The Returned Genius Blacksmith has Awakened as an all-Master - Chapter 24

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

Chapter 24
024. Just One Promise
Before any other kingdom or faction discovered Geumson’s value, the Aelock Kingdom had to claim him first.
Rabi had decided to take the matter into her own hands.
Though there seemed to be other schemes at play, that wasn’t the priority right now.
What mattered most was figuring out how to keep this foreigner, Geumson, from leaving.
While Rabi and Clak were whispering to each other.
Geumson was tidying up the tools he’d used for his crafting.
He looked ready to depart.
Seeing this, Rabi urgently jabbed Clak in the ribs.
Clak stirred reluctantly into motion.
“Um…… Excuse me, Successor?”
Clak spoke with careful hesitation.
His voice brimmed with reverence for Geumson, the Ego Golem Craftsman.
“If you don’t mind…… would you consider staying at our Neman Village branch? Of course, I can promise you the finest treatment! We’ll absolutely support you with materials and research funding! Or, if you wish, I could even transfer the ownership of this workshop to you!”
Clak was making an absurd proposal to the foreigner Geumson.
Of course, to the old Geumson.
If Geumson had merely been playing Lepion and making a living through streaming, this would have been a tempting offer.
The fact that an NPC from Lepion was making such a proposal, and that he was actually transferring ownership of a workshop, would have been perfect streaming material.
But now, it held no appeal whatsoever.
Reading that expression, Rabi cut in urgently.
“Ugh! That’s how you end up on the elders’ bad side! Move over!”
With Clak’s offer falling flat, Rabi stepped in directly.
She didn’t hesitate for even a moment before making her own proposal to Geumson.
“You’re planning to leave, aren’t you? Like the other foreigners.”
Geumson nodded in response.
Rabi quickly offered a new proposal before he could say anything else.
“Want to meet the king of the Aelock Kingdom with me? With my authority and this Ego Golem here, I could arrange an audience. What do you say?”
Rabi was proposing an audience with the king of the Aelock Kingdom.
Geumson’s eyes widened at her words.
It was certainly an enticing offer.
For Geumson the player to establish a connection with the king would be like laying down a highway for his activities in the Aelock Kingdom.
Moreover, this was the early stage of Lepion.
No player would yet have connections with the kingdom’s king.
In other words, it meant securing a unique position ahead of all other players.
But.
“I appreciate the offer, but that’s a bit too soon for me.”
Geumson flatly refused Rabi’s proposal.
It had been a sincere offer, so Rabi was genuinely shocked.
“What? You’re refusing this? Why? It’s the king we’re talking about here! Once he sees the Ego Golem you made, he might bestow enormous rewards!”
Rabi’s expression showed incomprehension, but Geumson seemed to have his reasons.
‘I’m barely level twenty right now. If I meet the king now…… I won’t be able to refuse whatever quest—or rather, command—the king proposes.’
Meeting the king was desirable, but he wasn’t in the same weight class.
If Geumson met the king now, he would become nothing more than a puppet carrying out the king’s orders.
There was no right of refusal for a king’s quest.
Moreover, until that quest was resolved, he couldn’t accept any others.
Of course, if he could complete the quest, the rewards would be guaranteed.
The quest-giver was, after all, the absolute ruler of the Aelock Kingdom.
High risk, high return.
But he wasn’t in a position to shoulder the risk right now.
If his level and abilities were higher, it might be worth attempting. But not now.
Not yet, at least.
“My abilities still fall short, that’s why. I don’t wish to show the king a shameful performance.”
Geumson refused with a diplomatic deflection.
At his response, Rabi made a disappointed expression, but soon nodded.
“For a foreigner…… you think remarkably deep, don’t you? You’re not letting greed run away with you either. Fine! I like it! It’s a shame, but if that’s what you think, there’s nothing I can do. Still, promise me just one thing.”
She held out her little finger.
“Someday, when I really need help, answer my call just once. Of course, I’ll make sure to reward you generously. Deal?”
It wasn’t a bad offer.
Geumson didn’t want to sever his connection with Rabi, who had shown goodwill by proposing the meeting with the king.
Geumson hooked his pinky finger with hers, sealing the promise.
“All right, then.”
[You have formed a Secret Promise with the Mage Engineer Rabi.]
[In the future, should you answer her call, you may receive a special reward.]
“Excellent! Safe travels, Super Ace! Oh, and one more thing!”
Rabi called after Geumson as he left.
“There will be those who show you favor because you’re a Successor… but don’t trust all of them. Understand what I’m saying?”
Geumson answered her with a wave of his hand.
Watching him recede into the distance, Clak too cried out with a wistful expression.
“Please come back to Neman Village whenever you can! We’ll always be waiting!”
Geumson left the village behind, the Iron Walker at his side.
The peaceful landscape of Neman Village slowly faded into the distance at his back.
* * *
Hiss—
A capsule pod, installed in the corner of a shabby studio apartment.
Its door slid open, revealing Geumson within, haggard and gaunt.
He stepped out of the pod.
Crack-crack-crack—
His body stiffened from prolonged capsule use; as he stretched, his spine crackled with a sound like groaning protest with each joint.
Yet Geumson spoke with a satisfied expression, listening to that symphony of pops and snaps.
“Ah, I’m dying. Seriously.”
Though Geumson had only just left Neman Village behind, his mind already raced ahead to what came next.
But the thought didn’t linger long.
The sound bleeding from the television he’d turned on absently snagged his attention.
[Breaking news! The player ‘Kang Mujin, the Reverse Heaven Greatsword,’ who has firmly held the top position in Korea’s Lepion rankings, has just become the first on this server to breach the Level 100 wall!]
From the television screen, an anchor’s fevered voice poured out alongside dazzling graphics.
Geumson peeled open a cup of instant noodles, staring at the screen with casual indifference.
He listened to the anchor’s continued commentary while waiting for his three-minute dinner to be ready.
[Kang Mujin, ranked first on Korea’s Lepion server and known as ‘the Reverse Heaven Greatsword,’ has become the server’s first player to break through the Level 100 barrier! Let’s look at the footage!]
The screen cut to a towering warrior clad in ornate armor, roaring in triumph—played back in slow motion.
Above his head, the numeral ‘Lv. 100’ blazed in golden light, followed by a cascade of spectacular visual effects that consumed the entire frame.
Simultaneously, the chat window erupted in a frenzy of messages scrolling upward.
└ Whoa, insane! Finally Level 100!
└ Kang Mujin! Kang Mujin! Kang Mujin!
└ This is real national pride! Yes! Time to bring back the Dou You Know Club! Add Kang Mujin to the roster!
└ Wait, how is he already Level 100? How is that even possible?
└ Bet he whale-funded it, threw money at the problem, and burned through accounts left and right, yeah?
.
.
.
The anchor’s voice rose even higher as he continued presenting footage from Kang Mujin’s personal broadcast.
[Kang Mujin’s achievement of Level 100 transcends personal glory—it stands as proof that Korea’s server has ascended to the ranks of the world’s strongest! Experts agree that this accomplishment elevates Korea’s standing in the global…….]
It was good news.
But Geumson muttered under his breath, stirring his noodles with chopsticks.
“Standing, my ass…….”
His reaction diverged sharply from the public mood.
He knew the truth.
Though Kang Mujin had indeed reached Level 100, the path there had been anything but smooth.
Just as Geumson had feared, the anchor’s expression shifted subtly as he delivered the next piece of news.
[Oh, what a shame! We also received word of unfortunate news. During the final raid to achieve Level 100, Kang Mujin’s main weapon, the Unique-grade Storm’s Guide, was destroyed. In response, the Kang Mujin camp announced they would take some time to rest and regroup. This has been Kim Hyun-sang from Daily Lepion News.]
The screen cross-cut between footage of the shattered greatsword’s fragments and Kang Mujin’s dumbfounded expression.
Seeing this, Geumson clicked his tongue with a bitter grimace and muttered.
“Told him not to use that garbage blade in the first place.”
In his past life, Geumson had run several raids alongside Kang Mujin.
They weren’t close, of course.
Back then, Geumson had been little more than a mercenary, while Kang Mujin was always the hero shining at the forefront of every battle.
But Geumson acknowledged his skill.
His only real weakness—and it was a glaring one—was an eye for equipment that was absolutely abysmal.
It wasn’t simply a matter of taste.
Kang Mujin had always fixated obsessively on visible numbers—what people called “specs.”
The hidden potential an item possessed, its synergy with other equipment, and above all, its essential value—the durability to withstand extreme conditions—had always been an afterthought.
‘Though, in fairness, I can’t lay that entirely at Kang Mujin’s feet.’
Kang Mujin at Level 100.
He was, for all intents and purposes, a pioneer carving through Lepion—uncharted territory—with nothing but his bare hands.
Unlike lower-level play, where discussion flourished, no strategy guides existed for the high-level game.
Kang Mujin had no choice but to collide with everything directly, shatter against it, and build data through blood and failure.
The countless mistakes he made became invaluable signposts for those who came after.
But the real problem was.
‘He died too soon. Kang Mujin.’
A bitter memory surfaces.
When Lepion materialized, Kang Mujin charged forward first.
I should have stopped him.

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