Hans had lost many of his men due to the sturdy armor of the orc warriors.
Today was no different. Despite focusing his attack on one area, he still couldn’t penetrate the orc’s defenses.
‘I almost died.’
No one is unafraid of death.
Even Hans had desperately hoped someone would save him just as he was about to be killed.
The one who saved Hans was a foreigner named Hyun-soo.
In a dire situation, he crafted an arrow with immense destructive power and took down two orc warriors.
“You are a hero to our expedition team.”
***
[The expedition team will remember you as a hero.]
[The people in the capital of the Prime Kingdom will recognize and honor your heroism.]
[You have gained 30 Fame.]
[You have gained 10 Charisma.]
***
“I, Hans, captain of the expedition team, bestow upon you the hero’s blessing.”
***
[You have received the hero’s blessing.]
[All stats increase by 3.]
[In any future expeditions, you will start at least as a centurion.]
***
‘A blessing…?’
Hyun-soo had heard about blessings before.
Only high-ranking NPCs or named NPCs can bestow them.
What’s important is that these blessings can’t be given out endlessly by NPCs.
It’s usually a once-in-a-lifetime event, or in the case of kings or emperors, maybe up to three times.
‘A blessing from a level 48 expedition captain that raises all stats by 3?’
Hyun-soo was amazed. In the world of Ares, there were kings, emperors, and even popes.
He wondered how incredible their blessings would be, but the thought quickly faded as he was approached by a soldier named Ben.
“When I first met you, I was worried since you said you were an aspiring blacksmith. But now, seeing you again…”
***
[Your affinity with Ben has reached MAX.]
***
“Rookie! I’m really grateful!”
“Thanks to you, I survived!”
Hyun-soo smiled faintly as the soldiers gathered around him to express their gratitude.
The expedition team began their return journey.
Hyun-soo’s heart swelled with pride as he walked back.
‘Can I finally change my job to a blacksmith? I wonder what powers the legendary blacksmith class holds?’
His steps were light as he returned to the tower.
***
The masters of the Blacksmith Tower had gathered for the first time in ten years, all because of one foreigner.
The Talent Stone, connecting all Blacksmith Towers, was now cleanly split in half.
Ten blacksmiths sat around a round table, and Colson, the master of the Bow Blacksmith Tower, thought he had an opportunity.
‘He might be overthrown.’
Colson disliked Dang, the de facto leader among the masters.
A common human greed.
The desire to be in that position.
And now, a perfect excuse had arisen.
“A foreigner, barely set foot on this land, and you sent a blacksmith to an orc expedition team with a 70% contribution requirement?”
“Hmm…”
“Huh.”
The other masters murmured.
Rex, the master of the Shield Blacksmith Tower, sighed.
“A prodigious talent. Splitting the Talent Stone indicates a genius surpassing even you, Dang. But why such a reckless trial?”
Reckless.
Yes, the trial Dang set was seen as reckless by any master.
The Blacksmith Tower’s masters awaited a successor to the Blacksmith God.
They could impose subjective trials on those qualified.
These trials were usually very difficult.
But Dang’s trial seemed impossible.
Colson spoke critically.
“Dang, we are blacksmiths.”
What is a blacksmith’s role?
“Even we, leading the Blacksmith Tower, would struggle to defeat an average knight from the Knight’s Tower.”
His voice grew louder.
“And you asked a blacksmith, not even job-changed yet, to achieve a 70% contribution? I checked. Foreigners who job-changed in the orc expedition usually achieve only 10% contribution. But 70%? How? Are you saying they should hunt orc warriors without even job-changing?”
“…Right.”
“Excuse me?”
The faces of the Blacksmith Tower masters reddened at Dang’s response.
The Blacksmith Tower had long awaited the successor to the Blacksmith God.
“Are you confirming that the intention was to hunt orc warriors?”
Colson saw this as a chance to prove Dang’s incompetence.
Bang!
He slammed his fist on the table.
“Thank you, truly! A once-in-millennia talent is now barred from the path of the divine. Asking a blacksmith to hunt orc warriors!”
“Dang, that was too reckless.”
“We should not forget that we are blacksmiths…!”
Dang frowned, listening to them with arms crossed.
“What’s the issue? Don’t you know what the Blacksmith God represents?”
He looked at each master sharply.
In a stern voice, Dang looked at each of the Blacksmith Tower masters.
“The Blacksmith God, as you know from the myths, is known to defeat anyone with a single sword he forged.”
This is why the masters awaited the Blacksmith God’s successor.
Blacksmiths, despite holding the crucial role of crafting artifacts, were often overlooked.
This is evident in the choice of professions by outsiders, with only about 2% opting to become blacksmiths.
The role is arduous; they struggle with hunting and often can’t easily join group hunts, a common activity among outsiders.
What good is an exceptional blacksmith, then?
There are eight types of towers on the continent.
The Swordsmen’s Tower, the Magicians’ Tower, the Archers’ Tower, the Assassins’ Tower, the Tamers’ Tower, and so on.
Among these, the Blacksmith Tower is the most neglected.
Why? Because it’s perceived as weak.
“The might of the Blacksmith God is well-known, but do you think it’s acceptable for the successor to be weaker than the myth? Or do you wish for someone who becomes strong with divine power? The one worthy of becoming the Blacksmith God should be able to even defeat an orc warrior.”
Dang’s point had merit.
Sure, his standards were extremely high.
But wasn’t he known as a once-in-a-generation genius?
“Still, pushing him to hunt an orc warrior was too much.”
This was Rex, the master of the Shield Blacksmith Tower, sighing.
“Hmm…”
Dang let out a shallow sigh.
He was regretting it too, perhaps realizing his own ambition had gone too far.
Logically, it was impossible.
For someone who had just arrived here to kill an orc warrior.
Especially since, as they said, he hadn’t even job-changed yet.
But his thinking hadn’t changed.
“Maybe only those who achieve the impossible deserve that place?”
“His talent was already proven by splitting the Talent Stone. If he hasn’t even drawn his sword, or if the sword doesn’t even quiver, I won’t stand idly by. You might be missing out on a once-in-millennia talent.”
This was a cold warning from Colson, master of the Bow Blacksmith Tower.
A candidate receiving a mission from a tower master must undergo a ritual upon return.
This ritual reveals whether they have completed the assigned mission.
The nature of the ritual varies depending on which tower the mission was received from.
Those from the Bow Blacksmith Tower must shoot an arrow imbued with divine power.
But this isn’t something you can do just because you want to.
Only those who have accomplished the mission and are acknowledged by the bow can shoot it.
In the Shield Blacksmith Tower, there’s a ritual of lifting a shield.
In the Hammer Blacksmith Tower, one must lift a hammer placed on the ground.
And Hyun-soo, the foreigner, having received his mission from the Sword Blacksmith Tower, must pull a deeply buried sword from the ground to prove his accomplishment.
The extent to which he can pull the sword indicates the level of his success.
As Colson said, if the sword doesn’t even quiver, it means the man has utterly failed the mission.
“I understand.”
Dang agreed with Colson’s warning.
Perhaps his overly harsh trial might have caused them to miss the one destined to be the God among blacksmiths.
Then…
“Master, that foreigner Hyun-soo has returned!”
At Han’s voice, the Blacksmith Tower masters were intrigued.
“Bring him to the top floor.”
It was time for the ritual.
The reason the Blacksmith God requires such rituals.
The weapons and armors used in the rituals are creations of the God himself.
These somewhat sentient items act on behalf of the God to determine whether the candidate is worthy.
The masters left the conference room and headed to the top of the tower.
There, they would meet the foreigner named Hyun-soo.
***
Guided by Han, Hyun-soo ascended to the top floor of the Blacksmith Tower.
During the ascent, he roughly understood what he needed to do.
“Just pull out the sword?”
Beyond the transparent door on the top floor of the Blacksmith Tower,
Hyun-soo saw a sword deeply embedded in the ground.
‘Is it because it’s a legendary class? It’s quite grand.’
Hyun-soo’s heart raced with excitement. The legendary class held by Smith, the top-ranked blacksmith!
He couldn’t hide his thrill at the prospect of reaching that same esteemed position.
Then, Hyun-soo noticed the blacksmiths who had ascended with Dang, the master of the Blacksmith Tower he had seen before.
[Master of the Shield Blacksmith Tower, Rex, Lv.345]
[Master of the Bow Blacksmith Tower, Colson, Lv.365]
“Wow…”
Hyun-soo was in awe.
The tower masters were elite NPCs.
Although Dang had the highest level, it was rare to see such high-level named NPCs together.
Hyun-soo realized that if he ascended to the legendary class, he might one day stand shoulder to shoulder with them.
Soon, Dang approached and said,
“You’ve been briefed, but just pull out the sword. Go ahead.”
Nodding, Hyun-soo opened the door to the room where the ritual was to take place.
The moment he entered,
Rumble…
A massive vibration filled the room.
***
[Job Change Quest: Participation in the Orc Subjugation Achieved with Extraordinary Success.]
[The Sword of ??? reacts to you.]
[The Sword of ??? acknowledges your talent.]
[The Sword of ??? eagerly wants to be in your arms.]
***
Hyun-soo’s gaze turned to the source of the vibration.
The firmly embedded sword had pulled itself out of its place.
Whoosh!
Then, suddenly,
Flash!
The sword, bursting into brilliant light, flew towards Hyun-soo like a flash of lightning.
Hum…
The resonating sword seemed to be speaking to Hyun-soo.
Urging him to grasp it.
Desperately wanting to be owned by him.
Craving his talent.
[Only you are worthy to wield this sword.]
The notification confirmed this truth.
Cliche Novel 
Amusing. Thanks for the chapter!
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