The Return of the Legendary Golden-Handed Blacksmith - Chapter 316

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Episode 316
316.
Bang! Bang!
McCathy threw himself into his work with ferocious intensity.
McCathy had come from Bridge, where he’d been a Ranker.
In his Bridge days, he was an unremarkable Ranker, but his talents truly blossomed after moving to New Gene.
Thanks to that, he’d broken into the Top 100 in no time, and his rank had been climbing steadily ever since.
He’d once belonged to a Top 10 Guild, but now he worked alone.
The reason was simple.
The guild’s excessive support made him uncomfortable.
It might seem like the complaint of a spoiled man, but McCathy believed that such comfort was poison to growth.
When materials were provided so freely, failure became something to expect.
If you failed with one set of materials, you’d just assume another set of good ones would be brought to you—and that killed desperation.
So he’d chosen to work alone to find desperation again.
Of course, he had a Workshop, just as Jin-woo did.
“McCathy!”
Bang!
A few users he’d taken as disciples spoke with confident expressions.
“It seems our chance to prove ourselves has finally come.”
“People live off image rather than real skill, don’t they? You’ve proven it countless times, but everyone just laughed. They said you couldn’t even make it into the Top 10!”
McCathy let out a low laugh at those words.
They were right.
If he beat Jin-woo at the Auction House this time, that image alone would cement him as a Top 10-level crafter.
“Those ranked 50 and above are all at similar levels anyway.”
There were slight differences, of course, but he didn’t think there was a huge gap until you reached the Top 10.
McCathy gripped his Hammer.
“I know Jin-woo is impressive. He really did come far in a short time. But this is too much.”
“To challenge McCathy so openly like this!”
“An arrogant weed needs to be trampled!”
Bang!
McCathy agreed.
Crafters climbing up were all competitors. If one climbed without knowing their limits, you had to make sure they understood their place.
“It’s still too early.”
“That’s right!”
“Exactly, McCathy!”
-You have created equipment!
-You have created MR Grade equipment!
“Excellent work!”
“Even while talking with us, you made MR Grade equipment!”
He was a crafter capable of making MR Grade equipment whenever he focused.
Conversation was no hindrance at all.
Then McCathy focused on hammering again, this time producing MR+ Grade equipment.
-You have created equipment!
Since he’d already reached MR+, if materials were sufficient, he could make MR+ easily.
Of course, to create a grade one step higher, he would need good condition, Perfect Focus, and materials all together.
“Phew.”
MR+ was not so easily achieved.
And equipment was more than just its grade.
“If you make it carelessly, the attributes suffer proportionally.”
This was the key point crafters at this level had to watch.
Creating equipment that merely meets the grade requirement.
‘Grade is not everything.’
Grade is merely something that follows. What matters more than grade are the attributes. Equipment with high grades but poor attributes dulled a crafter’s resolve.
Even with low attributes, because the grade is high, you begin to think that high grade wholly represents your ability.
But it doesn’t.
Grade is merely a minimum guarantee.
The real thing lies in the attributes.
“I’ve seen countless crafters who stumbled right there.”
Climb step by step, and there comes a time when you can’t climb any higher.
Even in such situations, the system only shows you that you can reach the grade you’ve achieved once before.
What good is a high grade if the attributes are lagging behind?
Those obsessed with grade alone eventually settle right there.
“I was like that once.”
McCathy had lingered long in that sweet trap.
And he had realized something.
Crafting is a sequence of suffering.
The moment your mind grows comfortable, growth stops.
So you must agonize every day.
You must struggle every time.
Only then does good equipment emerge.
Bang!
-You have created equipment!
-You have created MR+ Grade equipment!
Jin-woo had grown rapidly.
Likely he had never even hit a wall.
That was certainly tremendous talent.
But ultimately, it all came down to the same thing.
“He’s probably lost in grade obsession.”
It was highly likely that he’d come to the American Auction House and issued this provocation, believing his elevated grade was proof of his ability.
“A frog in a well.”
There was such a saying in the East, he’d heard.
It meant someone who ruled a small well, thinking that tiny world was the entire cosmos.
“I shall show him myself.”
That beyond the well dwell dragons.
* * *
‘As expected.’
It was Baxter.
The last of Allmaster’s disciples—the one holding the final piece.
Jin-woo examined Baxter closely.
‘The goggles on his head, the suspenders, the Wrench and Hammer at his waist—he definitely has the feel of a Mechanic Master.’
Yet something felt strange.
Why was Baxter here?
Moreover, beyond Allmaster’s disciples, this connected deeply to Positano’s technological prowess quests.
‘Is Baxter the source of all Positano’s technology?’
Positano, this fortress-tier neutral territory, certainly had excellent defensive systems.
Buildings, walls, even golems.
‘There was definitely a Mechanical Engineering feel to it.’
If he was the wellspring of Positano’s technology, then that was actually fortunate, Jin-woo thought.
‘Allmaster’s disciples all have excellent ability to begin with.’
I can learn from all of them at once.
“It’s good to meet you, Baxter.”
Jin-woo bowed respectfully first.
“I’m looking for Allmaster.”
“My master?”
Baxter’s eyes narrowed slightly for a moment.
Jin-woo continued immediately.
“Hoz, Rodin, Mirae, and Hairun. You are the last piece.”
As Jin-woo named his fellow disciples, Baxter’s suspicion visibly eased considerably.
“Familiar names indeed.”
Hoz, Rodin, Mirae, and Hairun—and now the last piece, Baxter.
‘The final piece.’
The last piece needed to meet Allmaster at Unlimited Mountain.
‘Though Baxter doesn’t know it yet.’
Having seen the abilities of the four disciples before him, Jin-woo was deeply curious about Allmaster.
‘They said he felt regret when raising his disciples.’
He’d wanted to teach them more, but they couldn’t understand, so he couldn’t teach further.
‘Hearing that, my hands were itching.’
He had confidence that if it were him, he could resolve that regret.
And beyond that, the simple fact that he could learn so much delighted Jin-woo.
“So you’re saying you’ve met my fellow disciples and learned all those techniques?”
Baxter’s expression grew quite interested at Jin-woo’s words.
“Yes. I learned excellent techniques, and became their student.”
“Hmm. Then could you show me?”
Baxter was quite cautious.
‘He has good judgment.’
A true crafter can reach great heights only through suspicion and doubt. Such a person doubts even his own ability every day.
Jin-woo very much liked that quality.
“Summon.”
Jin-woo immediately opened his Summoning Workshop.
“!”
Baxter’s expression shifted to surprise.
“You can pull out a Workshop like it’s a pocket!”
His eyes brightened.
“I’ve always wanted to make something like this using Mechanical Engineering. How did you make this?”
“I obtained it.”
“Obtained it!? From where!?”
“From the divine.”
“…….”
In a sense, the New Gene headquarters could be called divine.
“I’m not selling it.”
Seeing the longing in his eyes, Jin-woo said firmly.
“Ha… I wasn’t thinking of asking!”
But his eyes betrayed exactly that thought.
‘It’s something all crafters covet.’
So far, only Jin-woo possessed such a Summoning Workshop.
Of course, now that the world knew about it through JinTube and Netflix, some might have tried to create one.
But Jin-woo’s was the original.
‘Well, it’s fine if everyone carries a Summoning Workshop around.’
Jin-woo immediately gripped his Hammer.
‘It’s been a while.’
Jin-woo planned to give Baxter a simple demonstration.
First came Hoz’s crafting technique.
The very first Allmaster skill he’d learned, the one that had influenced his Hammering.
Though it had faded considerably by now, Jin-woo remembered this Hammering technique vividly.
Bang!
‘Without an Engraving Knife.’
Jin-woo could infuse Engraving power into his Hammer.
Of course, it couldn’t be as fine as with a dedicated knife.
Bang!
Yet he could easily incorporate Rodin’s special Engraving technique.
Then Jin-woo produced a jewel.
“Flame Crafting.”
Whoosh!
Brilliant flames erupted, melting into the material.
“Ooh…….”
Next came the Flawless Seamstress Art.
“Flawless.”
Slice.
Bang!
The fluid grace of the Flawless Seamstress Art was recreated in his Hammer strokes.
“Using a Hammer to… recreate the Flawless Seamstress Art……?”
Faced with the overwhelming technique, Baxter blinked rapidly.
Finally came Hairun’s Deep Refinement.
This Deep Refinement had been refined in Jin-woo’s hands into Soul Forging.
Whoosh.
Rising souls were purified directly, maximizing latent potential.
Bang!
The blade that emerged contained the complete power of all four of Allmaster’s disciples.
Baxter slowly grasped the blade.
“Excellent. Truly excellent.”
He was already smiling broadly.
Dear memories surfaced. They were so joyful that just thinking of them made him laugh.
“I admit it. I can’t deny this. To doubt further after seeing this would be madness.”
From Hoz to Hairun.
Baxter was moved by the Hammering technique of Jin-woo, which contained all those skills.
-Baxter’s Affinity has greatly increased!
“Thank you, Jin-woo. But I’m curious about one thing. How did you know I was here?”
That puzzled Baxter.
“I didn’t come knowing.”
Jin-woo explained.
“Hairun told me she was in the Engineering City. So I was planning to take a boat to Sakra Engineering City. I came here while progressing through quests.”
“…….”
Baxter looked at Jin-woo.
“So you found me by chance. Without knowing why I’m here.”
“Yes.”
He let out a deep sigh.
‘There must be circumstances.’
Why was Baxter, who should be in Sakra Engineering City, here?
‘I need to know that first.’
“Well, regardless, I’m glad to meet you this way. Come inside. We have much to talk about.”
Baxter gestured toward his Workshop.
* * *
“This is my Workshop.”
The inside was a new world.
Whoosh.
‘The Mechanic Master of an Engineering City, they called him.’
It was a Workshop unlike anything Jin-woo had ever seen.
A massive workbench. A furnace, and Wrenches hanging beside it caught the eye.
‘Eternal Sunshine didn’t have Mechanical Engineering at all.’
So encountering Mechanical Engineering could be said to be his first time.
Of course, Jin-woo possessed basic knowledge about it.
‘Not theoretical engineering knowledge, though.’
Just a sense of what Mechanical Engineering felt like.
Jin-woo first handed Baxter a letter.
“An introduction letter from Hairun.”
Back when Baxter had doubted him, showing the letter would have ended the conversation quickly.
But Jin-woo deliberately hadn’t.
‘I had to show what I could do anyway.’
Baxter immediately read the introduction letter from Hairun.
-I send to you a great student.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————