The Return of the Legendary Golden-Handed Blacksmith - Chapter 4

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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 4
Episode 4.
I never thought I’d be able to grip a hammer so soon.
Jin Woo stepped directly into the Blacksmith Workshop.
“Hmm. It looks like the Repair skill is functioning as an auxiliary tool.”
Jin Woo examined the workshop from corner to corner.
“A whetstone, too.”
There was also a hammer lying around.
The blade the Self-Defense Captain had handed him was in the worst possible state.
The edge was completely ruined and the shape was so warped it couldn’t be called a sword at all.
Scrap metal.
That was the only word that fit.
‘But depending on how I approach it, scrap metal can become a sword again, and that sword could even become a legendary sword.’
Since this was a Tutorial Quest, all the materials were conveniently on hand.
“A hammer and whetstone are all I need.”
Jin Woo had no special skills, yet he’d crafted successfully without them.
‘Back in Eternal Sunshine, with skill assistance I could make items in ten minutes.’
Once proficient, there were things he could craft in under a minute.
But items made that way never had great quality.
That’s why Jin Woo never relied purely on skills.
‘Skills are something I control, after all.’
In the end, everything came down to the hands wielding them.
“There’s an anvil, too.”
Whoosh—
He examined the flames dancing within the furnace carefully.
“The furnace is good. The fire’s hot enough.”
He worked the bellows with the tool in front of him, and the flames flared to life even brighter.
“Does each building have its own theme? This must be a tutorial that assigns you a profession.”
If that were the case, he’d found exactly what he needed. The profession Jin Woo wanted was a crafting-type class anyway.
“It’s been a while.”
Jin Woo immediately placed the iron into the furnace.
Whoosh—!
Heat the iron, then place the glowing blade on the anvil.
Clink—.
It had truly been ages since he’d gripped a hammer.
“Breathe…”
Jin Woo took a deep breath and began to hammer.
Clang—!
“!”
‘I can control the force.’
A delicate sensation was awakening.
‘It moves exactly as much as I want it to. Smoother than expected.’
He’d worried because of the one-year gap. But his body remembered.
Very vividly at that.
How he’d brought the hammer down.
How he’d controlled his strength.
What he could do. Everything.
And the sensation was far more real than it had ever been in Eternal Sunshine.
Clang—! Clang—! Clang—!
-Excellent hammer work!
-Dexterity stat has been generated!
-Dexterity has increased by [1].
With each hammer stroke, Jin Woo felt alive.
The rebound from the material as he struck.
The crisp joy that resonated with every hammer sound.
-You have learned a skill.
-[Basic Repair] has been generated!
Action creates skill. That was the fundamental principle of Newgene.
Whoosh—.
As he worked the bellows, Jin Woo watched the brilliant scarlet flames.
He focused his senses the way he had in Eternal Sunshine.
Clang—!
As he repaired, he realized something.
Newgene could reproduce far more than the semi-virtual reality game of Eternal Sunshine.
The sensation in his hands was clearer.
Even though this was his first time doing this in Newgene, it felt deeply familiar.
‘This is fun.’
A smile came naturally.
I can do this.
I can create this.
That alone was enough for satisfaction.
Jin Woo focused on his hammer work.
“Huh.”
The Self-Defense Captain, watching, let out a gasp of admiration.
Normally, hammer work like this would be impossible. It made sense—he was a complete beginner who’d just created his character.
But Jin Woo had a high Synchronization Rate.
An eighty-percent Synchronization Rate lent power to Jin Woo’s hammer strikes.
“I’ve never seen anything like this.”
When Jin Woo began hammer work with such skill, the Self-Defense Captain—who’d been in pain moments before—opened his eyes wide in shock.
“You there! This isn’t your first time with a hammer, is it!?”
“Ah, yes. It is my first time.”
In Newgene, it was his first time.
But the Self-Defense Captain interpreted it differently.
That level of skill despite it being the first time?
The Self-Defense Captain had naturally intended to teach Jin Woo about repairs.
What was necessary in repairing equipment.
How to approach it and how to utilize it—he’d planned to explain everything. This was a foreigner newly arrived, after all.
There were many things to teach newcomers.
But before he could do that, Jin Woo had prepared so naturally and begun hammer work that the words died in his throat.
“There’s no way this is your first time.”
“Ah. It’s not entirely my first time. I meant it’s my first time here.”
As Jin Woo continued with his humble replies, the Self-Defense Captain grew quite confused.
A beginner can do this so naturally?
Especially that hammer work—it made no sense.
A beginner absolutely could not work like that.
“But how can you be so skilled?”
Clang—!
The hammer strikes continued uninterrupted.
The Self-Defense Captain clicked his tongue in amazement.
“This is insane.”
The Self-Defense Captain couldn’t tear his eyes from Jin Woo’s hammer work.
Because he led the Self-Defense Squad, he sometimes made equipment for his members himself, or else left it with a blacksmith.
That’s how he knew.
This was no ordinary hammer work.
A raw talent felt in every downward strike.
The blade, which had been nearly garbage, was returning to its original form.
Clang—! Clang—!
Simply by repairing it.
‘The Basic Repair skill is quite good?’
“How can it be so refined?”
Though it looked like careless blows, the force delivered with each hammer strike was remarkably consistent.
Precision.
It was hammer work that embodied the word itself.
As a result, the work time had become significantly shorter.
Clang—! Clang—!
“Huh.”
The Self-Defense Captain found himself captivated, unable to look away from Jin Woo’s hammer work.
Regardless of the Self-Defense Captain’s gaze, Jin Woo remained focused on the repair.
‘Still faster than reality.’
The form took shape in moments.
‘This is enjoyable.’
And so the blade was repaired in Jin Woo’s hands.
-Equipment has been repaired!
-Perfect repair!
-Dexterity stat has increased by [2]!
“Is this… truly my blade?”
The Self-Defense Captain shook as he received the repaired sword from Jin Woo.
Shing—.
The blade, which had fallen apart completely, now gleamed with sharpness once again.
Yet Jin Woo was not entirely satisfied with the result.
“After so long, I’m a bit rusty, it seems.”
He’d reforged the shape and sharpened the blade.
But the quality hadn’t come out as well as he’d envisioned in his mind.
“Crafting is difficult, they say. I suppose this entire field is challenging.”
Of course, to Jin Woo it wasn’t particularly difficult. His form wasn’t perfect like before, but then again, he was a beginner now.
‘My character back then was a rank-one caliber character.’
Riding this momentum, Jin Woo wanted to craft more equipment, but he stopped himself.
‘I should handle the quest first. I need to collect the mid-quest rewards too.’
There’s a Wyvern flying around outside.
“It’s not much to look at, but it should be serviceable.”
Swish—!
Jin Woo finished the work by sharpening the edge with the whetstone, then handed the blade back to the Self-Defense Captain.
The Self-Defense Captain shook his head vigorously as he received the sword from Jin Woo.
Then he looked at Jin Woo, his pupils trembling.
“Is this really my blade? You’ve only repaired and sharpened it with the whetstone. Hah, impossible. I’ve been wielding a toothpick all this time. You’ve turned my toothpick into a true sword!”
High praise burst from his lips.
-The Self-Defense Captain admires your skill!
-You have earned the Self-Defense Captain’s recognition!
-Quest complete.
-Rewards have been enhanced!
As the blade repair quest was cleared, the Self-Defense Captain pulled something from his pocket.
“Take this for now. It’s all I have on me at the moment. I’ll give you a proper reward once this is all over!”
What he handed over was Gold.
-You have received 500 Gold!
‘I’m not sure how much that’s worth.’
It seemed like bonus compensation rather than a proper reward.
‘And I don’t think it’ll end there.’
The Self-Defense Captain’s expression was unusual.
He’d been completely absorbed watching Jin Woo’s work just now, and seemed quite pleased with the repair.
-You have been registered on the Hall of Fame for the quest [Help the Self-Defense Captain].
-A remarkable result!
-You have obtained an Achievement!
-<>
-Hall of Fame Ranking
1. Jin Woo [150 points] NEW!
2. InClassic [130 points]
3. Starlight [111 points]
4. CraftedWell [108 points]
……
“Hall of Fame?”
Jin Woo checked the ranking table labeled Hall of Fame.
“Is there a Hall of Fame for each quest?”
A scoring system applied to each quest.
“The quest rewards are variable, so there was a reason. The way you clear a quest determines how much the reward changes, and it seems this scoring table is the basis for that.”
It appeared to be a system where points are assigned based on how the quest is completed, and additional rewards are given based on those points.
“It’s quite an interesting system.”
In fact, Jin Woo had even obtained an additional achievement.
Achievements were a system found in any game, so he was familiar with them.
“Huh?”
Jin Woo doubted his own eyes.
It was something he noticed late, while examining the ranking table and checking the scores.
“First place? Me?”
The Help the Self-Defense Captain quest.
Jin Woo had secured first place on that quest’s Hall of Fame.
“I thought I’d score high points, but…”
It was his first hammer strike in Newgene.
Though it was his first hammer strike, he’d adapted quite well and his hand sensitivity was considerable.
Of course, the repaired blade hadn’t met his expectations, but it wasn’t something to dismiss.
His benchmark was naturally the peak days when he’d been playing Eternal Sunshine, his prime self.
While the sensation was vivid, Newgene was just beginning.
That’s why he’d never imagined placing first.
“Jin Woo! Get outside quickly! If you wait much longer, it’ll be too late to reverse!”
Then the Self-Defense Captain spoke urgently.
This was not a moment of leisure.
“Yes.”
Jin Woo followed after the Self-Defense Captain.
* * *
Screech—!
“This can’t be real. This isn’t my blade!”
Outside, the Self-Defense Captain ran toward where the knights were, parrying the Wyvern’s attacks.
-The Self-Defense Captain’s Affinity has increased!
“I should’ve been crushed under this!”
Each time the Self-Defense Captain swung the blade Jin Woo had repaired, the same notification appeared.
“You’ve saved my life five times over, boy! Ha-ha-ha—!”
-The Self-Defense Captain’s Affinity has increased!
-The Self-Defense Captain’s Affinity is at maximum!
It took about five minutes to reach where the knights were stationed.
The Self-Defense Captain’s Affinity had maxed out.
“Just a little further and you’ll see the knight commander.”
“Self-Defense Captain.”
Jin Woo spoke from behind the Self-Defense Captain.
“Are you getting accustomed to the blade?”
“Accustomed? This is a legendary sword. In your hands, that broken blade became a legendary sword!”
“Then.”
Jin Woo smiled slightly.
‘Come to think of it, this quest is similar. The goal appears to be calling the knight, but the real objective is resolving this Wyvern crisis.’
Which meant how he achieved this quest’s objective was paramount.
“Hunt the Wyvern with that blade. You don’t need to go all the way to see the knight.”
“Hunt the Wyvern?”
‘The Tutorial Quest itself is about saving the village from this Wyvern.’
If that were the case, whether it was the knight or the Self-Defense Captain wouldn’t matter much.
‘And honestly…’
“It’s tempting.”
The materials that come from defeating a Wyvern were tempting.
‘My hands are itching.’
To Jin Woo’s eyes, that was treasure flying across the sky.
Hearing Jin Woo’s words, the Self-Defense Captain looked surprised for a moment, then gripped his sword hand tighter.
“Let’s give it a try!”
* * *
-Quest complete.
-Tutorial Quest has been completed!
-Tutorial Quest settlement is beginning.
The blood-soaked Self-Defense Captain raised his blade high.
“Ha-ha-ha-ha—! We did it! We did it! I defeated a Wyvern! Something I couldn’t do even in my youth!”
The Self-Defense Captain approached Jin Woo and bowed his head.
“Thank you, Jin Woo. It’s all thanks to you. You saved my life and rescued the village.”
“I did nothing. All of it was due to your efforts.”
“How can you be so humble—!”
With his Affinity at full, the Self-Defense Captain handed Jin Woo a Letter of Introduction.
“I’ve never met a blacksmith as magnificent as you. That hammer work, and this repaired blade. You’ll become a great blacksmith. That’s why I’m giving you this.”
“May I ask what this is?”
He smiled slightly as he replied to Jin Woo’s question.
“This is a Letter of Introduction my grandfather received long ago.”
He began to explain.
Once, a legendary blacksmith came to the village.
He sought help from the Self-Defense Captain’s family, and they aided him.
In return, the legendary blacksmith gave them this Letter of Introduction.
“It’s a Letter of Introduction. He said that anyone who brings this letter will be accepted as his disciple! Our family has treasured this ever since. We decided that if a child was born with great talent, this letter would be theirs. But alas, we never had use for it, and eventually it came to me.”
The Self-Defense Captain clicked his tongue regretfully.
“I mentioned I once worked as a blacksmith, didn’t I? It was my childhood dream. Truth be told, I wanted to use it myself, but I was afraid. Afraid my talent wasn’t enough and I’d be rejected. In the end, I never used it.”
The Self-Defense Captain spoke.
“You use it. I’m sure it suits you well. This is my reward to you. Thank you.”
-You have received a Legend Quest!

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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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