The Return of the Legendary Golden-Handed Blacksmith - Chapter 12

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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 12
12.
The metallic ring of steel sang out.
As Jin-woo drew the gleaming Longsword, something flickered across the Swordsmanship Training Hall instructor’s eyes—a spark of genuine interest.
“That blade.”
He approached as if entranced.
It was the first time he’d seen equipment of this caliber in a beginner’s village, and the other players exchanged bewildered glances.
“It’s shining, isn’t it?”
“Didn’t you buy that from the Blacksmith Shop?”
“No, I made it myself.”
“Insane. He made that himself? This is Riouton, for crying out loud. A beginner’s village.”
The crowd erupted in murmurs, each person adding their own commentary.
If this weren’t Riouton, equipment of that quality wouldn’t raise an eyebrow.
But the problem was that this was a beginner’s village where players could only reach level 10 at most.
“It doesn’t make sense.”
“Are you maxed at level 10?”
“No, but this still doesn’t add up.”
Some of the people here were raising Alt Characters.
Because of that, they understood precisely how low level 10 was, and they knew exactly where the boundaries lay between what could and couldn’t be done.
At a glance alone, that sword had no business existing in Riouton.
And no one felt that more acutely than the Training Hall instructor.
“You… you made it yourself?”
“It’s imperfect, but yes—I made it myself.”
“Where did you make it?”
“At Lodrum’s Blacksmith Shop.”
“Lodrum?”
The instructor and everyone else grimaced the moment the name left Jin-woo’s lips.
Lodrum was Riouton’s most infamous character—a man whose temperament was legendarily foul.
Though players had coined the nickname, even the NPCs knew all too well just how terrible his disposition was.
“Well, that explains it. If that Lodrum acknowledged a Foreigner, then of course he’d forge a blade like this!”
The instructor’s face brightened, and without thinking, his hand reached out.
“Ah, forgive me.”
“Not at all. Feel free to wield it.”
Jin-woo smiled slightly.
“So you want to test it.”
“A magnificent blade! The finest I’ve ever laid eyes upon!”
The Swordsmanship Training Hall instructor had seen countless swords in his lifetime. Among them all, Jin-woo’s was singular.
“Let me take a swing.”
Seeing alone wasn’t enough to know everything, so the instructor gripped the blade and swung it through the air.
The sound of perfectly cleaved wind whispered past.
“Just as I thought.”
The instructor broke into an involuntary grin.
The other players watching registered shock on their faces.
They’d never seen this man smile—not once in all the time they’d been here. And suddenly, there it was.
“Magnificent indeed.”
Jin-woo offered a modest smile in response to the praise.
“Though, I must say, it’s tied for first.”
“Tied for first?”
The instructor paused, collecting himself.
Enchanted as he was by Jin-woo’s blade, it wasn’t as though he’d never seen its equal before.
It had been a long time, but yes—once before.
“During the height of the Foreigner migration, there was another like you. That one was extraordinary too. A precious, gleaming gem among countless unpolished stones.”
The instructor had encountered a vast multitude of Foreigners over the years.
Among them all, there had been one who deserved the word “overwhelming.”
“But now I see you’re even more remarkable. That Foreigner’s blade was excellent, but yours carries something extra—something special.”
Jin-woo’s equipment matched that other Foreigner’s in excellence.
But something was different.
If one had to judge which was superior—
“You surpass them.”
“That’s more than enough.”
Jin-woo didn’t wait to hear more.
“Just knowing I have a rival is sufficient.”
And he smiled.
‘This is fun.’
If Jin-woo had to name what frustrated him most about Eternal Sunshine, it would be this: there was no other craftsman whose skill matched his own.
They’d all surrendered the competition early and deified him, and nothing was more tedious than that.
‘Because they decided from the start they could never catch up.’
Crafting equipment was enjoyable, certainly.
But it could be more enjoyable.
‘Here, I’m the challenger.’
The time separating him from them was one year.
One year in real time—but far longer in the game’s measure.
‘The more time accumulates, the greater the growth momentum becomes.’
Even if Jin-woo pursued them for that year, they would race further ahead the moment he caught up.
That was precisely what Jin-woo preferred.
‘As the Training Hall instructor said—talented people exist everywhere.’
“Thank you for the feedback.”
That was all he needed.
Jin-woo had now gauged approximately what level his crafted blade occupied.
* * *
Leaving the Swordsmanship Training Hall, Jin-woo immediately sought out another Blacksmith Shop in Riouton.
He’d verified the quality of his blade at the Training Hall.
‘So the Smelting Technique Lodrum taught me is pretty fundamental, then.’
Just as the instructors at the Training Hall all taught the same Swordsmanship yet each in subtly different ways—
‘—you have freedom to choose.’
You could skip it entirely, or learn variations that diverged based on those fine nuances—the same technique becoming utterly different depending on approach.
And the same applied to crafting.
‘Lodrum taught me a Smelting Technique for melting raw materials.’
“Ah, welcome.”
A relatively genial-looking blacksmith greeted Jin-woo.
Because of his warmth, the shop was teeming with players.
It was as though Haram’s dismissal had been a lie—every player here was learning peacefully from this kind-hearted blacksmith.
‘Why did Haram go to Lodrum’s Blacksmith Shop instead of here? If they were just learning the Smelting Technique, there was no need for Lodrum.’
Jin-woo had simply entered the nearest shop, but Haram had no reason to seek out Lodrum specifically.
‘But from what I saw, Haram seemed fairly knowledgeable. Did Lodrum have something unique to offer?’
Probably.
‘Once Lodrum acknowledged Haram, he provided considerable support.’
The Shining Stone alone was quite premium material.
“Could I use the smithy for a bit?”
“Of course. But I’ll need to see what you can do first.”
He gestured for Jin-woo to prove himself.
‘Right.’
Lodrum’s Blacksmith Shop had no materials left.
Jin-woo had used them all.
“Can I use as much material as I need?”
“You may.”
In any case, an NPC apprentice wouldn’t deplete much anyway.
Watching the blacksmith think this, Jin-woo grinned.
“Thank you.”
He truly meant it.
* * *
The Apprentice of the Blacksmith Shop Jin-woo had visited came rushing in breathlessly.
“Master! The Foreigner who just arrived—he came from Lodrum’s Blacksmith Shop!”
“From Lodrum’s? Hmm, then he must have been turned away harshly. What an unfortunate fellow. Crafting is already difficult—you ought to be kind about it.”
“No, that’s just it—”
The Apprentice spoke urgently.
“Lodrum acknowledged him.”
“Lodrum acknowledged him?”
“And my friend just told me—”
The Apprentice continued.
“Lodrum’s shop has run out of materials. So I asked why, and apparently this Foreigner used them all up.”
“Used them all?”
“Every last bit. This Foreigner used all of it.”
“Wait just a—”
Bang!
Before the blacksmith could finish, the sound of Jin-woo’s hammer strikes began.
The noisy Blacksmith Shop, filled with countless players, suddenly gained a new voice—the clear, distinct ring of hammering.
Bang! Bang! Among the irregular chorus of many hammers, his alone was perfectly rhythmic and pure. As the sound continued, even the players wielding their own hammers turned to watch.
Bang.
It was the same technique, yet something was different.
Hard to explain in words, but the players found their eyes drawn irresistibly to Jin-woo’s strikes, so distinct from their own.
“How are you striking like that?”
Strength, focus, sensation.
At his current level, Jin-woo’s technique was wholly beyond imitation.
Even if they wanted to match it, the other players simply couldn’t.
“Ah.”
The blacksmith understood now why Lodrum had given Jin-woo access to all the materials in his shop.
“He wanted to watch.”
He wanted to see Jin-woo craft—to watch this dazzling talent in action.
Once you caught sight of such brilliance, you couldn’t look away.
Following his hammering with rapid-fire forging work, Jin-woo completed a blade.
An extraordinary result from ordinary materials—the blacksmith found himself nodding without thinking.
“What do you need?”
“Materials, if I may.”
“Materials? Lodrum must have some hidden reserves.”
Jin-woo withdrew the gleaming Longsword.
“Already used.”
“Ah.”
The Shining Stone was never meant for a beginning Foreigner.
Yet he’d not only used it but created equipment like this?
The moment the gleaming Longsword appeared, all eyes locked onto it once more.
“What in the world is that?”
“Did you craft that yourself?”
“Who is this person?”
“Must be someone’s Alt Character, right?”
A third of the players in the shop were Alt Characters. With skill like that, it made perfect sense they’d assume this was someone’s secondary account.
“The materials I can offer aren’t as fine as what Lodrum has. But since you’ve impressed me, consider it a reward.”
Ding!
—Unde, the Blacksmith Shop’s proprietor, has grown significantly more favorable toward you!
—A Quest has been granted due to increased Favorability!
—You have completed the Quest!
—You have received your reward.
“Here you are.”
It was ore the color of deep iron, darker and richer still.
—You have obtained Black Steel Ore!
—[Black Steel Ore] [Grade: C]
Description: A Black Steel Ore that gleams with beauty. Exceptionally hard.
“Black Steel Ore. The Grade is low, but it’s absolutely unobtainable here. Difficult to work with too.”
Like the Shining Stone, it was material no beginner should handle.
“But I suspect you’ll manage. Though I’ll grant, it won’t equal that Shining Stone.”
“That’s fine. Thank you!”
‘This is promising.’
He’d visited hoping to learn what each Blacksmith Shop specialized in and what could be taught—
‘—but the teaching is similar across them. Yet the materials they offer differ?’
The instruction did vary somewhat, just as it had at the Training Hall, but that wasn’t Jin-woo’s priority.
He’d already mastered those fundamentals on his own at Lodrum’s.
Not that the effort was wasted.
—Your Basic Smelting Technique has been strengthened.
“Ah.”
By working through the other Blacksmith Shops, earning recognition from each proprietor, he’d learned variations of the Smelting Technique from each—and now, having visited Lodrum’s and Unde’s and others besides, his technique had matured.
“I have nothing more to teach you!”
When he heard that from every blacksmith—
—An Achievement has been unlocked!
—An exceptionally rare Achievement.
—Your Favorability with all Blacksmith Shop proprietors in the beginner village of Riouton has reached MAX!
—You have obtained the Achievement [Idol of the Craftsmen]!
—A Quest has been granted!
“Idol of the Craftsmen, is it?”
—[Idol of the Craftsmen]
Increases the probability of obtaining Dexterity Stat points.
The Achievement [Idol of the Craftsmen], obtained by only the rarest few, was quite intriguing.
“It raises the probability of gaining Dexterity Stat points?”
Stat gain itself wasn’t quantified or publicly published in the first place.
“To increase the probability—that’s not a bad deal at all.”
Above all, the name [Idol of the Craftsmen] was rather amusing.
“A Quest?”
Jin-woo checked the Quest he’d received.
“My master dwells in Shins Village. When you meet him, mention my name—Unde. He’ll know.”
Ding!
* Unde’s Master
Grade: B
Objective: Unde has nothing left to teach you! Seek out his master to continue learning the Smelting Technique!
Reward: Skilled Smelting Technique
‘Skilled Smelting Technique.’
“Thank you!”
With a bow, Jin-woo turned back toward Lodrum’s Blacksmith Shop.
This was the final leg of his journey here.
As Jin-woo made to leave, someone called out to him.
“Jin-woo?”

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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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