The Returned Genius Blacksmith has Awakened as an all-Master - Chapter 41

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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 41
041. When the Curtain Falls on the Performance
The Asura Guild players died in an instant.
Of course, they wouldn’t experience pain beyond endurance.
Just a Logout.
Experience loss from Death Penalty, item drops, temporary or permanent stat decreases, and so on.
Various penalties, that was all.
But Geumson couldn’t tolerate even those penalties.
No—in Repion, he hated experiencing death itself, commonplace as it was.
Death repeated becomes habit.
It wasn’t caution against accepting death as a habit.
It was the habit of surrendering in extreme situations.
That filthy habit would cling to him.
‘Kang Mujin should understand that too….’
A bitter thought crossed his mind, but this wasn’t the moment for it.
He needed to focus on the target before him.
For now, though, he had some breathing room.
The Asura Guild was drawing the earthworm’s attention instead of him.
“Damn it, damn it all—!”
Nachal spat curses and rolled swiftly out of the way of the mucus.
True to his role as action commander, he was calmer than the other guild members.
But fear was plainly visible in his eyes.
‘I have to lure it away. Geumson! Yes, it was originally after him!’
Nachal instinctively grasped that Geumson’s mining was the source of all this chaos.
Pickaxe strikes at near-blasting intensity.
The creature had definitely appeared drawn by that sound.
He barely dodged the earthworm’s onslaught while shouting in Geumson’s direction.
“Hey, you bastard! You caused this—you fix it! Stop that monster!”
He planned to use Geumson as bait and save himself.
But Geumson wasn’t listening to his words.
Nor did he need to.
‘Convenient—the Asura thugs are playing decoy for me all on their own.’
Geumson’s eyes were fixed solely on the Corrupted Earthworm.
In them burned no fear, only the cold light of a hunter facing prey.
Pattern recognition was necessary.
Once he’d gathered enough of it, he turned to Iron Walker and spoke.
“Walker, are you ready?”
“War, ker!”
Iron Walker was straining to dive in immediately.
Geumson showed him a vial filled with Neutralizer Potion and said,
“If you buy me time, I’ll pour this straight down its throat. Can you do it?”
“Waaarrrrker!”
Geumson’s plan was simple.
The earthworm’s greatest weapon was its acidic mucus.
And the vital organ that secreted it lay deep within its mouth.
If he could pour the Neutralizer directly into that spot, neutralizing the creature would be instantaneous.
Hissssss—!
At last, having disposed of most of the Asura Guild members, the earthworm finally charged toward Geumson with its massive jaws gaping wide.
A horrifying vortex created by hundreds of teeth surged forward to swallow him.
“Walker! Now!”
As Geumson’s shout tore through the air, Iron Walker hurled his massive frame forward.
Iron Walker didn’t dodge the earthworm’s attack—he met it head-on.
Boom—!
The catastrophic impact of steel colliding with monster.
Iron Walker’s gauntlets scraped against the earthworm’s teeth, showering sparks.
But Iron Walker didn’t give ground.
Instead, he forced the creature’s jaws open with both arms and held firm.
Crackle—hiss!
Hissssss—!
The earthworm, seized by Iron Walker, thrashed and shrieked.
But Geumson seized that opening without hesitation.
He kicked off from Iron Walker’s back and vaulted upward, hurling himself into the gaping maw of the Corrupted Earthworm.
A sickening stench and scorching heat engulfed him, yet Geumson didn’t flinch.
He hurled the Neutralizer Potion he’d been clutching deep into the creature’s throat.
Clang!
Ngh… noooooogh!?
The Corrupted Earthworm’s body convulsed violently, shaking with spasms.
Inside its gullet, the acidic neutralizer met the venom in a ferocious chemical reaction.
“Close its mouth!”
“Waaaaalker!”
Crunch!
Iron Walker clamped the thrashing creature’s jaws shut by force.
Hisssssss!
White vapor billowed from the creature’s mouth and countless points along its body, while the green mucus began hardening rapidly.
Like cement.
Khh! Khhhh…
The Corrupted Earthworm’s movements grew markedly sluggish.
The supple, gelatinous coating that had wrapped its body had become a heavy chain, now hampering its mobility rather than aiding it.
“Perfect. Now for the real hunt.”
Geumson planted himself firmly atop the creature’s back, a satisfied smile crossing his face.
It was time to begin in earnest.
Geumson raised the Hammer high in both hands.
Before his eyes, the hardening carapace of the Corrupted Earthworm bloomed with clear crimson points—weak spots marked as plainly as constellations.
‘Solar Strike!’
Geumson’s hammer crashed down upon the creature’s rigid exoskeleton.
Had it been an ordinary weapon wielded by common players, it would have been useless.
Those who relied on bladed weapons would have found themselves sliding off, unable to mark even a scratch.
But Geumson’s hammer was different.
It pulverized the target through sheer force of impact across a wide area.
And especially with the Solar Strike skill amplifying the damage.
That blow was precise enough to target and destroy the finest grain structures in the chitin composing the creature’s carapace—specifically the points most vulnerable to crushing pressure.
“Pin its head down!”
“Yesssss!”
Iron Walker pressed down with a massive steel arm, crushing the thrashing Corrupted Earthworm’s cranial region.
Under that pressure, the creature’s body twisted, and the weak points Geumson had been targeting became starkly visible.
Shrieeeeeek!
The Corrupted Earthworm shrieked in agony and spasmed, wringing acidic mucus from its body in desperation.
Iron Walker’s gauntlet corroded with a sizzling sound, melting slightly.
But that was all.
Iron Walker felt no pain, and the creature’s acid—already neutralized—posed little true threat.
So Iron Walker simply executed its master’s commands without faltering.
“Hold firm!”
Geumson didn’t waste the moment.
Hammer in hand, he moved like a miner cracking the hardest ore veins in a quarry.
This was no longer combat.
It was closer to dismantling a massive biological mineral.
Boom!
Crack!
Smash!
With each strike of his hammer, chunks of the Corrupted Earthworm’s carapace shattered free.
It wasn’t brute force alone.
Weak points identified by Decisive Intuition were struck with lethal precision—the product of Divine Dexterity and his refined stats working in perfect concert.
Every skill Geumson possessed formed flawless synergy, methodically carving away at the creature.
[Decisive Intuition has reached Level 7.]
[Divine Dexterity has reached Level 6.]
[Solar Strike has reached Level 3.]
.
.
.
Khhhh, khhhhh…
The outer shell peels away faster and faster the higher the skill level climbs.
Beneath it, the vulnerable flesh lies exposed.
The Corrupted Earthworm thrashed its body in a final convulsion, trying to shake Iron Walker loose.
But Geumson was already preparing the killing blow.
“Solar Strike!”
The power of the sun, concentrated in Geumson’s right hand, coalesced at the hammer’s head.
The hammer blazed like a burning sun, driving down toward the Corrupted Earthworm’s heart—the brightest red point, gleaming with unmistakable clarity.
Crash——!
[Weak Point Strike successful!]
[Critical Hit confirmed!]
[Solar Strike inflicts Burn status on the target.]
The tremendous explosion sent the Corrupted Earthworm’s massive body tearing apart, scattering green fragments in all directions.
The entire Cave shook from the impact.
And at its center stood Geumson, motionless, the blazing hammer resting on his shoulder.
[You have defeated the master of the Corrupted Mine, the Corrupted Earthworm.]
[Level increased! Lv.29]
[Level increased! Lv.30]
[Level increased! Lv.31]
[Achievement: Overcoming Level Difference]
[You are the first to solo hunt a boss monster 30 or more levels higher than yourself!]
[The system stands in awe of your overwhelming skill and valor.]
[Effect 1: Final damage dealt to enemies higher level than you increases permanently by 10%.]
[Effect 2: Final damage taken from enemies higher level than you decreases permanently by 10%.]
[City Quest: Purify the Corrupted Mine! – Complete]
[Collect your reward from Dusar.]
[Alchemist Profession Quest: Master’s First Task – In Progress]
As the cascade of messages settled, a satisfied smile played across Geumson’s lips.
Especially the Overcoming Level Difference achievement.
The effect grows sharper the more one faces the strong.
For Geumson, whose future held many battles against the powerful, it was the perfect boon.
‘One down, at least.’
There were still quests remaining, but none seemed particularly troublesome.
He had toppled the Corrupted Earthworm, the greatest obstacle of all.
So Geumson dusted off his hands lightly and gave an order to Iron Walker.
“Walker, collect the loot.”
“Walker! Walker!”
Iron Walker’s massive frame shifted as he began gathering items that had scattered from the Corrupted Earthworm’s corpse.
[You have obtained a large amount of Earth-Shattering Fang.]
[You have obtained Corrosive Venom Sac.]
[You have obtained Corrupted Earth’s Heart Stone.]
[You have obtained Vibration-Sensing Scale.]
.
.
.
Iron Walker, methodically gathering the usable material items.
As Geumson reviewed the messages, his gaze drifted toward a man in the shadows.
A man lurking in the darkness of a corner, having witnessed this entire spectacle with vacant eyes.
Nachal.
The action captain of the Asura Guild.
He doubted what his eyes were showing him.
‘That… that can’t be real, can it?’

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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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