The Return of the Legendary Golden-Handed Blacksmith - Chapter 229

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 229
Episode 229.
-The power of Wave Resonance grows stronger!
Jin-woo’s Wave Resonance was charting its own path, different from Rupema’s.
But until now, he’d had no choice but to follow in Rupema’s footsteps.
Whoosh—
-Wave Resonance proficiency increases!
But in this moment.
The path of Wave Resonance changed completely.
Rupema’s Wave Resonance.
It was the instant it transformed into Jin-woo’s own.
“Phew…”
Jin-woo exhaled deeply.
“I thought I was dead.”
The moment the wave’s power, which had swelled after completing the equipment, consumed him entirely.
He was certain he’d perished.
“I didn’t make a mistake. It’s just that the wave’s power itself is so temperamental.”
But it was the opposite.
The wave had seeped into Jin-woo instead.
“Hmm!”
Jin-woo unleashed the wave’s power.
“It’s more than strong enough to make my main weapon.”
But Jin-woo deliberately brought the wave under control.
It was power hard-won, but Jin-woo had no intention of relying on it.
“But that’s not the way.”
A technique is something you use.
If you become dependent on a technique, it loses all meaning.
Jin-woo slowly committed the Wave Resonance to memory, hand by hand.
One power among many.
All those powers combined would become Jin-woo’s Refining Art—that was enough.
“Good.”
Making the Wave Resonance his own, it was time to examine the equipment he’d crafted.
“Titanium really is a joy to work with as a material.”
[Titanium Wild Claw]
-Attack Power: 36,555
-Grade: SSR+
-Durability: 450,000 / 450,000
<>
* Special Skill [Titanium Enhancement: Sharpness amplified to release a triple-wave shockburst.]
* Special Option [Titanium’s Might: The inherently keen material brought to maximum edge. Attack Power increased by 550.]
* Special Option [Ultimate Attack Power: Attack Power increased by 1,050.]
* Special Option [Spell Enchantment Extreme – Arcshar LV3: Attack Power increased by 750.]
* Special Option [Spell Enchantment Extreme – Iremt LV1: Critical Damage increased by 200%.]
* Special Option [Life Drain: Absorbs 15% of damage dealt as your own life force!]
* Special Option [Ambush: Infused with Necromaster strength—the first strike becomes inevitably Fatal Blow.]
* Special Option [Soul Forging: Draws forth the power of spirit. Attack Speed increased by 25%.]
* Special Option [Soul Piercing: Ignores enemy defense and inflicts damage!]
* Special Option [Gaze of the Dead: Reveals enemy weaknesses. Additional Attack Power gained: 3%.]
* Special Option [Essence Bestowal: Imbued with essence’s power. Infused with the blazing force of flame.]
* Wave Resonance [Wave Force: Grants additional stats through wave power. Attack Power increases. Critical Chance increases. Attack Speed increases.]
* Wave Resonance [Hand Tempering: Fire attribute infused!]
High durability.
And far greater attack power than the Crystal Platinum Axe-Spear he’d made before.
The options from Wave Resonance had risen, and since Jin-woo had learned Hand Tempering from Oson, that option was included as well.
“Phew.”
Jin-woo took a deep breath.
“It’s going according to plan.”
The grade remained the same, but the detailed options on the equipment he crafted continued to grow.
Tremor—
Jin-woo saw his trembling hands.
He’d drawn out Wave Resonance exactly as he desired. Having understood its potential, he’d extracted every ounce of it.
“And I haven’t even used Maximization Refining Art yet.”
The state was already like this without using Maximization Refining Art, which amplified Wave Resonance.
Maximization Refining Art was a technique that raised the effectiveness of overall options.
That such an option remained unused meant that if he could properly employ Maximization Refining Art, he could produce even better equipment than this.
“I can push further.”
This Wave Resonance still held untapped potential.
If so, it was right to draw it all out and use it.
Jin-woo smiled grimly.
“Standing right at the edge of death really does sharpen focus more than usual.”
The work felt more thrilling than ever.
“Beom!”
Jin-woo called out to Beom.
Beom’s eyes gleamed as he padded forward to Jin-woo, then slowly lowered his hindquarters to the ground.
It was a posture as if waiting for a command from his master.
“Beom. This is your new weapon.”
Beom currently wore the White Leather Armor Jin-woo had crafted for him.
Thanks to that, Beom presented quite an impressive sight—undead and white tiger both.
Now he was equipped with the Titanium Wild Claw as well.
Whoosh—
-You have given the Titanium Wild Claw to your familiar, Beom.
Gleam—
Brilliant light settled around the white tiger’s two front claws.
A cold light. If an enemy saw that glow, they’d probably already be sliced through.
“Rrrrrroooowwwr—!”
Beom roared mightily.
First and Pur watched with evident satisfaction.
“The new recruit’s reaction is favorable, First.”
“A. PROPER. SUBORDINATE.”
First also seemed quite pleased with Beom.
“I’ve crafted one more familiar after Beom. Not a combat unit, but one to support me from the rear.”
“A new familiar is always welcome, Master! Shall I tighten discipline once?”
“You’ll break them doing that.”
“Oh. Then I’ll refrain!”
“BE. CARE. CAREFUL.”
First slowly shook his head.
Having finished crafting equipment for Beom, Jin-woo closed his eyes.
‘A Fire Temple, so it must have intense flame aura.’
But why was this Fire Temple in an Underground Waterway?
‘I can’t be certain there is one.’
Jin-woo rapped the Hammer against the ground.
Clang—!
-Casting Wave Resonance!
Wave Resonance was, quite literally, a skill that generated waves and produced resonance.
So if he sent the wave forth, a particular object could resonate in response.
‘What works especially well.’
Flame.
‘If it’s a Fire Temple, I might be able to find it with this Wave Resonance.’
If one existed, it would react.
Even if only faintly.
Clang—. Clang—. Clannnng—.
The wave extended far into the distance.
And then.
Thump—
It resonated back to Jin-woo.
“Found it.”
Jin-woo ran unhesitatingly through the Underground Waterway.
His familiars followed in his wake.
* * *
Boom—! Boom—!
The plague rat swarm was merely the beginning.
“Glurk. Glurk.”
A grotesque colossal slime bore down on Jin-woo.
“Beom!”
Jin-woo called Beom forward.
“Give it a try.”
Beom dashed forward and cleanly cleaved straight through the colossal slime.
Shrieeeek—!
The slime didn’t dodge. Or couldn’t.
It was Beom’s blazing speed that prevented it.
Rip—shhhhk!
“Glurk—. Glurk—.”
The severed colossal slime thrashed. Confident. Utterly certain that its soft, gelatinous skin could not be pierced by any blade.
But.
Ssssshhhhk—
The Titanium Wild Claw was currently Jin-woo’s most cutting-edge equipment.
The colossal slime split cleanly in two and did not rejoin.
“Pity.”
Jin-woo sounded disappointed.
“I’d have crafted another right here.”
That had been his thought if it hadn’t been sliced through.
“Rrrrrroooowwwr—!”
Having tested the Titanium Wild Claw, Beom seemed quite pleased, swinging his front paws through the air a few times.
He looked almost like a house cat.
“Quite the fearsome kitty punch.”
Anyone hit by that kitty punch bearing the Titanium Wild Claw would shatter to pieces.
Having confirmed the weapon’s power, Beom took the lead and tore through the monsters with frenzied abandon.
Shrieeeek—!
From plague goblins with wild eyes to plague beasts armored in chitinous carapace.
-You have obtained the soul of a plague goblin!
-You have obtained bone from a plague goblin!
-You have obtained the soul of a plague beast!
-You have obtained bone from a plague beast!
While Beom rampaged, First and Pur collected the byproducts of the monsters.
Ordinarily, First and Pur should have taken the lead themselves by now, but Beom was enjoying this so much they couldn’t help it.
“Growwwl.”
Pleased with his own efforts, Beom was rolling on the ground.
“How adorable.”
Pur wore an expression of genuine delight. First had already moved to Beom’s side and was stroking his belly—which clicked and clacked, of course, being bone.
‘A perfect fit of equipment for Beom.’
Jin-woo was focusing on the weapon’s sharpness.
‘Carving it with Wave Resonance definitely lets me bring out keenness better.’
But his hand strength was wanting.
‘I need higher Strength stat.’
There was a simple method for raising stats.
“Craft something.”
Jin-woo placed the materials he’d just obtained on the work table.
“These materials saturated with plague.”
Now Jin-woo had a new sales route besides the Auction House.
Mansan Workshop.
“The first inventory for Mansan Workshop goes to these plague materials.”
Jin-woo enveloped Wave Resonance in his hands.
Whirrrr—. Whirrrr—. Whirrrrrring—!
“Into these dreadful plague materials.”
He’d weave exquisite craftsmanship.
-Soul Furnace activates!
He fed the souls of the plague goblin and plague beast into it, crystallizing them.
-You have obtained a Soul Crystal.
And this Soul Crystal.
“Flame Crafting.”
Whooooosh—!
He consumed it with Flame Crafting.
And the consumed crystal seeped into the bone.
“Phew.”
Jin-woo grasped the Ultra-Vibration Carving Knife.
Bone Craft.
“The first creation from the Necromancer’s Workshop.”
Naturally, bone equipment had to take center stage.
But Jin-woo couldn’t be satisfied with mere bone gear.
Bone and plague could both be rendered stunning.
“Green.”
Plague is green.
And over that bone, he’d cloak it in black aura.
“The green aura and black aura mixing together—it should look like I’m wielding the very power of plague itself.”
Equipment is made of options and design.
Even back with Eternal Sunshine, if the design was poor, people wouldn’t use it no matter how good the options were.
“They’d use it in secret.”
Meaning they’d never post it to MiTube or SNS.
But if the design turned out well?
“They’d want to show it off every single day.”
Of course, if someone commented asking about options, they’d claim they didn’t want to share that—but fundamentally, good design held the power to make anyone want to carry it.
Jin-woo wanted to craft equipment like that.
“Everyone does. Wanting their own equipment carried every day.”
Tap—.
Thunk—. Thunk—. Thunk—.
Bone Craft and Wave Resonance were used simultaneously.
Crunch—. Crunch—. As bone carved deep and detail came alive, venom continuously flowed from the plague goblin bone, but Jin-woo paid it no mind.
Instead, he wrapped the venom around his hands.
The venom was potent enough to numb his hand instantly, but Jin-woo even exploited that numbness.
-Necromaster – Lord Job Effect activates!
But only briefly. The Necromaster – Lord Job Effect triggered.
If the original Necromaster job effect merely stripped debuffs, the First Awakening’s effect was considerable.
-Random stat increases!
-Debuff raised your Strength stat!
“Oho.”
Taking a debuff now randomly raised stats.
“Strength is what I need right now.”
To properly handle Wave Resonance, something primal was required.
Strength.
The raw power to subdue the wave.
‘Finesse alone won’t do.’
Finesse can only provide support. This wave was difficult to parry with technique alone.
‘I can parry it.’
But that was all. If he couldn’t raise quality beyond that point, parrying it would be meaningless.
“Earth Core.”
Jin-woo activated the Earth Core from the Summon Workshop.
Whoooosh—!
Power surged through Jin-woo’s entire body.
“I’ll make up the strength deficit with this as much as I can.”
And one thing more.
“Familiar Unity.”
Jin-woo cast Familiar Unity on First.
-First’s power settles into your body!
Whoooosh—!
“!”
First’s power settled into Jin-woo’s form.
Hero-rank Undead LV 2.
First’s power was far more formidable than expected.
“This should be enough?”
Jin-woo gripped the Hammer Agnes firmly.
The power that flowed was utterly different from before, and Hammer Agnes’s strength began to blaze.
“If it’s difficult to handle.”
Then I’d just repeat until it became easy.
Whoooosh—!
As Jin-woo unleashed the wave again, it moved in strange patterns.
“Tired?”
The wave’s power writhed.
But Jin-woo smiled at the response.
“I’m not.”