I Became an SSS-Grade Time-Transcending Almighty Blacksmith - Chapter 104

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 104
Episode 104
Drafting the Violin Blueprint.
Until now, I had crafted an astoundingly diverse array of items.
But the violin’s blueprint proved to be extraordinarily demanding.
For one thing, it was a type of item I had no experience with whatsoever.
“Hmm, the thickness is far too uniform.”
“Isn’t uniform thickness a good thing?”
“If it’s uniform like this, the treble might ring clear, but the midtones will die entirely.”
“……What?”
“The center body needs to be thicker, and it should taper thinner toward the edges. The violin’s body is essentially a massive resonance plate.”
From the start, the violin itself was a notoriously difficult instrument to craft.
Why had to be so complicated.
I’d heard that fine violins could cost billions of won—now I understood why.
Still, in any case.
Because she had brought the violin she usually played, I was able to base my blueprint on it.
And her guidance afterward had allowed me to refine the design quite well.
From this point forward, it was my domain.
“I’m going to begin construction now. If you notice anything going wrong, or if there’s anything that needs adjustment, please let me know at any time.”
“Of course!”
The blueprint had been drawn well enough.
But the materials I would be using now were far from ordinary.
Echo Wood, Azure Wind Silkworm Thread, Resonance Stones, and more.
Since I would be working with materials that didn’t exist in the real world,
I had to trust in a blacksmith’s instinct to craft the violin from here on out.
[ Beginning construction. ]
Clang!
I immediately began swinging my hammer.
The first task was to construct the body.
Normally, it would require carving wood, applying heat to bend it, and other such work.
Clang!
But that didn’t apply to me.
All I needed to do was swing my hammer.
Strike the proper points, and the wood compressed.
The wood bent just as needed.
And the front plate, the ribs, and the back plate formed together in perfect union.
Clang!
There was still plenty of work ahead.
I shaped each delicate component the violin needed by striking the Echo Wood.
Next came crafting the bow required to play it.
Clang!
Then I strung it with the Azure Wind Silkworm Thread that Serin had recommended.
This proved trickier than expected.
I adjusted the thread’s thickness with meticulous care to ensure the tone would unfold beautifully.
At least hammer work allowed for such fine adjustments—otherwise, I could never have managed it.
Without that, it would have been impossible to complete.
After finishing the strings and bow,
Clang!
I began fashioning the Resonance Stones that Toran had recommended—the final step.
I created the sound post inside the violin’s body.
I made the bridge that would support the strings.
Crafting the violin.
It proved far more challenging than I had imagined.
And the harder it became,
‘This is fascinating.’
my excitement only grew.
The thrill of creating something entirely new.
So absorbed in that thrill, I lost all track of time, swinging the hammer ceaselessly.
And the result was,
[ Construction complete. ]
[ Craftsmanship Rating: SS ]
[ You have obtained the Forest Echo. ]
[ A masterpiece has been born. ]
[ A masterpiece worthy of spreading your name across the world has been completed, and through it you gain inspiration, raising your stats. ]
[ Wisdom increases by 3. ]
Even to my eye, I had managed to complete a violin as beautiful as it was satisfying.
And I—
“Here you go.”
“Waaaaaah…!”
I handed the completed violin directly to Han Hyun-a.
I was curious what the item information would look like.
But no one anticipated it more than the instrument’s owner.
Than her.
* * *
Han Hyun-a.
She had been a promising talent in the world of violin.
She had won numerous competitions and stood as a strong contender even at the world’s three greatest music competitions.
But then—
—A deafening roar erupted.
Gates. Monsters.
Because of them, her path had been severed.
The Harmony Hall where the competition was being held collapsed under the monsters’ assault.
Instead of beautiful musical melodies, the screams of monsters and the cries of people filled the concert hall.
[ You have Awakened. ]
[ Congratulations on becoming an Awakener. ]
[ You have acquired a new ability. ]
It was then.
She had thought.
That she wanted to save people with this music.
But the path of an Awakener was not an easy one.
Especially when it came to finding a weapon suited to her profession and abilities.
An instrument, in other words—she had been at a loss, unable to move forward.
“Waaaaaah…!”
At last, she had obtained a dedicated instrument.
What’s more, one crafted personally by Kang Cheol-mangchi, the world’s first and only Blacksmith.
An SS-Grade violin.
“Oh, it’s so beautiful!”
The pale greenish-brown body brought to mind an ancient tree from some primeval forest.
Across its surface, fine grain patterns seemed etched like sheet music, as if inscribed with the Forest Echo itself.
Especially when tilted, light refracted through the grain patterns, casting a soft emerald shimmer.
An exterior of breathtaking beauty.
That alone was enough to inspire wonder.
[ Forest Echo ]
Type: Instrument
Grade: SS
Restrictions: Level 11 or higher, Wisdom 30 or higher, Steel Guild affiliation
Description: A forest violin crafted from Echo Wood and inscribed with the Echo Melody technique of the Forest Echo.
Attack Power: 86
Abilities:
Echo Melody
, Focus Lv 4, Expansion Lv 3
As I checked the item information.
She could not help but be amazed once more.
“A, a special ability!”
A special ability—something exceedingly rare among items.
It was there.
And moreover—
[ Special Ability: Echo Melody ]
Your song becomes an echo, resonating throughout the air.
The melody becomes an echo, triggering additional effects or extending duration.
It was an effect perfectly suited for a Bard.
Given how rare Bard items were in Korea, and—
well, even if you searched the entire world, there were virtually no special abilities designed for Bards.
Yet this special ability seemed almost tailor-made for her.
And that wasn’t all.
Focus Level 4 to heighten skill effects.
Expansion Level 3 to broaden her performance range.
All of it was precisely what she’d been wanting.
“We’ll assign you a Gate soon. Try it out,” I said.
“Th-thank you so much, Guild Master!”
So she was assigned a Gate right away.
Since she wasn’t a combat-focused Awakener who fought alone, Kim Tae-san came along to handle any emergencies.
Still, she was nervous.
Even with Kim Tae-san there, she’d never properly faced a monster on her own since she’d lacked a decent weapon until now.
Bards were support-class Awakeners, after all, so offensive skills were rare among them.
She herself had only a single attack skill.
Not long after they entered—
“Screee, screee.”
The first monster appeared from the Gate.
She took a breath.
“Hoo……”
Steadying her nerves with a deep breath.
No need to be anxious.
She held a proper “weapon” now.
With her mind settled, she calmly lifted her violin and took her stance.
Then—
‘Sound Wave.’
The moment she drew the bow across the violin strings—
Screee!
A piercing melody became a sound wave, slashing through the enemy.
Normally it would’ve been a weak attack that could only leave a scratch on an equal-tier monster.
But the sound wave she unleashed now—
Slash!
Carved a deep wound across the charging monster.
Since she was a support-class Awakener, her attack skills were inherently low in power.
Yet that single blow had inflicted a serious wound on the monster.
But this wasn’t the end.
[ Echo Melody ]
The Forest Echo’s special ability, Echo Melody, activated.
With the echo effect triggering, a second small sound wave followed immediately after—
Slash!!
Finishing off the grievously wounded monster perfectly.
She’d brought down the monster with a single strike.
After that, she performed various melodies on her violin.
And in the end, without needing Kim Tae-san’s help—
Thud.
“I… I can’t believe it……”
She cleared the Gate with her own strength alone.
The thing was, unlike Kim Tae-san, as a support-class Awakener she’d truly shine when fighting alongside others.
And it wasn’t long after that—
[ Battlefield Minstrel, Han Hyun-a ]
Her new epithet began spreading rapidly.
* * *
Han Hyun-a.
I’d finished her instrument.
But there was still much left to make.
[ Beginning production. ]
Armor and Accessories.
Just as I had for Kim Tae-san—
I intended to craft proper armor and Accessories for Han Hyun-a as well.
So she continued crafting with the remaining Echo Wood.
[ Crafting complete. ]
[ Crafting Evaluation: S-Rank ]
[ You have obtained ‘Echo Performance Robe’. ]
[ Echo Performance Robe ]
Type: Armor
Grade: S
Requirements: Level 11 or higher, Wisdom 30 or higher, Steel Guild affiliation
Description: A durable performance robe crafted by fiberizing Echo Wood that reverberates in the wind.
Defense: 75
Abilities: Focus Lv 3, Expansion Lv 2, Acceleration Lv 2
A garment perfectly suited to her had been created.
Focus Lv 3 — precisely aligned with her abilities, which only activate when she plays an instrument.
Expansion to extend the range of her performance, Acceleration to heighten her speed.
Everything was flawless.
And so it continued.
[ Crafting complete. ]
[ Crafting Evaluation: S-Rank ]
[ You have obtained ‘Echo Gloves’. ]
[ You have obtained ‘Echo Boots’. ]
…….
All of Han Hyun-a’s armor had been crafted.
[ You have created the Echo Melody Set. ]
[ Set Effect has been applied to the Echo Melody Set. ]
[ Set Effect ]
1. The range and duration of skills that use sound increase.
The set effect had been crafted properly as well.
But that wasn’t all.
Accessories still remained.
Unfortunately, the Echo Wood had been completely used up by this point, leaving no inventory.
“Master, how about this material?”
“What is it?”
“Feathers from a monster called the Lira Bird. It’s a monster that attacks through song and sound waves — I thought it would suit her well.”
“Oh, that’s excellent?”
Serin had brought just the right material at just the right moment.
Thanks to that.
[ Crafting complete. ]
[ Crafting Evaluation: S-Rank ]
[ You have obtained ‘Chirping Lira Necklace’. ]
[ You have obtained ‘Chirping Lira Bracelet’. ]
[ You have obtained ‘Chirping Lira Ring’. ]
She was able to craft all the accessories for Han Hyun-a.
[ You have created the Chirping Lira Sound Set. ]
[ Set Effect has been applied to the Chirping Lira Sound Set. ]
[ Set Effect ]
1. The power of skills that use sound increases.
The set effect had been crafted well too.
And naturally, all of this equipment was transmitted to Han Hyun-a.
He’d heard that merely giving her a violin had been enough for her to clear a Gate alone and even level up.
“That’s not Hyun-a’s real strength, though.”
“I suppose not. Did things go well with the other guilds?”
“Of course.”
Han Hyun-a was different from Kim Tae-san.
Kim Tae-san charged forward with overwhelming force, stubbornly and alone, clearing Gates by himself.
Han Hyun-a’s true power manifested not when she was alone, but with a group.
And specifically when there were many allies and enemies present.
In that sense.
“They should be arriving about now, actually. Want to check?”
Han Hyun-a did not operate alone.
She had begun working in coordination with other guilds, conducting mercenary activities as part of a larger force.
“Shall we take a look?”
“Of course.”
And the result.
“……It’s better than I expected?”
“Isn’t it?”
I was able to watch Han Hyun-a perform brilliantly, surpassing all my expectations.
“The Guild we worked with has already reached out to schedule the next job. Other Guilds who heard the news are contacting us too.”
Others, too, had begun searching urgently for her presence.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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