Hidden Quest: Give me your blessing.

In short, what is “Give me your blessing”?

According to the quest description, it says this:

“The Virtuous King was a person who took pride in deep friendships with many outstanding and strong people.”

“You, too, as a candidate for the Virtuous King, must prove that you will walk that path through meetings with outstanding people.”

“When you meet them, place your hand on their body, and say ‘Give me your blessing,’ you can receive their blessing and increase various things such as stats or skill Masteries.”

Give me your blessing is a quest that means to build deep connections with many people, the way the Virtuous King did.

In that process, the special aura the Virtuous King carried flows, allowing you to receive a blessing from that target.

This Give me your blessing looks like something you can easily receive blessings from, but it isn’t.

“From someone insignificant, an insignificant blessing.”

“From someone outstanding, an outstanding blessing.”

Those are what come down.

The way to predict what blessing they’ll give is to check how much blessing rate appears.

“The example application to Bella was 18%.”

“Sage Arte was 27%.”

“Lucky Lump was 49%.”

Hyunsoo didn’t know it, but Lucky Lump was one of the Four Great Divine Beasts, so the blessing rate had risen to an absurd degree.

Anyway, he’d been given four chances, and he’d used two.

To apply one of the remaining two, he gripped Bahala’s hand with all his strength.

[You are one who leads the era.]

[An unprecedented, massive blessing is felt.]

These were notifications he hadn’t even heard from Lucky Lump, who had raised his blessing rate by a full 49%.

‘One who leads the era...’

He couldn’t deny it. Bahala was someone who led the era.

‘No way...?’

Hyunsoo could realize one fact.

Before and after Bahala gripped Babylon, Bahala’s potential had skyrocketed.

According to what he’d heard, Bahala said he needed a complete Babylon to walk the Sword God’s Path.

And the Babylon Hyunsoo had checked was a sword that couldn’t be used even if it was restored.

By changing that sword, something that should’ve taken years had been shortened.

And Bahala’s possibility of “becoming the Sword God” had risen to an absurd degree.

In other words, the Babylon Hyunsoo sold returned to him as a massive blessing.

[He has amassed 221 astonishing achievements.]

[He has the potential to become a god, and the power worthy of it.]

[‘Give me your blessing’ is being applied to the person it desired.]

Ding!

[Hidden Piece. Completion of the true meaning of ‘Give me your blessing’.]

[You acquire additional blessing rate.]

Right. The meaning of Give me your blessing—build connections with many strong people.

He got curious.

Just how many percent of blessing rate did Bahala increase, to make the system spit out notifications like this?

And soon, just like Bahala, Hyunsoo’s brain froze too.

[Bahala’s blessing descends.]

[You acquire blessing rate 56%.]

‘...Holy shit.’

It was the kind of level you could only get by combining almost two legends.

Then he recalled one fact.

‘What blessing you receive changes depending on what power the target has.’

Bahala handled only swords.

And Hyunsoo was a user who handled blades too.

[Sword Mastery increases by 4.]

[Sword attack power increases by 8%, magic attack power increases by 8%.]

[All damage of sword-related attack skills increases by 20%.]

[The proficiency gain rate of sword-related skills becomes 20% faster.]

[Skill cooldown of sword-related skills is reduced by 20%.]

[You are a blacksmith.]

[When you craft a sword, the sword’s base attack power will increase by 5%, and all effects will become 5% better.]

‘This is insane...’

Hyunsoo became over 15% stronger than he’d been five minutes ago.

And close to 5% of that power was likely because Bahala’s possibility of becoming the Sword God had become higher by gripping Babylon.

‘Of course I regretted it. Honestly, I still do.’

It couldn’t be helped.

Because Babylon’s value couldn’t be measured even with money.

‘In Second Ares, the number of demon appearances will increase.’

Demons weren’t monsters an individual could hunt. They were beings you had to raid in large groups.

But Bahala was different.

‘One day, he might even be able to kill an archdemon alone.’

The value of monopolizing that reward was enormous.

Then another notification came through.

[Job Quest: The Sword God, and the Blacksmith God completed.]

[You completed the quest of impossibility as an astonishing achievement.]

[The system measures your reward.]

[As a descendant of the blacksmith god, you felt greed toward completed Babylon.]

[However, you kept your promise regarding the commission you received, and protected your true pride as a blacksmith.]

[As a result, you have created a connection between the descendant of the blacksmith god and one who walks the Sword God’s Path.]

[Babylon is a link that connects two gods.]

[Babylon gains a special trait that applies only to you.]

‘...A special trait that applies only to me? What does that mean?’

Babylon wasn’t a sword Hyunsoo would be holding. So he couldn’t understand how a special trait could be added to him.

[You acquire the title Creator of Babylon.]

Hyunsoo was dumbfounded that after pulling off something this enormous, they gave him just one title.

‘Are you kidding me!?’

But the instant he checked it, he panicked.

(Creator of Babylon)

My title

Grade: S

Special Abilities:

·The creator of Babylon is special.

·Whenever the owner of Babylon amasses an astonishing achievement, you acquire 1–3 stats at random.

·If the owner of Babylon succeeds in hunting an ordinary demon, you acquire 10–30 stats at random.

·If the owner of Babylon succeeds in hunting an archdemon, you acquire 40–70 stats at random.

·This is a special title created by the connection between the owner of Babylon and the creator.

·This title automatically disappears after 2 years.

‘Well done, Hyunsoo.’

Hyunsoo wanted to clap for himself.

For selling that sword to Bahala without hesitation, even though he’d regretted it.

From the looks of this, every time Bahala stacked achievements, Hyunsoo could sit still and stack stats.

Of course, even Hyunsoo had amassed fewer than thirty astonishing achievements so far.

But that monster called Bahala—just as the earlier notification proved—had passed two hundred.

According to statistics, the average number of astonishing achievements a user amasses per year is about three.

But Bahala was about fifty per year.

Of course, because his level had risen, that number had no choice but to drop.

About thirty.

But with just those thirty, Hyunsoo could sit still and raise about fifty stats per year.

And while Bahala fought battles with life and death on the line, Hyunsoo would sit still and eat cake.

Especially considering that Babylon was specialized for killing demons.

‘If Bahala kills an archdemon, I get 40–70 stats at random? That’s insane.’

Of course, it disappears after two years, so he wondered if it was possible within that period—but if he succeeded in the hunt, he’d get about fifty stats on average.

And because it was random, even the Legendary stats Overwhelm and Willpower!

If he had to describe this title, it’d be like this:

‘Supreme Blade auto-farming...?’

Only the broad outline was similar, but it was absolutely insane power.

At the synergy sparked by a connection with a Supreme Blade, Hyunsoo couldn’t help smiling.

‘Heh. Heh-hehehehehe.’

No regrets.

Selling Babylon to Bahala.

It was turning into a massive profit.

Meanwhile—

“......”

Bahala, who’d been shaking hands with Hyunsoo for a full minute now, said nothing.

Hyunsoo, the one shaking hands with him—

kept squeezing and loosening his grip, smiling with his lips twitching.

That expression looked like someone thrilled by something.

And there was even something like, ‘I finally held hands. Heh...’ in his face.

It was Bahala’s first time ever offering a handshake to someone.

You could say that was how much he’d opened his heart to Hyunsoo for the first time.

That was why he couldn’t say anything for a full minute.

But when Hyunsoo kept gripping too hard and laughing, Bahala finally said just one thing.

“...I think you’re gripping my hand too tightly.”

“Oh, sorry.”

Bahala hurriedly let go.

His feelings were complicated.

The first person he’d opened his heart {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} to.

Bahala stood at the forge entrance, showing his back.

Bathed in warm sunlight, Bahala’s complicated expression looked like a painting.

Bahala looked down at his own hand.

Then he said to Hyunsoo, who had been kneading that hand,

“...I understand and respect your preferences.”

“...?”

Bahala turned his head and spoke with an extremely complicated expression.

“But I can’t.”

“???”

There was firmness in his voice, and he said it because, in his own way, he was thinking of Hyunsoo.

“Once a year, I’ll let you touch my hand.”

He was pretty kind.

Of course, only to Hyunsoo.

*****

Hyunsoo cleared up the misunderstanding(?) by explaining Give me your blessing.

Of course, he didn’t mention the title Creator of Babylon.

This wasn’t a title Hyunsoo made. It was something he’d been granted.

Even so, from Bahala’s perspective, he might not like someone “getting a spoonful” off the achievements Bahala earned.

Sometimes it’s better not to say anything.

Bahala made a reasonable offer.

“Sixty billion. I acknowledge it. This sword is worth sixty billion. No—more than that.”

Of course, the sword itself was worth about thirty billion.

But you could say the process made this sword worth more than sixty billion.

“But do we have to pay with money?”

Hyunsoo could feel what he meant.

‘See? Hyunsoo. I told you—you did well.’

What did money mean to Hyunsoo?

Once, he felt like he’d die because he didn’t have it.

Now, he had the confidence that he could have more than enough.

As time passed, he was certain he’d pile up even more wealth.

At times like this, Bahala knew Hyunsoo needed something more valuable than money.

“Thirty billion. And I want you to tell me three things you want. If they’re not unreasonable, I’ll help you.”

Hyunsoo’s chest shook.

Three things he wanted. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Three things he could say to World Rank #1 Bahala were more valuable than saying three things he wanted to a Sword King.

But was Bahala just giving Hyunsoo everything?

‘That’s not it either.’

The value of the Babylon crafting process was worth those three things. It was fair.

“Meet me tomorrow. And thankfully.”

Bahala looked deeply relieved.

He glanced back and forth between his own hand and Hyunsoo’s.

“...Aren’t you going to log out already? Want me to force you to log out?”

“Kuh.”

Bahala chuckled softly and logged out.

From that conversation, Hyunsoo felt it.

He’d gotten pretty close with him.

[You have logged out.]

Back in reality, Hyunsoo thought about the three things.

Three things he wanted.

Their value was more than the thirty billion he wasn’t receiving.

All three were big enough that he could ask Bahala to bring him artifact materials.

Hyunsoo took out a memo pad and pen, and quickly solidified two of them.

And the last one—

as he hesitated over what to write, he thought of something.

‘The ultimate goal blacksmiths would naturally want. I’ll accomplish it through Bahala.’

Hyunsoo finished writing the three things.

The next day.

Hyunsoo met Bahala again.

“Can you help me when I need it?”

Bahala and Hyunsoo were like the Sword King, Ben.

They didn’t move because of friendship.

And a relationship where you only help because of friendship couldn’t last.

“It depends on the situation, but it’s possible. I’ll answer your call once, and help you.”

It was what Bahala expected.

And depending on the situation, the value of that could become astronomical.

Then Hyunsoo met Bahala’s eyes, to say the next thing.

This second request was directly connected to the ultimate thing Hyunsoo—and blacksmiths—wanted.

What was it?

Hyunsoo had already achieved one of those ultimate goals in the big picture.

The dream of making an artifact using materials taken from a dragon.

Just imagining it was thrilling—and he had made it real.

And the next material he could use.

“Will you take me on demon hunts too?”

A dragon, classified as a Transcendent species.

And another Transcendent species besides it—demons.

He wouldn’t miss the chance to obtain demon materials through collection and craft artifacts.