The Return of the Legendary Golden-Handed Blacksmith - Chapter 163

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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 163
163.
-You have achieved an achievement!
Jin-woo checked the achievement first.
-[Frost Overcomer]
Effect: Cold endows you with life recovery.
It was an achievement befitting Jin-woo, who had overcome the fierce cold and handled the materials.
“I wonder if there were others like this besides me?”
Indeed, the world of blacksmithing held all manner of people.
Of course, there likely weren’t any.
A blacksmith who handled Eternal Frost like Jin-woo, that is.
“The sword.”
Jin-woo examined the completed sword.
[Underworld Eternal Frost Icy Sword]
-Attack Power: 18,900
-Grade: UR+
-Durability: 150,000 / 150,000
<>
* Special Skill [Eternal Frost: Pierces intensely! Freezes your opponent with fierce cold. Frozen opponents take additional damage.]
* Special Option [Unfrozen for Eternity: Cold damage increases by 300%.]
* Special Option [Frost Binding: Guarantees a Fatal Blow against frozen targets.]
* Special Option [Ultimate Attack Power: Attack power increases by 800.]
* Special Option [Curse Infusion – Arcshak LV3: Attack power increases by 760.]
* Special Option [Life Drain: Absorbs 15% of damage dealt as your own life force!]
* Special Option [Shadow Slash: Attack power increases by 8%.]
* Special Option [Ambush: Imbued with Necro Master power, your first attack is guaranteed to be a Fatal Blow.]
* Special Option [Soul Forging: Draws forth the power of the soul. Critical strike chance increases by 30%!]
* Special Option [Touch of Death: Disrupts the target’s recovery! Healing ability decreases by 20%.]
“Graaaaaaah-!”
“I’ve never seen anything like that!”
Rek and the souls applauded.
Lerankal had never seen a blacksmith finer than the Ice Elves.
His jaw hung open.
“Hmm.”
What Jin-woo had crafted was an Underworld Eternal Frost Icy Sword.
Made from materials of the Underworld and forged with Jin-woo’s utmost effort, the options were exceptionally good.
Of course, because he had handled a material he shouldn’t normally be able to handle, there were considerable shortcomings apparent in the work.
‘I’m satisfied, though.’
Yet at the same time, he wasn’t.
‘I feel like I could have made it better.’
If he utilized the Maximization Refinement Technique well, he could handle the cold material even better than this.
Whoooosh—.
Jin-woo slowly lifted the Underworld Eternal Frost Icy Sword.
Swishhhhh—.
The blue cold aura radiating from it.
With touches of sky blue mixed in, it felt slightly different from the existing underworld cold.
‘Just the color changed a bit.’
Though it had only grown slightly softer, the impression it gave was entirely different.
‘That’s what detail is.’
Even small detail changes could provide endless variations.
“Still, there’s more to be pleased about.”
This frost sword carried new options as well.
Touch of Death.
‘Recovery disruption. That’s quite novel.’
All the equipment Jin-woo crafted began to attach options increasingly related to Necro. This was quite encouraging.
‘It means my Necromaster job level is steadily rising.’
-Master of Soul and Abyss says your crafting surpasses that of any blacksmith in the Underworld!
-God of Bone and Death wishes you would work with bone more!
-The Guardian of Flame and Craftsmanship says you are indeed a living flame!
-Great Dwarf God confidently proclaims he recognized you long ago!
The gods sponsoring Jin-woo offered considerable praise for this achievement.
‘They’re really watching carefully after all.’
The gods who had once offered their sponsorship seemed to be steadily observing Jin-woo.
‘It’s good that they seem satisfied.’
“Thank you.”
“……You are truly remarkable. To be frank, this was…….”
“Impossible?”
“Yes. Exactly.”
The Ice Elves suddenly felt shame.
“Well, it makes sense. To learn your Maximization Refinement Technique, shouldn’t I demonstrate at least this much? It’s truly a magnificent technique.”
For a moment, the Ice Elves looked at Jin-woo. She hadn’t expected him to say such a thing.
-Ice Elves’ affinity with you increases greatly!
Jin-woo smiled slightly.
“Then I can learn it now, yes?”
“Yes! Before that, might I see the equipment you made just a little?”
The Ice Elves received the equipment from Jin-woo.
Underworld Eternal Frost.
Even merely handling this would merit praise as a great achievement—it was that extraordinary.
So even if the equipment hadn’t turned out perfectly, it would have been understandable.
“?”
But something was wrong.
“No, wait—you didn’t just handle it, did you? U, UR+? What is this.”
She was certain he had never worked with cold materials like Eternal Frost before.
After all, materials saturated with cold weren’t easily accessible.
Yet he could craft equipment like this.
The Ice Elves blinked repeatedly.
“Just handling it alone would be boring.”
“Boring…… you say?”
In that moment, the Ice Elves realized that Jin-woo’s mindset was entirely different from her own.
“I had forgotten.”
She had forgotten.
That crafting was fun.
“Thank you. Shall we go at once?”
* * *
-You have learned the Maximization Refinement Technique!
* Maximization Refinement Technique
Grade: UR
Description: The signature refinement technique of Iceelzs, master blacksmith of the Underworld. Possesses the power to maximize the characteristics inherent in a material.
Effect: Equipment options you craft are maximized!
The Maximization Refinement Technique was a skill that maximized a single element.
Jin-woo began learning the Maximization Refinement Technique in earnest from the Ice Elves.
“I primarily maximize cold, but in truth, it’s possible to maximize anything.”
This Maximization Refinement Technique was certainly an effective technique.
‘It maximizes one option.’
Attack power, if it’s attack power.
Defense power, if it’s defense power.
And even attributes beyond that.
‘You could say it’s the superior version of Hephaestus’s Ultimate Defense.’
Of course, that didn’t mean Hephaestus’s Ultimate Defense was inferior to the Maximization Refinement Technique.
‘They walked the same direction, just along slightly different paths.’
Thanks to that, Jin-woo was able to learn the Maximization Refinement Technique quite easily.
“Did you already know?”
“I knew a similar skill. My great master dedicated his life to forging it.”
“As expected.”
The Ice Elves broke into a broad smile.
“Great people share common ground.”
The Ice Elves was more self-congratulatory than expected.
‘A blacksmith ought to have at least this much confidence.’
“Wrap cold around the hammer. From what I saw earlier, you’ve already mastered that. So what matters is the hammering.”
‘And the Ice Elves…’
“Hundreds of years of hammering. I’ll do it better than any dwarf.”
The confidence was slightly excessive.
-Great Dwarf God places a curse upon the irreverent one!
She had said this without knowing that Jin-woo was receiving the sponsorship of the Great Dwarf God.
Rumble—!
Yet that curse only became a source of strength for the Ice Elves instead.
“Why is strength welling up in me!”
Thanks to that, Jin-woo was able to learn the core of the Maximization Refinement Technique even faster.
Clang-! Clang-!
For three hours like that.
“Phewwwww—.”
The Ice Elves ended up teaching Jin-woo virtually everything about the Maximization Refinement Technique.
“There’s no rest to be had.”
Normally, one would need to rest at moments of incomprehension.
But Jin-woo kept understanding.
“You truly continue to understand.”
Without pause.
“Then.”
Having learned all the advanced stages, now only practice and descent remained.
“I never thought we’d open this place.”
The Ice Elves gestured.
“Come this way. The other souls are over there. And Lerankal.”
The Ice Elves clicked her tongue upon seeing Lerankal’s equipment.
“Even good gear goes to waste if you can’t use it properly.”
“……Sorry.”
“I’ll give you something better.”
“Thank you!”
The two were closer than expected.
Following the Ice Elves’ guidance, Jin-woo arrived at a secret chamber deeper within the building.
Squeeeak—.
As the door opened, an enormous wave of cold rushed out.
“This is my cold material vault.”
Whoooosh—.
“If you train here in the Maximization Refinement Technique, you’ll be able to master it far more quickly.”
Then she gestured toward cold materials heaped in a corner of the vault.
“Oh.”
There were stacked cold materials similar to the Eternal Frost used earlier.
Whoooosh—.
Emitting tremendous cold, they seemed to be calling Jin-woo over.
As Jin-woo’s eyes lit up at the sight of the materials, the Ice Elves spoke with a satisfied expression.
“You can use all of them…….”
The moment she tried to speak, the Ice Elves felt an intense chill run through her.
It wasn’t merely from the cold.
There was something in Jin-woo’s gaze that gave her an uncanny feeling.
“Use all of them?”
Until now, multiple blacksmiths had helplessly uttered those words.
Jin-woo had fulfilled that promise thoroughly.
“No! You absolutely cannot use them all. Please use only ten. I need to…… survive.”
She barely managed to stop Jin-woo by frantically shaking her head.
“Then I’ll use just ten.”
“……You promise?”
* * *
Clang-! Clang-!
A vault brimming with cold.
Jin-woo began crafting equipment using the Maximization Refinement Technique.
-Equipment crafted!
-UR Grade equipment crafted!
Since he had exactly ten cold materials usable, he carefully selected what to make.
“I thought you’d use them all.”
It felt like he’d received some sort of divine insight.
“How unfortunate.”
Still, being able to use ten wasn’t bad at all.
Clang-!
Jin-woo immediately selected an Ice Fang.
The Ice Fang radiating cold looked refreshing even to behold.
Scrape—.
He pressed a carving knife against the material emitting fierce cold.
Whoosh—!
The cold enveloped Jin-woo’s body momentarily, but as he used the Maximization Refinement Technique he’d learned, the cold was suppressed instantly.
“Huh!”
Of course, simply using the Maximization Refinement Technique didn’t mean the cold would be contained.
Because Jin-woo was skilled at handling materials and employed the Maximization Refinement Technique, he could suppress the cold far more easily.
“It’s different. It really is.”
Handling the cold material with and without the Maximization Refinement Technique was entirely different.
‘No wonder the Ice Elves was frozen stiff.’
It made sense that she would have been shocked, since Jin-woo had managed the Eternal Frost without having learned the Maximization Refinement Technique yet.
Clang-!
-Equipment crafted!
Thanks to the Maximization Refinement Technique, handling the cold material became far more manageable, allowing Jin-woo to concentrate entirely on the material.
‘I think I can link this with the Harmonia Refinement Technique.’
At first glance, the Harmonia Refinement Technique pursued balance and harmony, which might not mesh with the Maximization Refinement Technique.
One was balance, one was maximization—it was natural they wouldn’t align.
But Jin-woo reversed the order in his thinking.
‘Maximize first.’
And then, if he made that maximized material harmonious?
‘Then I could elevate the average.’
Whoooosh—.
In the cold vault overflowing with cold, Jin-woo infused even stronger cold into his equipment.
“All UR Grade, so that’s good.”
Of course, there were materials of ??? Grade here as well.
“I’m quite curious what grade those are.”
Since he wouldn’t be able to use them properly, he set them aside for now.
Before entering the Underworld.
Jin-woo received objective feedback about his equipment during his battle with the Agent Guild.
‘Gremlin’s equipment was exactly the grade suited to the Agent Guild.’
Most blacksmiths couldn’t churn out all their equipment with identical metrics as if stamped by a mold.
‘Some equipment was well-made, others less so.’
Averaging them out, they could be considered fairly well-crafted.
‘And moreover, Gremlin’s equipment was made with players in mind.’
Jin-woo had his first PVP experience with Backer.
Subsequently, through conflict with the Agent Guild, Jin-woo became entangled with players.
In other words, Jin-woo’s equipment wasn’t crafted with player conflict in mind.
‘There are many things to fix.’
He needed to catch two rabbits at once.
Jin-woo kept that in mind as he crafted.
‘Against both monsters and in combat with players.’
Equipment that could secure advantage.
‘Leaning too far in one direction would be pointless.’
Clang—.
Clang—. Clang—.
Ding—!
-Equipment crafted!
Just after crafting equipment once more.
-A new god has set their gaze upon you.
A new god had begun observing Jin-woo.
-A new god has set their gaze upon your sponsoring deities.
‘Something feels off.’
“You are…….”

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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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