The forge.

Hyunsoo recalled his conversation with Nell.

‘That person whose crafting request you accepted—was there a reason?’

Hyunsoo had already told Nell it was because he was desperate.

In truth, even if it looked like he didn’t, Hyunsoo would check the countless recruiting restrictions and crafting-request messages sent to Hyun’s Forge from time to time.

Right now, countless high-rankers were sending messages to Hyun.

But among them, there wasn’t a single one who kept sending crafting-request messages for nearly 100 days—past a full month—and leaving posts on Hyun’s Forge.

Only Ian.

‘Even though he’s getting mocked by the public, too.’

That meant he was that desperate.

And it was also connected to his father’s blacksmith spirit.

His father didn’t sell weapons to just anyone.

‘Hyunsoo. Our job is sometimes a job that helps desperate people who have something they want so badly. And if you fulfill that desperation, it’ll come back to us as a blessing.’

And Hyunsoo had an example of that desperation.

Ian’s message to Hyun’s Forge.

[I can only use a horn bow. I still vividly remember shooting a horn bow with my father when I was a child.]

He wanted to ask.

 A world that had turned its back on the horn bow, Korea’s native bow.

A world where archery had instead become an Olympic sport adopted worldwide.

And yet, in a game like Ares—where horn bows were so rare you only saw them once in a great while—why did he insist on one?

[I’ve always believed the horn bow is our people’s pride. In the Joseon era, there were three weapons that represented China, Japan, and Korea.]

He didn’t simply like the horn bow.

He understood it.

[China was the spear, Japan was the matchlock gun, and Korea was the bow.]

The matchlock gun looked the most powerful.

[The matchlock gun’s range was 80 m. And our bow, which the Japanese mocked—horn bows and baby arrows were 200 m.]

[And Yi Seong-gye, Yi Sun-sin, Jumong...]

Hyunsoo smiled as he read those words.

[I grew up hearing those stories, and that made me hold a horn bow. And here are my Status Window and Skill Window.]

A high-ranker sharing their Status Window and Skill Window was a rare thing.

Because those were their secrets—their hidden weapons.

His bow mastery was only Beginner Lv.3.

Literally beginner level.

But the unique skill called horn bow mastery had reached Top-Grade Lv.5.

The instant he saw that, Hyunsoo understood one fact.

‘The person who can shoot the bow I make the best.’

That person was Ian.

Of course, Hyunsoo could craft modern bows too.

But he had higher understanding of horn bows.

The combination of the person who could shoot it best and the person who could make it best created the strongest synergy.

And it wasn’t only those reasons.

[I’ll pay you 30% more than the bow’s value.]

Because he said he’d value it that much higher.

And Hyunsoo had already decided in his head what he would craft.

When he sent that, a reply came quickly.

[If something like that can really be realized, and if I’m satisfied...]

After some time passed following that reply, he sent another.

[I will produce a Hyun’s Forge video one time. I used to work as a video editor three years ago, and I was fairly well-known. But I quit when I started Ares. Right now Hyun’s Forge’s forge ranking is 23rd. After the Dragonlight Sword unboxing, it got pushed down a lot.]

Hyunsoo’s expression turned startled.

‘A video editor?’

To be honest, Hyunsoo didn’t know much about that field.

But in the era of 2040, he did know that a skilled video editor was something you couldn’t obtain even with money.

On top of that, most of the major guilds in Ares had at least one video editor.

That was how much weight promotion carried.

[I’ll get you back into the Top 20.]

Hyunsoo was surprised.

Ian’s certainty made him excited.

‘He thinks he can raise me three ranks with just one video?’

Suddenly, the unboxing teaser from the AJ Internet Broadcasting Station flashed through his mind.

Back then, just one teaser had gathered tens of thousands of viewers.

‘As I thought.’

Hyunsoo realized his instinct had been right.

He didn’t know why Ian had quit editing.

But when Hyunsoo filled his desperation, Ian reached out a hand of repayment.

‘Shall we start?’

Hyunsoo took the material out of his inventory.

The Highest-grade Small World Tree.

(Small World Tree)

Grade: Legend

Restriction: Blacksmith Level 250 or higher

Difficulty: Highest

Special Abilities

· Archer-related skills increase up to +4.

· Fire-attribute attack power increases up to 431%.

· Fire-attribute skills increase up to Legend.

· Arrow penetration increases by 120%.

· Accuracy increases by 130%.

· Critical hit rate increases by 80%.

· Durability increases up to infinite.

Description: The most precious material that only 1% can be obtained from a Small World Tree, and accordingly—because it is that sensitive—it boasts the highest difficulty.

The Small World Tree he obtained this time was enough to make exactly two bows.

‘Highest difficulty, huh.’

That meant it was an extremely sensitive material.

Hyunsoo began crafting.

*****

Hobeom was excited.

‘Could it be that I might obtain a legendary bow, too?’

Blacksmith Hyun was the producer of the most Legend artifacts in Ares.

‘For now, I’ll keep it secret.’

Hobeom wasn’t stupid enough to spread it all over town.

Once the commission was accepted, Hobeom searched Hyun.

And soon he saw a shocking post.

A blacksmith community.

A post by someone acting anonymously, but presumed to be a user within the Top 10 of the blacksmith rankings.

[Hyun’s Forge is getting really hot lately, right? But shall I tell you something you don’t know?]

‘Something I don’t know?’

Hobeom frowned in confusion.

[There’s also a rumor that the Four Tigers Sword—currently designated as a treasure of the Ares Church—is Hyun’s third legend. No user has seen the exact detailed information yet, so it isn’t confirmed, but I also think it’s plausible.]

‘Whoa...!’

Hobeom was happy hearing it.

‘Three Legend artifacts!’

But as he read the posts that followed, his brow creased.

[If you think carefully, something is strange. Barad’s sword, the Dragonlight Sword, the Four Tigers Sword. Have you noticed what they have in common?]

“...They’re all swords?”

Yeah. All three of them were swords.

[Correct. Every Legend artifact Hyun has crafted is a sword. Of course, swords account for 45% of weapon usage in Ares. The reason I’m saying this is that truly diverse classes are commissioning Hyun’s Forge.]

Hobeom swallowed. He was one of them.

[Originally, among dozens of artifacts, blacksmiths craft one or two types better than the rest. There are even passive skills for that. I want to cautiously suggest that perhaps Hyun only stands out when it comes to sword crafting. Of course, there are exceptions.]

[Hyun surprised us by crafting a bow called the Thousand-Weight Bow. But as everyone knows, even though the Thousand-Weight Bow was excellent, it wasn’t Legend.]

That hit Hobeom a little.

The post wasn’t mindless hate.

[Still, it’s clear that as an individual blacksmith, Hyun is exceptional.]

They acknowledged what deserved acknowledgment.

The comments under it.

[That’s true... lololol.]

[Come to think of it, Hyun really can’t make anything but swords lololol.]

[After making one Legend sword, did he get some perk like “chance of Legend-grade artifact +50%” or something?]

[Seems possible. Or he might’ve been a sword-only blacksmith from the start?]

Hobeom had no choice but to rub his face dry.

‘What if it’s true?’

A great horn bow was the only way to solve his current problem.

If he failed to get it, he’d be pushed out of even the Top 50 before long.

Ian’s worry deepened.

*****

Hyunsoo’s hands moved skillfully as he began work.

Hyunsoo had restored Lord Vance’s horn bow, the lord of the beginner zone, before.

But crafting a bow from this Small World Tree now was harder than back then.

Because the material itself was incredibly difficult to handle.

Still, Hyunsoo tamed that difficult material with expert hands.

In fact, there was one secret people didn’t know.

‘People might think I’m best at making swords.’

Of course, Hyunsoo made swords well too.

But if someone gave Hyunsoo the best possible material for something and told him to choose what to make, he could answer without hesitation.

‘I’d make a horn bow.’

It wasn’t simply because Hyunsoo had natural talent for making horn bows.

The forge where he’d been [N O V E L I G H T] with his father, Hyuntae.

In that forge, surprisingly, the number of sword commissions and horn-bow commissions was about the same.

Why?

‘A real sword is hard to keep as a hobby, in the end.’

Meanwhile, there were still many people in Korea who fell for the charm of the horn bow—Korea’s native bow—and enjoyed it as a hobby.

Just like Ian did as a child.

So commissions for swords and bows—those two—were common.

And between his father and himself, there was one weapon each of them stood out more in.

Hyunsoo was bows, and his father was swords.

From then on, Hyunsoo focused on horn-bow crafting, while his father handled sword crafting.

His father had said,

‘You’re the best bow craftsman I know.’

Hyunsoo gave a bitter smile.

‘That’s only because there aren’t many blacksmiths in this world.’

But his father shook his head.

‘I don’t mean it at that level. You’re gifted with bows. If you’d existed in Jumong’s era, Jumong would’ve chosen you out of tens of thousands of blacksmiths.’

‘Ahem.’

‘But you’re worse than me at swords.’

‘Huh...?’

Of course, “worse” didn’t mean below the level of a master.

Take soccer players as an example.

Eleven soccer players.

When the average person’s talent is 70, their talent is 100.

And even among national team players, the ones with talent like 108, 110 stand out.

Hyunsoo’s general blacksmith skill belonged to that “108, 110” class.

But bow crafting alone might be unmeasurable—120, 130.

That was what Hyunsoo’s bow crafting was like.

Refined water-buffalo horn, and a bowstring nearing completion. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

‘The Small World Tree’s elasticity goes beyond common sense.’

Did Jumong’s bow truly exist in the real world?

Even Hyunsoo didn’t know.

But creatively, he imagined—what if Jumong did exist?

In legend, Jumong was said to hit targets with arrows fired from farther range than anyone else.

‘Meaning, that range implies a string that can endure being drawn tighter.’

A blacksmith’s knowledge and the best material met, and it became perfect.

The bowstring problem was solved.

And what Hyunsoo truly wanted now was a bow worthy of being called Jumong’s.

Before he knew it, he was performing the roasting and curing process over a small fire.

For it to be called Jumong’s Horn Bow, it needed long range—but it also needed accuracy.

But those were opposite concepts.

‘An arrow shot from far away has high accuracy too?’

That was impossible.

Realistically, absolutely impossible.

But...

‘It will be possible.’

[You are displaying a horn-bow crafting method that defies common sense.]

[It will be the most perfect horn-bow crafting method.]

Because in reality it was impossible, but the system here would recognize it—and if you were great enough, it would give you what you wanted.

He finished the curing process at last, and carved patterns into it.

And there was something he couldn’t forget.

‘Small World Tree.’

The small fire and the large fire he had unleashed.

And the contents of the Small World Tree’s detailed description.

Fire-attribute attack power increase, and fire-attribute skills increasing up to Legend.

‘This thing is... the strongest fire-attribute weapon material...!’

The moment he gripped the finished horn bow’s limbs—

FWOOSHHHHHH—

Flames surged from the limbs and spread through the entire forge.

Those flames weren’t hot to Hyunsoo at all.

But those flames were the hottest inferno fire in the world—the inferno fire that had once tried to burn him alive.

Soon, all of those flames were sucked into the bow.

The limbs, which had been glowing red as if heated, returned to their original color—white.

FWAAAAAAH—!

Hyunsoo had a habit.

When he was absorbed in crafting, he couldn’t hear any notifications at all.

When all his senses finally opened, Hyunsoo anticipated it.

As he created legends, Hyunsoo had learned to trust a certain instinct.

That instinct—

‘A legend will come out.’

That kind of instinct. This horn bow was worthy enough.

So Hyunsoo expected it.

The fifth legend notification he would hear.

But once his senses opened, Hyunsoo ended up disappointed.

Behind the countless notifications, there was no [You are approaching legend.] notification.

And—

‘There’s no notification that a new legend was written, either.’

Hyunsoo wore a bitter smile.

‘This is a game, after all.’

Even if you made an excellent bow, luck also played a huge role.

‘This time, my luck....’

Then an unexpected notification rang out.

[A masterpiece is written.]