The Return of the Legendary Golden-Handed Blacksmith - Chapter 260

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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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Episode 260
260.
-Successfully hunted Grendan, the Three-Horned Demon, Administrator of the Tower of Lightning!
Jin-woo smiled and collected Grendan’s Soul.
Shiiiiiii—.
“Impressive, as befits an Administrator-grade.
-Grendan’s Soul [USSR+ Grade]
Grendan’s Soul was USSR+ Grade, nothing less.
‘There’s a reason this quest has such high difficulty.’
He’d hunted a mid-boss and obtained USSR+ Grade materials.
‘Which means the tower’s bosses are definitely M Grade or higher.’
The thought that there were three such bosses in the tower filled him with anticipation.
-Grendan’s Horn [USSR+ Grade]
-Grendan’s Bone [USSR+ Grade]
-Grendan’s Lightning Essence [USSR+ Grade]
“Ah. Lightning Essence.”
The horn, the bone, and the lightning essence.
All of them were USSR+ Grade, same as the soul.
Jin-woo placed Grendan’s byproducts together with the byproducts of the demons he’d led.
-Thundercloud Stone [USSR Grade]
-Thundercloud Leather [USSR Grade]
“The demons of the Tower of Lightning carry lightning’s power imbued within them.”
Jin-woo gestured to his familiars.
“All of you did well.”
From this battle, he’d gained feedback on M Grade equipment one more time.
‘The armor—I’ll need to test that more thoroughly.’
At this level, the two familiars’ armor had become so well-fitted that it barely suffered damage even when struck.
‘The Void Crimson Ruin Sword definitely has risks.’
The blade’s overwhelming power had First being pulled along by it.
“Don’t let the blade pull you along.”
Jin-woo offered advice to First.
First bowed, impressed by how precisely Jin-woo had grasped his movement.
“I will carve it into my very bones.”
Conversely, Pur was relying too heavily on the blade.
The Extreme Greatsword’s power suited Pur extraordinarily well—whenever he displayed his full strength, the blade responded brilliantly to it.
That very compatibility had made him grow too dependent on the weapon.
“If you rely too much on the blade, you’ll see nothing but the blade.”
One’s presence couldn’t exist solely through equipment.
Of course, there was scarcely anyone whose presence could rival the gear Jin-woo forged, but still—being consumed by equipment served no purpose.
“Yes!”
During this battle, Jin-woo focused most intently on Speed.
Speed’s velocity made him perfect as a vanguard and equally suited for assassination.
‘Though his raw power is considerable, it isn’t overwhelming.’
Demons under Grendan’s command were something he could handle barehanded without issue.
‘Though they were sorcerers, he’s hunted high-level players before.’
But higher-tier monsters would certainly prove difficult.
‘So what weapon would best leverage Speed’s advantages?’
Jin-woo carefully observed the battle, considering what equipment could amplify Speed’s velocity while dramatically increasing destructive power.
The exceptional skill Speed displayed in unarmed combat suggested that gauntlets might serve him well.
But Jin-woo wanted something with even greater force.
‘Looking at his attack patterns…’
A suitable piece of equipment suddenly flashed through Jin-woo’s mind.
“Summon.”
Jin-woo immediately summoned the Workshop.
He then laid all the materials he’d just obtained on the workbench.
“Speed, I’m going to make you some equipment.”
“That’s not necessary! This body you’ve given me is more than enough to—”
First and Pur placed their hands on Speed’s shoulders as he spoke in his rapid-fire voice.
“Just trust and leave it to our master.”
Speed fell silent.
Whoooosh—!
Clang—!
Jin-woo began work immediately.
First came the Thundercloud Stone.
He would lay it as the foundation material.
And then.
-The Soul Furnace activates!
“Grendan’s Soul…”
Shiiiiiii—!
Jin-woo crystallized Grendan’s Soul on the spot.
-Grendan’s Soul Crystal [USSR+ Grade]
“Now I mix in the horn.”
Jin-woo intended to blend the horn, raising the durability of the Thundercloud Stone and Soul Crystal.
Whoooosh—!
Clang—! Clang—! Clang—!
The Thundercloud Stone, Soul Crystal, and horn began merging into one.
Crackle—!
The three materials fused into unity amid intense lightning.
Now came the most critical phase.
“Maximization Smelting.”
The equipment he would create needed to maximize Speed’s velocity while simultaneously elevating destructive power.
For this reason, Jin-woo pushed sharpness to the extreme even more than before.
Like when he’d worked with obsidian, he imbued it with Ultimate Attack Power.
‘Speed is a familiar who, through sheer velocity, can always secure the first strike.’
In essence, he possessed the speed to eliminate targets on the very first blow.
‘But his raw power is lacking.’
So by raising that power, he could deliver the fastest, sharpest strike dead-center.
‘Like an arrow.’
Except this arrow wouldn’t finish after a single shot—it could move fluidly, targeting enemies’ vital points.
Clang—! Clang—!
Jin-woo drew forth the Wave Resonance.
But doing so would introduce a major weakness.
‘Instability.’
The equipment itself might not even complete.
So now he had to stabilize that instability.
Shiiiiiii—.
Rumbling—!
Lightning suddenly erupted from the Soul Crystal and Thundercloud Stone.
-Lightning assaults your body!
-Status Abnormality: Paralysis!
-The Necromaster job effect removes the paralysis.
But the damage came through unfiltered.
Though the paralysis faded, Jin-woo’s body shook naturally from the lightning’s force.
Jin-woo swung his hammer with a sharp motion.
‘If I can use this trembling motion…’
Whack—.
Jin-woo gripped the hammer even more fiercely.
-A Rune of Flame’s Blessing flows into you!
Jin-woo immediately enhanced his Strength Stat.
Whoooosh!
-Flame envelops your Strength Stat.
Jin-woo felt it clearly.
‘Great power meets greater power.’
Especially with lightning—any wavering in strength, even slightly, made it impossible to carve as desired.
‘This lightning is different from any I’ve handled before.’
Jin-woo had used lightning-related materials many times.
But this lightning was far more volatile.
‘It’s wild.’
Crackle—!
Rumble—!
Lightning struck at the focal point of his hammering.
“Hmm.”
Jin-woo drew forth the Wave Resonance for a moment.
Whoooosh—.
Then he thrust the Thundercloud Stone merged with the Soul Crystal into the furnace.
‘If I melt it completely, control becomes easier.’
But then the lightning’s power is suppressed—pressed down entirely by the combined flames.
‘What good does that do?’
Since it’s a mineral housing lightning’s power, he needed to preserve that advantage.
That’s why he used Maximization Smelting.
Yet suppressing it entirely defeats the purpose.
Jin-woo rapidly withdrew the Thundercloud Stone from the furnace.
“Only Wave Resonance can harmonize with it.”
Zeeeee—.
Hummm—.
Jin-woo’s Wave Resonance matched its frequency to the Thundercloud Stone.
‘Just as I created Fire Build through Wave Resonance…’
Lightning’s power could just as easily be aligned through waves.
‘Aligned.’
Clang—!
-A new power is added to your Wave Resonance!
Lightning suddenly flowed into Jin-woo’s hands.
-Thunder Build is added to Wave Resonance!
Clang—! Clang—! Clang—!
With his new wave-form, Jin-woo carved and carved at the Thundercloud Stone.
Spell Enchantment.
Essence of Potion imbued.
The instability from Maximization Smelting still remained.
Jin-woo pushed Maximization Smelting to an even higher level.
“Maximization.”
Normally, he should have finished here with Harmonia Smelting.
Harmonia Smelting would embrace the Maximization Smelting and completely compensate for the instability.
But that came at a cost.
‘Trading loss for stability.’
Jin-woo chose to abandon stability for now.
Boom—.
Booooom—!
Jin-woo gripped the wildly trembling Thundercloud Stone Soul Crystal with tremendous force.
‘From here on…’
This was entirely his domain. If he could control it here, he could ascend to a higher level—and if not, he could always retreat to Harmonia Smelting.
Of course, Harmonia Smelting was the art of harmony.
It wasn’t retreat so much as harmonizing and allowing for genuine growth.
But for this equipment, it didn’t fit.
‘Each situation calls for its own smelting technique.’
So Jin-woo wouldn’t retreat.
‘Using this lightning as my foundation.’
Boom—. Booom—.
Jin-woo wrapped lightning around his hands with ever greater intensity.
The wave writhed.
The hammer became lightning itself.
Clang—!
“Soul Forging.”
Jin-woo drew forth and purified the soul within the Thundercloud Stone Soul Crystal.
Shiiiiiiiii—!
‘Even the purification process is brutal.’
It was a soul that had suffered greatly.
As demonic byproducts, that was only natural.
Boom—!
Jin-woo endured. He continuously released the strain of the intense lightning through his wave, guiding it, striking again and again with his hammer.
Boom—. Crackle—!
Jin-woo immersed himself completely.
It was a fight of instants.
Everything changed based on how he brought the hammer down in that single, fleeting moment. So he sank deeper still.
Deeper.
Deeper.
Deeper still.
Clang—!
Amid the wild instability, Jin-woo found harmony.
Harmony within instability.
It was a contradictory phrase, but he had no other way to describe it.
At that very moment, Jin-woo summoned two spirits.
The moment Dust and Coco saw the lightning before them, they immediately unleashed their power. They instinctively understood that they must not disturb Jin-woo, who was in such deep focus, and acted with great speed.
Shiiiii—.
The two spirits infused their power into the Thundercloud Stone Soul Crystal.
Ding—!
-Equipment created!
-M Grade equipment created!
-Level increased!
-A new deity takes notice of you!
-The Deity of Lightning and the Hammer observes you!
“It’s evolved to another stage.”
Jin-woo examined his hands.
The hands that had trembled wildly now trembled no more.
-Maximization Smelting evolves!
The Maximization Smelting he’d learned from the Underworld and Ice Elze became Jin-woo’s own technique and evolved.
-Maximization Smelting → Ultra Extreme Refining Technique
“Ultra Extreme. A fitting name.”
Jin-woo examined the completed equipment.
“Speed.”
This was the equipment that truly suited Speed.
Crackle—!
“Master, this is—!”
Speed’s eyes widened wildly.
All trace of his earlier reluctance was gone. Instinctively, he reached out his hands.
“Equipment worthy of you.”

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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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