Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: The Blacksmith's Duel (1)
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Hyun-soo had refused decisively, yet a part of him still felt a pang of regret.
‘*150 million a year is a staggering amount…*’
The vice-master of the Bowsmiths’ Tower was said to be at least a baronet-level position, but it was probably even higher.
That was likely due to the unique nature of the blacksmithing profession.
‘*No. I won’t regret this.*’
Hyun-soo quickly composed himself.
He took a moment to carefully consider his own worth.
First, there were the two items he’d sold at the auction house.
Hyun-soo had checked to see if there was any precedent for artifacts made by newly class-changed blacksmiths selling for such a high price.
‘*Nothing like it had ever sold for even half that price.*’
Furthermore, while the tower masters here were exceptionally skilled, they also possessed the ‘power of skills.’
As far as he knew, the men before him were estimated to be at the artisan level.
‘*Am I really less skilled than them? What will happen when I reach their level?*’
When he reached the same level as them, would Colson still be someone who deserved to be above him?
He wouldn't be.
‘*A God-class is a first of its kind.*’
He didn't think for a second that he had obtained such a class for no reason.
Just then.
“Ha, hahaha, hahahahaha!”
Daeng suddenly erupted into a fit of maniacal laughter. His outburst made the other tower masters visibly uncomfortable.
But he paid them no mind and continued to laugh heartily.
He had earned the right.
The tower masters had collectively cornered Daeng.
*Isn't it impossible? Why did you assign such a ridiculous task!*
But the man had completed the mission more brilliantly than they could have imagined and hadn't fallen for Colson's bait.
Colson glared at Daeng.
“Ah, my apologies.”
Colson glared at Daeng, who made a show of wiping away tears, then whipped his head away.
He stared at Hyun-soo as if he wanted to devour him.
Colson was thinking the exact same thing Daeng had been.
‘*Refusing to work under me…?*’
Hyun-soo had clearly offered a polite refusal. But Colson felt he had been disrespected.
It also stemmed from a sense of inferiority.
The Stone of Talent.
All the tower masters had once struck the Stone of Talent in the tower.
Daeng had left a deep gouge, while Colson had only managed a scratch. Because of that, he felt inferior to Daeng.
But now, his inferiority complex boiled even hotter toward the outsider before him.
He was a petty man by nature. The moment his offer was rejected, this was his first thought.
‘*I want to ruin him.*’
The myth didn't matter to him.
If I can't have him, wouldn't it be better to destroy him?
Besides, even if he had unlocked the power of a god, he was nothing more than a fledgling.
‘*Someone who’s just set foot in this land.*’
Moreover, he had no idea how the man had split the Stone of Talent.
Outsiders were known to appear with various tricks up their sleeves, different from those who lived in this land.
‘*He might have had some other fortuitous encounter.*’
The tower masters couldn't claim to be the absolute best among all blacksmiths.
There were reclusive masters living on the continent whom they knew nothing about.
One only had to look at the legendary class that Smith the Blacksmith had attained.
He had been able to walk that path thanks to a legendary blacksmith.
‘*What kind of encounter did he have?*’
But still, he was a rookie.
Colson spoke.
“How dare a punk like you refuse my offer?”
Hearing those words, Hyun-soo’s face contorted.
‘*A punk like me?*’
Colson's lips twisted into a sneer.
“Do you really think you can survive in this small world of blacksmiths?”
Daeng realized the situation was serious.
‘*I knew he was an idiot, but…*’
He never imagined Colson would react this way. He felt the need to intervene.
Just then, the outsider named Hyun-soo spoke.
“Survive? Don’t blacksmiths prove their worth through skill?”
“...!?”
The tower masters present wore shocked expressions. It was an incredibly bold and arrogant statement.
How could he say such a thing right to a tower master's face?
Daeng felt it too.
‘*Was this the kind of person he was…?*’
On second thought, Daeng didn't know much about him either, only that he had split the Stone of Talent and completed the mission.
Then, Daeng looked at his expression.
‘*…Calm.*’
His gaze was unwavering.
Arrogant people usually have a distinct, haughty look about them.
He wasn't arrogant at all.
Then what?
‘*He’s controlling the situation?*’
With an intrigued expression, Daeng decided to watch how things unfolded.
And Hyun-soo was indeed taking it all in calmly. Colson had said it himself.
*Could he survive in this small world?*
Countless tower masters were present in this very room.
In this situation, Hyun-soo couldn't say ‘I'm sorry,’ nor could he shout in agitation.
He had to show them.
And Hyun-soo had the skill to back it up.
‘*If he doesn’t react the way I want him to…*’
It could become a problem. But knowing this type of person, he had to gently guide him.
“Really? With skill? You’re saying you have such great skill, are you? Hmm?”
Colson sneered.
And Hyun-soo's eyes gleamed.
“Then how about this.”
He took the bait.
“We’ll have a blacksmith’s duel.”
“A blacksmith’s duel?”
“Swordsmen duel with swords. Archers with bows. Mages with magic. It’s the same for us blacksmiths.”
Colson glanced around at the tower masters.
“We’ll forge swords right here and clash them against each other.”
“What do you mean by clashing them?”
“When two swords clash, the superior, stronger sword will chip and damage the lesser one.”
Hyun-soo nodded.
“The one whose sword is damaged loses.”
Listening to this, Daeng frowned.
“What do you think you’re doing? Even if this man has unlocked the power of a god, that power is still incredibly weak.”
“Ah, of course.”
Colson grinned.
“If you can damage my sword by just 5% after three clashes, I’ll consider it your win. Furthermore, we’ll both be using the exact same materials.”
Colson chuckled maliciously.
Hyun-soo’s mind raced.
‘*He must have countless buffing skills, but I don’t yet.*’
For now, Hyun-soo only had a single title and one skill from the God of Blacksmiths.
‘*At least I’m no longer under any restrictions.*’
Whether it was a level 1 artifact or a level 500 one.
As long as he had the materials, he should be able to make it.
Then, a thought occurred to him.
‘*Inflict 5% damage?*’
Suddenly, something came to mind. He remembered the skill he had just acquired: ‘God's Custom Production.’
As Hyun-soo mulled it over and fiddled with the system, a strange light appeared in his eyes.
‘*It actually works?*’
When he first checked God’s Custom Production after getting the God of Blacksmiths title, he had felt it was a little underwhelming.
‘*Looking at it this way, this seems even more broken…?*’
Just a single skill gained after becoming a descendant of a god.
The problem was, this one skill made it possible to do things that far surpassed his common sense.
‘*Especially in a situation like this.*’
*Inflict 5% damage.*
Convinced it was possible, Hyun-soo reeled in Colson, who had already taken the bait.
“Why should I go through all that trouble?”
Colson stroked his chin.
Indeed, the man had no real reason to accept this proposal.
‘*These people are blinded by the promise of reward.*’
Colson mistakenly believed he was good at handling outsiders.
“If you win, I’ll give you one of my crafting designs and 5,000 gold. Moreover, the more damage you inflict, the better the design will be. In return, if you lose, you’ll have to work in my smithy for one month.”
Ting!
[Quest: The Blacksmith's Duel has been generated.]
[Quest: The Blacksmith's Duel]
Grade: S
Requirement: One who has received Colson's proposal.
Reward: Bow Crafting Design, 5,000 Gold.
Failure Penalty: Work for one month in the Bowsmiths' Tower.
Description: Achieve 5% damage to win the blacksmith's duel against Colson!
Hyun-soo’s eyes widened.
‘*5,000 gold?*’
That was a fortune.
And the bow crafting design felt very appealing. A crafting design was similar to a restoration method, but different.
These designs could drop from monsters, but they could also be obtained from other blacksmiths.
And the more skilled the blacksmith, the higher its value.
With a design like this, ordinary blacksmiths could gather the required materials and simply press ‘auto-craft’ to get something close to the intended artifact.
But a crafting design from the master of the Bowsmiths’ Tower?
Of course, the quality would depend entirely on how much damage Hyun-soo could inflict.
‘*If my prediction is correct…*’
He might just get his hands on an absurdly powerful design.
“I’ll do it.”
Hyun-soo accepted the quest. At that, Colson’s lips stretched into a vile grin.
‘*I’ll make you mine, one way or another.*’
One month working under him.
‘*Somehow, during that month, I will win you over.*’
And the tower masters who witnessed this looked at Hyun-soo with pity for making such a reckless choice.
Rek, the master of the Shieldsmiths' Tower, spoke.
“...You were arrogant. If you fail to prove that arrogance, you will lose the trust of the tower masters here.”
Others chimed in.
“Why would you make such a choice…”
“I think your only way out is to apologize right now.”
“A pity, truly a pity. Tsk, tsk!”
As they spoke, they all stood behind Colson, looking at Hyun-soo.
But Daeng alone remained by Hyun-soo’s side.
Soon, they began to move.
They went to the floor directly below, where the smithies were located.
Hyun-soo and Colson stood before two smithies facing each other.
Daeng snapped his fingers.
Snap—
In that instant.
Holograms of the hundreds of materials used to craft swords available in this tower appeared.
It was similar to the Magic Smithy, but different.
All of them were real.
Furthermore, unlike the sword from the Magic Smithy, the one Hyun-soo crafted here would become his property.
In other words, Hyun-soo had not only gained 5,000 gold but also the opportunity to use materials he couldn't obtain at his level.
“You may begin.”
With Daeng's words.
Colson entered his smithy and immediately lit the furnace.
Daeng also entered the smithy with Hyun-soo.
Once inside, Daeng looked at Hyun-soo.
Daeng wasn't on Hyun-soo's side because he liked him. He was simply by his side because he wanted to witness the myth.
And to be honest, Daeng felt the same as the other tower masters.
“That was reckless. Why did you do it? Even if he is the master of the Bowsmiths’ Tower, he is still a blacksmith of the highest echelon.”
After saying that, Daeng sighed.
“My apologies. The fault isn't yours, but his.”
Daeng was an honest man.
Anyone could see that Hyun-soo had done nothing wrong.
If anything, it was arrogance.
Then he asked.
“What kind of sword are you going to make? Can you really craft a sword that can inflict over 5% damage?”
But Hyun-soo seemed to be lost in thought.
“Hey?”
“Ah, yes. A sword that can cut swords.”
Snapping out of his thoughts, Hyun-soo said this, and Daeng gave a bitter smile.
‘*A slip of the tongue, I see.*’
A sword that cuts swords?
When two swords clash, one cannot cut the other.
Given their elasticity and strength, ‘breaking’ is the more accurate term.
‘*Is he saying he wants to break Colson’s sword?*’
Well, that was a natural thought.
So Daeng didn't think much of it.
***
Rrrrrrumble—!
As he lit the furnace, Hyun-soo gave a wry smile.
‘*Will this really work?*’
But judging by the description of the ‘God’s Custom Production’ skill, he guessed it was possible.
For the first time, Hyun-soo activated ‘God’s Custom Production.’
[Beginning God's Custom Production.]
[You can proceed with a custom production for another individual or for yourself.]
[Through custom production, you can imbue a desired effect. Depending on the probability, the desired effect can manifest with up to 100% success.]
*You can imbue a desired effect.*
There was only one effect Hyun-soo wanted, and he would have to see if it was possible.
‘*Apply the skill effect: Sword-Cutting.*’
[Applying the Sword-Cutting skill effect. Beginning custom production.]