The Return of the Legendary Golden-Handed Blacksmith - Chapter 305

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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 305
305.
‘This is fun. Really fun.’
User Crafting was always a pleasure.
The way they forged their own paths, mining deeper, learning new Skills along the way—it was something NPCs could never quite match.
October in particular was showing exactly why he ranked fifty-eighth.
‘His Hammering is excellent.’
A superb Skill.
He was walking that razor’s edge, drawing out every ounce of power the materials possessed.
‘The force he’s using to develop that Attribute isn’t stable at all.’
Nature’s Force was bearing the risk, though if October’s focus wavered for even a moment—if his Hammering went awry—the whole thing would shatter.
‘He’s covering for it with extraordinary concentration.’
And his force control was masterful.
Watching October’s minute adjustments in power was genuinely satisfying.
Shaaaa—
October pulled Nature’s Force higher still.
What he was making was an extraordinarily sharp blade.
He’d deliberately chosen Pure Jet Stone to refine, pouring his Nature’s Force into it like a man possessed.
Shruup—. Shruup—.
Emerald energy bloomed outward from him.
‘Looks like he learned from an Elf.’
The Nature’s Force had a familiar quality to it.
Sharrr—. Sharrr—.
As the emerald energy settled into the Pure Jet Stone, the stone itself shifted to green in an instant.
And at precisely the right moment, October swung his Hammer again.
“Hrmm—!”
Peran watched October with admiration.
Truth be told, a ranking of fifty-eighth was something the old Peran would have dismissed as middling.
That’s why, even knowing of October’s existence, he’d never challenged him.
He saw no reason to. His own skill stood higher, or so he’d believed—he’d wanted to test himself against Blacksmiths of greater rank.
“Such arrogance…….”
But seeing him work now, Peran understood: the man was on another level entirely.
In an actual Competition, Peran would have lost. A hundred percent.
Only now could he grasp how conceited his former self had been.
“To refine Pure Jet Stone to that degree…….”
No matter how much Skill backed it, without genuine foundational mastery it would be impossible.
Supreme-tier fundamentals.
And the versatility to apply those fundamentals freely—it proved why October had once belonged to the Jiryong Guild.
Shuruuru—
October’s Crafting was already halfway through.
Jin-woo, who’d been watching intently, finally gripped his Hammer.
“Mm.”
Then he felt the Pure Jet Stone carefully.
‘I understand now.’
Jin-woo smiled slightly.
He was beginning to see why this Pure Jet Stone was used as a benchmark for skill assessment.
‘Similar to Orichalcum, but……’
it lacked practical utility.
‘Different from Obsidian too.’
Obsidian also had limited practical application, but you could still work with it if you wanted to.
Pure Jet Stone was another animal entirely.
‘Difficult to handle, but the output is poor.’
Even if you crafted equipment from it, it would be meaningless.
‘If I made a shield…… a weapon would absolutely win.’
It was a property inherent to Pure Jet Stone.
The realization made Jin-woo’s blood sing.
‘Then what if I made it so it doesn’t break?’
How difficult would it be to craft equipment from a material designed to shatter, but make it unbreakable?
‘October’s weapon will certainly be impressive.’
Made from Pure Jet Stone, it wouldn’t have much practical application either—but it would be enough to shatter equipment made from Pure Jet Stone.
‘This is the thrill.’
Blood rushed through his entire body.
This. This was the taste of Crafting. This was what Competition with users should feel like.
Jin-woo slowly tightened his grip on the Hammer.
He’d finished assessing the Pure Jet Stone.
He had a rough sense of what to make and how to make it.
No need to wait any longer.
Bang—!
Jin-woo began Hammering in earnest.
At that single strike, Peran’s eyes snapped from October to Jin-woo in an instant.
“!”
He’d just been thinking that if October was this skilled, he couldn’t afford to lose focus.
Bang—.
Yet after just two strikes, Peran found his mouth falling open in a daze.
What was he just thinking about?
October’s Crafting had filled his mind completely, but now there was nothing. October’s memory had already been overwritten—etched over by Jin-woo’s Hammering.
His entire world was Jin-woo’s Crafting now.
Jin-woo’s Hammering had upgraded itself far beyond what it had been before—dramatically.
Shaaaaa—.
Circulation Force spreading outward.
Wave Force.
And Jin-woo’s own raw power, felt with precision.
Bang—! Bang—! Bang—!
To strike the Pure Jet Stone with precision required larger motions.
Larger movements could invite stronger force.
But Jin-woo’s force control was exact.
Bang—!
October’s Hammering sound came again.
Yet Peran’s eyes remained fixed on Jin-woo.
“Delicate yet…… coarse.”
It was contradictory, but there was no other way to describe it.
“Huuuuh.”
October, having started first, was rapidly finishing his Crafting.
The Pure Jet Stone had already flattened into the shape of a sword.
“Over twenty strikes.”
The Pure Jet Stone had another peculiarity.
Namely, there was a limit to how many times you could Hammer it. It wasn’t a system-imposed limit, but rather the probability of breakage increased with each strike, so it was understood as a functional ceiling.
More strikes meant greater skill—or so the theory went.
Bang—!
“……Not much left now.”
Twenty-five strikes.
Roughly the limit of how many times the Pure Jet Stone could be struck.
Twenty-five was already quite generous. Peran himself could barely manage between twenty-three and twenty-five, and October was probably plus-or-minus one from that.
Bang—! Bang—!
Already past twenty. Five strikes remaining.
Bang—!
October increased his pace. Since he’d started first, he’d reach the limit first.
Bang—!
October clenched his teeth.
This was the moment to prove himself.
Bang—!
Past twenty-five. Twenty-six strikes now.
Hissss—.
October took a deep breath, then closed his eyes and looked skyward.
He’d done it.
In this moment, he’d managed twenty-six strikes on the Pure Jet Stone.
“Wow…….”
Peran gasped. To hammer right up to that edge—one mistake and he’d have suffered humiliation.
Yet he’d succeeded.
October smiled slightly as he gripped the completed Pure Jet Stone sword.
He’d set a new personal record here and now.
He’d been pushing himself to the absolute limit, but in that moment of immersion, he heard Jin-woo’s Hammering.
If he didn’t attempt the Competition, he’d lose. He’d deliberately avoided watching Jin-woo’s Crafting, but even the sound alone was telling.
So he’d taken the risk.
And he’d done it.
Twenty-six strikes.
Had he ever before completed equipment on Pure Jet Stone with such a tight margin?
Had he ever before raised the finish to this level on a material where each additional strike increased the chance of failure?
Absolutely not.
This sword was his masterwork.
This Competition……
“……I won.”
Quietly, he savored the victory.
This was a battle he couldn’t lose. A Pure Jet Stone shield, no matter how it was made, couldn’t possibly withstand a sword crafted with twenty-six strikes.
It would shatter either way.
His heart felt like it would burst.
He was achieving what no one had ever achieved before.
Everything would change now.
His MiTube channel would skyrocket, and he might even return to the Jiryong Guild!
A circuit of joy hummed through him.
Bang—!
A sound cut through reality.
Jin-woo’s Hammering.
“Twenty-fifth strike…….”
Jin-woo’s Hammering had already reached twenty-five.
One more strike would mean twenty-six—matching October exactly.
“But still…….”
Even so, it didn’t matter.
With identical twenty-six strikes, the weapon would naturally have the advantage.
Bang—!
Twenty-six strikes, matching October exactly.
A success.
The Pure Jet Stone hadn’t shattered. It maintained the beautiful shape of a shield.
“!”
October’s eyes widened as he stared at Jin-woo.
He’d said he was using this material for the first time.
How could he manage the same twenty-six strikes?
October shook his head slowly.
A monster is a monster. No wonder the Eternal Sunshine users were making such a fuss.
“Thank you for—”
October opened his mouth, thinking it was over.
But Jin-woo wasn’t looking at him.
His gaze was fixed solely on the Pure Jet Stone.
“……Huh?”
Surely not.
“If he goes further from here……”
October found his mouth falling open without thinking.
Bang—!
“It should break……”
Bang—! Bang—! Bang—! Bang—!
“……?”
“!”
The Pure Jet Stone that should have shattered didn’t.
Thirty strikes total.
Yet Jin-woo was still studying the Pure Jet Stone.
It wasn’t over yet.
The Pure Jet Stone could go further. To draw out everything this material held.
Bang—!
It required infinite concentration.
Jin-woo had stopped breathing. Even the smallest movement that came with breathing could shatter the Pure Jet Stone now.
And from the depths of that immersion, Jin-woo brought down the Hammer slowly.
Bang.
The thirty-first strike. As the final Hammer fell, a notification appeared.
-Equipment crafted successfully!
The shield made from Pure Jet Stone began to glow in Jin-woo’s hand.
Jin-woo was quite satisfied.
October blinked rapidly.
Jin-woo paid no mind and handed the shield to Peran.
“Here you are.”
Peran accepted the equipment from Jin-woo.
Then he simply froze.
Both Blacksmiths had used Pure Jet Stone of USSR Grade.
October had created a USSR+ Grade sword with twenty-six strikes.
And the Grade of the equipment Jin-woo had made was…….
“……M+ Grade……?”
Peran’s hands trembled.

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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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