The Return of the Legendary Golden-Handed Blacksmith - Chapter 336

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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 336
Episode 336.
Ding—!
-You have obtained Shaking’s Hide.
-You have obtained Shaking’s Essence.
-You have obtained Shaking’s Ancient Fang.
-You have obtained Shaking’s Bone.
Thump—.
-You have obtained Shaking’s Soul.
-Shaking’s Soul [MR]
All the materials, including the Soul, were MR Grade.
Moreover, unlike the Kraken, Shaking possessed bones.
‘This Shaking’s Hide has a completely different quality than the Kraken’s.’
The rough skin was itself a spiked armor.
‘Excellent.’
Boss-class Monsters truly were in a different league.
‘They yield byproducts and strengthen my Familiars too.’
It was almost suspicious how benevolent these Monsters could be.
Jin-woo carefully collected all the materials.
“I shall advance further.”
With those heartfelt words, Pur was dismissed from summoning.
After capturing Shaking, no major Boss Monsters had appeared.
It was only natural—the two Monsters that had reigned as bosses over their respective territories in Positano Sea were now dead.
“Navigation has never been this pleasant.”
Baxter had never experienced such smooth sailing while crossing Positano Sea in all his years.
“Whenever I left Sacra for another city, I always had to traverse Positano Sea.”
Baxter had been a highly respected Mechanical Engineer in Sacra, which meant he’d had frequent occasions to venture beyond its walls.
That’s why his knowledge of the seas was deep, and he knew well where the Monsters appeared.
“Never once have I crossed Positano Sea this smoothly.”
He spoke while gazing at Golae’s back.
Shaking’s head was attached to that back.
“That was a good idea, wasn’t it?”
The Kraken and Shaking—these two enormous Bosses, and the byproducts Jin-woo had obtained from them, made him smile.
‘I need to reach Sacra quickly.’
Only then could he sample these materials without delay.
‘I could craft inside Golae right away, but.’
Jin-woo was quite curious about that Mechanical Engineering Workbench Baxter had promised to give him.
Shweeeeeeee—!
With that, Golae surged forward toward Sacra at full speed.
Soon after, the shape of an island came into view.
“We’ve arrived. That’s the place right there.”
Whoooosh—.
“The Engineering City of Sacra, I believe.”
* * *
-Entering the Engineering City of Sacra!
-You have discovered a new city!
Sacra Engineering City.
A city brimming with steam, machinery, and curious architecture.
“You cannot enter as you please! Only those with proper qualification may enter!”
To enter Sacra Engineering City, one fundamentally needed a connection with a place actively collaborating with Sacra.
Sacra maintained steady Collaboration with a handful of external cities, and one needed to obtain an entry pass or permit from one of those cities.
Jin-woo observed the guard.
The guard was outfitted with elaborate Mechanical Engineering gear.
Yet something was different.
‘Definitely different. Equipment made with Ether-core theory.’
Equipment made from Magic-cores all possess explosive power, which is why they release smoke or emit a strong force from the Magic-core that spreads outward.
However, this Aura was nowhere to be seen in their gear.
‘Remarkably stabilized.’
It felt like simple Mechanical Engineering equipment.
‘Orderly and.’
There was definitely a substantial difference from equipment built on Magic-core theory.
As Jin-woo observed silently, the guard tightened his grip on the Ether Engineering Spear he held.
Shwaaack—.
The Ether Engineering Spear began to rotate.
Whooooom—!
“Without entry credentials, you cannot pass.”
Sensing the threatening posture, Baxter stepped forward quickly.
“It’s me. Baxter.”
“!”
The guard immediately recognized him.
“……Baxter, is that you?”
Baxter, who had been driven out as if banished, had returned.
The guard seemed quite flustered by this fact.
“I’m sorry, but could you open the gate for me? It’s not as though I lack credentials. I was cast out of Sacra by the Council’s decision. But I haven’t come seeking revenge.”
“……Baxter.”
The guard’s expression grew complicated.
By standard protocol, a banished Baxter should not be admitted. Baxter understood this, which is why he approached with deference.
Yet the guard’s demeanor was strange.
“While you were away, Baxter……Sacra has changed greatly.”
The guard spoke.
“Please, enter. And……help us.”
“……!”
Baxter’s expression shifted to bewilderment at the guard’s words.
Sacra had changed.
And they were asking for help.
“Help us……?”
“I cannot speak of it in detail. Please, enter before my superiors arrive.”
Just then, a sound came from another direction.
Click—. Click—.
It was the characteristic sound of machinery.
“Hurry, please!”
Kuguguguguguuung—!
Sacra’s massive main gate opened.
* * *
“What on earth is happening?”
Baxter was quite flustered.
“Something seems terribly amiss.”
“He appeared most urgent.”
Moreover, they’d let the banished Baxter in far too easily.
‘What situation is unfolding here?’
Click—!
Then the mechanical sound echoed again.
“!”
Baxter looked around the city and scowled.
“P-7……?”
Large, bulky mechanical units were moving throughout the city.
“Why are combat robots here……?”
The P-7 was a powerful combat robot designed for battle.
“I was told they’d all been scrapped…….”
“Those mechanical units……you made them, didn’t you, Baxter?”
Jin-woo could tell.
These mechanical units were not made with the Ether-core technology he’d seen earlier.
‘Magic-cores are at their core.’
Not just ordinary Magic-cores either.
‘Pozitarium. But somewhat cruder.’
They appeared to be Pozitarium from before Baxter came to Positano and refined the design.
“How could this be……? I was certain they said the Magic-core theory was to be abandoned.”
Which naturally meant the mechanical units built from Magic-cores would be scrapped as well.
In the first place, why had Ether-core theory become the mainstream instead of Magic-core theory?
Was it not precisely because of its danger?
Then why were these combat mechanical units patrolling here?
Click—!
Suddenly a combat mechanical unit noticed Baxter.
“Identity confirmed: Baxter Light. Exile.”
In an instant, their eyes glowed red.
“Identity confirmed: Unknown subject. Authorization required.”
They approached Jin-woo and Baxter.
“Exile subject detected. Immediate Judgment Mode activated.”
“!”
Baxter scowled.
“Jin-woo! We must flee!”
The situation was unfolding far too strangely.
Jin-woo did not engage immediately.
‘First, I assess the situation.’
With that, he fled alongside Baxter.
* * *
Sacra Port Alley.
This place had long been home to Sacra’s lower classes.
“Huff. Huff.”
The moment the mechanical units entered the Port Alley, they ceased their pursuit.
“This is completely different from above.”
Jin-woo observed the alley.
The spreading stench of fish.
And the residents of this place, thick with peculiar odors, watched Jin-woo and Baxter sidelong.
‘They’re intoxicated.’
Some staggered about.
Others danced.
And some, covered in tattoos from head to toe, moved about in threatening clusters.
‘A far cry from Central City.’
Central City was refined enough to be called the pinnacle of Mechanical Engineering, but here were only crumbling buildings.
‘Yet I see those striving to survive.’
Many were engaged in trade.
Yet not a trace of Mechanical Engineering existed in this place.
“Without somewhere like this, there’d be nowhere to hide.”
He led them to a run-down Dock Warehouse.
The Dock Warehouse was secured with thick chains and a lock.
“This one’s a fake.”
Even if chained like this, a long-abandoned warehouse would eventually be robbed.
That’s why the real lock was beside this chain—it appeared to be a simple decoration.
“A Mechanical Engineering lock, this is.”
Scritch—. Whirrrclick—!
When he pressed the key-shaped metal against it, a new entrance appeared instantly—a small opening just large enough to crouch through.
“Come inside.”
Upon entering, something became visible in the quite spacious warehouse.
Click—.
When the lights came on, numerous mechanical devices filled the interior.
“Wow.”
Truly, a staggering number of mechanical devices.
Most striking among them were the mechanical units.
Dozens upon dozens of them lined up, perhaps even over a hundred.
These mechanical units stood in neat rows, and a potent Magic-core Aura could be felt from them.
On one side were the crafting apparatus needed for his Mechanical Engineering work.
“This is the Mechanical Engineering Workbench I mentioned to you. Many kinds of work can be done here. Like softening Kraken’s Hide—it can all be done here.”
The Mechanical Engineering Workbench Baxter indicated was convenient for various Mechanical Engineering tasks.
Crackle—!
“What can’t be handled with the Universal Spanner—materials that require special Mechanical Engineering processing—can be disassembled and assembled here.”
Moreover, intense flames erupted from it.
When Jin-woo brought his hand near, a wave suddenly flowed forth.
“This……it absorbs vibrations?”
Sometimes, for precision work, even the slightest vibration is unacceptable.
Until now, Jin-woo had held his breath and deliberately emitted opposing waves to cancel out vibrations entirely.
But for heightened Mechanical Engineering precision, even those waves themselves sometimes cannot exist.
This workbench performed that function.
It absorbed all vibrations, enabling ultra-precision work.
When Jin-woo understood, Baxter smiled knowingly.
“Exactly. Mechanical Engineering is a precise craft, after all. Not even a hair’s breadth of vibration is tolerated.”
Then he looked at Jin-woo with satisfaction.
“I’m pleased to show you my workshop. But this is a modest scale compared to before.”
His workshop had originally been in the heart of Central City.
“It’s now become an Ether-core Engineering Research Institute.”
Yet something felt gravely wrong with the situation.
“Those mechanical units are bearing your Magic-cores, aren’t they?”
“……I’m puzzled by that too. They should have been scrapped.”
His own exile.
And mechanical units that should have been scrapped were roaming Sacra, surveilling numerous people.
There was simply no understanding what was transpiring.
Just then, noise came from outside.
“Damn. They’ve followed us here?”
“The mechanical units never came this far, did they?”
“These aren’t the mechanical units. It’s the Foreigner Guild members who’ve entered!”
“Fall back! If we fight, it’s over. We must extend our resistance as long as possible!”
At the loud commotion, Baxter scowled.
“I’ve heard……that voice before.”
It was a familiar voice.
“Mate.”
Then recognition dawned. The owner of that voice.
“A fine Mechanical Engineer who once worked alongside me!”
Baxter carefully opened the door to assess the situation outside.
Patter—. Patter—!
Mechanical Engineers were fleeing. They wore ragged cloth and bore wounds across their bodies.
They were desperately trying to escape, but all the harbor warehouses around them were sealed shut.
“Damn.”
Someone was approaching from the distance.
“You filthy rats. How much longer will you scurry about like cockroaches and run away? If you have grievances, come out and speak your mind!”
“Cursed fool.”
Baxter’s eyes and those of the fleeing Mechanical Engineers suddenly met.
“Baxter?”
“Mate! It’s me! Get in here quickly!”
Mate blinked twice, unable to fully comprehend the situation. Was it an enemy trap? Or was he seeing things in his delirium as death closed in?
But regardless, he had no choice but to trust. Mate stamped his foot—bang, bang—twice. At that, five Mechanical Engineers gathered to where he stood.
Whoosh—!
The moment they entered the warehouse, a User emerged from deeper in the alley.
“Ha, these bastards. They sure do run fast.”
With the distance between them, he didn’t seem to have noticed the Mechanical Engineers fleeing this way.
“Tch. Next time I won’t spare them. I’ll just kill them.”
Jin-woo’s eyes widened.
-Eagle Eye activates!
The User walking away and clicking his tongue came into clear view.
Shwaaaack—!
From sight alone, it was obvious.
High Level.
Excellent gear.
And the skill palpable in his gait.
‘A Ranker.’
A combat Ranker—it was unmistakably clear.
Ding—!
-Quest updated!
-New Quest received!

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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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