The Return of the Legendary Golden-Handed Blacksmith - Chapter 370

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

Episode 370
370.
Crack!
Screeeeeech!
Bang!
“Not yet… It’s not over!”
Faust’s suit tore to shreds.
Then he tensed his entire body. His muscles burst through, revealing his true form.
His whole frame rippled with muscle, his eyes blazing crimson.
His wings too had sprouted with massive spines.
-Faust reveals his true form.
“That’s right. I won’t die so easily. That’s how it should be.”
‘The higher the Grade of the tower, the harder it becomes to conquer.’
Just before, Jin-woo had conquered three towers simultaneously in Elementia.
‘Compared to that, the difficulty here is still low.’
Fighting the Fused Uctus hadn’t been easy at all.
“You still feel weaker to me than the Special Moons.”
Of course, there was equipment he didn’t have back then.
Even with MR+ Grade equipment, the tier was different, so the difficulty had to vary.
Rumble!
Moreover, Faust’s true strength lay in the Power of Betrayal.
His signature was marking an opponent with the heretic’s brand and turning their power back on them, making it his own.
The stronger the better.
Because that power would become entirely Faust’s power.
But having that force shattered head-on made the difficulty feel inevitably lower.
Crack.
Crackle-crack!
Space warped around Faust as its center. The air fractured and deformed like shattered glass. Faust reached into that space and swung wildly.
Slash!
Space shattered right beside First, and Faust’s attack connected.
“!”
Bang!
First raised his Shield to block and simultaneously struck back. But Faust’s hand was already gone.
Faust drove both hands into the ground.
“All wishes granted.”
Slip. Slip.
The power of those who had wished upon Faust flowed back to him once more.
Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.
Then hands sprouted from Faust’s back.
One, two, ten, a hundred, hundreds…
Countless hands extended, reaching through the fractured space as before.
Boom-crash-crash-crash-crash!
Space near First shattered madly as hundreds of fists came flying.
Each one was an intense blow charged with the power of wishes.
Thud-thud-thud!
“Betray.”
Fists that should have traveled straight bent at bizarre angles, striking First from all directions.
Thud.
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!
Hundreds of fists attacked First simultaneously.
First blocked with his Shield first.
Clang. Bang!
Several fists struck the Shield at once, but it didn’t budge.
“!”
It should have shattered.
Hamus watched clearly.
An Ether Amplification Core. A core made solely of Ether was withstanding this tremendous, powerful assault.
Though there was a difference in the maker, fundamentally its essence remained an Ether Core.
This proved it decisively.
That Ether Cores could be just as much a next-generation theory to guide Sacra forward as Magic Cores.
But only for a moment.
Faust’s assault intensified.
Thud!
And suddenly, several fists aimed at the Subordinates.
Crash!
The attack struck Pur and the other Subordinates directly.
Yet the Subordinates didn’t move.
This was the Commander’s battle.
Of course they wouldn’t intervene.
Besides, the Subordinates were watching Jin-woo.
Jin-woo stood with arms crossed.
Which meant First alone could still handle it.
First, pressed against his Shield to block attacks from multiple angles, had read the rhythm.
The Power of Betrayal had thrown the rhythm off, but he adapted through instinct.
Thud.
He pushed back the clustered arms with his Shield and swung his Eternal Mace in a wide arc.
The arm coming from that gap he caught on his forehead to nullify it, then spun forward, advancing slightly.
Push back.
Swing.
Evade.
First advanced.
Smoke rose from Faust’s body. He was giving it his all.
To stop First by any means necessary.
Whoosh!
Faust reset his pattern. Now came a whip-like barrage of punches—even he didn’t know where they’d land.
Crack. Thud!
Fist struck fist, angles twisted, and another fist rushed in from that twisted angle. First’s prediction became impossible, and even Faust himself took damage from the attack.
He took damage, but in exchange, he could attack First.
Crack!
Yet First adapted in moments.
He adapted to an attack that even Faust himself couldn’t adapt to.
Intense light blazed from First’s eyes.
A brilliant blue gleam filled his gaze as First stepped forward once more.
One step.
Then another step.
“Gaaaaaahhhhh!”
Though Faust was the one attacking, he had no margin. In fact, he was being pushed back.
If he stopped attacking, First’s advance would only accelerate.
Whoooosh!
If First reached him, it was over. But Faust’s speed faltered first, even faster.
And at that slower moment, First suddenly surged forward.
Crack!
First swung his Eternal Mace.
“!”
Piercing through.
Then he brought the Shield crashing down.
“Cough.”
Faust could hold on no longer.
His massive frame staggered greatly.
“Why won’t you stop?”
Crack!
“Why can’t you stop…”
Bang!
“I’ll… I’ll grant your wishes!”
“My. wish. is. your. death.”
Crash!
Faust’s body crumbled.
“That I would fall here…”
To a mere human.
To a single Undead.
“To think such a bond exists for merely one human. How can such loyalty exist?”
He thrashed his wings in fury.
Wings sharpened like blades shot toward First at tremendous speed. An attack no one could have predicted.
Yet First had foreseen it.
Crack!
He blocked precisely with his Shield and deflected it.
“Splendid.”
First praised him purely.
“I. could. not. have. endured. this.”
Had he taken an attack of this magnitude, First himself would surely have fallen long ago.
It was respect for the great equipment that had withstood such tremendous force.
Screeeeeech!
With First’s final blow, Faust collapsed.
Boom!
“Against Faust himself…”
Hamus had witnessed everything.
He’d defeated the Grand Demon Faust without a single flaw.
Fade.
-The Grand Demon, Faust, enters eternal rest.
-You have hunted Faust, the master of the Tower of Wishes and Betrayal!
First alone had hunted the Grand Demon.
First cleaned off his Eternal Mace. Then he tapped the Mace against his Shield a few times.
Boom! Boom!
It was a presence befitting a Commander.
All of Jin-woo’s Subordinates watched the Commander First.
They all seemed to share the same thought.
That next time, they too should grow strong enough to stand alone in that position.
-You have conquered the tower!
-You have been registered in the Hall of Honor!
-Your Integrity Points increase by 3.
-Settling scores…
-System tally confirmed. 1 conqueror.
-Your name spreads across the continent for this magnificent achievement!
-Hamus has survived.
-An overwhelming accomplishment!
-The result is unbelievable—your reward is adjusted!
-Your reward has reached its maximum.
-You receive MAX reward.
-Your Level increases.
-Your Level increases.
Hunting Faust and countless notifications flooded in.
And simultaneously, the tower trembled.
Rumble-rumble-rumble-rumble!
‘As expected.’
Jin-woo smiled, reading the notifications.
‘Keeping Hamus alive was the right choice.’
What earned the highest marks was Hamus’s survival.
The settlement of this tower Quest seemed to depend on whether Hamus lived or died. Since Jin-woo had hunted Faust with Hamus still alive, he’d received considerable praise.
This time too, the reward upgrade he could receive had been maxed out.
Additional reward MAX.
Jin-woo found himself deeply anticipating the rewards.
Rumble.
Rumble-rumble-rumble.
Within the trembling tower, Jin-woo first made his way toward Faust’s corpse.
Floating gently.
A massive silvery soul.
-Faust’s Soul [?]
-Essence of Wishes [?]
-Essence of Betrayal [?]
-Faust’s Bone [?]
-Faust’s Wings [?]
All the materials dropped by Faust had question marks for their Grade.
“So it’s far higher than MR+ Grade.”
Fade.
Intense power radiated from the materials Faust left behind.
Especially the soul was extraordinary.
Jin-woo reached out to touch the soul.
-You have obtained a powerful soul!
-Your Job Experience increases!
When he’d hunted the Fused Uctus, Jin-woo had leveled up from Level 2 to Level 3.
So he’d harbored slight hope, but the experience still seemed to fall short of that.
‘There should be a Third Class Advancement too.’
If he obtained one more proper soul here, there was a real possibility of reaching the Third Class Advancement.
‘Either way.’
Jin-woo found himself smiling naturally.
Fade!
Part of Faust’s soul writhed.
Then it began to enter the Ten Thousand Demon Palace that Jin-woo was holding.
Boom-crash-crash-crash!
Screech!
As the Ten Thousand Demon Palace opened, the cries of demons rang out.
But the moment Faust entered, the demons’ screams stopped abruptly.
The mighty soul of Faust seemed to have crushed the souls of the other demons outright.
-All Stats increase greatly!
Just as before, Stats rose immediately.
Fullness of power.
‘Something feels different this time?’
When storing a demon in the Ten Thousand Demon Palace, there was a baseline increase in power Stats.
But now Jin-woo’s body felt far too light.
Ding!
-Level requirement fulfilled.
-Sufficient demons have been gathered in the Ten Thousand Demon Palace.
-You have learned a new Skill!
-The demons’ power settles within you, and Darkness takes root in your body.
Fade.
Starting with Pur, Jin-woo began stuffing countless demons into the Ten Thousand Demon Palace.
Thanks to that, the accumulated power of the demons began to transform Jin-woo.
Crackle.
Boom-crash-crash-crash!
Dark Energy filled Jin-woo’s entire body.
‘Oh my.’
-You have learned a Skill.
-Skill: You have learned Demonification.

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