The Return of the Legendary Golden-Handed Blacksmith - Chapter 59

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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 59
59.
“This… this can’t be real…….”
The Guardian’s body crumpled forward.
-You have hunted a Guardian!
-You have obtained a Guardian Soul!
Thump-thump.
Jin-woo grasped the Guardian Soul in his hand.
-You have obtained a powerful soul!
-Soul Sight proficiency increases!
-Soul Sight Level increases!
-The number of Minions you can command increases based on your Soul Sight Level!
“Huh.”
-Guardian Soul [Grade B]
“B-grade, even though that thing was incredibly strong? Looks like soul grades are divided way more granularly than I thought.”
He’d expected at least an A-grade.
“Still, it’s a much higher grade than what I got before.”
Thanks to that, Jin-woo could now command one more Minion.
-Minions Available: 2/4
This meant he could now contract a total of four Minions.
“I could make one more.”
And there was one more noteworthy notification.
-You have obtained a Guardian Stone!
“A Guardian Stone?”
It seemed to be the source of power that Guardians possessed.
“Oh my.”
Jin-woo examined the Guardian Stone.
-Guardian Stone [Grade: SS+]
Description: The source of power that composes the bodies of Guardians. A rare mineral imbued with the power of protection.
“Hmm!”
It was an SS+ grade—exceptionally high.
With such a rare mineral and a grade so elevated, Jin-woo felt quite pleased.
Jin-woo ran his sensitive fingertips over the Guardian Stone, turning it this way and that.
“This is nice, isn’t it?”
It would work perfectly as a weapon.
“Though it wouldn’t suit a large weapon.”
The moment Jin-woo saw the Guardian Stone, an idea came to him.
“A staff would be perfect. A mineral staff, not a wooden one.”
A spear didn’t suit First anyway, so he could give it to a new Minion.
“Most situations, I can handle with First, and I have my attendant Minion too, but the attendant wasn’t actually made for combat.”
He was thinking of creating a Minion capable of wielding a greater variety of weapons.
“Putting the Guardian Soul into it would be perfect.”
He’d gathered quite a few bones advancing through the Northern Mountain Range.
“I can use those to build the skeletal frame.”
Ding!
Another notification appeared before Jin-woo, who had just hunted the Guardian.
-You have been given a Main Quest!
-You have defeated a Guardian!
* Quest: Incarnations of Evil [Main]
Grade: SS
Description: As all the Descendants of Heroes have now been chosen, a great evil stirs upon the continent. You may decide: will you oppose this evil, or will you join it? The answer lies in the Tower. Go to the Tower.
Reward: At the quest-taker’s discretion
Jin-woo confirmed the newly received quest.
“A Main Quest.”
Unlike the quests he’d received so far, this quest window shimmered with a golden glow.
Looking at it, this certainly felt like an important one.
“The quest itself has a lot of freedom. A great evil, huh.”
The quest was telling him to go to the Tower first.
“I don’t know if this great evil actually exists.”
Jin-woo touched the Guardian Stone thoughtfully.
“But I have a feeling there’ll be good materials there.”
That thought made his heart race.
“I’ll stand with whoever gives me good materials.”
Evil or good—
Did it matter, the pit of evil or otherwise?
As Jin-woo laughed, there was one other who laughed alongside him.
“Kwaaaaaaah!”
It was First.
First had put on an overwhelming performance against the powerful Guardian.
Because of that, First leveled up.
-Minion [First]’s Level increases!
-Minion [First]’s Level increases!
Whoosh.
Along with the two level-ups, First’s body began to change.
“I shall… take no damage… from any. Attack. All… thanks to. Master’s. Magnificent. Armor.”
First, now equipped with the refined Dwarf Silver Staff and the Elven Lunastone Sapphire Armor, struck a pose. He no longer looked like a mere skeletal knight but like a Death Knight.
“Huh?”
-First has Awakened.
Beneath First’s feet.
Bones began to rise from the ground.
“Hiiii-hiii-ing!”
And what rose was a skeletal horse.
First naturally mounted the skeletal steed.
-First’s Type has changed!
A knight who scatters death wherever he goes.
“He’s become a Death Knight.”
It wasn’t just appearance—his actual type had changed.
“Minion roster.”
Jin-woo checked First’s status through his Minion roster.
1.
Name: First
——-
Grade: Rare LV 3
Type: Undead, Melee [Death Knight]
[Weapon] Refined – Dwarf Silver Staff
[Armor] Elven Lunastone Sapphire Armor
First, once merely a melee-focused Undead, was now a Death Knight.
“The type can change like this, apparently.”
“Thanks… to Master’s. Overwhelming. Equipment.”
Death Knight First bowed to Jin-woo.
“Did pretty well out there, didn’t you?”
“Absolutely. Perfect.”
His expression never changed, but Jin-woo could read the subtle movement in First’s frame.
‘He’s pleased.’
First was genuinely happy.
‘I’ve confirmed the upgraded equipment, and I’ve seen the new one too.’
And from hunting the Guardian, he’d gotten a decent sense of things.
‘If the Guardians there are like this, I definitely have a chance.’
Of course, the biggest concern was the red eyes at the center of those Guardians.
And the Tower they guarded was also a problem.
‘This Tower seems connected to the Main Quest somehow.’
The Main Quest he’d received was telling him to ascend the Tower.
‘Probably other players are already climbing it.’
It didn’t seem like he was the only one receiving this quest.
‘Then I should see how the situation develops.’
For now, what mattered was resettling the Int Orc in the Northern Mountain Range.
Rigardo’s Grandfather, who had been watching all of this, began to clap.
“Splendid, simply splendid! To defeat such a mighty foe so effortlessly!”
Then he gestured to the equipment First was wearing.
“Remarkable. Tell me—did you craft that armor the skeletal knight is wearing yourself?”
“Yes. I made it.”
“No mere Necromancer, then. Just as I suspected.”
Rigardo’s Grandfather nodded with determination.
“I would ask that you teach this Engraving craft to my grandson if possible. In return, I will ensure fair compensation.”
“The compensation has already been paid. Just your teaching alone is enough to earn my gratitude.”
“That’s not so.”
Rigardo’s Grandfather extended his hand. A vivid green light gathered there. An intensely verdant glow.
“This is a fragment of my power. Take it. With this fragment, you will receive a portion of my strength. With it, you’ll be capable of far greater power than before. It will help with Crafting and much else besides.”
As Jin-woo received the green light in his palm, it began to seep into his body.
-You have obtained an Int Orc Power Fragment!
-Racial trait is being absorbed!
-Skill: Soul Resonance has been learned.
Upon absorbing the power fragment the grandfather had given him, the Necromaister’s power stirred.
Whoooosh!
In an instant, a gale erupted around Jin-woo.
Rigardo’s Grandfather, who had given the power fragment, wore a shocked expression. This fragment had been a part of the power he’d possessed in life.
When one absorbed it, stats would rise. He already knew that effect.
But what was happening to Jin-woo was far more than a simple stat increase.
Whoooosh!
-Soul Resonance: Int Orc has been added.
-Enchantments are strengthened according to Int Orc traits!
“Hm.”
The power of the Int Orc had been added to Jin-woo’s soul.
-The Green-Skinned God takes notice of you!
-Now they speak of sponsoring you without reservation!
‘This is the Necromaister’s power.’
It was the ability to absorb the unique traits inherent to each race.
‘Since I deal with souls, it makes sense this is possible.’
It was a significant gain.
‘This way I can perform race-specific abilities more easily.’
Collecting power fragments from various races to expand his Soul Resonance didn’t sound like a bad idea.
“Then… I’ll be counting on you.”
Whoosh.
-Response of the Dead has ended!
-The faded soul returns to where it belongs.
Rigardo’s Grandfather faded away.
“Thank you.”
He’d received great help from Rigardo, and even more so from his grandfather.
“I never forget a debt.”
Jin-woo resolved to take full responsibility for the Int Orc. Besides, a portion of his soul now carried the power of the Int Orc within it.
Jin-woo summoned his workshop.
“I’ll create the third Minion here before I go.”
Soul and bone.
Jin-woo began crafting the skeleton on the spot.
-This place is full of darkness energy!
-More energy flows into the skeleton!
“Ah, so location affects it too.”
In that regard, the Underground Tomb was an ideal place for bone crafting.
“I’m not who I was before.”
Not the Jin-woo who had crafted his second Minion, the attendant.
Flame Engraving and Enchanting both.
“The skeleton itself is equipment.”
Jin-woo carved the bones—the ones gathered advancing through the Northern Mountain Range, the ones taken from the Guardian.
The form he desired was similar to the attendant Minion but shaped more gracefully.
‘The attendant is a multi-purpose Minion.’
Not limited to combat alone.
But this third Minion, like First, would be specialized for combat, though its form would differ.
‘It has weak melee.’
While First was specialized in close combat, this third Minion would specialize in ranged.
More precisely.
“A mage.”
Scritch-scritch.
Whoosh!
Following Jin-woo’s hands, Flame Engraving was carved into the bones.
“The legs.”
The shoulders.
Both arms.
And the torso.
Jin-woo carved enchantments into the bones.
Bang!
“I don’t need to rely only on bone.”
Jin-woo pulled out gems.
Using Flame Engraving, he carved and inlaid overlapping gems near the heart.
“Platinum, Ruby, Sapphire.”
He shaped the three gems using Flame Engraving, carving them to look like a heart.
Bang! Bang!
“Munzi, Coco.”
Then he called the two spirits.
“Pour all your power into this.”
“Chirp.”
“Whoosh.”
Jin-woo realized the two spirits had been subtly vying with each other before.
‘They have competitive spirit.’
If that was the case, continuing to use both of them at the same time was good. Gently stoking the competition between them.
‘That way they’ll have no choice but to grow fast.’
Besides, the two spirits could become closer this way.
Whoosh.
Coco’s flames wrapped around the skeleton.
-Attributes are being granted to the skeleton!
And then Munzi’s blessing descended upon it.
-The skeleton’s potential erupts!
Whoooosh!
Above that, Jin-woo’s hammer blows continued.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Different from hammer work on minerals.
‘Spread the force evenly.’
It was work to distribute the power flowing into the skeleton evenly. So he had to strike far more gently than with ordinary hammering.
Even a touch more force would shatter it.
-Bone Making proficiency increases!
-Dexterity stat increases.
Jin-woo’s Dexterity stat reached a transcendent level.
-Synchronization Rate increases by 0.1%!
In this moment, Jin-woo’s eyes saw nothing and felt nothing.
Upon still, still waters.
Only himself and his creation existed.
And the moment the waters rippled.
-The skeleton is complete!
The skeleton was finished.
-You have created an A-grade skeleton!
A skeleton of a grade far surpassing the attendant’s frame.

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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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