The Returned Genius Blacksmith has Awakened as an all-Master - Chapter 43

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

Chapter 43
043. It Would Have Been Nice If
Thanks to Skill Synergy, the Gathering Skill’s level skyrocketed.
Geumson surveyed his surroundings with a satisfied smile.
There was not just one Dragon Blood Herb.
Dozens more grew wild throughout Rock Island.
‘Since I’m here, I might as well clear them all out.’
Geumson began gathering Dragon Blood Herbs in earnest.
As if in response, a message flickered into view.
.
.
.
[You have harvested a Superior Dragon Blood Herb.]
[You have harvested a Superior Dragon Blood Herb.]
[Gathering Skill has reached Level 4.]
By the time he’d collected nearly all the herbs,
his gaze fixed on a small space deep within Rock Island, behind where lava cascaded like a waterfall.
There stood a peculiar structure that resembled the massive nest of some great bird.
And in the center of that nest, something egg-like gleamed ruby-red in the lava’s glow.
“What in the world is that?”
Even Geumson, who had played Lepion for years across two lifetimes, could not identify it.
He approached the nest cautiously.
It radiated a life force far more powerful and scorching than the Dragon Blood Herbs.
Something he’d never encountered before.
Yet one thing was certain.
‘So this is what the Corrupted Earthworm was after.’
The worm had twisted the earth’s veins here not merely to taint the ore deposits, but undoubtedly to either hatch or absorb this egg.
Without hesitation, Geumson placed the egg in his inventory.
[You have obtained an Unidentified Egg.]
[A fierce heat radiates from the egg.]
“I’ll figure it out later.”
A mystery even the system could not name.
After harvesting the remaining Dragon Blood Herbs, Geumson left the cave without looking back.
Now it was time to return to Parakel for his reward and report the quest’s completion to Dusar.
* * *
Hiss—
The capsule door slid open, and Geumson returned to reality.
He stretched, working the stiffness from his limbs.
This session had been unusually long and grueling.
But he’d earned just as much.
“First I’ll collect my reward… then plan the next move.”
Click—
Hiss—
Geumson pulled a cold can of beer from the refrigerator and drained it in one gulp.
The chill carbonation slid down his throat, washing away the fatigue.
He settled onto the sofa, meaning to rest for a moment.
Then his smartphone on the desk began vibrating frantically.
Buzz-buzz-buzz-buzz—
Buzz-buzz-buzz-buzz—
“What now?”
Geumson frowned and picked up the phone.
The screen was absolute chaos.
[Missed Calls +999]
[New Messages +999]
.
.
.
He tried to dismiss it casually.
Most of it was probably fans pestering him to stream, or spam he didn’t recognize.
But one sender stood out distinctly.
[Mirae Group Strategic Planning Team]
“Mirae Group?”
Geumson tilted his head.
Why would a major corporation he only saw on TV news be contacting him?
The moment he reached for his phone to check the message, it happened.
Knock-knock-
“……?”
A knock sounded from the front door.
There was no one who should be visiting at this hour.
His only friend, Changsoo, would have just punched in the passcode and come in.
Geumson approached the door cautiously, wariness settling over him.
The moment he peered through the peephole, his body went rigid.
Outside stood a man and woman in flawless business suits—the kind you’d only see on television, not a thread out of place.
Mirae Group badges gleamed clearly on their chests.
One of them, a woman with sharp features, spoke first.
“Geumson, I know you’re home. I’m Cha Yugyeong, team leader of Mirae Group Strategic Planning Team. Could we have a word?”
Her voice was soft, yet carried the unmistakable steel of someone who wouldn’t entertain refusal.
Geumson swallowed hard.
He was meeting Cha Yugyeong far sooner than he’d anticipated.
He hesitated, throat dry.
He couldn’t decide whether it was wise to meet with her now.
But knowing Cha Yugyeong’s nature, it was already too late.
If she’d come all the way to his apartment, she wouldn’t give up.
‘How did she find my address? And is there such a thing as privacy protection anymore? Is personal information public property now?’
Indeed—Mirae Group, ranked number one in Korea’s financial sector.
If they set their minds to it, learning the address of this shabby studio would be child’s play.
He might have unconsciously leaked information while streaming before.
Still, the violation of privacy stung.
‘I should move soon. If Mirae Group found out, all the others will know in no time.’
It was only a matter of time.
He’d need to relocate before things got messier.
Click-
Geumson unlocked the front door.
As the door swung open, silhouettes of the man and woman appeared, backlit by the hallway sensor lights.
They looked utterly out of place in this worn, shabby building where Geumson lived.
Like a color photograph that had wandered into a black-and-white film—vivid and incongruous.
“Hello, Geumson. I’m Cha Yugyeong, team leader of Mirae Group Strategic Planning Team. This is Kim Minjun, my subordinate, a senior associate.”
The woman introduced herself first and extended her business card.
Her voice was bright and clear, yet resonated with steely resolve.
Geumson stared blankly at her face.
The youngest team leader at Mirae Group, spoken of as a future executive.
A woman with sharp intellect and ice-cold pragmatism who had driven countless projects to success—known by the nickname “The Iron Woman.”
At least, that’s what he’d heard.
“Ah…… yes.”
Geumson accepted the card almost without thinking.
A stretched-out t-shirt, training pants with blown-out knees, hair a bird’s nest.
To anyone’s eye, the picture-perfect image of a gaming addict and unemployed bachelor.
He found himself shrinking involuntarily at the vast gulf between his shabby appearance and their immaculate one.
“Could we step inside and talk? This is a matter of some importance.”
Cha Yugyeong’s words were phrased as a question, but the answer was already decided.
Without a word, Geumson nodded and stepped aside.
The moment the two entered, his cramped studio felt even smaller.
Chip bags and instant noodle containers scattered here and there, stacks of classic game titles and energy drink cans piled high in the corner.
Cha Yugyeong’s eyebrow twitched slightly, but she gave nothing away.
Instead, she smiled gently at Geumson as he hastily cleared a spot on the sofa for them.
“Please, be comfortable. We don’t mind standing.”
Without a word of complaint about the cramped, squalid space, she stood with perfect posture and got straight to the point.
“Our group values your potential quite highly, Geumson. Your recent activities in particular suggest you’ve transcended the level of a mere player.”
Cha Yugyeong’s gaze fixed on Geumson.
Her eyes were sharp and searching, missing nothing of his reaction.
“So I’d like to make you a proposal. Mirae Group has established a new business division exclusively for you. The project name is ‘Gold Hunting.’ We’d like to offer you a position as a full-time employee in that division.”
“…… What?”
Geumson doubted his own ears.
A full-time employee?
Of Mirae Group?
Here he was, someone who’d never even held down a proper part-time job until now, being offered a full-time position at South Korea’s premier corporation.
“Of course, we promise you the finest treatment in the industry. We’ll match your salary to whatever you request, and we’re prepared to provide a corporate card, a vehicle, and a luxury officetel in Gangnam. All you need to do is focus entirely on Lepion. Everything else will be our responsibility at Mirae Group.”
Cha Yugyeong’s proposal was not merely sweet—it was surreal.
Geumson’s mind went blank.
He stared at her in a daze.
In that moment, a flood of thoughts cascaded through his mind.
‘Full-time employee…… An employee of a major corporation……’
Hand-to-mouth existence.
Living day to day, earning just enough to survive. An unstable life.
Sleepless nights whenever month-end approached, fretting over rent and utilities.
Days spent in dread that his capsule apartment payments would fall into arrears.
That anxiety had faded somewhat now, yet it lingered still in some corner of his chest, always there.
How long could he keep streaming?
Could he actually make a living from it forever?
Shouldn’t he learn some other skill?
Back then, Geumson had been perpetually plagued by such worries.
Cha Yugyeong’s offer now was a chance to sweep away all that anxiety in one stroke.
‘If I say I work at Mirae Group…… Changsoo’s jaw would hit the floor.’
He could picture his friend’s astonished expression.
Not that it would happen, but even if he ran into relatives during the holidays, he wouldn’t have to feel small anymore.
‘Our Geumson works at Mirae Group.’
If only his mother were still alive—how happy she would have been.
‘Blind dates too…… they’d come pouring in, wouldn’t they?’
Geumson’s imagination spiraled endlessly forward.
Himself in a crisp suit.
Sitting across from a beautiful woman in an upscale restaurant, clinking glasses of premium wine.
The woman asks shyly.
‘What kind of work do you do, Geumson?’
Then he’d answer with studied nonchalance, though inwardly bursting with pride.
‘Oh, me? Well…… I work at Mirae Group. Does that explain it?’
Her eyes would shine with admiration right before him.
Yes, wasn’t this the kind of successful life every man dreamed of?
It would have been nice if that were all there was to it.

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