The Return of the Legendary Golden-Handed Blacksmith - Chapter 96

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Episode 96
Episode 96.
Elven City.
Jin-woo returned to the Elven City to collect the remaining rewards. He needed to gather everything to prepare efficiently for the tower’s conquest.
“Thank you, Jin-woo. Without you, we might have had to surrender this city to the Ghost King.”
The Ghost King he’d faced directly was, in practical terms, impossibly strong. If not for Jin-woo and his four servants holding the front, the elf warriors fighting alone would certainly have been defeated.
“Our city considers you a hero. Please feel free to visit anytime, as though this were your own home.”
The elf elders gestured to an elf behind them.
“This is the reward we promised.”
As they opened a rather large box with a soft click, inside lay a gleaming brown branch.
-World Tree’s Branch [SSR]
The World Tree’s Branch. It was the material Jin-woo had requested as his reward.
Its grade was SSR.
It was the highest grade of material he’d obtained so far.
‘As expected. I figured it would be high grade.’
True to its SSR rating, the World Tree’s Branch had a scent unlike anything else.
‘This is no joke.’
A clear, crystalline fragrance.
And the powerful force he could feel emanating from it. It was a perfect demonstration of what an SSR material really was.
‘It’ll be difficult to work with too.’
If he could handle it properly, the equipment that emerged would be truly magnificent.
“Jin-woo, we shall never forget this kindness.”
“This place is now your home!”
With the gratitude of the elf elders, Jin-woo returned to Katri’s Workshop.
Katri was currently absent—not because Jin-woo had come, but because she’d gone to cut timber.
“Hmm!”
Jin-woo examined the World Tree’s Branch from every angle.
“I can do this.”
Though it was a higher grade material than Orichalcum, this wasn’t about raw firepower.
“I can handle it with my Handicraft alone.”
Jin-woo brought the Carving Knife to the World Tree’s Branch. He’d worried that his Necromaster class might cause the World Tree’s power to harm him, but fortunately, nothing of the sort occurred.
‘Perhaps thanks to the God of Nature and Harmony.’
Slice.
Of course, it wasn’t easy from the start. The knife suddenly caught with a soft click, but when Jin-woo applied gentle pressure, it sank in smoothly to the depth he desired.
Crackle.
‘I’m beginning to understand how to handle SR+ grade and higher materials.’
Jin-woo continued moving the Carving Knife.
Crackle. Crackle. Crackle.
As he carved, Jin-woo caught a rich fragrance.
“This scent…”
The material already gave off a clear, pleasant aroma that strongly suggested it was premium, but as he worked it, the fragrance intensified.
“This changes things.”
Thoughts began flowing rapidly through Jin-woo’s mind.
The primordial fragrance of the World Tree’s Branch.
And alongside this scent, the direction the finished equipment should take.
“Preserve the original fragrance.”
Equipment that could use this scent as its signature seemed ideal.
“Just from catching the scent, people should know that someone wielding this equipment has appeared.”
Crackle. Crackle.
Until now, Jin-woo had crafted various equipment from wood.
Staves, shields, bows.
But none of these felt right for the World Tree.
‘In my mind, it needs to be simpler.’
There was an image he’d felt when first seeing the World Tree.
‘The World Tree is a pillar. With its weight, it protects the Elven City.’
The World Tree’s Branch was part of that great tree.
It could be called a small World Tree.
“Small though it is, the World Tree is still the World Tree. So I’ll craft equipment befitting that weight.”
In Jin-woo’s hands, the World Tree’s Branch was carved away without hesitation.
“A club.”
‘A very simple weapon, yet.’
An intuitive one.
‘Swords and bows can steal a life in an instant.’
But a club does not.
‘A staff shares that quality in a sense.’
Fundamentally, a staff is crafted in a form that amplifies a mage’s power, with the blunt-force capability being merely an auxiliary effect.
‘The World Tree has that feeling.’
Not snatching life in a single blow, but delivering judgment for sin.
Of course, each strike was so powerful that it could steal a life as instantly as a sword or bow.
But that was because Jin-woo had created an exceptionally powerful weapon, not a fault of the club itself.
Crackle.
Crackle. Crackle.
Rune Engraving.
For solemn judgment, reinforced Arcshak was fitting.
Crackle.
In the final stage, Jin-woo moved the Carving Knife slowly.
“Now the World Tree can be wielded.”
Ting!
-You have created equipment!
-You have created the World Tree’s Judgment!
-You have created an SSR+ grade equipment!
-The gods supporting you are applauding this great achievement!
-Your level has increased!
-Your Handicraft stat has risen significantly!
-Your Immersion stat has risen significantly!
-Your proficiency with the Hephaestus Smelting Technique has increased!
-Your Hephaestus Smelting Technique level has increased!
-Your proficiency with the Rodin Carving Art has increased.
-Your proficiency with Rune Engraving has increased.
[World Tree’s Judgment]
-Attack Power: 10,000~11,500
-Grade: SSR+
-Durability: 105,000/105,000
<>
* Special Option [Eternal Vitality: The World Tree’s power imbued within boosts life recovery rate by 20%.]
* Special Option [World Tree’s Power—Balance Guardian: Skill cooldown is reduced by 5%.]
* Special Option [Rune Engraving—Reinforced Arcshak: Attack power increases by 500.]
* Special Option [Life Drain: Absorb 10% of damage dealt as your own life force!]
* Special Skill [Judgment: Gather tremendous power and unleash it in a single blow. Guaranteed a critical hit. Attack power increases by 15%.]
In Jin-woo’s hands, a small World Tree had been born.
“Whew.”
The carving work was still grueling. But the quality of the equipment created reflected that effort perfectly.
“This has good synergy.”
Since the World Tree’s power itself was based on life recovery, it synergized beautifully with the Necromaster’s special options.
“This means the 10 percent recovery from damage dealt will increase even more.”
And then there was the special skill, Judgment.
“It fits the concept perfectly.”
Jin-woo smiled slightly.
“The first MyTube video will be the Orichalcum Greatsword crafting footage, and the second will be this World Tree’s Judgment crafting footage. That’ll be perfect.”
He planned to give the World Tree’s Judgment to Pur.
“Pur.”
Since he’d given First a new weapon, it was time to give Pur one as well.
‘A hammer is fine, but.’
Pur would be able to use the World Tree’s Judgment to great effect.
“Pur.”
Pur, his servant, was summoned.
The hammer Pur had previously carried was a Blood Stone Hammer containing Purpurpur’s Essence.
“Since Purpurpur’s Essence is a material obtained from conquering high-tier towers.”
It could be said to be the most precious equipment Jin-woo had ever created.
“You called, Master!”
“New equipment for you, Pur.”
“New equipment, you say? No, Master! I am already satisfied with this Blood Stone Hammer! Where could there possibly be equipment better than this great Blood Stone Hammer…….”
In that instant, Pur saw the World Tree’s Judgment that Jin-woo had created.
The World Tree’s Judgment was an extremely simple weapon.
Apart from the unique aura the World Tree possessed, it looked like nothing more than a massive piece of wood.
But its true essence was the World Tree itself.
A fragment of power so immense that it governed an entire city. Jin-woo had carved that fragment perfectly into a weapon, and for anyone who truly understood weapons, the moment they saw it.
“Gasp…….”
There was no choice but to be struck speechless.
Of course, there were no eyes within the hollow sockets of the skull.
Whoosh!
Without even using Domain Declaration, a brilliant blue light blazed intensely from within Pur’s eye sockets.
“There… there really is better equipment……!”
Jin-woo handed the World Tree’s Judgment to Pur.
“It’s incredibly heavy!”
Unlike First, Pur was able to lift the World Tree’s Judgment.
‘It was worth crafting with a good soul.’
Whoosh!
As Pur grasped the World Tree’s Judgment, a strange aura radiated from him. Fundamentally, Jin-woo’s servants carried dark energy.
When that dark energy combined with the World Tree’s power, a unique aura emanated.
“It’s good.”
If the World Tree delivered judgment with impartiality and righteousness, Pur now felt like a fallen World Tree delivering judgment in wrathful fury.
“Is this really my equipment?”
“Swing it.”
Whoosh!
A single swing conveyed an overwhelming sense of pressure.
‘Good. The pressure. And the presence.’
A club—the pinnacle of simple weapons, a weapon whose very existence could exert oppressive force—suited Pur perfectly.
“With this, both First and Pur are equipped with new weapons.”
Next came the quest.
“I had a quest from the God of Nature and Harmony.”
He intended to clear it.
* * *
The first video Jin-woo would upload to MyTube was the Orichalcum Greatsword crafting footage.
‘Video recording is automatic.’
In New Gene, gameplay footage was saved automatically without requiring separate recording. Of course, the saved footage was only visible to the player and could be extracted separately.
‘But the storage period isn’t long. Everything gets deleted after about three days.’
Jin-woo immediately extracted the Orichalcum crafting footage.
“Alright. Upload this as the first video.”
Jin-woo handed the Orichalcum Greatsword crafting footage to Dongwoo.
The creation of the Orichalcum Greatsword had unfolded quite dramatically, and it would certainly be more entertaining than a typical crafting video.
“What kind of video is it, hyung?”
“A crafting video of making a sword from Orichalcum, but I made a class-exclusive sword for the Lightbringer.”
“Oh!”
A class-exclusive Lightbringer sword would definitely be interesting to work with.
“But hyung, on the Sharknet forum, people are dying to know what grade you can craft up to now. I looked it up and SR+ is apparently really hard to break through. You’re still stuck at SR+, right?”
“Not really.”
Jin-woo said.
“SSR+.”
“SSR+? Not just SSR, but SSR+? Wow.”
Jin-woo was always exceeding expectations.
“Just like with the Synchronization Rate, you’re really a monster, hyung.”
Dongwoo gathered the basic information about this video from Jin-woo.
“So the SSR+ grade equipment is a greatsword made from Orichalcum, right? What about the title?”
“From there on, I’m leaving it to you.”
That’s where the editor’s role begins. Since Jin-woo had decided to leave building the MyTube channel entirely to Dongwoo, he was ready to trust his skill.
“Got it. Understood, hyung.”
Dongwoo immediately began editing.
The most important part of editing was research.
After Jin-woo returned to playing New Gene.
Dongwoo searched for information about Orichalcum, the main material of the Orichalcum Greatsword. He needed information about the material in order to decide on narration or editing direction.
-Orichalcum is seriously no joke.
-Where do materials like this even exist?
-If you don’t have enough firepower, you can’t melt it at all.
-It does melt a little, but if you mess up even slightly with the hammer strikes, it just breaks. It’s so frustrating. I spent serious money on it.
“It doesn’t stretch easily, doesn’t deform, and if you fail even once, you have to throw it away, yet the price is ridiculously expensive.”
That was the defining characteristic of Orichalcum.
“But if you successfully craft with it, well, you get reliable equipment?”
-I’ve used Orichalcum equipment before and it’s really good. If you can handle it, there’s really no enemy for it.
-Then what’s the point? You can’t handle it.
-It’s just a pretty face then.
-It does seem to be a true test of skill. There aren’t that many crafters who can properly handle Orichalcum.
“Hmm.”
Already, famous MyTubers had even created an “Orichalcum Handling Challenge,” so there were quite a few videos on it.
Dongwoo watched videos of people handling Orichalcum. Just as the user reviews suggested, hammer strikes didn’t deform it at all and it wouldn’t stretch.
Even with what appeared to be strong firepower, it wouldn’t melt.
“Hyung must have had a really hard time with this.”
To make a Greatsword with such Orichalcum.
Dongwoo first checked the video.
Bang!
On screen, his hyung was crafting.
“Cool.”
Even though it was his own older brother, it looked impressive.
“The level is lower than I thought? I guess the level doesn’t go up much when you’re just crafting.”
Suddenly Dongwoo was taken aback.
“The level is in the 150s… and you’re handling Orichalcum?”
Wait, before that.
“You crafted SSR+ at level 150-something?”
Not even SSR.
SSR+.
“How did you even craft this?”
Dongwoo rapidly skimmed through the video.
And his jaw dropped. He’d just watched videos from other famous MyTubers and crafters, so he knew what he was looking at.
“How is the Orichalcum.”line>
Deforming so quickly like that?