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SERIES: Regression of the Cursed Blacksmith
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Chapter 21 - The Tutorial Tower
Choi Hyun spoke, while holding a bundle of microphones tied together.
“Thank you all for coming here despite your busy schedules. My name is Choi Hyun, the Hunter who ranked first overall in this Hunter Exam.”
Choi Hyun bowed politely.
Then, the questions slowly began to trickle in.
“You received a perfect score on the written exam, even answering the notoriously difficult Killer Question. Have you been studying separately for this?”
“I just bought a few workbooks and solved the problems. That’s all there is to it.”
“You also received perfect scores in almost every event during the practical exam and were the last one standing in the final survival test. What was your profession before this?”
“I’m twenty this year. Before becoming a Hunter, I didn’t really have a distinct profession to my name.”
Exclamations like, “What?”, “Wow.”, and “Incredible…” erupted in response to Choi Hyun’s answer.
No matter how they thought about it, it just didn’t make sense at all.
“If you don’t mind my asking, what class did you choose after Awakening?”
This was, in fact, one of the questions they were most curious about.
He was young, yet he had beaten out formidable competitors to take the top spot.
Because of that, everyone thought he was likely a combat class, specifically a physical combat type.
It was common knowledge that magic-based classes were weak in the beginning.
However, the answer that came from Choi Hyun’s lips completely defied the reporters’ expectations.
“I’m a blacksmith.”
“As expected, a swordsman… wait, what?”
“I’m a blacksmith.”
“What do you mean… The footage from the final survival test hasn’t been released yet, so we couldn’t confirm, but according to The Association officials, you fought extremely well. Are you sure you're really a blacksmith?”
Choi Hyun summoned the Hammer of Repair to show them.
“Yes, that’s right. And I plan to specialize in repair.”
“Excuse me? What do you mean by that? Don’t blacksmiths usually focus on crafting?”
“They do, but I prefer repair. I think it suits me better, too.”
“What do you mean by “suits you better”?”
“I don’t intend to be a blacksmith who only works in a workshop. I plan to go out into the field myself and conquer dungeons and gates.”
Choi Hyun transformed the hammer, showing them a claw hammer.
“You’ll see it in The Association’s exam footage when it’s released, but when I don’t have a weapon, I mainly use a claw hammer. If I have one, I plan to mainly use a sword. Of course, I have a plan for that as well.”
The crowd began to murmur.
It was understandable. Most of the world’s famous blacksmith players served only in support roles from the rearguard.
“Fighting Blacksmiths didn’t really appear until after the second Great Cataclysm.”
Choi Hyun continued.
“Of course, I’m not saying this out of simple bravado. I am currently level 1 and have finally completed all my preparations. I’ve arranged this press conference to show you my future growth path and to show you what kind of person I am.”
“How are you going to show us?”
At the reporter’s question, Choi Hyun pointed the summoned claw hammer at the Tower of Growth standing behind him and said.
“I believe the current world record for the Tower of Growth is the 49th floor. Today, I will challenge the Tower of Growth alone and break that record by myself.”
“……!”
“……!”
“……!”
Breaking the world record.
Listening to those words, the reporters began to murmur excitedly, their camera flashes going off.
Choi Hyun deliberately didn’t mention Daesan.
He thought he could reveal his connection to Daesan after he broke the record.
“Finally, thank you for attending this conference for the sake of a humble, unknown Hunter. I will see you all again after my challenge in the Tower of Growth.”
“When will you be challenging it?”
“Right now.”
Flash, flash, flash, flash!
The cameras flashed.
In their haste, the reporters barraged him with questions, but Choi Hyun walked into the Tower of Growth without even glancing back.
Han Young-min, who had been watching the news with a dumbfounded expression, muttered to himself.
“What a crazy bastard.”
And he grew angry.
“Wait, so those guys got their asses kicked by a mere blacksmith?!”
“Ch-Chairman, please calm down…!”
“Do I look like I can calm down? Do I?! Aaaaargh!!”
Han Young-min was filled with regret.
He should have killed that bastard before he gave an interview.
And at the same time.
“Hah…”
Jang Hae-hyun, who was watching the news with his Chief of Staff in the Chairman’s office, also let out a sound of admiration.
“I knew he was no ordinary person, but I didn’t think he was on this level.”
“Yes, if Consultant Choi really does break the world record, it will likely have a significant positive impact on our Daesan as well.”
“So this is why he proposed to be a Consultant, instead of taking up guild membership…”
The corners of Jang Hae-hyun’s mouth curved up.
He was now incredibly excited to see Choi Hyun’s growth.
* * *
“You may enter now.”
An employee managing the Tower of Growth helped Choi Hyun enter.
The employee was, of course, from The Association.
Unlike ordinary gates or dungeons, the Tower of Growth existed in common locations around the world, and players could declare their withdrawal at any time they wished. For that reason, it was managed by the state to ensure the balanced growth of Hunters.
In essence, it was a public gate.
Choi Hyun walked into the portal.
[ Qualifications met. ]
[ Entering the Tower of Growth. ]
Hwaaa!
There was a flash of light, and his vision changed.
When his sight returned, he saw a wide field the size of a sports stadium.
[ You have entered the 1st floor. ]
“It’s been a while.”
The information Choi Hyun remembered about the Tower of Growth went up to the 49th floor.
This was the world record, spanning both the past and the present. It was a record set by Yang-hwi, who had said he was unable to defeat the enemy on the 49th floor and had no choice but to give up on challenging it.
That was because the Tower of Growth had an entry level cap of 30.
“That’s why some Hunters would form elite parties at level 30 to make one last attempt, hoping to raise their market value.”
But even so, Korea’s official record was the 44th floor.
He planned to shatter that record in one go today.
[ The challenge of the 1st floor will now begin. ]
It was an announcement from the tower.
At the same time, slimes appeared.
Instead of the claw hammer, Choi Hyun drew the Tutorial Sword.
The very same one that had been made more perfect through disassembly repair.
He had specifically drawn the sword because his opponents were slimes.
When facing opponents with a humanoid structure, nothing beat the claw hammer, but since most monsters weren’t like that, a sword was generally better for them.
Choi Hyun immediately ran toward the slimes.
[ Super Focus has been activated. ]
[ Nimble Feet has been activated. ]
[ Nameless Footwork has been activated. ]
Three skills activated the moment he started running.
Slice!
[ Deft Hands has been activated. ]
[ Nameless Swordmanship has been activated. ]
[ Preemptive Strike has been activated. ]
[ A critical hit has been dealt. ]
Four skills activated the moment he swung his sword.
[ You have defeated a slime. ]
Choi Hyun succeeded in dispatching all the slimes with one-hit kills.
[ You have cleared the 1st floor. ]
[ Your level has increased. ]
[ You have acquired 1 bonus stat point. ]
[ Heavenly Martial Body has been activated. ]
[ Strength, Stamina, Magic, and Sense stats have each increased by 1. ]
[ The gate to the 2nd floor has opened. ]
It was his first level-up.
It was little more than a warm-up, but perhaps because he was level 1, he leveled up immediately after clearing the first floor.
And Choi Hyun smiled.
“Five stat points for a single level-up.”
It was an insane growth structure.
How could he not smile?
Choi Hyun invested the bonus stat point he acquired into Dexterity and immediately entered the portal leading to the next floor.
[ Moving to the 2nd floor. ]
His vision changed.
Then, several times more slimes than before appeared.
[ You have entered the 2nd floor. ]
[ The challenge of the 2nd floor will now begin. ]
This time, too, Choi Hyun charged in first and swung his sword.
The Tower of Growth.
His ostensible reason was to break the world record, but Choi Hyun had other goals.
Among them, clearing the 49th floor that Yang-hwi couldn’t was a given, as was acquiring at least two new skills during his time in the tower.
And if possible, he planned to fight as overwhelmingly as possible without taking a single hit.
Because the system was more meticulous than one might think, and it granted appropriate rewards for achievement-worthy acts like this.
How much time had passed?
[ You have cleared the 13th floor. ]
It was just as he had conquered the 13th floor.
[ Your level has increased. ]
[ You have acquired 1 bonus stat point. ]
[ Heavenly Martial Body has been activated. ]
[ Strength, Stamina, Magic, and Sense stats have each increased by 1. ]
[ The gate to the 14th floor has opened. ]
He gained another level.
[ You have reached level 10. ]
[ You have achieved outstanding growth. ]
[ A new trait will be added. ]
[ You have acquired the class trait, “Materials”. ]
Choi Hyun had finally obtained his second class trait.
A strange light gleamed in Choi Hyun’s eyes.
“Finally, the second trait.”
He immediately checked its information.
[ Materials ]
- Type: Trait
# A secondary class-exclusive trait for the Blacksmith class.
# Grants the Blacksmith player abilities related to materials.
# Skill, “Hammer of Materials” can be used.
# Skill, “Basic Gathering” can be used.
# Skill, “Basic Processing” can be used.
All players could obtain a secondary class trait upon reaching level 10.
In that sense, the blacksmith’s secondary class trait was “Materials.”
A blacksmith might craft and repair items themselves, but if they didn’t have the necessary materials to do so, their work would’ve been meaningless. Therefore, one could only be called a true blacksmith if they knew how to prepare the materials themselves.
He immediately checked the skill information.
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