The Return of the Legendary Golden-Handed Blacksmith - Chapter 140

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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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Chapter 140
140.
—Flame Core [SSR+]
A core of flame burning brilliantly.
Jin-woo brought his hand to the Flame Core.
Whoosh—!
“This just keeps burning?”
It wasn’t burning briefly or merely holding heat—it burned continuously.
A rather peculiar material in many ways.
Jin-woo examined the Flame Core closely.
‘Hmm.’
As Jin-woo studied the Flame Core,
his subordinates marveled at the overwhelming battle they had just witnessed.
It wasn’t a matter of having diverse skills.
Nor was it exceptional combat sense or movement.
With just one weapon.
A single piece of equipment had turned the tide of battle.
“That was overwhelming combat,” Pur said.
“It was a battle that showed exactly how crucial equipment truly is,” Moltus added.
Moltus spoke following Pur’s remarks.
Who wielded the equipment was certainly a vital factor.
But if one maintained a certain baseline level, equipment specifications alone could overwhelm an opponent—and Jin-woo had demonstrated this perfectly.
Pur’s hand tightened around the World Tree’s Judgment, and he felt a chill run through him.
He had become a hero-grade Undead, yet he still felt far behind. The power to truly understand equipment—that was still lacking in him. He needed to grow further, to deepen his comprehension.
First held the Orichalcon Greatsword and swung it experimentally in various directions.
His master continued to show him the correct path.
He was Jin-woo’s subordinate, and he had to become someone who understood all of Jin-woo’s creations.
For that, he couldn’t rely on mastering just a single weapon.
He had to keep growing.
He had to keep understanding. For that, he had to keep watching Jin-woo’s movements. He couldn’t stop at simply being amazed and astonished.
When Jin-woo returned to his subordinates, he lightly swung the Dragon-Stone Chain Sickle as he came back.
“Did that look all right?”
“I…will…master…use…it…just…as…well. I…understand.”
“Chirp—!”
Then Fin flew swiftly forward. In an instant, she had gathered all the byproducts from every monster Jin-woo had hunted.
“Oh.”
Moltus made a bone-rattling sound of regret—that should have been his task.
And Bone, watching Fin, felt a peculiar competitive spark kindle within him.
Both were flying types.
Yet in terms of rank, he was far superior.
And yet, in this moment, it was Fin who had proven useful to Jin-woo.
That pricked his pride.
“Hmph…….”
Next time he would win. He was stronger, after all.
“Well done, Fin.”
“Chirp—!”
Jin-woo examined the byproducts.
—Flame Bat Wing Membrane [SSR]
—Furnace Lizard Scales [SSR]
A smile bloomed across his face the moment he saw them.
“The wing membrane is a material I’ve never seen before, and these scales look incredibly rough and coarse.”
And the souls were all SR Grade.
‘I should gather all the souls for now.’
Once the tower clear was finished, Jin-woo planned to go straight for the quest the Lord of the Abyss had given him involving souls.
‘I’m really looking forward to refining souls.’
There might be situations where many souls were needed, so he intended to hoard them all.
“The grade of the materials isn’t particularly impressive, but their quality is quite solid.”
For Floor 1, these were remarkably good materials.
“There’s a reason they can withstand the intense heat radiating from the tower.”
Jin-woo examined the materials in detail.
“Bone.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Could you fire your breath at these materials for a moment?”
“Yes!”
Bone unleashed his breath.
Whoosh—!
“As expected.”
They had remarkable flame-resistance properties.
“They withstand passive heat and also hold up against active flame attacks like these.”
Jin-woo let out a satisfied chuckle.
Then, setting the materials aside,
“Still burning, as I thought.”
He had wondered if the Flame Core’s fire might extinguish as time passed, but it still burned steadily.
—Intense heat spreads throughout your body!
The moment he grasped it again, the Flame Core’s power surged into him.
Jin-woo ignored the damage and poured mana into it.
Whoosh—
Whoosh—!
The flame’s power grew stronger.
—Rune, Bone Heart activates!
This intense heat was a form of debuff, and it could be nullified by the Bone Heart effect.
“Wait a moment.”
Whoosh—.
The Flame Core erupted with heat like a madness.
The burning flame.
It resembled a heart.
‘A heart.’
Thump—thump—.
An idea struck Jin-woo’s mind like lightning.
“First!”
When Jin-woo called, First approached like the wind and knelt.
“You…called…for…me.”
“I found the heart!”
His subordinates’ bodies were made from skeletal frames he had personally crafted.
Naturally, they had no actual heart.
‘It’s not a real heart, but something that can function like one to enhance them.’
If he embedded this burning Flame Core into the skeleton,
‘I can grant them attributes.’
Jin-woo recalled the Charcoal Giant.
That flame the Charcoal Giant possessed—he could transplant it into his subordinates.
Whoosh—.
Jin-woo took out a spare hammer and began shaping the Flame Core.
Hammer and chisel.
Using a carving knife, he refined the Flame Core’s shape.
Clang—! Clang—!
Whoosh—!
It resisted fiercely, but nothing could stop Jin-woo.
The Flame Core transformed in moments.
‘Like a teardrop.’
The Flame Core was refined under Jin-woo’s fingertips. Holding the Flame Core, now carved like a gem, Jin-woo immediately called First again.
“First.”
Then he activated the Bone Making Skill.
Whoosh—!
The Flame Core that Jin-woo had refined instantly took its place near First’s heart.
—Bone Making Skill is used!
—An attribute is granted to the subordinate, First!
—First has gained the Heavenly Flame Attribute!
Whoosh—!
Jin-woo immediately checked First’s status.
1.
Name: First
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Grade: Elite LV 2
Type: Undead, Close-Combat (Dark Knight King)
[Weapon] Orichalcon Greatsword
[Armor] Sky Stone Vasago Armor
[Skill] Wave Emission
[Attribute] Flame
The moment he opened the subordinate status window, the word “Attribute” was emblazoned in flame.
“Yes. This is it.”
A blue flame began to rise from First’s hand.
‘Just as Pur bears the Heavenly Cold, all Undead inherently carry coldness.’
Influenced by that cold, it had become blue flame.
“Excellent.”
Whoosh—.
Dark Energy poured forth, and blue flames rippled outward—the visual impact was undeniable.
‘First, the appearance is perfect.’
Functionally it would surely be splendid, but the visual form alone was already impressive.
It was an appearance that suited not merely a knight class, but a Dark Knight King perfectly.
“This won’t do anymore.”
The Orichalcon Greatsword had been used sufficiently.
‘Time for something new.’
“Thank…you.”
The other subordinates watched the blue flame pouring from First with obvious envy.
They were fundamentally Undead.
And if First found it magnificent, the other Undead felt the same way.
‘A new path is opening.’
Not merely crafting equipment.
‘I can grant attributes myself.’
Beyond equipment, even attributes.
It was a moment when the scope of what he could create expanded dramatically.
“Let’s move forward.”
* * *
Floor 1 Central Area.
—The heat intensifies!
The deeper they ventured, the stronger the heat became.
—Rune, Flame Breathing activates!
‘I have Flame Breathing,’
but the subordinates were fully exposed to flame damage.
Of course, First, who had newly acquired the Flame Attribute, was unaffected.
Rather, he was gaining strength from it.
As they neared the center, First’s pace felt increasingly forceful.
Pur, too, possessed the Heavenly Cold skill, so he could endure to some degree.
‘Moltus, Fin, and Bone are the problem.’
“Summon.”
Jin-woo immediately opened his workshop.
He placed the materials he had obtained earlier on the workbench.
“I’m making flame-resistant equipment.”
His subordinates needed gear that could withstand this heat.
Jin-woo quickly cut the hide from the Furnace Lizard.
Slice—. Slice—.
“Remarkably thick.”
It was so thick that scissors barely cut through it, and heavy too.
‘Making leather armor from this would be pointless. It’s too heavy and would only reduce mobility.’
Especially for the massive Bone—outfitting him in leather armor would essentially eliminate his mobility.
“Then again.”
He would craft equipment that brought out each subordinate’s strengths. Jin-woo decided to prioritize Moltus’s advantages.
Moltus was a Dark Priest who could fly while radiating Dark Energy.
‘So then.’
Slice—. Slice—.
Jin-woo’s Flawless Seamstress Art unfolded.
—Flawless Seamstress Art proficiency increases!
It had been nearly complete when he first learned it from Mirae, but working with diverse materials and creating varied equipment, he was pioneering new heights.
It didn’t need to be cloth.
As long as needle and thread could enter it, Jin-woo could seam anything.
—Equipment crafted!
—SSR+ Grade equipment crafted!
What Jin-woo made was Flame-Resistant Leather Boots.
“Since he flies, even if they’re slightly heavy, it doesn’t matter.”
Jin-woo gave the boots to Moltus.
“!”
Moltus, who had been moving sluggishly from the heat, improved instantly.
Next, Jin-woo retrieved the wing membrane from the giant flame bat.
‘Light.’
This was a lightweight flame-resistant material.
“Then.”
What remained were the two flying Undead.
“There’s something simple I can make for them.”
—Equipment crafted!
—SSR+ Grade equipment crafted!
—Flame-Resistant Wing Headwear crafted!
A headpiece.
Light equipment to wear upon the head.
With flame-resistant boots and a flame-resistant headpiece, once Jin-woo equipped his subordinates, their movement returned.
“The heat has vanished as if by magic.”
“Chirp—!”
The two flying Undead seemed quite pleased with the light equipment.
Particularly Bone was now outfitted head to toe in Jin-woo’s gear.
“Hehehehe. I have the most equipment.”
He seemed quite satisfied, rattling contentedly as he laughed.
Jin-woo and his subordinates, now equipped with flame-resistant gear, advanced once more.
How far did they walk?
Whoosh—!
“Something’s off. We’re on Floor 1 and yet this firepower?”
No monsters appeared—only the heat grew more intense.
“Is the Distortion becoming more severe? Still, this is peculiar heat.”
By heat alone, it surpassed even their encounter with the Charcoal Giant.
“The Charcoal Giant was a mid-boss. This heat is even fiercer than that mid-boss…….”
Then there was only one answer.
Floor 1 Central Area.
Jin-woo discovered a massive figure there.
—Entering the chamber of the Evil Incarnate, Balam!
The tower’s boss monster was on Floor 1.
“As expected.”
Whoosh—!
Evil Incarnate, Balam.
His entire body was composed of flame.
“To climb to the peak of this Distortion.”
His breath carried flame.
And he possessed eyes of brilliant crimson—the Evil Incarnate.
Each movement scattered flame around him, a truly striking sight.
‘The peak?’
From those words, Jin-woo immediately grasped what was happening.
‘So the Distortion has inverted things—Floor 1 is the peak, and the true peak has become Floor 1?’
And normally, one would enter through the proper top and descend level by level.
‘But I received the quest from the Great Dwarf God,’
so I could enter directly to where the Temple was.
“So that’s why.”
Jin-woo fully understood the situation.
“In that case, it’s actually better.”
‘Because now I can verify my equipment more thoroughly.’
And above all, that Evil Incarnate fascinated him greatly.
“Flame itself.”
Suddenly, Jin-woo smiled.
It wasn’t merely about byproducts.
That flame too seemed something he could utilize.
“That gaze of yours. Quite displeasing.”
“I wonder if I could feed you to the forge.”
Jin-woo coveted that Evil Incarnate’s flame as much as he had the dragon’s.
“Blending might work nicely.”
Flame Blending.
If he combined flames, the synergy would likely be remarkable.
“You’d throw me into your forge…… Truly a madman if ever there was one. Fine. If you can manage it, do try. If you can manage it, throw me in!”
Jin-woo gripped the Chain Sickle.
“You promised?”
Of course, he had made no such promise.

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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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