The Return of the Legendary Golden-Handed Blacksmith - Chapter 142

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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 142
142.
Balam did not fully grasp the situation unfolding before him.
He had revealed his true power.
Wreathed in Hellfire, he had completely recast his surroundings into his own domain.
Yet in that threatening moment, Jin-woo summoned his forge and immediately began swinging the hammer.
Naturally, that was the opening for an attack.
“So naturally… he defends?”
His subordinates protected Jin-woo with remarkable familiarity. Because of this, Balam lost his timing. The strength of his subordinates was far greater when defending Jin-woo than when attacking him.
Crash!
And Jin-woo, having grasped something, surged forward. He was looking at Balam, yet something felt wrong.
It was as if he were looking through him at something else entirely.
“Even so…!”
Jin-woo lunged and brought down a devastating blow.
Crash-crack-crack-crack!
Balam wove Hellfire like rope, blocking Jin-woo’s strike.
Yet he could not defend perfectly.
“!”
He thought Jin-woo would follow up immediately, but instead Jin-woo had already retreated.
Then he swung the Dragonstone Sickle from a distance.
Snap!
Balam’s brow furrowed at the risk-minimized combat style. The trap he had just laid was one that demanded unconditional commitment.
Yet Jin-woo seemed to see through everything and pulled back.
He continued to press for the initiative, but it was not coming easily.
“Bon!”
“Yes, Master.”
Bon stepped forward then.
“That Bon dragon. Surely not.”
“This will be familiar to you too, I imagine?”
Balam’s expression darkened.
“You’ve made that dragon your subordinate!”
“First! Pur!”
Balam held back no longer.
Now that he had revealed Hellfire, there was no point in restraining his power.
Crash. Crash-crash-crash!
Jin-woo pushed his two subordinates back and brought Bon forward instead.
Bon was now clad head to toe in UR Grade equipment.
Currently, there was no subordinate quite like Bon to withstand Balam’s crushing blows.
“Go. Show him what you can do.”
Wings spread wide!
Bon flew at low altitude with those massive wings, surging toward Balam. His speed was such that tremendous winds whirled around him.
“I will burn you to ash. I will send you to where you belong!”
Crash. Crash-crash-crash-crash!
Hands began to extend from Balam’s body.
Two hands became four, and four became eight.
“Tremble before such magnificent power.”
Blazing fists poured down upon Bon like a tempest.
Crash-crack-crack! Crash-crack! Crash-crack!
Bon did not dodge.
As First had done, he allowed the strikes while continuing his own attacks with relentless weight.
He swung his tail hard, sweeping at Balam with his tail sickle.
“You…!”
Seeing that Bon sustained no serious damage from his assault, Balam recoiled in shock. He then caught the incoming tail sickle with both hands.
But six arms remained.
“Let’s see how long you can hold out!”
Boom!
As Balam unleashed a determined volley of punches, Bon—tail seized—began to fall back. He could endure a few strikes, but this relentless barrage was harder to weather.
That was when First moved.
Snap!
Two arms blocked First’s attack.
Then Pur brought down the World Tree’s Judgment.
Another two arms deflected Pur’s strike.
Two arms remained.
Moltus unleashed Dark Energy.
And then one more.
“Pin!”
All his subordinates converged on Balam. Balam had no hands left.
“My hands…”
Jin-woo did not miss the opening.
He gripped the Dragonstone Chain Sickle tightly and hurled it with all his strength as he retreated.
Snap!
“Gasp…”
Balam’s body reeled from the mortal wound. The arms holding back his subordinates lost their strength.
“Si-mul-ta-neous. A-ttack.”
Following First’s lead, the subordinates pounded away at Balam.
Jin-woo watched Balam carefully, and each time Balam attempted a counterattack, Jin-woo threw the Dragonstone Sickle with perfect precision.
“Ugh. Ughhhh.”
If he tried to mount a proper counterattack, Jin-woo’s strikes came relentlessly.
If he lacked force, he could not penetrate Jin-woo’s equipment.
Balam began to crumble.
“Grrrrraaaahhhhh!”
With his health below five percent, Balam roared. Then he gathered his last strength.
“I will never die alone.”
Whoosh!
Wreathed entirely in flames, Balam unleashed Hellfire at that very spot.
“Perfect!”
Jin-woo had been waiting for exactly this moment. He withdrew the Magma Bottle from his side and opened it.
The glass vessel that once held Shadow Wing’s flames.
“I’ll seal you away completely.”
Balam, transformed entirely into fire, flowed directly into the Magma Bottle.
The remaining fragments were crushed by his subordinates.
Boom!
“Damn… will…”
Balam, his strength exhausted, collapsed.
“Thank you for keeping your word.”
“Ugh… ugh. Lies… I never… made any such promise…”
And with that, Balam fell.
-The Incarnation of Malice, Balam, has entered Eternal Sleep.
-Your level has increased!
-Your level has increased!
-You have achieved an Achievement!
-You have cleared a Quest!
-The power of Balam that enveloped the Temple fades.
-The Temple has returned to its original form.
Whoooosh!
The moment Balam died, the Temple that had been twisted was restored to its true state.
-The Temple radiates holy power.
Having dealt with Balam, Jin-woo drew a deep breath.
‘There are still realms I don’t know.’
He thought himself quite skilled, yet so much remained unknown.
Jin-woo found this fact deeply reassuring.
And thrilling.
From the fallen Balam, Jin-woo saw light. He reached toward it slowly, and the light moved toward him as if recognizing him.
“Found it.”
Jin-woo reached out slowly and grasped the light.
-The God of the Great Dwarves bestows a blessing upon you.
A hammer wielded by the God of the Great Dwarves.
-You have obtained Agnes!
* * *
JBS Director’s Office.
“Goodness, our Han PD! You’ve worked so hard. Such dedication!”
The Director, who had said that if this failed he would leave, that all responsibility fell on his shoulders, had undergone a complete transformation.
His entire demeanor had changed.
Of course it had.
This video had breathed new life into a JBS that was nearing the end of its days.
At a cost incomparably lower than KBC or OBC, he had created high-value content.
“Thank you, Director.”
“A massive hit! A genuine blockbuster! I knew you could do it. I knew you had it in you. How did things go with the Netflix meeting?”
“We’ve secured three additional videos…”
After the brief conversation.
The Director, beaming, clapped Han In-gu on the shoulder repeatedly.
“I knew it. I knew you could pull it off. Heh heh. Han PD, you’re about to become a star producer!”
Though somewhat taken aback by the Director’s sudden reversal, Han In-gu found he didn’t dislike it.
He was grateful for the opportunity he’d been given.
“I was able to make this a success because you gave me the chance!”
“No, no. I know I said nothing but discouraging things. When you’re in this position, it’s inevitable. You stop taking risks, settle into complacency… Yes, I was wrong. I’m actually grateful you proved me wrong!”
The Director was genuinely delighted.
“This is just the beginning. Be even bolder next time. The numbers have proven it. Of course, you’ll hear more cynical talk from people around you.”
The beginner’s luck phenomenon.
There were already whispers that viewers might only be interested in Jin-woo the creator for a moment before tiring of him.
Of course, Han In-gu paid it no mind. They were simply speaking from ignorance.
Profound ignorance, at that.
“Thank you!”
After the meeting with the Director.
Countless companies began reaching out—Netflix among them.
-Hello Han PD, this is Netflix. Based on our meeting discussion…
-Hello PD Han In-gu, this is Eunseong Marketing…
-Han PD! This is Regitech!
-Young Elite here…
-We’re the men’s lifestyle magazine Greed…
An endless stream of advertising offers flooded into his phone.
“Eunseong, Regitech… all the major corporations are circling.”
Han In-gu, who had always been the underdog, found himself bewildered by offers from these prestigious companies.
Yet his smile would not fade.
“I handled the Netflix deal right away.”
Netflix had been the first to reach out.
The proposal to produce content based on Jin-woo’s video was identical to what KBC and OBC had been offered, centered on Slayer and high-tech industries.
Well, identical in form, but the details differed significantly.
“Since we’d already proven results this time.”
He had contracted for three additional videos and received a substantial payment.
“I’m grateful I could deliver results.”
Han In-gu was particularly pleased to have demonstrated success to Jin-woo, who had believed in him.
“He could have gone anywhere else, really.”
With that level of ability, he could have chosen any broadcaster.
“The way JinTube exploded, he didn’t need JBS at all.”
JinTube’s numbers weren’t quite matching what appeared on the JBS channel, but they were rising dramatically.
This wasn’t JBS choosing Jin-woo.
It was Jin-woo choosing JBS and Han In-gu.
“I can’t handle the advertising deals alone. I need to discuss them with Jin-woo and accept only the best offers.”
It seemed wise to set up another meeting with Jin-woo.
Buzz!
Amid the constant stream of work messages, one stood out—a notification from Jin-woo.
Whirrrrrr—!
Jin-woo’s messages had a special vibration setting, distinct from all other contacts.
“!”
-Sending you the Episode 2 video content.
A message saying he’d sent the second video.
Han In-gu quickly checked his email.
The subject line was simple.
-Episode 2 [Dragon Hunting, Crafting, Tower Clear]
“D-Dragon…?”
Jin-woo had mentioned he’d film Episode 2 to be even more entertaining than the first.
So naturally Han In-gu had assumed a new tower clear, or perhaps the crafting of impressive equipment.
But he never expected this.
“I didn’t think he’d combine everything…”
Han In-gu watched the rough-cut video.
Gulp.
Hunting a dragon.
Crafting a Bon Dragon from that dragon.
“Wow…”
The scenes of crafting from dragon byproducts alone deserved to be Episode 2’s main content.
There were countless dragon-hunting videos, but none featuring someone personally hunting a dragon and crafting UR Grade equipment from its materials.
“Wait, UR Grade? He was just making SSR+ before…?”
But it wasn’t just UR Grade.
“It’s UR+.”
And all his subordinates’ equipment had been upgraded too.
“Wow…”
Explosive growth in a short span.
At this rate, it could no longer be called explosive growth.
“For Jin-woo, maybe this is just… normal growth?”
It was growth befitting the user ranked number one at Eternal Sunshine.
“Which tower did he clear? The difficulty looks extremely high.”
He’d heard that KBC and OBC, who watched Episode 1, were grinding their teeth.
He’d also heard that Slayer’s Leap Guild was clenching their fists in frustration.
“They said they cleared a 4-Star Tower…”
So he’d felt they needed an even stronger response.
But it was already there.
“This tower also looks like it’s worth around 4 stars…?”
An even more devastating blow than anticipated.
Gulp.
Han In-gu took a deep breath.
“This time I have room to breathe.”
When Episode 1 went live, he’d had to pull all-nighters—the schedule was brutal.
But not this time.
“I can do this properly.”
And this time, it was direct competition on the same stage.
“I’ll prove it on Netflix.”

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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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