Strike 60

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Hyun-soo had this thought when he heard about the three successful attacks.

‘Benson must know about my emergency crafting.’

And how to neutralize it.

Most skill casts disappear when attacked.

That’s why he came up with this idea.

‘Applying an effect that immediately detonates the sword in its red-bladed state.’

He added this to the emergency crafting effects of the God Blacksmith.

The sword shatters into hundreds of pieces.

This sword is literally a one-time use item.

However, it’s the best option to pass Benson’s qualification test.

‘There’s no need to inflict damage.’

When he successfully struck him 59 times, Hyun-soo felt exhilarated.

[Skill Quest: Swordsmanship of the Sword King Complete]

[You have completed it with extraordinary success.]

[You can now learn the Swordsmanship of the Sword King.]

Then, Benson, looking dazed, looking down at himself, asked,

“What kind of blacksmith are you, Hyun-soo?”

Hyun-soo immediately understood the intent of the question.

However, revealing this was extremely dangerous.

He surveyed the inside.

There were only Sword King Barad, Bella, Benson, and himself.

And he was confident that this fact would not be disclosed.

“I am God Blacksmith.”

“How about that, does this prove it?”

“No, Your Majesty. I am immensely grateful that the God Blacksmith will be learning Your Highness’s swordsmanship!”

[Your intimacy with Benson increases.]

Intimacy with the kingdom’s leader increases.

This will have very beneficial effects in the future.

Benson didn’t stop there. He bowed to Hyun-soo.

“Please, spread far and wide about His Majesty’s swordsmanship.”

Benson’s thoughts changed in an instant.

The God blacksmith.

He’s practically a God. Of course, he’s not a complete God yet.

Still, the name itself is too precious.

As time passes, his fame and swordsmanship will become more known.

All Benson’s concerns about qualifications stemmed from his concern for His Majesty.

Benson also felt an unknown warmth.

‘His Majesty Barad is a close friend of the God Blacksmith…!’

Initially, he wondered why His Majesty would befriend a mere blacksmith.

But now, he thinks it was a great decision.

“I will do my best.”

And Barad smiled contentedly.

‘I’m pleased.’

His friend is much more valuable than he thought.

“Everyone, leave.”

Barad sent Bella and Benson out.

“Take up the sword, Hyun-soo. For the next two weeks, you will receive my teachings.”

“Yes.”

Thus began the two-week teaching.

“This is how you thrust.”

“When you swing, put weight into it.”

“Use your toes and wrists appropriately.”

As time passed, Barad was a bit surprised.

‘Quite impressive.’

It’s hard to understand. The foreigners he met could barely hold a sword without looking like they’d never touched one in their life.

‘Do foreigners talk about control?’

Something like SynCon.

Hyun-soo didn’t have that.

But he had something else.

‘…The ability to understand and apply the weight and sharpness of the sword is remarkable.’

Is it because he’s a blacksmith?

Of course, that’s part of it. But he also freely uses unconventional swords.

‘Baron Vans laid a good foundation.’

But this was different.

Suddenly, in the first week, Barad asked,

“How old were you when you first held a sword?”

“Since I was ten.”

Barad smiled slightly.

‘A different kind of genius.’

Are there foreigners who have been wielding swords since the age of ten?

He doesn’t think so.

Their lands are too peaceful.

Only Hyun-soo could have touched a real sword at ten in such a world.

“Who bought the swords?”

“People who cherished swords.”

‘I see.’

It starts to make sense.

In a world where swords are unnecessary, those who wield them.

They must be highly skilled.

Of course, they can’t compare to those living here.

“Uncles used to teach me often with wooden swords.”

Dozens of them must have patted the head of the boy in the forge, proud of him.

‘Those dozens created a prodigy.’

Barad, about to take a break, heard Hyun-soo from behind.

“Aren’t we continuing?”

It gives him chills.

‘That created prodigy is also a stubborn one.’

As he taught, Barad laughed.

‘I don’t regret it.’

Not because he’s the God Blacksmith.

‘He’s worthy to carry on my swordsmanship.’

But also, a bit regretful.

‘If you weren’t a blacksmith, I would have wanted you as my successor.’

And on the last day.

“This power will now protect you, Hyun-soo.”

Barad smiled gently.

***

[Learning the Swordsmanship of the Sword King]

Hyun-soo immediately checked his new skill.

(Swordsmanship of the Sword King)

Active Skill

Grade: Legendary

Level: 1, Proficiency: 0%

Sword skill.

· Chapter 1: Beast’s Fury.

· Chapter 2: Whirlwind Sword.

· Chapter 3: Sword’s Cry.

(Chapter 1: Beast’s Fury)

Active Skill

Mana Cost: 300

Cooldown: 5 minutes.

Effects:

· For 1 minute, physical attack power increases by 22%, slashing power by 25%, and piercing power by 30%.

· Applies a status effect of intimidation to all enemies within a 10m radius.

(Chapter 2: Whirlwind Sword)

Active Skill

Mana Cost: 100

Cooldown: 2 minutes

Effects:

· Launches a whirling sword toward the enemy’s vital points, causing 100% additional damage on impact, 140% extra damage on successful vital strike.

· 3% chance for 200% damage.

(Chapter 3: Sword’s Cry)

Active Skill

Mana Cost: 400

Cooldown: 10 minutes.

Effects:

· Paralyzes all senses of enemies within a 20m radius for 3 seconds.

· Strikes all recognized enemies with 190% additional damage.

· Can strike within the radius without direct contact.

· Ignores all forms of armor.

‘Incredible…’

This framework was similar to the Prime Swordsmanship he already had.

But the effects themselves were overwhelmingly superior to Prime Swordsmanship.

‘Sword’s Cry is a wide-ranging attack that even ignores all armor?’

Just considering this, the damage has doubled. Sadly, he could only master three chapters for now.

“You’re not yet ready to learn the other chapters,” was the clear implication.

Obviously, there are levels for learning these skills.

“There are five more chapters remaining. When you master them all superbly, come to find me.”

Hyun-soo’s level was low and the effects were currently the weakest.

‘As time goes on and proficiency increases, the chapters will level up.’

Swinging the sword also increases the proficiency of related skills.

Then, Hyun-soo was amazed by a notification.

[You have been taught by the Sword King.]

[Beginner Sword Mastery evolves to Beginner Sword Mastery Lv.9.]

Each increase in Beginner Sword Mastery Level 1 boosts sword attack power, slashing, and piercing by 3%.

That’s more than a 15% increase at once.

And Hyun-soo had something to do.

“Do you remember the promise you made before?”

“A promise?”

“Yes, you promised to tell me where to find Century Iron.”

“Of course.”

Barad smiled slightly.

“White Iron can be obtained in the Frost Mines. Bella, come in.”

Bella entered promptly.

“Give Hyun-soo a ticket to enter there.”

Bella quickly disappeared and returned.

[You have obtained a ticket to enter the Frost Mines.]

As he received it, Barad said,

“Have you considered becoming the Royal Blacksmith of the Goyard Kingdom? I can give you the authority to lead them.”

Ding!

[Barad offers you the position of Royal Blacksmith.]

“We are friends, but I have duties to attend to.”

Barad heard about these duties.

‘A guild…’

Barad knew that foreigners could create a guild from level 100.

Barad had a good idea.

“Will you come to find me on the day you create your guild, Hyun-soo?”

“Of course. I’ll be staying in the Goyard Kingdom for a while, so I’ll visit often. And, is there a mineral in the Frost Mines better than White Iron?”

Barad shook his head.

“I only receive tributes, so I don’t know the details, but it’s possible. Look for Miner Lek there.”

[Quest: Meet Miner Lek]

Grade: B

Restriction: Offered by Barad

Reward: Mineral Information

Penalty for Failure: Loss of mineral information.

Description: Miner Lek might know if there’s a mineral superior to White Iron. Let’s meet him.

Hyun-soo greeted and then set off to find a mineral superior to White Iron.

‘I wonder if Millennium Iron really exists.’

Even if it were just White Iron, Hyun-soo would be satisfied.

‘I need to create another artifact related to ice properties.’

There’s someone who always brings a smile to Hyun-soo’s face when he thinks of them: Hyuk-su.

Hyun-soo never forgot his promise to him.

When Hyuk-su sold the forge back to him, Hyun-soo promised to make him an artifact.

Thinking about it, he had repaid Ji-hoon, his landlord, and hospital staff, but he hadn’t yet done anything for Hyuk-su.

‘Should I check again?’

He had received information about the artifact Hyuk-su needed in a small notebook.

Hyun-soo looked at the screenshot of that information.

[High fire resistance shield, preferably with attacking capabilities. Doesn’t melt in high heat. A power to freeze everything within a 2m radius would be great.]

“Ha.”

A small laugh escaped Hyun-soo.

At the time, Hyuk-su was puzzled when unexpectedly told about receiving an artifact as a gift.

Especially when asked to write down the desired effects of the artifact, he looked baffled.

But then, he had diligently noted down what he needed.

‘Uncle Hyuk-su is my benefactor.’

Shouldn’t one repay what one has received?

‘I wonder if Uncle Hyuk-su’s needs for the artifact remain the same?’

That’s also important.

Hyun-soo messaged using the unique code at the bottom of the note, but there was no reply for a while.

‘Is he busy?’

Hyun-soo continued toward the Frost Mines with a puzzled expression.

After some time, a message arrived.

***

The Dragon’s Nest consists of several hunting areas within a vast land.

One of them, the Salamander Dungeon, is the lowest difficulty hunting ground in the Dragon’s Nest.

However, this Salamander Dungeon has yet to be conquered.

Although Sword King Barad conquered the highest difficulty, the Tomb of Efreet, even the lowest difficulty was too hard for other users.

A middle-aged man, Tanker Bark, a non-official ranker, sat on a rock there.

Bark could be compared to the third-ranked official tanker.

He sighed, looking at his completely melted square shield.

[Durability below 30%.]

[All effects of the shield reduced by more than 60%.]

“Damn it.”

Bark, who was on a job quest, had attempted the Salamander Dungeon several times but failed.

‘With the artifact melting away, what can I do?’

What’s the use of being an excellent tanker if all the armor melts away?

Despite having high fire resistance, being a tanker didn’t help.

‘Rumor has it that Sword King Barad obtained an excellent sword from a craftsman and defeated Efreet.’

But that’s still an unconfirmed rumor.

“Is there no decent shield available?”

But such items are not easy to find. The grade of an artifact is usually determined by its effects.

The problem is with unique-grade items; they often have many effects but many are not necessary for the user.

Bark had such a shield. He had plenty of money. The problem was finding a craftsman to make the right shield.

‘Did I receive a message?’

Bark, who hadn’t checked messages during the hunt, now saw it and smiled.

There are people who bring a smile just by being contacted.

For Bark, the person who just messaged him was such a person.

[Hyun-soo: Hello, this is Hyun-soo. I was just wondering how you are doing.]

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