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SERIES: Regression of the cursed Blacksmith
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Chapter 1 - The Blacksmith's Final Gambit
The world had ended.
To be precise, it was ending right now.
It had always felt like the world was on the brink of collapse, but now, it was truly over.
The Chaos Gates that appeared after the Third Great Cataclysm kept spewing out monsters relentlessly, and people despaired as they watched the creatures swarm the last-standing Shelter.
The apocalypse had arrived.
“Hah…”
“We’re screwed, for real this time.”
“This is hopeless. How are we supposed to stop that?”
“Looking back at it now, this mission was impossible to clear from the start. The system just enjoyed watching us struggle.”
“Who doesn’t know that?”
“Ah, I don’t know anymore. Let’s just drink. We’ve fought enough. I’d rather die while drinking than die fighting to the very end.”
The last Shelter, Noah.
Named after the ark that had survived the great flood, it was the most advanced Shelter humanity had ever built.
It’s location was even kept as top-secret, but somehow, it had been discovered.
So now, whether Noah was kept secret or not, it was all over.
Realistically, with 99.99% of humanity already dead, what miracle could possibly occur even if the best Shelter and the rest of mankind joined forces?
It was then.
“I-I did it!! I finally succeeded!!”
“Succeeded? In what?”
“The Regression Project!! It’s a success!!”
“What?!”
As the news of the Regression Project’s success spread, people flocked to the plaza.
The Regression Project was one of humanity’s last remaining hopes.
Hopes like migrating all of humanity to another world, or creating a time-regression device to start everything over from the beginning.
Humanity had given these projects various names—Regression, Reincarnation, Transmigration, Possession—and activated them all at once.
They knew it sounded absurd.
But humanity was desperate enough to grasp at any straws available.
So they had gathered the top-tier research-class Awakened, excluding the combat classes, to carry out these last projects.
Their participation in battle wouldn’t have significantly changed humanity’s fate anyway, so they started forging hope in this manner instead.
And, in truth, they had half-forgotten about it.
Because they knew that it was an impossible feat.
But a moment ago, a miracle had happened.
Regression, one of the last remaining projects.
It had succeeded.
The one who made it a success was Daniel of the Regression Team.
He was a 9-star demon summoner. Although he wasn't a researcher, he was one of the personnel brought in on the off chance he could find a way through a deal with a demon.
Holding out a grotesquely shaped pocket watch, he spoke out.
“This is it, this is the regression method I told you about.”
“What is that?”
“I got it after making a deal with a great demon. This item's name is “The Devil’s Clockwork,” and it can send exactly one person to the past, with certain conditions attached."
“One person?”
At the mention of one person, the crowd began to murmur.
One person? It wouldn’t be enough even if everyone remaining were to go back to the past.
But the commotion was brief, as everyone quickly assessed the situation.
“Then, I guess we have to send the most important person to the past.”
“We’ll have to send our highest-ranking member then.”
“Who should we send?”
“Shouldn’t we send someone from the All-Stars?”
“Everyone, just a moment.”
As opinions were being shared among people, someone attracted everyone’s attention.
It was Stein, a member of another last project’s team and a 9-star alchemist.
“Everyone, calm down. Before we pick someone, let’s hear the conditions first. Daniel said it can send exactly one person, “with certain conditions attached.””
“Ah, right.”
“What are the conditions?”
Having regained the attention, Daniel spoke.
“The conditions are as follows.”
1. The Regressor must be chosen from the remaining survivors.
2. The Regressor will retain their current memories upon regressing.
3. The Regressor will keep their pre-regression class after regressing.
4. Half of the Regressor’s primary class traits will be sealed.
5. The Regressor cannot reveal the fact that they have regressed to anyone.
These were the five conditions.
Upon hearing them, the people fell silent as if they were doused with cold water.
“These are… the conditions?”
“Are you insane?”
“I mean, forget the others, but a fixed class and half of their primary traits will be sealed? Do you know how important those things are? Are you kidding me?”
“And what about not being able to reveal that they are a regressor? How are we supposed to gather people and stop them then?”
As the outcries of people erupted, Daniel, who had been listening, spoke with an apologetic expression.
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it. I wanted to offer my own soul to get better conditions, but the demon said that the soul of a man about to die is worthless. So this was the best compromise I could negotiate.”
“Hah, even so…!”
“Everyone, stop!”
It was Stein who came forward and calmed the crowd.
“Everyone, calm down. Daniel did his best. Frankly, isn't it better to accept these conditions than letting everyone die here like dogs? Zero and one are fundamentally different.”
“That’s true, but…”
At that moment.
BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG!!
The invading monsters began pounding on the Shelter walls.
[ Activating defense system. ]
BOOOOOOM!!
The defense system got activated.
But no one knew how long it would hold on for.
“You all know that we don’t have any more time, right? Let’s stop fighting and start narrowing down the candidates. That’s the only thing we can do right now.”
As Stein explained calmly, everyone nodded.
“Yeah, he’s right.”
“We’re lucky to even get a chance like this.”
“But Daniel, what happens if the Regressor were to reveal the truth?”
“Their head will explode and they will die. And he also said that this condition will be permanently engraved as a trait, so don’t try anything stupid.”
“Oh, for crying out loud.”
“If it’s engraved as a trait, then there’s no way around it.”
“That’s not a trait, it’s a curse.”
“So, who are we going to send now?”
The people calmly began to narrow down the candidates.
Many were mentioned as potential candidates.
The God of War.
The Archmage.
The Sword Demon.
The Spear Master.
The Bow Fiend.
The Overlord.
The Shadow Lord.
The Spirit King.
The Necromancer, and so on.
But each time, counter-arguments arose, and the nominated individuals themselves remained silent.
As for the reason for their silence?
It wasn’t out of modesty.
They simply lacked the confidence.
Because while they were undoubtedly players who had reached the pinnacle of humanity, the demerit of having their primary class traits sealed, coupled with the burden of having to fight for humanity while holding the secret alone, was too much for them to bear.
Stein looked at those who had been nominated.
The ones who were usually nothing but confident, the ones who were always arrogant about their skills, all of them avoided his gaze and kept silent.
But he couldn’t force someone to go against their will.
After all, if he sent someone without the will or conviction, and if they were to have a change of heart, it would truly be the end.
As everyone stood around, unable to say anything and just staring at each other, one person who had been quietly silent all this time raised his hand and said-
“I’ll go.”
Everyone’s gaze turned in one direction.
Where their gazes landed stood a Korean player with black hair and black eyes.
“God Hand?”
“Choi Hyun?”
“You’ll go?”
God Hand - Choi Hyun.
His name was Choi Hyun, his title was God Hand, and he was undisputedly the best among the countless blacksmith players.
As a blacksmith, he wasn’t just good at crafting.
He was also skilled in design and repair, as well as disassembling and modification of items. He was a player with genius-level instincts and senses, one who would never fall out of the top ranks even when compared to all the existing Fighting Blacksmiths and other combat classes.
But despite that, the prejudice people had against a production class was hard to shake off. Especially in a situation like this, where there was no room for composure.
Sure enough, Choi Hyun’s volunteering was met with a flood of questions.
“Hey, are you kidding me?”
“We’re not even sure if a combat class will be able to succeed, so what can a production class like you do?”
“Besides, half of the Regressor’s primary traits will be sealed. What are you going to do if your crafting traits get sealed?”
To their jeers, Choi Hyun calmly retorted.
“My traits might be sealed, but my mouth won’t be.”
“What?”
“Crafting traits? They can be sealed for all I care. I already have the blueprints and crafting processes for everything in the world in my head. And I didn't become God Hand just because I’m good at making things, right? I became God Hand because I’m an all-rounder.”
“That’s not wrong, but…”
“I’ll leave the crafting to other people. There are plenty of guys out there who are better at it than me. What’s important is who sets up the overall board and how.”
Just then, Stein approached him and asked.
“So how are you going to set it up?”
At Stein’s question, Choi Hyun stepped onto the platform and began to command the crowd’s attention.
“Why do you think we ended up like this? It’s because we failed to deal with the Chaos Gates, the Third Great Cataclysm.”
“That’s right. The difficulty and volume of the Chaos Gates were determined in proportion to the number of dungeons and gates we failed to clear during the Second Great Cataclysm.”
“Exactly. So since we know the cause, the solution is what’s important, right? The method is simple. I’ll go to the past and raise the level of humanity’s equipment to its absolute limit. How? I’ll just release all the crafting methods I know right now to the world ahead of time.”
“Release the crafting methods?”
“Yeah. Then everyone will be able to get end-game gear for cheap, and naturally, the dungeon and gate clear rates will skyrocket. And what do you think will happen then? The Third Great Cataclysm? Chaos Gates? They won’t even be a problem.”
Choi Hyun made eye contact with the people and continued.
“I can’t stop the apocalypse alone. So I’ll leave the majority of the gates to the people, and I’ll personally take on the few gates and dungeons that no one could clear. As for who? Me and the All-Stars I choose.”
“All-Stars?”
“I’m talking about you guys. I may be an all-rounder, but why should I struggle alone when I have all this top-tier talent available? Don’t worry about how I will persuade you. I’ll handle that myself. Was there ever anyone I couldn’t win over by tempting them with my gear?”
To that sentence, no one could argue.
After all, the equipment Choi Hyun designed and crafted for them was far superior to anything else.
“Besides, is there anyone here with better social skills than me? Just look around. Are there any sane people among the candidates for becoming a Regressor?”
“That’s…”
“That’s true.”
“Yeah, who else but Choi Hyun could possibly placate those guys?”
“They’re all just a bunch of psychos.”
“The world ended, so we're all gathered here. Otherwise, we'd never be in the same room.”
“Bunch of dumbasses.”
“Who are you calling a dumbass?”
The people nodded, agreeing with Choi Hyun.
Just then, someone raised their hand.
“But there's always a “what if,” right? How do we know one of us won't suddenly have a change of heart, deviating from the plan?”
It was a reasonable concern.
Choi Hyun smiled at the question and said.
“Don't worry. If that happens, I'll take responsibility and personally crush that bastard.”
“You?”
“You think I can't?”
Choi Hyun, the Fighting Blacksmith.
His combat sense was on a level that everyone here acknowledged.
Everyone nodded at Choi Hyun's retort.
“He's already strong enough now, but if he regresses... honestly, Choi Hyun would be the number one.”
“To be honest, that'd probably be true for anyone here who went to the past.”
“Going to the past and monopolizing even a little power would make becoming the world's strongest a piece of cake.”
“Anyone who couldn't would be an idiot, right?”
“That’s true~”
With all their anxieties finally dispelled, Choi Hyun raised his fist.
“So, everyone, trust me and send me to the past. I think it's better to have a volunteer like me go, rather than forcing someone into it. Of course, if there are other volunteers, I won't be stubborn. I'll follow the majority vote.”
At Choi Hyun's words, they exchanged glances.
It was then.
“I’m in favor.”
The first to raise his hand was Stein.
“Right now, I can't think of a better method than the one Choi Hyun has proposed. And more importantly, a volunteer like Choi Hyun will have a much stronger sense of duty than someone who's forced into it. Plus, there aren't many multi-talented people among us who are as strong, sociable, and quick-witted as Choi Hyun.”
“That's true. I agree, too.”
“Yeah, I'm in favor.”
“We can trust Choi Hyun.”
“I agree!”
People began raising their hands one after another.
Just as most of the people in the Shelter had raised their hands.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!!
The monsters pounded on the Shelter, like a debt collector demanding his payment.
The occasional explosions were proof that Noah's defense system was working, but it wouldn't last forever.
Choi Hyun said.
“So, is it decided? I'm the one?”
“Yeah. You can go.”
“Thanks for trusting me. Now, Noah?”
- Yes, Master.
The Shelter's system, Noah, responded to Choi Hyun's call.
“How much longer can the Shelter hold out on its own?”
- According to my calculations, it can hold on for approximately 16 hours.
“And what if everyone inside the Shelter is deployed?”
- It can hold for approximately 24 hours.
“Good. You all heard that, right? We have exactly one day left. During that time, I'm going to make a plan for what I'm going to do after I regress. To do that, I need everyone, except for those I call by name, to buy us some time.”
Choi Hyun continued, bowing his head.
“I'm asking this of you. I swear I won't waste the eight hours you buy with your sacrifices. Please, will you help me one last time?”
Choi Hyun's plea.
At his bow, the people were silent for a moment, but then voices began to rise from all around.
“Alright, let's do it!”
“Leave it to us!”
“Let's go! We're gonna buy some time!”
“What's 8 hours? We'll buy you 80!”
“Grab a bottle of wine on your way out! Tonight, we dine in hell!”
“Let's goooo!”
And so, humanity began its final defensive battle for the sake of humanity.
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