Genius Blacksmith's Game

Team Korea’s waiting room was crowded with people.

Lee Daeho.

The former zookeeper hugged his daughter tight as she came in with his wife.

“Oh, my baby girl!”

“Daddyyy!”

Some friends had come just to cheer on a player.

“You think you can do it?”

“Bro, do you even know me?”

And one participant, who had just been eliminated from the unpopular long-jump event, was sobbing her eyes out while her family comforted her.

“It’s okay. You were amazing.”

“Oh, we’re so proud of you, sweetheart!”

She was one of the participants who had simply wanted to earn a lot of money.

She bawled from sheer frustration, and the people who looked like her longtime friends said,

“Stop crying. We have to upload a proof shot.”

“.......”

They were true friends.

In any case, she quickly stopped crying, took proof shots with her friends, and people gathered in small groups to share the lunchboxes they had packed.

In the middle of all that, one man sat alone.

It was the vice-captain, Hwan.

The master of Korea’s Hwarang Guild and a genius of quick-draw swordsmanship, Hwan.

Ordinarily, he should have been surrounded by more people than anyone else.

On top of that, Hwan was participating in the afternoon event, Mob Hunting.

Yet there was a reason no one was with him.

......This is my fault.

Sitting there bitterly, Hwan looked around.

Bengers, the muscular giant who had always filled the space, was not there.

Neither were the executives of Hwarang Guild.

Friends?

There was no way a game addict like him had any.

Family?

They had not come today either.

For one reason.

On the TV screen, the commentators’ voices seized the eyes and ears of everyone in the waiting room.

—The most anticipated match today is Mob Hunting.

—The rules of Mob Hunting are simple. Users from roughly 100 countries around the world hunt monsters that endlessly pour out in waves.

—The users who hunt the most monsters from the continuous summons will win the medals.

As they said, the rules of Mob Hunting were simple.

And it had gathered enormous attention for one reason.

—A great many viewers are looking forward to this afternoon.

—Why is that?

—I believe part of it is because the world’s strongest dealer-class users are participating in this event, Mob Hunting. And also because “he” will be appearing.

—By “he,” do you mean the person I think you mean?

—Yes, that’s right. Valhalla.

—Even hearing his name makes my heart tremble.

Valhalla’s participation itself had become a major topic.

And for many reasons like that, Bengers and many others had tried to stop Hwan from participating.

You know what will happen if Korea’s top ranker gets eliminated faster than users from other countries, let alone wins a medal!

Unfortunately, Hwan was one of the people who represented Korea.

The problem was that Hwan’s level was only in the 470s right now.

If he was eliminated faster than anyone, the exodus of Hwarang Guild’s members would accelerate exponentially.

And no one knew what would happen to the reputation of Hwarang, Korea’s best guild after the nation of Hyun.

Everyone had tried to stop him for that reason, but Hwan had chosen to participate.

It’s all my fault. Still.......

Hwan felt hurt.

The guild members.

And Bengers, who had taken it upon himself to be his aide.

Because Hwan had believed they were not business partners, but friends.

Even the captain, Hyunsoo, had not come, saying he was busy with kingdom matters.

Continental War: World Championship was only a festival, and if rankers staked everything on it, the framework they had built would inevitably be shaken.

Because of that, there were fairly large and long breaks between events.

It was a part that differed somewhat from the actual Olympics.

And before he knew it.

Only 30 minutes remained until the match began.

“.......”

The people in the waiting room took their families and acquaintances toward the participants’ spectator seats.

Left alone, Hwan finally became certain that no one was coming.

At that moment.

An unexpected person visited him.

*****

Knock, knock—

Valhalla.

Even while Continental War: World Championship was underway, he had rarely shown himself, but he came to Team Korea’s waiting room.

In fact, Valhalla had not shown himself or acted friendly with anyone during the tournament.

That was his personality.

Then why had he appeared here?

He knocked, entered, met Hwan, who was sitting alone, and got straight to the point.

“Do you know an old man named Bengers?”

“......?”

Valhalla was fluent in Korean.

When Bengers’s name came out of his mouth, Hwan looked puzzled.

“How do you know Bengers, Lord Valhalla?”

“Because he came to see me the day the rules for Mob Hunting were set and your participation was confirmed.”

“......Excuse me?”

Hwan looked confused.

Bengers had gone to see Valhalla?

No way......!?

Hwan felt a massive sense of betrayal.

Bengers had been the one who called himself Hwan’s aide.

Did he decide to become the aide of Valhalla, the supreme?

In that moment, he understood why Bengers had not come.

No matter what, after all the years we spent together, how could he......!

Together, they had promised to make Hwarang a world-class guild.

How could you do this to me!

A deep disappointment filled him.

Bengers’s departure would create an even greater departure of guild members.

In other words, Hwarang Guild would now disappear.

But that disappointment soon melted away like snow.

Because of the person standing before him.

Because it was Valhalla.

Hwan knew how shabby he was compared to Valhalla.

“......I see. Then did you come to tell me you’re recruiting Bengers? Please take good care of him.”

Hwan rose and spoke to Valhalla with sincerity.

“He is an excellent man. He does show symptoms of anxiety if he doesn’t eat chicken breast, but he is a more capable aide than anyone. I’m sure he will be of great help to you as well, Lord Valhalla.”

Hwan sincerely understood Bengers leaving like that.

Because if Bengers served Valhalla instead of useless him, a road of flowers would open before him.

But then.

“What adorable people.”

Valhalla ended up laughing.

“You misunderstand, Hwan. Do you know about the Cutting Gauntlet?”

The Cutting Gauntlet.

About one year ago.

An artifact had gone up at the auction house.

It was that very Cutting Gauntlet.

It was a Legendary artifact, and for “swordsmen,” it was like a dream artifact.

The reason was that it increased Cutting Power and sword-related skill Attack Power.

On top of that, it even increased basic sword Attack Power.

It was a broken item.

And the reason this Legendary artifact drew attention was the name written on the gauntlet.

Valhalla.

It was presumed to be something he had obtained by clearing some kind of quest.

Because of that, people around the world had shown interest in buying it.

Just the fact that Valhalla had used it gave it symbolic value.

The auction price had climbed all the way to 2.5 billion won.

But Valhalla had withdrawn it and given no reason.

Valhalla had his own reason.

Rather than sell this to someone else and strengthen an enemy, I’ll keep it.

That was why.

At the time, he had also gotten the money he urgently needed, so Valhalla no longer had any reason to sell it.

“Of course I know it.”

“Starting from the day you confirmed your participation in Mob Hunting, that old man Bengers came to me and asked me to sell him that Cutting Gauntlet.”

“Excuse me?”

“He said his guild master needed it. Naturally, I refused and blocked him. Then, afterward, your Hwarang Guild executives began contacting me one after another.”

Valhalla looked dumbfounded.

“After I blocked all of them, I don’t know how he found out, but that old man Bengers came to see me in person. From that day until just now, continuously.”

“.......”

The event had been confirmed one month ago.

For that entire month......

Bengers and the executives had gone to him like that.

Perhaps they had gone so far as to kneel and ask.

Or perhaps.

Please, our guild master absolutely needs that!

Our guild master needs that gauntlet!

It’s an artifact you don’t use anymore anyway, isn’t it!

Can’t you at least lend it to us? Please, just lend it to us once!

They might have shouted like that.

“He said he would chase me for the rest of my life if I didn’t sell it.”

As if he found it bothersome.

And yet, with eyes that seemed envious, Valhalla spoke.

Is there anyone who could act that way for a single person?

Valhalla thought there was not.

“I lost.”

The strongest man in the world admitted his own defeat.

“I sent it through the gift function. Use it and participate in the match.”

Tap, tap—

Valhalla patted his shoulder and turned away.

On one side of him as he left, there was an emotion he had rarely felt in his life.

Envy.

Someday......

Will I be able to have a team like that too?

Valhalla, the strongest user in the world.

It was the first thought he had ever had like that in his life.

That thought had been created by certain users in Korea, and it was truly a frightening thought.

After Valhalla left.

Hwan checked his phone.

[A gift sent by Valhalla has arrived.]

Inside his inventory, the gauntlet that had once stirred up the entire world had truly appeared.

(Cutting Gauntlet.)

Grade: Legendary.

Durability: 4,000/4,000

Defense: 64

Restriction: Level 400 or higher warrior class.

Special Abilities:

· Basic sword Attack Power increases by 15%.

· Cutting Power increases by 55%.

· Sword-related skill Attack Power increases by 25%.

Description: A gauntlet once worn by a Legendary swordsman who cut through everything.

When he clicked it on his phone to view its appearance, it was a black gauntlet.

It also belonged among the very highest tier of Legendary artifacts, and the increase in Cutting Power stood out especially.

“.......”

Hwan unknowingly stroked the image on his phone, then rose.

—Participants, please come to the arena.

At that sound, the man who had once been Korea’s greatest user prepared for the match.

And at the arena.

Unfortunately, Bengers and the guild members had not been able to apply for acquaintance spectator seats in advance, and until moments ago, they had been persuading Valhalla, so they had not been able to meet Hwan in the waiting room.

That was why.

—There appears to be a suspicious person dancing in the spectator seats.

—I do not believe this is good for young children to see. This teaches us the lesson that excessive drinking is not advisable.

On the electronic screen, Bengers was shown dancing Zero Two.

—No, what is that?

—I’m selling eyes that haven’t seen this.

—I’m buying eyes that haven’t seen this.

At first, the whole world shuddered......

—Why is he good at it?

—......He is extremely good. The line and movement of his hips are...... Ahem.

—He is better than most streamers. He’s like a professional dancer. On top of that, the old man’s writhing muscles and the steady.......

The old man was extremely good at dancing Zero Two.

Because of that, Hwan was able to find him, and the muscular old man Bengers danced even harder and more intensely.

It was the day the entire world saw one muscular old man’s dazzling Zero Two.

It was also the day Zero Two became popular around the world once more.

And since Hwan had spotted him, he could see the guild executives sitting beside him.

“Waaaaaaaaaaah!”

“Guild master, let’s gooooo!!!!”

“Hwarang! Hwarang! Hwarang! Hwarang!”

The most important thing to note was that this was Korea.

Before everyone criticized his arduous challenge.

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!”

“Hwan! Hwan! Hwan! Hwan!”

“Korea’s greatest ranker!”

“Hwan!!! You can do it!!!”

“Cut them down with quick-draw!!”

Even knowing he would not win a medal, they cheered him on.

And amid everyone’s cheers.

[Hyunsoo: I went all in on you.]

Hyunsoo, the captain who had been silent until now, spoke.

“.......”

Hearing those words, Hwan’s chest swelled.

At minimum, he had gone all in with a tremendous amount of money that might reach several billion won, simply because he believed in Hwan.

[Hyunsoo: You’re worth every bit of it.]

And he said it was not a waste.

Those words lit an even greater fire in Hwan’s chest.

That one sentence from Hyunsoo made him feel as if tears might fall again.

People who believe in me this much.

Because he had people like that, he feared nothing.

Like that, Hwan connected to his capsule, and the match began.

Meanwhile.

“All in.”

Hyunsoo, who had arrived late and was sitting in the waiting room, crossed his arms and let his sharp eyes gleam.

On the screen.

Watching Hwan log in and enter, he grinned.

“I believe in him. Going all in on him doesn’t feel like a waste at all.”

Hyein was standing beside him as the coach.

She realized something was strange.

Lord Hyunsoo, I’m pretty sure he had no money because he invested everything into the kingdom.......

She quietly checked Hyunsoo’s transaction history.

[30,150 won.]

Hyein was dumbfounded.