Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: Unboxing (1)
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Let’s consider our debts settled.
After saying this, Lee Tae-sung left in his car without a second thought.
The influential people Hyun-soo knew were always decisive and clear-cut.
The meaning behind his words.
I will protect the last Master Craftsman.
After the accident, Hyun-soo had checked with his doctor, Jin-seop, and an employee from the National Museum to see if he could receive any government aid.
Unfortunately, he was turned away due to a series of complex procedures and stringent criteria.
Tae-sung’s words meant that he would protect this smithy, their foundation, by building it with his own hands in Hyun-soo’s stead.
Hyun-soo’s heart pounded.
‘I want to hold it again…’
He looked at his right hand, which could no longer firmly grip a hammer. He wanted to hold one in reality, not just in a virtual world.
Just as Lee Tae-sung had said.
Even if 99 out of 100 people passed by the Smelting Sword with bored expressions, it would remain in the memory of that one person.
Chairman Lee Tae-sung hadn’t just protected him materially by building a smithy.
He had also provided immense mental and emotional support.
Hyun-soo had a new goal.
‘Even with rehabilitation, there’s no telling how long it will take.’
‘We can ensure it doesn’t interfere with your daily life, but whether you can work as a blacksmith again is uncertain.’
No matter which hospital he went to, none could give him a definite answer.
That was why he had eventually given up.
He had been turning away from the endless desire to create again.
‘Because I needed money.’
He needed money not for rehabilitation, but to treat his burns and save his father.
And perhaps, he had thought that in today’s world, a blacksmith might truly be unnecessary.
Until now, Hyun-soo had never received any treatment for his right hand.
As he boarded the bus, the passing scenery came into view.
He took in the sights and smiled faintly.
“Doctor, it’s Hyun-soo.”
He called his physician, Jin-seop.
“I want to start rehabilitation for my right hand.”
-As I’ve told you, I can’t be certain. And…
“I still want to do it.”
He said in a firm voice, cutting off Jin-seop’s lengthy explanation. From the other end of the line, he heard an equally firm reply.
-I will do my absolute best.
After hanging up, Hyun-soo let out a small smile.
In truth, the primary reason he hadn’t sought treatment back then was all because of money, and also because of the futile regret of wishing he’d never become a blacksmith in the first place.
But now, he could cast all of that aside.
Just then, he received a call from Tae-ha.
[When are you logging on? The valuation of the Smelting Sword is complete.]
Because he now had the power to earn a lot of money, and he believed he had that strength.
‘How much will it be?’
Hyun-soo was curious, as he still needed over two billion won for his remaining hospital bills.
He wondered about Lee Tae-ha’s valuation of the Smelting Sword.
***
Lee Tae-ha was a man of meticulous nature.
Having lived as the son of a conglomerate family since childhood, carefully appraising the value of things had become a habit.
After compiling various factors to determine its worth, Lee Tae-ha looked at the amount on his calculator and marveled.
“Wow… I never thought the day would come when I’d put such a price on a single artifact.”
Even to Tae-ha, the amount was truly astonishing.
He didn’t feel it was a waste in the slightest. On the contrary, he felt it was more than deserving of such a value.
Tae-ha soon called Hyun-soo and was told he would be logging on shortly.
Tae-ha logged on as well.
[Connecting to Ares.]
Since his base was the smithy, he naturally logged in there. Not long after, Hyun-soo connected.
“You can look forward to it.”
Risel said with a playful smile. Hyun-soo was quite nervous.
He needed to settle his hospital bills quickly, especially for the sake of his rehabilitation in the real world.
Risel soon spoke.
“The price I’ve appraised for the Smelting Sword is 1.3 million gold.”
For a moment, Hyun-soo felt his brain short-circuit.
1.3 million gold.
In other words, it was a staggering sum of 1.3 billion won.
Hyun-soo had never been the one to name a price first, whether at the auction house, with Sword King Barad, or even with Risel.
The reason was that they usually appraised items at a higher value than he would have.
“That’s great.”
“I just added a spoonful of gratitude.”
[You have acquired 1,300,000 gold.]
Now, about 800 million won remained of Hyun-soo’s hospital bills.
And Hyeon’s Smithy still had more rewards to claim.
“By any chance, could you help me increase the subscriber count for Hyeon’s Smithy?”
At Hyun-soo’s words, Risel nodded readily.
“Of course. The growth of Hyeon’s Smithy is now my growth as well.”
Hyun-soo immediately checked his current subscriber count and ranking.
[Hyeon’s Smithy Subscribers: 438,113.]
[Current Korean Smithy Subscriber Ranking: 48th.]
“What should we do?”
Risel looked puzzled. Not once had a legendary-grade artifact been crafted by a user in the country.
‘And the Smelting Sword is…’
The Smelting Sword Risel had seen was among the top-tier of legendary items. Just releasing reviews and information about it on Hyeon’s Smithy should be a massive draw.
Just then.
“Hello, it’s Nel.”
Nel logged in.
Nel quickly joined the conversation between the two men.
“Actually, I came because of that.”
Hyun-soo and Risel looked at her with curiosity.
“Hyun-soo, what rank do you think you can reach by releasing information about this artifact?”
“Wouldn’t I get to around 40th place?”
The established smithy guilds had roots that were too deep and firm.
Nel asked a question.
“You’re the first person in our country to craft a legendary item. Why do you think you can only go that far?”
Hyun-soo answered immediately.
“Because a smithy guild isn’t determined by a single blacksmith.”
Black Anvil Smithy.
Golden Shield Smithy.
Small Ball Smithy, and so on.
The subscriber counts of smithies in the top 100 weren’t decided by one blacksmith.
It was because they had one star blacksmith and countless corporate-style blacksmiths to support the demand.
Since 99.9% of consumers didn’t have the money to actually buy the 0.01% of legendary items.
“That’s right. Even if you’ve crafted a legendary item, the subscribers we can gain are based on anticipation.”
Why did 99.9% of subscribers follow Hyeon’s Smithy?
It worked just like on EnjoyTube.
It was because of anticipation.
They subscribed out of anticipation, for entertainment, and for vicarious satisfaction, even though they knew they could never afford such items.
“Hyeon’s Smithy can’t meet the supply. Meanwhile, Black Anvil churns out nearly 300 pieces of equipment a month.”
Rising through the ranks on anticipation alone was a very difficult task.
“But we have a very powerful weapon. We call this weapon a ‘business card.’”
Nel smiled, a captivating expression on her face. Nel, the manager of Guild Gwangmyeong.
She was about to show her true worth.
“My goal is to break into the top 25 with this. Would you like to hear my plan?”
Hyun-soo and Risel leaned in closer to her.
And upon hearing her words, Hyun-soo’s face filled with surprise.
‘We might actually be able to aim for 25th place.’
Hyun-soo was impressed.
***
Kim PD of AJ Internet Broadcasting had been in a good mood lately.
During Crazy Rookie and Blacksmith Hyeon’s appearance, viewer numbers had skyrocketed, earning him high praise and a bonus from the station director.
That event led to the decision to cancel the Time Attack Dungeon segment.
They were in the middle of preparing a new segment, but the impact left by Crazy Rookie and Hyeon was just too immense.
From the station’s perspective, it was a good thing.
Having hit a massive viewership peak, they could now transition to new content.
The problem was the hiatus.
They had a gap of about one episode to fill and needed to prepare a special.
The issue was that these specials were usually dreadfully boring.
Typically, a special meant a ‘marathon’ or ‘highlights,’ but most viewers preferred new episodes.
So this time, he wanted to do a truly special special, but what were the chances of that?
Today, too, Kim PD was racking his brain with the writers.
Just then.
“Huh?”
Kim PD looked quizzically at the call coming from an unknown number.
-Hello, this is Nel, Hyeon’s manager.
“Hyeon’s?”
In that moment, Kim PD remembered the business card he had given to Crazy Rookie.
“Ah, yes!”
He shot up from his seat reflexively.
Somehow, the business card he had given Crazy Rookie seemed to have made its way to Hyeon.
-I heard you’re preparing new content.
“That’s right, but why…?”
What did preparing new content have to do with Hyeon?
-I figured you’d be preparing a special episode around this time.
Suddenly, Kim PD wore a puzzled expression.
‘How is she so sharp…?’
She had seen through his situation with chilling accuracy.
Who was this woman?
-Actually, Hyeon crafted a new piece of equipment for someone. And the buyer was extremely pleased with it.
“Really?”
Kim PD remembered that day.
Hyeon had suddenly announced that he would not be selling the Thousand Geun Bow.
The viewers had gone wild, and the broadcast became an even bigger topic as a result.
And Kim PD, along with the viewers, was curious.
Hyeon had clearly promised to fulfill another person’s commission, and he had kept that promise.
What was even more surprising was this.
‘Who on earth is that client? And they were very satisfied?’
Curiosity flared. It was driving him nuts.
Agh, I’m dying of curiosity!
-You’re curious, aren’t you?
A shiver ran down Kim PD’s spine.
-Don’t you think the viewers would be curious too?
At those words, Kim PD found himself nodding blankly.
“Extremely curious. Since the client was satisfied, the viewers from back then would be really curious too, I bet.”
Then, something felt off.
What did this sudden phone call have to do with any of this?
The person on the other end said.
-Then how about we show it to the viewers?
“Pardon?”
-Let’s do the special episode with us. Just like last time, we’d like all the donations to be directed to us, and the client was so grateful that they’ve agreed to appear on the show. Oh, and it would be great if you could produce a promotional video as well. How about this for a title?
Kim PD listened, mesmerized.
-Hyeon’s Creation Unboxing.
“Wow… a perfect title… Ah, my apologies.”
Kim PD exclaimed in admiration without realizing it. The title was just too perfect.
However, Kim PD soon shook his head.
“I’ll call you back after speaking with the director.”
After hanging up, Kim PD hurried to the director’s office. He sighed on his way.
The Director Lee Tae-ho he knew was an incredibly strict man.
Besides, hadn’t the other party basically created the entire special segment for them? Soon, Kim PD cautiously brought up the matter.
And, as expected.
“Kim PD.”
After hearing everything, Director Lee took off his glasses and rubbed his face.
“Are you crazy?”
“N-No, sir.”
“Haaah.”
Director Lee let out a deep sigh and then yelled.
“Why are you even hesitating over something this fun!? The title is perfect, isn’t it? Hyeon’s Creation. Un.Box.Ing! We need to grab this before it goes somewhere else!”
It was a completely unexpected response.
“Sir…?”
Kim PD realized it then. The same feeling of ‘curiosity’ he had felt, the director felt it too.
“Start preparing the trailer immediately. And that manager.”
Director Lee stood up.
“Who is she? She’s smart. Smart enough that I want to scout her.”
Kim PD looked puzzled. He had thought she was smart.
But as he wondered if she was truly someone Director Lee would covet, the director spoke.
“Don’t you get it? Hyeon’s Smithy is using our AJ Internet Broadcasting station to advertise their smithy.”
Kim PD’s eyes widened.
Director Lee then commanded.
“Start filming the trailer right away!”
“Yes, sir!”
Kim PD began to move with haste.
***
In the blink of an eye, the broadcast day arrived.
The advertisement had only run for a few days.
Nel’s idea was perfect, so Hyun-soo was hopeful.
[Nel: It’s starting soon.]
Ahead of the broadcast, the most important thing was the number of viewers.
The viewer count was a numerical proof of the current anticipation for ‘Hyeon’s Smithy.’
And the more viewers there were, the more subscribers Hyeon’s Smithy would gain.
[Special Episode: Hyeon’s Creation Unboxing will now begin.]
With that, Hyun-soo checked the viewer count with a trembling heart. These viewers would ride the unboxing wave and create a tremendous advertising effect.
‘Please, just 100,000, please just 100,000…’
And when Hyun-soo opened his eyes, he couldn’t help but cheer.
[Current Viewers: 186,313.]