The Return of the Legendary Golden-Handed Blacksmith - Chapter 233

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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 233
233.
Splash.
Jin-woo moved with rhythmic precision, as though walking across solid ground.
He approached the broken end of the raft’s floor with practiced speed.
Crack!
Jin-woo quickly shaved away a piece of bone and repaired the floor.
First watched his master and nodded.
It was certain.
His master had found a way.
Despite standing on an unstable raft, he remained perfectly balanced. Balance meant he could execute any movement he desired.
‘If it sways, I sway with it.’
Jin-woo was now making minute adjustments, matching every shift.
‘As long as my legs can support me.’
Then anything was possible.
‘I can make it.’
Above all, Jin-woo now had proper materials.
‘No special materials exist.’
To move freely underwater and breathe, special materials were needed.
But Jin-woo had none of those.
‘Then.’
Wasn’t it the blacksmith’s very art to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary?
Jin-woo pulled something out.
He had hunted many plague monsters in this Underground Waterway, and from the plague beasts he’d found materials.
-Plague Beast Scale [UR+]
-Plague Beast Hide [UR+]
The scales and hide of a plague beast.
With these two materials, he intended to forge equipment to overcome this predicament.
“Flawless Seamstress Art.”
Thread and needle appeared in Jin-woo’s hands.
Stitch.
Stitch.
He stitched the plague beast scales onto the hide.
If First and Pur couldn’t move properly because of this water, then he would craft equipment to conquer it.
Light.
And shaped to ride the currents.
As Jin-woo moved his hands, Mirus spread his arms wide.
“Sea God Dragon!”
Boom!
A water dragon far larger than before materialized with tremendous force.
The dragon lunged toward Jin-woo with jaws gaping wide.
“It’s over, Flame.”
It was over.
In this state, he couldn’t break through the ceiling or walls with that pickaxe, and the raft would shatter in moments.
Yet Jin-woo paid the approaching Sea God Dragon no mind.
His focus remained solely on his stitching.
“I will hold the line.”
Moltus unleashed his full power, pouring Dark Aura toward the Sea God Dragon.
“Wave of Death.”
Simultaneously, Pur and First took positions on either side, swinging their weapons with all their strength.
Clash!
Yet it was not easy. Unlike the earlier water dragon, this Sea God Dragon boasted tremendous size.
“Hold. The. Line.”
In water they might falter, but here on the raft, they could endure.
First held back the Sea God Dragon with all his might.
Thud.
Thud-thud-thud.
Of course, completely blocking it was impossible.
“Master. Shall. Not. Be. Hindered.”
That was enough.
One of First’s arms was knocked backward despite his resistance.
Pur too was driven back by the Sea God Dragon’s devastating blow.
“I will cover you.”
But the bodies of both familiars suddenly surged forward again.
Moltus.
Moltus, now completely accustomed to the Great Bone Staff that Jin-woo had recently crafted, shielded First and Pur while withstanding the Sea God Dragon’s assault.
Boom!
Even so, the Sea God Dragon—Mirus’s ultimate technique in demonic form—could not be easily stopped.
“I will coat it with my power. My defense will protect a wider area.”
But here there were four.
“Grrrrrr!”
As Moltus held back the Sea God Dragon, all three familiars attacked simultaneously.
The water-formed Sea God Dragon seemed to swallow every strike, but Moltus gave it substance just as it began to scatter.
Bang!
“Roar!”
The tiger landed a direct hit and cleaved the Sea God Dragon in two, then drove forward and raked its claws across the core.
The massive Sea God Dragon instantly became water and exploded with a splash.
Splash-splash-splash!
It was like a giant balloon bursting.
Watching the burst Sea God Dragon, Mirus’s eyes widened.
“Tch.”
Screech.
Even through all this chaos, Jin-woo had not lost his concentration.
“This is madness.”
All this commotion.
All this shaking.
What could he possibly craft in such conditions?
“Do you truly think you can finish it!”
As Mirus created another Sea God Dragon, he simultaneously generated multiple whirlpools in the water.
Whoooosh.
The surroundings shook violently, as though a storm had descended upon the sea. This was an enormous strain even on Mirus.
But he had to hold.
He had to stop Jin-woo’s crafting. To Mirus’s eyes, it was crystal clear.
Burning flame.
A flame that would devour everything.
“Ughhhh.”
Mirus spat black blood from his mouth.
The Sea God Dragon was a technique that strained his entire body just to use. Normally, a single Sea God Dragon could swallow an island whole.
These familiars were monsters.
How had they suppressed the Sea God Dragon?
Especially that slender familiar with the staff—far too dangerous.
Waver. Waver.
Mirus unleashed all his power.
The horns that sprouted from his head turned blood-red.
And at that same moment.
-Equipment has been created!
Jin-woo had used the Flawless Seamstress Art to craft equipment.
“First, Pur!”
-Giving equipment to familiar, First……
-Giving equipment to familiar, Pur……
Jin-woo simultaneously equipped both familiars.
-Equipment has been given!
‘Creating two at once took quite a while.’
The equipment he’d given was plague beast hide scale armor crafted with the Flawless Seamstress Art.
“Dive in!”
First and Pur leaped into the water fully armored.
Watching this, Mirus laughed.
“I thought you’d crafted something remarkable. Just armor, then?”
And diving into the water, no less!
This water was no ordinary water.
A fragment of Mirus’s own power.
Entering this water naturally meant entering Mirus’s domain.
“Heavenly Proclamation.”
But Jin-woo already knew this.
Whoooosh!
First and Pur flailed as they entered the water, disoriented.
It was their first time in water. They didn’t yet know how to move.
But only for a moment.
Smooth.
The Plague Scale Armor that Jin-woo had created allowed First and Pur to swim naturally.
Moreover, it enabled them to move swiftly even in the raging current.
“Glub-glub-glubbb.”
“Glubbbbbbb!”
First and Pur sang Jin-woo’s praises underwater.
To craft such magnificent equipment in such a dire situation!
First and Pur exchanged a glance,
then rushed toward Mirus. This would work. Water was no longer a constraint.
“You think so?”
Mirus flicked his hand, and the current accelerated.
“Just because you’re wearing armor, you think you can move freely? Go on, try…….”
The current flowed in the opposite direction. They should never reach Mirus.
Clash!
Yet the two familiars shot forward like torpedoes.
“!”
They closed on Mirus rapidly and swung their weapons.
Mirus recoiled sharply in shock.
But his condition was not his own.
To prevent Jin-woo’s crafting, he’d forced the Sea God Dragon, draining his mana reserves completely.
Slash!
First and Pur cut Mirus down.
“Ngh!”
This was a deep wound.
Mirus gritted his fists in agony.
Whoooosh!
The waters surged, shoving First and Pur back violently.
“What…… what did you craft!”
-Phase 2 begins!
-Master of the Water Tower, Mirus, enters Rampage!
Inside Mirus’s body, the demon who was originally the tower’s master began to writhe.
Whoooosh!
The color of the water changed.
The original blue faded, replaced by black.
Even as Mirus shoved them back, First and Pur, thanks to Jin-woo’s scale armor, moved freely underwater.
If pushed back, they simply advanced again.
“Moltus!”
Jin-woo called to Moltus from the raft.
Now Moltus could act without interference.
“Yes, Master!”
“Throw the tiger!”
Whoooosh!
Moltus hurled the tiger like a cannon blast.
“Roar!”
Mirus, distracted by fighting First and Pur underwater, saw the tiger approaching in shock.
Slash!
It flew in a straight line, claws extended. Mirus knew.
Those claws.
No—how devastatingly powerful those claws were.
“O spirits!”
-The Water God says he cannot help in this situation!
Even the Water God could not aid him now.
Crack!
The tiger’s blow struck true, cleaving Mirus into three pieces.
“Gagh…….”
Whoooosh.
As Mirus fell, the water began draining.
Gentle sway.
Jin-woo, on the raft, finally caught his breath and slowly sat down.
“Fire’s weakness is water, I suppose.”
Whoooosh.
All the water drained away.
The fallen Mirus slowly rose to his feet.
Mirus was in such a state that even a touch would topple him.
-The Guardian of Flame and Craft offers their gratitude!
-The Guardian of Flame and Craft requests proper training be given!
The Guardian of Flame and Craft, wrathful until now, desired Mirus’s swift defeat.
‘Something is odd.’
Jin-woo regarded the fallen Mirus, who had expended all his strength.
‘The temple still remains sealed.’
After brief thought, Jin-woo realized this quest’s direction was different.
‘If I defeat him, I can hunt the tower boss and complete the tower. I’d likely receive compensation.’
Probably.
But Jin-woo had not come to hunt the tower’s boss.
‘Without opening the temple, none of this matters.’
It was possible the temple would shatter the moment Mirus died.
‘Since I don’t know how long he’s been in that state.’
Jin-woo raised his hand.
The familiars, who had been ready to finish him, withdrew slightly.
“Haah…… haah…….”
Mirus breathed hard.
He looked at Jin-woo.
“Why…….”
Why had he stopped attacking?
He is flame.
Flame reduces all to ash.
He too should have been consumed and become ash.
So why?
“I have something I want to ask.”
‘Clear this optimally.’
“Why did you seal the temple like this?”
“…… Because it is dangerous.”
“Dangerous?”
“Flame is dangerous. Flame is far too dangerous.”
“What happened?”
“…….”
When Jin-woo asked again, Mirus fell silent. Jin-woo did not press further and waited quietly.
In truth, this was quite dangerous—giving him time to rest meant giving him time to recover.
Yet when Jin-woo waited with such sincerity, something shifted in Mirus’s gaze.
At that, the silent Mirus finally spoke.
“Flame took everything from me.”
Mirus had been born into a village that worshipped the fire god.
Flame brought immense power, and through its blessings, the village remained safe from the surrounding monsters.
Daily, Mirus visited the temple and prayed.
As a young man, he naturally became a priest.
As his apprenticeship ended and he stood on the verge of becoming a true priest,
on that very day,
the flame dwelling quietly in the temple rampaged.
-The Fire God has grown wrathful!
The village caught fire.
Devouring friends.
Devouring neighbors.
Devouring the village.
Mirus, not yet a true priest, was powerless.
He could do nothing and ultimately fled.
“I…… could do nothing. Yet I alone survived.”
Surviving alone, he made a vow that day.
He would extinguish all this dangerous flame.
“Hmm.”
Having heard the full tale, Jin-woo now understood everything.
‘Flame is indeed an unstable force.’
A power that consumes all, turning everything to ash.
Yet flame held more than just such power.
“That is why it must be sealed. All flame must be extinguished…… flame brings only ruin! Every day I dream. No—every day I live it. I feel the sensation of my entire body burning.”
‘He carries trauma.’
A profound helplessness filled Mirus. Pain still lingered in his eyes.
In Mirus’s mind, flame was an existence that had stolen everything.
He had never escaped that day’s memory.
Moreover, he seemed to be experiencing phantom pain.
‘My body burns.’
Jin-woo thought for a moment.
‘I cannot change something great.’
It was impossible to undo that day.
Flame was indeed destructive, and it had indeed stolen all that was precious to him.
“But still.”
Jin-woo placed a Twilight Stone on the workbench.
Just one thing.
There was one thing Jin-woo could do.
Crackle.
To Mirus, trapped in burning flame and ash, in screams—to Mirus, living in agony where all burned,
“I can take away the pain.”
It was the act of extending a hand.

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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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