The Returned Genius Blacksmith has Awakened as an all-Master - Chapter 26
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 26
026. Broadcast Begins
In his previous life, countless players had hunted for Parakel.
They sought him out to gain a profession and learn his crafting skills.
But all of them failed.
All they’d managed to uncover was a mere guess: that Parakel’s hideout lay somewhere in Kratum.
That was all there was to it.
So Geumson harbored no great expectations either.
Simply meeting him by chance and purchasing supplies would be more than enough.
In any case, Kratum was now the ideal hunting ground for Geumson, who had only just crossed Level 20.
Iron Walker’s heavy footfalls thundered against the earth, and Geumson followed in his wake.
Unlike the pastoral landscapes of Neman Village, the road to Kratum was rough and desolate.
As he traversed that barren terrain, a pack of Stone Goblins emerged from their ambush in the rocky outcrops.
They were Level 20-class monsters, but their numbers easily exceeded thirty.
But then.
“Walker, sweep them away.”
“Waaaaalkeeer!”
Thump-thump-thump—
At Geumson’s terse command, Iron Walker charged forward, his flamethrower roaring to life.
The Stone Goblins couldn’t even scream properly before they crumbled into ash.
[Your level has increased! Lv. 21]
[You have obtained ‘Melted Stone Fragment of Goblin’.]
[You have obtained ‘Crude Melted Iron Ore’.]
.
.
.
“Hmm, nothing but junk drops.”
Geumson had Iron Walker gather the scattered loot from the ground, then resumed his march.
As he walked, he suddenly recalled the smartphone messages he’d checked in reality.
There had been plenty of pointless messages, but among them were requests to broadcast.
He couldn’t simply ignore a message left by one of his precious fans.
‘A broadcast… I suppose I do need to do one.’
Until now, he’d been driven forward by a single resolve: to prevent catastrophe.
But he couldn’t ignore his real-world life either.
Earning money for survival was crucial.
Capsule installments, electricity bills, food expenses, rent, and so on.
For now, he had savings to live on, but a few months from now would be a problem.
Before the grand goal of preventing catastrophe, he first had to survive in reality.
‘I don’t exactly have the mental space to broadcast… but if it needs doing, it needs doing.’
Geumson stopped walking and fell into thought for a moment.
What topic would capture people’s attention?
Then a news report he’d seen on television suddenly came to mind.
[Rank 1 Player Kang Mujin Declares Temporary Hiatus After Primary Weapon Destroyed!]
The moment Geumson recalled that headline,
a smile spread across his face.
“……That’s it.”
Perfect timing.
There was no better bait for attention than this.
Kang Mujin—the icon of Lepion and the symbol of its strongest player.
Crafting a weapon better than his shattered greatsword?
That alone would undoubtedly ignite massive interest.
“Walker, let’s set up camp here for now. I need to start a broadcast.”
“Waaaaalkeeer!”
Iron Walker deftly gathered dried branches from the surrounding area and started a fire, while Geumson sat beside it and activated the broadcast system.
That familiar interface, seen after so long.
Geumson entered the broadcast title without hesitation.
[Storm’s Guide? That’s Nothing Special]
The moment he pressed the start button, an astonishing sight unfolded.
[‘Geumson’s Fan’ has entered.]
[‘Pot-Breaker Collector’ has entered.]
[‘Hammer Warrior Hotshot’ has entered the broadcast.]
.
.
.
The viewer count skyrocketed in an instant, leaping past hundreds and thousands into explosive growth.
The chat window was on the verge of total chaos.
└ There he is! Finally!
└ The Pot-Breaker! The God of Mining!
└ Whoa, the Storm’s Guide? Isn’t that Kang Mujin’s weapon? He’s making that?
└ Insane lol Geumson’s gonna get destroyed for touching Kang Mujin!
.
.
.
Geumson had anticipated perhaps a few hundred viewers at most.
But the number now watching his stream had already soared well past thirty thousand.
‘Why, why is the reaction so good? Did I really catch their attention?’
Geumson still had no idea how much of a sensation he’d become on Lepion Net.
He could only vaguely guess that the provocative subject of the Storm’s Guide had drawn people in.
The chat was scrolling so furiously he couldn’t keep up.
Geumson gave up trying to read it.
He decided to focus on his work instead.
“Ahem, good to see you all. I’m Geumson, a blacksmith. Today I’m going to try crafting a decent greatsword—better than that Storm’s Guide that was supposedly destroyed recently.”
The chat exploded even hotter at his words.
└ Your voice is amazing, man!
└ Wait, this isn’t clickbait? You’re actually making it? You have materials?
└ But what’s that golem next to you? A pet? Do they sell those? New Cash Item? Nothing in the patch notes…
– [Kang Mujin Fan Club President] donated 500,000 won: Please, PLEASE save our Mujin! Make the greatest greatsword ever!
└ President, you’re falling for this again!
└ Players need to be level 100+ to craft Unique Grade or higher, you know?
Geumson was overwhelmed by the cascade of donations and chat spam.
Insults and curses filled the message stream as well.
He struggled to maintain his composure through it all and turned to Iron Walker.
“Walker, pull out the Moonlight Steel.”
“Warker! Pull out… pull out! Mine? Mine!”
“No, get the materials and give them to me.”
Iron Walker didn’t always understand instructions, but he seemed to be improving.
The massive golem moved and retrieved a shimmering, silvery ore from his Extended Inventory that gleamed with an ethereal light.
Moonlight Steel.
Geumson had already set up a simple forge beside the campfire.
With the Sun’s Right Hand skill, he didn’t strictly need a forge.
But he’d prepared it deliberately for the broadcast’s visual effect.
‘The goal this time is Unique Grade. Can’t put in too much heart into it.’
As he prepared his materials, Geumson mentally mapped out his approach.
This time, the goal wasn’t to create the finest weapon possible.
If he poured all his soul and skill into a masterwork, the Soul’s Seal effect would very likely activate.
‘If Soul’s Seal triggers, it binds to me alone… that’d be a problem.’
In other words, it becomes an unsellable item.
What Geumson needed right now was money to survive in the immediate term.
No matter how exceptional a blade, if he couldn’t sell it, it was just scrap metal.
‘Adequate, but overwhelming. That’s the key.’
Geumson placed the Moonlight Steel in the forge and began working the bellows.
Iron Walker stood silently beside him, organizing the other materials with care.
It looked like a seasoned apprentice and master blacksmith who’d worked together for decades.
└ Wow, that golem is really smart, right? AI on another level.
└ Geumson, where’d you get that golem? Give us the info!
└ Watching the crafting process is seriously entertaining. This could be ASMR content gold.
.
.
.
Surprisingly, the chat remained peaceful as the work progressed.
Not until Geumson pulled out the final material.
“All right, now I’m going to try mixing in some special materials.”
What Geumson retrieved from his inventory were two items he’d taken from PK Godteu,
[Assassin’s Chest Plate][Rare Grade]
[Viper’s Dagger][Unique Grade]
The moment those items appeared, viewers who recognized them began flooding the chat.
└ Wait, isn’t that Rare Grade armor?
└ Hold on, that dagger… where have I seen that before?
└ Holy! That’s the Viper’s Dagger that PK Godteu dropped! So Geumson really did take it! ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Don’t let Godteu hear you crying about this! ㅋㅋ
The chat exploded in an instant.
Geumson placed the Assassin’s Chest Plate onto the anvil without a word.
And then.
“I’m just going to destroy this one.”
He didn’t even glance at the chat’s reaction.
Geumson simply raised his hammer and brought it down on the armor without a moment’s hesitation.
Crack!
└ ???
└ What, what’s he doing?
└ Insane, he’s just smashing a Rare item?
└ He could’ve repaired and sold that for good money… why would he…?
└ Ladies and gentlemen, you are witnessing a streamer gone mad for attention ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ When everything else fails, might as well try everything else, right?
.
.
.
As viewers poured shocked and bewildered messages into the chat, a system notification appeared before Geumson’s eyes.
[The Destructive Craftsman effect did not activate.]
[No core material was recovered.]
[Assassin’s Chest Plate has been destroyed.]
Seeing the message, Geumson ground his teeth.
The Assassin’s Chest Plate scattered into ash and dispersed into the air.
But the viewers, unaware of Geumson’s Destructive Craftsman effect, could only sigh in despair.
Still, Geumson didn’t stop.
Without hesitation, he placed his next target—the Viper’s Dagger—on the anvil.
The chat became a cauldron of excitement at Geumson’s recklessness.
└ But that’s Unique Grade? Isn’t that worth over ten million won?
└ [PK Godteu]: Hey you son of a b*tch what the hell are you doing with my dagger!!!!!
└ Lol Godteu’s here ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ Godteu ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ but the chat’s too fast, it’s getting buried ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ Wow he’s really doing it! He’s lost it!
.
.
.
Oblivious to the curses flying past him in the chat, Geumson raised his hammer high again.
All the viewers held their breath, their eyes fixed on the head of his hammer.
And the moment Geumson’s hammer came down on the Viper’s Dagger,
Crack!
A strange, ominous sound rang out.
And a message appeared before Geumson’s eyes.
[The Destructive Craftsman effect activates.]
[Core material ‘Poison Snake’s Crystal’ is being extracted from the Viper’s Dagger!]
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————