The Return of the Legendary Golden-Handed Blacksmith - Chapter 86

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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 86
86.
Clang!
Crash!
Jin-woo began carving the bone with a hammer and chisel.
The Stone Mammoth Bone possessed a unique hardness and tensile strength.
It was as solid as mineral, yet the moment the hammer struck it could shatter just like mineral.
Working with materials meant reshaping them into the desired form.
Clang!
“If the material gets damaged in the process, then you can’t say you’ve truly worked it.”
Jin-woo moved with deliberation. But this caution was not hesitation.
He moved without wavering.
Clang!
“Not making mistakes.”
So hammer work required confidence.
Clang! Clang!
Crash!
The Stone Mammoth Bone, which had endured Jin-woo’s strikes until now, finally began to carve.
The chisel sank as far as he wanted, and soon it was properly shaped.
“There we go.”
Jin-woo took a deep breath.
“It really is finicky, this stuff.”
Yet that very difficulty drew him in all the more.
“It’s fun. A really fun material.”
Once the Stone Mammoth Bone began to yield, it transformed at an accelerating pace.
Jin-woo had found his feel for it, and the material could no longer resist his controlled strength.
Crash! Crash!
“Short.”
And nimble.
Jin-woo envisioned an agile elven warrior from this Stone Mammoth Bone.
“Similar to the Attendant, but smaller.”
Crash!
“We have Moltus, but we need a long-range sniper.”
He shaped the skeleton accordingly.
Crack.
Snap!
-Skeleton completed!
-SS-Rank skeleton completed!
-Bone Crafting proficiency has increased!
Pur, his fourth minion, had a Rank S skeleton.
“I’ve climbed one tier higher.”
His fifth minion’s skeleton had ascended another tier above that—SS-Rank.
“Bone crafting has this charm to it, climbing higher tier by tier.”
It wasn’t about the grade of the material.
How you used that good material was far more important.
“It really is different from ordinary materials.”
Jin-woo smiled quietly.
-The God of Bone and Death applauds your great deeds!
-The God of Bone and Death understands your intention.
-Power is breathed into this magnificent skeleton.
A whisper of divine force descended.
The blessing of the God of Bone and Death fell upon the SS-Rank skeleton Jin-woo had created.
“Oh.”
The pure white skeleton made of Stone Mammoth Bone was now wrapped in a grey aura.
“That looks good.”
Jin-woo bowed his head toward the heavens.
“Thank you!”
Jin-woo carefully placed the Fragment Soul of the Phantom King upon the completed skeleton.
-The soul takes root.
The Phantom King Fragment Soul slowly began to settle into the skeleton.
-The minion opens its eyes!
A thunderous surge of power!
The grey aura grew increasingly intense.
“Once I obtain the remaining souls, I’ll give them all to you.”
-Minion contract established!
Jin-woo bestowed a name upon the newly stirring minion.
“My fifth minion. Your name is.”
Since it was a minion of the same type as the Attendant, a simple name seemed fitting.
“Unit 2. I’ll call you Unit 2 for short.”
A surge of power!
-Named!
The eyes of the newly named minion shone.
“Your service, Unit 2, at your command!”
With a brisk manner, Unit 2 approached Jin-woo and knelt down.
“Minion roster.”
Jin-woo checked the information of his latest recruit.
“Ah.”
Pur, whom he’d created just before, was made with the soul of an Embodiment of Evil, so he was Elite Grade.
“This one’s Special Grade, one tier below that. And Level 3.”
The Phantom King Fragment Soul’s caliber did indeed seem high.
5.
Name: Unit 2
——
Grade: Special Lv3
Type: Undead, Ranged (Dark Archer)
Traits: Swift Movement, Universal Dexterity
Skills: Acceleration, Fatal Strike
“Here, Unit 2. Take this.”
Jin-woo gave Unit 2 the Moonwood Silkria Starlight Long Bow.
A clean draw of the string.
Unit 2 was built for nimbleness at its core. Because of that, the bow suited it remarkably well.
“Is it right for me, just newly born, to receive such a thing? Of course, I possess great power and should be able to use it well!”
Just as it had been with Pur, the minions seemed to have their attitudes and personalities determined by which soul was used.
‘Probably because it’s a Phantom King.’
Self-assurance would certainly run deep.
‘I need to temper it a bit.’
Jin-woo immediately went outside with Unit 2.
“Let’s test it out, Unit 2.”
It was time to verify both the bow and Unit 2’s strength.
* * *
An archer user, Filfriend.
“These days, bows focus too much on function. It’s got no flavor to it.”
He was a user with outstanding skill—good enough to rank among the archer elite.
Yet Filfriend had grown quite dissatisfied with recent archer equipment.
“There’s no aesthetic sense, no sense at all. What’s the point of being an archer? It’s about style.”
Filfriend didn’t choose to be an archer merely because he had talent for shooting.
“I got good at shooting in the first place to look cool.”
A desperate shot from afar, landing with precision.
Whether field monster or boss, a single hit to the vital point and it’s over.
“I did it for that style.”
To bring out that style, naturally skill mattered, but equipment was crucial.
After all, you need to show off a gleaming bow after landing that perfect shot.
But these days, bows were all about function.
Good options.
Good specs.
But before that, there needed to be style.
“Compared to other industries, I suppose I shouldn’t complain. Can’t ask for too much.”
Archery was a relatively major profession, and both combat and non-combat jobs often picked it as a secondary skill.
Because of this, craftspeople supplied quite a lot of archer-exclusive equipment, and it was easy to buy from NPCs.
Of course, good equipment is hard to find anywhere, but the archer industry was relatively manageable.
-Filfriend, hey! Check the Auction House!
Just then, an urgent whisper came to Filfriend—a friend from his guild.
-What is it.
He hadn’t entered the Auction House in quite a while. After all, his guild had an exclusive craftsperson to buy equipment from, and he could get fair prices selling materials through the guild too.
-Just check it!
“Ugh, annoying.”
Filfriend went into the Auction House anyway.
-Hot Item!
Following his friend’s direction, he looked at the hot items.
“Jin-woo?”
Equipment posted by a craftsperson named Jin-woo was visible. He wasn’t entirely unfamiliar with the name. He’d heard that there was a rising talent in the mining industry.
Apparently he made Pickaxes incredibly well, and everyone in that field wanted to own his signature gear.
“Wait.”
But what was posted wasn’t a Pickaxe.
“A bow, though……?”
What was listed was a bow.
“A wooden bow!”
It was a bow made of wood.
Filfriend hurriedly checked the detailed information.
“Are you kidding me!”
The design.
The material.
And the unique sensibility it conveyed.
“Even the functionality……”
Jin-woo’s bow held exactly the “style” Filfriend had been seeking, and the function was excellent too.
“A bow is an elf bow……. This is an elf bow. A bow for the elves.”
Which meant the moment you drew it, you could ride the wind like an elf and shoot arrows.
“No, this is insane. Why’s the price like this?”
Naturally, something this good should be well over a million Gold.
But the listed price was a mere 150,000 Gold.
“How many people bought it?”
Since it wasn’t an auction bid, once you buy it, it’s done. Yet despite this, making it onto the hot items list meant countless people smashed the button the moment it went live.
“Fifty of them?”
Fifty.
Filfriend thought that was quite a lot. At this rate, maybe he could grab one.
But he was mistaken.
“They’re all gone. Wait, they all sold out the moment they went up?”
-All sold out again.
-I didn’t get one, again.
-I didn’t think he’d post bows this time.
“So he’s the one who usually makes Pickaxes, right?”
Filfriend examined the items Jin-woo had registered at the Auction House.
“……He makes this many different things?”
He knew from the guild. The exclusive craftspeople in the guild each had a clear specialty they focused on.
Which was why there were so many craftspeople.
“They said you can’t be good at everything……”
So why was Jin-woo good at everything.
“I really want to buy one.”
Filfriend read the reviews of the Auction House. They shared his sentiment.
-Please give us one more chance.
-I never expected him to venture into archery.
Filfriend also left a review.
-I have plenty of money!
“This is the bow I’ve been looking for!”
* * *
Near the Elven City, Maze Forest.
There were monsters near the Maze Forest.
Unit 2 made far less clattering noise than the other minions.
“Firing.”
Unit 2 selected a target and drew the bow. A surge of darkness enveloped the bow, then became an arrow.
“Hm.”
Jin-woo smiled at the application. Without being told, it understood this much.
“SS-Rank skeleton really is different.”
A wild boar with horns shrieked as Unit 2’s arrow lodged directly in its torso.
The impact was so devastating that the boar shattered on the spot.
Unit 2 fired once more. Dead on. And with definite power besides. Unit 2 looked at Jin-woo with a confident air.
“I believe I’m the greatest masterpiece you’ve ever created!”
“I did make it well, but——”
Jin-woo shook his head.
“That’s not how you use a bow.”
The skeleton was well-made.
But Unit 2’s archery technique displeased him.
“I fired perfectly.”
“Perfectly?”
Unit 2 nodded confidently at Jin-woo’s echo. Of course, being a skeleton, it was hard to tell if it was truly confident, but that was the impression it gave.
“Then let me show you how I fire. See for yourself just how perfect your shot was.”
With that, he held out his hand.
“Give it.”
Jin-woo closed one eye as he took the bow. He looked toward the distant monster.
-Minion Union activated!
Jin-woo borrowed First’s power.
“This bow is gentle. Gentle means it prioritizes speed over destructive force. It doesn’t shoot heavy—your power was too strong.”
The skeleton’s inherent power was so good that pulling the bow with that power as the focus produced tremendous destructive force.
But that wasn’t the core of this arrow.
Destructive force was merely what followed.
Jin-woo drew the arrow.
A surge of darkness!
Dark Mana flowed into the bow.
Gently.
Infinitely gently.
A soft whisper.
“……?”
“This is how you do it.”
“It missed…… no……!?”
Sound came late. The arrow had pierced its target cleanly and detonated.
“It’ll do.”
Jin-woo examined the Starlight Long Bow from different angles.
‘It came out as intended. And most importantly.’
“It looks magnificent.”
When the bow was drawn, the aura spread outward. Only the archer would likely see it, but that was quite an important element.
There was intent to show others, but having something the user could witness themselves would stir the desire to purchase.
“Especially for archers.”
Jin-woo’s skill with the bow left Unit 2 completely chastened.
Clearly they’d shot similarly. Yet the results were different.
Jin-woo’s arrow was followed by sound.
“How do you feel, Unit 2?”
“……The difference was immense.”
The confident Unit 2’s form had somehow become smaller.
Its own arrow had flown with loud noise as if announcing its presence here.
And it had shattered the target.
“When I fire, the enemy knows exactly where I am……”
Whereas Jin-woo’s arrow had sound that followed behind. No way to tell where it came from.
True silent sniping.
That was where the Moonwood Silkria Starlight Long Bow’s power lay.
“Fired perfectly, you said?”
“……I apologize!”
The difference in power was clear. Precisely, the difference in equipment mastery. Unit 2 collapsed in prostration.
“I was arrogant.”
“No. It happens.”
Jin-woo stroked Unit 2’s head.
“Next time you’d better do it right.”
Unit 2 interpreted that statement to mean: “Do this badly next time and I’ll dismantle you.”
“I will absolutely do it right!”
Having tightened Unit 2’s discipline, Jin-woo immediately returned to Katri’s Workshop.
“I can start now.”
Jin-woo had no intention of leaving the Elven City once he’d learned sewing.
“I’ll absorb it all before I go.”
A Phantom King leads a legion.
Naturally, that legion would possess countless souls and materials.
“Let’s begin.”
The preparations for the grand scheme were complete.

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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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