The Return of the Legendary Golden-Handed Blacksmith - Chapter 31

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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 31
31.
The captain of the Lower-Grade Smithy’s blacksmiths, who had been fighting alongside the knights, furrowed his brow.
“Was there a blacksmith still with stamina left……?”
He’d never seen this blacksmith before, but then again, all the blacksmiths here were new faces in this war.
Clang! Clang!
‘The speed is sufficient.’
As Jin-woo crafted the Pickaxe, he raised the grade of his Lava Smelting Technique.
Thanks to that, he could hammer with fluid, dynamic rhythm.
“Hrrgh.”
Jin-woo ran his hands over the stacked materials, tapping them thoughtfully.
‘This is A Grade.’
The piled steel was A Grade steel.
Despite being a Lower-Grade Smithy, the materials were quite excellent.
“I’ve never worked with A Grade steel before.”
Jin-woo’s hands moved faster.
‘Insane, absolutely insane.’
With every strike, he felt the strong resistance of the steel.
Jin-woo hammered with pure delight.
To think he’d ever get to work with materials this good.
There were a few rough spots, of course, but it was more than sufficient.
‘Truly excellent material.’
Ding!
-Steel Sword created!
-A+ Grade equipment created!
In an instant, a single sword was complete.
The time taken was exactly thirty minutes.
“Huh.”
In just thirty minutes, a sword forged from nothing left the Lower-Grade Smithy captain looking utterly baffled.
The speed was simply impossible.
No blacksmith from a Lower-Grade Smithy should have been able to work at that pace.
“How on earth…….”
The Lower-Grade blacksmiths examined the equipment Jin-woo had made.
At the same time, the captain of the Lower-Grade smiths stood frozen, staring at the sword in Jin-woo’s hands.
The quality of the blade.
And its grade.
“A… A+……?”
A sword made in thirty minutes was A+ Grade?
“This is… this is absurd.”
The knight standing behind them also stared at the blade in amazement.
“How is a blacksmith of this caliber working in a Lower-Grade Smithy?”
“I’m not entirely sure myself. But…….”
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Jin-woo increased his pace even further.
“I think… it might actually be possible.”
They had all believed it impossible to meet the quota within the deadline.
This was the moment that certainty shattered.
Building momentum, Jin-woo brought his hammer down again and again.
He forged nine more swords and ten sets of Armor.
“I apologize for the delay.”
The time elapsed was exactly eight hours. By Jin-woo’s standards, it was quite slow, but to the knight and the blacksmiths, it was remarkably fast.
“We couldn’t have made this in eight days…….”
To single-handedly produce twenty items in eight hours.
And yet he was apologizing for taking so long.
“Magnificent! Truly magnificent! Taking too long? Nonsense! That was incredibly fast!”
The knight approached Jin-woo with a broad grin.
“This will put out the most urgent fire!”
It was indeed a fire that needed immediate dousing, and these swords and armor would be invaluable in tomorrow’s battle.
-Your Level has increased!
-Your Level has increased!
-Proficiency in Lava Smelting Technique has increased!
“You don’t belong here. Go directly to the Upper-Grade Smithy!”
“Is it possible that…….”
Jin-woo ventured carefully.
“Do you have good materials there?”
* * *
Jin-woo immediately moved to the Upper-Grade Smithy.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The Upper-Grade Smithy resounded with such powerful hammer strikes that they could be heard from outside.
‘There are many skilled blacksmiths here.’
The Upper-Grade Smithy had likely been given as demanding a quota as the Lower-Grade one.
The fact that they hadn’t collapsed under the pressure spoke entirely to their skill.
‘I’ll find Hephaestus first.’
Hephaestus had to be in this Upper-Grade Smithy.
The moment Jin-woo stepped inside, a wave of intense heat washed over him.
‘Excellent.’
Jin-woo smiled at the overwhelming heat.
The Upper-Grade Smithy didn’t have individual forges—it had a massive blast furnace where materials were melted down.
Skilled blacksmiths worked around that furnace.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
‘Where is Hephaestus.’
Jin-woo studied the blacksmiths carefully.
The posture as they brought their hammers down.
Their movements.
‘I don’t see him.’
No matter how hard he looked, there was no blacksmith who seemed to be Hephaestus.
‘If he’s called a legendary blacksmith, I’d expect to feel something more distinctive.’
The blacksmiths in the Upper-Grade Smithy were certainly skilled, every one of them.
But none of them caught Jin-woo’s eye.
“Excuse me.”
Jin-woo approached the nearest blacksmith.
“Are you new? There’s an empty station over there. Start working at that one! We need to meet our quotas right now. We have to supply five hundred pieces of equipment. The minimum is A Grade. If you make S Grade, there’s a bonus reward on top, so find your station and get to it! Though S Grade will be difficult, I’d imagine.”
“Is it possible that Hephaestus is here?”
“Hephaestus? He’s not here! He works from his private smithy! He’s the one who forges equipment for the highest-ranking knights!”
“Then how would I go about meeting him?”
“It’s not difficult to meet him. He’ll be coming soon.”
Someone entered at that moment.
“Because he inspects all the equipment we produce.”
The blacksmith’s eyes widened in surprise as he turned to see who had arrived.
“Welcome. I’m not sure what brings you, but show proper respect, young blacksmith.”
Jin-woo looked at Hephaestus.
Or rather, at the materials he held in his hand.
‘Red Ore.’
At first glance, it was S Grade material or higher.
‘That looks excellent.’
Jin-woo’s gaze fixed on the Red Ore.
Hephaestus went straight to an empty workstation, set down the Red Ore, and took another material to place in the blast furnace.
The furnace roared to life.
Clang! Clang!
Then he loosened his shoulders and brought his hammer down.
Not a wasted motion—every strike was flawless.
‘That’s him.’
This was the hammering technique of a legendary blacksmith. Superior to any other blacksmith in the Upper-Grade Smithy.
Once he’d warmed up, Hephaestus addressed the Upper-Grade blacksmiths.
“We continue to suffer defeats at the hands of the Demonic Beast Legion in the Northern Region. We must forge equipment capable of withstanding the Weakening Breath of the Hellhounds and the breath attack of the Cockatrice. From today, I have come to work alongside you all in this Upper-Grade Smithy.”
The fate of this war rested entirely on the blacksmiths.
The Demonic Beast Legion employed a strategy of systematically neutralizing equipment, forcing the knights into constant retreat.
During these retreats, casualties mounted, and soldiers were often wiped out entirely.
It was only natural—the knights simply couldn’t hold their own.
That’s why equipment had become critical.
Ordinary equipment would just melt away. Powerful equipment was needed.
Equipment that would survive the Weakening Breath of the Hellhounds and the Cockatrice’s breath.
But such equipment could only be S Grade or higher.
In other words, it wasn’t something easily made.
“Hephaestus.”
The most senior blacksmith among the Upper-Grade smiths, an elderly man, stepped forward.
“With all respect…….”
He showed Hephaestus the equipment they’d created.
“Everything we’ve produced is A+ Grade.”
“……A+? Not S?”
Hephaestus examined the finished equipment.
“An explanation would seem necessary.”
This is the Upper-Grade Smithy.
Naturally, the minimum grade of equipment they should be producing was S Grade.
“It’s a matter of materials.”
“……Even if they’re not the finest, serviceable materials should have been distributed. Both the Lower-Grade and Upper-Grade Smithies should have received A Grade materials.”
War requires enormous resources.
It was true that materials had received less attention because of that.
But all the materials here were A Grade.
Even if they’re the same materials as in the Lower-Grade Smithy, the craftsmen using them are different, aren’t they?
A skilled hand can produce equipment of a higher grade from the same base.
“Yes, that’s correct. The grade itself is A, but in reality, much of what we have falls short of even that, Hephaestus.”
All the materials stacked here were officially A Grade.
But A Grade materials will only ever produce A Grade equipment.
“…….”
Hephaestus showed no particular reaction to this.
Yet his eyebrows twitched, just briefly.
Then.
Jin-woo stepped forward.
“It’s all poorly done.”
Jin-woo gestured toward the finished equipment.
“At this rate, how is it different from what the blacksmiths of the Lower-Grade Smithy are producing?”
The elderly blacksmith furrowed his brow at this unexpected young newcomer. He’d never seen this blacksmith before.
“Who… who are you? What gives you the right to speak so presumptuously?”
Ignoring the elder’s words, Jin-woo examined the finished pieces from different angles.
“Ahhh.”
Then he exhaled slowly.
“With materials this good.”
Swords, armor, spears, shields.
Helmets, boots.
“You can only produce this much? That’s a problem.”
“This much?”
The elderly blacksmith stepped closer to Jin-woo.
Blacksmiths are typically large in build. This old master, despite his years, stood a full head taller than the younger blacksmiths around him.
And his width was considerable—standing before him felt like facing a mountain.
“Newcomer, do you know anything about craftsmanship?”
“I know what I know.”
Jin-woo pointed to the materials.
“Including the fact that this is very good material.”
The blacksmiths began to scowl at Jin-woo’s words.
“What!”
“Our equipment is poorly done?”
“You can’t make A Grade or higher from materials like these!”
“The newcomer doesn’t understand how things work!”
The Upper-Grade blacksmiths chimed in dismissively.
“Is that so?”
Jin-woo looked at the Upper-Grade blacksmiths.
Then he looked at Hephaestus.
Hephaestus’s brow was deeply furrowed.
“What’s your name?”
“It’s Jin-woo.”
“Well, Jin-woo. You’ve got excellent confidence. But I hope your skill matches that enormous confidence.”
Jin-woo smiled.
Then he gestured to the Upper-Grade blacksmith.
“Materials.”
Jin-woo said.
“Let me have some.”

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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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