The Return of the Legendary Golden-Handed Blacksmith - Chapter 268

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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 268
Episode 268.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Whoooosh—
At Jin-woo’s gesture, all his familiars materialized.
“Oh. Familiars, you say. A Necromancer—now that’s an interesting one!”
The high-ranking demon of the East watched Jin-woo wielding shadow magic, smiling.
“Let’s see what you can do.”
Ding!
—The high-ranking demon Amove of the Tower of Lightning in the East is threatening you!
Amove, the high-ranking demon of the East.
He extended both hands toward Jin-woo.
“Show me what you’re made of.”
Lightning erupted from the high-ranking demon Amove.
Crack—. Crackle—.
Cracklecracklecrackle—!
Nordin’s jaw fell open at the sight.
“Ah……!”
Now that he thought about it, that was right.
Jin-woo was no mere craftsperson.
He was also the finest Necromancer in one-versus-many combat.
But Jin-woo’s familiars were not particularly numerous.
The enemy, by contrast, numbered in the thousands—no, far more.
And their numbers were growing even as they spoke.
True, Jin-woo’s familiars were formidable.
Each one could fight and defeat a hundred enemies alone. Yet even so, the numbers fell short.
“Even if we join in…….”
Even with Nordin and the spirit knights reinforcing them, it wouldn’t be nearly enough.
The fear of those numbers made Nordin tremble.
Cracklecrackle—.
The sound of lightning spreading among the demons was driving him mad.
“Can we even…….”
Can we win?
The trauma rose within him.
The memory of that defeat threw Nordin into confusion.
Slap!
Nordin struck his own cheek.
What spirit-god was he, anyway?
How could he be trembling before demons bent on destroying his city and bringing it to ruin, when he claimed to be divine?
Overwhelmed.
The sheer numbers had submerged Nordin’s mind, leaving room for no other thought.
Flee.
They can’t win.
That was all that filled his thoughts.
But then Jin-woo stepped forward.
“Declaration of Thousand Names.”
—The Declaration of Thousand Names is invoked!
Whoooosh—.
Whoooooosh—!
Like a wave, everything around them began to turn black.
The ground, the trees, the ruins of buildings.
And the sky itself darkened.
“If anything, I like it better this way.”
The more enemies there were, the better.
—All the dead who fall within the Domain take the name of the Lord and become the Lord’s familiars!
For a Necromancer, there was nothing easier than facing an enemy that multiplied infinitely.
Every demon that fell within the domain of the Thousand Names would become Jin-woo’s familiar.
“Multiply more. Keep growing.”
Crash—!
Crunch-crack—!
First and Pur sliced through the lightning demons first.
And beside them, Pin surged forward like a wedge. Reborn as a heroic-tier undead through Soul Engraving, Pin displayed a power altogether different from before.
Whoosh—.
Screech—!
Moltus was no different.
Gripping the Wind Staff in one hand and his original staff in the other, Moltus unleashed tremendous force on all sides.
“!”
“Gahhhhh—!”
The very ground beneath the lightning demons’ feet was torn upward whole. Then it split down the middle and crushed them flat.
“Impure Wind.”
He then swung the Wind Staff at the demons on the other flank.
Shriek—.
Shrieeeeeeek—!
Countless wind blades became cutting edges, slicing through the lightning demons instantly.
The demons did not avoid Moltus’s attacks.
It was far more advantageous to press forward even under fire.
Screech—! Screech—!
Of course, approach was not easy. Equipped with his new gear, Moltus was savoring every ounce of its power.
“Hehehehe.”
“Doesn’t matter.”
Dozens of demons fell in an instant under his devastating assault. But as they fell, they multiplied—and the gap in numbers only widened further.
“Kneel before the feet of greatness!”
Bon scattered his breath to hunt the demons, and even Speed moved with frenzied velocity. Still, the numerical disadvantage was severe.
“At this rate…….”
Nordin and the spirit knights surged forward, cutting through demon ranks. The lightning demons rained lightning madly down. After all, if it came to a test of endurance, they had the advantage.
“Jin-woo!”
Nordin called out to Jin-woo, his expression etched with concern.
“Don’t worry, Nordin.”
The conditions were already met.
“This was my time from the start.”
—All the dead who fall within the Domain become the Lord’s familiars.
Swish—. Swish—. Swish—.
The demons slain by Jin-woo’s familiars materialized like shadows beside him and charged forward.
“Come.”
At Jin-woo’s call, the demons that moments before had obeyed the high-ranking demon now heeded Jin-woo’s command.
“!”
Nordin’s eyes widened in shock.
“You worry too much, Nordin.”
Crunch-crack—! Crunch—!
The original lightning demons collided with their shadow counterparts.
‘They lose to the originals.’
But two shadow familiars could handle one lightning demon.
Once dealt with, that demon too became Jin-woo’s familiar.
‘And that’s where the advantage comes in.’
“Throwing numbers at me, is he.”
Jin-woo smiled.
“Let’s see how long you can last.”
The undead didn’t tire, after all.
The high-ranking demon meant to overwhelm through sheer numbers was appalled at this mad scene.
“What is this…….”
Jin-woo’s forces were swelling.
And their source was none other than the demons themselves.
“You bastard! My subordinates……!”
Amove, the lightning high-ranking demon, gestured in alarm.
He was a far higher rank than Grendan.
His technique—this infinite multiplication of lightning—was a power recognized even by archdemons, and with it he could lay waste to the entire East alone.
“You’re turning those numbers against me!”
Crunch—! Crunch-crunch—!
A demon that was his ally moments ago became Jin-woo’s familiar.
And those newly converted familiars slew the original demons, whose corpses became familiars in turn.
“The numbers……!”
The numerical advantage that had seemed overwhelming was now tipping toward Jin-woo.
Swish—. Swish—. Swish—.
Tens, hundreds, thousands.
A true One-Man Army.
Under Jin-woo’s domain, the familiars devoured the demons in a frenzy.
Gurgle-gurgle-gurgle—!
Gurgle—!
As Amove was pushed back relentlessly, he gestured behind him.
Cracklecracklecrackle—!
At this rate, he’d be swept away like a wave and crushed.
Fewer than a hundred of his forces remained.
Even pushing reproduction to its limits, he couldn’t match the speed at which his demons were being converted to Jin-woo’s service.
Jin-woo pointed directly at Amove and gestured. Five thousand shadow demons that had been converted lunged at him.
“Bring me material.”
Roaaaaar—!
Five thousand demons answered with a howl.
Crack—crack—. Cracklecracklecracklecrackle—!
A wave of lightning crashed over Amove.
“Gaaaaaaah—!”
Amove fled, his expression contorted in agony.
“Multiply! Strike relentlessly!”
He desperately tried to increase his lightning, to reproduce his subordinates.
But every new demon born was immediately converted to Jin-woo’s familiar.
It was a cruel irony—the more he multiplied his forces, the more Jin-woo’s ranks swelled.
“Damn it……!”
—You have hunted Amove, the infinite-multiplication lightning demon!
* * *
‘Now this is satisfying.’
Jin-woo smiled and released the Declaration of Thousand Names.
Fwoosh—.
All the demons that had been familiars dissolved into dust.
—All mana has been consumed.
‘Five thousand really does drain mana like nothing else.’
But it had been valuable experience nonetheless.
‘Just like in the battle with Eureka, this job really shines in large-scale combat.’
And yet a shortcoming remained.
‘The quality of these temporarily resurrected familiars is lower than I’d hoped.’
This time Amove wasn’t that strong a demon, and his subordinates were weak, so this quality had been enough to overwhelm them.
But if the enemy were stronger, or a proper legion?
‘It’d only buy time or wear down their stamina.’
Moreover, this Declaration of Thousand Names consumed vast amounts of mana to resurrect familiars.
‘It just burns mana with no real gain.’
“It’s lacking. Clearly lacking.”
So how could he raise that quality?
‘Simple.’
Give them equipment.
But equipping them now made little sense.
‘I need to know which familiar will appear first, so I can craft equipment in advance.’
He needed to upgrade his skills.
To the point where he could equip temporary familiars on the spot—a skill that would let him craft their gear right then and there, seamlessly.
“Ideally I’d want Crafting to integrate more closely with my Necromancer techniques.”
In that case, there was a path: raise his Necromancer—Lord class level.
‘Then I could learn new skills.’
But that method would take far too long.
‘And I might not learn the exact skill I want.’
There was another way.
Becoming a Successor of a Necromancer god, or finding another Necromancer to learn from.
‘Just like I inherited Hephales’s legacy.’
Inheriting a Necromancer’s legacy seemed ideal.
‘So why search for it?’
Many gods were watching Jin-woo.
He just needed to appeal to the Necromancer-aligned gods.
Ding!
No sooner had he thought it than an alarm chimed.
—The Twin God of Fire and Soul says they’ve added what you want to the quest!
—They say the legacy of a Necromancer who wields the Great Soul and the Great Fire is related to this quest!
—The Twin God of Fire and Soul says they don’t mind if you’re busy; you can take your time!
In this battle, Jin-woo had displayed the full might of a typical One-Man Army Necromancer.
At minimum, five thousand.
He had crushed his foe while commanding a staggering number of troops.
‘Is the Twin God of Fire and Soul a Necromancer-aligned god?’
Originally, the Twin God of Fire and Soul had been Peran’s patron.
After his encounter with Peran, the Twin God of Fire and Soul had wanted to make Jin-woo their Successor, and they were quietly waiting for him to clear the quest.
—The Twin God of Fire and Soul says they can give you what you want!
—They say you’ll need the power of a great soul!
‘Looks like they only gave Peran fire abilities.’
Jin-woo smiled.
“Then things just got more interesting, Twin God of Fire and Soul.”
If he could receive the reward he wanted, he could prioritize clearing this quest.
“I’ll come straight away once I finish this quest.”
—The Twin God of Fire and Soul claps in delight, finally satisfied!
—The Twin God of Fire and Soul sheds tears of joy.
‘They’re really happy about this.’
Jin-woo felt a twinge of guilt, though only a small one.
But what could he do?
‘Might as well follow where the wind takes me.’
“I’ve brought it all!”
Speed returned carrying the byproducts from Amove.
“Oh.”
Jin-woo’s eyes widened as he surveyed the material.
“This ingredient…….”

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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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