The Returned Genius Blacksmith has Awakened as an all-Master - Chapter 36

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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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Chapter 36
036. An Uncommon Man
“Something…… feels off.”
Geumson pressed deeper into the cave, driven by a creeping sense of dread.
When he reached the vast cavern at the heart of the cave system, he finally confronted the source of the anomaly.
A towering crystal pillar rose from the center of the chamber, and surrounding it, dozens of monsters gorged themselves on moss with grotesque hunger.
[Corrupted Crystal Bat Lv.28]
They devoured the Moonlight Moss, swelling their bodies, and fouled their surroundings with refuse tainted by corrupted mana.
The very conditions that allowed the moss to flourish were being destroyed.
“So it was these wretches.”
Geumson’s eyes turned to ice.
He gripped his Hammer more firmly.
“Walker, we’re sweeping them all out.”
“Walker! Wa-a-alker!”
Geumson and Iron Walker charged toward the monster swarm in unison.
Crack!
Geumson’s Hammer connected squarely with the skull of a Corrupted Crystal Bat.
From that moment on, it became a one-sided hunt.
Though Geumson’s level was significantly lower than the monsters’, it hardly mattered.
“Wa-a-alker! Wa-wa-walker!”
Whenever Geumson faced danger—
No, before danger could even approach, Iron Walker was there first.
With overwhelming defense and offensive power, the Corrupted Crystal Bats stood helpless against him.
[Weak point strike successful.]
[Critical hit confirmed.]
[Corrupted Crystal Bat defeated.]
[Level increased! Lv.23]
[Corrupted Crystal Bat defeated.]
.
.
.
[Level increased! Lv.24]
A one-sided battle.
It would be more accurate to call it cave cleaning.
But once every bat had been dealt with, disappointment settled across Geumson’s face.
“Damn it, hardly any moss left!”
The wake of the monsters’ devastation was brutal.
Finding intact moss was harder than finding scraps.
To gather the amount he needed, he would have to wait endlessly for the moss to regrow.
“Sigh…… Why did I have to go and say I’d handle it so confidently?”
The eager face of red-bearded Doosar flashed in his mind.
A wave of guilt washed over him toward Doosar.
Just as Geumson exhaled a hollow sigh and was about to sink to the ground—
An entirely unexpected voice came from behind.
“Oi, young man. That’s not how you harvest Moonlight Moss, you know. You’re crudely scraping it all up and wasting perfectly good spores.”
Geumson’s body went rigid.
He hadn’t sensed a trace of presence, yet someone had gotten the drop on him.
Slowly—very slowly—he turned his head.
From the darkness of the cave emerged an eccentric old man with an unkempt beard, bearing a pack on his back larger than his own frame.
He clicked his tongue as he stepped forward.
‘Parakels? It’s Parakels!’
The Alchemist NPC who appears at random throughout Crathumb.
The moment Geumson saw him, he felt relief—but couldn’t help wincing at the same time.
[Gold on Hand: 25 Gold]
‘Damn, talk about rotten timing.’
The rare potions and materials Parakels carried were worth whatever he asked.
The problem was that he didn’t have nearly enough coin to buy anything.
Geumson couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh of resignation.
“Uncommon places do turn up uncommon folk. Are you a traveler from elsewhere?”
Parakels approached first.
He seemed genuinely interested in Geumson, who was harvesting Moonlight Moss.
Yet even as he addressed the outsider, Parakels didn’t forget to make his pitch.
“Hmm, judging by your gear, you must have some coin to spare…… What do you say? I’ve got quite a few decent pieces here. Care to take a look?”
Parakels spoke like a seasoned merchant.
But Geumson could only shake his head at the proposal, regrettably.
“I’m afraid I don’t have any money right now.”
“Tsk tsk, preparing such fine equipment drains the coffers, doesn’t it? So that’s why you’ve come all the way here to harvest Moonlight Moss? Hard up for coin, are we? A penniless outsider, then.”
His words sounded thoroughly mocking, yet Parakels’ expression said otherwise.
Rather, he smiled as if recognizing a kindred spirit.
The System Message proved that his expression was genuine.
[Parakels’ Favorability has increased.]
[You have cleared the first Hidden Condition of Parakels’ Occupation Tutorial.]
Geumson was bewildered by the sudden notification.
But Parakels began patting his shoulder consolingly.
“Money’s the enemy of all of us. Look at me! Even a brilliant alchemist like myself has to hustle about like this just to earn a living!”
“Pardon? To earn a living?”
“Alchemy, you see…… it requires quite a lot of coin, doesn’t it? Ahem, so to save on material costs, one must pound the pavement like this!”
It was absurd.
Parakels’ first Hidden Condition for obtaining the Occupation was that one must be poor.
‘No wonder the players in my past life never uncovered this condition!’
Once you encounter Parakels, curiosity alone compels you to examine his wares.
He simply has too many effective and rare items.
But the moment you do, it’s over.
You fall from Parakels’ favor at once.
Geumson felt a flicker of unease.
Yet contrary to his own misgivings, the Alchemist Occupation Tutorial seemed to be progressing steadily.
Parakels had begun to take a genuine interest in him.
“But you, lad—you’ve got a sharp eye. You’re the first outsider I’ve met who grasps the true value of Moonlight Moss. Most just treat it as pretty glowing weeds.”
Parakels bent down and picked up a fragment of moss from the ground.
“But the thing is, this little creature here harbors lunar essence—a delicate thing it is. Scrape it away with brute force like you did, and it gets stressed; the medicinal potency plummets to half.”
He drew a small glass vial and a brush from his robes.
Inside the vial swirled a soft silvery liquid.
“Now watch carefully. You dab this Fairy’s Tears onto the brush, then gently stroke along the moss’s grain—see how it relaxes? It puffs itself up happily and opens its spores wide. That’s when you pluck it away.”
Plop.
As Parakels demonstrated, the moss swelled up before Geumson’s eyes, doubling in size from before.
He plucked it away effortlessly and handed it to Geumson.
A message appeared simultaneously.
[You have obtained Premium-Grade Moonlight Moss.]
Geumson’s eyes went wide in disbelief.
Same material, same location—yet the results were night and day apart.
“Incredible…… Truly remarkable.”
“Ha ha ha! Surprised, aren’t you? This is the world of alchemy, lad. Not brute strength, but knowledge and understanding—the science of handling nature’s essence itself.”
Parakels smiled with satisfaction and studied Geumson anew.
“Now then, you try.”
Along with the command came Fairy’s Tears and a brush.
The moment Geumson received them, he understood.
‘This too…… is a test.’
Parakels watched Geumson’s every move intently.
He seemed to be testing how well Geumson could follow his instructions.
‘If I can obtain the Alchemist Occupation from Parakels…… there’s nothing better than that!’
Being connected to Parakels meant he could visit him freely whenever he wished.
And Parakels himself was already a masterful alchemist.
Whatever alchemy-related skills he possessed would surely be extraordinary.
With that thought, Geumson focused with intent.
He carefully mimicked Parakels’ method.
Though attempting the technique for the first time, his hands moved without hesitation.
In fact, his touch was smoother and more precise than Parakels’ own.
In that instant, a System Message appeared before Geumson’s eyes.
[You have harvested Moonlight Moss.]
[Due to the effect of Possessed Craftsmanship, harvest yield increased by 15%.]
[Due to the influence of the Precision stat, your probability of obtaining Premium-Grade Moonlight Moss has increased by 20%.]
[You have obtained Premium-Grade Moonlight Moss.]
Parakels’ eyes widened before he could even finish reading the message.
Geumson’s hand movements looked anything but ordinary.
“Hoho…! This cannot be! Your dexterity is no laughing matter! How could a novice move with such mastery?”
Parakels’ eyes filled with astonishment.
Though he had tested the outsider, he had never imagined they could replicate his technique so flawlessly.
Parakels seized Geumson’s hand and turned it this way and that, his admiration pouring forth.
“These hands… they are the hands of a born alchemist! No, it would not be an overstatement to call them hands blessed by the very god of alchemy! But tell me — what is your Occupation? I hear you outsiders have such things predetermined?”
Parakels posed the question of Occupation.
To his inquiry, Geumson answered honestly.
“A Blacksmith.”
“A Blacksmith? Madness. To possess such extraordinary talent and spend it merely swinging a hammer! I have never seen such a squandering of gifts!”
Parakels struck his chest in frustration.
The reaction caught him off guard.
In the previous life, countless players had desperately yearned to become Parakels’ disciples.
Yet now, Parakels himself was urging Geumson to become his pupil.
The reason became clear as a System Message materialized.
[You have broken through the second Hidden Condition of Parakels’ Occupation Tutorial.]
[The ‘Wandering Alchemist’ Parakels is captivated by your talent and offers you a special proposal.]
[Will you accept becoming his sole disciple and receive the secrets of alchemy through his tasks?]
[Upon acceptance, the Alchemist Occupation Tutorial will commence.]
* * *
While Geumson and Parakels were harvesting Moonlight Moss, a cold wind swept through the Strategic Planning Team of Mirae Group Lepion.
“Team Lead, this is the footage just transmitted through Lepion Net. New activity from the target ‘Geumson’ has been detected.”
The conference room was constructed of cold metal and glass.
Before the enormous hologram screen stood a sharp-featured woman with her arms crossed.
She was Cha Yoo-kyung, Team Lead of Strategic Planning for Mirae Group Lepion’s business division.

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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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