The Beads of Eternity were a broken item that granted stat points.
'Technically, it takes the form of a necklace, but it's more accurate to treat it as a consumable.'
Its durability decreased every time you killed a monster.
Once its durability hit zero, it broke and vanished.
That was its only downside.
But only after the durability ran out.
'If you can just restore its durability, there's no item more busted than this.'
That was why it was a perfect item for blacksmiths.
With the [Repair] skill, they could restore its durability infinitely and stack permanent stat gains.
'But getting the beads in the first place isn't easy.'
If you didn't kill the Orc Shaman in Round 5, you never got the chance to obtain them.
Later on, a listing would show up on "PlPl," the social open market Player Place, but the price was astronomical—so much so that most blacksmiths didn't even dare think about it.
'But it's not like only blacksmiths can benefit. Anyone who can restore durability can use it.'
That was why Ryu Min planned to go abroad.
The blacksmith who would one day become the undisputed top of the industry lived overseas.
'I have to ask him to restore the durability on the beads.'
Ryu Min immediately started preparing to leave the country.
He'd already gotten his passport made for situations like this.
"Hyung, what are you doing?"
Seeing him pack a suitcase, Ryu Won asked in confusion.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going abroad for a bit."
"Eh? All of a sudden?"
"I'll be back soon. Three days will be enough."
All he packed were clothes to wear at the hotel and toiletries.
He could buy everything else locally.
"What are you going for? Business?"
"Yeah, you could call it that."
"If you were going to play, I was gonna tag along, but I guess not."
"In this situation, who even travels just for fun?"
"Ah, true."
"Make sure you eat properly while I'm gone."
"So where are you going?"
Grinning, Ryu Min answered:
"England."
Russell Daniel, who lived in England, had dropped out of school early.
Simply because he liked smithing, he'd moved into the mountains and lived in a cabin there—and this was his sixth year.
By now, he was a respectable blacksmith with solid skills, recognized by his customers.
Clang— clang—!
He hammered a chunk of metal, heated in a blazing fire.
He was shaping it and increasing its hardness.
"Hoo, this should do."
What Russell was making was a 15 cm dagger.
Once it had more or less taken shape, he took a whetstone and ground the edge.
Then he heated it again in the fire and quenched only the blade in water.
Ssssss—
This made the edge even sharper.
For the final step, he honed the blade on a special whetstone dusted with iron filings and attached the handle.
"All done."
The dagger he'd made for fun was complete.
It was purely a hobby piece.
Not for sale.
"Hoo… maybe it's time to quit this."
He let out a self-mocking smile as he stared at the razor-sharp dagger.
"It'd be nice if I could sell even one a day."
He'd thrown himself into blacksmithing while still young and full of fire—but that was only when he had customers.
Now he could practically count his customers on one hand.
"This is all thanks to those damned angels."
January 2022.
Russell had been in his cabin, faithfully crafting weapons for his clients, when he was suddenly dragged into the Otherworld.
Before he knew it, he'd made an avatar and was rubbing shoulders with strangers, forced to fight goblins.
'It was like living in the countryside and suddenly getting conscripted for war.'
After somehow enduring up to Round 5 and looking back, he saw the world was heading toward ruin.
The population that had started at 1.8 billion had shrunk to 19 million. The economy was shaking that much, and customers were disappearing with it.
'Well, I kind of expected it, didn't I? It was already a tough job to make a living with.'
The cost of materials for blacksmithing wasn't cheap.
He'd scraped by until now, but he was at his limit.
His bank account balance was scraping the bottom.
He didn't want to go begging his parents for money anymore.
"Is it time to look for another job…?"
He'd wanted to keep blacksmithing for as long as possible… but that dream was crumbling.
The world was rapidly changing around Players.
'If we clear Round 20, they grant us a wish, or something?'
A wish, huh.
Russell's wish was nothing special.
To survive for a long time and keep doing the blacksmithing he loved.
Nothing grand—just a small wish, exactly as it sounded.
'Yeah. I can't give up blacksmithing. What's the point of being young, otherwise? A man needs some fire in him!'
He shook off his gloomy mood and decided to move forward.
He set a new goal.
'I'll clear the final Round and make my wish come true!'
Up till now, he'd survived because he had no choice—now he'd tackle the Rounds proactively.
'A blacksmith isn't exactly a combat-oriented class, but with where I'm at now, I can manage.'
He didn't know what the condition had been, but Russell had been able to obtain a blacksmith class-change item right from the beginning.
At first, he'd been delighted, thinking it was fate.
But on the flip side, the world had collapsed, making it hard to continue his actual profession.
'No matter what, I have to make it to Round 20. It's the only way I can keep doing the blacksmithing I love.'
It would be hard, but he didn't think it was impossible.
At Level 20, he'd learned a skill called [Weapon Sharpening], which he used to boost the performance of his main weapon, an axe.
Thanks to that, he could crush orcs with ease.
'I don't know how hard Round 6 will be, but I'm confident!'
Of course, surviving in the Otherworld was one thing; he still wasn't ready to drop his life in reality.
'I'll only put it on hold until I've saved up some money. Once I've got enough to buy materials again, I'll come back to this cabin and at least do it as a hobby.'
If he didn't have money, he'd just earn it.
But he had no intention of turning to robbery like some Players.
'I'd rather die than hurt others. Well… the slaughter in Round 4 couldn't be helped, but still…'
First, he planned to go down the mountain and look for a job.
'I don't know if there's any work to be had in this world, but…'
Twenty-three percent of the global population was dead.
In just a few months, billions had died; there was no way the economy was doing well.
'I read an article saying Players' looting sprees forced most shops to close…'
It didn't look like finding a job would be easy.
'Still, I have to at least try! I'm not the type to give up without even looking.'
Worst case, he'd sell items from his inventory to scrape together some cash.
'Though I'm not sure if anyone would buy this stuff.'
Having made up his mind, Russell started tidying up the cabin.
At that moment—crunch, crunch—footsteps sounded behind him.
He turned around without thinking—and froze in surprise.
He'd expected a wild animal, but a person was walking toward him.
An Asian, at that.
What the…? It's rare enough to run into people out here…
He'd built his cabin in a remote spot precisely so he wouldn't bother anyone.
"What brings you here? Are you lost?"
He didn't know if they spoke the same language, but he tried talking first.
However—
"You're Russell Daniel, right? The young blacksmith people talk about."
The stranger spoke fluent English—and knew his name.
Russell's eyes went cold.
"Who are you?"
"Judging by your reaction, I've come to the right place."
"Where did you hear about me? I don't have any Asian clients."
"I didn't hear about you. I've seen you."
"Seen me?"
Ryu Min laid his cards on the table first.
"I'm a Prophet. I can see the future."
"A Prophet? What kind of nonsense…"
"Russell. Level 21. Class: Blacksmith. Zone designation: C-EUKE008. Am I wrong?"
"…"
Russell's mouth just opened and closed soundlessly.
He was too shocked to speak.
'He could've guessed my level and class if he got lucky. But to nail the zone ID too…'
The fact that he'd correctly named a zone designation Russell had never told anyone meant "Prophet" wasn't just empty talk.
"You can really see the future?"
"Yes."
"I've never heard of a class called Prophet."
"Of course not. It's rare."
"Rare?"
"As you may or may not know, there are countless classes in the Otherworld. Among them, there are 'Unique Classes' that only one person in the entire world can have. Prophet is one of those."
"And someone that impressive has come all the way out here for what?"
"Don't be so sarcastic. Russell, I came because I want to make a deal with you."
"A deal?"
"Use your [Repair] skill to fix a single item for me. If you do that, I'll give you some valuable information."
'Information?'
Russell was intrigued despite himself, but he asked cautiously.
"What kind of valuable information?"
"Information on Round 6."
Russell's eyes widened.
'If I could find out about the next Round in advance, it would be a huge help in clearing it.'
Fix one item?
Honestly, that wasn't hard.
It was easier than doing actual blacksmithing.
All he had to do was touch the item and activate a skill.
'The problem is that it's too easy.'
The benefit was huge for such a small favor.
Round 6 intel, of all things.
Russell was more cautious about people than most, so he couldn't help but be wary.
"You really are going to give me Round 6 information just for restoring one item's durability?"
"That's right."
"That's a bad deal for you. Don't you have some other motive?"
When Russell eyed him suspiciously, Ryu Min smiled.
He'd expected this.
'That's Russell for you.'
Even though it was an offer with nothing to lose, he still doubted and guarded himself.
'If he'd just jumped at it, I'd have been disappointed.'
When someone was this wary, you couldn't just trick them.
You had to open up first and go at them head-on.
"May I be blunt?"
"…?"
"I want to be friends with you."
"W-what?"
"I've seen you in the future—at the pinnacle of blacksmithing."
Me… at the pinnacle?
Whether Russell's eyes widened or not, Ryu Min continued.
"You survive all the way to Round 15 with no help from anyone. That's impressive. But that's as far as it goes. Beyond that, there is no future where you move forward. It's a bleak fate."
"…"
"But I can help you. If you take my hand, you'll be able to grow more easily, and look beyond Round 15 as well. Including the blacksmithing you long for so much."
"…!"
Until a moment ago, Russell hadn't believed a word this Asian man said.
He'd thought it was all tricks, not prophecy.
But once the man even named his deepest wish, his thinking changed.
"…What is it you want from me?"
"I'm not asking for much. Just this."
Ryu Min smiled faintly.
"Let's help each other."