The Return of the Legendary Golden-Handed Blacksmith - Chapter 373

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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 373
Episode 373.
Sangam.
“Hello. I’m Dongwoo.”
“Oh! You’re Jin-woo’s younger brother!”
“Sir, editor of JinTube! I really enjoy watching JinTube. Your editing skills are incredible. You’re absolutely central to JinTube’s growth—you deserve major credit!”
Dongwoo officially joined the production company.
Han In-gu’s team were fans of Dongwoo’s work.
They all subscribed to JinTube and had always marveled at his editing sense.
Since they worked in the same industry, they knew well how difficult it was to possess that kind of sensibility.
“You’re too kind.”
“Producer Han mentioned you were alumni from the same school.”
Besides Han In-gu, there were several others on his team who had graduated from the same university as Dongwoo.
“So you’re my senior!”
“Right? I could tell from the vibe. Looking forward to working with you, Dongwoo.”
“Yes! Please feel free to speak casually with me!”
As Dongwoo responded promptly, joy bloomed in the eyes of Han In-gu’s team—they already knew him as Jin-woo’s brother and a skilled editor, but his manner only reinforced it.
There was nothing quite like the satisfaction of having a capable partner to share the burden.
“It’s going to be really tough. But this is the first piece we’re launching with our new contract at Lizny.”
“With so many eyes watching, the pressure will be even greater, I imagine.”
“Yes. Honestly, there’s quite a bit of pressure. But working with everyone here makes it manageable.”
At Dongwoo’s words, they smiled once more.
What considerate words they were.
“Everyone, listen up. Lizny just locked in the schedule. They want to launch as fast as possible. Ads are already running, and we’ll start the campaign within a week.”
“What?”
“Isn’t that awfully fast?”
“It is fast. But honestly, it works in our favor.”
Han In-gu spoke up.
“We need to show Lizny what we’re capable of. Have you checked the community sentiment?”
“No, not yet.”
“Go look at the best posts on SharkNet.”
Han In-gu’s team checked SharkNet’s best posts.
-[BEST] 1. Why Jin-woo moving to Lizny was a bad call.JPG
“Wasn’t this supposed to be unannounced yet?”
“There must have been an internal leak. So rumors that Jin-woo chose Lizny are already circulating. The post went up in that context.”
Han In-gu said.
“The post saying it was a bad call for Jin-woo to go to Lizny is the number-one best post, and everyone agrees. The content says he should have stayed at Netflix—going to Lizny means it’s over. Now that Jin-woo’s lost Netflix’s power, even good content won’t help. That’s what they’re saying.”
Summarized, the post amounted to saying Jin-woo’s success with Soul Blacksmith was thanks to Netflix’s power and advertising.
“Plus, there are more new competitors now. Everyone in the industry’s probably heard by now.”
The producer industry wasn’t that large.
Within a few degrees of separation, you could learn anything.
“Content from famous Ranker blacksmiths and creators will launch soon.”
Jin-woo, who was a blacksmith, had succeeded. Pendant had succeeded.
Similar programs were inevitably coming, and Netflix itself was planning to open programs featuring several production-world blacksmiths to follow in Jin-woo’s footsteps.
Moreover, a sequel to Pendant’s work was in the works.
“I heard that after the Lizny news broke, Injoy also signed Infinite.”
Infinite, ranked twenty-second among blacksmiths.
Injoy had apparently brought him in and signed a contract.
Netflix, Injoy, Lizny.
The three platforms were now heading toward a direct confrontation again.
Though Lizny had landed a big fish in Jin-woo, the reason they wanted to unveil content so quickly was precisely this.
Rival platforms were trying to rapidly seize this territory and carve out their share.
And Netflix’s platform power—everyone acknowledged how formidable that was.
Could Jin-woo, stripped of Netflix’s mainstream backing, prove powerful enough to compete with content that Netflix and Injoy were pushing with full force?
“They’re outright dismissive. They say Soul Blacksmith succeeded because of Netflix’s power. As if Jin-woo’s content has no inherent strength.”
That was disrespectful to both the producer and his team.
But what angered Han In-gu most was the dismissal of Jin-woo himself.
-Everyone knows Jin-woo’s content is impressive, but you can’t ignore Netflix’s power either. Jin-woo should have stayed at Netflix. That’s where the synergy would have been. But now that he’s chasing money to Lizny, it’s basically over. Everyone knows Lizny’s money is dried up. Even if Jin-woo goes to Lizny now, how many people will actually follow him there?
“This lunacy.”
“Isn’t this just insane?”
“If Netflix’s power is that great, then every work Netflix promotes should succeed!”
-I question Jin-woo’s judgment in choosing Lizny of all places—the lowest-ranked platform. I’d understand Injoy. Injoy can push with Netflix-class force. But Lizny? Why?
The comments were full of that sentiment.
-I seriously don’t get why he went to Lizny.
-Isn’t Lizny already finished?
-Lizny’s a dead platform.
-Jin-woo might go down with them. Dead places are dead for a reason—the curse could swallow him whole.
-For real lol
“Don’t worry about it, Dongwoo.”
“These idiots don’t know anything.”
“It’s fine, really.”
Dongwoo smiled.
“My brother had his reasons for choosing Lizny.”
At those words, Han In-gu and his team tensed. They’d been curious themselves about why Jin-woo had chosen Lizny.
Of course, they’d figured his choice must have had solid reasons behind it.
“Would it be okay to ask why?”
At Han In-gu’s question, Dongwoo nodded.
“Because it’s last place. Because it’s on the verge of collapse.”
Of course, unlike the other two companies, they’d sealed the contract in New Gene currency and had a deeper understanding of New Gene.
But the real reason was that.
It was because Lizny was the lowest-ranked platform.
“That’s where it tastes best when you turn it around, he says.”
At those words, Han In-gu couldn’t help but laugh.
This audacious madness.
That confidence—that if he stepped in, he could naturally elevate Lizny.
Now that he thought about it, that was exactly it.
He’d wanted to work alongside Jin-woo because he could feel that confidence radiating from him.
“I had a hunch. But so he really did.”
“Is that why you went to the Avalak Kingdom?”
“Probably so.”
Dongwoo didn’t know for certain, but he suspected his brother would operate that way.
“He comes across as serious in the videos.”
The brother he knew was audacious.
“He’s always been first in everything. I’m sure this is natural for him.”
* * *
“Sacra has until now been mired in confusion, corrupted by foreign outsiders and flawed theories—brought low by Hamus.”
Sacra Castle.
Baxter stood on a massive platform set before the castle.
Before the platform stood members of Sacra’s noble families and those who had once been council members.
They gazed at Baxter with guilt-stricken expressions.
Stripped of everything by Special Months and Hamus, they had barricaded themselves within their clans and done nothing.
They were strong.
Even if all the noble families united, it seemed they wouldn’t be able to win, and they couldn’t bear the losses that would follow.
So they remained silent.
When the banished Baxter appeared and proposed restoring Sacra to its proper state, they couldn’t imagine their shame.
They, who had always been in Sacra, stayed silent—yet the banished Baxter returned and spoke of rescuing Sacra.
And when they learned that Baxter had been banished through deliberate framing, they would have crawled into any hole to hide.
What kind of noble family was this?
They were no different from pigs, merely calling out past glory while reaping benefits.
They could not afford a second mistake.
Thus all the noble families and their members gathered here.
Also, those who had lacked the courage to join Mate and the resistance before now joined this time.
“But the Jin-woo here—my disciple, now a hero of Sacra—has accomplished everything!”
Ding!
-Achievement unlocked!
-You have achieved the achievement “Sacra’s Great Hero.”
-Your Honor Score increases by 3.
With the achievement unlocked, Jin-woo gained a considerable number of Honor Score points.
‘Five points at once. That was certainly a difficult quest.’
It was a quest only possible because Jin-woo was a Necro Maister.
‘I was able to cut down the time significantly.’
Honor Score was a tremendously useful stat in playing New Gene.
The Honor Score functioned like a kind of reputation.
A user with high Honor Score commanded considerable trust from NPCs, and quests that normally would have required a long chain of side quests could be completed in a straight line.
Moreover, it affected even kings.
‘The king of Avalak himself is looking favorably on me because of my Honor Score.’
With an additional five points, almost any NPC would place considerable trust in Jin-woo’s words.
‘Even if I speak vaguely, they’ll have faith in me.’
Jin-woo smirked.
Then he stepped before the platform at Baxter’s gesture.
“I’m truly grateful that we can return Sacra to you all.”
Jin-woo spoke.
From his opening remarks onward, his tone was quite formal and courteous.
In that moment, the Sacra residents below the platform looked at Jin-woo with wonder.
So this Mechanical Engineer who had achieved such a great feat was this gracious?
“I have only done what I believed to be right, alongside Baxter.”
Jin-woo turned the credit toward Baxter.
He also mentioned Mate and the resistance.
“Without Mate and the other Mechanical Engineers enduring and holding strong, I would have been powerless.”
‘The reconstruction of Sacra comes first.’
Jin-woo had no intention of drawing attention to himself.
‘Baxter and the resistance will govern this place.’
It was true that they had held firm, which was why Sacra could be reclaimed at all.
Jin-woo continued his speech.
“And all of you—do not carry guilt. Raise your heads. Mate and the Mechanical Engineers resisted to protect you. The ones we truly must hold accountable are not yourselves, but those who created this catastrophe—the Special Months Guild and Hamus.”
The people of Sacra focused on Jin-woo’s words.
‘There’s no point in guilt now.’
Better to offer hope again. That way Sacra would recover, and moreover, it would become a formidable Sacran engineering city armed with new theory.
As Jin-woo gave his speech, Baxter wept openly and applauded.
-All this glory is mine, and I shall ensure proper rewards are claimed.
Any ordinary Mechanical Engineer would have said as much.
Even if they had, everyone would have had to acknowledge it.
Jin-woo had truly overturned odds of less than one percent and restored Sacra.
Whatever that man of such tremendous accomplishment wanted, whatever attitude he displayed, all would have had to acknowledge it.
Yet because he spoke these words, they saw him as a true hero.
When the speech ended, Baxter stepped forward roughly and cried out.
“We shall erect a statue! Moreover, we will record how Jin-woo accomplished all this under what circumstances, and we shall create a legend and a library about him to speak of eternally!”
“Agreed!”
“That is how it should be!”
“We must preserve Jin-woo’s great achievement for all time!”
The Mechanical Engineer who had followed Jin-woo alongside Mate smiled.
All the residents below the platform cheered.
“I will take responsibility for the Legend of Jin-woo. Do not worry.”
Then Mate raised his hand.
Like a docent, he wore a bright smile.
“Long live Jin-woo!”
“Hero of Sacra!”
It might have seemed burdensome, but Jin-woo was quite satisfied.
‘Yes, it should be like this.’
Baxter smirked in turn.
Now the most crucial element remained.
“For one who has achieved such a feat, such a reward is naturally due.”
Ding!
-You have received Mining Rights to Sacra!
“!”
This was something Baxter hadn’t mentioned.
Baxter had discussed various reward systems with the noble families.
What he’d mentioned to Jin-woo earlier were the premium materials they had been hoarding.
Jin-woo had been quite satisfied with just that.
Materials closely guarded for so long by a family famous in Mechanical Engineering would surely be extraordinary.
But Mining Rights?
“I believe all will agree. Sacra possesses rights to several mines. I intend to grant Jin-woo one of those rights!”
“I agree!”
“I agree! That much is only proper!”
Everyone voiced their agreement.
‘This is why I tackle quests like these.’
“Thank you.”
Ding!
-Quest complete!
-You have completed the All Master’s Disciples Quest!
The All Master’s Disciples Quest, which had been remarkably long, was finally finished. He had found Baxter, the last one, and brought him back to Sacra.
‘There were so many linked quests.’
The rewards gained along the way had been tremendous.
“Here it is. The final piece.”
Whoooosh—
As the final Map Piece of Unlimited Mountain came into Jin-woo’s hands, the pieces he carried merged together and began to glow.
“!”

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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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