Genius Blacksmith's Game

Back when the Great Archdemon Gremory had been raided.

Several videos had remained in the world as highlights.

People said masterpieces were things people kept returning to.

Videos that had first recorded thirty to fifty million views had, at some point, risen to sixty million, even one hundred million views.

There were many kinds of those highlights, and the person who had uploaded most of them was none other than—

Ian, the editor of Hyun’s Forge.

The highlights came in several varieties.

-Valhalla and the Twin Dragon Sword.

A video of Valhalla drawing the Twin Dragon Sword embedded in Gremory’s chest and fighting with it.

-Hyunsoo and the White Tiger Sword.

A video of Hyunsoo appearing with the cry of the White Tiger ringing out from far away, setting his sword upright and murmuring, “Cry, White Tiger.”

-Gremory’s End.

And even the video of Hyunsoo hunting the Great Archdemon Gremory by flowing seamlessly through the fierce battle with the Sword King’s Rampage, Absolute Invincibility, Accumulation, and Cut Them in Two.

The first Great Archdemon ever raided had left so many highlight videos in the world.

Like those.

There was another video that had recorded more than fifty million views.

The surprising fact was that there was no fighting whatsoever in that video.

Even so, there was a reason that video was popular.

It was a video featuring Valhalla, known as the world’s greatest ranker, together with Hyunsoo, who was chasing after him with terrifying momentum.

-Valhalla. And...... Hyunsoo.

The moment one clicked the video, the supreme Valhalla appeared.

He was a handsome man with beautiful lines that seemed drawn by a god, tall and slender.

In stark contrast, his gaze, beyond Babylon held upright like the embodiment of the devil itself, was turned toward one man.

“I, Valhalla, promise to uphold morality and discipline within the swordsman’s code.”

A dignified, powerful voice.

A firm conviction, and the fighting spirit writhing inside it.

Beyond Babylon, raised at a right angle, the beautiful man’s eyes gleamed as he recited the swordsman’s code, and it was unlike anything else.

“I respectfully request a duel with you.”

CLAAAANG!

The aura and figure he radiated as he struck Babylon down with one hand.

It was enough to captivate the entire world.

Someone’s idol.

Someone’s object of admiration. Someone’s, someone’s......

A man who could have dozens of titles attached to him and still not have enough.

And that man had requested a duel from someone for the first time.

The man who heard him stopped walking and slowly turned around.

If Valhalla had been crafted by a god, then he seemed like a man who had forged himself.

Broad shoulders and black full plate armor that fit him perfectly.

The White Tiger Sword with its white blade hung at his waist, and on his back was a cloak bearing a crossed hammer-and-anvil emblem.

They were roughly the same height. His eyes were long and sharp, with no double eyelids, and he was a man with a high nose and bold features.

The video made viewers’ hearts burn hot just from the two of them facing each other.

The end of that video was this.

“Do you not have a conscience?”

It was an utterly hollow ending.

Even so, the reason this video was a highlight, and the reason its views had recently begun exploding, was one thing.

It was because the shameless Valhalla and the exhausted Hyunsoo of that time had promised something for the future.

-Valhalla vs. Hyunsoo.

-Hyunsoo vs. Valhalla.

The two comments sitting beneath that video had received tens of thousands of likes.

Those two comments, which had stayed pinned near the top for quite some time, were pushed down by a newly rising comment.

The comment that had surged upward and firmly taken first place.

-The decisive battle.

It announced that the day was drawing near.

*****

The person who watched that video for the first time in a long while.

It’s electrifying.

Was none other than Hwan.

Hwan was also a user.

He had been looking forward to the duel between those two more than anyone.

However, as a high-ranker.

As Korea’s greatest user, he thought,

All of Valhalla’s skills, stats, and titles are centered on combat.

The rumor that the number of titles Valhalla possessed was six times that of an ordinary user was probably true.

The problem is experience, innate gamer talent, and skill application.

A single instance of control could decide the match.

It was a rule that applied to everything.

Hyunsoo possesses a huge amount of stats for his level and is armed with the strongest artifacts. And because his artifact skills are among the highest tier of combat skills, he can deal enormous damage. The problem is......

The gap in skill.

Even if Hyunsoo used artifact skills to neutralize Valhalla’s title as a pioneer—

The control that had made Valhalla reign in the sky was a domain Hyunsoo could not help.

There was only one way to neutralize that at present.

Strike with higher damage, protect himself with higher defense, and shield himself with higher status ailment resistance.

I’ve joined the nation of Hyun anyway.

He intended to give without holding anything back.

“......O wise, sagacious, holy god who has crossed dozens of lines of death and the threshold of death itself, please save me and Hwarang from the world...... In conclusion, Hyunsoo, my god.”

“......Wait, is this why you offered me the Hwarang Guild?”

“......”

At this point, he was doing it openly.

Just moments ago.

Hyunsoo had launched the Bengers “Zero Two” Prohibition Act for “Hyunsoo is a god,” but it was useless.

This guy isn’t normal either......

At this point, it was reasonable to suspect that he had offered Hwarang just because he wanted to do this.

Worse, when Hwan completely ignored Hyunsoo’s prohibition act, Bengers, who had been nearby, even quietly lifted his head.

Then he started taking the rhythm little by little, trying to sway his hips.

It was enough to drive a man insane.

But soon, Hwan shared a quest with him.

“......Your believer Hwan offers this to you.”

“???”

Ding!

[You have received a shared quest.]

[Hidden Quest: Trial of the Star of Knowledge.]

Grade: A

Reward: Wisdom +3.

Restriction: One proposed by ??? King.

Failure Penalty: Affinity with the Star of Knowledge decreases.

Description: In the Kingdom of Ruad, there is one known as the Star of Knowledge. Please defeat him in his trial.

After receiving the shared quest, Hyunsoo looked puzzled.

Wisdom 3?

Hyunsoo had almost no need for the Wisdom stat.

Yet the reward for the quest Hwan had handed over while saying he was offering it was Wisdom +3?

At that, Hwan let out a soft, smug laugh and said,

“This is a quest I obtained with great difficulty. This quest connected to the Star of Knowledge is a linked quest.”

“Why does that matter?”

“......At the end of this linked quest, the reward appears to be a blessing. And one related to combat classes at that.”

“......A blessing!!”

Hyunsoo was impressed.

In the game Ares, blessings remained precious rewards no matter how much time passed.

The NPCs of Ares did not suddenly come into existence.

Just because an update happened, tens of thousands of them did not suddenly appear out of nowhere.

And furthermore, this thing called a blessing was power bestowed by one person upon another.

Because of that, blessings were limited and could not be bought even with money.

Therefore, if Hyunsoo obtained a combat-class blessing through this information Hwan had acquired, it would be an excellent reward.

“This is exactly when you need even 1% attack power, 1% defense, 1% skill attack power, and so on to count.”

Hwan laughed again, as if asking what Hyunsoo thought.

Of course, that did not mean Hyunsoo was the kind of man who would allow “Hyunsoo is a god.”

“Continue calling me a god.”

“Hyunsoo is a god!!”

It was the moment Hwan, now formally allowed to say “Hyunsoo is a god!” was moved beyond measure.

Also, for Hyunsoo, just as Hwan had said, this was a time when even 1% attack power and 1% defense mattered.

There was no need to put it off.

“I’m going immediately.”

Hyunsoo was the kind of man who struck while the iron was hot.

Hyunsoo quickly purchased and tore a Warp Scroll leading to the Kingdom of Ruad.

Of course, since Hyunsoo was the king of another country, he had already unequipped his dazzling artifacts.

“My god, save the world.”

“......”

And as Hyunsoo vanished into light, Hwan’s sparkling eyes made him feel uneasy, wondering if he had approved this for nothing.

Once again, Hwan was a man who would later become pope.

A man who would become pope shouting, “Hyunsoo is a god.”

In one sense, perhaps it truly was the image of a devout believer.

Meanwhile.

The slave of slaves.

The Grand Slave Raon.

No......

He was being overtaken by anxiety, as if someone were stealing his position as slave(?).

I need to work even harder too!

For reference, one of these people was the Quick-Draw Prodigy, and the other was the Legendary Grand Thief.

That must not be forgotten.

*****

-Kimura, nothing unusual going on?

“Yes, sir, nothing unusual! Please don’t worry!”

-All right. You’re working hard. I’ll return once the World Championship is over.

Japan Special User Management Team.

Kimura, a new employee, ended the call with his team lead.

Just as Korea had sent Team Lead Kim as a coach, Japan had also sent the team lead of its Special User Management Team to Korea.

Damn Korean bastards.

Kimura ground his teeth.

Back when it had been only a week since he joined the company.

Korea’s Zero-grade user, Hyunsoo, had visited the Japanese server.

Of course, since all servers had been integrated, that alone was nothing special.

What had been special was simply this: he had been the first entrant to the “Heavenly Realm” managed by Japan.

To be precise.

He took Cerberus and named it Hope? Are your eyes broken!?

What had been special was that he had taken the hell beast Cerberus away, calling it “the new youngest.”

That day, the Japan Special User Management Team, along with the entire Japanese branch, had been thrown into chaos.

Strictly speaking, it was because Cerberus was under the Japanese branch’s management, and because Cerberus had become nothing more than some user’s “Hope.”

“Ugh......”

Kimura’s expression went faint as he recalled that memory.

The entire team worked overtime for a whole week......!

Then he gave a small laugh.

Valhalla obviously wins this.

He, too, was looking forward to the story the entire world was now waiting for.

And back then.

Inflexible bastards.

For a brief moment, he had resented the Korean Special User Management Team for not telling him exactly what the problem was.

Of course, now that he was approaching a respectable month and a half on the job, he had shaken off his rookie awkwardness.

Since the [N O V E L I G H T] team lead was absent, Kimura comfortably propped both legs on the desk in front of his monitor and crunched away on snacks.

Then—

[Korea’s Zero-grade user has visited again. Caution advised.]

“......?”

Just like last time.

A warning message had arrived from the Korean Special User Management Team.

Kimura gave a hollow laugh.

Once, sure, that could happen. But is it possible to cause something special twice? Does he have antennae for sniffing out special cases or something?

He was even more dumbfounded because he knew who had sent this message.

We’re both regular employees, so what’s with the attitude?

It was a petty thought.

Since Korea also had no team lead present right now, he assumed the sender was probably a regular employee like him.

But after thinking that for a moment, Kimura corrected himself.

Didn’t I get into huge trouble last time because I thought like this?

Kimura had grown.

The Japan Special User Management Team could not view the quests, character information, or various other details of a Zero-grade user, but the Korean side could.

In other words.

They’re sending a danger signal?

The Korean team had sent a “warning signal” last time as well.

He had simply taken it too lightly.

Thanks.

Kimura straightened his posture.

Then he checked the additional message he had not yet opened.

[He is believed to be visiting the Kingdom of Ruad.]

Kingdom of Ruad?

It was a kingdom located within Japan, one of the kingdoms that was neither especially remarkable nor especially flawed.

Why there?

At that moment, another message arrived.

[He is going to meet the Star of Knowledge.]

“......The Star of Knowledge?”

Kimura tried to recall information about the Star of Knowledge.

However, the Special User Management Team had to learn information about tens of thousands of special NPCs.

And since he was still only a month and a half into the job, there was no way he could have learned them all, so Kimura needed to view the detailed information.

[Alrod, the Star of Knowledge, is an individual who gives trials suited to each class group. Upon passing his trial, a user can obtain the Wisdom stat and proceed with a quest that may lead to a blessing.]

Why is this a problem?

Looking at it like this, it was not a particularly special quest.

However, beneath it was a section labeled “Special User Management Team Authority.”

In other words, it was content only the Special User Management Team, Representative Lee Sejin, or the Japanese branch head could check.

Click.

When he clicked it, more detailed information appeared.

[To the public, he is known as a raconteur. However, his true identity lies somewhere far more special.]

“......?”

Soon, Kimura’s eyes trembled as he learned what made him special.

[He is a Legendary Blessing Maker with the ability to create blessings.]

A Legendary Blessing Maker.

That was the true identity of the Star of Knowledge whom Korea’s Zero-grade user was about to meet.