Genius Blacksmith's Game

The Wolf King he’d earned from hunting the Ashen Wolf was a title, and Wolf’s Howl was an active skill.

(Wolf King)

Unique Title

Grade: S

Special Abilities:

·Against wolf-type monsters, Attack Power and Defense +17%.

·Against wolf-type monsters, EXP gain +15%.

·You can freely command wolves.

·You can rule all wolves in Wolves’ Sanctuary.

Hyunsoo stood on top of the boulder.

Fenrir’s Helm, shaped like Fenrir’s face over his head, began to howl.

Awooooooooo—

[Wolf’s Howl.]

[All scattered wolves are gathered together.]

His chest swelled.

As he watched the hundreds of wolves emerging from between the bushes, from the hills, from behind the trees, he saw a possibility.

That possibility was the possibility that he could actually fight Jack.

To be honest, Hyunsoo had had no idea how he was supposed to break through over a hundred cultists.

Fifth Calamity Jack...

Fifth Calamity Jack was an ultra–Named NPC, whose original level, at full strength, reached 365.

Compared to Hyunsoo, the gap was enormous.

The only saving grace was that using the Tome of Calamity had weakened him.

Hyunsoo mounted one of the wolves, and Belia climbed onto another.

Belia, unfamiliar with handling wolves, lagged behind.

“Go on ahead. There’s no time.”

Hyunsoo didn’t hesitate to pick up speed.

Since the Wolf King title stated he could freely command wolves, that seemed to include riding them as mounts; Hyunsoo was able to ride like a skilled handler.

Reaching the area near the temple and cresting a hill, Hyunsoo caught sight of a familiar face.

Jihoon?

His closest friend, Court, was holding a small child in his arms.

Hyunsoo drew the Thousand-Pound Bow.

First, he took care of the nearby black lions formed from black magic.

The cultists who spotted him began to gather one by one.

There were so many of them that even Hyunsoo felt like shrinking back.

But Court was a precious friend to him—and he also had to rescue the Saint.

Rescue the Saint.

Anyone would say it’s impossible.

A wry smile tugged at his lips. But while he’d been riding in on the wolves, Hyunsoo had already finished forming the entire plan in his head.

Hyunsoo dug his heels into the wolf’s flank and charged.

The cultists looked at him—only one man—and seemed almost dumbfounded.

“Heretic.”

“Despair!”

“What do you think you can do alone, wretch?!”

Then, when the raging wave of hundreds of wolves surged in behind Hyunsoo, their °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° eyes shook violently.

GRAAAAAAAH—!

[The cultists of the evil god are thrown into confusion.]

[The cultists’ morale has decreased.]

[The cultists are weakened by 7%.]

To carry out his plan, there was one thing Hyunsoo needed.

I need more levels.

One step at a time.

Right then—

[God’s Emergency Crafting temporarily increases by +5 levels.]

A strange gleam flashed in Hyunsoo’s eyes. A sudden +5-level boost to God’s Emergency Crafting.

The reason soon appeared.

[You are being informed in advance of the God’s Secret Artifact you will obtain.]

[You may use the God’s Secret Artifact once.]

The first Secret Artifact he might obtain was, in fact, an upgraded version of God’s Emergency Crafting.

(God’s Emergency Crafting)

Active Skill

Grade: God

Level: 6

Penalty: None.

Effects:

·You can create various weapons within 30 seconds.

·You can reproduce everything you have ever crafted via Emergency Crafting, and for each, you may use the skill imbued in that artifact once.

·You may reproduce a total of three artifacts.

A shiver ran down Hyunsoo’s spine.

With this power, I can power-level.

If he could do that, then his plan could come to fruition on a much stronger footing.

Three minerals surged up above Hyunsoo’s head at once.

The moment he grabbed the first completed sword, a spear in a cultist’s hand lunged in, thrusting toward him.

But the wolf Hyunsoo was riding vaulted over him faster than the attack.

Watching the cultists swarming in from all sides, Hyunsoo waited for just a heartbeat.

This sword was the one he’d crafted for Sword King Barad.

KRRRRRRACK-!

The moment he swung the blade, the cultists rushing in around him froze solid all at once.

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled u......]

Their stats and levels had all been reduced.

Even so, each group of dozens of cultists was originally higher level than Hyunsoo.

Ignoring the ones who’d been completely frozen, Hyunsoo pushed past them and grabbed the second sword.

This sword was the Dragon-Flame Sword he had crafted for Dragon Knight Ressel.

With the new sword in hand, Hyunsoo swung it this time toward the cultists charging in from the opposite side.

KIEEEEEEH-!

A dragon soared upward.

The manifested dragon flew forward as if ascending to the heavens and triggered a massive area explosion.

KWAAAAAAANG-!

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled u......]

The endless notifications rang in his ears.

In an instant, he reached Level 184.

And right away, Hyunsoo spotted Jack, staring down at him from on top of the temple, which looked like a fortress, his expression shaken.

The Gauntlet of Strength.

The gauntlet whose power he’d used when he hunted the Stone Golem—and in AJ Internet Broadcasting Station’s Time-Attack Dungeon as well.

[Strength +141.]

His arm muscles swelled tight as a bowstring, and he drew the bow.

[Two artifacts closest to Legend have met.]

[Their effects are each enhanced by 10%.]

The combination of Orichalcum Short Arrow and Thousand-Pound Bow.

TAAAP-!

SHWEEEEEEEK-!

The moment the bowstring snapped forward, the short arrow tore through the air with a violent sonic boom.

Fifth Calamity Jack looked at Hyunsoo as if mocking him.

He casually formed a black shield.

But the instant the short arrow collided with the black shield—

KRRRRRRRK-!

The short arrow smashed straight through the shield.

And Hyunsoo had never been aiming for his chest in the first place.

This was, after all, the Fifth Calamity.

It was better to bind his legs, so he’d chosen that—and the short arrow grazed Jack’s right leg.

KWAAAAANG-!

After watching Jack’s knees slam to the ground, Hyunsoo immediately dismounted from the wolf.

Court, his friend, was holding the child and opened his eyes.

“...Hyunsoo.”

Hyunsoo gave Jihoon a small smile.

I have to put him at ease.

He wanted to give courage to that face, twisted with fear.

A relieved smile appeared at the corner of Court’s lips as he looked at Hyunsoo.

“‘Bout damn time you got here, asshole.”

“Anyone listening would think we had a scheduled meet-up.”

As always, Court wore the expression of someone who trusted him completely.

“Go, Hyunsoo.”

Without hesitation, Hyunsoo turned his body.

The wolves that already had his command grabbed Jihoon’s collar and, with the child and Court on their backs, bolted away at full speed.

And Hyunsoo, before he knew it, saw Fifth Calamity Jack getting to his feet.

[You resist Strange Thousand Pounds.]

The Fifth Calamity’s face twisted with outrage.

As if to say, did he really think such cheap tricks would work on him?

To complete his plan, Hyunsoo kicked off the ground, and Jack muttered:

“Crimson Storm.”

The huge tornado that rose behind Hyunsoo sucked in the wolves and tore them apart.

He did that on purpose.

Hyunsoo understood what kind of person Jack was.

He’d deliberately made it manifest behind him, among the wolves.

To give him a sense of helplessness and toy with him.

KRRRRRRACK-...

Chilling sounds rang out behind him.

Those hundreds of wolves that had seemed so strong were being erased without a trace.

But ignoring all of that, Hyunsoo kept running.

Which means he’s let his guard down. He’s observing me.

Jack had figured out roughly what level of power Hyunsoo had—and that was an opportunity.

KIIIIIIING—!

Caught off guard, Jack was slashed mercilessly by Sword’s Cry.

KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-!

“GRAAAAAH!”

[Fifth Calamity Jack Lv.276.]

[HP has fallen below 75%.]

Right now, Jack’s level was only about 90 higher than Hyunsoo’s.

He’d already faced opponents with that kind of gap before.

“Y-you little worm.”

That single strike was enough to send Jack into a rage.

Now he came at Hyunsoo in earnest.

KRRRRRRRRK-!

Dozens of black-magic blades rose into the air.

At the same time, minerals surged up above Hyunsoo’s head.

Inflict as much damage as possible.

The earlier use of the Secret Artifact had been a one-time special power.

This, however, was a skill he already possessed—so there was no cooldown.

It manifested again.

Gungnir, the spear held by the chief god Odin.

KRRRRRRRRRK-!

Hundreds of magic blades rained down toward Hyunsoo.

But enduring them and ignoring the pain, Hyunsoo hurled the spear with all his strength.

He saw Jack, sensing danger, use Blink.

Blink.

A dimensional magic reserved for high-ranking mages.

But the next moment, Jack let out a horrified sound.

Because Gungnir had chased him through space and, in the end, pierced him through the back, bending his waist like a bow.

“GRAAAAH!”

[Fifth Calamity Jack Lv.276.]

[HP has fallen below 31%.]

Hyunsoo was just about to move again when—

Jack, having barely gotten his bearings, pointed at the ground under Hyunsoo’s feet.

“Blood Burst.”

KWAAAAAAANG-!

The explosion that erupted from the ground slammed into Hyunsoo’s body without mercy.

“Kgh!”

[HP has fallen below 12%.]

[You have been afflicted with status effect: Dizziness.]

Hyunsoo staggered, his body a wreck.

He couldn’t control his movements.

Before he knew it, Jack, wearing an expression like he was looking at a bug, had come right up to him.

*****

Standing before the man who had led the wolves here, Jack couldn’t believe it.

What the hell is this guy?

He possessed the Evil God’s Eye, which let him observe the other’s strength.

It displayed levels.

The man was, at best, someone with a paltry level. Yet he had pushed Jack this far.

Of course, I still won.

The man in front of him had lost in the end. And now the time had come.

[The sacrificial ritual will begin in 3 minutes.]

To carry out the ritual, he had to reclaim his original power.

Jack had been weakened by borrowing the power of the Tome of Calamity.

He dispelled the barrier that had been wrapped around the area near the temple.

The red barrier melted away, the power of the Tome of Calamity scattered, and soon the power Jack had lost began to flood back into him.

“Haaaaa...”

Strength surged up from within his body.

[Fifth Calamity Jack Lv.365]

From Jack, who had regained his true power, an indescribable killing intent radiated out.

That killing intent hit the man as a status effect.

His whole body began to tremble.

He couldn’t control himself under the fear.

Jack’s long, thin finger pointed at his heart.

“Just die now.”

PZZZZZT—

Black magic flared from his fingertip, about to lance forward.

Right then—

The man swept his blood-soaked hair back and glared at Jack.

Jack couldn’t understand the sudden change in his aura.

For a moment, it felt like everything around them had gone quiet.

The silence came from a massive sense of pressure, and Jack could see the shadow that was covering him.

A chill ran down Jack’s back. Slowly, he lifted his head and looked up at the shadow in the sky.

A dragon...?

Yes. It was a dragon.

A massive dragon was looking down at him, snorting plumes of breath.

“You could’ve dropped that barrier a little quicker, you know. Keeping people waiting like that?”

A man climbed down from the dragon’s back and took his place at Hyunsoo’s right.

Why, why...?

Jack asked himself inwardly.

Why?

Why was someone like that standing beside a man with such a lowly level?

Was there ever a swordsman among the Otherworlders with an aura like this...?

[Dragon Knight Ressel Lv.334]

He appeared to be the strongest damage dealer among any Otherworlders Jack had seen.

“It was a flawless plan.”

Another man took his place on Hyunsoo’s left.

The moment Jack saw the shield in his hand, he realized the tips of his toes were freezing.

Was there ever a tank among the Otherworlders this solid...?

[Growing One Bark Lv.326]

He appeared to be the greatest tanker.

From behind them, a woman’s voice rang out.

“Fifth Calamity. You’re fucked.”

It was Nell, and she already had Saint Aria secured.

Cold sweat dripped down Jack’s forehead.

The man had attacked him while he was weakened and inflicted as much damage as possible.

And even now that Jack had regained his strength, he hadn’t recovered that damage.

Jack took a step back, and Hyunsoo, who had completed his plan, pointed his sword at him.

“Guild Radiance. First raid, starting now.”