The Return of the Legendary Golden-Handed Blacksmith - Chapter 391

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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 391
Episode 391.
The contaminated goblins had all gathered before Jin-woo. They did not properly understand the situation they found themselves in.
The enemy they had just been fighting was now helping them.
At the prospect of purifying not only the land but also themselves, the High Goblins adopted a profoundly awkward demeanor.
Until now, they had never received such unconditional kindness.
A savior. A saint. The High Goblins’ eyes gleamed as they looked upon Jin-woo.
-The High Goblins’ Affinity reaches MAX.
Shhhhhhhh—.
Yet such doubts vanished the moment the contamination was purified.
“Ahhhhh…….”
“My head…… doesn’t hurt anymore.”
“My back doesn’t hurt either!”
“My hair grew back!”
“I…… didn’t get any…….”
Shhhhhhhh—.
Velasquez marveled at the sight of the purifying goblins.
“I had no idea you possessed such power…… .”
“Isn’t that what every Necromancer can do?”
“……?”
Velasquez’s expression turned bewildered.
“Then how did I become contaminated?”
He had a point.
“Rather, I’m the one left astounded…… This is your versatility! Are you not underestimating yourself far too much?”
Jin-woo did indeed have high standards.
‘That wasn’t possible just because I’m a Necromancer, then.’
It was a special power of his Unique Job—Necro Maister.
‘All Necromancers have diverse skills of their own.’
Depending on which field a Necromancer specialized in, their skill set varied accordingly.
“Then.”
Jin-woo smiled and gestured to Velasquez.
“I should be able to remove your contamination as well.”
“!”
Now that he thought about it, that was true.
“Allow me to purify you.”
Jin-woo extended his hand toward Velasquez.
Shhhhhhhh—.
-Contamination is purified.
-The soul is purified.
“Nnngghhhhh.”
“!”
“This cannot be…… .”
The aggression that had defined the contaminated High Goblins vanished.
Everything they had wielded as hostility stemmed entirely from this contamination.
‘They reaped what they sowed.’
In a sense, it was the self-inflicted karma of Sacra’s Mechanical Engineers.
‘Though Velasquez bore the brunt of the damage regardless.’
Having purified all the contaminated goblins, Jin-woo’s Strength stat rose by a full fifty points.
That was a substantial increase.
‘Stat gains are proportional to Level and Stat thresholds.’
Especially at higher levels, investing over ten stat points became necessary just to raise a single Stat by one—sometimes even more.
‘This is a significant leap.’
Jin-woo’s Strength stat had now crossed eight thousand.
“Jin-woo.”
“Jin-woo—!”
The now-healthy High Goblins prostrated themselves before Jin-woo.
“Thank you so much.”
Mengka, the High Goblin chieftain, also bowed and expressed his gratitude.
“We have received an immeasurable blessing.”
He had cleansed both the barren land where they dwelt and the contamination that plagued them.
“We wish to make you our new god.”
-The God of Green Claw says he can lower a seat for you!
-He says a statue would be quite appropriate!
-The God of Green Claw expresses infinite gratitude toward you!
Jin-woo helped them to their feet.
“The land is purified and you are purified, but you still cannot live properly here. You’ve merely escaped contamination—the land itself remains barren.”
Jin-woo continued.
“Humans made it this way. So we must hold them accountable.”
“That is unnecessary. We are content. You have already aided us as their representative.”
Even as Mengka spoke, Jin-woo shook his head.
“I have connections with those in power within Sacra.”
“!”
“I will speak with them and have the North officially recognized as your territory. And simultaneously.”
Jin-woo said.
“I will ask them to provide you with substantial support.”
“That would be…….”
This was precisely what the High Goblins had desired.
Things they had always believed could only be won through battle.
That they could obtain them this way—they had never imagined it.
“We never even thought to ask for contamination purification…….”
Yet alongside that purification, he was offering to create an environment where they could truly thrive.
The High Goblins began to follow Jin-woo.
“We wish to join the Jin-woo Clan!”
“Please accept us!”
“We will introduce you to the fairest of our kin!”
“That won’t be necessary.”
Jin-woo stated firmly.
“Instead, you are now one of the factions integrated into Sacra, which means you must learn Coexistence with Sacra’s humans.”
“There is no objection to this.”
“It is what we have always hoped for.”
The purified High Goblins were remarkably docile.
Without the aggression they once carried, Coexistence with humans seemed entirely feasible.
‘Moreover, they have an interest in Mechanical Engineering.’
If Mengka properly bridged the gap between them, no troubles seemed likely to arise.
This was not merely a path for the goblins.
‘Sacra itself would gain greatly from this Coexistence.’
Ding—!
The moment Jin-woo finished speaking, an alarm sounded.
-The God of Green Claw grants you a reward.
-You have received a Force Fragment.
A Force Fragment.
This Force Fragment was an Artifact that could be absorbed through Soul Resonance.
-You have obtained a High Goblin Force Fragment!
The Force Fragment, imbued with the racial trait of the High Goblins, descended into Jin-woo’s hands.
-Racial trait absorbed.
-High Goblin is added to Soul Resonance.
-The power of Stealth and High Precision settles within you!
The High Goblins were inherently a race specialized in Stealth, and their exceptional dexterity granted them extraordinary High Precision in their craft.
Yet the contamination of the North had stripped away their Stealth entirely, reducing even their precision to a middling shadow of its former strength.
Nevertheless, the Force Fragment had not tarnished.
Shhhhhhhh—!
-A Passive Skill is added.
-When you leave the enemy’s line of sight, your movement speed increases by 20%.
-A Passive Skill is added.
-Your dexterity stat increases by 5% due to High Precision effect.
‘The God of Green Claw is quite generous.’
Jin-woo had not expected a Force Fragment as a reward.
Until now, Force Fragments had only been received from those who stood as chieftains of their respective races. Of course, deities had been involved in those processes, but this was the first time a god had given one directly.
‘Perhaps that’s why the effects are so substantial.’
Stealth and High Precision.
Jin-woo’s dexterity had already surpassed ten thousand.
A five percent increase at that threshold was an enormous boon.
‘That means a gain of five hundred points.’
Once a stat exceeded ten thousand, each single point became exceedingly difficult to raise.
-The God of Green Claw once more expresses his profound thanks.
This was the maximum reward the God of Green Claw could bestow.
“My thanks.”
Now Jin-woo felt obligated to give even deeper thought to the High Goblins’ welfare.
‘The god likely anticipated this and ensured the reward was thorough.’
He had always intended to do it anyway.
He wanted the High Goblins to serve as Sacra’s blade and shield.
Jin-woo smiled wryly, looking at Mengka.
“And there is one more contract condition.”
This was one of the contract terms Jin-woo found most thrilling.
“That Eternal Stone. Where is it?”
The Eternal Stone.
He could not leave without mining it.
* * *
-You enter the Millennium Cave!
-You discover the cave for the first time!
-You have achieved an Achievement!
-You have achieved the Achievement [A Stranger Visits After a Thousand Years]!
-You have obtained Stat Points.
The Millennium Cave.
True to its name, this ancient cavern exuded a formidable, biting cold.
Screeeeeech—.
“Even the entrance is quite something.”
Shhhhhhhh—.
The rising cold seemed poised to mercilessly freeze anyone foolish enough to wander in.
Jin-woo was quite pleased.
‘At this intensity, the ore quality must be exceptional.’
“It must have been difficult to enter at all.”
“Ironically, the contamination shielded us from the cave’s cold.”
Contamination possessed considerable resistance to such extreme chill.
Unwittingly, the contamination had served as a barrier for the High Goblins, allowing them to discover the Eternal Stone deep within the Millennium Cave.
Following Mengka’s lead, Jin-woo walked deeper.
The Millennium Cave had long denied entry to anyone. Because of this, it remained beautiful—and perilous.
“You must exercise care. From here on…….”
Extreme cold emanates from within.
Yet Jin-woo was a Necro Maister.
‘Cold is practically an ally to a Necromancer.’
The exact opposite of how a Blacksmith’s ally is flame.
‘In a way, I wield two opposing forces.’
Shhhhhhhh—.
Indifferent to the rushing cold, Jin-woo moved forward.
Mengka, now free of contamination, carefully guarded himself with Mechanical Engineering equipment, continuously defending against the billowing chill.
How far had they ventured?
Thoom—.
Something deep within radiated an intense, brilliant glow.
“That is.”
Mengka gestured toward the light and spoke.
“The Eternal Stone.”
A massive stone hung upon one cavern wall.
The mineral shifted color depending on the angle of view; only about one-tenth of it had been extracted from the rock face.
“…….”
Jin-woo’s gaze was captivated.
“It is said to be the primal form of every ore in Sacra. We attempted to mine it using the Great Fire, but found the task too demanding.”
True mining required exceptional skill and precision.
Jin-woo lifted the Pickaxe.
‘Hmm.’
Jin-woo studied the Eternal Stone.
‘Every ore ever used in Sacra—their essence lives intact within this.’
Merely looking upon it felt overwhelming.
‘Mengka has a keen eye.’
After all, he had swiftly recognized Jin-woo’s Faust Bone Wing Helmet.
So, having now laid eyes upon the Eternal Stone, he would surely understand its significance.
That it would become a trump card capable of overturning everything.
‘It could not be otherwise.’
Any Blacksmith who beheld this Eternal Stone would have no choice but to let their eyes glaze over with desire.
Jin-woo raised the Pickaxe.
Then, channeling the Great Fire into the Pickaxe, he brought it down with full force.
Crack—!
“Hmm.”
Once more.
Crack—!
Despite striking with tremendous force, it did not budge.
‘As I suspected.’
“This will be difficult to mine.”
“We shall assist you. Should we work alongside you…… moreover, we have not yet returned something vital.”
They had not yet restored the most important thing.
The Great Fire.
“With the complete Great Fire, we can surely extract it.”
“No. Not like that.”
For this, he needed an expert.
Though he knew the Great Fire was powerful, it alone could not mine it without loss.
“I do have some mining skill myself.”
But this was absolutely beyond that level.
“Even if we forced it, there would inevitably be waste.”
That would be disrespectful.
It must not be mined that way.
“I’ll bring in an expert.”
“An expert…… you mean?”
“Yes. I happen to know some.”
Two master miners. Jin-woo immediately reached out to them.
“While we wait.”
Jin-woo gestured to Mengka.
“The Great Fire you carried off—let me reclaim 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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