The Returned Genius Blacksmith has Awakened as an all-Master - Chapter 68

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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 68
068. Dungeon Rush
[You have chosen to open it.]
[From now on, the City of Giants will be forever remembered by all players.]
[The modifier “Forgotten” has been deleted.]
[Your achievement is broadcast across all servers.]
[World Message]
[Player Geumson has become the first to clear the hidden ancient dungeon “City of Giants”!]
[The dungeon is now open to all players.]
[Reputation increased by 1,000!]
Another World Message blazed across the sky, Geumson’s name seared into it with unmistakable clarity.
Once for acquiring the ancient materials, and now again.
Two World Messages in succession.
Lepion Net erupted into frenzy.
Like kindling catching flame, communities and chat channels across every server burst into a roaring blaze.
But the hottest crucible of all was undoubtedly the Korean Server’s official community—Lepion Net itself.
[Title: Did you guys just see that World Message? Is this real? ㄷㄷㄷ]
– Posted by: Lepion-Cursed
– Content:
Man, I was just killing orcs and nearly died from shock.
Geumson? That hammer guy struck again?
First clear of a hidden ancient dungeon? How is this even possible?
And the dungeon’s open now too? This is insane…
└ [ㅇㅇ]: Same. What is even happening right now.
└ [FakeCheckr]: Here we go with the admin’s son conspiracy again…
└ [GeumsonFan]: Our guy did it again! Geumson! Geumson! Geumson!
└ [HammerWarriorRising]: Dude, why didn’t he stream this? Is he okay in the head? Hoarding content like this?
└ [PotCollector]: Lol if it were me I’d have full cam from start to finish. Could’ve hit millions of viewers.
└ [ㅇㅇ]: Right. Does this guy actually play for fun? Does he not care about money?
└ [Lepion-Cursed]: But he did stream the clear afterwards. That’s something, right?
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.
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[Title: My mom asked me who Geumson is…… How famous is this guy getting?]
[Title: I switched to Hammer Warrior because of Geumson but…… why is my pot breaking?]
[Title: Real question though—right now in terms of clout, Kang Mu-jin vs Geumson, who’s bigger? (Poll available)]
[Title: But seriously curious. Does Geumson actually sleep or does he just play 24/7? Is he an AI?]
[Title: Rare item prices crashing because of City of Giants…… Geumson’s butterfly effect is crazy! ㄷㄷ]
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.
.
Lepion Net was in absolute chaos.
Admiration for Geumson’s achievements intertwined with suspicion about his identity, threatening to overwhelm the entire board.
Separate from all that, players began flooding toward the newly opened City of Giants en masse.
It was a veritable Gold Rush—or rather, a Dungeon Rush.
A newly opened dungeon naturally spawns hidden items and newly generated loot.
That’s why players descended on the City of Giants like madmen.
Moreover, the recommended level for the City of Giants that Geumson had opened was level 50 and above in a five-person party.
It occupied the mid-tier band in terms of level distribution.
It was the most densely populated tier among all current Lepion players.
In other words, level-capped players had finally found their perfect hunting ground.
[Title: (Breaking) Scene at the City of Giants entrance.mp4]
– Posted by: Dungeon-Explorer-1
– Content:
Guys, I just came back from filming the entrance to the City of Giants.
First off, the atmosphere is overwhelming. The giant statues inside are absolutely massive.
And people who’ve gone inside say…… the experience gain is on event-level.
It’s like Geumson cleared the whole path and handed it to us on a silver platter.
Just shining, shining, shining…
└ Insane! Look at how fast exp is climbing! If I just camp here, I could level up ten levels easy!
└ Damn, but those mobs were brutal, right? Without a strategy guide, you just get wiped. Geumson wasn’t streaming that strategy for nothing.
└ Going back to rewatch Geumson’s strategy broadcast from the start. That guy’s a god.
└ But even following the strategy, it’s still hard. Geumson’s control was insane. You’re telling me it’s real, wielding a hammer with that kind of flashy movement?
└ Geumson! Geumson! Geumson! I switched to Hammer Warrior because of Geumson! You owe me!
The dungeon entrance was packed with players honoring Geumson’s achievement, and his strategy broadcast climbed the charts once more, breaking viewing records.
But Geumson himself was nowhere near that place anymore.
The world buzzed with talk of Geumson, yet the man at the center of all that commotion—
He was simply preparing for his next step, knowing nothing of it all.
* * *
[Pantherium Guild, North American Branch]
Crack—!
“Damn it all!”
A figure contorting with rage, unlike the jubilant atmosphere rippling through the Korean Server Lepion Net.
Cain, master of the Pantherium Guild.
His fist had reduced a table crafted from premium hardwood to splinters.
His face flushed crimson with fury, bloodshot eyes glaring at the World Message flickering across the monitor as if ready to devour it.
[Player Geumson has acquired the Ancient Heart Stone of Giants!]
[Player Geumson has acquired the Fragment of Sealing Chain!]
“This bastard…… is he seriously mocking me?”
Cain could no longer contain the rage surging within him.
Days earlier, he had approached Geumson through the Future Group with civility.
He’d dangled a substantial reward and proposed a trade for the Void Iron Ore.
But the answer that came back was cold rejection.
To make matters worse, came the absurd excuse that he’d used it all strengthening his personal gear.
That alone had wounded his pride enough to drive him mad, and now a World Message had erupted announcing Geumson hoarding two more Ancient Grade materials all for himself.
To Cain, this felt like nothing short of deliberate provocation and deception.
“Guild Master, please compose yourself. An emotional response will serve no purpose.”
Megan, the strategic analyst, doused his fury with a voice as cold as ice.
She casually kicked aside the debris of the shattered table and projected new data onto a hologram screen.
“The situation is actually developing in our favor.”
“In our favor? Are you joking right now? We have no way to defeat the Lich King, so what—”
“Look.”
Megan displayed information about the Ancient Heart Stone of Giants and the Fragment of Sealing Chain.
But something seemed odd.
No matter how formidable Pantherium’s intelligence network was, less than ten minutes had passed since the World Message appeared.
Yet Megan already possessed detailed information about those items as if it were nothing.
And Cain seemed to accept Megan’s information as a matter of course.
[Ancient Heart Stone of Giants]
– Grade: Ancient
– Description: A stone in which the power of an ancient giant is condensed. Possesses tremendous weight and density, and harbors the essence of the earth itself.
[Fragment of Sealing Chain]
– Grade: Ancient
– Description: A fragment of the magical chain that once sealed King Chronos of the Giants.
Imbued with formidable power that suppresses and distorts all magical force.
Having reviewed the contents, Cain’s eyes gleamed with avarice.
His eyes blazed with lust.
He understood instinctively.
With those two materials, he could absolutely clear the Lich King.
“Strengthen a weapon with the Ancient Heart Stone of Giants and seal the Lich King’s barrier with the Fragment of Sealing Chain?”
“Yes, precisely.”
“If that works…… I could solo it?”
The Void Iron Ore was certainly optimal material for dealing with the Lich King.
But the Ancient materials Geumson now possessed seemed almost perfectly tailored to target the Lich King.
What’s more, there were additional materials to strengthen Cain’s own weapon as well.
Cain’s rage settled into calm.
He no longer burned with anger.
Instead, like a starving predator with prey within sight, he licked his lips.
“That’s right…… those belong to me. They must.”
“But a simple trade proposal like before won’t work. The Future Group can’t be trusted either, and most importantly…… we can’t quite grasp what Player Geumson is really thinking.”
“Then what do we do?”
“I’ll go myself.”
Megan spoke with absolute certainty.
Her blue eyes held not the slightest trace of hesitation.
“I’ll go to Korea and meet him in person. Whether it’s money, prestige, or whatever else he wants—I’ll stake everything the Pantherium Guild can offer and convince him.”
“You? You’re going yourself? That’s a bit……”
“They won’t know anything about me in Korea anyway, so it shouldn’t matter, should it?”
Cain regarded her in silence for a moment, as if deliberating.
Yet the conclusion was already decided.
He believed that Megan would deliver results.
“Fine. I’ll give you full authority. Get those materials into your hands by any means necessary. And if that bastard refuses again……”
A murderous glint flickered across Cain’s eyes.
“Then we take them by force.”
Megan answered with nothing but a shallow bow before leaving the conference room.
Already, dozens and hundreds of negotiation scenarios were taking shape in her mind.
Yet Geumson felt more difficult to handle than any businessman or politician she had dealt with before.
‘What does he want?’
The target was an ordinary young man from South Korea.
Which made him harder to predict—and all the more fascinating prey.
* * *
Fsssshhh—
The capsule door hissed open, and Geumson returned to reality.
He stretched his sore body and pulled an ice-cold beer from the refrigerator, draining it in one long gulp.
Ahhh—
Even as his throat burned, Geumson let out a satisfied belch.
He recalled his time in the Forgotten City of Giants.
‘It was rough going, but…… I got plenty out of it, so that’s what matters, right?’

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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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