Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: Live Auction (2)
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The first stage.
Hyun-soo deliberately tried a method no one else had.
He needed to showcase the effects of the artifacts he had spent ten days creating in the most dramatic way possible.
And he’d already made these gauntlets, which were all-in on strength, using Emergency Production while hunting the Stone Golem.
“Roun, thank you for the ten-million-won donation.”
Roun hadn’t donated yet, as he was waiting for the information to be revealed.
Hyun-soo said this to pressure him into keeping his promise.
“Hyeon has made an interesting proposal. He has suggested selling the three artifacts he crafted for this event through a live auction. The live auction starts now.”
Hyun-soo revealed the information on the artifact in question.
***
The name of the open chat room was Gung-U-Di.
Gung-U-Di was short for ‘Archers’ Friendship Until We Die.’
This chat room was home to many of South Korea’s most renowned archer players.
-Those gauntlets look interesting.
-It increases the range from 250m to over 400m? Damn.
-Looks like a gauntlet that massively boosts the Strength stat.
For the first time in a while, the Gung-U-Di chat room was buzzing.
It was all because of a pair of gauntlets featured on a stream.
-A live auction, huh? ㅎㅎ Is he trying to start a bidding war among the viewers?
-That’s only possible if the artifact is actually good. This blacksmith named Hyeon seems a bit too full of himself.
-Right? Using strength gauntlets to increase range. It’s a very good artifact, for sure. It seems to be Unique grade, but if it only jacks up the Strength stat and the other effects are useless, isn't it basically worthless?
-Exactly. The effects have to be good. What’s the point of a high grade? There are too many Unique items that are no better than Rares.
-Besides, aren’t gauntlets and thimbles just support items for archers?
Just then.
The information on the gauntlets was revealed.
(Hyeon's Ninth Custom-Made Gauntlet)
Grade: Unique
Durability: 7,000/7,000
Defense: 220
Requirements: No restrictions for the creator, Archer class Level 80 or higher.
Special Abilities:
·Strength +111.
·Bow Accuracy +15%.
·Arrow Critical Hit Chance +10%
·Active Skill: Precise Aim.
Description: Hyeon's ninth custom-made gauntlet. It dramatically increases the Strength stat, which in turn grants a significant boost to range, penetration, and destructive power.
The moment it was revealed, an archer exclaimed in admiration.
-Whoa… guys, this is insane.
He was the 87th ranked archer, a player named Hands Up.
-It doesn’t just raise Strength. What kind of gauntlet has 220 defense?
Ironically, smart players targeted an archer’s hands when fighting them.
It was to prevent them from easily firing their bow.
Therefore, defense was a very important attribute.
-Wow, for a support item to have these effects. And not a single one is useless for an archer. Damn, even the level requirement is low…
Support items referred to things like thimbles or accessories. They were generally far inferior in performance to main armor or weapons.
But this was a support item with effects so good they rivaled main armor.
-And it still has the main benefit of strength gauntlets, a +111 Strength stat bonus… Damn…
A +111 Strength stat bonus.
Archers generally had very low Strength.
This was because archers usually invested their stat points in Agility and Vitality.
Increasing Agility granted special effects like improved bow accuracy and penetration.
Did that mean Strength was unnecessary? Not at all.
It was just that investing in Agility was more beneficial.
However, the increased penetration, destructive power, and extended range that came from higher Strength could not be ignored.
Moreover, 111 Strength points were equivalent to dumping all the stat points gained from 20 level-ups into one stat.
-But why is everyone so quiet?
The archer Hands Up sensed something was off.
The chat, which had been bustling just a moment ago, had gone silent.
He would soon see their names in an unexpected place.
***
Hyun-soo waited.
*Take the bait, take the bait, take the bait.*
And soon, the effect became apparent.
-I’m interested in buying.
-Koru, the 15th ranked archer…?
-I’m also interested. If you sell to me, I’ll pay 1.5 times the market price.
-Gasp, Hansen, the 4th rank, is here too…?
-What are you guys doing here?
Immediately, the nicknames of some of the most famous archers in the country began popping up in the chat.
The number of viewers was also steadily climbing.
-I want to buy it.
-I want to buy it too!
-Hyeon, please sell it to me T_T
At that, Hyun-soo let out a small smile and spoke.
“The starting bid is 10,000 gold.”
10,000 gold.
It was a hefty sum, equivalent to ten million won. In terms of its actual value, it was on the low side.
But Hyun-soo knew. The bidding price would continue to rise.
“The auction will close at the end of this broadcast.”
The response was immediate and fervent.
-15,000.
-20,000.
-22,000.
-22,500.
-What am I watching right now…?
-What are all these high-ranking archers doing here…?
Hyun-soo responded calmly.
“Please send your bids via private message to Hyeon's Smithy. Thank you.”
Just then.
-Roun has donated 10,000,000 won.
-Oh, it’s a Unique.
Hyun-soo gave a bitter smile. And then, the second stage began.
The rules for the second stage were not difficult.
He had to raid two boss monsters by himself.
*The second item I made was a total failure.*
Hyun-soo smiled wryly.
Unfortunately, the second artifact’s effects weren’t very good.
No, it was actually the worst artifact he had ever made.
Hyun-soo looked at the monster that had appeared before him.
-Devolved Troll Lv.121
Trolls were originally high-level monsters, over level 270.
Although the Devolved Troll, the boss monster here, was much weaker than a real troll, it was tricky due to its regenerative abilities.
And he had to face two of them.
“The second item is pretty bad.”
Hyun-soo wore a disappointed expression as he watched the approaching trolls.
The only silver lining was that he was now strong enough to hunt them even with an artifact of this caliber.
Hyun-soo was now level 80, far stronger than he was during the Super Rookie tournament.
This was thanks to the swordsmanship of the Sword King Barad and the all-stat increase from crafting.
Soon, Hyun-soo revealed the artifact's information.
(Hyeon's Tenth Custom-Made Greatsword)
Grade: Common
Durability: 4,000/4,000
Attack Power: 286.
Requirements: No restrictions for the creator, Swordsman class Level 70 or higher.
Special Abilities:
·Attack Speed and Movement Speed -15%.
·Strength +6, Vitality +3.
·Active Skill: Cleave in One.
Description: Hyeon's tenth custom-made greatsword. It unintentionally received a penalty.
-Huh? What? Isn’t the difference between this and the first artifact too big?
-…? Proof that Hyeon was just lucky…
-The first was Unique and the second is Common?
-Even average blacksmiths can make something like that. A bit disappointing to see Hyeon make this.
-Agreed…
-Did he just pick out his best works for the auctions until now lol?
In an instant, the mood in the chat deflated again. But Hyun-soo charged forward.
Hyun-soo clashed with the two Devolved Trolls.
Roun, watching him, was greatly disappointed.
It wasn't because he couldn't hunt the trolls.
The troll hunt was proceeding splendidly.
It was just that Roun had been expecting this.
*I thought he might be the one who could catch the world's number one blacksmith.*
That’s what he had thought when he saw the first gauntlet.
Smith, the number one ranked blacksmith in the world.
*For some reason, he’s a blacksmith unaffected by probability.*
And he was the world’s only creator of Legendary artifacts. The only person to break the mold that said players couldn't craft Legendary items.
*Much of his information is hidden, but he is the world’s best blacksmith.*
But despite recruiting hundreds of people, Roun had not found anyone like that.
*So Hyeon is the same.*
The vast difference in quality between the first and second crafted items.
That was the proof that Hyeon fell short of Smith.
[Bill: Guild Master, how much should I offer for the contract?]
[Roun: 2 billion won should be enough.]
Even this was an incredibly high amount.
The only disappointment was that he hadn't met Roun's expectations.
*With that level of skill, no matter how hard he tries, he’ll never close the gap in the rankings with our guild.*
It was only natural that there would be a gap between those who had held their position from the start and a latecomer.
Then, as Roun checked the greatsword’s information one more time, a puzzled expression crossed his face.
He saw something he had missed in his disappointment.
*What’s this?*
The greatsword’s description read as follows.
*‘It unintentionally received a penalty?’*
***
5 days ago.
After crafting his second artifact, Hyun-soo heard the notification.
[It is an Epic grade item.]
[You have crafted an artifact made with God's Emergency Production twice in a row.]
[You will receive a penalty for crafting an artifact made with God's Emergency Production without a sufficient interval.]
[The artifact's grade will drop by two tiers, and its effects will be significantly reduced.]
“…What?”
Hyun-soo furrowed his brow.
Just like the God of Blacksmiths title, Ares had hidden penalties that players didn't know about.
Hyun-soo could guess why this penalty had appeared.
*Are they telling me not to take the easy way out?*
This partially disrupted his original plan.
It wasn't due to Hyun-soo's skill.
This greatsword had certainly been crafted superbly, and the notification had even said it was Epic grade.
But due to the penalty, he had ended up creating his first-ever Common grade item.
*It's fine, even if the second artifact is subpar.*
Instead, he had another thought.
*If I make the third one a huge success, won't the impact be even greater?*
But there was a condition. The third artifact had to be truly magnificent.
*I wasn’t planning on crafting something I’d made with Emergency Production for the third one anyway.*
The three artifacts Hyun-soo was crafting were all designed to display maximum power in each stage of the time attack dungeon.
*In the third stage…*
A large number of boss monsters appear. There was an artifact he had decided to craft in order to defeat them.
He had made the decision after a conversation with his father.
Back when he went to Jeju Island with his father, his father looked out at the vast sea and said something.
*‘Hyun-soo, did you know that Korea also had a legendary bow?’*
A smile formed on Hyun-soo’s lips.
Five days remaining.
Hyun-soo quickly began crafting.
And he completed it.
[You have crafted an artifact that is closest to Legendary.]
One of the bows from Korean legend.
***
Roun, Tae-hyun, headed to the conference room.
The Mad Rookie's broadcast was still ongoing, but he didn't feel it was worth his time to watch it.
Just then, as he opened the door and entered, Kim Tae-hyun saw the broadcast playing on the TV in the conference room.
“He cleared the second stage quite impressively, didn’t he?”
“The Mad Rookie himself is incredibly strong.”
On the monitor, the Mad Rookie was preparing for the third stage.
As Tae-hyun sat down, the others quickly fell silent.
“It’s fine, you can watch.”
Tae-hyun wasn't that strict of a guild master. Then, a question arose in his mind.
“What’s the third stage?”
A female employee explained.
“Thirteen werewolves appear.”
“Werewolves?”
Tae-hyun’s face scrunched up.
Werewolves were level 138 monsters.
Although they weren't boss-level, thirteen level 138 werewolves against someone who wasn't even level 100 yet?
“Of course, hunting them is impossible. Their hides are so thick that even players of the same level have a hard time. There’s no way a player who’s just in their 80s could hunt them. The third stage is about breaking through them and safely reaching the destination 300m away.”
“Hmm.”
Tae-hyun nodded. He watched the Mad Rookie preparing for the third stage.
-Why isn't he moving?
-Huh? What’s he doing?
-The werewolves are about to come out.
It was a place like a giant colosseum.
There were thirteen cages inside.
The iron bars of the cages holding thirteen werewolves began to rise.
“Huh? Why isn’t he moving?”
“He needs to start running right now.”
Tae-hyun asked.
“What’s the success rate?”
“Usually, 80% die on the way, and 20% barely succeed.”
Tae-hyun also looked at the Mad Rookie with a puzzled expression.
But just then.
The man on the monitor spoke.
-For the third stage, I’m going to try a special strategy.
A special strategy? What could that be?
Soon, the iron bars opened, and thirteen ferocious werewolves burst out at once.
Watching the Mad Rookie on the screen, Roun realized what the strategy was.
*Don’t tell me he’s going to hunt all thirteen werewolves?*
No, that was impossible.
He knew the player was quite strong, but that was just illogical.
Just then, he pulled a bow from his inventory and aimed it at the werewolves.
[Two artifacts closest to Legendary meet.]
[Their effects are enhanced by 10% each.]
Roun shot to his feet. Etched onto the tautly drawn bow were the characters.
*Thousand Geun Bow…?*
Soon, a small arrow he fired struck the werewolf leading the pack.
Thwack—
The power of the small arrow made the werewolf flinch. But the level gap was too high.
The werewolf, as if scoffing at him, was about to charge again.
Just then.
[The weight of a thousand geun is applied.]
[The weight of a thousand geun crushes the enemy.]
Rumble—
The ground where the werewolf stood caved in.
Its two feet were driven into the ground, as if someone were forcefully pressing down on it from above.
Craaash—
The ground collapsed, and the werewolf was slammed into the crater.
Yes, just as if a weight of a thousand geun had been dropped on it.