The Return of the Legendary Golden-Handed Blacksmith - Chapter 396

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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 396
Episode 396.
Jin-woo examined the object he had received with care.
—Life Vessel
The item he’d received was something called a Life Vessel.
‘Could it be that one?’
“It’s an artifact capable of holding your vital force.”
A Life Vessel.
An artifact that could contain vitality itself.
—You have learned a special skill.
—You have received the Sacred Container for crafting Life Vessels.
“If you transfer some of your life force into this Life Vessel, you won’t truly die even when you fall.”
It could be thought of as a spare life.
“Now, if you were to become completely undead and transform into a Lich, you could achieve eternal life as long as the Life Vessel doesn’t shatter. But that requires abandoning your humanity.”
Necromancers had multiple advancement stages.
Lich was an advancement aimed at complete undead transformation.
Upon becoming a Lich, one transcends being a necromancer who commands the undead and becomes undead itself.
Once that happens, beyond merely commanding stronger undead, one gains access to dark magic that only the undead can wield.
Along with that, darkness infuses the attributes and traits change; thanks to this, using the Life Vessel grants an immortal form.
‘But if the Life Vessel breaks, I die.’
However, this artifact wasn’t limited to that single use.
‘It’s the finest reward.’
Jin-woo broke into a broad smile.
“Thank you, Velasquez.”
Each time Jin-woo fought, he felt it keenly: his opponents understood the necromancer class all too well, making their responses swift.
‘Quick responses translate directly into serious threats for me.’
First and Pur were strong.
Yet there were countless instances when they were bypassed and enemies rushed straight at him.
‘So far they’ve defended well.’
But could they continue to do so in the future?
‘I trust First and Pur completely.’
Yet circumstances were inherently fluid. What if an opponent possessed an artifact or skill capable of overtaking First and Pur in an instant?
‘I don’t have much defensive equipment otherwise.’
The Faust Bone Wing Helmet he’d crafted recently existed, but fundamentally Jin-woo’s body was light.
‘It’s perfect for such situations.’
Of course, he already possessed one spare life thanks to runes.
Now he had gained one more.
‘This is quite encouraging.’
It was precisely the artifact Jin-woo needed now.
“Does it disappear after one use?”
“Would I give you something like that? This doesn’t break. The life force here transfers into you.”
Velasquez smiled.
Jin-woo returned that smile.
‘The quest reward suits me perfectly.’
An artifact usable multiple times, not just once.
“Thanks to you, I’ve reclaimed the great flame, and the Twin God of Fire and Soul has descended upon me once more.”
Velasquez, once the sole successor of the Twin God of Fire and Soul and a great necromancer, had reclaimed that glory anew.
Such a reward was not costly in the slightest.
“I’ll cheer for your path forward, though it may be shrouded in darkness.”
“Thank you.”
Ding—!
An alert appeared as Jin-woo prepared to leave.
—Quest completion!
—You have perfectly completed 2 quests in the city of Sacra.
—Rewards have been granted.
—Your level increases!
Ding—!
A new notification window appeared alongside the level-up message.
“Oh.”
—You have surpassed Level 500!
—You have achieved an achievement!
He had finally reached Level 500.
“So this means I can enter now?”
—Achievement [Star Owner] unlocked!
—As [Star Owner] has been achieved, you have gained the authority to enter the rankings!
—The great foreigner Jin-woo, who possesses a star, may now engage in battles that govern and influence the continent through the ranking system!
—Authority obtained: War of Stars!
“I’ve become a Ranker.”
Jin-woo’s level had finally surpassed 500, officially granting him the authority to enter the rankings.
‘When you exceed Level 500, they say a star dwells in your body.’
From Level 500 onward, one could now properly be called an intermediate player.
Especially for combat classes, those who hunted endlessly could quickly achieve Level 500.
Jin-woo had dedicated most of his effort to crafting, and his direct hunting was minimal, which was why his Level 500 achievement had been delayed.
‘Now I can truly be called intermediate.’
On community forums, people were curious about one thing every single day.
Currently, Jin-woo, not yet in the Ranker tier, was having excellent exchanges with top-tier Rankers who were Master Craftspeople.
So what was Jin-woo’s actual ranking position?
They assessed it at minimum to be within the top 50.
Jin-woo himself thought it would be around that range.
“Entering the rankings immediately after reaching Level 500.”
The probability of Jin-woo, newly entering the rankings, holding a high position was remarkably low.
‘I’m not expecting much myself either.’
If high, perhaps 30th place.
If low, somewhere around 50th place by the skin of his teeth—that seemed about right. And there would be fun in climbing from there.
—Confirming your ranking in the War of Stars!
—Calculations in progress…….
—Verifying your data.
—Calculating user Jin-woo’s data.
The War of Stars ranking was composed of countless data points that NewGen could evaluate.
How Jin-woo had played, what specs he currently possessed, what achievements he’d earned, and which deity sponsored him—all this was evaluated and converted into scores.
Under Logical’s judgment, the evaluation was thorough, so most users had no major complaints about the Ranker tier rankings.
While some grumbled about the scoring being too strict, no one claimed the rankings were fundamentally inaccurate.
Whirrrrrrrr—.
The calculations, which should have finished quickly, were taking quite a while.
“The longer it takes, the better. It means they’re checking carefully.”
Jin-woo focused on exiting the tower.
And the moment he left the tower, an alert appeared before Jin-woo.
—Calculations complete!
—Check your War of Stars ranking!
—Jin-woo. Your ranking is…….
Jin-woo’s eyes widened upon seeing his rank.
“Uhhhhh…….”
A low sound of bewilderment escaped him at the ranking.
“Is this really correct?”
* * *
—User Jin-woo achievement [Star Owner] unlocked.
—Due to achievement unlock, you possess Ranker entry authority.
—Ranking entry calculation commences.
—Your ranking position as user Jin-woo will be calculated and recorded based on current data.
…….
…….
…….
…….
Suomisa.
GM Kim Na-yun sat before a computer running frantically and blaring, checking the message.
Achievement: Star Owner.
This achievement was one of the most familiar to any GM of Suomisa—utterly impossible to overlook.
Bang—!
GM Kim Na-yun shot up and immediately called her team lead.
“Team Lead!”
Upon receiving the report, the team lead urgently contacted the deputy director directly.
“The director needs to come too. We all need to check this together.”
The moment the team lead’s report went through, both the director and deputy director arrived at the conference room immediately.
“Hmm!”
The instant the director entered, preparations for the meeting were already complete.
“With the Jin-woo user, things are already quite complex in various ways. And now this achievement appears. Truly, a star is a star.”
The director was in a state where he was not receiving contact from other platforms due to his contract negotiations with Netflix.
Netflix had asked director Lee Hwa-shin to cut off any channels for meeting with Jin-woo, saying they would handle his re-contract themselves.
The director complied.
Yet that same Jin-woo ended up signing a contract with Lizny.
“I’ve done what I could.”
He felt somewhat embarrassed, but this was beyond his control.
Instead, the director was rather pleased.
With Jin-woo properly expanding into both Netflix and Lizny, NewGen’s user base was growing even more.
Moreover, NewGen’s stock price was rising vertically every single day.
“If it’s the Star Owner achievement, that means Jin-woo is entering the rankings now, right?”
“Yes. That’s correct.”
Until now, Jin-woo had been unable to enter the rankings due to insufficient level.
But now he had surpassed Level 500 and obtained the achievement [Star Owner].
Whirrrrrr—.
“We’re currently calculating.”
“What’s the estimated figure?”
“Within the top 50.”
“Within the top 50?”
The director furrowed his brow.
“Shouldn’t it be higher? Among the crafting-class users entering the top 50, I can’t think of a single name that could beat Jin-woo.”
His thought was that it should be at least top 10.
“That’s…….”
But there was a reason.
“Currently, among Rankers, only three users began within the top 50.”
Starlight, Inclassic, and Pendant.
Only these three had uniquely obtained the Star Owner achievement and were registered within the top 50 when ranking calculations were made.
Starlight ranked 27th.
Inclassic ranked 33rd.
And Pendant ranked 39th, with everyone else unable to start within the top 50.
“They rose in rankings through activity. Since only three started within the top 50…….”
Estimating top 50 now meant treating him identically to those three.
“Hmm.”
Upon hearing the explanation, the director nodded in understanding.
Then the top 50 estimate was indeed the correct figure.
“Though I suspect it might come in the top 30.”
He didn’t think it would be below 30th place.
“Didn’t he break all their achievements while climbing?”
Director Lee Hwa-shin was correct.
That’s precisely why the director believed Jin-woo would set new records this time too.
Those kinds of achievements that shattered all existing records.
“Early 20s. That’s how I see it.”
Everyone nodded at the director’s words. Especially GM Kim Na-yun did. She had already witnessed sufficient proof of Jin-woo’s accomplishments.
If it were Jin-woo, his first entry as a Ranker would naturally be within the top 30.
“When will the calculations finish?”
Once these calculations concluded and the ranking was released, they planned to make an official announcement about this achievement.
There was no separate discussion with Lizny, but it was to give a shout-out to Jin-woo, who had signed with them.
Due to Jin-woo, NewGen was currently being featured in the news daily and receiving attention.
So it was only natural for NewGen to give a shout-out to Jin-woo’s activities.
“Let’s collaborate with JinTube too and have them link those videos from our side.”
Everyone responded promptly to the director’s words.
And.
“Calculations are complete.”
Logical’s message appeared on the large screen.
—User Jin-woo Ranker entry calculation complete.
—Ranker ranking.
—[5]
“……?”
“?”
“?”
Everyone wore expressions of utter shock.
The number was single digit.
5.
5th place.
Far exceeding expectations.
“Is this…… correct?”
It was an overwhelmingly high ranking.
Especially the director pulled his glasses from his shirt pocket and put them on.
He narrowed his eyes, then repeatedly took off and put back on his glasses.
“……5th place.”
No one spoke in the face of such an unexpected ranking.
And the silence stretched quite long.
At such an overwhelming, truly overwhelming ranking, there was nothing anyone could say.
Even director Lee Hwa-shin could only blink.
“What about the overall ranking? What’s his overall position?”
This was the crafting-class Ranker ranking.
The overall ranking hadn’t been released yet.
Normally, upon reaching Level 500, both the ranking of one’s field and the overall ranking should be calculated simultaneously.
“The overall ranking is…….”
“……!”
“What is……?”

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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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