The Returned Genius Blacksmith has Awakened as an all-Master - Chapter 44

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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 44
044. A Counter-Proposal
A faint smile tugged at Geum Son’s lips before he could stop it.
Yes, I’ll accept this offer.
I’ll end this wretched, poverty-stricken existence and live like everyone else—no, better than everyone else.
In that moment, as Geum Son’s mind took flight with pleasant imaginings—
Crackle-crack-crack.
A memory flashed through his mind like lightning: the day the sky fractured above a dark and precarious world.
A civilization crumbling helplessly into ruin.
A city turned to ash.
And overlaid upon the woman before him was the face of another—a woman who had watched it all with cold indifference.
‘Cha Yu-gyeong.’
Geum Son’s gaze hardened instantly.
The Cha Yu-gyeong he remembered from the Age of Apocalypse was nothing like the woman standing before him now.
Instead of an expensive suit, she’d worn a dust-covered military jacket.
Her perfectly styled hair had been tied back severely, and her bare face was pallid with accumulated exhaustion.
She was not a combat operative.
Yet she’d devoted herself to humanity’s survival more fiercely than any soldier ever could.
She was the commanding officer overseeing the crumbling Human Survivor Camp.
She distributed limited rations, medicine, and weapons with ruthless efficiency, managed the flow of survivors through the camp, and navigated crisis after crisis with a coldness of judgment that bordered on cruel.
Geum Son remembered it clearly.
It was when a group of survivors, trapped by a swarm of monsters, sent out a distress call.
Everyone cried out to mount a rescue, but she refused, unwaveringly.
“If we commit one hundred elite troops to save them, their survival rate is below 30 percent. But if we deploy that same force to defend this camp, we can maintain an 80 percent survival rate for the ten thousand here. I choose 80 percent of ten thousand.”
The most rational choice under extreme conditions.
Yet when people faced that extreme situation, they did not follow Cha Yu-gyeong.
“What do you know? Have you even played Lepion?”
“You have no abilities at all, do you? That’s why you talk like that! Below 30 percent? That’s ridiculous. Those odds are for ordinary people!”
“Listen, this isn’t something you learn from a book. You have to have played Lepion to know how it really works. How can you command anything when you understand nothing……?”
Cha Yu-gyeong—a rare Non-Awakened in the Age of Apocalypse.
Though she had overseen the Mirae Group’s Lepion division, she had never played Lepion herself.
That irony became her undoing.
Non-Awakened, Cha Yu-gyeong.
Her words carried no weight.
They would not trust her, no matter how right she was.
‘That camp back then…… after they drove Cha Yu-gyeong out…… it didn’t last a month, did it?’
The camp had collapsed.
He had seen Cha Yu-gyeong afterward.
She was weeping.
She did not rejoice in the ruin of those who had cast her out.
That day, Cha Yu-gyeong’s mask shattered.
The cold composure she normally wore revealed itself as nothing but a false facade, as she wept with abandon.
Her face came back to him.
‘After that…… Cha Yu-gyeong never appeared again, did she?’
She had abandoned the fight.
So now he was torn.
Cha Yu-gyeong was more fragile than he’d expected.
He wasn’t sure whether it was right to draw her into this game.
‘But…… it’s too wasteful to let that talent rot away.’
She had shown herself to be an excellent commander.
Her steely judgment and her insight into resources were precisely the strengths that would be essential in the coming Age of Apocalypse.
She needed to be utilized.
If she wanted to wear her iron mask again, he would protect it.
He would make sure it never shattered under the doubt of fools, as it had in his last life—he would forge it even stronger.
And to do that.
“I accept your proposal.”
He needed to forge a connection with her.
All things began with the smallest threads of fate.
“Yes, I knew you would. You’re someone I can reason with.”
Cha Yu-gyeong had been certain her proposal would be accepted.
She didn’t seem particularly surprised.
Only a fool would refuse such extraordinary terms.
But Geum Son’s thoughts were different.
“However, my conditions are somewhat different. I have no intention of becoming a full-time employee of Mirae Group.”
“I’m sorry—what?”
A crack seemed to form in Cha Yu-gyeong’s otherwise flawless composure.
Kim Min-jun, standing beside her, let his mouth fall slightly open.
A full-time position at Mirae Group.
The seat that countless elites dreamed of—this man before them was casually kicking it aside like a pebble in the road.
“I’m not sure I understand what you mean…”
“I’m not built for organizational constraints. Instead, I’ll work like a mercenary—contract by contract.”
Geum Son settled back into the sofa, his posture relaxed as he continued.
Somewhere in the exchange, the conversational advantage had shifted entirely to him.
“When Mirae Group needs my abilities—whether it’s Item Crafting, clearing specific quests, or providing information—you hire me. Pay me fairly for each job, and that’s all. I won’t be Mirae Group’s ’employee.’ I’ll be your most expensive and most reliable ‘outside partner.'”
Cha Yu-gyeong fell momentarily silent.
His proposal was bold beyond precedent—almost arrogant.
Instead of coming under the group’s control, he was saying they would pay him each time they needed his abilities.
And yet it held an undeniable appeal.
Forcing him into a binding contract might breed resentment; maintaining a solid partnership arrangement could prove more advantageous in the long term.
“An intriguing proposal, indeed. I’ll consider it favorably. Then what conditions must we meet to ‘hire’ you?”
Cha Yu-gyeong’s mind worked quickly as she posed the question.
Geum Son answered as though he’d been waiting for it.
“There are two conditions. First, ensure my personal safety—both in-game and outside it. As you know, there will be many people targeting me.”
“Understood. That makes perfect sense. We’ll take responsibility for that.”
“And second.”
Geum Son leaned forward, meeting her eyes directly.
This was the crucial condition.
“You, Team Lead Cha Yu-gyeong, must play Lepion yourself.”
Cha Yu-gyeong’s brow narrowed.
She tried to discern his intention.
Was this some new form of coercion?
Or was he mocking her?
The absurd condition left her mind reeling.
‘Given that he made his personal safety a condition, he’s not stupid…’
Apart from the ridiculous demand, her assessment of Geum Son rose a notch.
As he’d said, many would seek him out in the days ahead.
And among them, certainly, would be those of questionable character.
He was forestalling potential disaster before it could occur.
In other words, he understood his own value with cold clarity.
But the second condition still made no sense to her.
“If this is a joke, it’s not funny. As you know, I oversee critical projects for the group—I have no time to dedicate to gaming. And to be honest, I have little interest in the game itself.”
Her voice took on a sharp, icy edge.
Yet Geum Son did not yield.
Instead, he straightened his posture and held her gaze directly.
“It’s not a joke. This is the core condition of my contract. If you won’t play Lepion, then we have no deal.”
There was no doubt in Geum Son’s eyes.
They held no hesitation, no room for compromise.
Cha Yu-gyeong was bewildered.
Why?
She couldn’t fathom what her playing the game had to do with the contract.
“Could you explain your reasoning? I simply cannot accept this.”
“The reason is simple. From now on, I’ll only accept requests through you in Lepion.”
“Our staff could visit you directly as an alternative…”
Cha Yu-gyeong frowned as she spoke.
But Geum Son’s logic had its own solidity.
“Then wouldn’t I have to log out of Lepion and disconnect? That’s rather inconvenient. I have work to do in the game…”
A weak excuse, perhaps—but one that made sense.
Cha Yu-gyeong bit her lip.
His words sounded arrogant, yet somehow they carried weight.
It had been less than five minutes since she’d promised him the freedom to dedicate himself fully to Lepion.
In the end, Cha Yu-gyeong had no choice but to nod.
“……I understand. I’ll have that clause included in the contract. In return, I’d appreciate it if you could leave the play time entirely to my discretion.”
“Of course. As long as you play consistently, that’s fine. However, you’ll need to enter the Capsule directly and play Lepion yourself. Starting from Level 1, just like any other player. For your class, I’d suggest a Mage…….”
“Ah, wait. I said I understand.”
Geum Son stopped short of recommending a class.
Cha Yu-gyeong seemed somewhat dissatisfied, but Geum Son wore a satisfied smile.
It was the moment an important piece was being set down—a move that would reshape the future.
* * *
[You are logging into Lepion.]
[TIP. All your summoned creatures dislike a master who abandons his post.]
“Damn this tip. What the hell is it talking about?”
The tip that appeared the moment Geum Son logged into Lepion didn’t seem particularly useful to him.
After all, Geum Son had no summoned creatures.
Even forcing the Iron Walker into that role wouldn’t help—the tip was useless for him.
The tip had said “creatures,” plural.
“I wonder when a helpful tip will actually show up.”
Geum Son seemed somewhat irritable.
He’d just come from an exhausting meeting in reality with Cha Yu-gyeong, the team leader of the Mirae Group.
He’d laid down the condition that she play Lepion directly herself.
The contract was finalized, but a nagging unease lingered in the back of his mind.

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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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