The Return of the Legendary Golden-Handed Blacksmith - Chapter 246

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

Episode 246
246.
M-Grade equipment and M+-Grade equipment.
After crafting these two in succession, Jin-woo had dispersed and was taking a brief rest.
‘I need to prepare for the next quest.’
He needed a quest where he could properly test the newly made M-Grade and M+-Grade equipment. Jin-woo checked the quests he currently had.
‘Finding the last disciple of Allmaster is still too early.’
That place was the New Continent.
It wasn’t the right time to go to the New Continent yet.
‘There are interesting quests, though.’
The quest from the Goddess of Moonlight that he’d received recently was interesting, and the quest from the Twin God of Fire and Soul was also intriguing.
‘There’s also the Fairy Clan quest I received quite some time ago.’
But there was one thing that most piqued his curiosity.
‘Since I’ve established myself in Avalon.’
The princess of Avalon weighed on his mind considerably.
‘If I open that door, it would be quite beneficial.’
The materials he’d obtained from the Royal Palace warehouse were of considerable quality. If he earned the king’s trust, he could gain access to materials that only the royal family could possess.
‘Not bad. And if I build connections here, I could also meet the top three blacksmiths on the continent.’
Currently, Jin-woo’s master and the Grand Master of Avalon Kingdom, Rufema, was one of those three.
‘Since he’s retired now, that list will change.’
It could flow in many interesting directions.
As Jin-woo was contemplating his quest route, someone knocked on the workshop door.
Knock, knock.
‘It’s not opening hours yet.’
Users were currently waiting outside the workshop.
They waited even though the workshop had been shut without a clear reopening date.
“I’ve returned!”
It was a familiar voice.
“It’s Suhaengyeon! Master!”
His subordinate, Suhaengyeon, had returned.
In his arms were rare minerals obtained from the Pitch-Black Light Mine.
“Master.”
He confidently held out the minerals from his arms with both hands to Jin-woo.
-You have obtained Oblivion Crystals!
Five Oblivion Crystals came into Jin-woo’s possession.
“Ah.”
Jin-woo admired them.
“You did well, Suhaengyeon. Mining something this precious.”
Jin-woo gazed at the Oblivion Crystals with admiration.
‘Better than expected.’
The Pitch-Black Light Mine was truly a terrifying place.
Even two top-tier miners struggled greatly there, and Unit 2 had come close to death more than once.
Yet they endured for their master, Jin-woo.
And receiving the reward for that endurance, Suhaengyeon unconsciously clenched both fists right there.
“No, no! It’s all thanks to your faith in me. I’m nothing but a mere skeleton!”
“No, that’s not it.”
Jin-woo said.
“You’re one of my masterpieces. Don’t say things like that, alright?”
“My apologies! I am a masterpiece!”
“That’s right. You should be.”
Jin-woo was already using M-Grade materials.
For someone like him, USSR-Grade might appear to be a low tier, but grade was both important and unimportant.
‘What matters more is what the material is.’
Jin-woo was rather pleased.
‘So far, everything I’ve made was M-Grade equipment crafted from M-Grade materials.’
Jin-woo had made all his newly acquired M-Grade materials into equipment of the same grade.
‘Can I make M-Grade equipment from USSR materials?’
Making higher-grade equipment from lower-grade materials was very easy at lower tiers.
‘At that level, I could easily go one or two grades higher, and could even make equipment three grades above.’
With his current skill, he could certainly do that.
‘But ultimately, materials have definite limits.’
Then what were the limits of USSR-Grade materials?
‘Can I push those limits with my skills?’
He was quite curious where he stood now.
He’d come from USSR+-Grade to M-Grade over time. So was he at M-Grade level now?
Or had he reached the level where he could make M-Grade equipment from lower-grade materials?
‘Curious.’
Jin-woo had no arrogance about himself.
Ironically, he held both self-confidence and self-doubt together.
‘Arrogance is forbidden.’
He himself recognized that trait, but it stemmed from his nature.
“You worked hard. Thank you, Suhaengyeon.”
“Thank you, Master! But this place…”
“I should have explained sooner.”
Jin-woo patted Suhaengyeon on the back and soon explained the Mangsang Workshop.
“It’s a new workshop. I’ve made it my base of operations here.”
“Just as I thought, it is indeed your workshop, Master! Purchasing a workshop like this is truly remarkable! And this is the capital, no less! I heard it’s the capital of Avalon Kingdom!”
Suhaengyeon had been able to reach here easily thanks to the two miners.
“Yur and Artemus were quite shocked as well.”
Yur and Artemus didn’t know this workshop belonged to Jin-woo. But if it were true, the fact that he’d purchased a workshop in Avalon itself was staggering.
Of course, a blacksmith of Jin-woo’s caliber could certainly afford it, but this was still the capital.
The pace was far too swift.
No one else had established a foothold in the capital as rapidly as Jin-woo had.
Even those backed by the Guild, sprinting forward on Royal Road, couldn’t match it.
Jin-woo was like someone piloting a jet plane beyond Royal Road itself.
And for him to build that jet plane himself and pilot it was nothing short of astonishing.
“And they said there’s nothing left to teach you.”
Suhaengyeon had now learned everything fundamentals about mining from Yur and Artemus.
There was no longer any need to work under them.
A single miner.
Or rather, he’d become a proper skeleton miner.
‘That works out perfectly.’
“As it happens, I need you right now.”
“I’ll do anything!”
‘Looking at it yesterday, this won’t do.’
Free could manage running the Mangsang Workshop well enough alone.
‘It’s workable as-is, but if far more people come than before, it’ll be tough for them to both craft and handle customers alone.’
So he needed a receptionist.
‘Suhaengyeon is versatile in that regard.’
Especially since he’d already mastered knowledge of minerals.
‘He can even mine them directly.’
Suhaengyeon mines, and Free crafts.
‘The completion of automated hunting.’
Jin-woo chuckled and patted Suhaengyeon on the back.
And at that same moment, someone else knocked on the Mangsang Workshop door.
“Good timing?”
“Master. I’ve returned.”
It was Unit 2, whom he’d sent to Tehent.
Tehent had recently hunted the legendary monster, Hydra. Unit 2 received training from such a Tehent.
“I’ve hunted the Smolder Hydra!”
Hydra typically has nine heads.
The Smolder Hydra was, true to its name, a monster with half the heads of the original Hydra.
“You killed it alone?”
“Yes.”
Unit 2, having learned hunting techniques from Tehent, properly utilized his class, the Dark Archer. With techniques befitting a hunter, Unit 2 hunted the Smolder Hydra and obtained the Smolder Hydra’s Core and Smolder Hydra’s Hide.
“Tehent says he’s truly grateful. He shed tears over the Harpoon you sent him.”
Unit 2 then immediately handed over the byproducts of the Smolder Hydra to Jin-woo.
-You have received Smolder Hydra’s Core and Smolder Hydra’s Hide from Unit 2.
“They’re USSR-Grade.”
And they were precisely the same grade as the Oblivion Crystals that Suhaengyeon had brought.
“These seeds I scattered are growing up nicely and coming back as fruit.”
Unit 2 and Suhaengyeon returning at the same time with materials like this.
“Both the same grade?”
Bzzt!
In an instant, lightning sparked from the eyes of Suhaengyeon and Unit 2.
“Perfect.”
‘Lucky that they both came back at similar times.’
This could improve the quality of his automated hunting considerably.
Suhaengyeon brings minerals, Unit 2 brings monster byproducts.
‘And Free can craft diverse materials and carry the Mangsang Workshop forward.’
Jin-woo decided to stoke the rivalry between his two subordinates.
“You two should bring materials based on what you’ve learned.”
Then he explained the operations of the Mangsang Workshop.
“Understood, Master! Please believe in me!”
“I will succeed!”
“Well then.”
Jin-woo began crafting with the materials his two subordinates had brought.
‘I’ve rested enough.’
“Dust, Coco.”
Unlike the other subordinates, these two had worked quietly and alone apart from Jin-woo.
‘Every time they came back, they did better than expected.’
So he planned to craft equipment befitting them.
“We’ll be going right away!”
“I’ll head out first.”
“Both of you wait.”
Jin-woo gestured to his two subordinates.
“New equipment. You should take it with you.”
He then pulled the flames strongly into the forge.
“You two have worked in your respective fields, so you’ll understand. What equipment do you need most right now?”
Suhaengyeon answered Jin-woo’s question first.
“A Pickaxe.”
Unit 2 answered next.
“A Harpoon.”
The Harpoon was equipment Jin-woo had crafted for Tehent. Unit 2, impressed by it, had come to understand just how useful a Harpoon was as a hunting tool.
“Good.”
Jin-woo began crafting immediately. He mixed the materials brought by his two subordinates with materials he already had and started crafting.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Despite its name, the Oblivion Crystal was quite hard.
‘I thought it would be delicate.’
It was surprisingly sturdy despite its beautiful appearance.
Jin-woo brought his hammer down accordingly.
Rumble!
‘Wave Amplification upgrades the wave itself beyond just manipulating flames.’
Of course, to use that upgraded wave, Jin-woo had to distribute his own power appropriately, matching the wave’s fluctuation.
Finding this balance was the most difficult part.
Crack.
Clang!
‘Now.’
Clang! Clang!
Crash!
-You have crafted equipment!
-You have crafted equipment!
A Pickaxe and a Harpoon.
Jin-woo had crafted both pieces of equipment simultaneously.
‘Having two forges is really convenient.’
“Master—!”
“M-Master!”
Suhaengyeon and Unit 2 received their new equipment and trembled.
“This is… this is unbelievable… this far exceeds USSR-Grade…!”
‘It’s confirmed.’
-You have crafted M-Grade equipment!
From USSR-Grade materials, Jin-woo was able to craft M-Grade equipment.
Of course, it was inferior to M-Grade equipment made from M-Grade materials, but this held considerable significance.
‘It means I’ve reached the level I envisioned.’
“I’ve reached it this time.”
“You’ve crafted M-Grade equipment from USSR-Grade materials…!”
Suhaengyeon too was moved and lifted the Harpoon.
“I will bring anything! I’ll even bring legendary monsters with these hands!”
“I will mine legendary minerals.”
His two subordinates, equipped with their new gear, rushed out immediately.
“Now it truly begins.”
It was the beginning of automated hunting centered on the Mangsang Workshop.
After his two subordinates left.
Jin-woo signaled to Free.
“I’ll lead the Mangsang Workshop with the materials our seniors bring.”
“You’re the most important. Don’t strain yourself too much. This is a test of endurance.”
“Understood!”
* * *
After Jin-woo crafted weapons and equipment for First and Pur.
He placed the equipment on the display counter of the Mangsang Workshop.
-You have registered Phantom Blade to Mangsang Workshop.
-You have registered Frost Bone Crescent Moon Blade to Mangsang Workshop.
…….
…….
Jin-woo registered the weapons and armor of First and Pur to the workshop as-is.
“The Auction House is the Auction House.”
Jin-woo examined the workshop from various angles and discovered several functions.
“I can do something like an auction here too.”
If he set the price to [Custom], people who wanted to buy could set their own desired price as if it were an auction.
“So that’s why I never used the Auction House.”
Once these registered pieces of equipment sold and people were certain this was Jin-woo’s workshop, the flow of people into Avalon would explode.
“That’s when automated hunting will truly shine.”
Jin-woo smirked.
With this, the Mangsang Workshop was secure.
Jin-woo then headed straight to the Royal Palace again.
“Let’s see what the next quest is.”
* * *
Royal Palace.
Jin-woo found Rufema.
“When I had an audience with His Majesty, I saw the princess. Her complexion seemed quite poor.”
“Hmm. That’s right. The princess is currently suffering from an illness.”
Rufema nodded as he spoke.
“There’s no point hiding it. It’s already known to everyone in the kingdom. She’s been suffering from this illness for quite some time.”
Ding!
-You have received a quest!
-It is a FIRST Quest!
“!”

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