The Return of the Legendary Golden-Handed Blacksmith - Chapter 251

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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 251
251.
—I’ve hunted a Giant of Earth!
Boom—!
The Giant of Earth crumpled under Bone’s strike.
“Living up to a Level 500 hunting ground.”
The Giant of Earth boasted considerable power.
Of course, the attack never touched Bone. It was only the surrounding terrain that shattered.
—Soul of Giant of Earth [USSR]
—Bone of Giant of Earth [USSR]
—Heart Stone of Giant of Earth [UR+]
The material grades were quite respectable.
‘The heart stone’s grade is a bit low, though.’
For a standard hunting ground, UR+ materials might as well be considered high.
‘M-grade isn’t something you stumble across easily, after all.’
With souls and bones both at USSR grade, I was quite satisfied.
Jin-woo stirred the soul in his hand and examined the hardness and durability of the bones.
Then he picked up the heart stone and gave it a light shake.
“Hmm.”
‘From this level on, a high grade doesn’t always mean quality.’
Jin-woo now understood his own judgment had been sound.
Prioritizing quality over grade was indeed the right approach.
Jin-woo pressed on immediately.
‘The quest marker points higher up.’
I’d need to go deeper before reaching where the marker indicated.
‘Not that I know exactly where it’s pointing.’
Jin-woo planned to settle matters with those following him before reaching that destination.
“Right then. Next up.”
Jin-woo continued to let gaps show in his movements.
‘How cautious they are.’
These didn’t seem to be mere attackers.
‘Quite systematic.’
Which meant the guild had deliberately sent them to assassinate Jin-woo.
‘Well then.’
Jin-woo just had to do what he needed to do.
Screeeee—!
Jin-woo caught the cry of a distant monster and signaled to Bone.
“Let’s go! There’s some interesting material over there.”
* * *
“Wow. That’s no joke.”
“I’ve never seen subordinates summoned like that before.”
“He seems different from a normal Necromancer.”
The Maydongpung Guild moved in silence.
Thanks to the Cloak of Secrecy, an M-grade artifact once wielded by the legendary swordmaster Lucarise, they could maneuver with a sizable force without detection.
The guild master, Eureka, scrutinized Jin-woo’s movements carefully.
“Something doesn’t sit right.”
“What do you mean, sir?”
“Like he’s caught on to us somehow.”
“Surely not.”
“What are you saying? You know how effective the Cloak of Secrecy is.”
“Right? It’s just my paranoia?”
“Are you getting cold feet now, sir?”
“Haven’t we eliminated several other Necromancers before?”
“We’ve even done in famous figures like Jin-woo before.”
The guild members chuckled softly, chiding their guild master. But something truly felt wrong.
It wasn’t nervousness born of second thoughts, despite what the members said.
This was instinct.
A sensation honed by countless encounters.
…….
It would be nothing. Merely a misgiving.
But what bothered him more was that Necromancer skill.
The summoned subordinates were ones he’d never seen before.
“I don’t think I’ve seen them in any JinTube or streaming videos.”
He’d already gathered intelligence on what kind of user Jin-woo was through JinTube and streaming content.
Yet the present Jin-woo looked far stronger than the footage suggested.
“We move carefully. No mistakes.”
Whether he’s strong or not doesn’t matter.
As the members said, we’ve already caught many powerful Rankers.
Much less a blacksmith.
If we can’t eliminate a blacksmith masquerading as a Necromancer, we should quit the assassination business.
* * *
“Carnivorous plants!”
“Shrieeeek—!”
Jin-woo spotted a massive carnivorous plant opening its enormous maw wide.
The blood-red plant lunged to swallow him whole.
Squelch—! Squelch—!
Mounted on Bone, Jin-woo lightly evaded the plant’s attack.
Whoosh—. Whoosh—.
As he did, the number of plants multiplied. The surroundings had become a veritable garden of carnivorous plants.
Shoot-shoot-shoot—!
They fired seeds from their mouths like bullets from a machine gun.
“Hm!”
Bone moved fluidly, carrying Jin-woo with ease.
‘The ride is wonderfully smooth.’
Jin-woo studied the seeds they were firing.
‘Both the leaves and seeds…’
“These would make excellent potion ingredients.”
The monsters of the Avalon Mountain Range displayed power befitting their high levels.
And the materials they dropped were quite exceptional.
‘I had thought of crafting right away.’
But Jin-woo deliberately refrained from crafting.
‘They already know all about me.’
Crafting wouldn’t draw them out.
‘If they won’t attack despite the openings I give…’
There was no point in continuing to create opportunities.
After all, Jin-woo was climbing the mountain as he pleased.
The anxiety would be on their side.
As they climbed higher along the mountain face.
The users that had been plentiful grew sparse, then disappeared entirely. Beyond this point, monsters were scarce.
‘There. That was plenty cautious.’
Shaaaack—.
Then the sound of chains emanated from behind Jin-woo.
At the same moment, he felt presences from all four directions—east, west, south, and north.
They were finally moving.
‘The encirclement is quite fast too.’
“Jin-woo. That’s you, right?”
A single user emerged slowly from the darkness.
Shaaaack—.
Jin-woo could tell at a glance.
Black aura rising into view.
‘A Necromancer?’
And a notably skilled one at that.
‘Once the corpse count from my hunts exceeded a certain threshold, they surfaced perfectly on cue. They’re using corpses to try to pressure me.’
He seemed to have been waiting for precisely this moment.
Rustle—. Rustle—.
“Arise.”
Crack-crackle—!
The monsters Jin-woo had hunted began to rise.
Dozens of creatures awakened from the earth.
“Deadman Arise.”
A tempest of mana erupted from the resurrected undead.
—A scent of death spreads through the area!
—A powerful debuff engulfs you!
—Bone is affected by the debuff!
Eureka watched Jin-woo. A Necromancer fundamentally had to set up the board well.
He was doing that now.
A combat-experienced user would have attacked and disrupted him during this setup phase.
But Jin-woo simply remained still.
That confirmed it.
Combat experience was severely lacking.
Thinking about it, that made sense.
Until now, Jin-woo had only fought NPCs and monsters.
So abundant combat experience was out of the question.
Especially against other Necromancers.
“Your name’s been making waves lately.”
Eureka spoke.
“A protruding stone gets hammered down. Isn’t that how it goes?”
Then he made a gesture.
With that, over a hundred resurrected undead assembled in orderly formation.
‘A formidable assault force.’
But.
‘The setup is quite skillful.’
Jin-woo watched as Eureka laid out his board, fully aware of what was happening.
These people hadn’t yet seen the Underworld reclamation footage, so they wouldn’t know that the tower boss Jin-woo had faced—Yeurolde—was also a Necromancer.
The reason Jin-woo was watching anyway was simple.
Curiosity.
‘I haven’t yet encountered an orthodox Necromancer.’
Jin-woo was also observing the equipment of this Necromancer user.
A flowing, tattered robe.
A staff with skulls embedded in it, a necklace, rings, and a belt at the waist.
‘All crafted quite well. High completion.’
Equipment designed solely to enhance Necromancer abilities.
Particularly the Ashen Staff and the accessory set showed excellent design.
‘Someone who knows what they’re doing made these.’
“Bone Weapon.”
Eureka’s undead grasped bone weapons.
“Charge.”
At the command, they surged forward like madness.
Shaaaack—.
Behind them, magic from accompanying users was cast.
A five-pointed magical circle drew before them, while lightning crackled on one side.
On the other, spears of frost formed.
Crack—. Crack-crack—.
The earth rippled, and root tendrils suddenly sprouted around Jin-woo’s ankles, binding him fast.
—Your movement speed is restricted by Grain Vines!
Jin-woo snapped his fingers lightly, crisp and clean.
“Aura.”
—All debuffs are cleansed!
Through the job effect of Necromaster – Lord, every debuff was converted to a buff.
—Your movement speed increases!
The restricted movement became wings upon Jin-woo instead.
And at the same moment, subordinates were summoned.
Shaaaack—.
First and Pur.
Fin and Bone.
And Moltus as well.
All combat subordinates emerged with a pitch-black aura.
“First, Pur.”
Jin-woo gestured to his two subordinates.
He pointed at the undead with bone weapons charging wildly.
“Show them.”
He directed them to display the newly crafted M-grade equipment, his orders sharp. The two subordinates’ expressions transformed.
Shaaaack—.
Eyes gleaming with light.
And.
Snap—!
Both subordinates burst forth simultaneously.
Against the undead charging from all sides, each subordinate swung their weapon.
No skills were needed.
Only showing the quality of equipment they now wielded.
Squelch—.
Crash-crash-crash-crash-crash—!
First and Pur shot through in opposite directions.
“!”
“Im—Insane!”
Half of the over-hundred undead fell to a single strike from First and Pur.
Drip—. Drip—.
From the Void Bloodred Destruction Sword that First wielded, blood-red aura dripped steadily. He had merely swung it once.
Yet the power was overwhelming.
Pur too marveled at his newly received weapon.
He could now wield the frost power inherent to him far more powerfully than before.
“I shall not disappoint the master’s expectations.”
Pur gripped the Frost Breath Greatsword firmly.
And at the same moment, Fin and Bone charged at the remaining enemies.
“Fin—!”
Fin dove and seized the undead in his jaws, hurling them to the ground, while Bone slashed through them with the Titanium Wild Claw.
“Hahahaha—. Kneel before greatness.”
Moltus looked down at the undead from above, mouth gaping wide.
“Dragon Breath.”
Whoooosh—.
From the sky, Moltus’s breath blazed forth.
“Scatter!”
The breath caught not only the undead but also the guild members behind them attempting follow-up attacks.
Eureka clicked his tongue.
He knew Jin-woo’s subordinates were powerful.
But not to this degree.
It was overwhelming disparity in strength.
Eureka’s undead never even managed an attack.
Over a hundred of his undead fell pathetically to Jin-woo’s five subordinates.
“Hmph.”
He knew his subordinates were strong, but beyond that strength lay another tier entirely. The undead he’d just raised were hastily assembled from corpses of Avalon Mountain Range monsters, so naturally they would be inferior.
But he had judged they could whittle down the opponent’s health somewhat.
Corpse priority was a critical element in fights between Necromancers, after all.
Yet not only did they fail to reduce the opponent’s health, it merely cost him massive mana.
“What the hell are those pieces of equipment!”
Beyond their strength, the grade of Jin-woo’s equipment differed far more than anticipated.
This was absolutely not the grade he’d expected.
“Those can’t be USSR+ grade…?”
“Guild master!”
“Orders!”
The guild members sensed it too. Jin-woo and his subordinates had already broken the formation. At this rate, it wouldn’t be Jin-woo who was assassinated—it would be them.
New orders were needed.
Eureka’s brow furrowed.
“We go Plan B!”
Plan B.
It meant committing the guild’s full strength to handle Jin-woo.
In other words, the Maydongpung Guild would have to operate at significant risk.
“So that’s why they rushed us this urgent commission from headquarters.”
Eureka clicked his tongue.
Then suddenly.
Jin-woo looked their way. His subordinates wielded overwhelming equipment, yet Jin-woo himself carried no particular gear.
Yet Eureka felt a chill.
“Could it be…”
He’d thought Jin-woo lacked combat experience, unable to respond to the board he’d laid.
But looking now, he realized that wasn’t it.
Rather…
“He waited for us to set the board…?”
There was no other way to explain this overwhelming force. The precision with which he dismantled the formation made Eureka’s body tremble.
In that moment, realization struck him.
“Jin…”
Jin-woo was the singular standout user of Eternal Sunshine.
Combat experience was the only thing he lacked in NewGen.
The experience accumulated in Eternal Sunshine would be astronomical.
Dread washed over Eureka. In all his assassination work, he’d never encountered anything like this.
“Did I touch something I shouldn’t have?”
“Who sent you!”
Then Jin-woo shouted.
“Whoever sent you—make sure to tell them.”
Jin-woo said.
“I’m very grateful.”

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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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