The Return of the Legendary Golden-Handed Blacksmith - Chapter 331

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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 331
331.
Baxter’s expression went blank at Jin-woo’s words.
He was right, though.
It was common knowledge that stronger monsters dropped better materials.
But that didn’t mean anyone would deliberately walk into danger.
The risk was too great. And whether such danger would yield materials good enough to justify it was unknowable.
Strong monsters did produce good materials, but no one had ever hunted one before, so there was no way to be certain.
“…Well, yes, that’s true! But aren’t you a blacksmith?”
There was another major problem.
Jin-woo was a blacksmith. He wasn’t a combat specialist.
Blacksmiths weren’t built for direct combat. Their job was to craft equipment that could handle strong enemies, not to face them head-on.
“Of course I understand you’re a necromancer! But even if you are a necromancer…!”
True, Jin-woo wasn’t just any blacksmith—he was a necromancer and blacksmith both.
Yet even so, this course of action was beyond Baxter’s comprehension.
“Even combat specialists avoid this place! That’s how dangerous it is!”
Then Golrae began to roar.
Whoooosh—!
Water sprayed from its back.
It was like a fountain saying not to underestimate it.
Baxter’s expression became apologetic.
Speaking like that while riding Golrae was rude to the creature.
“I-I’m sorry! I wasn’t saying your familiar is weak. But it’s still best to avoid danger.”
Baxter hastily apologized to the Skeletal Whale.
At the same moment, waves began churning before them.
Rumble-rumble-rumble—.
Crash-crash-crash-crash—!
What emerged was an enormous tentacle.
Jin-woo smiled at the tentacle bristling with suckers.
“Here it comes.”
“…Heh. So it finally shows itself.”
Rumble—. Rumble-rumble-rumble—!
Rising from the depths with a deafening roar came an enormous Kraken.
Dozens of tentacles.
A massive body anchored at the center among them.
Slither—slither—.
The Kraken, a colossal familiar Jin-woo had deliberately crafted—far larger even than Golrae—swayed its dozens of tentacles this way and that.
Baxter’s body went rigid.
“Ugh—”
-You encounter the terror unique to Positano: the deep-sea Kraken!
-The Kraken unleashes tremendous power!
-Your body freezes in fear.
-You are paralyzed!
The Kraken’s overwhelming pressure bore down upon Baxter.
It was the Passive Skill: Deep Sea Terror. Faced with such fear, Baxter could only groan.
‘So that’s the risk.’
“Ggggh—!”
Baxter panicked and tried to move, but his body wouldn’t obey.
Meanwhile, Jin-woo dusted himself off lightly.
-The job effect of Necromaster – Arc Lord is activated.
-Debuffs are consumed!
-Your entire body is revitalized!
Then he grasped the necklace at his neck and activated its power.
-The effect of the Brilliant Moonstone Necklace is activated!
According to the necklace’s paralysis-curing effect, Baxter’s numbness faded. The paralysis had stemmed from fear.
It was a kind of mental confusion, so the Brilliant Moonstone Necklace’s effect worked spectacularly.
“Ugh—. Jin-woo, we have to retreat! I’m grateful the paralysis is gone, but that thing… it’s the tyrant of Positano!”
“Is that so?”
Jin-woo sounded pleased.
“I crafted Golrae with the image of the sea’s tyrant in mind.”
Then he issued a command.
“Golrae.”
Groooooowl—!
Golrae responded to Jin-woo’s call.
“There can only be one tyrant. Don’t you agree?”
Groooowl—!
“Show me. Who’s the real tyrant?”
Golrae lunged forward with wild ferocity.
A tentacle shot up from the sea, and its massive foreleg seemed ready to crush everything in its path.
“Are there more?!”
Beyond the tentacles extending above the surface, it seemed there were many more lurking below.
Screeeech—!
Without hesitation, the Kraken whipped its tentacle at the sight of Golrae.
“Kyyyyaaaah—!”
Baxter screamed.
That vicious blow would surely destroy everything.
“I told you—!”
Baxter scrambled to trigger the belt at his waist in any way he could.
In an instant, a Mechanical Engineering device began spinning, releasing a torrent of electricity.
He could block the tentacle before Golrae was destroyed.
Just as he thought that—
Boom—!
Golrae and the Kraken collided.
“!”
The Kraken froze in shock and tried to whip its tentacles violently to both sides. But Golrae didn’t budge an inch.
“Not that easy.”
Jin-woo grinned.
Then he snapped his fingers.
-Mechanical Wind Magic is activated!
Screeeeeech—!
Held fast by the tentacles, Golrae ignored them and charged straight ahead.
It moved with tremendous speed—speed that belied its enormous mass. It tore through the water at incredible velocity.
Crash-crash—crash-crash-crash-crash-crash-crash—!
With a thunderous roar, Golrae charged directly through and slammed the Kraken’s head.
Boom—!
Head collided with head.
“Shrieeeek—shrieeeek—!”
The Kraken emitted an eerie shriek and unleashed a flurry of tentacle strikes upon Golrae. Golrae spun in place and retreated.
Thud—! Thud—! Thud—!
Then it dove with deliberate purpose. In moments, the blowhole—entrance and exit both—was sealed off.
“It’s diving—!”
Of course, a true whale doesn’t just float on the surface.
“It’s a whale, after all.”
Jin-woo gestured reassuringly toward Baxter.
“Don’t worry. I’ll handle it.”
Fzzzt—.
Baxter’s belt fell silent.
As Golrae dove, the Kraken’s tentacles began pursuing it in earnest.
“Too slow.”
Combining its natural trait of high-speed swimming with Mechanical Wind Magic, Golrae evaded the Kraken’s tentacles with ease.
Whoosh—! Swish! Whoosh—!
But there were so many tentacles. Seen up close underwater, the Kraken was far more enormous than what appeared on the surface.
‘Insane. The sheer size.’
Jin-woo smiled at its magnitude.
‘The materials are going to be incredible.’
“Shrieeeek—!”
As Golrae outpaced the Kraken’s tentacle strikes, the Kraken attempted to entrap it within a net of tentacles.
But Golrae broke free even faster and charged forward.
Crunch—!
The charge struck the Kraken with such force that tentacles tore clean away.
“Shrieeeek—!”
The Kraken raged and continued attacking Golrae, but its blows left no mark.
‘Fast and tough both.’
Moreover, each time an attack came in close, Mechanical Wind Magic detonated. The Kraken’s tentacle would start to coil forward, only to be deflected by the wind’s force, its power scattering harmlessly.
Crash—! Pow—!
Under Golrae’s nearly one-sided onslaught, the Kraken began retreating backward.
Pride wounded, it saw no way to defeat an enemy it couldn’t reach.
As the Kraken withdrew, Jin-woo urged Golrae forward.
“Hmm.”
Golrae was certainly strong.
‘Better than expected.’
But there was one shortcoming: penetrating power.
‘The matchup with the Kraken isn’t ideal.’
Golrae’s solid charges couldn’t pierce the Kraken’s hard, slippery body.
“It needs to be sharper.”
Jin-woo considered what equipment Golrae might need. Given its enormous size, the deliberation stretched long.
“Actually, I have just the thing.”
Jin-woo grinned.
And he drew out the remaining bone.
“Good thing I saved this. I’d set it aside in case I needed to craft equipment later.”
The moment he pulled out the bone, the space grew cramped.
“Jin-woo…?”
“Apologies. I’m about to craft some equipment.”
“…While fighting the Kraken!”
Even in such a favorable situation, one needed to concentrate.
“It’s fine. Golrae will handle things. And besides.”
Jin-woo began shaping the bone.
He cut it with lightning from the Universal Spanner, then carved it with the Wave Carving Knife.
Crash—. Crash—. Crash—.
In moments, the bone was carved and took form.
Baxter watched the equipment Jin-woo was crafting in amazement.
It was a simple design, but perfectly suited to this colossal Skeletal Whale.
“He’s crafting a horn!”
What Jin-woo made was a wickedly sharp horn.
‘A horn that could tear even a Kraken apart.’
Pow—! Crash—! Crash—!
“Soul Forging.”
Ultra Enhancement Smelting.
‘If I could add Mechanical Engineering to this, it would be perfect.’
Unfortunately, he lacked Runestones.
Pow—! Pow—!
-Equipment has been crafted!
-M+ Grade Equipment has been crafted!
An M+ Grade giant horn was completed.
-Giant Bone Horn [M+]
“It’s difficult to craft equipment when the familiar is this massive.”
“…The fact that you completed it at all in a situation like this is remarkable.”
Baxter marveled at Jin-woo’s mysteriously profound concentration.
In such circumstances, even the finest craftsperson couldn’t focus properly.
If Baxter had attempted the same thing, he would have been distracted.
Yet Jin-woo had slipped into focus instantly and completed the work just as fast.
“Concentration is something anyone can achieve.”
“But that level of concentration…”
Jin-woo placed the finished equipment into his inventory first.
-You have given the Giant Bone Horn to your familiar, Golrae.
Whoosh—.
The giant bone horn affixed itself to Golrae’s head.
Slither—slither—.
Screeeeeech—!
High-speed swimming.
Golrae tore through the tentacles with its horn.
“Shrieeeeeek—!”
The enraged Kraken unleashed a storm of tentacles upon Golrae, but Golrae’s horn shredded them all.
Yet tentacles began sprouting anew.
Then the Kraken’s entire body turned crimson.
-The sea’s tyrant, the Kraken, enters Berserk Mode!
The Kraken would not fall easily.
“That’s enough.”
Jin-woo had confirmed Golrae’s potential beyond doubt.
“Its offensive power is excellent.”
And its aquatic mobility was so fast that even the Kraken couldn’t keep pace.
“I’ve verified what I needed to.”
Click—.
Jin-woo snapped his fingers.
“The rest will be handled by your allies. Golrae.”
Golrae surfaced.
The moment it emerged, Jin-woo opened the great hatch at the top of Golrae’s head.
“!”
In that instant, the Kraken released a spray of crimson tentacles as if waiting for the moment.
Splash-splash-splash—!
“Jin-woo!”
This was his moment to shine.
But at the same time, an enormous darkness erupted from Jin-woo.
The rising shadows surged directly toward the tentacles.
Whoosh—!
And in an instant took form.
First and Pur.
The two familiars severed the tentacles in a flash and charged along them forward.
“You can rest now.”
Jin-woo spoke to Baxter.
“Take it easy.”

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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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