Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Legendary Class Proposal (3)
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Special User Management Team.
[User Hyun-soo will now be able to receive the quest to change to the Legendary Class, Mad Lord.]
The notification on the monitor made Kim Tae-seok jolt upright.
“Crazy…!”
Normally, clearing up to stage 3 would result in an offer for the Epic Class, Mad Knight.
However, Hyun-soo hadn't received that offer.
That was because he had chosen to accumulate his rewards and had failed at stage 4.
And succeeding up to stage 4 should have resulted in the Epic Class offer for Mad Knight, along with the instructor's rare weapon and armor as a gift.
“This is unheard of…!”
Yes, this was happening because something completely unconventional had occurred.
Stage 1, Stage 2. Two goblins, one shot each.
And then, he had cleared stages 3 and 4 simultaneously.
“It seems Instructor Relson saw User Hyun-soo as the right person for the job.”
Moreover, Instructor Relson's affinity with Hyun-soo was now completely different from what it had been just ten minutes ago.
In Ares, a game with a high degree of freedom, things could happen that even the Special User Management Team couldn't predict.
But soon, Lee Ji-hee offered a wry smile.
“To be honest, didn't we already predict that User Hyun-soo would attain a Legendary Class?”
She had a point.
Although, he was walking a completely different path than they had imagined.
“User Hyun-soo will now become a Grade 2 Special User.”
The Special User Management Team monitored special situations and unexpected events.
The grades were typically divided from 1 to 5.
Grade 5 users were usually of little concern.
But from Grade 3, it was a different story.
The two of them stared at the monitor.
User Hyun-soo, after a moment of deep thought, gave his answer.
-I decline.
“…!?”
“…!?”
Kim Tae-seok and Lee Ji-hee’s faces were masks of astonishment.
On the monitor, Hyun-soo’s face, which held a small smile, showed not a hint of regret.
Just then.
*Beep-beep—*
A red light flashed on the monitor as a new notification appeared.
[User Hyun-soo has fulfilled one of the conditions for a God Class.]
[Promoting to Grade 1 Special Target.]
“A-a God Class!?”
Kim Tae-seok couldn't believe it.
There was a class that no one among the 2.5 billion players had yet obtained.
That was the God Class.
This class was the absolute pinnacle in the game of Ares.
“One of the conditions for changing to the Legendary Class Blacksmith was rejecting an Epic Class once…”
Similarly, to become the God of Blacksmiths, one had to reject a Legendary Class once.
Kim Tae-seok realized the gravity of the situation.
“What are the other conditions for becoming the God of Blacksmiths?”
This was Grade 1 confidential information, known only to team leaders and above.
However, since Kim Tae-seok couldn't monitor Hyun-soo 24/7, he told Lee Ji-hee.
“There are a few things, but for now, he needs to achieve two unbelievable feats within his profession.”
“Unbelievable feats…?”
“He accomplished the first one by creating Gwangmyeong. More importantly, he has to fulfill both of these conditions before reaching level 10.”
“Wow… that’s clearly impossible…”
Lee Ji-hee clicked her tongue. The condition itself was just too absurd.
After a moment of concern, Lee Ji-hee felt a sense of relief.
“Since it’s standard practice to hit level 10 as soon as you leave the beginner zone, it won’t be easy for him to meet that condition, right?”
“Probably?”
After the hunting zone, players arrive directly at a town.
Leaving that town leads to the real hunting grounds, where they start leveling up.
Someone like Hyun-soo would level up quickly.
But more importantly, it seemed unlikely that Hyun-soo would have any other opportunities to perform a feat.
Soon, Kim Tae-seok refocused on Hyun-soo on the screen.
“More than that, I’m curious why a user like Hyun-soo would turn down a Legendary Class.”
Kim Tae-seok focused on the monitor.
***
“I decline.”
Hyun-soo answered after a long moment of thought. Relson, who had naturally expected him to accept, looked utterly baffled.
“Why? If you become the Mad Lord, you will be truly great. You will seize the glory of leading the Mad Knights as their Lord. And that’s not all.”
He hurriedly began to pitch how incredible the Mad Lord class was.
“You are a skilled blacksmith, are you not? A Mad Lord who is also a blacksmith. Isn’t that magnificent!”
Hearing that, Hyun-soo had to admit it did sound compelling.
But his mind was unchanged.
In real-time, Hyun-soo had only been playing Ares for about ten days.
But in that short period, he had felt many things in this world.
The most important was that, like an ore full of impurities, once those impurities were stripped away, he was revealed to be a truly remarkable mineral.
‘I have value.’
He was keenly aware of his own worth.
He was certain.
‘Even if I refuse the Mad Lord now, I can still rise high as a blacksmith.’
It was a conviction.
By no means was it arrogance. It was a confidence that only Hyun-soo could possess.
There were other reasons, too.
“I like being a blacksmith. I’ve held a hammer in my hands since I was ten years old.”
“My boy, no matter how much you like the work…”
“It’s not just a matter of liking it. My heart still pounds when I hold a hammer, and I feel an ecstatic joy when I strike the metal. That’s right. I’m crazy about blacksmithing.”
Hyun-soo smiled faintly.
“Besides, I came here to have fun.”
Relson and Hyun-soo’s eyes met. Staring at him, Relson was speechless for a moment before letting out a hollow laugh.
“Ha, haha. You man, madly in love with blacksmithing.”
Soon, he was laughing heartily.
“Magnificent. Truly magnificent!”
Hyun-soo’s path, unswayed by any offer.
“So that’s how you were able to reach such a level at your young age.”
[Relson learns about the spirit of a true master craftsman.]
[Your affinity with Relson has reached MAX.]
[You have rejected the Legendary Class quest, Mad Lord.]
[You will receive an alternative reward for completing trials 2-4.]
[You have gained 2 points in all stats.]
“Wait here for a moment.”
Instructor Relson then went somewhere and returned with a suit of armor.
[You have acquired Mad Lord’s Old and Rusted Armor.]
Hyun-soo immediately inspected it.
(Mad Lord’s Old and Rusted Armor)
Grade: Rare
Durability: 300/1,000
Defense: 83
Restriction: None.
Special Abilities:
·Health +3.
·???
·???
·Passive Skill Damage Reduction.
Description: Armor once worn by the legendary Mad Lord. After 300 years, many parts are broken, and it seems it cannot be used for long.
Armor once worn by a legend.
“Three hundred years ago, this armor was even better than it is now. But it should still be excellent for you to use. I apologize that this is the only reward I can give you.”
Relson’s expression was one of genuine regret.
Hyun-soo examined the armor from all angles.
The plate armor was damaged in several places, with some parts dangling precariously.
As he looked it over, he saw the question marks next to ‘???’ and tilted his head.
“So you’re saying it was once more magnificent?”
“Indeed.”
“Then if I repair and restore it, it should regain its former glory.”
“That’s right, repair and restore… huh?”
For a moment, Relson was at a loss for words.
This armor was once great.
But over long years, it had become a relic.
The blacksmiths nearby had all said it was impossible to repair, impossible to restore.
But they were only novice blacksmiths.
“Y-you. You’re going to restore it?”
“Yes.”
“But how is that possible?”
“…Because it is?”
“You don’t even possess the mysterious power, do you?”
Mysterious power. That was what NPCs called skills.
“Do I need it?”
“Of course you do! As I understand it, blacksmiths only learn restoration-related techniques after reaching a certain level of expertise.”
Hyun-soo let out a small chuckle.
Yes, the system called skills did help those other blacksmiths.
“I don’t need anything like that.”
“…!?”
Hyun-soo knew why skills were necessary.
To restore an artifact, one needed information about it.
What it was made of, how it was constructed, which parts needed to be replaced and repaired.
It was impossible for ordinary users to determine all that just by looking at the armor.
But Hyun-soo was different.
‘The material appears to be an alloy. If I fix the parts that are about to fall off and remove the rust, it’ll be as good as new.’
He instantly understood the tattered leather and the ornaments on the armor, worn down by the passage of time.
‘This could be fun…’
Restoration work. It had been a long time.
When was the last time?
‘Ah, the Smelting Sword.’
The Smelting Sword, said to have been used by Haemosu.
The National Museum had commissioned its restoration, and Hyun-soo had personally restored it and returned it to them.
Then, a thought flashed through his mind.
‘…Could I restore the Smelting Sword here, too?’
At that thought, an unknowable thrill surged from deep within his chest.
The Smelting Sword, one of Korea’s legends.
But more than the Smelting Sword, there was another blade Hyun-soo wanted to restore or recreate.
It was the first dream he’d ever had, at the age of eleven.
‘The Tiger Blade of the Joseon Royal Family…’
The mere thought was exhilarating. The idea that he might be able to create a sword from history, even if only in a game.
But he set that aside for now.
For the moment, he would focus on the Mad Lord’s armor before him.
In a way, this armor was as legendary in this game as the Tiger Blade was in his world.
However, Hyun-soo ran into a problem.
“There’s no smithy here… sigh.”
Unlike the wooden dummy training grounds, this place had none at all.
Hearing his disappointed sigh, something sparked in Relson’s mind.
“Why do you say that?”
“…Pardon?”
Relson wanted to help Hyun-soo.
He had initially dismissed him, but now he had come to acknowledge him.
The biggest reason was that his affinity with Hyun-soo was at MAX.
“There is one at the Lord’s castle.”
“The Lord’s castle?”
“Yes.”
Moreover, Hyun-soo’s claim that he could restore the armor reminded Relson of something.
Something that, even after all this time, no one had been able to accomplish.
“My boy, do you have some expertise with bows as well?”
“I know a fair bit.”
His father’s smithy handled many things.
“This place is a territory, with a Lord and his castle. About a year ago, a fire broke out in the castle, and the Lord’s treasured bow was damaged.”
Hyun-soo’s brow furrowed. He sensed the beginnings of a significant quest.
“However, high-level blacksmiths from the outside cannot set foot here, so countless others have failed to restore it. Impossible. Yes, it has become a task that absolutely no one can achieve.”
Relson was saying this for one reason.
He felt sorry for having looked down on him and wanted to repay him.
And Hyun-soo had learned something while destroying the wooden dummies.
High risk, high return.
The greater the impossible feat, the greater the reward.
“I will write you a letter of recommendation. How about you go to the Lord’s castle, meet Lord Bans, and try to restore the bow?”
*Ting!*
[Hidden Quest: Meet the Lord]
Grade: B
Restriction: One who has received a letter of recommendation.
Reward: 10 Fame.
Penalty for Failure: Decrease in affinity with Relson.
Description: Meet Lord Bans.
Relson grinned slyly.
“Will you try it? The impossible task that no one else could do.”