The Returned Genius Blacksmith has Awakened as an all-Master - Chapter 62
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 62
062. Have You Lost Your Mind?
‘He’ll probably accept. An opportunity like this doesn’t come around often for someone like Geumson.’
Cha Yu-gyeong assumed Geumson would naturally say yes.
There was no reason to refuse such an offer.
But Geumson’s answer shattered her expectations entirely.
“Tell them I decline.”
A silence fell between them.
Startled, Cha Yu-gyeong snapped back to attention and pressed him.
—Wait. Decline? Geumson, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! The rewards Panteria offers will exceed your imagination!
Her voice rose with urgency.
But Geumson remained composed.
“I’ve already used up all the materials.”
—Materials? What do you mean…? Oh!
Cha Yu-gyeong fell silent, caught short.
A single mineral flashed through her mind.
One whose arrival had been announced worldwide through World Message—the nemesis of all magic.
‘Void Iron Ore…! You’ve used it all already? Where on earth did you use it?’
It was absurd.
Any ordinary player would have treasured such a material, too precious even to touch.
Yet he’d already spent it all.
In her bewilderment at this unreasonable claim,
Geumson answered without a shred of hesitation.
“I used it entirely to strengthen my personal equipment. So physically, it’s impossible. What a shame.”
—You used it for personal equipment enhancement? Have you lost your mind?
A brief silence followed Cha Yu-gyeong’s slip of the tongue.
Even the normally composed Cha Yu-gyeong seemed so flustered she was on the verge of talking nonsense.
—I…Kim Min-jun, please resubmit the report! I think there was some interference on the line. I’m terribly sorry.
Cha Yu-gyeong hurried to smooth over the situation.
Geumson simply chuckled softly.
But Cha Yu-gyeong still seemed unconvinced and asked once more.
—You really did…use it on personal equipment? What level were you at, if I may ask?
“Around thirty, I think.”
—Level thirty equipment, and you used all the Void Iron Ore?
“Yes, all of it.”
It seemed he could hear the weight of a deep sigh.
But that was only Cha Yu-gyeong’s reaction, born of incomplete knowledge.
Geumson harbored no regrets whatsoever.
Cha Yu-gyeong quickly gathered herself and returned to her usual frigid tone.
—Very well, I understand. I’ll relay your decision to them. It’s unfortunate, but perhaps another opportunity will arise.
“Yes, understood. I’ll end the call now.”
Geumson cut the transmission as if his business was complete.
He gazed out across the City of Forgotten Giants once more, letting out a wry smile.
‘Well, it’s a shame, I suppose.’
Not the money or rewards Panteria would have offered—that wasn’t what he regretted.
Had even a scrap of Void Iron Ore remained, he would have accepted Panteria’s proposal and stoked the flames of rivalry with the heretical Kang Mu-jin.
Kein and Kang Mu-jin.
The sight of them growing frantically, driven by awareness of each other.
Even the thought of it warmed his heart.
But the Void Iron Ore had already become part of the Forgotten Void Hammer.
‘There’s no helping it. However…’
Geumson recalled the Lich King’s Absolute Magical Defense Barrier.
Items forged from Void Iron Ore were indeed the perfect answer to the Lich King.
A material that was, in essence, his mortal enemy.
But now, the Void Iron Ore was gone.
He would have to find another method.
‘In my past life, Panteria did defeat the Lich King. But the cost was far too steep.’
Panteria’s strategy had been brutally crude.
Mobilizing hundreds of guild members to exhaust the Lich King’s mana by dying and reviving repeatedly.
What was colloquially known as a Zombie Attack.
In the process, the destroyed items and lost experience points of the guild members were severe enough to stagger the entire guild.
They never even discovered how to break through the Lich King’s Absolute Magical Defense Barrier.
They simply pushed forward on vague speculation that the barrier would disappear once his mana ran dry.
‘It took Panteria quite a long time to recover its strength after defeating the Lich King, didn’t it?’
The Lich King had been defeated.
But Panteria’s overall stats had declined.
That such a massive guild was left staggering proved just how vicious a wound the Lich King had inflicted.
‘That won’t do at all.’
He had no intention of letting things play out that way this time.
Before Panteria destroyed itself, he’d need to create an item capable of taking down the Lich King.
‘The Lich King… if I had a Resonance Stone that could disrupt magical effects, that would be perfect.’
An item materialized in Geumson’s mind.
The target was the Trumpet of Dissonance.
A Resonance Stone was an essential material for crafting it.
Geumson quickly opened the Artisan’s Workshop system on impulse.
He scanned through the Reputation Shop inventory.
[Void Iron Ore — not found.]
He searched for Void Iron Ore just in case, but it wasn’t there either.
So he searched for his next target, the Resonance Stone.
[Reputation Shop]
[Materials]
– [Legendary] Resonance Stone: 6,000P
– [Legendary] Phoenix Feather: 8,000P
– [Legendary] Deep Sea Kraken’s Ink Pouch: 8,500P
– [Ancient] Frost Queen’s Tear Crystal: 9,000P
– [Ancient] Deep Sea Lord’s Scale: 11,000P
.
.
.
‘Six thousand points? Absurdly expensive!’
Geumson clicked his tongue in frustration.
His total Reputation Points were a mere 1,000.
Nowhere near enough.
‘Looks like I have no choice but to grind points through quests.’
He shelved his disappointment and opened the Reputation Quest tab.
Dozens of quest listings spread before his eyes.
– [Crafting] Create a Music Box of Memories for the last princess of a fallen kingdom (Reward: 3,000P)
– [Exploration] Collect ancient maps inscribed on the shell of the “sky-flying turtle” (Reward: 3,500P, Turtle Shell Shield crafting method)
– [Subjugation] Destroy the Abyss Armor of the “Shadow Lord” (Reward: 5,000P, Shadow Cloak)
– [Crafting] Restore the Tower of Heaven Watcher’s Telescope Lens (Reward: 3,800P, access permit to certain sectors of the Tower of Heaven)
– [Emergency] Collect flame essence from the heart of the Volcano of Perished Souls (Reward: 9,000P)
.
.
.
Geumson’s sigh only deepened.
Every quest demanded far more time and effort than he could spare right now.
“Do I need to find another way?”
His thoughts about the Lich King tangled up in his head.
But then he shook his head.
The Lich King mattered, yes, but the priority was clearing the City of Forgotten Giants first.
Geumson pushed the confusion aside and reactivated the broadcast system.
Now was the time to focus on the immediate goal.
But when he checked his subscriber count before turning on the broadcast, he couldn’t hide his shock.
‘1.21 million? Not 121 thousand—1.21 million?’
His personal broadcast channel had surpassed one million subscribers.
After just a single broadcast, he’d already hit a million.
‘It was so hard to break 200,000 in my past life… and this time I’ve already hit a million.’
A bittersweet smile crossed Geumson’s face.
But it was actually fortunate.
This broadcast was a strategy guide—the more viewers, the better.
‘The title should be…’
Geumson paused for a moment, thinking.
Then he quickly typed out a title.
[Broadcast Title: Here Alone for the Sweet Honey. (feat. Experience Points Event?)]
The moment he selected a title calculated to pique interest and pressed the broadcast start button, Geumson’s personal streaming channel erupted into chaos.
[User ‘Geumson Admirer’ has entered the channel.]
[User ‘Pot Lid Collector’ has entered the channel.]
[User ‘Hammer Warrior Moon Rocket’ has entered the channel.]
.
.
.
[Current Viewers: 54,812]
“What is this?”
Geumson doubted his own eyes.
Less than a minute after turning on the broadcast, the viewer count had already surpassed fifty thousand.
The chat window was scrolling so fast the words had become illegible.
└ There he is! Finally! He’s here!
└ Hyung! Where are you? Where exactly is that place!
└ Wow, the scenery is insane. Is there actually a location like that? Or… is it a dungeon?
└ Hold on, isn’t that a Stone Golem? But why are there so many?
└ Wait, isn’t Geumson in his thirties level-wise? How’d he take down Stone Golems?
└ Why are you livestreaming your sweet honey run? Please tell us! I’m getting dizzy just watching!
.
.
.
Messages pouring in at a frenzied pace.
After watching them for a moment, Geumson had no choice but to give up on reading the chat.
He simply had to focus on doing what needed to be done.
“Ahem, greetings. I’m Geumson, the Blacksmith. Today I’d like to explore a newly discovered dungeon, the City of Forgotten Giants, and leave behind a record of its strategies.”
At his composed voice, the chat exploded with even more intensity.
└ Kyaaah! A new dungeon? You discovered a dungeon? Where is it!
└ This is insane… a first-discovery dungeon livestream… today’s going to be legendary!
└ A strategy guide broadcast! You’re truly the light, the light!
└ But wait, those monsters’ levels… over 70? What’s your level?
– [Kang Mu-jin Fan Club President] donated 1,000,000 won: Hyung! Our Mu-jin says he wants to go there too! Share the coordinates!
└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ The president has arrived!
└ But how is he soloing that place? That doesn’t make sense?
Geumson couldn’t collect his thoughts amid the torrent of donations and questions.
He worked to maintain his composure and resumed the battle.
“Now then, let me begin the strategy guide. The monsters here fall into two main categories: Stone Golems specialized in Physical Attack, and Giant Specters that employ Mental Attack.”
Geumson calmly explained the information he’d gathered to his viewers as he continued fighting.
While Iron Walker blocked the golems’ attacks, he targeted the specters’ weak points and brought them down one by one.
Crack!
Boom—!
“If you strike these occasional openings like so…”
Boom—
[Giant Specter defeated.]
“See? Simple, right? Now without hesitating, target that Stone Golem thrashing around in the back and strike its weak point—”
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————