The Return of the Legendary Golden-Handed Blacksmith - Chapter 74

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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 74
Episode 74.
A sharp hiss echoed through the air.
The mist around him grew thick and heavy.
‘The hammer is actually quite serviceable.’
But Jin-woo knew its limitations well.
‘Equipment restrictions ultimately mean that equipment has a ceiling.’
Jin-woo wanted to remove this constraint.
‘There’s another task to tackle.’
Every time you craft a piece of equipment, a new challenge emerges regarding it.
It was like breaking through one wall only to have another, even greater wall spring up in its place.
He could stop here and be satisfied.
Or he could keep tearing down walls and pushing forward—that was the crafter’s choice.
But strangely, these walls didn’t feel like walls to Jin-woo at all.
That was because craftsmen were those who broke things apart and built them anew.
“It’s what I’ve always done.”
Since it was what he did best, he actually enjoyed it.
After hunting Durahan, Jin-woo examined the materials it dropped.
-Durahan’s Bone
-Durahan’s Soul
-Durahan Dark Sword
Thanks to hunting the undead, Jin-woo’s Necromancer level had risen.
‘I’ve collected quite a few new souls as well.’
And now he’d obtained Durahan’s soul too.
“For a hunting ground with a recommended level of 300, the rewards are quite solid.”
Jin-woo planned to use these materials right away.
“Durahan and the undead—they all had impressive appearances.”
He recalled their forms. Their overall silhouettes were quite striking.
“A knight-like aesthetic. There are quite a few styles I haven’t tried before.”
An undead knight with genuine presence—that was exactly what he wanted.
“All right then.”
He opened his Summoning Workshop immediately.
Opening a Summoning Workshop in this place was normally quite dangerous, but protected by his three minions, Jin-woo felt perfectly at ease.
Pur in particular had changed remarkably—becoming sharp and attentive.
At first, he’d stood stiffly upright, but now he waited quietly beside First, hammer in hand. It was only natural, having confirmed the true nature of his master, Jin-woo.
The forge blazed with heat.
Jin-woo placed the Durahan Dark Sword he’d obtained into the forge.
“I think I can disassemble this.”
-Disassemble the Durahan Dark Sword?
The Durahan Dark Sword in the forge began to break down.
-Dark Stone × 3
From disassembling the Durahan Dark Sword, Jin-woo received three Dark Stones.
Clang! Clang!
“Oh, look at this.”
The Dark Stone rippled as if swallowing the hammer, then spat it back out.
“S-Grade material, yet it feels this good? So grade is just grade after all.”
Of course, higher grades were preferable, but that didn’t mean lower grades were unusable.
-Dark Stone Gauntlet created!
-Dark Stone Boots created!
Using the Dark Stones, Jin-woo crafted gauntlets and boots.
-SSS+ Grade Equipment created!
Both the gauntlets and boots came out SSS+.
Despite using S-Grade material, he’d managed to create equipment several tiers higher.
“A shame.”
With better technique, he could have pushed S-Grade materials into SR territory.
“My training still has room to grow.”
But he wasn’t too disappointed.
Jin-woo handed the crafted equipment to Pur.
“Thank you—!”
Pur responded in a loud voice.
“Everyone nearby just heard you. The undead will come running.”
“I’ll handle them all!”
“Never mind that—we need to find our way.”
Jin-woo had entered this forest because the flawless seamstress, Miré, was supposed to be inside it.
“The mist is even thicker than before. I can’t see anything through it.”
Jin-woo narrowed his eyes.
-Hawk’s Eye activates!
“Can it even see through mist?”
The Hawk’s Eye skill proved far more impressive than he’d expected.
Jin-woo began crossing the forest using the Hawk’s Eye skill.
Whoosh. Whoosh.
Normally more monsters should have appeared, but since he’d hunted Durahan, the boss of the Mist Forest, the creatures only made sounds—they didn’t come forward.
Jin-woo picked up his pace.
“Hmm.”
The quest marker pointing to Miré’s location would grow closer, then recede—closer again, then recede once more.
“A bug? No, that shouldn’t be possible.”
Even with Rodin, the accuracy had dropped somewhat, but it still indicated the correct location.
Before the wandering Jin-woo, an enormous tree appeared.
“Found it.”
-Maze Forest discovered!
Two massive trees stood like a gateway, with a sign planted before them.
-Maze Forest [Recommended Level: 350]
It was a hunting ground in the 300-recommended-level range, but not a conventional hunting zone.
A sharp hiss filled the air.
-The Maze Forest tempts you!
-Your body moves of its own accord!
-Negated by your Necromancer class effect.
“Quite a daunting place.”
Jin-woo smiled.
“Meaning there are plenty of souls to harvest here, yes?”
Currently, Jin-woo had his minion slots completely filled.
“Let me increase the number of minions.”
And besides, Miré was somewhere inside here.
“I hope she isn’t dead.”
He’d worried the same thing about Rodin.
“Well, even if she is, it’s fine.”
Jin-woo smiled faintly.
“I can resurrect her and teach her.”
-Entering the Maze Forest!
* * *
11 million Gold.
Fritz, who’d purchased the improved Dwarf Silver Staff, uploaded a video.
-Huh? A Korean user named Jang Bin?
-Don’t Korean players usually avoid equipment reviews?
In the old days, Korean crafting users had done well, so there were many review videos about them. But lately, they uploaded them far less often.
The reason was simple: views didn’t come in.
Because of this, review videos of users from other countries—those that got good views—had become the mainstream content.
-He only gives harsh criticism, so why would anyone want to watch?
-Fritz tears down even the well-known craftspeople. That’s his thing.
Fritz was genuinely stern and exacting.
While that was his brand, it was also because—having done so many reviews—his eye for equipment and his instincts had grown exceptionally sharp.
And so he criticized harshly, and videos about Korean craftspeople, who were constantly critiqued, received poor viewership.
-He favors his own country’s users.
-Other countries get way more praise from him.
-He only seems harsh toward Korea.
-Saying it’s because of high expectations is just an excuse.
But Korean users also knew.
That Fritz truly had high expectations for Korea.
If you watched his early videos, he had given considerable shoutouts to Korean craftspeople. But once they stopped growing and stagnated, he began criticizing them.
-Jang Bin had been our hope.
-But it ended up like this.
-At least we still have Grace.
-She isn’t Korean though.
-She’s mixed. Half Korean.
-Anyway, I’m placing my trust in Grace alone.
Amid all the chatter,
the premiere upload began.
-The hottest creator right now—Jin-woo. I purchased his equipment and will analyze it in detail.
The moment the video went live, views began climbing.
But since almost no Korean users were watching yet, the premiere audience was largely foreign.
Twenty-five minutes.
A relatively short video, so everyone assumed there mustn’t be much to praise.
-A 25-minute video is usually either praise or harsh criticism.
-Fritz has a particularly harsh side toward South Korean users.
But from the very beginning of the video, praise poured out.
-I’ll be clear about this: Jin-woo’s equipment is incredible. How? In a very positive way. As you all know, I purchased this SS+ Grade equipment for 11 million Gold.
Fritz’s pupils were visibly dilated.
A sign of excitement.
-It was supposed to be an investment—content material, something to resell later. But… no. No, it isn’t. I paid full price. Now the review begins.
Praise.
-Look at this. You have to experience this yourself! Normally, durability drops the moment damage is dealt. But this Dwarf Silver Staff? It doesn’t. The durability doesn’t decrease.
More praise.
-There are equipment pieces with good attributes on paper. But when you actually use them, something feels off. Uncomfortable. This one, though—it feels like it was always mine.
For the entire 25 minutes, Fritz continued praising frantically.
-Fritz, why are you like this?
-Did Jin-woo pay you?
-There’s no paid sponsorship notice?
Foreign users were thoroughly bewildered. Had Fritz ever praised equipment to this extent before?
After Fritz’s glowing review video went up, it was posted to the SharkNet community.
-A Korean crafter praised by Fritz!
With a simple title like that.
-Since when does Fritz praise anyone?
-That guy never praises Korean users.
The reaction on SharkNet was quite negative.
-I’m willing to believe it once.
-Fritz is running a viral campaign now.
So when users went to watch Fritz’s video,
-??????
-?? What?? Is this a prank??
From start to finish,
-He never stops praising, does he?
-He’s a praise machine.
Fritz was genuinely praising Jin-woo nonstop.
-Wow……
-I’ve never seen this before.
-Incredible.
Watching Jin-woo receive such praise, users felt deeply proud. How long had it been since Fritz gave Korea a proper shoutout like this?
-Fritz does his reviews with sincerity. Despite his harshness.
-If he’s praising this much, it’s genuine.
-At first I thought he was being sarcastic, but his eyes are gleaming. Seems real.
Views on Fritz’s video began climbing rapidly. Word of mouth brought in viewers, especially from Korea.
“What? Fritz is cashing in on Korean sentiment now?”
Other content creators working in similar spaces were equally baffled by Fritz’s reaction.
“The views are good, but forcing something like this would backfire hard.”
The creators checked the auction house.
“!”
“!”
And they immediately confirmed it.
-Giant Guardian Stone Shield [SR]
“Wait—he already created an SR?”
The creators were quite shocked.
From S Grade onward, raising your rank even one tier was extremely difficult. Many people had been stuck at the same level for over six months.
“So there really is a reason Fritz praised him like that?”
Reaching SR Grade meant having genuine skill and potential.
“I don’t know what Fritz saw exactly,
but I’m curious.”
“That comment about ‘you have to experience it yourself’—it’s driving me crazy.”
They genuinely wanted to know if it was true.
-Bidding amount updated!
A bidding war erupted anew.
But they didn’t know
“I’m buying it. Everyone else, back off!”
that Fritz, the one who’d purchased the improved Dwarf Silver Staff, had jumped back into the bidding fray himself.
“This Jin-woo is a genius! He’ll reach the level of In-Classic, Starlight—guaranteed!”
His eyes gleamed with fervent intensity.

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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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