As soon as Hyun-soo woke up and logged into Ares, he received a surprising notification.
[Hyun’s Forge has reached 310,000 subscribers.]
‘All of a sudden? What’s happening?’
Hyun-soo checked his subscriber count in the auction house.
[Subscribers to Hyun’s Forge: 313,161.]
[Currently ranked 81st among all Korean forges.]
Hyun-soo was astonished to see his subscribers had surged into the top 100 in an instant.
Considering he had been maintaining around 230,000, this meant an increase of 90,000 subscribers overnight.
Upon accessing the auction house, Hyun-soo understood why.
[Is this the place that made the Sword King Barad’s sword? The famed swordsmith hotspot?]
[How long is the wait here?]
[A lifetime, if the blacksmith Hyun doesn’t accept your request, you’ll be waiting forever.]
[Not eating that ****…]
[Did blacksmith Hyun really make Barad’s sword?]
[Didn’t you see yesterday’s ceremony? LOL.]
[When will user requests be accepted?]
‘A ceremony?’
Hyun-soo was puzzled. What ceremony?
Then, after checking the community, Hyun-soo was surprised.
‘Barad attended a ceremony? And placed the sword in a prominent spot?’
Hyun-soo chuckled to himself.
The rewards that a single death had brought him were incredibly sweet.
He logged into the Ares community using a hologram.
Originally, Hyun-soo was only popular in blacksmith communities.
Now, there was also talk about him here.
[Did you see Hyun’s Forge trending at 19th place on Neiba overnight?]
[Yeah. It’s been a while since a user trended, who is Hyun?]
Hyun-soo found a post explaining who he was.
[Blacksmith Hyun (現). Became known for selling swords to lords, and blacksmith guilds had their eyes on him since he sold his first sword.]
[Recently, he got famous for selling an arrow marked with ‘Hyun (現)’ to the winner of the Super Rookie contest, known as ‘Crazy Rookie’.]
“Hmm?”
Hyun-soo tilted his head.
The nickname on the best post seemed familiar.
‘Nyangmeongpunch?’
To Hyun-soo’s knowledge, this was Nel. Not long ago, Nel had said,
‘I’m not sure if I’m your first guild member or manager, but I’ll do my best~’
She had claimed to be his manager, aiming to raise his profile.
‘She’s working hard.’
Thanks to her, the community was abuzz.
[Wow, a forge recognized by the Sword King.]
[But nothing is revealed about Hyun, right? Age, level, even gender is unknown LOL.]
[Rumors say he’s a 40-year-old chubby man?]
[If he’s not revealing his face, maybe he’s a king LOL.]
Ha.
Hyun-soo laughed it off. He never cared about people discussing his appearance.
For some reason, he had always been popular with women since he was young.
He realized that this mystery only added to the effect.
‘It’ll be fun when it’s revealed.’
Someday, he would show his face.
[I subscribed too. But what I’m most curious about is the information about the sword that Sword King Barad has.]
[Should I ask Barad to show it to me just once…?]
[Man, you might get a death order for that…]
[Damn, I’m so curious…]
[Subscribed for that reason, Hyun! Are you watching!? Reveal the info about the sword you made for Barad now!]
‘This could be useful later.’
Only Hyun-soo knew the details of Barad’s sword.
His subordinates were tight-lipped, naturally.
When he checked again, the subscriber count was still rising.
‘Even made it to the news.’
Hyun-soo smiled contentedly and moved on.
He remembered one important fact.
‘I could become a target for many.’
For now, he was playing under two names: Crazy Rookie and Blacksmith Hyun.
In the future, he might face many attacks.
The stronger he became, the better for Hyun-soo.
With determination, Hyun-soo headed to the audience chamber.
***
Barad understood the words of Knight Commander Benson.
“You intend to teach your sword skills to another outsider, Your Highness? Such indiscriminate dissemination is not advisable. Moreover, the god Ares might impose restrictions.”
The God Ares.
In this game, the supercomputer Ares is regarded as the deity overseeing everything.
“Your Highness, you recently appointed Lord Kyle as your successor and have already imparted your sword skills to him.”
Yes, that was the problem.
The issue was that this transmission of skills happened too recently.
“He needs to be worthy. Of course, we are grateful to Hyun-soo for saving Your Highness’s life. But we cannot impart such skills to someone unworthy.”
Yes, the issue of worthiness.
Even the high-ranking Lord had to struggle and prove himself worthy to receive Sword King Barad’s skills.
Barad was aware that such situations would arise.
‘I have no intention of imparting my skills to just anyone.’
The Sword King’s swordsmanship is his identity.
At the very least, a way is needed that won’t invite intervention from Ares or criticism from people like Knight Commander Benson.
“…And have you heard about the kind of blacksmith he is?”
The kind of blacksmith he is.
That referred to his class.
Barad stroked his chin.
‘Now that I think of it, I never considered that.’
There was no need to know in the first place. He was someone who had impressed him with his skills alone, without any mysterious powers.
“If he’s just an ordinary blacksmith… It’s doubtful if he’s fit to learn Your Highness’s sword skills. It might even tarnish your reputation.”
But Barad wasn’t someone to refuse teaching just because of such talk.
This was all anticipated.
‘Hyun-soo is my friend.’
A promise made with a friend.
There would be many subordinates like Benson.
A king can’t do everything alone.
Otherwise, the kingdom’s structure would collapse.
That’s why Barad had set up this scenario.
“How about you test his worthiness yourself?”
“Pardon?”
Benson looked puzzled. Barad had a slight smile on his lips.
“If even you acknowledge him, who would dare oppose?”
The Knight Commander of Goyard, known as the land of swords. Recognized by the king and Knight Commander Benson?
“Just like I tested Lord, you will test his worthiness. I proposed 70% training to him, but we can adjust that.”
“…That’s a good idea.”
Benson thought it wasn’t a bad idea.
“If Hyun-soo successfully attacks you three times or more, we’ll teach him the Sword King’s swordsmanship.”
“Understood. I should also find out what kind of power this blacksmith holds.”
“I will ask Hyun-soo myself.”
Knight Commander Benson wondered if the king had changed his mind. Perhaps his words were persuasive.
Soon after, Hyun-soo entered the audience chamber.
***
Hyun-soo looked puzzled.
“…Therefore, Knight Commander Benson wishes to test your worthiness, Hyun-soo.”
Ding!
[Skill Quest Content Updated.]
[Skill Quest: Sword King’s Swordsmanship]
Grade: S
Requirement: Chosen by Barad.
Reward: Sword King’s Swordsmanship.
Penalty for Failure: Decreased rapport with Barad.
Description: Sword King Barad’s swordsmanship is not for everyone. Succeed in attacking Knight Commander Benson three times or more.
Hyun-soo saw something in Barad’s eyes.
Slowly, Barad nodded. Hyun-soo saw trust in his gaze.
A firm belief that he would easily overcome this challenge.
‘Thank you, Your Highness.’
Barad was still firmly intent on imparting the Sword King’s swordsmanship to him.
This situation was created by him.
Benson said,
“Understand that this is the only way His Highness can proceed.”
And Hyun-soo understood the entire situation.
‘Certainly, I must consider His Highness Barad’s position.’
Of course, as a user, Hyun-soo would prefer just to receive, but he had already received so much.
Participating in the ceremony, Barad had brought him fame and added 30% value to his three swords.
Also, the blessing of a friend is a boon not found anywhere else.
“Since there’s a significant power gap, the Knight Commander should not use magic.”
“Understood, Your Highness.”
Benson readily agreed.
As Hyun-soo walked towards the training ground, he pondered how to approach this.
‘That should work.’
He smiled slightly.
***
Benson intended to end this absurd qualification test quickly.
He knew Hyun-soo was called ‘Crazy Rookie’ for winning the Super Rookie contest.
But the difference in their power was too great.
Moreover, Benson was in top condition today.
And he was already aware of the key points to consider.
‘He is a swordsmith.’
He could make such swords.
Additionally, Benson had personally witnessed the Super Rookie contest.
‘He created an artifact right on the spot.’
Benson smirked bitterly.
Did he think he was unprepared for such an occurrence?
‘The moment it’s made, I’ll destroy it.’
All powers are nullified if destroyed before they are fully activated.
After all, this Hyun-soo was no match for him.
The two stood facing each other.
Soon, Bella, who had accompanied them, spoke.
“Begin.”
Then, a translucent mineral appeared above Hyun-soo’s head.
“What a pity.”
Observing the all-too-familiar pattern, Benson made his move.
The mineral rapidly melted and then was refined. Benson lightly leaped into the air.
“This little thing can be easily nullified.”
Suddenly, the refined mineral took the shape of a sword blade with a hint of crimson.
An unfinished sword.
Just as he was about to strike it down,
“…It’s over.”
Benson’s thoughts froze.
What’s happening?
The sword blade was still glowing hot.
It couldn’t be considered a complete sword.
But then…
Crack!
Cracks began to spread across the heated blade.
‘Could it be…?’
He realized what Hyun-soo was planning.
But his sword had already clashed with Hyun-soo’s.
Clang!
As they collided, everything seemed to move in slow motion.
The sword shattered into hundreds of pieces.
Was it his sword that broke?
‘No.’
Hyun-soo had made it break on its own.
Boom!
Hundreds of sword fragments scattered around.
Whoosh-
As the red-hot fragments grazed Benson’s body…
[1st Strike Successful.]
[2nd Strike Successful.]
[3rd Strike Successful.]
[4th Strike Successful.]
[…]
[…]
[Successfully struck 59 times.]
He had not only succeeded in striking three times but 59 times.
For Benson, it felt like a child’s prank, barely tickling him.
Panicked, Benson asked,
“What kind of blacksmith are you, Hyun-soo?”
“Are you asking about my profession?”
He looked towards Barad.
“It does not leak out anywhere.”
Benson acknowledged him. The question was about his occupation.
Every time Hyun-soo used that swordsmanship, he would become widely known. Therefore, he must be at least an epic-class…
“I am God Blacksmith.”
Benson’s eyes widened. The God of Blacksmiths. A title he had heard of in his childhood.
The most outstanding blacksmith and a mighty warrior!
The king asked,
“So, is this proof enough?”
Benson replied,
“No.”
Barad frowned. Not even this was enough proof…
“I am immensely grateful that the God Blacksmith will be learning Your Highness’s swordsmanship!”
Cliche Novel 
😂 Thanks for the chapter!!
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Very fast change lmao
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