The Returned Genius Blacksmith has Awakened as an all-Master - Chapter 59

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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 59
059. Why Won’t It Work?
“Stop bothering me with the headaches—just handle it! What I want is results! By whatever means necessary, bring that bastard Geumson to me right now!”
Future Group’s interference had complicated matters, but Kane didn’t care.
Not anymore. The situation had changed.
After all, this “Geumson” would never lay a finger on the Void Iron Ore.
So all Kane needed was to make contact with Geumson.
If he offered enough money, the Void Iron Ore would slip into Panteria’s hands without a hitch.
Kane genuinely believed this with every fiber of his being.
* * *
“Kang Mu-jin is Kang Mu-jin—the gap is overwhelming……”
Geumson sprawled across the shabby sofa in his cramped studio apartment, watching Kang Mu-jin’s image flicker across the television screen, and burst out laughing.
Having drained every last drop of his instant noodle broth, Geumson wore an expression of genuine satisfaction.
“Yeah, he’d better perform like that. Otherwise, all this groundwork I’ve laid means nothing.”
In his past life, Kang Mu-jin had slumped into a six-month funk after his main weapon, the Guide of the Storm, was destroyed.
He’d wasted those months appearing on every variety show imaginable under the pretense of regrouping, and in that time the gap between him and other Rankers had visibly narrowed.
Those six months of absence.
Geumson remembered viscerally how catastrophic that loss had been for humanity in the end.
‘Six months—how crucial that time turned out to be……’
Geumson couldn’t afford to let that time slip away again.
Humanity had five years left.
It was the only golden window to prepare for the coming calamity.
For the strongest warrior Kang Mu-jin to stop growing even for a single day was a loss for all mankind.
‘Push hard, Kang Mu-jin. If you don’t stop running, the rest of them will soil themselves trying to keep up.’
This was far more than a strategy aimed at Kang Mu-jin alone.
The picture Geumson was painting was far grander.
Kang Mu-jin and Choi Jin-ung of the Korea Server.
Kane and the Panteria Guild of the US Server.
The absolute sovereign Tianmo of the China Server and his sworn brothers.
Yoru, the mystical swordmaster of the Japan Server.
The Maharaja Guild of the India Server as well.
Through his memories of the past life, Geumson saw through every top Ranker in each nation’s server.
They each ruled their respective servers like kings, growing complacent in their dominion.
But Geumson had no intention of leaving them be.
‘I’ll put them all on an infinite competition treadmill. Each watching the other, each leveling up like mad to avoid falling behind.’
Five years until the end.
He had to raise the average level of all humanity as high as possible within that window.
For that, the growth of the top Rankers was essential.
The paths they carved would let the second wave grow faster and safer in their wake.
Kang Mu-jin’s provocative interview was the first flare in that grand design.
Soon, Rankers across the world would fix their eyes on Korea Server’s Moonlight Viper Sword and Kang Mu-jin’s trajectory.
‘For now the servers are separate by nation…… but once the Server Integration Event begins, everything changes.’
Geumson smiled with satisfaction, rose from the sofa, and stretched.
It was time to log back into Lepion and prepare for the next phase.
* * *
Around the time Geumson was preparing to access Lepion, the Lepion Net was buzzing with talk of Geumson and Kang Mu-jin.
[Real-Time Popular Search Terms]
1. Kang Mu-jin
2. Moonlight Viper Sword
3. Nightmare King
4. Panteria
5. Geumson
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[Title: (Breaking) Kang Mu-jin Declares War on ‘Nightmare King’! Panteria? Kane! Get ready to die!]
└ [Patriot]: Yesss! Another shot of that national pride! Let’s go! Kang Mu-jin! Pride of Korea! Let’s goooo!
└ [Analyst]: To be frank, this won’t be easy. Panteria is a monstrous guild where every member is equipped with Unique or Legendary Grade items. The fact that they failed to clear the Lich King—a boss of the same tier—for over a month means that raw damage alone won’t solve this.
└ [ㅇㅇ]: Stop trying so hard
└ [Korean-American]: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Americans are losing it right now. Kane turned on his stream and he’s cursing his lungs out.
└ [ㅇㅇ]: But isn’t that sword made by Geumson? In the end, Geumson’s carrying the whole thing.
└ [강무진팬클럽회장]: Are you disrespecting my Kang Mu-jin’s skill? Geumson’s just helping!
[Title: Guys, does Geumson’s combat power even make sense? (Video of PK God getting one-shot attached)]
└ [망치전사지망생]: PK God got one-shot again not long ago. Here comes the hammer warrior boom! Geumson’s our hope!
└ [ㅇㅇ]: Geumson’s not even a hammer warrior—is it normal for a blacksmith to be this strong?
└ [아수라13]: But why is Yeokcheon targeting Geumson? Did Yeokcheon go after him for money?
└ [PK갓뜨]: Hey, you bastards, knock it off! It’s a bug!! Didn’t you see the evidence?
└ [ㅇㅇ]: PK God showing up lmao But why does it feel so pathetic…… tsk tsk
└ [금손바라기]: Our guy doesn’t just crush people with a hammer—he smashes mines too, just destroys everything. He’s a god of destruction.
[Title: So when’s Geumson’s next work coming out? It’s making me dizzy waiting.]
└ [금손구독자]: I bet anything Geumson makes from now on will be Legendary Grade by default. Am I right?
└ [굼손]: I’m planning to focus on personal growth for a while. Please bear with me on the next work. ^^7
└ [ㅇㅇ]: Ah, got baited. I thought it was Geumson but it’s Gumson.
└ [금손바라기]: Hyung! Growth is good and all, but make us some gear too!
└ [ㅇㅇ]: It’s Gumson! Not Geumson!
[Title: (Pilgrimage) I knew this guy was gonna blow up someday. Geumson, rise to greatness!]
[Title: [Price Forecast] Void Iron Ore—if it goes to auction, what’s the opening bid?]
[Title: (Info) Viper’s Dagger becomes Legendary Grade material and ‘skyrockets’ lol (PK God needs urgent re-evaluation as material supplier!)]
[Title: Is it true land prices in Krathum are rising because of Geumson?]
[Title: (Guild Recruitment) Our guild is desperately seeking Geumson. We’ll meet any terms……]
[Title: You guys know? That bird on Geumson’s shoulder—it showed up as Unidentifiable.]
[Fan Art] Drew Geumson holding a hammer (Warning: muscular handsome man)
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Right now, the Lepion Net was a chaos of noise.
But Geumson simply finished his preparations and logged into Lepion without a second thought.
Things were going well.
Which is precisely why he needed to push even harder.
* * *
[Logging into Lepion.]
[TIP. Observing changes in the body is another kind of pleasure.]
‘Now it’s babbling about observing other people’s bodies? What a creep.’
Geumson grumbled at the ridiculous tip message.
But his grumbling didn’t last long.
A massive cliff materialized before Geumson’s eyes.
In the center of the cliff stood an enormous cave entrance, as though a giant had punched straight through it.
And around it, colossal stone statues towered like gravestones, lined up as far as the eye could see.
‘This is the right place… but where’s the entrance?’
He’d heard the stories.
But searching for it himself proved far more difficult than expected.
Geumson withdrew the Iron Rod of Forgotten Ancient Ruins that he’d won at auction.
He wandered between the statues, searching for the point where the iron rod would respond.
After much searching, the rod began to emit a faint light and tremble at the base of the largest giant statue.
“There it is.”
Geumson discovered a moss-covered altar at the foot of the statue.
In the center of the altar was a groove that fit the iron rod perfectly.
‘Do I just… insert it?’
Surely Gwang-gwon Seo Ju-won had said this iron rod was the ‘key’ to finding the City of Forgotten Giants.
And he’d found a hole that appeared to match the rod exactly.
So without hesitation, Geumson inserted the rod into the hole and turned it, but—
Click-click-click-click-
“Huh? It won’t… turn?”
The iron rod fit perfectly.
There was nothing wrong with the rod itself.
It simply wouldn’t rotate.
“Walker! Come over here and give this a try.”
“Walker? Walker!”
The moment Iron Walker approached confidently and began to turn it—
Crrrrrunch—
Tick-tick-
Tick-
“Huh? W-wait! Stop, stop!”
Geumson quickly halted Iron Walker’s movement.
If he forced it any harder, the Iron Rod of Forgotten Ancient Ruins would snap clean in two.
“What’s going on? The position is right, the key fits… why won’t it open?”
The location was definitely correct, and the key matched perfectly.
Yet the dungeon entrance refused to budge.
Tia, perched on his shoulder, watched intently.
– Chirp! Tap! Tap!
As if she’d discovered something, Tia began fluttering urgently and pecking at Geumson’s hand.
Tia led him to a new spot.
It was near the toes of the colossal stone statue.
“What are you doing? There’s no entrance here—”
No obvious opening, no particular marks anywhere.
Yet Tia perched on his shoulder and flapped her tiny wings—no larger than a palm—as if to insist this was the place.
– Chirp! Tap! Tap!
“All right, all right. Let me check it out. Is that better?”
Prompted by Tia’s persistence, Geumson activated both Resolve’s Intuition and Insight of the Vein simultaneously.
In that instant, his vision transformed.
What had appeared to be an ordinary Cliff surface now blazed with red and blue dots, crisscrossed by countless fine threads like a spider’s web.
‘Interesting…’
Geumson drew out his hammer and tapped lightly at the red and blue dots.
Perhaps destroying them would reveal the hidden entrance.
But—
Thud-
Rumble-rumble-
Craaash-
Each strike of the hammer produced an ominous sound.
If he swung with full force, the colossal statue itself would collapse, completely sealing away whatever entrance lay beneath.
Yet something curious caught his attention.
‘Every time I strike the red and blue dots, the threads tremor? Does that mean the ground beneath is unstable?’

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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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