Reunion (10)
Ares is, in the end, a game.
Hyun-soo had become convinced of that fact while crafting the two Twin Dragon Swords of Transcendent grade.
Without the Saga Stone, those swords would have come out as Unique-grade at best—or perhaps something just shy of Legend.
They might not have even reached that level.
In Ares, where excellence was everything, superior materials formed the foundation for crafting even greater artifacts.
Of course, good ore alone wasn't enough.
Precise ratios were essential.
For Hyun-soo, it was his skill. For other blacksmiths, it was exceptional skills and stat bonuses from their class.
In short, creating a magnificent artifact required a perfect convergence of multiple factors.
Hyun-soo was the pinnacle of skill, but his ability to acquire materials couldn't keep up with his talent.
And the best materials themselves were incredibly rare, making them hard to obtain.
Then came the unexpected skill he'd gained.
Gathering
Gathering.
Just hearing the name might make it sound like a simple loot pickup skill.
But it's clearly the perfect skill to completely fill my biggest weakness.
He'd let out endless cries of "Whoa!" in awe.
Not trusting if it was a dream or reality, he'd checked the skill again.
■ Grade:Legend
■ Level:1
■ Penalty:None
■ Mana Cost:None
■ Effects:
◈ Applies to regular monsters and even Named monsters.
◈ Only applies to monsters you've contributed to killing.
◈ Gather blacksmith crafting materials from monsters that possess them.
◈ 3% chance of success.
◈ Higher success rate on Named monsters, with chances for much higher-grade materials.
◈ Targets with confirmed gatherable materials emit a black glow.
◈ Peek at the materials obtainable from glowing targets.
It was a skill so insane he kept muttering "This is crazy."
Blacksmiths draw most of their materials from nature itself.
Countless examples came to mind.
Ents, tree-like monsters known to inhabit the elven forests, boasted incredibly tough bark and high defense. Hunting them might let Hyun-soo harvest Ent wood, even if at low odds.
Or take the Ash Wolves he'd hunted before.
Those were powerful Named monsters. Low-level for sure, but untouchable for users at that stage.
From them, he might gather tough, premium hides like Ash Wolf leather.
Lost in such thoughts, Hyun-soo's eyes suddenly widened.
This is seriously insane...
In Ares, monsters dropped crafting materials on death.
But not just the standard stuff anyone could get—entirely new materials were possible too.
And the description noted higher-grade drops from Named monsters.
From a Legend-grade monster... Legend materials? Of course, not guaranteed, but the possibility exists.
One image flashed in his mind: a dragon.
In Ares, most crafting materials came from quests.
But what if you hunted a dragon?
And per the description, confirmed materials would display previews.
Like this:
[Dragon Scales obtainable.]
[Dragon Fangs obtainable.]
Hyun-soo finally understood.
This skill's power rivaled the god-tier skills from the Blacksmith God—like Custom Forge or Emergency Forge.
First, it enabled self-sufficient material gathering through hunting alone.
Second, it unlocked materials other blacksmiths couldn't dream of.
True, it was only Legend-grade.
But the catch: "Requires contribution to the kill."
Other blacksmiths, being weak, rarely hunted Named monsters.
But Hyun-soo was a powerhouse blacksmith.
Unlike them, he could wield god-like power.
He clenched his fist tight.
The fantasies of a real-world blacksmith were becoming reality.
Craft with materials dropped from demons or dragons!
Others could only pray for such drops.
Not me.
Hyun-soo dreamed big.
One day, hunt a dragon and forge armor or spears from its scales and fangs.
Dragon Spear, Dragon Armor, Dragon Blade... Ugh.
But harsh reality intruded.
The public had wondered if dragons even existed in Ares. CEO Lee Se-jin had confirmed it.
"They do exist. But reaching the level to raid one? It'll take users at least five years."
This was recent news.
Users speculated: Dragons must be level 800+.
That dream was distant indeed.
Time for a nap, then visit Dad.
He shelved the grand vision for now.
Even without dragons, this skill offered endless possibilities.
Hyun-soo logged out.
He had no idea then.
Dragons were level 800+, but Ares had dragon "variants" too.
While Hyun-soo slept soundly, the world was still ablaze.
As the year waned, World Ares—the sole daily dedicated to the game—dropped a bombshell article.
Master Craftsman Hyun Becomes No. 1 Player.
The Throne Has Changed Hands.
It was like pouring hot oil on an already raging global fire.
Ares was entering its fifth year.
Bahala had held the top spot unshaken for three years—until now.
World Ares's "No. 1 Player" meant the one with the greatest impact that year.
They immediately held a press conference.
Deputy Chief Hanna stood at the podium before hundreds of cameras.
"The simplest metric for selecting the most influential players is the World Message."
World Messages.
Exclusive to users recognized by the System itself.
Ordinary players never heard one in a lifetime.
"Hyun rang three World Messages this year. First: crafting a Legend above Legend. Second: demon hunt. Third: first Transcendent artifact and ascension to No. 1 Legend."
Her words recapped Hyun-soo's monumental achievements.
A Chinese reporter spoke up.
"You're aware Bahala rang four this year, right?"
Hanna nodded firmly.
"Of course."
"Hyun with only three surpassing Bahala? That lacks credibility."
Another Chinese reporter chimed in.
"I agree—it's dubious. Isn't this because you're Korean like him?"
Rude questions.
But Hanna was poised, her voice cool and commanding.
"We count it as four. The first Transcendent doubled as his Legend ascension—one event, two World Message-caliber feats, so it rang as one."
The Chinese reporters weren't convinced.
"World Messages are easier at low levels—do you acknowledge that?"
"Yes."
Everyone knew low-level feats triggered them more readily.
"Higher levels make it harder—they pioneer the impossible. Low-level users excel at what's already charted."
In essence: Hyun's feats weren't throne-worthy.
But Hanna was sharp.
"Low levels do trigger more easily, but World Ares judges impact. Legend above Legend is solid, but the demon hunt, first Transcendent, and No. 1 Legend are top-tier World Messages."
People ranked World Messages by prestige.
Top-tier: feats everyone knew, tried, and failed.
Simple reason—they were legendary impossibilities.
Hanna wasn't one to indulge nonsense.
They know Hyun had the biggest ripple this year, yet they spout this... He's really pissed off China.
She turned and left briskly.
"Deputy Chief, just one more on fairness—"
"...Dodging!?"
"Secret deal with Korea—"
Hanna chuckled inwardly.
They were from fringe Chinese rags.
In Korea, they called them trash reporters.
As she exited confidently, those few penned sensational pieces.
Deputy Chief Hanna, Korean-American. Fair No. 1 Pick?
Hyun: 3 Messages. Bahala: 4. Rankings Rigged by Counts Alone.
Ares communities exploded.
Chinese flooded Korean boards.
Most nations accepted Hanna's verdict.
World Ares's No. 1 was the year's biggest influencer—Hyun fit perfectly.
But Chinese users harped on message counts.
Communities boiled hotter by the minute.
Waking and scratching his head amid the uproar was one man.
"Nice?"
Hyun-soo.
He'd slept—and become World Ares's No. 1.
The title's impact was beyond imagination.
It rocketed his already skyrocketing fame even higher.
And there was one reason he grinned ear-to-ear.
Chinese users were swayed by trash articles, fueled by continental war salt.
But proving them wrong now could flip even them to his side.
"Thanks, trash reporters."
Thus, he pulled a card he'd won long ago.
He checked an old screenshot.
Seeing it, laughter bubbled uncontrollably.
Heh heh heh heh.
Hyun-soo was certain.
This single line would convert even the Chinese to subscribers.
As Hanna and the reporters said: top-tier World Messages were known impossibilities.
This? Straight-up 0-tier.
Why? Because all 2.5 billion users had tried it.
Congratulations!
You are the first user to successfully destroy the wooden training dummy.