The Return of the Legendary Golden-Handed Blacksmith - Chapter 8

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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 8
Chapter 8.
‘I can perform the movements I want?’
Synchronization Rate: 80.1%.
Depending on the Synchronization Rate, it becomes possible to faithfully reproduce real-world movements within NewGen.
Jin-woo’s initial Synchronization Rate had been 80%, and thanks to that, he could execute movements in NewGen with far greater precision than other users.
‘But it’s gone up even further. So it’s possible to fill this all the way to 100%?’
During Eternal Sunshine, he’d truthfully only managed to display 50% of his actual skill. It was due to the game’s inherent limitations.
‘At this rate, I could move exactly as I do in reality. Or maybe even better.’
Jin-woo looked at his own hands.
The more he crafted, the more his body and mind adapted to NewGen.
“So that’s why it increases. The more I adapt, the higher the Synchronization Rate.”
Of course it would rise only very gradually, bit by bit.
If the Synchronization Rate rose easily, the countless users in NewGen would have already reached 100%.
‘It’s only gone up 0.1% so far, and it might not go up at all after this.’
But hope was clearly visible to him.
‘If I keep at this, reaching 100% wouldn’t be impossible.’
The very fact that he could pour all of his talent into NewGen held profound meaning for Jin-woo.
Once he crafted equipment at 100% Synchronization Rate, he could call that equipment his masterpiece.
‘I’ll be able to create something far better than what I’m making now.’
-You have obtained the achievement [Novice Crafter].
He had obtained the Novice Crafter achievement, which could be earned upon one’s first craft.
‘It’s an achievement that grants additional durability to equipment during crafting.’
The achievement effect was simple: it added bonus durability to crafted equipment.
‘It’s an easy achievement to get, so I didn’t expect much from it.’
This was his first attempt at crafting. The fact that he’d obtained an achievement from that very first craft held meaning in itself.
-You have received a reward.
-You may now freely use Lodrum’s Smithy!
‘Now that’s the real reward.’
Jin-woo had wanted to use this smithy as much as he liked. After creating equipment, his hands itched even more to keep working.
Jin-woo had no intention of climbing the ranks desperately or chasing after the rankings of existing users.
‘I’ve already tried the ranker route once.’
He intended to do only what he wanted in NewGen.
Jin-woo planned to enjoy the game in his own way.
‘Let’s enjoy it.’
“This is going to be fun.”
Jin-woo promptly entered Lodrum’s Smithy.
While Jin-woo burned with enthusiasm,
Lodrum continued to examine the Short Sword Jin-woo had made.
“Hmm! For what appears to be a first attempt, is it really possible to craft a Short Sword of such quality? Hah, remarkable.”
Lodrum let out an admiring exclamation.
The Apprentice behind him added his own words.
“T-this first blade is Grade C. Master, is that even possible? How could one create Grade C equipment? And without any crafting skills at all!”
The Apprentice’s expression hardened.
“My first creation was below-grade equipment. Equipment so crude it didn’t even receive a rating.”
“Didn’t you already know that talent isn’t distributed fairly?”
“That’s true, but—”
The Apprentice was about to voice further complaints, then stopped.
“My apologies, sir.”
This wasn’t merely the product of raw talent.
Hearing that the first equipment was Grade C, his eyes dimmed for a moment.
It was an ability born from swinging the hammer over and over, endless times.
“Could I become like you someday, sir?”
“I cannot say.”
Jin-woo replied.
“You won’t know until you see it through to the end.”
There was only one thing Jin-woo had learned from his time in Eternal Sunshine.
You don’t know anything until you try.
You don’t know until you go all the way.
“……Thank you.”
-Lodrum’s affection has increased!
The result of inspiring the Apprentice returned to Jin-woo as Lodrum’s affection.
But Lodrum’s affection was already maxed out.
“What’s your name?”
“Jin-woo.”
Lodrum’s eyes gleamed with a serious expression.
“You—wouldn’t you like the Smelting skill?”
“I don’t think it’s necessary.”
Skills were nice to have, but they would only make crafting easier.
‘If it’s easy, it’s no fun. The more a crafting skill assists me, the less my hands are actually doing the work.’
“Hmm. You don’t need it?”
Lodrum wore a startled expression, not having expected Jin-woo to refuse.
“What about a Hammer, then? Don’t you need a Hammer?”
“I don’t need one. I’ve already received one.”
“Received one? From whom? Who gave it to you?”
A Hammer was tremendously important to a blacksmith.
Someone had already given him one?
“I received it from the Self-Defense Unit Commander in the Tutorial.”
“……!”
Lodrum’s eyes widened dramatically.
“That tightwad gave it to you? Surely not.”
“I also received a Letter of Introduction.”
“Good heavens.”
“Do you know the Self-Defense Unit Commander?”
“Know him? Of course!”
Lodrum ground his teeth.
So he’d already claimed this one.
“He’s an old friend of mine. We were quite close before I left the village.”
Saying so, Lodrum heaved a long sigh.
“I already knew about the Letter of Introduction and Hammer he had as heirlooms. That fellow’s actually got no aptitude for this craft, so I asked him to give them to me if he wasn’t going to use them. But he said he’d never give them to anyone unless they were a talent worthy of making a name across the world. Some story got passed down about that. So I never did receive them.”
Lodrum looked at Jin-woo, his eyes gleaming brightly.
“So you must be the kind of talent he saw in you.”
“I’m grateful for his favorable assessment.”
Receiving a crafting Hammer was considerable goodwill toward Jin-woo.
While it was said that a craftsman doesn’t fuss over tools, having good equipment certainly didn’t hurt.
In fact, using good equipment could sometimes provide stronger motivation.
“Which reminds me—”
Lodrum paused, wearing a troubled expression as he considered something. Then, as if a good idea had struck him, he held something out.
“How about this?”
Lodrum’s original reward had been simple. But since Jin-woo didn’t want everything, there was nothing for it.
When Lodrum produced something, Jin-woo’s eyes widened.
“That’s…….”
What Lodrum pulled out was a mineral. A very brightly gleaming mineral at that.
“This is called a Shimmering Stone. It’s a rather excellent mineral! What do you think of this?”
The Shimmering Stone—commonly known as Shimstone—was a fairly rare item.
Known as the epitome of hardness and as a lower-tier substitute for Mithril, this mineral was extremely difficult for beginners to obtain.
It primarily dropped only in high-level hunting grounds, and whenever it did appear, users or NPCs would use it directly, so it rarely appeared on the market.
Lodrum wore a satisfied smile as he watched Jin-woo’s expression.
This mineral was Lodrum’s finest material, and one he had secretly hidden away.
He might not care about the Smelting skill.
But a blacksmith couldn’t possibly show indifference when faced with a fine mineral.
Being in the same profession, he naturally understood that sentiment all too well.
“Master! Wasn’t that what you promised to give me when I completed my apprenticeship!?”
The Apprentice cried out in an urgent voice.
Lodrum turned away from the Apprentice’s pleading gaze.
“My apologies.”
“Master!”
Jin-woo sensed a desperate earnestness in Lodrum’s eyes.
“I’ve seen good craftsmanship. I’ve seen good equipment. Then I must surely provide a fitting reward.”
-You have received a reward!
-You have obtained the Shimmering Stone!
–
Description: A stone that gleams silver. Hard and remarkably light.
Jin-woo received the silvery-gleaming stone.
The Apprentice’s expression showed shock, but he couldn’t refuse such fine materials.
“I gratefully accept Lodrum’s generosity.”
Only then did Lodrum’s expression soften with relief.
He had never before encountered a visitor so difficult to reward.
* * *
The Monitoring Team.
Kim Na-yoon submitted her report on the user Jin-woo immediately.
A meeting was called that same day.
“What’s this?”
“He scored 200 points?”
“Isn’t that the story going around in the community? This Jin-woo user is that person? The one who just started yesterday?”
The Vice President wore a startled expression.
They’d certainly had expectations, given he was a Perfect Fit User.
But to think he’d produce results this quickly.
“How many of the users currently in the rankings are running secondary characters?”
“Aside from three people, all of them are scores from secondary characters.”
Players create a character, check how things progress, then delete it.
Then they generate a new character and clear quests based on information they’d already obtained.
Of course, knowing information alone didn’t guarantee a high score.
But there was a vast difference between knowing information and not knowing it.
The vast majority of users registered in the Hall of Honor used this method.
Of course, this was only possible because it was the Tutorial.
Many Korean users in particular wanted to make a perfect start from the beginning, and many wanted to follow the tried-and-true approach, which is how this happened.
NewGen also didn’t penalize it.
Everyone knew that the very beginning, the Tutorial, was most important. Without sufficient skill, one couldn’t create a meaningful difference anyway.
“Any deletion data?”
“None.”
Jin-woo hadn’t deleted a character.
In other words, he’d started with no information whatsoever.
“So he cleared the entire Tutorial at 200 points starting completely fresh?”
Even for a Perfect Fit User, this was nonsensical.
“How is this even possible?”
Kim Na-yoon continued, as if to say the Vice President’s surprise was premature.
“This still isn’t the end.”
At those words, the Vice President’s pupils trembled sharply.

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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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