The Return of the Legendary Golden-Handed Blacksmith - Chapter 136

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

Chapter 136
136.
“It’s all over…?”
Of course it was good news.
The crisis threatening Iron Helm had vanished. There was no better outcome than this.
Big Hammer was considerably flustered, but he bowed his head to Jin-woo nonetheless.
“Thank you…?”
“Not at all.”
“A new Divine Decree has arrived. The Great Dwarven God commands that a great reward be bestowed upon the Savior and Honorary Dwarf!”
“If the God wills it thus….”
Big Hammer quickly gathered his wits.
The situation had been bewildering, but this was undoubtedly fortunate.
“Let’s see the reward distributed at once!”
The dwarves who had come to help alongside Big Hammer seemed delighted by the Divine Decree.
“Ohhhhh….”
“Truly, all who receive the Divine Sponsorship of the Great Dwarven God walk a glorious path!”
They too received the Divine Sponsorship of the Great Dwarven God, just as Jin-woo did.
So they saw themselves and Jin-woo as one.
Then they rushed forward together and bowed deeply to Jin-woo.
“We are grateful to you, Jin-woo.”
“Had Iron Helm fallen to that fallen dragon, our eastern sector would have been next.”
“I only did what was necessary. But…you’re comrades, then?”
Jin-woo spoke as he looked at them.
“!”
In truth, Jin-woo and these dwarves were somewhat different.
They received the Great Dwarven God’s Blessing rather than full Divine Sponsorship.
Jin-woo, by contrast, had received complete Sponsorship—making him something like a direct successor to the God’s will.
Truly, Jin-woo likely understood this better than anyone, yet the visiting dwarves’ eyes shone with gratitude at his words.
“Indeed….”
“The hero of Iron Helm speaks differently from the rest!”
“Thank you for coming to help. Hero, you say? That’s far too kind.”
-The Affinity of the believers of the Great Dwarven God in the east sector of Iron Helm has reached MAX!
But then.
It was unavoidable.
Even Big Hammer had to accept this.
“We cannot approve!”
Just then, a sharp voice rang out.
It came from a dwarf of considerable age.
“The Elders….”
The Dwarf Elders.
They were dwarves who had spent long years in Iron Helm.
They possessed knowledge from their long lives, but their stubborn temperament prevented them from possessing true wisdom.
“Since when have we borrowed the hands of others!”
“And the Great God, too—how could He entrust this matter to a human, not our own kin!”
Coupled with an unyielding pride.
The Dwarf Elders clicked their tongues.
“Big Hammer, you should speak as well!”
Hairun spoke.
“Had Big Hammer, the warriors here, and the support dwarves from the east formed an expedition together, we could have hunted the fallen dragon with our own strength!”
“We could have achieved our peace with our own hands!”
“Jin-woo, what you have done is deeply appreciated. Truly, we are grateful. But….”
The Dwarf Elders spoke loudly.
Jin-woo looked at the Elders and nodded.
‘They’re stubborn.’
That notion—that their problems should be solved by their own strength—was so characteristically dwarven that he found it pleasing.
“Then what would satisfy you?”
“W-what?”
The Dwarf Elders were flustered by Jin-woo’s question. They had spoken forcefully, and from Jin-woo’s perspective, they could have argued that he had just saved Iron Helm, only to have them angry with him.
But when Jin-woo asked calmly, they were caught off guard.
“Well….”
“That is….”
“Unless our supreme master blacksmith approves….”
“Hodrak must acknowledge it! For he is the supreme master blacksmith and the greatest dwarf.”
At those words, the expressions of Big Hammer and the other dwarves changed.
This was utterly unreasonable.
Of course it was—Hodrak had been dead for a long time.
Yet Jin-woo simply nodded.
“Then I shall seek his approval.”
Big Hammer approached Jin-woo.
“The truth is, Hodrak…he became flame long ago.”
“That’s no problem. It’s possible.”
“…?”
“P-possible, you say?”
Jin-woo spoke with a slight smile.
“Then I shall revive him and ask. Would that be acceptable?”
“…w-what?”
Big Hammer was bewildered, and the Dwarf Elders even more so.
“R-revive him and ask? What do you mean….”
“I can revive him.”
Jin-woo said.
“If you wish it.”
* * *
-The auction has concluded.
-Final bid price for Obsidian Net: [41.8 million Gold]
-Buyer: Tehent
“Sold.”
Tehent accepted the Obsidian Net with a solemn expression.
This net was more expensive than any hunting equipment he had purchased before.
“And it’s SSR+ Grade hunting gear, at that.”
All the equipment Tehent currently used was UR Grade.
He even had one piece that was UR+ Grade.
So he was already in a situation where he possessed excellent hunting equipment.
“What will it feel like?”
Tehent’s anticipation was considerable.
“At this price, there should naturally be a commensurate difference in performance. Everyone praised the previous equipment so highly.”
He had spent a fortune, and those who had purchased Jin-woo’s previous gear had offered effusive praise, so Tehent’s expectations soared without limit.
It usually works that way.
High expectations inevitably lead to disappointment.
Especially in this case, disappointment was unavoidable—Tehent already owned equipment of a higher Grade than SSR+ and had used it.
Tehent immediately headed for the Corrupted Demon Forest.
The monsters here were all swift. With a net and similar hunting equipment, this place was perfect.
“It definitely said….”
That it was the net that had caught a dragon.
The monsters that appeared here weren’t dragon-class, but they possessed comparable speed. Because of this, hunting was quite difficult without precise control.
“Reducing speed should be enough.”
No. Actually, he was expecting something more than that.
“It shouldn’t move at all, really. With equipment at this price point, I mean.”
Then a silver wolf appeared before Tehent’s eyes.
“So you’re the first to show yourself.”
The trickiest and most formidable monster in the Corrupted Demon Forest—Silver Fang.
Tehent drew his Crossbow with practiced ease.
“No, wait.”
There was no better monster to properly test the net against than Silver Fang.
Aaaaooooo—.
Silver Fang cried out and vanished in an instant.
Whoosh—!
It was caught.
But only barely, so Tehent clicked his tongue.
However.
“What?”
Silver Fang lay collapsed despite being barely caught.
-The special attribute of the Obsidian Net activates.
The special attributes attached to the Obsidian Net had activated at once.
“Insane.”
So Tehent subdued Silver Fang, the forest’s lesser demon, far too easily.
“What is this…?”
Silver Fang tried to kick off the ground forcefully and escape, but with one paw caught and its speed reduced, it couldn’t flee from Tehent.
Tehent easily caught Silver Fang.
Then he fully spread the Obsidian Net and cast it over Silver Fang.
“Kyaaaagh—!”
Silver Fang thrashed within the Obsidian Net but couldn’t break free.
And beyond that.
“Its vitality…it’s draining…?”
No, it wasn’t just draining.
“My stamina is rising…?”
The Life Drain attribute attached to the special option was activating.
“O-on hunting equipment….”
It was the first time he’d seen such a noble attribute on gear.
“This is….”
Tehent spoke.
“This is a revolution.”
* * *
Jin-woo first intended to establish a connection.
-The Great Dwarven God has given his Sponsorship to that dwarf, or so the tale goes!
‘Already in place, then?’
“So the connection is established.”
Jin-woo heard the story of Hodrak from Hairun.
Hodrak was the dwarf who had long served as Iron Helm’s supreme master blacksmith and, simultaneously, was the Big Hammer who led the dwarves.
‘Supreme master blacksmith and Big Hammer both. His influence must have been immense.’
There was a reason the Dwarf Elders spoke Hodrak’s name.
“When the master was alive, Iron Helm was the most prosperous among all dwarven cities. Truth be told, I was quite young then and don’t remember much, but many dwarves even came to Iron Helm as scholars seeking him out.”
Hairun spoke.
“To learn from the master?”
“Yes. They came seeking to learn his forging art—that of the supreme master blacksmith.”
Skill.
And leadership.
“And the master was a great elder. All the dwarves of Iron Helm respected him. The Elders remember those days.”
“So they’re being stubborn.”
“Foolish stubbornness, it is.”
“It’s fine.”
Jin-woo was curious about Hodrak.
‘One reason I came to Iron Helm was because I wanted to learn forging art.’
Soul Forging was a type of art that utilized the soul. Therefore it differed from the forging Jin-woo had envisioned.
Jin-woo held a desire to learn a more fundamental forging art.
‘The Dwarven Forging Art especially has great depth.’
The Tomb, at the center of Iron Helm.
There stood a massive gravestone shaped like a hammer.
At the Tomb were Big Hammer, Hairun, and five Dwarf Elders.
-[Hodrak]-
The name [Hodrak] was written clearly there.
“There are many flowers.”
“The master loved flowers. He was the greatest dwarf, yet there was something about him that wasn’t quite dwarven. A unique quality.”
Big Hammer spoke.
“Then I shall begin.”
The Dwarf Elders watched Jin-woo.
Could he truly revive him?
They had not witnessed it and didn’t fully understand.
That Jin-woo had returned to Iron Helm riding on a dragon’s back.
“Resurrection of the Dead.”
-The dead answer your call.
-A faded soul reclaims its light through you, if only for a moment!
Shaaaaaaash—!
A soul rose from the gravestone.
And a massive dwarf was resurrected.
A luxuriant beard.
Brown hair.
And musculature that spoke of strength.
He appeared twice as large as the current Big Hammer.
“Mmmmph.”
The resurrected Hodrak looked at Jin-woo.
“Greetings, master.”
“You are….”
“First, my apologies for disturbing your long rest. The matter is thus….”
Jin-woo explained the situation quickly.
Hodrak then looked at Jin-woo once, and then at the Dwarf Elders.
“You blasted fools—!”
The bodies of the Dwarf Elders trembled violently.
That single cry just now.
It was a shout powerful enough to strike at their very souls.
“Elders? Acting so shamefully and yet claiming the title Elder!”
The Elders suddenly rushed forward and knelt before Hodrak.
“F-forgive us, Master.”
“We simply thought…we should have saved Iron Helm with our own strength….”
“Idiots! What foolishness is this! Apologize at once!”
“Y-yes!”
The Dwarf Elders turned to Jin-woo and apologized sincerely.
“We’re truly sorry.”
“Intoxicated by our titles, we spoke out of turn. We know full well how much we owe you for saving Iron Helm….”
One word from Hodrak had settled the matter entirely.
‘Just as Hairun said.’
The great elder of Iron Helm.
That was exactly what he was.
‘Then….’
“Master Hodrak.”
“Forgive the trouble I’ve caused.”
“It’s no trouble. Rather….”
Jin-woo spoke.
“I heard that you are Iron Helm’s greatest master blacksmith. Might I learn your forging art?”
“My forging art?”
Hodrak looked at his own body.
“I am already a dead man. I cannot remain long in the world of the living.”
Jin-woo nodded at those words.
“I wish to learn whatever I can.”
After a moment’s thought, Hodrak nodded.
From what he had heard, Jin-woo had protected Iron Helm from a tremendous threat.
“You dealt with the Shadow Wing, then? Even in my time, it was a creature we left alone due to our peace treaty.”
But Shadow Wing was a fearsome monster that could turn hostile at any moment.
“Since you handled that for us, I must repay you in kind.”
Hodrak drew forth his hammer. Being in a spiritual state now, it was the hammer that remained within his spirit.
“I’m afraid I’ll have precious little to teach you. Still, I’ll do my utmost, so give your all as well.”
Since he asked for Jin-woo’s utmost effort, Jin-woo intended to learn with complete dedication.
“Yes. I shall give my all in learning.”
Jin-woo spoke with a smile.
Hodrak promptly taught him the fundamentals of his forging art.
“The Dwarven Forging Art is….”
Jin-woo grasped the Hammer that Hairun had given him as a spare.
Hodrak had only about an hour remaining.
“You likely know the basics already, and from the look of you, you’re a skilled blacksmith. So I’ll keep the explanation brief and show you the essentials instead.”
Shaaaash—.
Mana flowed into the hammer.
Hodrak suddenly directed a cold chill from his hand.
“Cold and heat—using these two forces is the heart of my art. This isn’t something mastered in a day, so I’ll teach you only the basics, and if you mix it into your own forging….”
“Like this, you mean?”
Clang—!
Jin-woo mimicked exactly what Hodrak had shown him.
“?”
Hodrak’s eyes spoke volumes.
How had he done that?

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