The Return of the Legendary Golden-Handed Blacksmith - Chapter 242

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Chapter 242
Episode 242.
“Phooo-loong.”
Dust’s form had transformed completely.
The fluffy fur had grown even denser, shifting into something resembling a cloud.
A small cloud.
When Jin-woo first saw him, the name had fit perfectly—he’d looked like floating dust. Now it felt oddly out of place.
“He’s like a storm cloud sprite.”
Dust had moved far beyond merely fluffy; he’d become lush, substantial—very much deserving of the name storm cloud.
“Looks like a really good grooming job.”
If expensive grooming produced a result, it would probably feel like this.
Jin-woo reached out and touched Dust.
“The texture is insane.”
The sensation from his evolved companion was remarkable.
‘Just like before, but this…’
His Flawless Seamstress Art was crying out.
“Phorong!”
As if reading Jin-woo’s thoughts, Dust pulled back slightly.
But then, as though he’d made a decision, he spun once with a soft whisper.
His gentle fur shed in a delicate cascade, settling softly into Jin-woo’s waiting palm.
“…This works?”
– Spirit’s Mana Breath [UR+]
“Phorong!”
“Don’t tell me you evolved because of what I said last time…”
A spirit evolves for the sake of its contractor.
This evolution was entirely for Jin-woo’s sake.
“So a material spirit can do something like this!”
Jin-woo felt genuinely proud of Dust’s growth.
“You’re the best, Dust.”
At his words, Dust began proudly scattering fur all around.
“Stop, or you’ll go bald.”
In an instant, Dust swiftly collected all the scattered fur and reabsorbed it.
Whoooosh—!
Crackle—!
Just as Dust had evolved magnificently, Coco too had progressed—her compact black poodle form now crowned with flickering flames dancing along her tail.
Whoomph—!
A beautifully dark flame it was.
– Dust has become a supreme-grade spirit!
– Coco’s level has become Legendary LV3!
Dust had reached supreme grade.
Coco had reached Legendary LV3.
Watching the upgraded spirits, Jin-woo gestured warmly.
“Both of you look fantastic.”
The two spirits seemed quite delighted by his praise.
“It’ll be harder than before. Things will be different now.”
Jin-woo was continuously feeling how different UR+ and M-Grade truly were.
The spirits would have to adapt accordingly—they couldn’t operate the same way anymore.
‘At least they both leveled up.’
That would ease the burden somewhat, though he still couldn’t afford to be careless.
Dust and Coco immediately infused their power into the Blood Annihilation Stone.
Unlike before, they couldn’t infuse the material with power instantaneously.
‘But.’
Jin-woo noticed the concentration in both spirits.
‘They can pour in much stronger power.’
As long as they weren’t overpowered by the material, they’d be fine.
“Phorong.”
Dust wrapped the Blood Annihilation Stone in his cloud-like fur, then shook his body once.
Dust’s power settled into the Blood Annihilation Stone.
– The potential within the Blood Annihilation Stone rises to its limit!
– Material level increases!
Simultaneously, Coco’s power flowed into it as well.
– Dark flame power flows into the Blood Annihilation Stone!
– Dark flame option is added!
“!”
Jin-woo smiled at the two spirits.
“Excellent.”
It exceeded his expectations by far. He hadn’t dared hope they could achieve this much.
“Phorong~.”
“Yelp!”
The two spirits bounded over and hugged him soundly.
“Still as adorable as ever, you two.”
Though they’d grown tremendously since he first met them, their essence remained unchanged.
Small spirits desperate to be of use to Jin-woo.
That was their true nature.
Jin-woo brought his hammer down against the Blood Annihilation Stone.
Shaping it, stretching it long.
Clang—!
“Maximized Smelting Art.”
Beginning with the enhanced Wave Resonance, the Maximized Smelting Art drew out every characteristic the Blood Annihilation Stone possessed.
Whoooosh—.
“Soul Forging.”
The soul within the Blood Annihilation Stone burned crimson.
“Raise it one more time.”
He stabilized the Blood Annihilation Stone with Harmonia Smelting Art. Normally more strikes would be needed; it settled almost instantly.
“This is why I need a hotter flame.”
With just one flame different, he could handle M-Grade material with remarkable ease. The powerful flame burrowed into the material instantly, spreading its power throughout.
‘The flame that burrows in.’
Becomes an option as-is.
Clang—! Clang—! Clang—!
Jin-woo continued shaping with his hammer.
And then.
Shhhhhhh—.
He quenched it with Water Essence, then returned it to the forge.
Heating and cooling.
He repeated the cycle, drawing out the Blood Annihilation Stone’s hardness.
‘Hardness and strength increase.’
Whoooooosh—!
The color of the Blood Annihilation Stone began to deepen.
What had been dark crimson was growing slightly brighter.
Clang—!
With the smelting complete, Jin-woo turned to the Void Essence and applied his carving knife.
“Breathe…”
Carving required far more attention to resonance than smelting ever did.
‘I could do it the same way and it wouldn’t matter.’
But doing it carelessly would leave Jin-woo dissatisfied.
High-difficulty carving produced high-quality results.
‘If doing it this way yields something better, why take the easier path?’
Those small differences defined everything.
‘I learned all this to make those small differences.’
Jin-woo focused on the resonance.
To create that small difference.
His entire consciousness was devoted to the resonance and the Void Essence.
The carving knife moved.
Crackle—.
Scritch—. Scritch—. Scritch—.
Whirrrrr—!
Bit by bit. Inch by inch. Deeper inside.
The carving knife breathed with the resonance. In this moment, Jin-woo became one with it. The resonance was Jin-woo, and Jin-woo was the resonance.
The carving technique he’d learned from Rodin moved as though it had always belonged to Jin-woo from the start.
– Flame Engraving Technique proficiency increases!
Whooomph—!
The blazing flame shifted suddenly to a pale blue.
A flame nearly sky-colored manifested softly in Jin-woo’s hands, beginning to influence his immersion and carving.
– Flame Engraving Technique level increases.
– Flame Engraving Technique evolves into Ether Flame Carving Art!
Aligning with his professional nature, Rodin’s Flame Engraving Technique evolved into Jin-woo’s own Ether Flame Carving Art.
Whoooosh—!
Riding the momentum, Jin-woo began carving away the Void Essence.
Scritch—.
This Void Essence was destined for the heart of the refined Blood Annihilation Stone.
‘It carries Sier’s nature. I draw out Sier’s characteristics.’
Jin-woo carved with resonance.
The Void Essence resembled a jewel but had a malleable texture.
“Shaping it won’t be easy.”
Control of hand strength was absolutely critical.
The slightest excess in resonance power and fragments would scatter—the Void Essence would shatter into uselessness.
“Inhale.”
Jin-woo drew a deep breath.
Deep and full.
He held it.
Even the slightest movement from breathing couldn’t be tolerated.
Complete control.
‘I govern my own body.’
Click—.
Crackle—.
The Void Essence was carved away perfectly.
– A new god showers you with praise!
– A new god sponsors you for the beauty within your imperfection!
– The Goddess of Moonlight sponsors you!
– Strength stat permanently increases by 50!
The Goddess of Moonlight had begun sponsoring Jin-woo. But Jin-woo was already immersed. A god’s sponsorship hardly surprised him anymore.
Right now, Jin-woo was lost in the Void Essence.
– Concentration stat increases.
– Concentration stat increases.
– Concentration stat increases.
The result of holding his breath and focusing entirely. The resonance supported his smallest movements.
Crackle—. Delicate.
Yet one moment’s hesitation and that section could be damaged beyond repair.
– The Goddess of Moonlight admires your fearlessness before failure.
– Strength stat permanently increases by 30!
The Void Essence was carved away at rapid speed.
The final shape resembled a water droplet.
Simple and beautiful.
With carving finished, Jin-woo inserted the Void Essence into the Blood Annihilation Stone, which had already taken on the shape of a blade.
Whoooosh—.
The Void Essence merged with the Blood Annihilation Stone.
‘Make it one.’
Jin-woo poured potion over it.
Shhhhhhhhh—!
– Equipment created!
– M-Grade equipment created!
– Level increases!
– Dexterity [Precision] stat increases!
[Void Blood Annihilation Sword]
– Attack Power: 42,500
– Grade: M
– Durability: 450,000 / 450,000
<>
* Special Skill [Blood Frenzy: When health drops below 50%, enters frenzy mode. During frenzy, attack power greatly increases. Speed greatly increases. Critical strike chance greatly increases.]
* Special Skill [Annihilation Strike: Unleashes a crescent-shaped blood aura in attack!]
* Special Option [Maximized Smelting: Material sharpness perfected and maximized. Attack power increases by 5,500.]
* Special Option [Into the Void: The power of Void Essence tears through space. Allows ranged attacks that transcend normal space!]
* Special Option [Heat Treatment: Hardness greatly increases through heat treatment! The power of Water Essence imbues it, dealing 3% additional damage of inflicted damage!]
* Special Option [Ultimate Attack Power: Attack power increases by 10,500.]
* Special Option [Spell Enchantment Extreme – Arcshaak LV3: Attack power increases by 7,500.]
* Special Option [Spell Enchantment Extreme – Iremte LV1: Critical strike damage increases by 200%.]
* Special Option [Life Drain: Absorbs 16% of inflicted damage as life force!]
* Special Option [Ambush: Imbued with the power of Necro Meister—first attack is guaranteed to be a Fatal Blow.]
* Special Option [Soul Forging: Draws out the power of the soul. Attack power increases by 15%.]
* Special Option [Soul Piercing: Ignores defense and deals damage!]
* Special Option [Gaze of the Dead: Perceives enemy weaknesses. Additional attack power gain of 3%.]
* Special Option [Essence Infusion: Imbued with the power of essence. The power of blazing flame has been infused.]
* Wave Resonance [Power of Wave: Through resonance power, additional stats are granted. Attack power increases. Critical strike chance increases. Attack speed increases.]
* Wave Resonance [Hand Tempering: Fire attribute is granted!]
* Special Option [Burning Dark Flame: Grants target a certain probability of inflicting the status abnormality ‘Oblivion’!]
Slither—. Slither—.
The completed Void Blood Annihilation Sword poured out a crimson aura with wild intensity.
It felt as though careless contact would be consumed entirely.
“M-Grade.”
Once again reaching M-Grade brought a brilliant radiance, and the number of options multiplied accordingly.
Crafted with the power of both spirits and infused with the new flame, it far exceeded Jin-woo’s predictions.
‘Coco’s option is quite substantial.’
In particular, Coco’s option was one that inflicted status abnormalities on enemies.
‘A very rare option.’
Beyond that, the options from both the Blood Annihilation Stone and Void Essence were woven into the blade.
‘Soul Forging might not have drawn everything out.’
With a UR+ material, Soul Forging would have easily pulled every feature, but this was M-Grade material.
‘The flame provided excellent support.’
Jin-woo examined the options from the Blood Annihilation Stone and Void Essence with satisfaction.
‘Forge, flame, heat treatment.’
They harmonized beautifully.
‘All the hard work paid off.’
Moreover, in crafting this equipment, Jin-woo had gained sponsorship from a new god.
The Goddess of Moonlight.
‘I don’t know who she is, but.’
The Goddess of Moonlight’s sponsorship had come from witnessing Jin-woo handle imperfect materials.
She appeared to deeply appreciate the process of transforming imperfection into perfection.
“Thank you, Goddess of Moonlight.”
– The Goddess of Moonlight wishes to offer you formal sponsorship!
After witnessing Jin-woo’s craftsmanship just now, the Goddess of Moonlight desired to formally sponsor him.
‘Formal sponsorship?’
Jin-woo shook his head slightly.
At this point, even formal sponsorship from a god was unnecessary.
– The Goddess of Moonlight sends you a blessing!
Moonlight descended toward Jin-woo with a whoooosh—.
But Jin-woo nimbly sidestepped the light.
“I apologize, but.”
Until now, gods had been the ones choosing their sponsors.
Jin-woo was different.
“Unless you choose me as an Inheritor, I’m not accepting sponsorship.”
‘I choose.’