The Returned Genius Blacksmith has Awakened as an all-Master - Chapter 60

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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 60
060. Nothing Adds Up
Deceptively sturdy in appearance, yet vulnerable to the breaking points revealed by Geumson’s intuition and the Insight of Pulse—catastrophically so.
It seemed as though even a modest blow would bring the entire structure crashing down.
“Tia, I don’t think this is right. If we strike wrong, we’re all buried alive.”
He meant it.
If the colossal statue collapsed, they would be entombed completely.
But then Iron Walker seemed to discover something.
“Walker? Walker! Walker?”
What Iron Walker had found was a stone tablet inscribed at a considerable height.
True to its name—the Forgotten City of Giants—it was positioned far too high for anyone of ordinary stature to spot.
“This is ridiculous. Do the short-lived think suffering builds character?”
Muttering under his breath, Geumson clambered onto Iron Walker’s shoulders.
From that vantage point, he read the inscription carved into the stone tablet.
[I have no mouth, yet I cradle song within the stone.]
[I have no strings, yet I await precise performance.]
[To the one who awakens my sleeping harmony, I shall unlock the forgotten path.]
Geumson turned the inscribed words over in his mind.
A sharp certainty struck him—this was the method to enter the Forgotten City of Giants.
‘Song within the rock, precise performance, sleeping harmony.’
All the clues pointed to a single act.
‘Could the entire statue be some kind of massive instrument?’
The thought crystallized the moment he conceived of the colossal stone form as an ‘instrument.’
A hypothesis flashed into being.
‘If I struck specific points in sequence to create resonance…?’
Countless gossamer lines filled Geumson’s field of vision.
They would vibrate in unison, singing together.
Geumson reached for his hammer, then thought better and put it away.
A hammer strike would shatter everything.
Of that he was certain.
Which left only one option.
“This is ridiculous. But this is definitely a key.”
Geumson withdrew the Ancient Metal Rod of Forgotten Ruins he’d purchased at auction.
This had to be the tuning mallet and conductor’s baton both.
– Ping! Piiing!
At that moment, Tia fluttered her wings from Geumson’s shoulder, indicating seven points in rapid succession.
Her mystical eyes shimmered with prismatic light as she seemed to read the faint pulses of Mana flowing from each location.
“So there’s a sequence, then.”
Geumson committed the order Tia indicated to memory.
Those points coincided precisely with where the blue dots clustered.
Not a single red dot among them.
Striking a red dot by mistake would surely trigger the collapse—a trap waiting to spring.
“Walker, strike each point I indicate with this rod. Precision is everything. Not too hard, not too soft.”
“Walker!”
Too forceful and it would fail; too gentle and it would fail equally.
Without the ability to perceive the blue dots and lines through the Insight of Pulse as Geumson did, this passage would remain sealed forever.
That is, if one hadn’t already come armed with the answer.
“First point, thirty percent force!”
Iron Walker took up the rod and positioned himself before the first location.
At Geumson’s signal, Iron Walker brought the rod down with measured precision.
Toooong—
The sound was unmistakably different from what a hammer would produce.
A clear, resonant note rang out, echoing across the entire Mountain Range.
Geumson watched with intense focus as the blue lines trembled and shuddered, then called out the next point.
“Next, upper right! Seventy percent!”
Taang—
“Below the fourth toe! Fifteen percent—gently!”
Tuuuong—
Geumson’s instructions came in unbroken succession.
Like a conductor leading an orchestra.
Ting—
The resonance layered upon itself, accumulating.
The sound echoed back, the vibrations stacking in successive waves.
And when he struck near the seventh tiny toe.
Thang!
Crrrunch—
The ground began to tremble with the sound of stone grinding against stone.
And the hole he’d seen at first slowly began to rise.
“Walker!”
That hole where the metal rod fit perfectly.
He inserted the rod into it and turned.
Click—
Crrrunch—
This time the metal rod rotated smoothly, like a key.
Not only did it turn, but an entrance materialized before his eyes.
With a deafening roar that seemed to resound through the entire mountain range, the giant’s door—sealed for thousands of years—slowly swung open.
From beyond the threshold, ancient cold rushed forth like a tempest.
And at that moment, a message appeared.
[You have discovered a hidden ancient dungeon: the Forgotten City of Giants!]
[First Discoverer: Geumson]
[The name ‘Geumson’ will be permanently recorded in the Hall of Fame.]
[The system honors your wisdom and perseverance.]
[A special blessing granted to the First Discoverer has been bestowed upon you.]
[Reputation increased by 1,000.]
[All stats permanently increased by 5.]
[All Experience Points earned within the dungeon are increased by an additional 100%.]
[Probability of acquiring rare items within the dungeon increased by 50%.]
[Achievement: Ancient Explorer]
[You have discovered and unsealed the seal of the Forgotten City of Giants for the first time!]
Effect 1: When exploring ancient ruins and dungeons, the probability of discovering hidden passages or traps increases by 30%.
Effect 2: You have acquired Ancient Script Decryption.
Effect 3: When crafting items of Ancient Grade, the probability of Critical Success increases by an additional 5%.
[Warning: The Forgotten City of Giants is filled with dangers that far exceed your current level. Proceed with caution.]
[Recommended party composition: 5 members, level 50 or higher]
Messages cascaded relentlessly before him.
For simply discovering a hidden dungeon, the rewards were staggering.
‘Is that it? Because the dungeon can’t be opened by just finding its location?’
It seemed the rewards were more varied precisely because he had solved a mysterious puzzle.
Yet amid this torrent of messages, one more doubt took root.
‘Did Seo Ju-won really discover this alone?’
It made no sense.
In his past life, Seo Ju-won had clearly said so himself.
‘I was around level 50? Back in the early days of Lepion, I managed to discover a dungeon solo—that was nice. But I got the skill so easily, you know? Honestly, I didn’t think it was that good of a skill. The activation conditions were so troublesome….’
He’d distinctly said he’d discovered the dungeon alone.
And that he’d obtained it easily.
But from direct experience, none of what Seo Ju-won had said rang true.
‘The key isn’t just any key, either…… and he got this alone? With a recommended level of 50 and a party of 5 or more?’
Without Determination’s intuition and the Insight of Pulse skill, Geumson wouldn’t have been able to open the dungeon’s door at all.
So much so that even Geumson hesitated to enter after reading the warning message.
This meant that Seo Ju-won at that time had overcome all these daunting obstacles and obtained the Infinite Chain Strike.
‘Something doesn’t add up.’
Geumson sensed something suspicious in the circumstances, but he had no way to verify it.
After all, there was no guarantee that past Seo Ju-won had told the truth.
‘Regardless, discovering the dungeon is what matters. What’s more important is that Seo Ju-won won’t acquire the Infinite Chain Strike this time.’
Geumson pushed aside the tangled thoughts.
Once he obtained the Infinite Chain Strike, what Seo Ju-won did wouldn’t matter anyway.
For now, it seemed best to focus on the Forgotten City of Giants.
“Walker, Tia? Let’s go in.”
“Waaaaaa—lker!”
Ting— Ting-ting!
Geumson stood before the enormous doors he had pushed open, and a message flickered across his vision once more.
[As First Discoverer, you may disregard the recommended prerequisites.]
[Will you enter the Forgotten City of Giants as a Solo Player?]
A dungeon recommended for a five-person party of level fifty.
He’d hesitated at first, but not anymore.
‘I’ll treat this as practice for hunting the Eclipsed Serpent.’
One of the living catastrophes that had haunted the Age of Ruin.
The quest to eliminate it required a party of thirty at level one hundred.
By comparison, these conditions were merely a rehearsal.
So he had no reason to hesitate here.
“Enter.”
[Entering the Forgotten City of Giants.]
With a brief message, darkness swallowed Geumson whole.
When his vision returned moments later, Geumson found himself wondering if his body had somehow shrunk.
A cavern of unimaginable scale.
Enormous stalactites hung from the ceiling like crystals, casting a soft luminescence across the entire space as if it were a night sky scattered with stars.
And beneath them lay an immense city, as though an entire mountain range had been hollowed out to fashion it.
None of the structures had been built to human proportions.
Even the smallest dwelling towered three stories high, and the colossal fortress rising from the Central Square resembled a mountain in itself.
Yet the city lay in deathly silence.
The massive buildings had succumbed to the ravages of time, crumbling in countless places, while the streets were choked with nothing but dust and cobwebs.
“So this is… the city of the giants.”
The moment Geumson uttered his words in wonder and moved toward the city, the ground trembled.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
—
Along with a cold and sinister aura that seemed to reject any intrusion, countless eyes glowed crimson red.
[Ancient Guardian, Stone Golem Lv. 73]
[Phantom of the Giants Lv. 75]
“……Quite the grand welcome. Walker! Get ready!”
“Walker! Waaaalker!”
Geumson smiled wryly and gripped the Hammer of Forgotten Void more firmly.
Iron Walker shifted into battle stance and moved to stand before Geumson.
On the eve of combat, Geumson found himself facing enemies
whose levels exceeded his own by more than a factor of two.
Yet Geumson did not tremble.
If anything—
“Time to level up! Walker, start on the left! Drive them in a clockwise sweep!”
“Walker! Waaaalker!”
Crack—
The Hammer of Forgotten Void began to describe an arc through the air, and Iron Walker held firm, matching strength for strength.
And with it came a new message.
[All Experience Points gained within this dungeon are increased by an additional 100%.]
Double Experience Points event.
Geumson had no intention of letting this opportunity slip away.

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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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