The Return of the Legendary Golden-Handed Blacksmith - Chapter 200
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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 200
200.
“The Auction House is settled.”
Jin-woo intended to handle the commission he’d received before entering Avalon.
“I’m thinking of delivering the equipment Tehent commissioned.”
Of course, he had no intention of going himself.
“It’s about time I summoned Unit 2.”
The Attendant had already made one return trip. Unit 2 had been with Mirae for quite a while now, so it was time to call it back.
“Aura.”
-Summoning familiar Unit 2.
Jin-woo hadn’t called Unit 2 in a long time since sending it to Mirae.
“It’s even awakened since then.”
It had also gained the powerful ability of Soul Imprinting.
“Learning from Mirae couldn’t have been easy.”
Unit 2’s specs needed to be raised.
“After all, it’s supposed to be my familiar.”
Besides, he wanted to give Unit 2 proper equipment to use.
“Now that I’m sending it elsewhere.”
Jin-woo planned to send Unit 2 to Tehent and have it hunt monsters.
Shaaaaaah—!
At Jin-woo’s call, Unit 2 emerged from the darkness.
“You summoned me, Master. At last I’ve been freed from the darkness by your command…….”
Unit 2 suddenly looked at Jin-woo and froze.
“M-Master……?”
Then it was startled by the change in its master’s appearance.
The aura emanating from him.
The overwhelming power radiating from his form.
Everything was different from before.
Especially for Unit 2, being connected to Jin-woo, the change registered far more acutely.
‘The connection weakens over distance.’
So it had been unaware of Jin-woo’s growth.
“Incredible!”
Unit 2 looked at Jin-woo with an expression of awe.
“……What else have you learned?”
Undead have almost no facial expressions.
Even when they do, they’re barely perceptible.
But Unit 2’s expressions were remarkably varied.
Could an Undead’s face really be this expressive?
‘This isn’t even Undead anymore.’
It was facial expressiveness that transcended the Undead.
‘The expressions aren’t bad, mind you.’
“Mirae is a dignified Elf, though…….”
What on earth had it learned from Mirae?
Jin-woo first had Unit 2 give its report.
“I’ve learned the Weaving Technique from Mirae!”
Unit 2 laid out the cloths it had made.
There were five cloths in total, and while not quite matching Mirae’s creations, they were of comparable quality.
“SSR+ Tier.”
Three were SSR+, and the remaining one was of considerable quality as well.
“Mirae assisted with this one. It’s UR Tier.”
For someone who had reached USSR+, these tiers might have seemed low, but Jin-woo didn’t pay much attention to tier grades.
Higher tiers were always better, but lower tiers were far from bad.
“Ah.”
Touching Thunderdust for the first time in a while felt remarkably pleasant.
“There’s also Moonlight-fallen Cloth.”
The Moonlight-fallen Cloth made jointly with Mirae was incredibly soft, befitting a UR-tier material.
‘It feels like silk.’
And the characteristic coolness of moonlight was amplified throughout.
New materials always captured Jin-woo’s interest.
Jin-woo took the Thunderdust and Moonlight-fallen Cloth.
-Familiar Unit 2 gains new skills.
Unit 2’s information updated now that it was reconnected with Jin-woo.
-Possessed Skills: Mirae’s Weaving Technique
Mirae possessed both the Flawless Seamstress Art and the technique of weaving cloth. While the Flawless Seamstress Art was naturally superior in level, Mirae’s Weaving Technique was likewise a highly promising skill, since it allowed for direct material creation.
Jin-woo smiled slightly.
‘Learned well. It must have been difficult.’
“You worked hard, Unit 2. You tried your best.”
At his words, Unit 2’s expression grew tender.
“Thank you for the praise! I’ll work even harder.”
Jin-woo gestured to Unit 2.
“Next, I’m sending you to the Hunter. But as you are now, you’ll likely struggle to perform well. Tehent is among the top-tier Hunters.”
Jin-woo immediately kindled the Soul Furnace.
Whoosh— whoooosh—.
The furnace roared to life with blue flames.
‘To learn Tehent’s hunting techniques and secure materials.’
He needed to bring Unit 2 up to at least the level of Boru or Bon.
“Then.”
Simply imprinting souls wouldn’t be enough.
‘Since it learned the Weaving Technique from Mirae.’
Unit 2’s learning capacity was exceptionally high.
‘Then I should grow Unit 2 in a way that enhances that learning capacity.’
Jin-woo drew out a soul.
Shaaah—.
It floated gently.
“With Gamigin’s Soul.”
He would strengthen Unit 2.
Jin-woo cast Gamigin’s Soul into the Soul Furnace.
Gamigin’s Soul was a USSR-tier material.
The moment it entered the furnace, it blazed with intensity.
-Refining soul.
-Preparing Soul Imprinting.
Jin-woo burned the soul and began inscribing the Soul Imprinting mark on Unit 2’s abdomen.
Crack—.
“!”
The enormous pressure made Unit 2 clench its teeth involuntarily.
The power radiating from Jin-woo’s hand felt like it was being absorbed into him, and Unit 2 couldn’t think straight.
But Unit 2 endured. It had to endure.
By instinct.
And because they were connected, it understood.
In this very moment.
The Soul Imprinting being carved into it would carry it to greater heights, and it would become a significant asset to its master.
“Ugh.”
Crack—. Crackle—. Crackle—.
Through First, Pur, Moltus, and Bon, whom he’d imprinted souls into before, Jin-woo’s hand had grown very skilled at Soul Imprinting.
Thus the Soul Imprinting inscribed on Unit 2 was far more refined than his previous familiars.
And what he was using now was none other than Gamigin’s Soul.
-Soul Imprinting successful!
-Soul settles into Familiar Unit 2’s skeletal form.
-A mighty demon’s soul has taken residence in Unit 2!
Shhhshh—. Shhhshhhh—.
For a moment, Unit 2’s body seemed to be shedding water.
“How does it feel?”
At Jin-woo’s question, Unit 2’s eyes blazed bright blue.
“I thought I had done my part well, but compared to your growth, Master, it was such little effort. It’s amazing! Truly overwhelming! My purpose is now crystal clear. Please give me your orders. I’ll do anything!”
Unit 2 nodded vigorously at Jin-woo’s tremendous growth.
Then it bowed deeply right there.
Saying so, Unit 2 stamped the ground firmly.
At that, the surrounding grass began rising upward.
“……Ha.”
A power overflowing with life—this was Elvish power.
“An Undead wielding Elvish power feels strange.”
Watching Jin-woo’s reaction, Unit 2 was quite pleased.
The latest techniques learned from Mirae had left a strong impression on Jin-woo.
“Deliver this to Tehent and learn hunting techniques from him.”
-Familiar Unit 2’s Loyalty strengthens!
-The increased loyalty affects the familiar’s power.
‘Interesting.’
The loyalty was already at MAX.
Even at that state, accumulated loyalty flowed directly into strengthening, becoming the familiar’s power.
“I’ll depart immediately. Thank you, Master. I won’t let you down.”
Then it asked hesitantly.
“What about the Attendant…….”
“It hasn’t returned yet, but it’s probably mining materials higher-tier than UR. Still, don’t put too much pressure on yourself. It’s not easy work.”
“!”
At those words, Unit 2 suddenly clenched its fist, fired up by Jin-woo’s remark.
‘Good. The varied expressions are nice.’
An Undead with varied expressions turned out not to be bad at all.
“I’ll show you too.”
Then it immediately bent low and departed.
Shaaaaaah—.
The power of Soul Imprinting was considerable. Unit 2’s feet barely brushed the ground before it vanished from Jin-woo’s sight in an instant.
“Works well. Though I hope Tehent doesn’t teach it anything too strange.”
But why was it.
“I’m actually looking forward to it.”
The unexpected reaction when he’d imprinted the soul had left a deep impression on Jin-woo.
“Attendant, you’d better be careful. You.”
* * *
-Welcome to Avalon!
-Avalon’s blessing falls upon you!
-This is the capital of the Avalarc Kingdom. Capital rules apply.
-Combat is forbidden within the city.
Avalon, capital of the Avalarc Kingdom.
Having cleared the Tower of Trials, Jin-woo entered Avalon, his original destination.
“Impressive scale.”
The moment Jin-woo entered Avalon, he was awed by its size.
“Ah.”
Massive buildings everywhere.
The streets were well-maintained, and numerous guards patrolled the grounds.
“So this is what a capital feels like.”
As the capital of the Avalarc Kingdom, Avalon had a considerable population.
“Recruiting tower mercenaries!”
“Buying Rippling Waves urgently! Good prices offered!”
“Looking for small parties for group dungeon entry passes!”
“Recruiting miners for Arrogance Quarry! Seeking fast farming teams!”
Not just NPCs, but players were everywhere.
As Jin-woo moved through the streets exploring, he arrived at a plaza crowded with even more people.
‘I’ve never seen this many players gathered since New Gene started.’
After exploring various streets in Avalon, Jin-woo first checked his quest log.
“There’s one quest I’ve been pushing as my main priority.”
The quest Allmaster’s Disciples.
This quest now had only one person remaining. By finding that one person and discovering the Map Fragment, he could obtain the map to Unlimited Mountain, where Allmaster supposedly was.
“And.”
There was also the quest from the Guardian Deities of Fire and Craftsmanship, which he’d received early on.
“Plus the quest to save the Spirits that I received at the Mirage Fog Tower.”
Jin-woo checked his quests.
“Back then it was an unknown grade.”
Now that he checked again, the grade displayed clearly.
“Damn.”
-Quest [Savior of the Spirits] Grade: USSR
It was USSR grade.
“I got it back at the Mirage Fog Tower before level 300, when I was still making SSR-grade items.”
A quest he’d received back then was USSR grade.
“If I’d done it right then, I’d have been in serious trouble.”
Jin-woo smiled wryly.
“But now it seems just about right.”
The last quest he’d received was this New Continent quest.
The New Continent quest was linked to the main quest.
“There’s no need to go to the New Continent right now. I’m still not ready.”
Jin-woo hadn’t yet explored all of the Flam Continent. Going to the New Continent at this point would be a waste.
“The Flam Continent is like a prerequisite quest for the New Continent.”
It made sense to fully explore the Flam Continent before heading to the New Continent.
“And.”
Jin-woo had learned quite a lot while clearing the Underworld.
Boros, Yurold.
Fighting Tyrant-rank monsters and the boss monster who was a Successor of the Divine had been difficult.
“Fortunately, thanks to Boros, I understood things better, so I defeated Yurold relatively easily.”
But he still felt lacking.
‘I lack experience.’
More precisely, the problem was that he’d built everything alone.
“In that case.”
Jin-woo selected one quest from his list.
A quest given by the Guardian Deities of Fire and Craftsmanship.
“With this, I can progress while interacting in Avalon. It’s what will help me most right now.”
The Guardian Deities of Fire and Craftsmanship quest pointed to Avalon as the location.
“Is there a temple in Avalon?”
He’d expected the quest marker to be on Avalon’s outskirts. That’s how temple-finding quests had worked so far.
But the quest marker was pinned directly at the very heart of Avalon.
“Is it inside the palace? That can’t be right.”
Jin-woo frowned slightly.
“Somewhere in this Major City is either a temple of the Guardian Deities of Fire and Craftsmanship or something that lets me progress the quest. I’ll have to find out by exploring.”
Thus his next quest was determined.
“Then.”
Jin-woo headed first to the place he most wanted to visit.
He arrived at Chandran, the Craftsmen’s District—once the most prosperous street in Avalon.
“I’ll need to interact while progressing the quest. And if I’m going to interact, nowhere else comes close to this place.”
The Craftsmen’s District in Avalon was called Chandran.
“It’s a fitting name.”
Avalon was a Major City among Major Cities.
As the kingdom’s capital, it had both impressive scale and considerable quality.
“The Craftsmen’s District is the size of a small city?”
The stretching Craftsmen’s District was filled with countless workshops.
From small workshops to massive grand establishments.
‘There are players here too.’
Players with their own workshops were mixed among the NPCs.
“Yume Collection 37 just arrived!”
Equipment sold under players’ own names.
“The demand is considerable.”
Equipment from both NPCs and players sold briskly.
“But this is supposed to be the smallest of the Three Kingdoms?”
If this was the scale of the smallest kingdom, how vast must the other cities be?
“Why is this so expensive?”
“If it’s going to be like this, I’d rather go to the Grona Kingdom and buy there. They have more named crafters.”
“The NPCs there are also more skilled than here.”
“There are players influenced by Starlight, so it seems better over there.”
For players who’d visited multiple kingdoms, this Avalon Craftsmen’s District held little appeal.
“Malen has the Inclassic and the Pendant, doesn’t it?”
“This place used to be good when Craftsman Jin-woo was at the top.”
“But now it’s just been declining, so the Avalon Craftsmen’s District has been affected pretty badly too.”
Jin-woo listened carefully to what the players were saying.
‘That matches what I saw on the community boards.’
“I’ll just look around here for now.”
“I should buy equipment somewhere else.”
Though foot traffic was significant and vitality seemed abundant, in reality it was nothing but glittering emptiness.
“Perfect.”
And this was precisely the state Jin-woo wanted to see.
“No competitive edge.”
The named craftsman who once gave this place its luster had faded.
All it had was past glory.
“There’s satisfaction in lifting something up.”
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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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