The Return of the Legendary Golden-Handed Blacksmith - Chapter 214

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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 214
214.
The completed Peran’s Sword was a masterwork imbued with Peran’s very essence.
Even Eritun was astonished by how finely crafted Peran’s Sword had turned out.
“Hmm.”
Yet Jin-woo’s sword far surpassed Peran’s—most strikingly in the sheer number of options it bore.
“How many options are there, exactly?”
Eritun began counting the options.
“One, two, three, four, five, six….”
Twelve. An overwhelming number of options.
Precisely double what Peran’s sword possessed.
And they were far from ordinary options.
Options were stratified by tier.
“High-Tier Options, it seems….”
Option: Life Drain.
Option: Ambush.
Option: Soul Piercing.
….
Every one of them was a specialized option.
These were High-Tier Options among High-Tier Options—a single one of them could transform an item’s value entirely.
Yet naturally, embedding such potent options into equipment was extraordinarily difficult.
“How on earth….”
More than four options that would be a windfall with just one attached.
Eritun was deeply startled.
These were options that could never be drawn from Flower Steel.
“They’re embedded through those hands right there.”
Which meant Jin-woo’s own power had been poured directly into the blade, and such High-Tier Options could theoretically be attached to any equipment.
Eritun read through the options one by one.
In the process, he found something familiar.
“…Power of an Essence Potion?”
Option: Power of an Essence Potion.
Eritun was familiar with this Essence Potion as well.
“Was this created using Trent’s Essence Potion…?”
Suddenly, a piece of information surfaced in Eritun’s mind.
Jin-woo had visited the workshops in Chanran and engaged in exchange.
“Surely not….”
Had Trent revealed the method of making Essence Potions through a simple exchange?
That wasn’t all.
He’d embedded the Essence Potion into the material itself, transforming it into an option for the equipment.
“…Even Trent couldn’t do that.”
Eritun was momentarily taken aback.
Trent had long wanted to bond Essence Potions with materials, making them viable as equipment options.
But the process was so difficult that he continued to fail.
Yet here it clearly was, embedded solid.
How had Jin-woo accomplished what even Trent could not?
Eritun looked at Jin-woo.
Then everything came into focus.
Oson hadn’t been concerned about Jin-woo at all.
What he’d truly been worried about was—
“Was he my disciple…?”
Eritun’s mind reeled.
Then Oson stepped forward.
“Let me see too.”
Having witnessed Eritun’s reaction, Oson was eager to examine the blade himself.
He was curious what kind of sword could produce such astonishment from Eritun.
Oson took the sword from Eritun.
“Hm-hmmm!”
Then he smiled, as if he’d known this would be the case all along.
Once he reviewed the options, his suspicion was confirmed beyond doubt.
“So you deliberately made it this way.”
What lay embedded in this blade was the very exchange itself—gathered from visiting each workshop.
“You incorporated it in your own way.”
Oson looked at Jin-woo.
“You see through me, sir.”
Having toured the workshops alongside Jin-woo, Oson could fully grasp the meaning woven into this blade.
“I intend to name the blade Chanran.”
Jin-woo had deliberately crafted this sword using only what he’d learned during this exchange.
‘I only used Soul Forging.’
He had not employed Harmonia Smelting Technique or Maximization Smelting Technique.
“Embedding the Essence Potion proved quite effective.”
All the techniques he’d gained through exchange at the workshop district were worthwhile, but the Essence Potion stood out as particularly useful.
‘This isn’t going to stop at mere attribute assignment.’
If he synthesized several potions through Dust, he could potentially attach not only attribute-related options but other options as well to his materials.
Tch-!
As Eritun and Oson gasped in shock, Peran ground his teeth.
What kind of equipment could Jin-woo’s be to provoke such reactions?
He’d believed he would naturally win.
Jin-woo’s Hammering had scattered his focus and stolen his gaze, yet despite that, Peran had believed victory would be his.
But seeing these reactions, he could no longer be confident in that triumph.
“May I take a look as well?”
The sword he’d made was a masterpiece.
By his own reckoning, it was an exceptionally well-crafted blade—he’d rarely managed to reach USSR+ Grade from UR-Grade materials.
He had to verify.
What had Eritun and Oson seen that shocked them so?
“The result hasn’t been determined yet.”
“Is that alright?”
Oson asked Jin-woo. Jin-woo nodded and made a gesture—one indicating he had no objection whatsoever.
Taking the sword from Oson, Peran examined Jin-woo’s blade closely.
“….”
Peran’s pupils dilated.
Jin-woo’s sword had an impeccable grip, yes—but the options were remarkable.
Twelve options.
Six hundred points higher in Attack Power than the sword he’d crafted.
Durability was superior as well, and it even came with a Special Skill attached.
And the Grade.
USSR+ Grade, identical to his own.
Jin-woo hadn’t yet reached a Grade higher than USSR+ at all.
Yet the fact that he’d achieved USSR+ Grade using UR materials was profoundly significant.
“Ah….”
Now Peran understood Eritun and Oson’s reactions.
This defied comparison.
He himself had used Option Transfer.
The advanced options adorning his blade had all been created through this skill.
“There’s no Option Transfer on this blade….”
Even if there were, he saw no traces of skill activation.
Which meant—
“All these densely packed options….”
They had come entirely from craftsmanship.
Peran felt a wave of profound despair wash over him.
But only for a moment.
“We should proceed now. We weren’t here just for an options comparison, were we?”
This contest wasn’t decided by options alone.
One had to actually clash the blades to see how strong they truly were.
You cannot know a sword’s strength without using it.
At Jin-woo’s words, light rekindled in Peran’s eyes.
It isn’t over until it’s over.
“Let’s go.”
“Simply—the maker holds the blade and verifies it directly.”
“…?”
Then Peran would naturally have the advantage.
Peran’s Level had long exceeded 500 and reached 600, with just a bit more leveling needed to breach 700.
Jin-woo’s Level, by contrast, was far lower.
“I understand you haven’t even entered the Ranker ranks yet.”
Of course the advantage lay with Peran.
“Ah, that’s fine.”
Jin-woo spoke with complete certainty.
“I don’t think it’ll break.”
“….”
Tch-!
Peran ground his teeth.
That remark struck at Peran’s pride.
Normally he would have refused. The situation was decisively in his favor.
Even a victory would invite whispers.
But his loss in the equipment options sparked a shift in his heart.
He needed to reclaim his pride.
For that, he had to win in this blade-against-blade duel.
Since Jin-woo said it mattered not, they could proceed.
Peran’s mind contained only one thought: victory.
“Then.”
Before Oson and Eritun could stop him, Peran gripped his sword.
Jin-woo gripped his as well.
“Whichever blade breaks—”
Shrieeeeek-!
“Loses.”
Blade met blade.
Peran was confident.
Then Jin-woo smiled slightly.
‘Actually.’
Peran didn’t know.
How many times Jin-woo had conducted this exact blade-versus-blade test at Eternal Sunshine.
And—
How many people he’d driven to despair through it.
Crack-crack-crack-crack-!
Peran’s blade shattered precisely in half.
“I….”
Peran stared helplessly at the broken blade fragment falling.
He’d lost.
Complete and utter defeat.
“How.”
They’d used the same materials.
They’d invested the same time; the design had been nearly identical.
Peran looked at Jin-woo’s sword.
Deep down, he’d known since examining the options.
How much distilled essence lay compressed within that crafting.
But to experience it directly—the despair was immeasurable.
“I….”
He’d worked hard every single day.
Granted, there were days he’d stopped.
Today is fine.
I have talent; I can afford to rest a day or two.
He’d believed his overwhelming talent could compensate for a day’s slacking.
But that gap today had produced this outcome.
“He never compromised.”
Peran looked at Jin-woo.
Even on those days, Jin-woo must have continued Hammering—that Hammering being the fruit of unceasing effort.
While Peran rested, Jin-woo had continued crafting.
Never compromising.
Never seduced by laziness.
This was the first such person Peran had ever encountered.
Before New Gene.
From the very beginning of the semi-virtual reality game, Peran had always been exceptional.
Overwhelming craftsmanship.
Exceptional skill.
Daring crafting methods.
Because of this, everyone who stood before him became ordinary.
Even those who’d earned renown as great craftsmen revealed their limits before Peran.
Peran had thought such craftspeople were worthless.
He’d believed he could never lose to any of them.
He’d thought that only abnormal beings like Inclassic or Starlight could be his equals.
But now, in this moment—
Peran had become ordinary.
“This is….”
Before true talent, everyone became ordinary inevitably.
“This is real. True natural talent.”
Peran despaired.
The castle he’d thought unshakeable had crumbled.
With that fortress gone, only a wretched self remained.
He’d been wearing armor.
He’d struggled because he feared failure.
“I failed. I….”
Just as Peran’s knees began to buckle without him realizing—
Jin-woo caught his shoulder.
“That was quite enjoyable.”
He was smiling.
“We can’t end it with just once, can we?”
Surely you’re not thinking of stopping here?
That expression made Peran’s lips fall silent.
“Let’s do more.”
The exchange had only just begun.
Jin-woo was far from satisfied.

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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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