The Returned Genius Blacksmith has Awakened as an all-Master - Chapter 120

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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 120
120. Mountain After Mountain
“Wow, this is like having a blender built in. My ice doesn’t even melt anymore? If I could’ve done this sooner……”
Iron Walker, equipped with the new Drill Parts, was cutting through the undead with renewed vigor.
Ma Jin-chul, watching her work, wore a more satisfied smile than Geumson’s.
Iron Walker, who had been precariously holding the line at the tunnel’s mouth, was now pushing back the entire defensive position.
Ma Jin-chul’s shoulders had relaxed considerably.
But seeing the expressions on Geumson and Baek Jin-ju’s faces, he stopped mid-sentence and asked instead.
“What’s wrong? Is there a problem with Iron Walker?”
Ma Jin-chul seemed more concerned about Iron Walker than Geumson was.
But Baek Jin-ju’s next words drew even a sigh from him.
“We don’t have food to feed the refugees. I don’t think we can hold out much longer like this……”
“Ah, food……”
“Do you have any extra supplies?”
Baek Jin-ju asked Ma Jin-chul as well.
But Ma Jin-chul only scratched the back of his head, his expression troubled.
“We do have food. But……”
The number of refugees was well over a thousand, even by rough count.
No matter how much food Players typically carried in their Inventories, it was nowhere near enough.
Geumson was in the same situation.
So even as the battle had become more manageable, the atmosphere inside was far from good.
‘Food…… It’s one problem after another.’
That detail had slipped his mind.
In fact, even during the Age of Destruction, Geumson had worked with the Rescue Team.
What came after the rescue was the Rear Support Team’s responsibility.
That was why he had overlooked it.
The most crucial part of everything that came next.
‘Should I use Griffin? Or…… City Return?’
Several options flashed through Geumson’s mind.
But he shook his head immediately.
Iron Walker was active, but the distance was becoming too great.
If that happened, Iron Walker would likely stop operating.
Iron Walker was holding the tunnel alone.
If Iron Walker stopped, everything would be over.
‘Jin-chul needs to maintain the ice barrier, so he can’t leave. And even if I send Baek Jin-ju on Griffin……’
Griffin only had one use left.
Even if he sent Baek Jin-ju to the nearest city, getting her back would take forever.
And the outskirts of Frelia were still a maze.
It would be a miracle if Baek Jin-ju managed to come back at all.
“What if we searched the city? It’s this cold anyway…… it’s like a freezer, right? There’s definitely food left somewhere!”
Ma Jin-chul suggested searching the city.
It sounded reasonable enough on the surface.
He could have searched the city quietly, just as Geumson had brought out the refugees.
But Baek Jin-ju shook her head at that suggestion.
“The food in the city is already gone. I’ve searched everything myself while holding the line……”
The reason Baek Jin-ju’s Snow-white Armor was dented and stained with blood.
She had gone out alone, facing Undead to secure food.
So she seemed to know the city’s situation better than anyone.
“Ugh, this is maddening…… I wish a witch would show up! Is she doing this on purpose?”
Ma Jin-chul, frustrated, found himself cursing the witch.
At this rate of commotion, it was about time for the witch to appear.
Right now, Undead were being ground up by Iron Walker’s drill every second.
But the witch showed no sign of appearing, as if she had no interest in such trifles as Undead.
“Don’t blame the witch for nothing…… If she stepped in now, it would be trouble for us.”
Geumson cleared his throat awkwardly, trying to calm Ma Jin-chul.
At Geumson’s reaction, Ma Jin-chul only kicked at the snow-covered ground.
They were truly surrounded on all sides.
The survivors they had risked so much to rescue would collapse and die from hunger.
Even those watching Geumson’s broadcast had no solution to offer.
The chat window that appeared seemed to be speaking for their frustration.
└ [Always Hungry]: Ugh…… this is so frustrating. I’m taking down the Undead left and right, but we’re going to starve to death.
└ [Survival Expert]: A thousand people? Just the daily rations would be astronomical…… how can we even manage that?
└ [Geumson’s Fan]: Hey! I’m going to grab some food and head over there right now!
└ [Pragmatist]: Honestly, in that situation, giving up is the right call. Saving all thousand people? Impossible. Cut your losses.
└ [Humanity Charged]: What are you talking about? Human lives aren’t a joke? We have to save them no matter what!
└ [Cooking King Kuryong]: If I were there, I’d cook something from monster meat at least…… wait, those are Undead, right? Undead is tough for me too……. Sorry.
└ [Yoon-seo’s Mom]: Just imagining hungry children crying makes me sick! Lepion creators? If you have any conscience, drop some relief supplies!
.
.
.
The viewers who sought out even the creators of Lepion were united in their protests.
They all shared the same sense of frustration.
But Geumson’s gaze was fixed on the Reputation Shop.
Perhaps food was sold there—it was worth checking.
‘Please…… let there be something!’
Geumson scrolled through the inventory rapidly.
He even used search filters to hunt for anything remotely edible.
But the message that appeared was—
[No search results found.]
A cruelly indifferent response.
Food was too common an item; it didn’t exist in the Reputation Shop.
The Reputation Shop was lined with premium goods.
Its strength had become a weakness now.
‘Really…… there has to be something?’
A sense of helplessness he hadn’t felt in ages.
Just as that dreadful powerlessness began to consume him, a single item flickered into memory.
One product from the first time he’d acquired the Reputation Shop surfaced in his mind.
‘Wait…….’
Geumson hastily rummaged through the Reputation Shop’s catalog.
The item was still there, exactly where he remembered.
[Goblin Merchant Company Flute: 2,000P]
‘There it is!’
The Goblin Merchant Company Flute.
An item Geumson had seen but dismissed before.
It consumed 2,000 points just to summon it, without even knowing what goods it sold.
For someone like Geumson who crafted his own items, it seemed useless.
But now it was his last hope.
‘It’s a merchant company…… so they’d sell food, right?’
He wasn’t certain.
They could just as easily peddle weapons or something equally absurd.
But Geumson didn’t hesitate—he purchased the item.
[Remaining Reputation Points: 0]
A small horn flute in Geumson’s palm.
Now he had no Reputation Points left.
But without hesitation, he brought the flute to his lips.
Peeeeeee—
“What—what is this? All of a sudden?”
“What is it? What item is that?”
The two others questioned his sudden action, bewilderment clear in their voices.
But before he could answer, a small rift began opening in the air before them.
A small Gate.
Like the Monster Gates that had assaulted humanity before.
Like the one when the Griffin appeared.
And Geumson caught every detail of the sight, committing it to memory.
‘It has a precursor pattern. If it’s just before opening…… I could interfere with it?’
Geumson no longer startled at Gates opening in Lepion.
Instead, he simply analyzed them meticulously using Insight of Veins and Mana Dominion.
Bit by bit, piece by piece.
He only studied and analyzed the mana currents of the Gate itself.
But unlike Geumson, the two others were alarmed by the sudden appearance of a Gate.
Flustered, they prepared for battle.
“A witch! A witch! That damned witch! So she finally shows herself! Geumson! Hurry and take her down!”
“Everyone, fall back! Attend to the wounded! Get as far as you can from here! I’ll hold her off! I swear it!”
Two people steeling themselves as if for a final decisive clash.
But Geumson spoke to them instead.
“It’s not a witch. Please, calm down.”
“What? It’s… not a witch?”
“Then what is that?”
“A merchant, perhaps?”
At Geumson’s words, their tension eased for a moment.
From the small Gate, a green head poked through cautiously.
Pointy ears perked forward, as if carefully surveying the situation beyond the Gate.
The green head seemed to have concluded there was no particular threat.
It crossed through the Gate.
“Kee-kee-kee! Customers! Customers! Customers reeking of desperation! Kee-kee-kee!”
A goblin crossed through the Gate.
A small goblin with a large bundle strapped to its back.
It resembled the treasure goblins that appeared frequently in various games.
Most players would greet such a familiar sight with joy.
Treasure goblins always provided players with unexpected rewards, after all.
But Geumson.
Geumson gnashed his teeth the moment he saw that goblin.
In an unusual display, he spat out rough curses under his breath.
‘The Broker of Despair! This bastard… so you were the Goblin Merchant Company all along?’
The Age of Destruction.
In that hellish battlefield, a goblin had appeared without warning.
That goblin had demanded trades from humans.
Trades that could not be refused in their most desperate moments.
Even knowing that such trades would inevitably push the trader into an abyss of despair.

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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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