The Return of the Legendary Golden-Handed Blacksmith - Chapter 26

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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 26
Episode 26.
Sharknet Community.
People began to take interest when news spread that Jin-woo’s pickaxe had sold for 12,000 gold.
-What? What’s this?
-Who pays 12,000 gold for a pickaxe?
-Aren’t all pickaxes the same?
-Character stats are what matter.
A pickaxe is just an ancillary tool.
If a character’s stats are high enough, you can break ore just by striking it with your bare fist.
Of course, you can’t properly harvest minerals that way, but fundamentally, most players saw pickaxes as mere supplementary items.
So it made no sense to spend 12,000 gold on one.
But that was just the perspective of casual players. The miners were desperate with regret.
“Damn.”
“I should have bought it.”
“How could I compete when Yu-reul outbids like that?”
“We’re just waiting for a user review for now.”
The miners were on edge. It was the first truly proper equipment to come onto the market in ages.
In fact, it was nearly unprecedented.
“There were rumors going around. That crafters from top-tier guilds were making mining-exclusive pickaxes. Much better quality than the standard ones. But how could we ever afford those?”
To get such a good pickaxe, money alone wasn’t enough.
But Jin-woo had simply sold quality pickaxes for gold.
That alone was a major draw.
“How did this person Jin-woo make one so well without even being a miner?”
“Really shocked us. And look at the design—so sleek. I never understood people who drive sports cars, you know? But now I get it.”
“Mmm. The sports car of pickaxes.”
“The luxury sedan of pickaxes!”
“You have to own this.”
“This is a must-buy!”
Jin-woo’s pickaxe had a kind of luxury sedan feel to it.
So everyone wanted to try buying one.
“Oh! The review’s up.”
Sharknet had various forums, and of course there was one dedicated to miners.
Yu-reul’s review of the equipment he’d just purchased from Jin-woo appeared on the mining forum.
-Heh.
The post that came with a screenshot was exactly one letter long.
“Huh. He really seems to love it?”
“He’s smiling in the screenshot.”
“Wait, isn’t that—could that be mithril!?”
Yu-reul happily using the pickaxe.
And high-grade ore scattered all around him.
It was incredibly appealing to miners. The post contained only one photo and no text to speak of, but it was a silent appeal that screamed “Don’t buy this or you’re a fool.”
“I have to buy it.”
“I absolutely have to buy it!”
“Look at that guy’s smile!”
Many guilds were already seeking Jin-woo.
And now the miners joined the queue as well.
* * *
“Oh.”
-All items have been sold!-
-Will you accept the sale proceeds?-
“They all sold.”
It had been only one day since he posted them to the Auction House.
All twenty pickaxes sold in a single day.
“How could they not sell? They were pretty solid pieces, if I do say so myself.”
Jin-woo immediately checked the sale proceeds.
“12,000 gold?”
But the gold he received was less than expected.
“If they all sold, shouldn’t I have gotten more?”
-You have received your free auction proceeds!-
“Wait, this is just the free auction amount?”
Moreover, the price for the Bronze Steel Pickaxe was surprising.
“I made them well, but I didn’t expect them to fetch 12,000 gold.”
After the free auction proceeds came in, the regular sale proceeds arrived.
19,000 gold.
“One pickaxe is worth about the same as nineteen of them.”
The pickaxes sold for a thousand gold each weren’t much different from the ones he’d posted in the free auction.
“Seems the pickaxe market has more demand than I thought.”
Jin-woo smirked.
“This should give me some real leverage.”
Jin-woo checked the Auction House. Now that he had money, it was time to buy materials.
“I need to prepare.”
Jin-woo was currently outside Synths, in a place called Guden Canyon.
This Guden Canyon was exactly where the parchment indicated.
A Legendary-tier Job Quest.
The parchment he’d received in the tutorial had mentioned this very canyon.
“Just looking at it, the slope seems pretty steep.”
Guden Canyon was quite deep.
The wind blew through it, lending an eerie atmosphere.
“A Legendary-tier Job Quest naturally means the difficulty will be harsh.”
Right now, Jin-woo had no combat equipment at all. Entering bare-handed would mean death.
“Let me start by crafting some basic gear I can use.”
Jin-woo gazed into the canyon with considerable anticipation.
“I have a feeling there’ll be good monsters here.”
Good monsters would naturally drop good materials.
“Maybe I’ll craft a pickaxe from their drops?”
Jin-woo checked the Auction House for materials first.
His current funds were 31,000 gold.
“There’s quite a lot I can buy.”
But the materials available in the Auction House were limited.
“I need to make one weapon and one armor set.”
As Jin-woo was browsing the Auction House, he found one particular material.
-Lapis Lazuli Stone / Grade: A
Price: [1,000 Gold]
“Lapis Lazuli Stone?”
It was a completely new ore to him.
While some ores overlapped with those in Eternal Sunshine, there were also many entirely new ones.
“Grade A, and the price is quite reasonable too.”
Jin-woo deliberated for a moment.
“If I use this, I won’t need to spare my Steel Claws, will I?”
His current inventory held Platinum and two Steel Claws.
“I’ll save the Platinum for after my job advancement.”
Using the Steel Claw and Lapis Lazuli Stone to craft equipment seemed sufficient.
“That should be enough. If it falls short, I can always use the Platinum too.”
He still hadn’t fully assessed how dangerous this canyon was.
He’d need to equip himself and explore.
-You have purchased Lapis Lazuli Stone!-
Jin-woo bought a total of ten Lapis Lazuli Stones.
He’d need a generous amount to craft both a weapon and armor.
-Lapis Lazuli Stone [Grade: A]-
Description: A beautiful stone that shimmers with a deep blue light. Primarily used for Enchantment.
Shiiine—.
The Lapis Lazuli Stone emitted a beautiful blue radiance.
“Oh.”
A smile unconsciously crossed his face.
“The quality is quite excellent, probably because it’s Grade A.”
Jin-woo caressed the Lapis Lazuli Stone with his hand like he was examining it.
“Hmm. This seems better suited for fine artistry.”
The mineral itself seemed like it would be better used to craft accessories.
“But it’s not lacking as a material for forging equipment.”
Jin-woo held the Lapis Lazuli Stone up to the sunlight.
“I’ll mix it with the Steel Claw. But to really bring out its properties, I’ll need to learn Enchantment. I can imbue magic into the Lapis Lazuli Stone itself and then add it as an option to the equipment.”
The moment he saw the Lapis Lazuli Stone, he could picture in his mind exactly how to use it.
“Anything else?”
Jin-woo kept the Lapis Lazuli Stone and examined other materials.
Various ores were listed, but they were either too expensive or inadequate for his current skill level.
“Not much inventory. Breaking into the merchant guilds would be much better.”
Jin-woo spoke with clear regret.
“I wasn’t even asking for top-tier materials. But there’s almost nothing in the tier below.”
It was natural that such materials didn’t appear on the Auction House.
To obtain good materials, the best approach was to either contract with a high-ranked player or a major merchant guild.
Or, alternatively, to source them directly yourself.
“Sourcing directly has its merits too. But hmm.”
Various thoughts crossed his mind.
Then suddenly, good ideas began to spark.
“Let me handle what needs to be done first.”
Jin-woo dove into crafting.
Whoooosh—!
“I need to solve the immediate problem first.”
What he had to prioritize right now was crafting a weapon and armor.
Jin-woo inserted the Steel Claw first.
Whoooosh—!
“The base will be this Steel Claw.”
Jin-woo recalled the Steel Colossus.
That immense power.
What kind of weapon would best showcase the claw’s sharpness?
“The feeling of tearing everything apart in a single strike.”
A spear wouldn’t do—it had to be a blade.
“I’ll intentionally disrupt the balance.”
He shaped the blade so it looked torn ragged rather than perfectly straight.
And then he added Lapis Lazuli Stone.
Shiiiiine—.
“Hmm.”
Clang—! Clang—! Clang—!
Lapis Lazuli Stone and Steel Claw.
An unlikely pairing, but the moment Jin-woo worked them together, they became one seamlessly.
“Mun-ji.”
Jin-woo summoned Mun-ji.
“Draw out the strength of these materials.”
Burst—!
Mun-ji flew over the blade Jin-woo was forging.
White light cascaded down.
Light began to emanate from the materials themselves.
-The material’s strength is being enhanced!-
-The material’s essence is awakening!-
Clang—! Clang—!
-The power of lava infuses the blade!-
The Lava Smelting Technique.
Combined with Mun-ji’s power, Jin-woo could swing his hammer with complete freedom.
Clang—!
-Balance is becoming unstable!-
The blade Jin-woo was creating now had a design meant to match the claw’s concept, which necessarily meant sacrificing the weapon’s balance.
Clang—!
If balance collapsed, the equipment would shatter.
Incomplete. The materials would simply be wasted.
Clang—! Clang—!
Insufficient level.
Insufficient proficiency.
But in that razor’s-edge moment—
Crack—!
Jin-woo’s delicate craftsmanship shone.
The balance that should have collapsed was held.
-Extraordinary Craftsmanship!-
-Dexterity Stat increases!-
-Dexterity Stat increases!-
Synchronization Rate.
With only Dexterity pulling him through, Jin-woo maintained exquisite control—like walking a tightrope. His hammer strokes continued.
In this situation, even the boldest blacksmith would feel their hands tremble or their nerves fray, but Jin-woo was actually enjoying himself.
If the equipment didn’t break, all that pressure and tension would translate directly into the equipment’s specification.
Clang—! Clang—!
The blade was completed under Jin-woo’s hands.
-You have created equipment!-
-Exceptional Result!-
-You have created an A+ Grade weapon!-
-Level increases!-
[Lapis Claw Rake Sword]
-Attack Power: 110~150
-Grade: A+
-Durability: 5500/5500
[A sword forged by the rising craftsman Jin-woo. Crafted from the claw of the monster called the Steel Colossus of Ryutan and Lapis Lazuli Stone. The Steel Colossus’s immense power dwells within it.]
Mana increases by 300.
Attack Power rises by an additional 50.
Releases shockwaves in three raking streaks.
Shiiiiine—.
A blade was born, the blue glow of the Lapis Lazuli Stone complementing perfectly the weighty dark hue of the Steel Colossus’s claw.
By any normal measure, it should have shattered midway.
But Jin-woo’s dexterity brought it to completion. It was a truly extraordinary achievement.
“Excellent.”
Additional options and an additional skill too.
And more—
“A+ grade.”
It had reached A+, a rank higher than A.
“If I do this well—”
Jin-woo gripped the blade.
The moment he grasped it, the Lapis Claw Rake Sword adhered perfectly to his hand.
That fearsome claw he’d witnessed before.
The very terror of the Steel Colossus that had torn countless challengers apart in the tutorial was now bound within the blade.
“Feels good.”
Jin-woo set the blade down gently.
The sensation of striking Lapis Lazuli Stone and Steel Claw still lingered in his hands.
“That’s satisfying. Really satisfying. Good materials truly repay the investment.”
Jin-woo then prepared to craft the armor.
“If I handle this right—”
It seemed he could craft S-Grade equipment even without a job class.
“That would be interesting.”

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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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