Strike 11

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Press Conference Waiting Room.

Upon hearing that an ecosystem disruptor was heading to the hunting training ground, the development team leader asked,

“What should we do? This user is quite unconventional.”

CEO Lee Se-jin understood the gist of the question better than anyone.

“What to do? Just let him be. It’s his own skill.”

Lee Se-jin of Blue Corp was a person of firm conviction.

In the waiting room, he learned about the recent events through Kim Tae-seok, the team leader of the Special User Management Team.

Rewards for unconventional actions.

The creation of the first rare artifact.

Mineral creation.

And finally, the making of an epic artifact.

And then, the shattering of the wooden dummy, a feat 2.5 billion people had failed at.

But this user had accomplished it.

If there was just one concern,

“…Wasn’t one of the conditions to achieve the Blacksmith Legendary Class to reject an Epic job offer once?”

The Legendary Class. A privilege of the chosen few.

User classes are categorized as Normal, Hidden, Epic, and Legendary.

Among the 2.5 billion players, not many have obtained this class, and those who did became famous rankers.

To obtain the Legendary Class, one must meet several conditions.

For a blacksmith, it’s rejecting an ‘Epic Job Offer’.

Blue Corp wanted to confirm something.

How desperate he was to become a blacksmith.

Whether he could resist temptation.

To see if he was worthy of becoming a legend.

“An Epic Job Offer, huh…”

Kim Tae-seok of the Special User Management Team grimaced with a bitter smile.

“Ah, speaking of which, the hunting training ground that Hyun-soo user is going to might have such an offer. Considering his current status and weapons, it might be possible.”

“The Epic Class Mad Knight?”

“Right.”

Mad Knight.

An extremely good Epic class, but nothing compared to the Legendary Class.

“To achieve this Mad Knight class, one must accomplish an absurd feat…”

That was the requirement for obtaining Hidden, Epic, and Legendary classes.

But Lee Se-jin seemed unfazed.

In fact, he thought that even if Hyun-soo got a Legendary job, it wouldn’t be undeserved.

He was a user with enough qualifications.

There was just one concern he couldn’t voice to Team Leader Kim Tae-seok or the development team.

‘He wouldn’t ascend to a God class, would he…?’

A realm that no one had yet reached.

The God Class.

But soon, Lee Se-jin shook his head.

‘The conditions to achieve the God Class are too difficult and complicated.’

He didn’t think he needed to worry about that yet.

***

After leaving the wooden dummy training ground, Hyun-soo immediately logged out.

Ji-hoon, waiting in front of the capsule, looked at Hyun-soo with envious eyes.

“You’ll be gaming in a VVIP capsule at home soon, right? You’ll get me one too?”

“Depends on how you do.”

“Man, I’m so grateful I could cry.”

Walking, Ji-hoon asked,

“Did you say your game’s beginner zone was the Bardeen territory?”

“Yes, why?”

“Man, you’re clueless. Do you know what kind of place Bardeen’s beginner zone is?”

“?”

Hyun-soo looked puzzled. He hadn’t yet researched his hunting destination.

Breaking the wooden dummy was his top priority.

Realizing this, Ji-hoon’s expression hardened.

‘Or is it a piece of cake for him now?’

He suddenly thought of the epic sword and stats the guy had.

“What kind of place is it?”

Just as he was about to answer, they reached a fork in the road.

“Go home and search it up yourself, see you next time.”

After parting with Ji-hoon, Hyun-soo went straight home.

Once home, Hyun-soo logged into the Ares community.

And he searched for information on the Bardeen beginner zone.

[Guys, I started the game in Bardeen’s beginner zone, is that bad?]

[Yeah, you’re screwed LOL.]

[Seriously, those who start in Bardeen’s beginner zone are in for a rough time LOL.]

[You started in Bardeen’s beginner zone? Close your eyes. What do you see?]

[Nothing…?]

[That’s your future, goodbye.]

[LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL.]

[Wow, Bardeen’s hunting zone is insanely difficult. Out of hundreds of beginner zones, starting there is just bad luck.]

[Aren’t all beginner zones with high difficulty the same?]

[Bardeen is different… In Bardeen’s beginner hunting zone, instructors teach you one-on-one…]

[One-on-one?]

[Because it’s insanely tough LOL.]

[Why is it tough?]

[In the lore, if you leave Bardeen territory, you start in Prime Kingdom, surrounded by monsters on three sides. So, they train you hard. Other beginner zones? Just hunt deer?]

[Yeah, deer. They don’t even attack, so it’s super easy.]

[In Bardeen, you start with goblins, LOL. Oh, why am I crying?]

[LOL, dude, you were a Bardeen user, huh?]

[Bro, post an update.]

[Goblins are too strong, died three times before escaping. They don’t let you go until you succeed in goblin hunting…]

[LOL LOL LOL LOL.]

[Seriously, it’s like training human weapons. Level 1, LOL.]

Hyun-soo shook his head, feeling like he understood why Bardeen’s beginner zone was so tough.

Yet, he couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed.

‘I find making things more fun than hunting… Isn’t there something I can make?’

But to leave the beginner zone, he had to go through this process.

With a sigh, Hyun-soo lay down in bed to sleep.

***

The next day.

Hyun-soo logged into Ares.

A short walk revealed a translucent blue barrier.

Crossing this barrier would start the tutorial at the hunting training ground.

Without hesitation, he crossed the blue barrier.

[You have entered the Hunting Training Ground.]

It was just like what the Ares community users had said the day before.

Upon entering the hunting training ground, Hyun-soo saw countless users receiving one-on-one training.

Soon, an instructor approached him.

“Hey, kid. Take this sword.”

The instructor was named Rellson.

Hyun-soo had faced many instructors before.

But Rellson was someone he hadn’t met yet.

[You have acquired a Rusty Iron Sword.]

Hyun-soo looked at the rusty iron sword.

‘Attack power is 17…’

His current weapon, the Sword of Light, had an attack power of 143. Hyun-soo put the rusty sword in his inventory.

“I’ll use my own sword.”

“…A blacksmith, huh?”

Instructor Rellson remarked, looking at the sword at Hyun-soo’s waist.

As Hyun-soo slowly nodded, Rellson let out a hollow laugh.

“What a pity, having such a trivial profession.”

“…?”

Hyun-soo’s face crumpled.

NPCs really had a variety of personalities.

Some with good nature.

Some with bad.

Some who believed their job was the best.

But Hyun-soo didn’t need to understand them.

In his childhood.

Hyun-soo was often teased at school for his father being a blacksmith.

‘-Can’t you ask your dad to make me some gear?’

‘-Hyun-soo, can you make items too?’

Of course, those who teased him got a taste of his wrath.

But those who came to his father’s forge often complained about not getting discounts.

‘-Tsk, tsk, that’s why you’re still running a forge in 2040.’

His father was an elite.

He once worked for a large corporation and became a blacksmith for a cool reason.

‘-I heard all the blacksmiths in our country had disappeared. I’ve admired blacksmiths since I was young, so I quit to become the last blacksmith.’

Blacksmiths shouldn’t be looked down upon.

We are valuable people.

But there was no immediate way to prove it.

But here, it was different.

He could prove what kind of sword this was.

Show how hard we’ve worked.

Demonstrate our value.

“Instructor.”

Hyun-soo’s voice grew fierce.

His father had said,

‘-Don’t hold back. Why should we?’

We are the blacksmiths who alone carry on the spirit of Joseon*.

Does this look trivial to you?

Instructor Rellson flinched at Hyun-soo’s cold voice and gaze.

‘What’s with this look…?’

This wasn’t the look of a mere outsider.

Instructor Rellson knew people with such eyes.

Those who had reached the top in their fields.

Could this be the look of someone who has reached the top?

No. These are the fierce souls who have the determination to reach such heights!

“You must have seen many geniuses, instructor.”

“Indeed? Many have passed through me, like Hanul, that foreigner.”

“…?”

Coincidentally, it seemed that the recent swordsmanship gold medalist Hanul had just completed the hunting training ground under this instructor.

“He was great, far beyond the dreams of a blacksmith like you. If only you had taken up the sword instead. You could have been a fine swordsman.”

Hyun-soo was beginning to understand the Ares game.

He speculated.

What would have happened with a user of Hanul’s caliber?

“He must have impressively hunted goblins, right?”

“Right, and not just that. He hunted many additional monsters I suggested right in front of me, you know? He even nearly hunted a level 15 Mad Goblin at the same level as you.”

Hyun-soo had looked up more about the Bardeen village that morning.

Occasionally, instructors would suggest stronger monsters to hunt for outstanding users.

Of course, this was common across all beginner zones.

In other places, they hunt deer, but here, they impressively hunt goblins.

Watching the instructor enthusiastically talk about Hanul, Hyun-soo smirked.

“Then, I’ll hunt more monsters here than Hanul did.”

Instructor Rellson looked at him as if he had heard something absurd.

***

Instructor Rellson thought he had misheard.

Hunt more monsters than Hanul, the swordsmanship genius?

In his entire career, Rellson had never seen such a genius.

An ordinary user would need at least five hits to kill a goblin, but Hanul could do it in just two. And his extraordinary movements and superb sword skills?

Moreover, instructors can propose additional challenges to outstanding users, up to a fourth stage. Killing this weakened goblin is just the first stage. Astonishingly, Hanul nearly succeeded in the fourth stage.

As an instructor, Rellson knew that globally, no one had cleared the fourth stage.

What kind of nonsense was this?

“You’re angry, huh? Hahaha, but you have to face reality!”

There’s a limit to being audacious.

“A mere blacksmith thinks he can hunt more than Hanul? That’s just ridiculous.”

Rellson held his belly laughing.

“Ahaha, sorry for upsetting you, I’ll cool your anger. Well, I’ll summon the monster.”

Snap-

Instructor Rellson snapped his fingers, and a goblin appeared.

[Weakened Goblin Lv.3]

“Just attack and kill this one. Remember, it usually takes five hits for ordinary foreigners to kill it. And be careful of its daggers or poison darts.”

The appearing goblin was small, about 120 cm tall, with green skin.

“Don’t worry, I’ll help you if you’re in danger! Though, what would you know about swinging a sword, apart from making them?”

Rellson was excited.

It was fun to tease this user.

Moreover, Rellson was someone who strongly believed that the sword was supreme.

“First, let’s learn about creating an advantage.”

Hyun-soo drew his sword.

Swoosh-

The Sword of Light made a clear sound as it was unsheathed.

“Now, give it a light swing.”

Hyun-soo did just that – lightly swung the sword from top to bottom.

Thwack-

“Kieeeeek!”

The goblin’s body split in two from the effortless swing, with green blood spurting out.

The goblin had a look of not knowing what just happened to it.

Then, it cleanly split into two and oxidized into ash.

[You have hunted the Weakened Goblin.]

“……!?”

Instructor Rellson’s eyes widened in shock.

Even Hanul had taken two attempts to hunt a weakened goblin.

Hyun-soo shook off the green blood and smiled contentedly.

Welcome to the world of a Genius Blacksmith, a first of its kind.

TRIVIA:

Joseon, also known as Choson or Chosun, was a Korean dynastic kingdom that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in 1392 and continued until the end of the Joseon Dynasty in 1910. The name “Joseon” translates to “The Land of the Morning Calm.”

Key features of the Joseon Dynasty include the development of the Korean script Hangul under King Sejong the Great in the 15th century, Confucianism becoming the dominant ideology, and the establishment of a centralized bureaucracy. During this period, Korea experienced significant cultural, technological, and scientific advancements.

The latter part of the Joseon Dynasty saw external pressures, including invasions by Japan in the late 16th century (Imjin War, also known as the Japanese invasions of Korea), internal strife, and the encroachment of Western powers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The dynasty ultimately came to an end in 1910 when Korea was annexed by Japan, marking the beginning of the colonial period that lasted until the end of World War II in 1945.

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