The Return of the Legendary Golden-Handed Blacksmith - Chapter 52

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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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Episode 52
Episode 52.
SS+.
“Good materials truly yield good results.”
Jin-woo gazed at the completed Elven Lunestone Sapphire Armor and smiled with considerable satisfaction.
“The armor itself is wonderful, but—”
What pleased him most was that he’d used the materials properly this time.
“With the Mithril Copper-tin Armor, I couldn’t maximize what I had.”
The Mithril, an S-Tier material he’d used before, was undoubtedly a fine mineral.
But he hadn’t been able to melt it, and as a result, he’d wasted its potential.
The lack of firepower was merely an excuse.
Jin-woo had failed to find the right approach.
Plain and simple—he hadn’t been equal to the material’s demands.
But this time was different.
“This time, I used it properly.”
Unlike before, he’d fully harnessed the material’s latent strength.
“If I’d handled the Mithril correctly, I could’ve achieved an SS+ armor then.”
Yet he harbored no regret.
He’d already reached SS+ Tier.
-All Stats increase by 100!
Upon reaching SS+ Tier, all his Stats rose by 100.
“And I finally saw the true effect of the Rune.”
The Rune bestowed by the Goddess of Fire and Furnace—thanks to it, he’d been able to employ a new crafting method.
Channeling the intense power of the flames into the material in tandem with each hammer strike. He’d done this often during his time with Eternal Sunshine.
He’d wondered if it would work. And it did.
‘That’s why such a fine armor emerged.’
-The Goddess of Fire and Furnace praises your craftsmanship! She beholds you bearing pain while swinging your hammer amidst the flames, and names you a Warrior of Fire!
As expected.
The Goddess of Fire and Furnace, watching from nearby, showered Jin-woo with praise.
-You have received an additional 30 Stat points.
“I am grateful! Since you regard me so favorably, shall I continue crafting at once?”
-The Goddess of Fire and Furnace says you should rest a little!
“As you wish, I shall do so.”
Jin-woo immediately reviewed what he’d just completed.
‘I didn’t deploy the Flame Impact perfectly.’
Each time he struck the Elven Lunestone, pain had flared through him. Proper Flame Impact technique should have caused no damage.
‘I struck even through the pain, yet made no mistakes.’
Not using it perfectly meant he’d been more cautious with the Flame Impact than he’d have liked.
“Still, I’ve gotten a solid feel for the Lunestone’s character.”
It was only his first time using it.
With gradual refinement, he’d master it.
“More pliable than I expected, this Elven Lunestone.”
The Elven Lunestone proved remarkably supple as a mineral.
The sensation under the hammer had been so smooth it was almost yielding—distinctly different from the Copper-tin or Mithril he’d worked with before.
“When I was hammering Mithril, I wondered if there existed a mineral finer than that. But this is clearly in another class. They say it only comes from Elven cities, yes? I absolutely must visit one someday.”
Once Jin-woo finished his review, he finally donned the armor.
Whoosh—
The instant he put it on, an aura rippled outward.
“That must be the impact that radiates when you equip it?”
The distinctive impact of Elven Lunestone was quite striking.
“I thought I wouldn’t be able to wear it.”
Jin-woo’s current Level was 70.
Since he’d minimized hunting and leveled only through crafting, his Level remained rather low. So he’d thought he might not meet the requirements for SS+ armor.
“Thanks to the Elven Lunestone, I can wear it without Level restrictions. But with other materials, there must surely be restrictions. I’ll need to raise my Level steadily and carefully.”
Chill—
Frigid energy poured from the Elven Lunestone Sapphire Armor.
“Even with the balance adjusted somewhat, that chill is potent. Is it because of the Sapphire I added late in the process?”
Yet that very fact made something undeniable clear.
The formidable defensive power inherent to the Elven Lunestone.
“I could tank almost anything in this.”
Compared to the Mithril Copper-tin Armor he’d made before, the defense was more than double.
A whopping 1,050.
With additional defensive bonuses layered on top of those 1,050 points, the total exceeded 2,000—effectively quadruple the defense of his previous armor.
Ordinary monster attacks would be trivial to withstand.
“I’m itching to test this thing.”
As Jin-woo shifted his body this way and that, a bright idea suddenly struck him.
“Summon.”
He immediately called forth his familiar, First.
“D-did you call for me?”
“First, hand me that Dwarf Silver Staff.”
“Y-yes, of course. I’ll g-get it for you.”
Taking the Dwarf Silver Staff from First, Jin-woo examined the equipment closely.
Stripped of all extraneous adornment, the pure Dwarf staff appeared to him as a beautiful jewel waiting to be engraved.
“I think I could engrave this onto finished equipment too?”
Whoosh—
The Dwarf Silver Staff had been crafted with pure materials from the start.
Jin-woo summoned dark flames around his hand.
“I believe I have silver in stock.”
Checking his material storage, he found silver as expected.
-Silver [Grade: A]
Jin-woo immediately consumed the silver into his dark flames.
“I can strengthen it further through engraving.”
Sizzle—!
The silver merged into the dark flames.
“Wait a moment.”
Jin-woo studied the dark flames intently.
“Can I add multiple at once?”
He immediately consumed another silver into them.
“Oh—it works.”
A brilliant silver radiance began to emerge within the dark flames.
Jin-woo then commenced the Flame Engraving Technique on the Dwarf Silver Staff.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh—
-The Dwarf Silver Staff has been engraved!
Silver, reinforced by the dark flames, now coated the Dwarf Silver Staff’s surface.
Though the staff had been beautiful before, the engraving made it shine far more brilliantly.
“Y-you’re far too magnificent.”
First spoke with genuine emotion.
“Thank you, First.”
‘This is the fun of creation.’
“I s-shall immediately strike down all your enemies!”
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Leaving an exuberant First behind, Jin-woo quickly wrapped dark flames around his hand again.
“I think I can push this further.”
He’d successfully layered two at once.
“How many can I layer?”
Just now, he’d combined two silvers.
“Does it only work with identical materials?”
This time, Jin-woo tried combining ruby and sapphire.
Sizzle—
“Both colors are dull. It seems they split roughly half-and-half. Hmm.”
Next, Jin-woo added three items: two of one type and one of another.
“One overtakes the other.”
He then experimented with adding as many as he could manage.
But only three materials could sustain the Flame Engraving Technique.
And those three were significantly imbalanced.
-Your Flame Engraving Technique Level is too low. The flames cannot be sustained.
“So the limits of Flame Engraving are determined by proficiency and Level.”
For now, he could reliably handle only two.
“With higher Levels, three should become possible.”
Jin-woo released the silver and ruby from his flames.
Whoosh—
“I still have more questions to explore.”
He planned to investigate further from here on.
* * *
One day later.
“Jin-woo, I thought you’d finish in a day, so I came to teach you applications and advanced techniques!”
After completing his errands the previous day, Rodin returned to the residence and entered the workshop.
The Flame Engraving Technique he’d taught Jin-woo yesterday had been foundational.
Given Jin-woo’s aptitude, a single day should suffice to master the basics.
“Of course, you won’t have achieved perfect mastery yet, but you can refine that gradually. Now we move into the true essence of Flame Engraving. And I’ll also teach you methods that can enhance your work. From here on, I intend to transmit all my accumulated knowledge to you!”
Whoosh—
“Jin-woo?”
But Jin-woo didn’t answer.
Looking closer, Jin-woo was already hard at work on something else.
He was deeply concentrated, an Engraving Knife clutched in his hand.
He was engraving.
And yet—
“……What?”
Rodin’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Jin-woo was using flames to fuse two gems, then engraving with that combined force.
“That’s…….”
That was advanced technique. The very advanced technique Rodin had meant to teach.
“And the Engraving Knife…….”
Clink—
Moreover, the Engraving Knife in Jin-woo’s hand already had a Whetstone fused to it.
That was an application method to enhance engraving work.
Though Whetstones were technically single-use, Flame Engraving artisans could extend their service life far longer than ordinary engravers.
“No, wait…….”
Advanced technique, and applications too.
Without any instruction on these, Jin-woo had already grasped them through the basics alone—thinking independently, he’d advanced to mastery and applied the techniques on his own.
Rodin quickly drew a map fragment from his pocket.
The Unlimited Mountain Map Fragment—it marked the location of the Master known as Olmaster.
“You must have suffered greatly, Hoz.”
Rodin felt Hoz’s helplessness acutely. More acutely still now.
Rodin’s mind raced.
Was there anything else to teach?
There had to be something more to teach!
Yet no matter how hard he thought, nothing came to mind.
“There isn’t. Not anymore.”
“Welcome back, Master Rodin. It seems the Flame Engraving Technique is a craft without limits—how remarkable that you created such a technique.”
As praise reached the downcast Rodin, his spirits reignited.
“Ahem! Indeed. It is the culmination of my entire life’s work! Flame Engraving is the supreme craft among all engravings!”
“Master Rodin, where have you been?”
“Actually, there’s a bit of a problem.”
“Is it related to the flames surrounding the residence?”
“Exactly. Take this first.”
-Quest cleared!
-You have received an Unlimited Mountain Map Fragment!
“It’s a map fragment. If I’m to find our Master, this is essential. I think it’s right that I give it to you. Actually, I’m eager to give it to you. It seems we must seek out our Master as soon as possible. Every moment counts.”
-Your Level has increased!
Jin-woo cleared the quest “Disciples of Olmaster – Rodin’s Chapter.”
‘This quest is quite enjoyable.’
“Right then. Now that I’ve given you what I promised, let me explain the reason behind the flames protecting this residence.”
-Rodin’s Affinity is now MAX.
-You have received an additional quest!
“The reason I settled here is because there’s a Gem Mine in this vicinity. For that mine, I left the comfortable city of Bruckle. At first, I was doing well—mining gems and making a living. But trouble emerged.”
Rodin spoke.
“Monsters appeared that shouldn’t have.”
And Rodin clashed with those very monsters.
“You’ll understand once you see them.”
Rodin drew an Engraving Knife from his pocket. Though normally small, in the hands of a skilled craftsman, an Engraving Knife could become a lethal weapon.
Slash! Whip!
‘Oh.’
His swordsmanship appeared considerable.
“I once made a name for myself with the blade, after all. But anyway, I fought the monsters, yet was ultimately outnumbered. I retreated. But they, unsatisfied, pursued me to my very residence. So I was forced to flee, and I had no choice but to protect my home with these flames as you see them.”
Ding—!
A quest window appeared before Jin-woo as he absorbed every detail.
* Quest: Rodin’s Request
Grade: S
Objective: Rodin wishes for you to reclaim the Gem Mine from the monsters that have suddenly appeared.
Constraints: Failure to reclaim the mine. Rodin’s death.
Reward: Precious materials Rodin has kept in reserve
“The reward is……?”
Rodin drew something from his pocket.
It was a gem gleaming with deep emerald hue.
“A Jade Stone. As for its Grade—”
Rodin exhaled slowly.
“……!”
Upon hearing the Grade, Jin-woo drew in a sharp breath.

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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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