Genius Blacksmith's Game

Riding hard on horseback, Hyun listened to Belia’s explanation.

The Fifth Calamity?

Hyun made a puzzled face.

Isn’t the gap between us pretty big?

The Fifth Calamity was counted among the weaker of those who served the Cult of Calamity, but the difference between it and Hyun was still obvious.

“Calamity Jack used the Tome of the Evil God.”

Belia explained that only those under level 200 could approach.

“Because the power is so strong, Jack and his followers were penalized as well. Jack, who was level 365, dropped to 270, and his believers dropped to around 180.”

That gap had narrowed quite a bit.

If the God of Blacksmiths had judged that I couldn’t do it, he wouldn’t have given me the mission in the first place.

Even so, the difficulty looked completely unreasonable. For the moment, he just let the horse run and quickly spun his thoughts.

Hyun slowly nodded.

It’s not completely impossible.

One thought flashed through his mind. Before he knew it, the horse had already arrived at the Wolves’ Sanctuary.

“The reason we pass through the Wolves’ Sanctuary is because it’s the fastest route to the temple. For you, the savior chosen by god, it’ll be very easy to get through.”

The two of them arrived at the front of the Wolves’ Sanctuary.

“The wolves have faster legs than horses. It’s better to hunt as we go.”

Hyun dismounted and let the horse go.

“And the wolves here are much stronger than their level suggests. But to you, Hyun, Successor of Spear-Heaven, they’re just brats, right?”

“Successor of Spear-Heaven?”

Hyun frowned.

“I’m not in a class line like Successor of Spear-Heaven.”

“Excuse me? Then...? Maybe you’re a hidden Successor of the Sword King...”

“No, I’m a blacksmith.”

Belia’s mind went blank, like someone had hammered her skull.

“A... a blacksmith?”

Right then.

From inside the Wolves’ Sanctuary came screams and savage howls.

But to Belia, what she’d just heard was even more important.

“W-what level are you?”

“120.”

Something was wrong.

Still in confusion, she watched player after player run past her with ashen faces.

Wanting to deny this reality, she asked again.

“A level-120 blacksmith? Not the Successor of Spear-Heaven?”

“Yes, but it’ll be fine. I’m a blacksmith, but I’m also a user with outstanding combat skills. And you have your holy power, Belia.”

“Hyun. Are you sure it’s really okay to go in there? When the Ashen Wolf appears, lots of wolves gather around it.”

Hyun met her eyes, gaze firm.

Belia, chewing her lip in agitation, came to a decision.

If I go looking for someone else, it’ll be too late.

She had no choice but to go.

Belia was stronger than she looked.

Rather than sit still and watch the saint be offered as a sacrifice, she decided to chase even a 1% chance.

The two of them ran inward.

“I have thought about how to rescue the saint from the Fifth Calamity. There are a few methods.”

Listening to Hyun’s voice as they moved in, Belia froze.

A mistake.

Just a moment ago, most of the users had fled mid-hunt.

The mobs whose aggro had been flipped had chased the users desperately.

Because the users had crossed into the safe zone, the mobs ended up lingering around the entrance area.

Around twenty Giant Wolves bared their teeth at the two of them.

One Giant Wolf in particular, which had just torn apart a player who’d fallen behind the party, had blood all over its muzzle.

[Giant Wolf Lv.179]

Belia had played a completely different kind of game than most people.

Because she liked to do good deeds, she’d helped those in trouble.

One day, people who said they were from Ares Church had sought her out, led her in, and granted her the Epic class Saint’s Child.

Leveling Saint’s Child was special.

You leveled through good deeds, prayer, ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) and praise.

In Ares, she was one of the users who had done the least hunting relative to her level.

Standing in front of Giant Wolves whose withers were higher than her own height, with the smell of blood stinging her nose, was terrifying for her.

TAAAK—

As one of them drooled and pounced at her, her thoughts froze.

In that moment, Belia felt a man brush past her.

[Wolf King.]

[You radiate the majesty of a king to monsters classified as beasts.]

[If their level is higher than yours, they tremble in fear for 4 seconds.]

The wolf that had leapt at her suddenly changed.

Landing on the ground after sailing past Belia, the wolf pressed its head into the dirt.

“WHIMPER, WHINE...!”

“WHIIIIIIINE...”

Belia’s eyes shook.

W-who...?

Watching the man step forward, Belia made a puzzled face.

Fenrir?

The emblem of the Wolf King Fenrir was painted on the red cloak hanging from his shoulders. The helm pulled down over his head looked like the face of Fenrir himself.

His back was broad and massive.

And in front of him, dozens of Giant Wolves had their heads pressed to the ground in worship.

Looking at the unknown man, Belia had one thought.

Successor of Fenrir...?

Yes, this looked like the Successor of Fenrir.

A shiver she couldn’t explain ran through her.

Could it be...?

Had god given a mission not only to Hyun, but also to that rookie called the Successor of Fenrir?

The Successor of Fenrir slowly turned his head.

“Thank you for trusting me, Belia.”

Belia was flustered. When he turned his head, she could see it was Hyun.

“Let’s clear this quickly and go.”

Hyun brought his sword down on the wolf right in front of Belia, the one with blood around its mouth.

[Passive Skill Six-Hit Damage is applied.]

The sword White Night.

The masterpiece of blacksmith Per, gifted to Hyun.

Six-Hit Damage was the passive skill imbued in White Night.

With a low probability, it activated, manifesting a power that dealt six extra hits of basic attack damage in one swing.

KRAKAKAKAKAK—

In a single slash, one wolf was shredded completely and scattered away as ash.

[You have hunted a Giant Wolf.]

[You have gained 886 EXP.]

[You have leveled up.]

Because the level gap between Hyun and the Giant Wolves was large, just killing one was enough for him to level up once.

“Belia, do you have any buffs that increase EXP gain?”

“Yes.”

Snapping back to her senses, Belia brought her hands together and prayed.

[Blessing of the Child.]

[For 30 minutes, EXP gain increases by 18%.]

Hyun was surprised.

[Belia Lv.201]

Belia’s level wasn’t that high, yet the EXP gain went up a lot.

Normally a level-200 healer only gives about 6%, right...?

At high speed, Hyun cut down the worshiping Giant Wolves with White Night.

Hyun’s total stats were similar to those of a level-180 user.

On top of that, he had White Night, a sword closest to a Legend.

And the Unique artifacts Fenrir’s Helm and Fenrir’s Cloak made Hyun into a hunter with absurd power.

[You have leveled up.]

In an instant, he gained four levels.

When their worship ended, the wolves rushed at Hyun.

KWAJAAAK—

One wolf struck his chest with its forepaw.

“KYAAA!”

Belia screamed. She was sure Hyun’s armor would tear and blood would gush from his chest...

Belia stared, dumbfounded.

The armor hadn’t torn at all—there was only a tiny scratch, and Hyun’s HP had dropped by a mere 2%.

What is this man?

Right then—

[New story begins.]

[At the appearance of a new challenger to the Wolf King, wolves begin to gather.]

Wolves started rushing in from everywhere without end.

I didn’t know about this... More importantly, what is this “Wolf King”?

Either way, Hyun had to cut through wolves to get past.

Seeing Belia flustered at the wolves appearing from all directions, Hyun laughed.

“Remember what I said?”

“That you had a few methods?”

Belia recalled his earlier words.

I’ve been thinking about how to rescue the saint from the Fifth Calamity too. And there are a few methods.

A way for a level-120 blacksmith to rescue the saint.

“Let’s get me to at least level 160 here. You have heals, right? Please let me hop on your bus.”

Hyun needed to grow.

Not just as a blacksmith—he needed the strength to protect himself.

The best healer was going to heal him.

In other words, Hyun was going to power-level like crazy, riding the bus of the best healer.

And the justification was clear.

“I’ll heal with everything I’ve got... Let’s get you to 170!”

She had to rescue Saint Aria, and the higher Hyun’s level rose, the higher that chance became.

Is that really possible?

That tiny doubt.

But as dozens of Giant Wolves charged the two of them all at once—

PIIIIIING—

[Sword’s Cry]

Watching wolves’ bodies shredded by the mysteries of the Sword King’s Swordsmanship and collapsing into ash, Belia felt that it just might be possible.

I’d wanted him to be Successor of Spear-Heaven.

Not anymore.

This man might really save the saint...!

Hyun listened to the flood of level-up notifications.

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up...]

With a single burst of explosive leveling, Hyun was approaching level 140, and a notification rang out.

[You have hunted many wolves in a short period of time.]

[A new episode you have never seen before will soon begin.]

[If you hunt the Ashen Wolf, you can become the Wolf King.]

Hyun frowned.

Just a moment ago, he’d already heard a notification calling him a challenger to the Wolf King.

What exactly is the Wolf King?

Right then—

[Boss monster has appeared!]

[Ashen Wolf Lv.212]

[Whoever hunts the Ashen Wolf becomes the Wolf King.]

He could see the massive Ashen Wolf that had appeared out of nowhere.

KWHAAAAM—

[Wolf Slam]

[You are sent flying a long distance by a powerful impact.]

The instant the Ashen Wolf, moving like lightning, collided with Hyun, he went flying nearly 50 meters.

*****

Pureum Co., Ltd. CEO’s office.

CEO Lee Sejin wore an intrigued expression.

As he plotted out various stories, he had tried imagining whether Hyun could really stand against the Fifth Calamity.

No matter how he wrote it, that direction never appeared. But on seeing the message that Hyun could become the Wolf King, his thinking changed.

Wolf King, huh...

The Ashen Wolf had never been hunted even once, and killing it triggered a Hidden Piece.

The Wolf King Hidden Piece.

“Once you obtain it, you can command the wolves in the Wolves’ Sanctuary.”

A thought flashed through Lee Sejin’s mind.

There are hundreds of believers holding the temple, and it’ll be hard for user Hyun to break through that.

But if he became the Wolf King, the story changed.

Of course, the Ashen Wolf wasn’t easy to hunt and was extremely cunning.

As if to show that, the Ashen Wolf appeared like a flash and slammed into Hyun, sending him flying.

“As expected, it’s smart.”

Why had it sent Hyun flying? Wouldn’t it be better to tear out his throat?

No, that was different.

Even as a mere monster, the Ashen Wolf judged that it needed to get rid of the healer first.

By sending Hyun flying, it could now rip out Belia’s throat.

That’s it.

Hyun would not become the Wolf King.

It would be possible with Belia, but she was about to die.

At that distance, you can’t possibly hit the Ashen Wolf, also called the Wolf of Lightning.

So thought Lee Sejin with certainty—and then he was startled.

Because above Hyun’s head, as he flew backward, a holographic mineral had begun to smelt.

*****

The Ashen Wolf could sense the one who challenged the Wolf King.

The one who killed its underlings and sought its authority.

Watching him, it schemed cunningly.

First separate that man and the woman, then bite the woman’s throat.

KWHAAAAM—

The Ashen Wolf, reaching Belia like a flash, glanced at the man it had sent flying and closed in on the woman.

“H-Hyun? KYAAA!”

As it moved to bite her throat, it witnessed a bizarre sight.

Above the head of the man tumbling through the air, mineral rose up from nothing.

The mineral melted.

Smelting.

Its impurities vanished.

Refining.

The mineral completed a single spearhead and spear shaft.

Forging.

At the very moment the man, flung far away, landed on the ground—

THUUUUUD—

He slid across the earth and snatched the spear out of the air.

Laughable.

Pitiful.

Even if he threw that spear, the Ashen Wolf was already out of its path.

Fine—he could just carry the woman off and eat her somewhere else. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

“U-urgh...”

The Ashen Wolf seized the crying woman in its jaws and kicked off, leaping hard.

TAAAK—

The man threw the spear.

But by leaping, the Ashen Wolf had already moved outside the spear’s trajectory.

And then—

SHWEEEEEK—

The unknown spear let out a harsh tearing-through-the-air sound.

ZZZZT—

With a massive burst of sparks, the accelerating spear changed course and soared up into the sky.

“...!?”

The Ashen Wolf dropped the woman from its jaws.

It couldn’t read the letters carved into the spear.

But the spear bore a single word.

“Gungnir.”

The spear that Odin was said to wield.

This spear was known as a weapon that never missed.