The Cursed Blacksmith Who Regressed - Chapter 84

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 84

Cheorwon.

A place that borders the frontier, even if it’s not the northernmost point of South Korea.

There are no military bases here anymore.

Because after monsters occupied North Korea, they devoured everything up to the wire fence.

At first, they deployed troops and hunters to monitor the situation, but for some reason, the monsters in North Korea never crossed into South Korea, as if they had divided territories.

Moreover, with Gates and Dungeons sprouting up throughout Cheorwon, this place had essentially become an isolation zone.

‘It’s practically a ruined city.’

Choi Hyun drove to the safe zone, then continued on foot from there.

More precisely, he ran.

His stats had risen enough that when he put his mind to using Shadow Step, he could reach motorcycle-level speeds.

After running for quite a while, he arrived at Geumgok-ri, located at the end of the Hantan River.

Specifically, it was the Nameless Lake located east of Geumgok-ri.

‘It’s cold.’

As he entered Geumgok-ri, it gradually began to get chilly.

Was it because this was one of South Korea’s northernmost regions?

Strangely, this area had become a place where temperatures dropped below freezing and snow occasionally fell, even when it wasn’t winter.

Naturally, the lake was frozen for that reason.

That’s why he had come here.

Because this wasn’t an ordinary lake—it was actually a Dungeon.

‘It’s a Dungeon that no one knows about yet.’

This place was revealed to be a Dungeon after the Second Great Upheaval.

After the Second Great Upheaval, most people awakened.

Not systematic awakening, but mental awakening.

So unlike during the First Great Upheaval, they began fighting the System with a somewhat more aggressive approach, and the conquest of North Korea was also carried out then.

Because the proposal to hunt down all the monsters in North Korean territory to achieve greater growth was approved.

The Geumgok-ri Lake Dungeon was discovered at that time.

Arriving in front of the lake, Choi Hyun summoned the Hammer of Repair in sledgehammer form.

Then he began swinging it with all his might at the lake’s edge, as if hammering nails.

[ Hyper Focus activates. ]

[ Dexterity activates. ]

Kwaang!!

The sledgehammer struck down as the skills activated, making the entire lake tremble.

After striking several more times, the lake surface finally couldn’t withstand the impact and shattered with a crash.

“Whew.”

He caught his breath.

He lifted the sledgehammer again.

And struck down.

Kwang!! Kwang!! Kwang!!

The work continued for quite some time.

He would have liked to set it on fire, but unfortunately, the cold air here was so strong that no matter how much he burned it, the ice on the lake surface wouldn’t melt.

So to open the Dungeon hidden in the lake, the only way was to smash the ice surface with pure force.

How long had he swung the hammer?

From the arduous hammering, sweat poured down even in the sub-zero environment.

It was when he had smashed about 15% of the lake’s ice.

[ Conditions have been met. ]

[ Hidden Dungeon is opening. ]

“Got it.”

He immediately threw the sledgehammer.

Clang!

The sledgehammer hit the middle of the lake and bounced off.

And then.

Kuuuuuuu!!

Like a lie, the ice across the entire lake shattered.

It wasn’t broken because of the sledgehammer he had just thrown.

The owner of the lake, who had been sleeping below, had awakened in fury and personally broke through the ice to emerge.

“Kuweeeeeee!!”

A being frantically flapping and smashing the ice sheets.

It was none other than a Carp.

[ The owner of the lake reveals itself. ]

[ Entering Dungeon, ‘Baeknyeon Seollyi’s Pond’. ]

[ Invader activates. ]

The boss monster’s appearance.

At the same time, a notification appeared saying he had entered the Dungeon, and the real battle began.

‘There it is.’

Interest flickered in Choi Hyun’s eyes.

Dungeon Baeknyeon Seollyi’s Pond.

This was a Hidden Dungeon where meeting certain conditions would summon the boss monster and transform the area into a Dungeon.

In that sense, the boss monster’s name was also Baeknyeon Seollyi (Hundred-Year Snow Carp), one of the Three Great Spirit Carp, characterized by its white body from living in polar regions and absorbing extreme cold.

‘Originally they’re just called Seollyi, but among Seollyi, the long-lived ones are called Thousand-Year Seollyi or Ten-Thousand-Year Seollyi.’

Among them, a Hundred-Year Seollyi that had lived for a hundred years was here in Cheorwon.

Enraged at having its deep sleep disturbed, Baeknyeon Seollyi began thrashing violently.

“Who dares wake me from my slumber!”

A booming voice.

As expected of a spirit creature.

It could speak.

Choi Hyun immediately summoned and gripped his Sword-Hammer.

“I woke you up. So come at me if you dare.”

“You insignificant wretch!”

The enraged Baeknyeon Seollyi shot a water blast at Choi Hyun.

The water blast was shot briefly, and as it fired, it was wrapped in cold energy, becoming an ice chunk that attacked Choi Hyun.

Choi Hyun watched it to the very end.

Then he gently wrapped around it with his blade tip and deflected it to the side.

[ Parrying 2 activates. ]

Kwang!

The parry succeeded.

This made Baeknyeon Seollyi even more furious as it began shooting water blasts in succession.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Fast.

And powerful.

The water blasts it shot weren’t simple water blasts.

They were cold magic itself, containing extreme frigidity.

‘Even the slightest graze would instantly freeze my entire body.’

So he had to deflect them with utmost care.

He had no intention of dodging.

One of the reasons Choi Hyun came here was precisely to raise his Parrying skill level.

Parrying wasn’t difficult.

No matter how much of a spirit creature the opponent was, its level was from the First Great Upheaval.

There was no reason for it to be difficult at all.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

[ Parrying 2 is activated. ]

He continued deflecting attacks for quite some time.

As its attacks kept getting deflected, the enraged Baeknyeon Seollyi occasionally stuck its head out of the lake and thrust its maw forward.

However, that attack didn’t work either.

Normally, like a carp snatching prey, it should have happened in an instant, but it was nowhere near enough against Choi Hyun.

“This damn bastard!”

Almost within reach but not quite, almost caught but not quite.

“Argh!”

Eventually, Baeknyeon Seollyi’s rage exploded, but it finally grew exhausted and gave up.

Gurgle-

The enraged Baeknyeon Seollyi went deep into the lake and disappeared from sight.

Choi Hyun quickly threw the item he had prepared into the lake.

Crackle!

Sparks splashed across the entire lake.

The item he threw was a ‘Lightning Ball’.

It was a magic bomb condensed with electric magic.

As electricity coursed through the entire lake, Baeknyeon Seollyi, unable to withstand the electric shock, instantly shot up.

“Hey, you son of a bitch!!”

I was about to give up and call it quits, but who would have thought you’d provoke me with electric stimulation.

Now it’s do or die.

Baeknyeon Seollyi’s attack tempo became even faster.

It was excited.

The speed of its water shots increased, but it still didn’t work on Choi Hyun.

He continued using parrying.

After a long while of this tag game of provoking, parrying, and almost catching but not quite.

[ Attack deflection that has transcended boundaries. ]

[ Your parrying skill has now reached a level where it can deflect even magic. ]

[ Conditions have been met. ]

[ Your skill grows to the next level. ]

[ The skill ‘Parrying 2’ has grown and some information has changed. ]

[ You have acquired the skill ‘Parrying 3’. ]

‘Got it.’

Choi Hyun’s eyes widened.

He had finally obtained Parrying 3.

He immediately checked the information.

[ Parrying 3 ]

– Type: Skill

# A technique that deflects an opponent’s attacks in another direction.

# Through long practice, it has grown to the next level and now reaches the realm of parrying not only close combat and ranged attacks, but also special attacks like magic.

# Each time parrying is used, effects of reduced damage taken, reduced stamina consumption, and accelerated experience gain occur.

Choi Hyun’s lips curved upward after checking the information.

Parrying 3 was equivalent to about level 7 in repair skills.

It meant he had practically reached the ultimate level.

Because while Parrying 1 was for close combat attacks and Parrying 2 was for ranged attacks, Parrying 3 had the power to deflect special attacks like magic.

‘Normally, you’d need a sword or shield capable of striking special attacks, but using Baeknyeon Seollyi, I can train to master Parrying 3 without needing such things.’

There was one reason.

Because Baeknyeon Seollyi’s water shot attacks had magic properties, but they were frozen crystals anyway, so there was a solid substance that could definitely be struck.

‘If it had been Fireball or Lightning Bolt, it would have been impossible.’

Choi Hyun’s gaze changed.

Since he had mastered Parrying 3, there was no longer any reason to keep the creature alive.

Then Baeknyeon Seollyi spat out another water shot.

“Die!”

He swung his sword.

Parrying 3 was activated.

Whoosh-

But this time, instead of outside the lake, he deflected the ice chunk toward the lake.

The moment the ice chunk fell into the lake, the cold air surrounding the ice chunk began freezing the lake again.

He didn’t miss that moment.

He deployed Stealth Step, stepping on the frozen surface and flew.

His target was Baeknyeon Seollyi.

After spinning several more times in the air to gain acceleration, he swung his sword at Baeknyeon Seollyi, which had its maw open toward Choi Hyun.

Slash!

The well-honed sword energy began tearing around the creature’s mouth.

[ Salvation Sword is activated. ]

[ Critical hit is activated. ]

It hit properly.

The creature’s mouth was greatly torn.

Blood spurted out.

A water shot was fired.

Another parry.

The place he sent it back to was the lake.

The lake surface froze.

Using the frozen spot as a foothold, he attacked again.

After several such exchanges.

“You fucking bastard…!”

Splash!

Baeknyeon Seollyi spewing curses.

With tears all over its body, Baeknyeon Seollyi ultimately couldn’t withstand the accumulated damage and collapsed.

The dead Baeknyeon Seollyi’s body seemed to float up on the lake surface, but soon became white steam and disappeared as if oxidizing.

Done.

Now that the gatekeeper guarding the lake had disappeared, it was time to achieve his next purpose for coming here.

Choi Hyun began taking out and drinking various potions from the items he had brought.

They were potions that increased cold resistance and allowed him to breathe underwater for a while.

‘Here I go.’

Splash!

Having finished his preparations, Choi Hyun dove into the ice-cold lake.

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