The Return of the Legendary Golden-Handed Blacksmith - Chapter 219

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Chapter 219
Episode 219.
-Adding equipment!
-Adding a furnace.
-Adding a workbench.
-Adding an anvil.
…….
…….
Jin-woo added all the smithy equipment that the Realize Guild had been holding.
-Lava Giant’s Furnace
-Lava Giant’s Workbench
-Lava Giant’s Anvil
‘These pieces of equipment are actually pretty decent.’
The workbench and anvil in particular had considerable quality.
‘The furnace though…….’
Of course, the most crucial element—the furnace—left something to be desired in terms of quality.
‘For now, I’ll make do with this.’
After this commission, finding the Temple seemed to be the priority.
“Summon.”
Jin-woo first placed the flame from the Summoned Workshop into the Lava Giant’s Furnace.
Whoooosh—!
‘It holds up, at least.’
But the impact was definitely lacking.
‘This won’t do.’
He’d have to use the Summoned Workshop’s furnace as his main one and keep the Lava Giant’s as a secondary.
“I’ve brought it, Jin-woo.”
Casino showed Jin-woo some footage.
It was battle footage unfolding before the Tower of Seven Swords.
The footage contained a battle between Leap Guild members wearing Pendant’s equipment and five elite guild members for whom Jin-woo would now be crafting new gear.
“But ten hours? You really can make all five pieces in just ten hours?”
What Casino had requested was equipment capable of defeating Pendant’s gear.
He’d commissioned five such pieces in total.
And he could make them in ten hours?
Frankly, Jin-woo found it hard to believe.
If anyone but Jin-woo had claimed this, he would’ve dismissed it as bluster and cursed under his breath.
It made that little sense.
Yet Jin-woo simply nodded in acknowledgment.
Crash! Bang!
The battle in the footage was quite fierce.
After reviewing roughly ten minutes of combat footage, Jin-woo stroked his chin.
“Mm.”
Then he frowned slightly.
“This equipment doesn’t look like something Pendant made recently.”
“That’s correct. They’re quite old pieces. According to what we’ve learned, they’re scattered across the USSR+ grade and beyond.”
‘Interesting.’
If that were the case, this could be more engaging than he’d thought.
Jin-woo set the materials on the workbench.
“Is Crystal Platinum sufficient? We’ve procured the finest grade Crystal Platinum available through consultation with Oson’s Workshop.”
“Yes. And the gems you mentioned will do.”
Thirty pieces of Crystal Platinum lay before Jin-woo.
Beside them sat an array of gemstones. Casino had thought Jin-woo might want something more impressive.
Crystal Platinum was, in truth, material any guild of Realize’s caliber could easily obtain, and the gems were no different.
Which meant these materials were, essentially, ordinary.
Casino genuinely worried.
Could he really make equipment to counter Pendant with such mundane materials?
The guild’s in-house blacksmiths had used far superior materials and still failed to match Pendant’s gear.
“The thing is, Pendant’s equipment can’t be faced with same-grade equipment under any circumstances.”
Casino explained.
The gear of top-tier Rankers like Pendant wasn’t just about grade.
Even identical USSR+ grade equipment would often shatter and crumble when actually pitted against his.
Just in this very Tower of Seven Swords battle, hadn’t Realize Guild members’ equipment been torn to shreds against Pendant’s gear?
And theirs had been higher grade than USSR+. Yet they’d broken anyway.
That’s why Casino wanted to provide better materials if Jin-woo requested them.
“If there’s anything more you need, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
“This is sufficient.”
Jin-woo laid out the materials on the workbench.
He needed to make five pieces of equipment in total.
Three weapons.
Two sets of armor.
‘I can see their tendencies well enough.’
Casino had provided Jin-woo with information on the five elite guild members.
The three Dealers weren’t particular about weapons, while the two Tankers preferred relatively heavy armor, he’d said.
‘That checks out.’
Jin-woo watched the Dealers in the footage. They moved freely and nimbly. The Tankers, by contrast, had a style of receiving all the enemy’s attacks head-on, solidly anchoring themselves.
‘It’s been a while since a commission like this.’
Back at Eternal Sunshine, he’d watched footage every day and crafted equipment for them.
‘With NewGen, there’s no need to make equipment for others.’
He’d only crafted gear for his own familiars.
‘But there’s no reason to exclude it entirely.’
Equipment for his own subordinates.
And equipment for other Rankers as well.
It all becomes experience.
Whatever stands before me, I’ll devour it and make it mine.
‘It has to be a bit different from equipment I make for NPCs.’
The movements of users were distinctly different from those of NPCs.
‘I need to match the dynamic motion.’
As Jin-woo raised the flame higher, Casino, the requesting guild leader, moved to leave. Crafters, by and large, were quite sensitive about their work.
Some would cancel the entire commission if anyone so much as tried to watch.
But Jin-woo stopped him.
“The one who commissioned the work should observe the crafting.”
“I may watch?”
“How else would you know whether it’s been made well or not?”
A commission client could watch the crafting process as much as they wished.
Whoooosh—!
The roaring flames of the furnace.
Huuuummmmm—.
Fire ignited in the forge of the soul.
The core of earth stirred, and Jin-woo slowly gripped his hammer.
Whoosh—!
He first fed the Crystal Platinum into the furnace.
‘Now.’
At the precise moment, Jin-woo retrieved the Crystal Platinum and gripped his hammer.
Gulp—.
Casino, watching intently, tensed. He’d seen footage before and roughly understood Jin-woo’s crafting process.
He never thought he’d actually witness Jin-woo’s crafting in person.
Of course, he’d seen Jin-woo’s work through JinTube, but that was edited video.
Casino was realizing anew as he watched Jin-woo.
The difference between the Jin-woo in the footage and this one before him was immense.
That overwhelming presence he hadn’t felt through the screen was right in front of him.
Clang—!
Jin-woo struck with his hammer.
Casino didn’t know much about crafting.
He’d seen the guild blacksmiths work a few times, but he hadn’t understood what made it so impressive. He was, after all, thoroughly a Dealer user.
But Jin-woo’s hammering was different.
Even to a layman like himself, there was intense resonance to it.
“If you think of it as a monster……”
Casino viewed Jin-woo’s hammering by his own standards.
If that had been a monster, it would’ve died with that single blow.
Not from sheer power.
But from the precision of the strike.
Monsters have weak points, and hitting those spots—even lightly—deals massive damage.
That’s what Jin-woo’s hammering felt like now.
Clang—! Clang—! Clang—!
In just a few hammer strikes, the shape took form.
“Is Crystal Platinum normally that soft……?”
Clang—!
Jin-woo began by crafting the weapons first.
‘One who deals heavy damage with each blow.’
One who strikes fast and retreats.
And one with balanced capability.
‘So then.’
Clang—! Clang—.
The finest grade Crystal Platinum had a different feel from the start.
Clang—!
Since arriving at NewGen, Jin-woo had crafted countless items.
Yet there were still things he hadn’t made.
‘If aiming for a heavy, singular strike……’
An axe or a hammer.
‘But it needs reach too.’
Then it would need to be long like a spear.
‘Something like a halberd, but……’
Slightly different.
Clang—! Clang—! Clang—!
An axe head settled atop the spear point.
‘An Axe-Spear.’
Jin-woo refined the details.
“Soul Forging.”
Shaaahhh—.
Spirit rose forth.
“Maximized Refinement.”
Crystal Platinum’s advantage lay in its attack power.
Jin-woo pushed that offensive capability to its absolute limit.
Crack—. Crack-crack—!
“Hand Tempering.”
And then he fused the Crystal Platinum atop it using Hand Tempering.
‘Refined Crystal Platinum can even bond with itself.’
Whoooosh—!
“Flame Crafting.”
Then he began Flame Crafting the gemstones. From Jin-woo’s hands, compressed gems became intense force, inscribed into the Crystal Platinum.
Crack—.
Jin-woo wove Spell Enchantment over it.
Spell Inscription – Extreme.
He inscribed an enchantment that maximized critical strikes.
‘And layered atop that——’
He also inscribed an enchantment that maximized attack power.
Clang—!
-Equipment created!
-USSR+ Grade equipment created!
[Crystal Platinum Axe-Spear]
-Attack Power: 35,555
-Grade: USSR+
-Durability: 120,000 / 120,000
<>
* Special Skill [Crystal Strike: Delivers a powerful blow that ignores defense.]
* Special Option [Maximized Refinement: Attack power maximized. Attack power increased by 13,000,000.]
* Special Option [Crystal Platinum: Material sharpness maximized. Attack power increased by 500,000.]
* Special Option [Ultimate Attack Power: Attack power increased by 10,500,000.]
* Special Option [Spell Inscription – Extreme – Arcshaq LV3: Attack power increased by 7,500,000.]
* Special Option [Spell Inscription – Extreme – Elewmth LV1: Critical strike power increased by 200%.]
* Special Option [Life Drain: Absorb 15% of damage dealt as your own life force!]
* Special Option [Ambush: Infused with the power of Necro Majester. Your first attack is guaranteed to be a Fatal Blow.]
* Special Option [Soul Forging: Draws out the power of spirit. Attack speed increased by 25%.]
* Special Option [Spirit Piercing: Deal damage that ignores defense!]
* Special Option [Gaze of the Deceased: Perceive enemy weak points. Gain an additional 3% attack power.]
* Special Option [Hand Tempering: Can utilize Fire attribute.]
* Special Option [Essence Inscription: Essence power dwells within. The power of roaring flames has been inscribed.]
The Crystal Platinum Axe-Spear Jin-woo had crafted was a weapon that embodied not only his existing power but everything he’d learned from Chanran.
Though its grade was USSR+, grade had already ceased to be the measure that mattered.
‘Hand Tempering and Essence Inscription turned out really well.’
Jin-woo gripped the completed Crystal Platinum Axe-Spear.
Shaaahhh—.
The innate sharpness of the Crystal Platinum emanated an ominous aura.
‘The options are solid.’
Jin-woo swung it hard once where he stood.
Screeeech—.
That weight. Just as planned—each strike was heavy yet keened with sharpness.
‘I applied every attack power enhancement I could.’
Moreover, Crystal Platinum itself was a mineral specialized in attack power—in other words, equipment biased entirely and utterly toward attack.
‘Durability is low.’
That’s why its durability was low, and its hardness wasn’t particularly high either.
‘But one thing.’
Its attack power was overwhelming.
The Pendant gear he’d seen in the footage maintained perfect balance.
‘To break that balance, you need equipment skewed this extremely.’
Jin-woo handed the Axe-Spear to Casino.
Now that he’d made one, he had the feel for it.
How to direct the orientation of this finest-grade Crystal Platinum material.
“Equipment of the same grade can’t defeat him, you said?”
Casino took the Axe-Spear Jin-woo offered and examined it.
“Even with this?”
Casino’s expression grew visibly rigid.