The Return of the Legendary Golden-Handed Blacksmith - Chapter 249

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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 249
249.
Shaaaaaack—!
As brilliant light poured forth, Jin-woo gazed transfixed at the object nestled in the box.
Princess Estella beamed at his reaction.
She was thrilled to have given Jin-woo proper compensation for the gift of his restful sleep.
“Do you like it? It’s the ancient phantom mineral I promised you. It was one of the gifts the royal palace received long ago. We’ve kept it safe all this time because it’s such a precious material.”
Ding—!
-Quest reward received!
Shaaaaaack—!
As the light gradually faded, the object in the box became clear.
What lay inside was a beautiful blue mineral.
Jin-woo, drawn to the light it emanated, slowly reached toward it.
“!”
-You have obtained Brilliant Moonstone!
-Brilliant Moonstone [M+]
Brilliant Moonstone.
“This is insane.”
Jin-woo marveled the moment he obtained the Brilliant Moonstone.
‘M+ tier.’
It was the highest-grade material he’d ever acquired.
‘I’ve crafted M+ equipment from M-tier materials before.’
But this was his first time obtaining an M+-tier material itself.
Shaaaaaack—.
This vivid blue mineral continued to emit a subtle glow.
The word “Brilliant” in its name fit perfectly—staring at it for long, he felt as though he might be drawn into its depths.
‘They called it an ancient phantom mineral.’
The description was accurate.
Jin-woo pocketed the Brilliant Moonstone.
Ding—!
-Quest updated!
-The Spirit Race’s Savior quest has been updated!
Just as when he’d obtained the key from Princess Estella, the quest updated the moment he acquired the Brilliant Moonstone.
‘The Spirit Race’s Savior quest?’
Jin-woo frowned at the update.
‘Was this created by the Spirit Race?’
When he’d first received this quest, he’d obtained a Flame Spirit Stone.
‘Now that I think about it, the feeling is similar.’
And the quest updating was another clue.
‘Right. A Spirit Race artifact. Which means…’
Jin-woo recalled the words of Nordin, the spirit he’d rescued from the Tower.
What Nordin had said about the Flame Spirit Stone being worthless in his homeland—that was truly the case.
‘This is good.’
Jin-woo examined the Brilliant Moonstone more carefully.
The sensation at his fingertips.
And the rebound when he channeled his power into it.
Shaaaaaaa—.
The texture of the mineral, infused with moonlight, was exceptionally refined.
Crafting equipment from this would mean creating gear that literally bore the essence of moonlight.
‘The Flame Spirit Stone I used before isn’t even in the same league.’
Each mineral had its own properties.
Thus they couldn’t be evaluated purely by tier.
Yet some minerals were clearly superior versions of others.
The Brilliant Moonstone was the ultimate upgrade to the spirit stone.
‘In that case.’
Jin-woo made his next objective clear.
‘I need to meet Nordin.’
The spirit, Nordin.
Meeting him and going to aid the Spirit Race seemed like the right choice.
‘He said it was urgent.’
Jin-woo grinned to himself.
Of course the spirit stone was a major reason, but what was wrong with a good opportunity?
As Jin-woo examined the Moonstone, he noticed something else in the box.
It wasn’t a mineral.
A green key.
“What is this?”
“That key came to us along with the Brilliant Moonstone, a gift to the royal family. They said it opens a door, but we don’t know which one.”
At the princess’s words, Jin-woo touched the green key.
Ding—! Ding—!
-Quest Marker displays the location.
-Quest updated!
‘Hm?’
Jin-woo saw the shimmering quest marker.
‘This quest marker…’
The marker was pointing to the outskirts of Avalon.
‘Is that the location?’
Without Princess Estella’s preliminary quest, proceeding with the Spirit Race’s Savior quest would have been quite difficult.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
After accepting his rewards, Jin-woo smiled.
“Not at all. I should be thanking you. Truly… truly, thank you.”
Her gratitude was heartfelt and genuine.
“I should get some rest now.”
Determined to catch up on her sleep, she left with a bright smile on her face.
Ding—!
-Princess Estella’s Trust has reached MAX!
-Princess Estella’s Affinity has reached MAX!
* * *
Following Princess Estella’s reward, Jin-woo sought out the king’s audience chamber to claim one more.
“Hahahaha—! You are a treasure to our kingdom. Not only did you find the Temple…….”
The king’s audience chamber.
King Abalak gazed at Jin-woo with eyes brimming with emotion.
It hadn’t been long since Jin-woo found the Temple of the ancient god, the Goddess of Fire and Furnace, the kingdom’s guardian.
But now he’d cured Princess Estella’s insomnia, the royal palace’s long-standing affliction!
“Many came seeking a cure. Famous mages, alchemists, blacksmiths…… those who claimed they could solve it were legion.”
The king spoke.
“And foreigners came as well. Some of them were truly exceptional. Yet none of them could cure our Estella’s insomnia.”
The king felt helpless. Despite ruling his kingdom, he couldn’t heal his own daughter’s illness—a despair that weighed heavily.
The insomnia had attacked both the king and Estella simultaneously.
“That impossible disease…… you have overcome it.”
Trust began to pour from the king’s eyes.
-Quest reward received!
“You are now our kingdom’s guardian spirit.”
Having saved the kingdom’s core—the king and princess—it was only fitting.
“Should you ever need aid, I too shall readily extend my hand. Jin-woo. Truly, my deepest gratitude.”
Ding—!
-Abalak Kingdom’s Contribution Score has increased!
-Contribution Score: 100!
-Achievement unlocked!
-Achievement [Kingdom’s Faithful Friend] unlocked!
Contribution Score was a sort of credit system.
-Contribution Score can be spent to receive what the kingdom desires.
‘So if I work for the kingdom, I earn points accordingly.’
The Contribution Score system went beyond fostering loyalty—it rewarded service with appropriate compensation.
‘What can I do with 100 Contribution Score?’
Jin-woo decided to try spending some right away.
“Your Majesty. Might I be permitted to take a few items from the royal treasury?”
The royal treasury was a place where Jin-woo had been allowed to take only one item when he found the Temple.
“Hmm. The royal treasury holds the kingdom’s history. I opened it before since you performed such a great service, but it’s not a place to open lightly.”
The king paused, then nodded.
“However, given what you have done for our kingdom, I grant it!”
-Contribution Score reduced by 50.
‘I made quite a request.’
The deducted score was merely 50.
‘Is it hard to earn, then?’
The 100 Contribution Score Jin-woo had gained was quite substantial.
‘This is interesting.’
You gain in proportion to what you do.
Having collected all his rewards, Jin-woo immediately prepared for the next quest.
“First, the royal treasury.”
His next destination was the outskirts of Avalon.
‘I’m coming, Nordin.’
Not to obtain spirit stones.
But to save the Spirit Race.
* * *
“Order came down.”
The Mydongpung Guild.
Guild Master Eureka was a renowned Necromancer. A player ranked within the top 100 Necromancers and simultaneously a skilled assassin-class user.
His guild, Mydongpung, was working in collaboration with the Doayak Guild.
Though “collaboration” was a grand term—in reality, Mydongpung was a fixer guild that handled Doayak’s dirty work.
Their main job was to target a specific user and repeatedly assassinate him, or interfere with his activities.
Combined with Death Penalty, they disrupted proper gameplay to demonstrate what happens to those who resist Doayak.
Doayak’s blade.
And simultaneously, Doayak’s poison—that was Mydongpung Guild.
Eureka stood at the very forefront of Mydongpung.
“Who are we taking?”
“Who got on Doayak’s nerves this time?”
“Crazy bastards are always around. Good for business though.”
“Jin-woo.”
“!”
“Jin-woo?”
“What?”
The Mydongpung guild members were taken aback by the order.
“Isn’t he a blacksmith?”
“If he’s a blacksmith, he wouldn’t leave the city. How do we get him?”
“He’s not just a blacksmith though. Jin-woo is…”
The guild members nodded at Eureka’s words.
“A blacksmith and a Necromancer. Plus he seems to source materials himself. Assassination is doable. Honestly, it’s almost too easy.”
Eureka stroked his chin.
It was a quite interesting contract.
“Hm. Jin-woo, is it.”
There wasn’t a NewGen player anymore who didn’t know Jin-woo.
Especially among Necromancer-class users, he was well-known.
“He seems to have a Necromancer job, but his name isn’t on our Hall of Honor?”
There was a Hall of Honor dedicated to Necromancer rankings.
Any competent Necromancer should be registered there.
It was an achievement that naturally had to be unlocked through play.
“Soul Eater and Rise. Any Necromancer has to unlock these two achievements.”
Jin-woo’s name was absent from both.
Eureka, ranked in the top 10 for these achievements, had high expectations for this contract.
“I’ll get to torment this fake Necromancer myself.”
His absence meant Jin-woo was a fake.
A pseudo-Necromancer at best. Not a true one.
Of course, there was a high chance he possessed the Necromancer job.
But failing to appear on the Hall of Honor meant he was merely playing pretend.
“Doayak offered massive gold.”
A massive upfront payment of ten million Gold.
“Death Penalty: five times.”
The conditions were demanding, but not impossible.
“Pull this off right, and I might make executive in the Doayak Guild.”
“Are we getting promoted then?”
“If the Guild Master moves up, he can lead us to greater heights.”
“Of course.”
Eureka grinned.
“The whole guild might get absorbed into Doayak.”
If Mydongpung itself merged with Doayak, that would be the ultimate success.
“Let’s go get promoted.”
He would catch the fake Necromancer Jin-woo and advance himself—the true one.
Mydongpung Guild mobilized to capture Jin-woo.

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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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