The Returned Genius Blacksmith has Awakened as an all-Master - Chapter 4

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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 4
004. The Broadcaster Who Never Turned On the Camera
Thrust!
The second.
Flawless.
Thrust!
The third.
Steady rhythm, perfect form.
The other players around the Training Ground, who had mocked or ignored Geum Son at first, began to regard him differently.
His movements contained no wasted motion.
Like a master craftsman who had repeated the same action ten thousand times, every motion he made was efficient and beautiful.
Bark, who had been standing with arms crossed and a sneer on his face, gradually straightened his posture.
The contempt and irritation that had clouded his eyes faded, replaced by intrigue and surprise.
‘What the hell is this guy?’
Bark had seen countless new recruits and aspiring adventurers pass through.
But never anything like this.
The focus and form of a level-one greenhorn fresh off the boat to the Village was simply unbelievable.
It was as though he were watching a seasoned spear master who had lived with his weapon for decades.
Thrust! Thrust! Thrust!
Time passed, and beads of sweat formed on Geum Son’s forehead, yet the tip of his spear never wavered.
.
.
.
The ninety-eighth.
The ninety-ninth.
The final hundredth.
Thrust!
“Impressive—a hundred in quick succession.”
The moment Geum Son completed the hundredth thrust, Bark moved to step forward.
He could tell just by looking at his form.
This man was the real deal.
No need to watch further.
But Bark’s feet froze at the sound that followed.
Thrust!
The hundred and first.
The hundred and second.
.
.
.
Unlike Bark’s frozen feet, Geum Son’s movements did not cease.
He poured everything—every ounce of his concentration—into the tip of the spear.
Thrust!
Perfect form.
Exactly as he had delivered the first thrust.
.
.
.
The five hundred and sixty-first.
The five hundred and sixty-second.
As he crossed into the six hundreds, other players began to gather around the Practice Dummy one by one.
They were captivated by the mechanical precision of Geum Son’s movements.
“Is that even humanly possible?”
“Is he someone who actually trained with a spear in real life?”
“That’s not a person, that’s a machine. A spear machine.”
“But seriously… he’s not really going to complete a thousand, is he?”
Bark said nothing.
Geum Son said nothing.
Only the voices of the players grew louder.
As more gathered, the clamor intensified.
One might have expected such noise to shatter his concentration, yet Geum Son’s form remained exactly as it had been from the start.
Thump!
.
.
.
981st.
982nd.
Late 900s.
By then, the players’ reactions had split down the middle.
“Wow, he’s really going to hit a thousand.”
“Eighteen more! Seventeen! Sixteen! Just a little further!”
“Bark, you bastard! If you really do hit a thousand, mark my words—my brother’s going to give you a thousand of his own. You better get ready to hand over that reward!”
Before long, even strangers were cheering him on, calling him their older brother.
But at the same time.
“That’s nothing. It’s just stabbing, isn’t it? Anyone can do that.”
“Ahhhh! A monster! A monster’s appeared! Run away!”
“Bark went home? Hey, stop it. I’m telling you, Bark went home!”
“That doesn’t count! Start over from the beginning! I saw it clear as day with my own eyes! I definitely saw him stab outside the line! I’m serious!”
A petty crowd even subtly tried to break Geum Son’s concentration.
Various players attempted to shatter his focus, but nothing worked.
Crash!
The spear buried itself deep into the red center point of the Practice Dummy.
The impact was enough to knock the worn Practice Dummy backward.
Silence fell.
Every eye in the Training Ground fixed on Geum Son.
“1,000…… thrusts. Hah…….”
He had no idea how much time had passed.
Only now did the surrounding players come into focus.
Watching Geum Son like that.
“……Mmm.”
Bark let out a low murmur of admiration.
He approached Geum Son slowly and examined the spear embedded in the Practice Dummy with close attention.
The traces of 1,000 thrusts were overlaid at a single point with astonishing precision.
“I can’t believe it……! You actually did it. Not a single error, perfect in every way.”
Bark looked back at Geum Son.
Now his eyes held a light of respect.
“What’s your name, boy?”
“Geum Son, sir.”
“Geum Son…… It’s a fine name. It suits your talent. This is a talent I cannot contend with.”
In that moment, system messages flooded Geum Son’s vision.
[Achievement: Unshakeable Conviction]
[You have achieved ‘Perfect 1,000 Consecutive Thrusts’ for the first time!]
[The system marvels at your steely will.]
[All stats permanently increase by 1.]
[Fame increases by 50.]
[Spear Instructor Bark’s Favorability rises to ‘Maximum’.]
[You have achieved the hidden condition ‘Perfect Focus’.]
[Spear Instructor Bark, in admiration of your talent, transmits to you a secret technique passed down through his family line.]
[You have acquired the Hidden Skill ‘Kyeol-ui Jikgwan’!]
Geum Son couldn’t gather his wits amid the cascade of messages.
But he read at least one message with perfect clarity: ‘Hidden Skill’.
‘Yes! Yeom Tae Hoon was telling the truth!’
His heart pounding, he quickly checked the details.
The skill he’d been hoping for had arrived intact.
The very skill that would become the foundation of Yeom Tae Hoon’s future as a spear master.
[Kyeol-ui Jikgwan Lv.1]
[Passive Skill]
– Description: You gain insight to pierce through the true nature and weaknesses of all things.
[Effects]
1. When attacking, the target’s weak point is marked in red.
2. Upon striking a weak point, a Critical Hit triggers with 100% certainty.
3. It can be used even in non-combat situations, allowing you to discern the hidden value or flaws of a target.
‘A non-combat option—this is exactly what I needed.’
As I read the message materializing before me, a deep sigh of relief finally escaped.
In truth, I’d had information that Bark could obtain Determination’s Intuition, but no real certainty that I would acquire it.
It wasn’t that the information was incomplete.
That’s simply how Lepion worked.
Lepion—a game where outcomes shifted fluidly depending on circumstances.
Which is why I couldn’t be a hundred percent certain.
But I’d gotten the result I wanted.
And more than that.
“This is huge. Or maybe… even bigger than huge?”
I’d received not only a Hidden Skill but bonus stat increases across the board.
The thought that this was incredible refused to leave me, but I couldn’t fully savor the feeling.
Other players had rushed over and begun bombarding Geum Son with questions.
“Wow, you actually pulled it off! Are you a spear instructor in real life?”
“What does the skill do? Can you share the details?”
“Wait, how did you manage a thousand thrusts? You’re using a macro or something, right? It looks like you hacked the capsule device or—”
“We already recorded everything you did. We’re sending it to the operators for a report, so get ready.”
“Don’t you stream? Huh? Wait, aren’t you Geum Son? Why aren’t you streaming and just playing alone here?”
The players were spouting all manner of theories.
Some of them had even recognized who he was.
He’d created his Lepion character with a face identical to his real one.
“Well, I’m not streaming yet. I’ll turn it on once I’m more familiar with Lepion.”
“What? A streamer throwing away content this good? Are you out of your mind? Turn on the stream! I’ll send donations! Open your mouth!”
“I said I’ll turn it on later.”
The revelation that he was a streamer drew all attention.
Already curious about Geum Son’s gameplay, the mention of him being a content creator was more than enough to pique the players’ interest further.
“Wait, you’re a streamer? Then is this moment being recorded right now? I’d love to see it—”
“Didn’t you hear what he just said? He’s not streaming and playing solo.”
“A streamer pulling off incredible plays without broadcasting? That’s crazy.”
“Maybe they’re not incredible plays after all.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Can’t you tell just by looking? Either he’s using a bug or running some kind of illegal program. That’s why he can’t stream.”
“Wait, are you saying this guy’s a hacker? But Lepion just launched today—how’s there already a hack?”
The players demanding he turn on his stream were actually among the milder voices.
There were those who’d witnessed his gameplay firsthand yet refused to acknowledge it, and others making threats about filing reports.
They did so with a subtle undertone of pressure—that if he wanted the reports stopped, he’d need to purchase the footage they’d recorded.
Of course, it was Bark who put an end to such players.
“Get lost, you damn fools. Ahem, Geum Son. You’re no ordinary greenhorn.”
Bark spoke in a serious tone.
Yet he seemed to hesitate slightly even as he did.
But it appeared he was reluctant to let Geum Son leave as things stood, so he began making an offer.
“It would be a waste to let talent like yours rot in this backwater village. Would you consider becoming my formal disciple? I’ll teach you everything I know. Or if you prefer, I could even write you a letter of recommendation to one of my old associates in the Royal Capital.”
“I appreciate the offer, but… my path is not the way of the spear.”
“What? With talent like this, you’re turning away from spear arts? Well, I’ll be…”
Geum Son declined politely.
In truth, it was the Spear Ghost Yeom Tae Hoon who would accept this offer.
Yeom Tae Hoon hadn’t managed to succeed at a thousand thrusts like Geum Son had.
But by accepting Bark’s offer and training formally, he’d gained the Determination’s Intuition skill.
‘I need to leave the disciple position open for Yeom Tae Hoon. Besides, I don’t have time to waste here.’
The Spear Ghost Yeom Tae Hoon would become Bark’s disciple in this place, then spend years active in the Royal Capital building his reputation.
It was on that foundation of fame that he would eventually complete the epithet “Spear Ghost.”
Of course, Geum Son had no such intentions.
The path he was already designing was entirely different from that.
At Geum Son’s firm refusal, Bark wore an expression of regret, but he soon nodded in acceptance.
It seemed he hadn’t really harbored great expectations from the start.
“So be it. If someone like you has already chosen his own path, it’s not my place to comment. Truth be told, it’s not talent I could manage either… I was being greedy. Go on, then. I’ll pray that fortune walks with you in the days to come.”
Bark offered a clean farewell.
Contrary to his initial impression, he didn’t seem particularly regretful even as he shared the family’s secret techniques.
Geum Son gave him a light bow of respect, then turned to leave the Training Ground.
Behind him, gazes laden with envy and awe poured forth in waves.
Threads of jealous murmur wove between them, but he paid them no mind.
Geum Son’s thoughts held nothing but the gameplay of Lepion.
“This is progressing faster than I expected.”
He’d anticipated several failures in the process of obtaining a Hidden Skill.
Yet his body moved far more smoothly than he’d foreseen.
It seemed the Synchronization Rate being set to one hundred percent was largely responsible.
Thanks to that, he’d completed Bark’s quest in a single attempt, saving considerable time.
‘After all, I didn’t learn these skills for fighting. Everything is merely a stepping stone toward becoming the greatest blacksmith.’
Geum Son’s feet carried him forward without hesitation toward his next destination.
Heat shimmering in the air, the smell of metal and burning coal assaulting his nostrils—
The Blacksmith, where the relentless ring of hammers echoed without pause from one corner of the Village.

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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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