Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: The Examination (2)
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Kang Hyun-soo met with the construction company and finalized the contract. The smithy he had torn down would soon be rebuilt.
Smiling in satisfaction, Kang Hyun-soo logged in, only to hear a commotion outside the smithy where he found the old man, Pere.
Kang Hyun-soo quickly assessed the situation.
[Blacksmith Examiner Buks Lv. 299]
‘An examiner?’
He quickly realized.
This was the key figure from the Edroll Merchant Guild who had brought the Baras territory to its current state.
The problem was that his level was much higher than Kang Hyun-soo had expected.
Just then.
*Ding.*
[Sudden Quest: Ensure Victory in the Examination]
Grade: S
Requirement: One who has received Barad’s proposal
Reward: Significant increase in Development Level.
Penalty for Failure: Pere’s death.
Description: You have been tasked by Sword King Barad to develop the Baras territory. Help the old man Pere achieve victory in his examination.
The reward was a significant increase in the Development Level, and the penalty for failure was dire.
‘Pere’s death?’
He had only known the old man Pere for a day, but he was a very good person.
For now, Kang Hyun-soo observed the situation.
The man named Buks was more skilled than he appeared.
Judging by his level, he was at the Master Craftsman grade.
Pere, who had been working in the holographic smithy, saw Buks’s work and his face went pale.
Watching him let his forging hand drop listlessly, Kang Hyun-soo understood.
Pere had lost his will to continue.
Even to Kang Hyun-soo’s eyes, the gap between a Master Craftsman and a high-grade blacksmith was immense.
A single glance was enough to see that the examiner, Buks, was superior in skill.
‘Then I just have to teach him.’
Kang Hyun-soo took a step forward.
“Pay more attention to refining the sword’s tip.”
Pere turned his head. Seeing the conviction on Kang Hyun-soo’s face, he focused more on the sword’s tip.
A moment later, his expression turned to one of surprise.
Kang Hyun-soo continued.
“Make the blade sharper, more keen.”
*Clang, clang, clang—*
[Your understanding of swords has far surpassed your usual skill.]
Pere’s eyes trembled. This was strange.
Wasn’t this blacksmith just a beginner who had just rented a smithy?
Wasn’t his level merely 101?
So what was this?
Before he knew it, the man was standing behind him.
It was as if he and I had become one.
He began to speak, his voice at times strong, at times gentle.
“Relax your grip on the hammer.”
“When you strike the blade, you must strike it harder.”
“You need to work on increasing its hardness.”
“Harder, and sometimes, softer.”
[Your understanding of swords has far surpassed your usual skill.]
[Your understanding of swords has far surpassed your usual…]
From behind him, the man’s gentle voice spoke.
“Don’t forget that this sword will save your territory. This sword must become your masterpiece.”
It was strange.
He began to focus, captivated by the voice.
The only sounds were the voice and the clamor of the smithy, and his concentration surpassed its usual limits.
[You are receiving the teachings of a Master Craftsman.]
[You are surpassing your limits.]
For twenty years, Pere had been trapped within the confines of a high-grade blacksmith.
No matter how he struggled, he could not advance.
He thought it was a matter of his own capacity.
But he was wrong.
He came to realize.
It wasn’t a difference in talent, but perhaps a lack of a great teacher to guide him.
Before he knew it, he was tempering the sword, bringing it to completion.
[Pere has crafted an artifact nearest to the Legendary grade.]
[Pere has created the masterpiece of his life.]
[You have surpassed the level of a high-grade blacksmith and grown into a Master Craftsman.]
[Your affinity with Pere has increased.]
[Development Level has increased by 8%.]
[Sudden Quest: Ensure Victory in the Examination has been completed.]
Kang Hyun-soo looked puzzled.
‘Old man Pere is the one who grew, so why did the Development Level rise?’
And it had risen by a considerable amount.
Kang Hyun-soo soon figured out the reason.
‘Pere is a resident of the Baras territory. His advancement to Master Craftsman contributes to the territory’s development in itself.’
In fact, there were very few territories that had a Master Craftsman.
He knew that one of the conditions for an NPC to become a Master Craftsman was to craft an artifact nearest to the Legendary grade.
In other words, Pere’s existence alone was enough to develop the territory.
Meanwhile, Buks also finished crafting his sword.
Buks couldn’t hide his bewilderment.
‘What in the…?’
He had seen a strange blacksmith suddenly appear and give pointers to Pere.
The Blacksmith Examiner, Buks, had once worked in the Tower of Blacksmiths.
He had left the place in disgust and used his unique trait to subjugate other blacksmiths.
Comparing his sword to Pere’s, Buks doubted his own eyes.
‘This old man…?’
It was impossible.
Buks was a thorough man. He had already investigated the old man named Pere beforehand.
The lord was practically a puppet in their hands.
And he had recently learned that the person the lord sent was Pere.
He had intended to eliminate this final risk factor.
But he had failed.
Buks was so shocked he was at a loss for words.
Buks looked at the young blacksmith with a puzzled expression.
And then he realized.
‘The owner of that smithy?’
Buks was aware that a new smithy had opened. According to the report, the owner was a level 101 blacksmith.
This information couldn’t be falsified, so it was an undeniable fact.
‘What is he?’
Buks arrived at one possible answer.
‘An outlander specialized in teaching others?’
Outlanders possessed a wide variety of powers through their mysterious abilities.
Of course, he himself also possessed a unique trait.
If so, could it be that the man was specialized in teaching, but his own skills were completely worthless?
‘Right, they make equipment despite being ignorant of the blacksmith’s craft in the first place.’
Being what they were, it was possible they possessed such a power.
An unbearable rage boiled within Buks.
Because of that man, a year’s worth of effort had crumbled to dust. He strode toward him.
He would impose a mandatory examination on him, too, and perhaps take his life.
***
Special User Management Team.
At the summons of Team Leader Kim Tae-seok, Story Team Leader Lee Min-gyu hurried over.
Entering the Special User Management Team’s office, Lee Min-gyu saw the Blacksmith Examiner and Kang Hyun-soo on the monitor and put a hand to his forehead.
“Of all the people for the Blacksmith Examiner to run into, why did it have to be user Kang Hyun-soo?”
The Blacksmith Examiner, Buks, was a character meant for an important future episode.
It was an episode exclusively for blacksmiths.
Examiner Buks’s method of growth was unique. His level increased with every victory in his examinations.
The plan was to eventually make him the eleventh legend of the continent.
Not all continental legends could be good people.
In fact, nearly half of the ten continental legends were infamous villains.
Then, Kim Tae-seok asked a question.
“When user Kang Hyun-soo was teaching Pere, a notification for ‘Master Craftsman’ appeared, didn’t it?”
“Ah, that.”
Kim Tae-seok had already suspected as much, but it seemed he was asking for confirmation.
Kang Hyun-soo’s level was indeed 101, and his actual blacksmith grade was only intermediate.
“The God of Blacksmiths doesn’t have a blacksmith grade to begin with.”
“That’s true.”
“And the reason it shows ‘Master Craftsman’ is because the supercomputer Ares judged it that way.”
“Ares did?”
“Yes. It determined that user Kang Hyun-soo’s blacksmithing skills and various other factors far surpass that of a Master Craftsman. Regardless of his level.”
“So, even though his numerical level is 101, what’s his level as a blacksmith?”
“At least 400?”
Tae-seok let out a dry laugh. At least 400.
Looking at Blacksmith Examiner Buks’s level on the monitor, Tae-seok remarked.
“It’s ridiculous to think about who’s examining whom.”
***
[Buks has failed Pere’s examination.]
[The terms of their agreement will be fulfilled.]
[The 70% tax imposed on all blacksmiths of the Baras territory will be reverted to the original tax rate.]
[The agreement with the lord is nullified.]
[Development Level has increased by 10%.]
Kang Hyun-soo looked puzzled.
‘I solved the biggest problem, so why did it only go up by this much?’
But he quickly understood.
‘This isn’t the only problem right now.’
If it were simply about solving a problem, the resolution should have been equivalent.
But this was about the Development Level, which meant he had to develop the territory.
Just then, Kang Hyun-soo saw the Blacksmith Examiner, Buks, approaching him.
“I think I will examine you.”
[The examination will begin.]
For a moment, Kang Hyun-soo was dumbfounded. The examination notification was far too coercive.
‘It’s mandatory.’
This time, Buks proposed new terms for the examination.
“I shall test you using something called Rapid Production. As the name implies, it is ultra-fast crafting.”
It was also the field Buks was most confident in.
“It allows a blacksmith to complete in mere seconds what would normally take days, based on their usual crafting speed, knowledge, experience, and skill.”
It was perhaps similar to Emergency Production.
The difference was that one could craft without thinking about what to make.
In other words, all that mattered was speed.
And Buks had the average data.
Beginner blacksmiths took 30 seconds to make a sword.
Intermediate, 24 seconds.
High-grade, 19 seconds.
A Master Craftsman, 14 seconds.
And the interesting thing was, Buks had trained in this repeatedly.
That was why, despite being a Master Craftsman, he could finish it in 12 seconds.
Buks was also cunning.
‘I won’t just kill him.’
“If you fail to pass the examination, your arm will be cut off.”
[You must comply with this condition if you fail to pass the examination.]
[State your own condition.]
“I want your hammer.”
Buks thought the man before him had a good eye.
This was an exceptionally fine hammer.
But this was where he was foolish.
‘He should have gone for my neck, not the hammer.’
To Buks, it didn’t matter either way.
And so, it began.
A hologram appeared, just like the one Kang Hyun-soo used for Emergency Production.
[1 second.]
[2 seconds.]
Before Buks, minerals melted down according to his knowledge, experience, and usual crafting speed.
‘I’m even faster today.’
I’m in top condition.
At this rate, I might really break the 11-second mark…
[5 seconds.]
[Your opponent has finished the examination.]
[Crafting completion time: 5 seconds.]
[He passes the examination.]
[The Lightning-Calling Hammer is forfeited.]
As Buks stared in disbelief, Kang Hyun-soo leveled the newly crafted sword at his neck.
A chill ran down Buks’s spine as Kang Hyun-soo spoke in an icy voice.
“The examination begins.”
The very thing he always did to others. Now, this man was turning the examination back on him.
And then.
[The examination will begin.]
The notification appeared.