The Return of the Legendary Golden-Handed Blacksmith - Chapter 376

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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 376
376.
Mergari began explaining immediately.
“Rather than Mechanical Engineering centered around Cores, I’ve focused on engineering that emphasizes the synthesis between Cores and materials.”
Baxter had researched Magic Cores, and Tabuk had researched Ether Cores.
While the two Mechanical Engineers studied the two Cores centered around Rune Energy, Mergari concentrated on the synthesis between Cores and External Frameworks.
“Cores are materials with quite assertive properties, so they don’t fuse well with materials that serve as External Frameworks. When that happens, no matter how remarkable the Core is, its power won’t properly transfer into the External Framework.”
So Mergari had focused his research on that aspect and honed the Flexibility needed for that synthesis.
The Flexibility that connected Magic Cores, Ether Cores, and External Frameworks—that was Mergari’s Mechanical Engineering.
Jin-woo nodded after hearing the theoretical explanation.
‘Now I understand why these three Mechanical Engineers became Sacra’s representatives.’
Each had a clear field of expertise, and their understanding of it ran deep.
‘This deep understanding is the most crucial element.’
Once they decided on something, they dug into it thoroughly. Because of that, when Jin-woo learned from them, he felt that depth distinctly, and the strengths and weaknesses became equally clear.
This Flexibility had only one drawback.
‘Control is difficult.’
You had to make the External Framework’s material supple, which required striking precise spots and softening it appropriately.
And because you had to apply this Flexibility, if control wasn’t executed properly, the Combination Degree would inevitably drop.
Having learned all three theories, Jin-woo found himself smiling without realizing it.
‘This is fascinating. The theories of the three Mechanical Engineers complement each other.’
That was why they could even have very substantive conversations with one another.
“This Flexibility is a technique that deepens the connection between the External Framework and the Core.”
Taking a Mechanical Engineering blade as an example.
Normally, combining a blade and a Core is quite difficult. It’s because the blade’s power and the Core’s power are different.
Jin-woo could raise the Combination Degree to some extent by filling it with Circulation and hand technique.
But the Combination Degree that increased that way had a low percentage.
“Let me show you first.”
Whoosh—
He drew out Sacra Steel and an Intermediate-Grade Runestone.
Then he tapped the Sacra Steel with his Hammer, tap, tap, tap.
‘Interesting.’
Jin-woo concentrated on that hammering.
Where the Hammer struck began forming like a Magic Circle, and soon light began emanating with a deep rumbling sound.
Mergari polished the Runestone. Then he inserted the Magic Core into the area that had been made supple.
Whoooosh—
In an instant, the Runestone was absorbed precisely into the Sacra Steel, the External Framework.
“That is Flexibility.”
A deep Combination Degree.
What Mergari had meant by that Combination Degree suddenly became vivid to Jin-woo.
‘So that’s how the synthesis happens?’
Jin-woo himself also paid considerable attention to the synthesis of material with material.
But this synthesis was certainly different.
‘It bonds so perfectly.’
It fused as if it had been one from the start.
“And this Flexibility Skill allows you to check the numbers.”
Whoosh—
As Mergari extended his hand, the Combination Degree of the just-completed equipment appeared.
-Combination Degree: 92%
A Combination Degree of 92 percent.
A fairly high number indeed.
Jin-woo immediately examined the equipment Mergari had made.
“!”
The moment he ran his hand over it, the feeling was unmistakably different.
‘Excellent.’
This was a state where the Core and material were completely bonded.
He could feel that the 92-percent figure was accurate.
And there was one more thing he sensed.
‘This is somewhat different, though.’
“This is…….”
“Yes. This approaches Magical Engineering.”
This was magic.
It was a technique that perfectly secured the Core and External Framework through the magic of Flexibility.
It was neither conventional Mechanical Engineering nor even conventional magic.
‘It’s a fusion of magic and engineering.’
“Of course, it’s different from ordinary magic. It requires considerable Dexterity. But I believe someone of your caliber could achieve it quite easily.”
He smiled as he spoke.
“Anyone as noble as you would certainly be capable.”
Jin-woo’s current Honor Score had surpassed 10 points.
Because of that, Mergari gave Jin-woo a very high evaluation of his skill.
Clang—! Clang—!
“First…….”
Mergari demonstrated once more.
“Why don’t we start by learning Flexibility?”
-You have learned Flexibility!
After learning Mergari’s Magical Engineering: Flexibility, Jin-woo immediately went into practice.
“I don’t think there’s any need to show you more. I can tell just by looking at your eyes.”
Jin-woo already had a Hammer in hand.
“Here are the materials.”
Jin-woo received Sacra Steel and an Intermediate-Grade Runestone.
Since this Flexibility Skill prioritized material synthesis over the materials themselves, overly good materials were actually undesirable.
Among quality materials were some that synthesized too easily.
These materials were perfect for practice.
Jin-woo immediately began applying Flexibility.
Clang—!
Mergari was curious about Jin-woo’s crafting too.
From what he’d heard from Baxter and Tabuk, he had no choice but to give Jin-woo a high evaluation.
This was the person who had saved Sacra with a single piece of crafting.
His skill had to be exceptional.
That’s why he wanted to see it with his own eyes.
Clang—!
“……!”
The moment Jin-woo brought down the Hammer, Mergari’s smile vanished.
Despite his high evaluation, it fell short.
Jin-woo’s Dexterity had reached a refined state deserving the title “Precision.”
Even after surpassing 10,000, Jin-woo’s Dexterity Stat continued rising without hindrance. Though not at the previous rapid pace, it rose bit by bit, supporting Jin-woo’s performance.
Clang—! Clang—!
In other words, Jin-woo’s craftsmanship was optimally suited for learning Mergari’s Flexibility.
Whoosh—. Whoosh—.
Clang! Clang—!
Under Jin-woo’s Hammer, the Intermediate-Grade Runestone and Sacra Steel transformed. Despite transforming in an instant, the Flexibility remained alive in them.
“The speed…….”
It was quite fast.
If he pushed for speed, he could achieve that when striking Sacra Steel himself.
But not with Magic Cores.
When he crafted Magic Cores, he couldn’t push for speed either. Magic Cores were inherently unstable.
But Jin-woo was already someone who had overcome that instability.
-You have created an Ether Magical Core!
“An Ether……Magical Core?”
This Ether Magical Core was the first time he’d seen it.
“You’ll understand gradually. The Mechanical Engineers who worked with Baxter, Tabuk, and me plan to disseminate this throughout Sacra.”
This Ether Magical Core was something Tabuk had researched for a long time. It had merely been stalled because of Hamus. Now he planned to disseminate this Ether Magical Core theory for Sacra’s benefit.
‘This is a bit different from my Ether Magical Core.’
Jin-woo’s Ether Magical Core crafting was an improved version that only Jin-woo could use.
Whoooosh—.
Jin-woo then held the Ether Magical Core and the refined Sacra Steel together.
‘Apply Flexibility.’
Clang—!
Jin-woo immediately synthesized the Ether Magical Core and Sacra Steel using Flexibility.
Whoooooosh—!
-You use Flexibility!
Jin-woo struck specific parts of the Sacra Steel.
And then struck continuously as if drawing a Magic Circle.
Clang-. Clang-. Clang-.
Then he inserted the Ether Magical Core into that area.
Sliiide—. Sliide—.
Whoosh—!
And the Ether Magical Core seeped into the Sacra Steel.
At the sight of it seeping in like a water droplet, Mergari gasped in admiration.
“……Wow.”
In the process of Flexibility, the most difficult part was this Magic Circle-drawing technique—the Magical Engineering. You had to strike precise spots and draw the Magic Circle while striking.
And you couldn’t just strike carelessly.
Because you had to control your strength precisely, all three elements had to align perfectly for Flexibility to work.
Mergari too had struggled most with this aspect during his research.
Even as he researched it, he wondered if others could easily learn this part.
And true to form, Mergari now had several disciples, but many of them struggled with this part.
“Let me check.”
Mergari examined the Flexibility-applied equipment Jin-woo had made.
-Flexibility Combination Degree: 98%.
The Combination Degree was 98 percent.
The Core and External Framework were essentially one body.
“I had expectations, but.”
It exceeded those expectations.
“That’s excellent technique. Mergari. It’s truly been a tremendous help.”
The words were heartfelt.
‘With the higher Combination Degree, the Core’s utility has increased.’
As the Core’s power seeped deeper into the material, the parts he’d inevitably had to abandon disappeared.
‘I should practice a bit more.’
It seemed like a little more practice could yield a perfect 100 percent.
‘If I understand the mechanism and move my hands correctly to become accustomed to the Magical Engineering.’
It seemed possible to perfectly compensate for the parts that were unavoidable due to synthesis.
“May I use the Workshop for a while?”
“Of course!”
Mergari replied.
“If you have any questions, please be sure to ask!”
Mergari quietly stepped back.
Mergari had plans afterward. He’d been asked to come to the castle once Baxter and Tabuk finished teaching Jin-woo Flexibility.
But how could he leave like this?
Just watching Jin-woo’s crafting was greatly stimulating.
“Summon.”
Jin-woo opened his Summoning Workshop.
Currently, Jin-woo had quite a lot of materials with unknown Grades.
Along with that, his mind was packed with feedback about various equipment.
‘The Eternal Mace and Eternal Shield. These two equipment pieces turned out quite well.’
But these weapons had already been exposed.
‘I need to be careful about that now too.’
Until now, Jin-woo had been consumed as content through JinTube and Netflix.
That meant few people saw him as an enemy, and few sought to analyze him.
‘If they did analyze, they would have analyzed my crafting.’
The Crafters among users in the same field likely only analyzed Jin-woo’s crafting to draw inspiration for their own.
But now it was different.
‘My sphere of activity has expanded.’
Jin-woo could now intrude into what existing users possessed through Quests or other circumstances.
In short, Jin-woo had become someone to be analyzed, and.
‘An enemy.’
Because of that, a single piece of equipment could not help but be penetrated.
‘I need equipment that hasn’t been exposed.’
And even if it were exposed, he needed to be able to swap equipment accordingly.
“Then one isn’t enough.”
Whoosh—.
Abandon the patterns of the past.
“Be able to handle multiple types of equipment.”
Each Familiar should have at least two pieces of equipment to gain an advantage when fighting users.
‘And if possible.’
The more, the better, wouldn’t it?
Jin-woo smiled and took the Hammer.
Whoooosh—.
Materials brought from a noble family were placed on the workbench.
The moment Mergari saw them, his eyes widened greatly.
“That’s……!”
Upon seeing Mercurium, Chronium, and Sacra Orichalcum, Mergari swallowed hard involuntarily.
“How did you obtain those……? Those are things noble families grip tightly and never release.”
“You’re familiar with them.”
“Yes, I am. I’ve requested them many times. To let me handle those materials. I said I’d return the finished equipment if they’d just let me craft them.”
Working with such materials was meaningful in itself.
Even with the condition of returning the finished product, it was a worthwhile trade if you could gain the experience of having worked with them.
But noble families never gave them.
“They said they wanted to raise a Mechanical Engineer so their direct line could handle them…….”
And those materials were in Jin-woo’s hands.
“So you have to be this remarkable for a noble family to release those materials…….”
But this was very reasonable cause.
If they wouldn’t release it even after you’d saved Sacra like this, they didn’t deserve to be called a noble family.
“Mergari, can you see the Grade of these materials?”
“Yes.”
The teachers Jin-woo had learned from had already surpassed the MR+ Grade level.
‘Then.’
It was time to push through.
Whoooosh—.
Jin-woo immediately placed the Mercurium in the furnace.
‘Mace and shield.’
One set already exists.
So the second piece of equipment had to feel different from that.
‘Wait.’
Something flashed through Jin-woo’s mind.
‘Do I really need to split the equipment?’
Multiple styles of equipment were necessary, that was true.
But there was no need to split those equipment into multiple pieces.
Jin-woo took out the Cloak Glider.
“I could transform it instead.”
One piece of equipment.
“Multiple pieces of equipment dwelling within it.”

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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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