Genius Blacksmith's Game

Just what kind of person was Nick?

Before the servers were integrated.

On the Japanese server, he had been the first person to craft King Wuling’s Japanese sword, a Legendary artifact.

Back when there were not even three Legendary artifacts in the entire world.

The first person in Asia to forge a Legendary item.

That was Nick.

That Japanese sword had drawn attention when it sold for 120 million yen.

However, the seller’s identity had never been revealed.

That Nick, seeing the newly rising Hyun and the endless Korean news reports about Hyun on a billboard as he walked down the street, had once said this.

“Does Korea need a star that badly?”

Every article was plastered with stories about one twenty-year-old young man.

Statistically, Korea was known to have only one-fourth as many high-rankers as Japan.

Of course, Japan’s population was also more than twice as large, but Korea still had noticeably fewer.

Because of that, Nick believed Korea was putting on a show in order to stand as one of Ares’s great powers.

Also, a great many people simply had little interest in anything that did not happen in their own country.

Nick was one of them.

And Nick was nothing more than a “gamer.”

It’s different if you do it by hand?

He could not understand it.

Why go that far?

Even when he asked the question, no answer came.

This was a game.

So was there any need to go out of one’s way to work by hand?

He had always believed users should level up, build proficiency, and advance that way.

The reason he had come here?

He had been desperate enough to clutch at straws.

And yet......

In the fifty-eight seconds it took him to introduce himself, Agares’s Crafting Method had been completed.

“Uh, uhh......?”

Nick fell into a panic.

Isn’t this cheating?

The thought crossed his mind, but then he remembered a few articles he had seen in Japan.

—Master Blacksmith Hyun is said to have drawn crafting methods since the age of seven......

Ares’s crafting methods.

They were an exclusive possession for users who received the system’s help.

When one clicked on that crafting method, it explained “how to craft” the item.

From beginning to end.

But Hyun had been drawing them since he was seven years old.

He was different from people who had played the game for barely two or three years.

Things an ordinary person could not understand even by looking at them, he could grasp just by eyeballing them.

And one more thing.

“Why are you helping me?”

Hyunsoo smiled faintly.

“At the very least, someone who reveals who he is, brings crafting methods, and asks for help must be desperate. And that means he must have that much passion, too. I hope you complete them.”

Once a crafting method was completed, a blacksmith would then move forward to create the artifact itself.

Hyunsoo had shown him the path he needed to take.

Then......

Nick made a decision.

*****

Agares’s Crafting Method.

To Hyunsoo, it was a crafting method as easy as eating rice cakes while lying down.

That was why he had finished it instantly and returned it.

But then Nick held something out.

[You acquire 600,000 gold.]

[You acquire a map to the Tomb of the Gods.]

Six hundred million won? And a map?

Hyunsoo was taken aback.

As mentioned earlier, the time it had taken him to draw Agares’s Crafting Method had not even reached one minute.

And yet Nick was giving him 600 million won and a map to a place called the Tomb of the Gods?

“Originally, I had planned to give 300 million won to whoever drew the crafting methods for me. But when I checked through the notification, I saw that although they were originally only up to Legendary grade, they had been changed so that they could even be made up to ‘Transcendent.’”

The Japanese user named Nick smiled.

“Of course, it only presents the possibility that they ‘can be made’ as Transcendent items, but even so, thank you. Also, this map leading to the Tomb of the Gods is special.”

“Special how?”

When Hyunsoo voiced his question, Nick smiled.

“Rumor says a certain material related to Myth is hidden there.”

“......!”

Hyunsoo was shocked.

Even to Hyunsoo, Mythic materials were still incredibly valuable and precious.

Yet Nick had handed it over without hesitation.

Nick did not feel it was a waste at all.

“Thanks to you, I can move toward a new goal. If anything, I should be the one thanking you.”

Nick had also been unable to understand why the first blacksmiths had gathered here.

But now, he could.

A person capable of helping others grow.

A person capable of lifting others higher.

Such people were rare.

“I hope you create something magnificent.”

Nick spoke with sincerity.

And Nick did not leave.

He simply moved over and took a place on one side among the blacksmiths.

He, too, now wished to learn through Hyunsoo’s crafting.

Also.

He still had a choice left to make.

Nick had wandered for years in search of a place to settle, but had never felt any merit in doing so.

For the first time in several years since he began the game, he made his choice.

[You have migrated to the nation of Hyun.]

The nation of Hyun, as always.

It was the moment it recruited yet another talented person merely by breathing.

At the same time.

Japan’s new employee Kimura and Team Lead Haruto let out bewildered voices.

“Again?”

“Eek, he’s taking someone again!?”

Hyunsoo had taken away various people not long ago.

“And now he’s taking people while staying inside his own nation?”

Haruto despaired.

The reason was simple.

Agares’s Crafting Method was originally supposed to be completed much later.

But now, the crafting methods had been completed.

Also.

Nick was supposed to become someone who would firmly establish his position on the Japanese server through those crafting methods.

Yet he had migrated to the Korean server’s nation of Hyun.

Because countless things would change as a result, Haruto and Kimura were in despair.

“Kimura, send an SOS to the Korean side.”

Haruto and Kimura no longer disregarded the Korean Special User Management Team.

If anything, they saw them as partners.

So they held onto the hope that perhaps the Korean Special User Management Team would cooperate with them and help untangle the changed story.

Kimura hurriedly sent a chat.

—Please help us. At this rate, we may not be able to go home for another week.

What was going on?

Normally, the Korean branch team would have replied immediately, but this time they remained silent for quite a while.

Then, after some time, a reply came.

—We’re working overtime too......

“......?”

“......?”

*****

Rumble—

Plunder Mineral.

The one-of-a-kind mineral in this world, created through the Golden Material Box, was placed into the furnace.

Black smoke had been rising from the chimney.

It meant the process was incomplete.

When Hyunsoo adjusted the fire, something astonishing happened.

“How is that possible?”

“The black smoke coming out of the chimney disappeared.”

When a fire was lit, smoke naturally came from the chimney.

Yet through the movements of Hyunsoo’s hands, the black smoke vanished as if by magic.

Hyunsoo had personally demonstrated the theory that if one controlled the fire perfectly, black smoke would not rise.

And with the watching blacksmiths behind him, Hyunsoo focused.

Gauntlets.

Equipment made in the medieval era to protect the arms and wrists.

Also, in Ares, gauntlets were one kind of auxiliary armor, like boots, helmets, and cloaks.

Before crafting the gauntlets, Hyunsoo blamed himself.

Why am I only realizing now that a well-made gauntlet might be more important than a weapon or armor?

Of course, the power of “plunder” could probably be imbued into a weapon as well.

But what had amazed Hyunsoo about Plunderer’s Gauntlet was that such an effect had existed in “auxiliary armor.”

As the name suggested, it was auxiliary.

But if something auxiliary could make the wearer stronger, perhaps that was even more remarkable than owning a good weapon.

I’ve learned another thing this way.

With that lesson gained, he proceeded with smelting and refining based on the crafting method.

“So fast......”

“There’s no hesitation......”

“How is he doing that?”

“His movements are several times faster than ours.”

Was it impressive?

It was impressive, yes, but it was also possible because years of experience were embedded in him.

Come to think of it, Hyunsoo had made countless weapons until now.

That was why.

“This is the first time I’ve seen His Majesty make armor.”

It was one blacksmith’s murmur.

At a glance, it could have sounded as though Hyunsoo was weak in armor.

In truth, Hyunsoo did not handle armor as well as weaponry such as swords or bows.

But his father had said this.

A sword exists to save, and armor exists to make the enemy step back.

Make armor so that an enemy would recognize its value on their own and give up.

That was what his father had told him.

They were good words.

After the refining process ended in that way, Hyunsoo began shaping the gauntlet.

“There are many types of gauntlet construction. Ring mail form, chain mail form, or metal gauntlets composed entirely of metal.”

[You deliver a new teaching to the blacksmiths.]

Hyunsoo smiled with satisfaction at the notification and continued speaking.

“Chain mail. It is a form in which thousands of small metal rings are interwoven. It is troublesome and difficult to make, but it has clear advantages. Namely, high defense, and movement that remains natural despite wearing armor.”

Next.

“Ring mail. It is similar to chain mail, but different. This, too, is made using rings, and it is more effective when defending against spears, swords, arrows, and the like. To tell you an interesting fact......”

All the blacksmiths pricked up their ears.

“If you craft armor following the ring mail method, you will likely see additional defense-increase options against ‘spears, swords, arrows,’ and the like.”

“Wooooow......”

“So depending on what you craft, additional defense can be attached?”

[The blacksmiths gain new insight, increasing their understanding of ring mail armor.]

The blacksmiths could hardly believe it.

Knowledge.

Hyunsoo was explaining how to insert desired effects with that alone.

Then, as he began forging, Hyunsoo said,

CLAAAAANG—!

“What I am crafting today is a metal gauntlet. A metal gauntlet protects the wrist and hand while preserving flexibility, making it superior to any other gauntlet. It is also excellent in terms of design.”

As he continued speaking, Hyunsoo began concentrating even more deeply.

[You fall into an extreme state of selflessness.]

His mouth was explaining, but his mind was focused on crafting.

First of all, the better the mineral used, the better a metal gauntlet would be, and Hyunsoo was the owner of the title Mineral Maker.

The effect of Mineral Maker was that his understanding of minerals reached 100%.

Through that title, he could know the following.

The properties of Plunder Mineral felt about half adamantium and half mithril.

Adamantium was hard, and mithril was flexible.

Understanding and grasping those properties, he had to make plates to cover the back of the hand and the entire hand, crafting them according to the user’s hand size and other details.

Next, he also used chain mail he had in his inventory.

Just because it was a metal gauntlet did not mean it was made of 100% plate metal.

The metal plates and chain mail must be connected for the fingertips and wrists to become flexible and feel less stiff.

Then, before he knew it, Hyunsoo placed the linked gauntlet on the worktable.

It was still uneven, imperfect, and ugly, a black gauntlet.

Scrape, scrape, scrape—

He polished it, colored it, and made it complete.

Truly, in an instant.

The unimpressive gauntlet began to shine with a harmonious blend of black and violet light.

What was even more astonishing was this.

[It harmonizes with the artifact you are wearing.]

He did not forget that the gauntlet had to harmonize visually with the existing armor.

Finally.

It was the work of carving the name “Hyun” into it and announcing it to the world.

Hyunsoo drew in the logo of the brand “Hyun.”

I can only make weapons? Not a chance.

Of course, he could not know exactly what grade would appear.

And the moment he silently murmured that it was complete.

[Secret Quest: Admiration reveals itself.]

Huh?

[Secret Quest: Admiration is a quest in which you earn recognition by proving to those who respect and admire you that you deserve such admiration.]

[By raising their blacksmithing skill one level higher, you have engraved upon them that you are fully worthy of admiration.]

[Congratulations.]

[You have discovered one of the hidden modifiers!]

[The modifier you discovered is “Admiration.”]

[The Demon’s Gauntlet of the Admired One begins to stir!]

A modifier granted additional power.

If Mythic just appears here!?

Hyunsoo’s heart pounded.

If that happened, an incredible gauntlet might be born into the world.

The grade was determined immediately.

[It is Transcendent grade.]

[You acquire Dexterity +200.]

[You acquire Fame +500.]

Ugh......

However, Hyunsoo felt disappointed.

In the end, it had not reached Mythic.

And while making the artifact “Demon’s Gauntlet of the Admired One,” there was one thing he desperately hoped for.

The Demon’s Gauntlet Crafting Method.

Looking there, it said this:

It would steal many things such as MP, skill cooldown, and status ailment resistance and make them the user’s own.

However, a passive skill that applied all of those at once could be called practically impossible.

But it isn’t necessarily impossible.

Because passive skills were not the only kind of skills in Ares.

Active skills.

Skills that users loved just as much as passive skills, because they could be “activated whenever the user wanted.”

If it had even one such thing as an active skill?

Then this artifact’s creation would be a success.

Also, only when passive and active effects formed a proper harmony could it truly be called an excellent artifact.

Please, appear!

Tense, Hyunsoo checked the information for “Demon’s Gauntlet of the Admired One.”

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