Strike 51

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[You have earned 13,000 gold.]

Hyun-soo unexpectedly received 13,000 gold, significantly more than the originally promised 1,000 gold reward.

The King’s ministers had instructed him not to ask any questions or speak in front of King Barad.

However, Hyun-soo couldn’t comply with this.

It wasn’t him seeking the King; it was the King who was seeking him.

Upon hearing this, King Barad, with a surprised expression, said,

“I’ve been waiting for you, Blacksmith Hyun (現).”

After saying this, King Barad turned away.

“Come to me tomorrow.”

After King Barad left, Hyun-soo let out a breath he had been holding back.

Just meeting him had put immense pressure on Hyun-soo.

Then Hyun-soo logged out.

‘That’s quite a decent amount.’

Hyun-soo chuckled wryly after logging out.

A whopping 13,000 gold. He had earned 13 million won from the Super Rookie Tournament.

Yet, Hyun-soo naturally microwaved some instant food.

While eating a 5,000 won convenience store meal, he chuckled wryly.

He had earned 13 million won in just a few days, but there was still a daunting amount of money he needed to earn.

‘My 3 billion won burn treatment costs, sending my father to a VVIP hospital room, and rebuilding the forge.’

The estimated total was well over 4 billion won.

While eating, Hyun-soo received a phone call. Recently, there were only two people who called him.

Either his friend Ji-hoon or Nel.

And the caller was Nel.

-I watched the match. People will soon flock to your forge in the auction house. There’s a buzz starting in the community.

“That’s likely.”

-Do you have a plan? Because of the character ‘Hyun (現)’ written on the arrowhead, people will identify you as Hyun-soo.

Hyun-soo chuckled wryly. Nel was worried about the backlash from Hyun-soo’s sudden fame.

He had to weigh the pros and cons. If it becomes known that Hyun-soo is the owner of Hyun’s forge, the mystique around it will vanish.

Additionally, blacksmith guilds might start recognizing Hyun-soo and flock to him.

The biggest problem was the exposure of Hyun-soo’s new blacksmith profession.

If this gets out, Hyun-soo could become a target for top guilds.

Those who would want to crush him.

Yet, Hyun-soo said,

“That’s not a mistake.”

-What?

“The character ‘Hyun (現)’ on the arrowhead. It’s not a mistake.”

Nel was silent for a while.

***

-The character ‘Hyun (現)’ on the arrowhead. It’s not a mistake.

Nel, Kim Hye-in, had a puzzled expression.

It wasn’t a mistake?

The whole world had seen it.

The power of the super rookie who had flung a stone golem about 7 meters.

And the mark of Hyun’s forge, ‘Hyun (現)’, was blatantly revealed. How could it not be a mistake?

Thinking deeply, she asked,

“So, you had a plan? What will you do now?”

-I won’t do anything.

“……?”

She looked puzzled. Not doing anything?

It had been less than an hour since the incident, and the buzz hadn’t started yet.

But soon, when it does, it will spread like wildfire.

-Just watch, I’m a bit tired and need to sleep.

“Okay, sleep well. And…”

Hye-in chuckled wryly. She wondered if she had been too concerned.

“You were amazing. Truly.”

A slight blush appeared on her face. Hyun-soo’s faint laughter could be heard.

After hanging up, Hye-in continued to monitor the situation.

As he drifted into sleep, a lot was about to change for Hyun’s forge.

Hye-in logged into the Ares community.

[Hey, did anyone see the Super Rookie Tournament? An incredible super rookie has emerged!!!]

As expected, posts like these were appearing in the community. She also visited ‘Hyun’s Forge’.

[Subscribers to Hyun’s Forge: 131,655.]

She noted the number, planning to check how much it increases in 10 hours.

And after just 30 minutes, she blinked in disbelief at the increased number of subscribers.

“Is this really okay?”

[Subscribers to Hyun’s Forge: 141,513.]

In just 30 minutes, the number had increased by over 10,000. She had never seen such a rapid increase in subscribers before.

In just 30 minutes, the number of subscribers increased by over 10,000. She had never seen such a rapid increase in such a short time.

There were many comments on Hyun’s forge’s page.

[Found you, guy!]

[Hyun of Hyun’s Forge, I really enjoyed your performance in the recent game~]

[Your face was hidden, but your physique and artifacts made it obvious~ If I greet you on the street, please respond!]

Of course, this was good news.

The increase in subscribers and the growing interest were positive signs.

She wasn’t overly worried about this aspect.

Those who had pulled off such stunts could be buried by public opinion.

But her biggest concern was this.

‘The mystery around it has brought incredible effects.’

She had no doubt that this mystery would greatly enhance Hyun’s Forge.

But now, this effect might be lost if things continued this way.

Even those who subscribed out of curiosity about his identity might lose interest.

And three hours later…

[Subscribers to Hyun’s Forge: 171,372.]

“Wow…!”

Nel was thrilled. The speed was truly incredible.

The subscribers kept leaving comments.

[I’d like to order a bow like that.]

[Please accept my commission. I’m willing to pay up to 300 million.]

[Hello? This is Mage Brown. I’d like to request a staff. Willing to pay up to 1 billion. Please message me. And I really appreciated your bow in the recent game.]

‘Brown too?’

Mage Brown, ranked second among mages, was placing an order with Hyun.

Is this really okay?

And three more hours later, Nel could see the top post in the Ares community.

‘Is this what Hyun-soo was aiming for?’

She was genuinely impressed by Hyun-soo.

***

After waking up, Hyun-soo stretched, drank some water, and sat down at his computer.

“Let’s see how it’s going.”

He checked Hyun’s Forge online.

[Subscribers to Hyun’s Forge: 233,161.]

[Currently ranked 137th among Korean forges.]

Hyun-soo chuckled wryly. It was as expected. The number of commission requests had also skyrocketed.

He checked the Ares community.

[Never seen a bow like that in my life… If a level 50 wields it, what happens if 300 archers use it…?]

[Wow, that bow was insane!]

[Isn’t it more about the arrow, actually?]

[Either way. It’s all about the gear in games!]

[I heard a rumor that the super rookie is the owner of Hyun’s Forge.]

And Hyun-soo planned to accept a commission from the most influential person soon.

‘First, I need to work on Barad’s order.’

Then Hyun-soo clicked on the hottest post in the Ares community.

The title was this.

[Hello. We are the Ares Expert Team.]

The Ares Expert Team.

They are a group of self-proclaimed Ares experts.

In reality, commentators and analysts, among other specialists, anonymously form this team and are active.

Whenever something abnormal happens that users don’t understand, they analyze, deduce, and provide answers.

Their accuracy is around 70%, so many people trust them.

The number one post had extremely high views and thousands of comments.

[Our anonymous Ares expert team also watched the super rookie match. The bow was impressive, and so was the skill. Still feeling the thrill.]

[Let’s get to the point. In our subjective opinion, the blacksmith Hyun (現) and the super rookie are not the same person.]

Hyun-soo laughed softly.

“Exactly…!”

[We’ll explain why.]

[According to our analysis, the super rookie had both sword and bow mastery. You all must have seen his swordsmanship. The super rookie was a user in their 50s. But if we go by the current theories, it means the super rookie must have two professions.]

[However, Ares officially announced that dual classes are exclusive to level 250 and above. Lower-level users absolutely cannot have dual classes.]

[Also, since Hyun of Hyun’s Forge hasn’t revealed his appearance, people are trying to force a connection.]

[Of course, we’ve seen him quickly make a gauntlet or a spear. But consider this. It could just be a special summoning method. There are users who summon weapons in such a way. User Eden does this. When the weapon is summoned, it appears to be created with an effect, and Eden is a specialized class owner of the weapon.]

[In short, our opinion is this: the super rookie simply purchased an artifact from ‘Hyun (現)’ and the combination of his skills and the purchased artifact created a synergy. So, what our team is saying is this.]

[Owner of Hyun’s Forge, I too would like an item crafted, please ㅠㅠ!]

Hyun-soo checked the comments as well.

[ㅋㅋㅋ All about item crafting, huhㅋㅋㅋ.]

[So the expert team wanted to flatter Hyun’s Forge? ㄷㄷ, aren’t they high-level players in Ares?]

[Even high-levels want items from Hyun’s Forge. Subscribed!]

[But seriously, the Ares expert team makes sense. Just because the arrowhead has ‘Hyun (現)’ written on it doesn’t mean he’s the owner of the forge.]

[ㅋㅋ, where do you find a blacksmith with both sword and bow mastery, seriously.]

[If I buy artifacts from Hyun’s Forge, can I win the Super Rookie Tournament?]

[Definitely possible, but expensive ㅋㅋ.]

It was perfect. The attention on the super rookie was boosting the recognition of Hyun’s Forge.

Then, Hyun-soo received a message from Nel.

[Are you a genius?]

Hyun-soo chuckled wryly. Soon she added.

[I’ve thought of a good plan.]

[What is it?]

[You play the game as both blacksmith Hyun and as the super rookie.]

Hyun-soo looked puzzled. Was there any point to that?

[One day, when you’re gathering people for your guild, you reveal it. The super rookie was Hyun. What do you think will happen then?]

“……?”

[You’ll sweep the number one spot on our country’s search engine that day.]

It made sense. She added layers to his initial idea, forming a secondary plan.

Hyun-soo replied and walked towards the Ares capsule. It was time to accept Barad’s request.

***

The Special User Management Team.

The customer service team leader visited. However, Kim Tae-seok, the team leader of the Special User Management Team, was seriously monitoring the situation.

“That’s Sword King Barad, right? Is that user really going to accept the commission?”

“Seems like it.”

“But it won’t be easy, right?”

“Indeed.”

Tae-seok chuckled wryly. It was not an easy task.

“The Blacksmith Tower’s Tower Master Dang failed, and so did the top-ranked blacksmith.”

Barad had actually met the top-ranked blacksmith before.

However, even he couldn’t create a sword that satisfied Barad.

Kim Tae-seok ruffled his hair.

“But this user is so unconventional. I’m more worried about that than whether he can do it or not.”

“What’s the worry?”

At the customer service team leader’s question, Tae-seok chuckled wryly.

“It’s the Sword King.”

“Huh, why? Everyone knows Sword King Barad, he’s famous.”

The customer service team leader was clueless. Tae-seok looked at him with a frustrated expression.

“I mean, ‘Sword King’.”

“So, what’s the issue?”

Kim Tae-seok shook his head as if to stop the conversation.

Listening in, Lee Ji-hee, an employee, spoke up, sensing the frustration.

“What will the Sword King give if he’s satisfied?”

“Obviously, swordsmanship skills… huh?”

“But Hyun-soo is a blacksmith. Can you imagine a blacksmith learning Sword King’s swordsmanship?”

It couldn’t be. The potential impact was immense.

But the very thought of such a significant impact was daunting.

Team leader Kim Tae-seok said,

“Of course, he won’t give it away easily, at least not until his affinity with the Sword King reaches MAX. And that’s up to Sword King Barad.”

The customer service team leader laughed hollowly.

Sword King Barad’s affinity reaching MAX?

‘Is that even possible?’

In the monitor, Hyun-soo was finally meeting with Sword King Barad.

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