The Return of the Legendary Golden-Handed Blacksmith - Chapter 351

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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 351
351.
As everyone recoiled in shock, Jin-woo pressed forward.
Screech! Screech-screech!
The Combat Mechanic rushed toward Jin-woo with frenzied mechanical grinding.
“Good materials.”
Jin-woo grinned and casually gathered the salvaged parts from the dismantled Mechanic.
Once he collected them, Pur quickly swept up the materials as well.
“Next.”
Screech! Screech-screech!
The Combat Mechanics in JP-1 Mode rushed at Jin-woo like madmen. He swung his Universal Wrench and unleashed Hammering against them.
Crack.
Dismantled.
“Next!”
Crack-crack-crack.
He dismantled another. By timing the disassembly to the moment before they exploded, it became far easier.
“Come on, next!”
‘The Magical Core swells and strains the bolts loose, and the heat makes it smoother to work.’
As the Combat Mechanics became mere scrap-farming machines, the Vanguard Captain could no longer bear to watch.
At this rate, they’d only be bolstering the enemy’s morale.
“Combat Mechanics! Disengage JP-1! Fall back!”
The Vanguard Captain recalled the Combat Mechanics and re-engaged with his unit.
“We can’t win with just us!”
He quickly made a judgment call.
“We need reinforcements!”
Or the soldiers he’d sent earlier needed to return.
The Vanguard Captain had dispatched troops at the very start of the battle.
They’d been sent to prepare for the Necromancer threat.
But before they could get ready, Jin-woo was about to breach their lines.
“Damn it.”
The Vanguard Captain raised his hand.
“Tactical retreat!”
Speed and the Tiger had already torn into the Vanguard formation.
“Do you think you can retreat so easily?”
“Roooaarrr!”
Five Guild members with swords charged Speed simultaneously.
“We won’t fall for the same trick twice!”
Clang-clang-clang!
“Emperor’s Sword.”
“Moonlight Strike.”
“Jet Slash.”
They pressed Speed hard, each deploying their own Skills.
“Slow.”
But Speed hadn’t shown his true maximum speed yet.
Boom!
“!”
He increased his velocity, dodged past them, and drove his Lightning Dagger straight through.
Crackle-crackle-crackle!
Not as powerful as First or Pur, but fast and precise.
—Fatal Blow!
He stabbed the same spot repeatedly, so that even with Artifacts equipped, they had no choice but to fall into paralysis.
“Gahhh…”
And while they were paralyzed, the Tiger raked across them.
“Damn it.”
The Vanguard Captain finally cursed under his breath.
The same pattern again.
He knew the pattern, but couldn’t evade it.
They knew what was coming, yet couldn’t stop it.
That wounded his pride considerably.
“The same pattern over and over…”
With such a numerical disadvantage, how could they be losing in combat like this?
“Captain!”
“Sir, we can’t hold…”
“His Familiars are too strong!”
Jin-woo’s Familiars moved in perfect harmony.
They disrupted with speed and shattered with power.
Eyes were forced to dart from sky to ground. Under constant assault that wouldn’t let them focus, the Vanguard members fell one after another.
—You have died.
—You have died.
—You have died.
“No…”
Bodies piled up like this.
Piled corpses became strength itself for a Necromancer.
“Awaken.”
Whoooosh!
—Summoning the dead.
—Thousand Lives Domain. All who die within Acroad’s Domain become Acroad’s Familiars!
The fallen comrades rose again.
Though they no longer had the Engineering gear they carried in life, their raw stats alone were formidable.
Growwww.
Bang!
With eerie movements, they lunged forward.
“These are JP-1 too.”
The self-detonating soldiers Jin-woo had created lunged forward.
Boom!
Bang!
—You have died!
The Vanguard members continued to fall and be resurrected by Jin-woo’s power.
The situation was dire.
“Captain!”
The Vanguard Captain needed to make a decision.
How could they break free from this?
The Vanguard Captain’s mind had frozen solid. What should he do? How should he move… to overcome those Familiars?
Then Jin-woo appeared in his mind’s eye.
—Remember, we didn’t come here to fight.
The Guild Master, Gorden, had said that.
—First, we must solve this with words.
Frankly, he’d thought it nonsense. One enemy. His entire Guild.
Why would they need to talk?
Now he understood why.
Jin-woo.
“Captain!”
The Guild members called out desperately to the Vanguard Captain, but he couldn’t hear them.
Then.
“What are you all doing!”
The Sub-Guild Master arrived late.
As soon as he appeared, he grabbed the Vanguard Captain’s collar in fury.
“Are you insane? Who told you to fight? Didn’t you hear the Guild Master’s order to resolve this with words!?”
At the Sub-Guild Master’s rebuke, the Vanguard Captain bowed his head.
“…My apologies.”
“What good is an apology now!”
The furious Sub-Guild Master pushed him away.
“Get your head in the game! If you’ve decided to fight, commit to it!”
Then he clenched both fists hard.
A sword materialized in one hand, a shield in the other.
Whoosh.
Helmet, armor, boots.
With a hiss of steam, he was fully armed in an instant.
The situation was dire. The Vanguard had been nearly annihilated by Jin-woo. Fewer than half of the hundred remained.
The moment he engaged, the Sub-Guild Master began controlling the situation with precision.
“Vanguard Captain, fall back and provide support. The rest of you, follow me. We drive through a single point.”
The Sub-Guild Master issued his orders and charged forward. His movements were bold and swift.
‘Oh.’
Then he immediately split away toward First and Pur.
Directly in front of Jin-woo.
The Sub-Guild Master saw Jin-woo.
He studied Jin-woo’s expression. He watched Jin-woo’s movements.
“…Hah!”
Then he unleashed his full power with his blade. The Sub-Guild Master’s sword was different from the Vanguard Captain’s.
It looked heavier than any sword Jin-woo had seen before.
“Flash.”
Clang!
And faster.
A tremendous roar erupted.
“Noble Charge.”
Then he thrust his shield forward and charged.
“!”
“Indeed.”
The Sub-Guild Master’s arrival became a pillar of strength for the Vanguard.
“So this is what being in the top 30 means…!”
Combat Rankings, 39th place.
The Sub-Guild Master, Prudaite, wielded his sword with madness. The second-strongest User in Special Months was none other than Sub-Guild Master Prudaite.
He was strong only after Guild Master Gorden, and among Rankers, he was one of the few who had never left Special Months.
“Spinning Rampage.”
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Even while facing First and Pur simultaneously, he rolled his feet, desperately trying to reach Jin-woo.
Jin-woo took it all in.
As Prudaite drew dangerously close, the other Familiars tried to provide support, but the Vanguard Captain raised his hand sharply.
“Block the other Familiars!”
“Protect Prudaite!”
“You worthless insects!”
The Tiger snarled in fury, but found it difficult to easily overcome them.
Moving recklessly would put the other Familiars in danger.
“Grrrrrrr.”
The Tiger unleashed Toxic Breath again.
“Fin!”
Fin and Moltus coordinated perfectly, continuing to pressure the Vanguard members.
“Prudaite will handle the two Familiars and pierce through Jin-woo. All we have to do is hold the line!”
Prudaite’s arrival massively boosted the Vanguard’s morale.
They could win.
Prudaite could break through! With that conviction, they threw everything into battling the Familiars.
“Hah!”
Speed drew his velocity higher again. But the Guild members had already adapted to his speed.
“The attack will come eventually. Just wait for it!”
“Just block it!”
Speed’s velocity couldn’t be matched.
So the best approach was to read the timing of his attacks.
Certainly, Users were far more seasoned than monsters.
With that experience came keen senses, making Speed feel genuine discomfort for the first time.
Up until now, speed alone had been enough. But now, speed was merely one weapon. He needed a better way to fight that could maximize this velocity.
“I was arrogant.”
He’d believed he could dominate everything with speed alone.
But now that belief shattered.
If speed couldn’t overwhelm them, what did he have left?
Suddenly, Speed stamped his foot powerfully.
“Faster.”
Speed had seen it just now. Prudaite’s Flash.
“If I’m faster, that’s all I need.”
Faster than Flash.
Becoming a single streak of darkness.
Whoooosh!
“Shadow Walk.”
—Your Familiar Speed has awakened a new Skill!
“!”
“My… my vision…!”
Suddenly, darkness engulfed the surroundings. In that darkness, Speed moved by sound alone.
Users relied primarily on their senses. Their seasoned combat skills were grounded in perception.
Speed severed those senses.
He cut off their sight and hearing, and eliminated even the faint wave-sense they might feel during an attack.
Like a nocturnal hunter, an owl. Silent and unerring, he struck at vital points.
Thud!
“Gaaahhh!”
The Tiger watched Speed and was learning his soundless footwork.
Thanks to the strong Guild members of Special Months, combat experience accumulated rapidly.
The Familiars grew stronger in real time through battles they’d never experienced before.
A scream pierced the air.
Hearing it, Prudaite’s brow furrowed.
He was marking down the two strongest Familiars, yet this was still happening?
“Sky’s Oath.”
Whoosh!
Powerful force began gathering in his body.
“Perfect Balance.”
A mighty buff to self.
And an Artifact activated.
“Dragon’s Breath.”
Buffed, Prudaite charged straight ahead. An Aura wrapped his shield, warping it into spikes.
Whoooosh-splash-splash-splash!
Steam erupted from the shield, dispersing across the area.
Obscuring First and Pur’s vision while he drove to pierce through Jin-woo once more.
“Noble Rose.”
Clang!
Crash-crash-crash-crash-crash! With fire, the shield charge engulfed Jin-woo entirely.
From exchanges of attack and defense, Prudaite realized First and Pur’s coordination was exceptional. If so, he’d use that against them.
Whoosh.
He’d feint at Jin-woo, forcing First and Pur to defend, then heighten his speed and aim for Jin-woo.
Whoosh!
But at that moment, Prudaite saw it.
In the gap obscured by the smoke, First and Pur’s eyes shone a brilliant blue.
“You gave yourself away…!”
Bang-bang-bang!
Both their attacks struck Prudaite’s shield directly.
Clang!
The fierce power transmitted through his shield, sending Prudaite’s body sliding backward violently.
“Ugh.”
—Critical Damage!
Multiple buffs, Engineering Armor, and Engineering Shield all minimized the damage.
Even so, it was devastating. His vision continued to reel.
“Thanks to you, I get to properly test the Eternal Cycle Sword and War Hammer.”
Jin-woo clicked his tongue.
‘Special Months isn’t just any Guild.’
Jin-woo didn’t know exactly what ranking Special Months held.
But watching this Sub-Guild Master, he suspected it was higher than the top 20.
‘Facing First and Pur simultaneously while keeping track of the back… that’s something.’
Of course, the Sub-Guild Master was pouring everything into the opening assault.
Time-limited buffs, Artifacts, Skills. These couldn’t be sustained indefinitely.
But the fact that he could pour so much into the opening and still simultaneously challenge two Familiars was impressive.
Jin-woo found this fight incredibly enjoyable.
‘Strong. He’s strong.’
He observed the man’s combat style.
A brilliant understanding of equipment. Movements that showed he knew exactly how to achieve perfect control over his gear.
“Sub-Guild Master, you’re obviously a Combat Ranker. May I ask what ranking?”
“….”
Prudaite was caught off guard by sudden conversation mid-battle and answered without thinking.
“39th!”
“Thank you.”
Jin-woo expressed his gratitude.
’39th, then.’
Even among the top 40, the lowest rank.
‘And yet he’s performing at this level?’
Jin-woo smiled without realizing it.
‘I thought I’d come far.’
There was still much further to go.
“First, Pur. That’s enough. You may press harder now.”
Jin-woo stamped his foot powerfully.
“Proclamation of Thousand Names.”
Whoosh!
Both Familiars’ eyes flashed brilliant blue.
Bang!
They exploded forward with explosive velocity.
“!”
“Eternal… Cycle…”
“Extreme Thunder Shatter.”
The powerful Skills from both weapons poured down upon Prudaite. Prudaite raised his shield.
“Noble Diamond Steel Wall!”
Prudaite had excellent offensive-defensive balance as a User.
A Semi-Legendary Class Knight, and there was no one in the Guild who could replace him.
The Skill he now deployed was an Awakening Technique obtained after his Job Awakening.
It had never been broken, and it had blocked countless strongest techniques from boss monsters—a legendary defense.
Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!
Crash-crash-crash!
Peak met peak.
Crunch!
And the sound of breaking echoed.
Crash-crash-crash-crash-crash-crash-crash-crash!
“Guh.”
A sound rang out.
The sound of feet scraping hard against the floor as he retreated.
“What the hell…”
Prudaite looked down at his body.
“What is this…”
Something impossible was happening to him.

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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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