Chapter 82
Chapter 82
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: Smelting Sword (1)
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[You can receive a smithy from Barad.]
Guild Gwangmyeong needed a base of operations, and a smithy would be perfect.
“I plan to give you a smithy wherever you wish. Would the Baras Fief be acceptable?”
Hyun-soo shook his head.
“No.”
Barad was puzzled. Having achieved 110% development, Hyun-soo was a benefactor to the Baras Fief.
Besides, wasn't a fief of blacksmiths the perfect place for Hyun-soo?
“Is it because the fief is too small?”
Barad considered this a possibility, but Hyun-soo gave a small smile.
“Not at all. It's just that I'd like the blacksmiths there to have more opportunities to shine.”
“Opportunities to shine?”
It didn't make sense. With Hyun-soo there, wouldn't they be able to display their skills on an even grander scale?
“What do you think would happen if I opened a smithy there and word got out?”
Hearing this, Barad understood.
Hyun-soo would absorb most of the customers.
‘He has the qualities of a good lord...’
Barad was quietly impressed. And from an efficiency standpoint, Hyun-soo was right.
Hyun-soo could make a smithy prosper wherever he went.
The Baras Fief was currently the most rapidly rising fief.
It would be more efficient for the fief and Hyun-soo's smithy to be in different locations.
The biggest problem was that the Baras Fief was too small.
‘If Hyun-soo's true identity were to be discovered there...’
Countless people would flock to him, and some would surely mean him harm.
The military strength of the Baras Fief was too meager to handle that.
“I plan to just stop by from time to time and hear about the equipment they've crafted.”
Even so, Hyun-soo stated his intention to communicate with them constantly.
“Then, if there is a fief where you'd like a smithy, let me know.”
And Hyun-soo's words were half-truth, half-lie.
It was true that he was considering the Baras Fief, but he also knew that a king like Barad could grant him a smithy anywhere he desired.
Furthermore, it was located too far on the outskirts to serve as a guild's headquarters.
“I will let you know if I have another task for you in the future.”
Hyun-soo didn't know it, but this was another one of Barad's tests.
After paying his respects, Hyun-soo left.
Watching his departing figure, Barad nodded.
‘A different place would certainly be better.’
An image formed in Barad's mind.
A single fief.
Dozens of Hyeon's Smithies, each with a sign bearing its name.
***
[Nel: I'll look for a place with the greatest potential for growth and a good location.]
[Guild Master Hyun-soo: I'll stay in the Baras Fief for a few days and move once the base is decided.]
[Nel: Yep.]
The blacksmiths returned to the Baras Fief.
Hyun-soo planned to teach them. He intended to instruct the more skilled blacksmiths with particular care.
‘Then they can teach the new blacksmiths who come to the fief.’
That way, the Baras Fief could grow steadily.
Of course, it wasn't his own base, but Hyun-soo was certain.
‘One day, the Baras Fief will be a great help to me.’
The blacksmiths' blind faith in Hyun-soo. A reverence that practically equaled their respect for the lord.
Its value was beyond imagination.
This was an investment in the future.
And as soon as he arrived in the Baras Fief, Hyun-soo taught the blacksmiths for several days.
Then, late at night, he was about to enter the rented smithy Barad had arranged for him to log out.
Just then, Hyun-soo sensed an unfamiliar presence.
Turning his head, he saw someone waiting inside the smithy.
Hyun-soo was quite surprised.
It was none other than Lord Bellin.
***
Bellin had lost her father at a young age.
When her father was alive, the fief had prospered, and after she became lord, the Baras Fief was managed smoothly.
Even so, Bellin had been looked down upon by the lords of neighboring fiefs.
This was because it was managed smoothly, not exceptionally.
But at the lords' meeting she attended today, not a single one could hold their head high before Bellin.
A messenger bird had arrived, announcing that Barad himself would soon visit the fief.
This meant the Baras Fief might soon be reborn as a rather important territory.
However, to be honest, Bellin lacked confidence.
The growth of the Baras Fief was certainly a good thing.
But it also meant the Baras Fief was now exposed to many more dangers.
She needed someone.
Someone who could protect the fief her father had left behind.
She began to speak cautiously.
“I hear you're leaving soon.”
“That's right.”
“What a shame.”
A shame. Hyun-soo knew her words didn't stem from any sort of affection.
After a long hesitation, Bellin spoke.
“I may be the lord, but I am lacking. Thanks to you, the Baras Fief will develop even further, but I doubt I can continue to lead it smoothly.”
Hyun-soo wore a puzzled expression.
Why was she suddenly questioning her own qualifications as lord?
She then gave a bitter smile and said.
“Become a noble. I believe you have the power to do so. And when you have risen high, please return to the Baras Fief. Depending on what kind of powerful noble you become, I will share the fief's equity with you.”
Hyun-soo was stunned.
‘Share the fief's equity?’
Sharing a fief's equity was a much bigger deal than one might think.
The advantage of being a lord was the ability to collect taxes.
He would be able to share those taxes with Lord Bellin.
“If you exceed my expectations, it might not just be equity.”
And through Bellin's words, Hyun-soo became certain.
‘If I exceed her expectations, I might even be offered the position of lord?’
A quest notification appeared.
*Ting!*
[Hidden Quest: Noble]
Rank: S
Requirement: The one to whom Bellin has conveyed her will.
Reward: A share of the fief's equity.
Failure Penalty: Affinity with Bellin drops to its lowest level.
Description: Lord Bellin of the Baras Fief has unwavering faith in you. Live up to that faith and return to this fief.
“Understood, my lord.”
“I will be waiting.”
As Hyun-soo replied, she gave a small smile and disappeared.
Hyun-soo was impressed. The reward would change astronomically depending on how high he climbed.
‘Become a noble.’
What a grand proposition.
Among the high-rankers, some were already active as nobles.
A new goal had just taken shape.
Just then.
[Nel: I've decided on a base. The Prea Fief, not far from the Goyad Kingdom's capital. Let's get the smithy there. And there's something I need to talk to you about.]
Hyun-soo moved immediately.
After bidding farewell to the blacksmiths, he headed for the Prea Fief.
Nel had already claimed the best-looking smithy.
[You have become the owner of the smithy in the Prea Fief.]
He decided not to put up a sign.
Then Nel, who had said she had something important to discuss, spoke.
“It's time for you to take on your real first commission.”
The first commission. That is, the first commission for a user.
The "first commission" from a while ago had been a sham.
It was just Blacksmith Hyeon crafting an item for Crazy Rookie on AJ Internet Broadcasting.
“As you know, we've received hundreds of commission requests. I've reviewed them and selected the person I thought would be most beneficial to you and our guild.”
The auction house could be managed by multiple people if the smithy's owner gave approval.
Manager Nel had been constantly reviewing them to find the person who would yield the most favorable outcome.
“It's this person.”
Hyun-soo looked at the name of the person who would receive the first commission she was presenting.
***
The Hanseong Group was one of the top ten corporations in the country. Its youngest son, Lee Tae-ha, was for all intents and purposes an outcast.
Chairman Lee Tae-sung sat on the sofa, looking at Tae-ha standing before him.
“Are you still playing that useless game, Ares?”
“...Don't worry about it.”
Whenever he met with Chairman Lee Tae-sung, Tae-ha always ended up arguing. Lee Tae-sung looked at him with a displeased expression.
“...Why did you call for me?”
“You know your grandfather is in critical condition. I heard you have a special class called Dragon Knight in that Ares game. Is that true?”
“It is.”
“Your grandfather says he wants to see a dragon.”
Lee Tae-ha couldn't answer.
His grandfather had developed dementia a few years ago.
And every day, he would say he wanted to see a dragon.
Tae-ha had been especially close to his grandfather.
Ever since he was a child, his grandfather had told him stories about the legends of dragons.
That was why he became a Dragon Knight. In the hopes that he might be able to show him a dragon.
But he couldn't.
“...I haven't acquired a dragon yet.”
Absurdly, a Dragon Knight was supposed to fight by borrowing a dragon's power.
But that was only possible from level 500, and the dragons of Ares, being level 600, had never once made an appearance.
At Tae-ha's answer, Tae-sung's brow furrowed.
“Still, try to find one. It's your grandfather's last wish.”
“I'm already looking.”
Tae-ha replied harshly and walked out.
Outside, a sigh escaped Tae-ha's lips.
Ranked 21st in the country.
The Dragon Knight, Risel.
That was the name Tae-ha had earned.
‘Fuck, I'm a Dragon Knight, but I can't even summon a dragon.’
It was ridiculous. He was currently using every means possible to find a way to meet a dragon.
He had even sent requests to high-ranking summoners.
‘If you can summon or show me a dragon, I'll pay you whatever you want.’
‘A dragon? Where are you going to find a dragon in Ares right now?’
He also put in a request with an information guild.
‘According to our guild's information network, there are currently no quests or content related to dragons.’
It was the best information guild in the country.
He decided to grasp at straws.
What if he had one made instead?
He sent requests to sculptors and blacksmiths as well.
The sculptors.
‘A dragon? My level is too low.’
Impossible, they said. Finally, the blacksmiths.
‘You mean an artifact with a dragon dwelling inside it? How is something like that even possible?’
Tae-ha was devastated.
In this bleak chaebol family, his grandfather had been his only friend.
“Damn it, damn it, damn it!”
Returning to his home, Tae-ha despaired.
The number one ranked blacksmith, the number one ranked summoner, and the best information guild all said it was impossible.
“I'll pay any amount!”
Of course, he knew he was being unreasonable.
Tae-ha clutched his head in his hands.
“Grandfather, I'm sorry...”
It was the final dream of his grandfather, his only friend.
Just then.
*Vrrrrrr-*
His phone vibrated.
He pulled out his phone with a puzzled look.
[A message has arrived from Hyeon's Smithy.]
Hyeon's Smithy?
Lee Tae-ha's eyes widened.
[Hello, this is Hyeon's Smithy. We can craft the dragon-inhabited artifact you requested.]
‘What?’
Tae-ha frowned. Even he thought the reply itself made no sense.