The Return of the Legendary Golden-Handed Blacksmith - Chapter 153

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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 153
Episode 153.
Whoooosh—!
-You have entered the Underground, the Underworld!
The Underworld.
It felt identical to the Underground, yet the aura it radiated was entirely different.
“It reminds me of the afterlife.”
Where the Underground—Iron Helm—had been a city brimming with sulfur and heat, this was a city of souls choked in frigid cold.
-The Master of Soul and Abyss welcomes you!
-The Master of Soul and Abyss grants you a Map!
Whoooosh—.
The path through this Underworld began to reveal itself to Jin-woo.
“Ah.”
-The power of the Underworld encroaches upon you.
-Debuff: Soul Encroachment
-Your body grows heavy. Your speed decreases. Your health declines.
The Underworld was fundamentally a place that rejected the living.
Thus, every living being that entered would inevitably receive a debuff.
Most severe was the health drain from the soul encroachment—constraints manifesting as they did in the Tower.
But.
“The air’s quite fine, actually.”
Jin-woo, though alive, was a Necromaster—a master over those neither living nor dead.
And hadn’t he received the Master of Soul and Abyss’s sponsorship precisely because he dealt in souls?
“Feels like coming home.”
Jin-woo smiled faintly.
-Rune: Bone Heart activates!
-Vigor surges through your entire body!
-Necromaster class effect activates!
-All debuffs are removed.
Moreover, Jin-woo’s Necromaster class proved to be remarkably well-suited to the Master of Soul and Abyss.
One could genuinely call this a homecoming.
Ding—!
-Quest has been updated!
The quest he’d received earlier updated the moment he arrived in the Underworld.
* Quest: Abyss, Underworld
Grade: UR
Details: The Underworld, once ruled by the Master of Soul and Abyss, has had its dominion seized by some force! His Temple has been sealed, his followers forgotten, and a new power now governs the Underworld. Assess the situation and resolve it.
Reward: Soul Refinery
“Once ruled?”
The moment Jin-woo expressed his question, the Master of Soul and Abyss responded.
-The Master of Soul and Abyss speaks of something amiss!
-The Master of Soul and Abyss says his power has been stolen!
It seemed the Master of Soul and Abyss himself hadn’t known of this.
“Has the Temple been swallowed?”
It appeared each god had a Temple.
When such a Temple was consumed, even a god like the Great Dwarf could sometimes find himself unable to wield his full power.
-The Master of Soul and Abyss says a new god has taken root here!
-A new god and his successor have sealed the Temple!
“A new god, then.”
The Master of Soul and Abyss’s rage rippled through even to here.
His own territory had been encroached upon by this new god.
-The Master of Soul and Abyss asks you to drive out the new god and his successor!
“Would reclaiming the Temple be enough?”
Reclaiming the Temple hardly seemed insurmountable. After all, he’d just finished the Sulfur and Crucible Tower, recapturing the Temple of the Great Dwarf in the process.
-A new city has been built around the sealed Temple!
-The Master of Soul and Abyss says this may not be so simple!
Jin-woo immediately checked the Map.
Whoosh—.
The place that shone brightly was the Temple’s location.
Centered on the Temple, a city of considerable size had been constructed.
‘The rest is all dark.’
The Map didn’t properly mark those areas.
Only the Temple itself showed on the Map.
‘There are significant obstacles in the path.’
He could see why the Master of Soul and Abyss said this wouldn’t be simple.
‘I’ll have to face an entire city alone.’
“Let’s try it.”
Jin-woo said.
There was someone out there trying to level an entire mountain with nothing but a Pickaxe.
‘One city, alone.’
Difficult, yes.
‘But not impossible.’
With what he did best.
“I’ll reclaim it my own way. Besides, just reclaiming one Temple hardly seems worth the effort.”
Jin-woo shook his head.
“Someone dared to steal the land of the god who sponsors me. A gentle approach like merely recapturing the Temple won’t do.”
Jin-woo was certain the Underworld held materials he’d never encountered before.
‘The feeling is good.’
In that case, going all-in was far better.
“I’ll reclaim the entire Underworld.”
Jin-woo proposed an expanded quest instead.
‘I need souls anyway.’
To obtain and use the Soul Refinery, he’d want as many souls as possible for materials.
-The Master of Soul and Abyss says this will be far too difficult!
-But he marvels at your audacity! He promises you additional rewards!
Jin-woo had deliberately raised the difficulty.
Yet that higher difficulty yielded additional rewards.
Ding—!
-Quest has been updated!
-You have received the quest [Reclamation War: Underworld]!
Reclaiming the Underworld.
It was far more than merely recovering the Temple.
“I’ll finish it soon enough.”
* * *
Jin-woo first examined the Map carefully.
“This area as the center.”
There were three gates he’d have to pass through on the way.
Once he cleared all three, he’d reach the city’s heart.
‘That’s the destination.’
Jin-woo set his course immediately.
‘A new god has taken root in this Underworld, and his successor has become a powerful ruler governing this place.’
Then his opposition would be the successor, the powerful ruler, and the followers who serve them.
‘I’m the first living being to enter here.’
The successor wouldn’t be a user sponsored by the new god.
‘And perhaps.’
Whoooosh—.
Jin-woo saw the souls drifting about him.
“He might not even be alive.”
Jin-woo first summoned Bone.
Whoooosh—.
“The path is quite long. I’ll ride you.”
“A beautiful place, Master.”
The summoned Bone seemed to appreciate the Underworld as much as Jin-woo did.
“See over there? That’s where we’re headed.”
Whooom—!
Bone spread his massive wings wide.
But in that instant, a powerful force engulfed him.
“!”
Bone’s enormous body began to topple. Jin-woo quickly activated a skill.
“Proclamation of Sanctuary.”
Whoooosh—!
A powerful Proclamation of Sanctuary blessed Bone with strength. He righted himself against that force.
-A powerful force constrains your Familiar, Bone!
No curse ever took hold on Jin-woo or his Familiars.
‘It’s not a curse.’
So this wasn’t a curse.
Jin-woo quickly discerned the source of this force.
“A Rune.”
A Rune was blocking Bone.
More precisely, it was blocking the act of flight.
“I can manage—!”
Bone, his pride wounded, spread his bone wings hard and tried to leap again.
But again that powerful force constrained him.
“Can’t be helped, I suppose.”
Jin-woo mounted Bone’s back.
“Run.”
Bone looked at him as if asking if he was serious.
“Are wings all you can do?”
I made you, didn’t I?
At those words, Bone’s pride flared.
He was a great being made by a great craftsman! Wings were nothing to him!
“…Of course not!”
Bone poured strength into his legs.
Leg Power.
“I can run as much as needed!”
Jin-woo smiled faintly.
‘Easy to provoke.’
* * *
-You enter Fragment City 1, Underworld.
-You have achieved an Achievement!
-You have achieved the Achievement [Visitor Here]!
Jin-woo rode Bone into the proper depths of the Underworld.
The Underworld was a city of fragments.
It was structured such that moving between the fragmented cities would eventually lead to the central city.
‘I have to pass through all of them.’
One by one, he’d have to clear each fragment.
‘Though it seems I won’t be visiting every single one.’
Jin-woo first confirmed the Achievement he’d earned.
“Hmm.”
-[Visitor Here]
Description: You are the first living being to enter the Underworld. All Stats increase by +30.
“Small blessings like this are quite pleasant.”
Jin-woo surveyed his surroundings.
“Still, a remarkable place.”
The Underworld was markedly different from an ordinary city.
Jin-woo nudged Bone’s flank.
Bone, well-accustomed now, advanced like a proper steed.
-You have arrived at Fragment City 1.
The destination Jin-woo reached was Fragment City 1, the nearest fragment.
Upon entering Fragment City 1, a few small buildings came into view.
And.
Clang—!
Clang-clang—!
The sound of weapons clashing and battle cries rang out.
“It’s already over!”
“Join in. Rally to this side.”
“The ruler of this land has changed! If you cling to the old ruler, you won’t maintain your soul!”
Crash—!
Translucent souls were locked in combat.
‘Different from normal souls.’
The souls Jin-woo had seen thus far resembled water droplets. These, however, had definite form despite being incorporeal.
Crash—!
Jin-woo observed the souls more carefully.
‘Transparent equipment.’
Equipment unlike anything he’d seen before.
Or rather, it was familiar in type—swords, shields, armor—
But all of it was translucent.
‘What is it? What’s it made from?’
He couldn’t determine what had been used to craft it.
‘Fascinating.’
Jin-woo’s curiosity stirred.
Crash—! Bang—!
They wielded their weapons against one another with frenzied ferocity.
“Our ruler is one and only!”
“Traitors. Wretched traitors!”
The warring souls suddenly noticed Jin-woo.
“Huh?”
“Why are you here?”
“Why is a living being here—!”
The fighting souls divided into two groups: azure and emerald.
One of the emerald-tinged souls rushed at Jin-woo.
Whoooosh—.
“A living being…”
“Ooooh… A living being has come…”
“A creature bearing flesh has come…!”
This was a city of souls—a bizarre realm where nothing whatsoever lived.
The souls swarmed him in an instant.
“Give us that body!”
They sought to claim it for themselves.
Whoooosh—!
In moments, Jin-woo found himself surrounded and assailed by dozens of souls.
He evaded lightly, then drew the Dragon Stone Chain Scythe and swung it down.
Whoosh—.
But his blow passed through empty air.
“No effect.”
Jin-woo smoothly sheathed the Dragon Stone Chain Scythe.
“Servant Unity.”
He wove Bone’s power into his own body.
Whoooosh—.
Crack—!
Then he reached out his bare hand.
“No effect—!”
The emerald soul, confident in its evasion, made no attempt to dodge; instead, it was seized by Jin-woo with a sharp crack.
-Soul Sight effect activates!
“?”
“…?”
The soul in his hand and nearby souls stood utterly bewildered.
“You caught it?”
How could a living being grasp them?
Yet they, in turn, could seize the living through the Underworld’s power—as easily as desired. Such was the law of this Underworld.
“Well then.”
Jin-woo smiled faintly.
Jin-woo had come to learn the methods of refining souls.
“Should we start by splitting them apart?”

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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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