The Returned Genius Blacksmith has Awakened as an all-Master - Chapter 20

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 20
020. This Won’t Do
‘I gathered all the fragments and found a Blueprint for… this.’
Ten pieces assembled into one complete Blueprint.
It was the Blueprint of the Dungeon’s core heart.
So Geumsohn’s plan shifted slightly.
‘I can destroy it anytime. But…….’
Geumsohn’s gaze fixed on the Ancient Heart, which pulsed with an unstable crimson glow.
His Resolute Intuition skill pierced through the heart’s internal structure.
Mana circuits twisted in labyrinthine complexity, energy cores warped by overload, and hairline fractures running through everything like a spiderweb.
It was like peering into the guts of a time bomb.
‘It’d be a shame to destroy it in its current state. And…… what’s this?’
Geumsohn’s brow furrowed.
The heart’s critical center bore unmistakable signs of physical damage—external in origin.
It looked as though someone had deliberately sabotaged the Ancient Heart to cripple the Dungeon’s functions and trigger malfunctions in the golems.
“This isn’t…… simple damage. Someone tore this apart on purpose. And crudely at that.”
The pinnacle of ancient Magitech Engineering.
Though now it was merely a broken thing on the verge of Magical Runaway, its foundation was that of an extraordinary Mana engine—nothing less.
A power source that approached near-omnipotence.
It seemed wasteful to destroy it without ever witnessing it in full function.
Especially seeing deliberate sabotage.
A rebellious competitive fire began kindling in his chest, aimed at that mysterious ‘someone.’
‘Rabi said to destroy the Ancient Heart…… but she never said to destroy a *broken* Ancient Heart, did she? So…….’
If he added his knowledge, his skills, and his newly acquired abilities, it seemed possible.
More than that—he’d obtained the original Blueprint.
He might be able to restore the crimson heart to its original azure glow.
“Is this insane? No…… it’s worth trying.”
It might be an unnecessary detour.
But for Geumsohn, it was essential.
The memory of struggling through the Age of Destruction without a single complete Mana engine Blueprint flashed across his mind.
He couldn’t afford to miss this chance.
A Blueprint alone wouldn’t suffice.
The finished product stood before him—he needed to absorb every detail with his own eyes.
He would restore it perfectly, understanding the Blueprint completely in the process.
“All right. Let’s begin.”
This was no longer about simply clearing a Quest.
This was a seed for the Age of Destruction to come.
That seed would grow wild, casting a vast shadow over the coming catastrophe.
Geumsohn unfolded his premium tool set without hesitation.
The Precision Driver, Mana Tweezers, Energy Stabilization Device—tools he’d never dared dream of in his past life—gleamed with ethereal light.
“Rabi packed these with care.”
Quest rewards, but he was pleased with them.
Geumsohn took a deep breath and placed his hand on the Reinforced Glass covering the Ancient Heart.
The weakest connection point, as Resolute Intuition revealed.
He brought the Precision Driver there and applied the gentlest pressure imaginable.
Criiick—
With a spine-tingling friction sound, the heavy Reinforced Glass opened smoothly.
The Ancient Heart finally revealed itself.
It blazed crimson far more violently than before, its light threatening him.
[Warning: The Ancient Heart has been exposed to external conditions.]
[Time remaining before Magical Runaway: 10 minutes]
“Ten minutes…… that’s tight.”
Cold sweat beaded on Geumsohn’s forehead.
But his hands remained perfectly steady.
If anything, they moved faster and with even greater precision than before.
‘Divine Craftsmanship.’
His hands blurred with speed, isolating overloaded circuits one by one and reassembling them with surgical precision.
The Blue Index freely restructured itself, expanding and contracting only the necessary sections with convenient accuracy.
Like a seasoned surgeon performing delicate vascular surgery, every movement he made carried absolute certainty.
‘Sun’s Right Hand.’
Without a forge in this place, Geumsohn’s right hand itself was a perfect welder and refining tool.
The solar heat blooming from his palm melted the severed Mana lines and fused them together, restoring the warped components to their original forms.
Zzzt—
Though his hand blackened from the occasional bursts of Mana discharge, he paid no mind.
If anything, Geumsohn’s concentration grew sharper still.
[This repair method defies conventional wisdom! The system records your movements.]
[Holy Power infuses the damaged circuits through the effect of Sun’s Right Hand.]
[The Mana stabilization circuit is reinforced.]
With fine sparks dancing across the surface, the circuits that had burned red began to stabilize and take on a blue luminescence.
[Mana stabilization circuit repair successful.]
[Divine Craftsmanship proficiency increases.]
[Repair success rate increases by 15% due to Precision Stat.]
“Precision Stat… good. I’ve still got five minutes.”
The message had appeared, but the work wasn’t finished.
Geumsohn checked the time and moved on to the next task.
The critical problem—the warped energy core.
Resolute Intuition pierced through to the core’s internal structure.
Dozens of gears spun in reverse madly, amplifying the Mana unstably.
‘To stop this…’
Geumsohn picked up the Mana Tweezers and gripped the most crucial gear with perfect precision.
Then he held his breath and began rotating it in the opposite direction with microscopically delicate force.
It was work that permitted not even 0.1mm of deviation—a task demanding extreme precision.
Screech—!
The gear shrieked with a horrible grinding noise.
He sensed instinctively that something had gone wrong.
His fingertips trembled.
A slight deviation.
He could see it, but his hands wouldn’t obey him.
If he applied even slightly wrong pressure, the entire core would collapse in a chain reaction, triggering a massive explosion.
[Time until Magical Runaway: 1 minute]
The time dwindled rapidly—perhaps Geumsohn had made a mistake.
‘This won’t work!’
Geumsohn quickly opened his character details window.
[Player Details]
[Base Stats]
– Strength: 37 (+20)
– Dexterity: 27
– Stamina: 27 (+20)
– Mana: 27
[Open Stats]
– Luck: 22
– Precision: 26
– Holy Power: 26
[Remaining Stat Points: 70]
He had accumulated 70 Remaining Stat Points upon reaching level 20.
Most players would have accumulated 40 stats from a 10-level gain, but Geumsohn had earned 70 thanks to his open stats.
Of those, he allocated 20 to Precision.
[Investing 20 Remaining Stat Points into Precision.]
[Precision: 26 → 46]
[Remaining Stat Points: 70 → 50]
The moment the allocation completed, the trembling in his hands ceased.
Geumsohn’s entire focus converged on his fingertips.
There was almost no time left.
Yet Geumsohn didn’t rush.
Instead, he remained perfectly calm, feeling the subtle resistance of the gear and adjusting his force with surgical precision.
Click—
At last, the gear found its place and sang out with a crisp, clean sound.
In that instant, all the gears that had been spinning in mad reverse came to a halt.
And a moment later.
They began turning in the correct direction with a smooth, steady rhythm.
Whiiiiiine—
The unstable red light that had been flickering vanished entirely, and from the heart, a clear, crystalline blue radiance spread outward.
It was a cool, serene blue—as if an entire azure ocean had been captured within it—stable and powerful.
[You have successfully repaired the Ancient Heart.]
[Achievement: Restorer of the Ancient Heart]
[You have been the first to perfectly repair an ancient power source on the very brink of destruction.]
[The system expresses its awe at your remarkable skill and audacity.]
[Effect 1. Skill proficiency gain increases by 50% across all skills.]
[Effect 2: During crafting, the probability of a Critical Success permanently increases by 10%.]
[Effect 3: Your understanding of ancient technology rises dramatically.]
[Reputation increases by 200.]
[The Blue Index has fully internalized the stored blueprint of the Ancient Heart.]
[The grade of the Ancient Heart is raised by one tier.]
– Stored Blueprints
1. Sun-Imbued Gear-Walking Golem [Unique]
2. Perfect Ancient Heart [Legendary]
“Phew…….”
As the message materialized before him, Geumsohn finally released the breath he had been holding.
His entire body was drenched in sweat.
Yet his face bore a satisfied smile.
“I did it.”
The rewards pleased him greatly as well.
The upgrade to the blueprint’s grade was welcome, but what truly delighted him was the additional 50% skill proficiency gain and the 10% boost to Critical Success probability.
His skill proficiency had reached a cumulative 150%, and with crafting proficiency included, it had climbed to 200%.
Moreover, his Critical Success probability now approached a cumulative 40%.
“Perhaps becoming an All Master isn’t just a dream after all?”
Geumsohn let out a quiet laugh, savoring the satisfaction of his successful work—but only for a moment.
He forced his weary body to rise once more.
Now there remained but one thing.
To accomplish the quest’s original objective.
“I’ve fixed it, so…… now I just have to break it?”
He had repaired it with such difficulty, and now he would destroy it.
Like a master craftsman gazing upon a perfectly made ceramic piece, only to shatter it mercilessly.
Geumsohn raised the hammer.
As though declaring he would not be satisfied with this level, not yet.
Crack—
Crash-boom—!
With a tremendous sound of fracture, the Ancient Heart shattered into countless pieces, scattering into fragments of blue light.
The Ancient Heart he had repaired only moments before.
From within the dispersing remains of the destroyed Ancient Heart, messages began to materialize once again.
As if startled by Geumsohn’s peculiar action.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————