s in Radiance right now?”

“Well, there’s Nell and Ressel...”

“No, not their names.”

This time, Jihee caught on faster than Team Leader Kim Taeseok.

“Up-and-coming tactician Nell. Strongest tanker Bark. Strongest damage dealer Ressel. And the strongest blacksmith, user Hyun.”

“Team Leader Kim, what’s missing?”

Team Leader Kim thought it over.

The factors you looked at first when building a team.

A master to lead them.

A strong damage dealer.

An unbreakable tanker.

Nell, who might become a brilliant tactician. Soon, Kim Taeseok’s eyes went wide.

“A h-healer. They don’t have a healer.”

“Right. If they get just one healer, Radiance is going to be reborn as the strongest small elite guild.”

CEO Lee Sejin watched the monitor with an intrigued expression.

Of course, the choice is entirely up to Belia.