The Returned Genius Blacksmith has Awakened as an all-Master - Chapter 85

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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 85
085. The Crimson Wave
Kang Mu-jin’s statement was a declaration of absolute trust in Geumson.
That alone would have been enough, but Kang Mu-jin didn’t stop there.
As if he’d been aiming for this moment from the very beginning.
“In fact, I’d rather hope that you, Master Geumson, would sell the Great Silence’s Iron Chain to Pantheria.”
“To Pantheria of America? But wouldn’t that undermine Yeokcheon’s unique position?”
“Would it really? Us at Yeokcheon?”
Kang Mu-jin’s Level: 120.
He’d grown one step further after subjugating the Nightmare King.
Kang Mu-jin, making his newfound strength known.
He spoke with the leisure of a victor, a confident smile playing across his face.
“I do hope that Pantheria’s Cain succeeds as well. Though of course, that’s only if he can manage it. I’ll be cheering for him from afar!”
Kang Mu-jin’s clear provocation.
His final words spread across the entire world in an instant.
Surely Cain of Pantheria—
He was certainly watching this broadcast in real time.
* * *
Geumson stood still on a street in Aeratos, watching Kang Mu-jin’s press conference.
He was viewing it in real time through the Lepion system.
Yet Geumson’s expression was somewhat clouded.
‘He’s hiding quite a bit of information. The term “treason” shouldn’t simply mean acquiring territory, should it?’
If things ended as Kang Mu-jin suggested—merely gaining territory—that would be fortunate.
But the reality was far different.
The countless kingdoms existing within Lepion.
They had now begun to seriously observe the outsiders—the Players.
Kang Mu-jin’s subjugation of the Nightmare King.
It was not a legitimate succession of the throne.
It was forced usurpation of territory through brute force.
Even though the Nightmare King was a monster, they remained wary nonetheless.
There was no guarantee that they wouldn’t be next.
So all the power brokers in Lepion began to watch the Players carefully.
‘On the flip side, there are also movements to actively exploit the Players.’
The relevant information would surely have been displayed to Kang Mu-jin.
Yet he was hiding it.
In the past, he had disclosed such information precisely.
But this time was different.
And there was something else that had changed.
‘Territory development? He never did that before.’
In the past, Yeokcheon had not pursued territorial development.
They had merely focused more on “character cultivation” centered on Kang Mu-jin.
But this time, it was different.
It seemed that this subjugation had brought considerable changes to Kang Mu-jin’s mindset.
‘Well, territory development itself isn’t a bad thing. It helps other Players grow.’
From Geumson’s perspective, it wasn’t a negative development.
He might even have praised Kang Mu-jin for it.
The more a Player’s territory advanced, the more rewards would naturally flow to ordinary Players.
And the provocation toward Pantheria—
That pleased him greatly.
Competition between major guilds representing their nations, just as Geumson had planned.
Their growth would surely accelerate from this point forward.
There was, however, one nagging concern.
For some reason, the master of the Asura Guild, Choi Jin-ung.
The Demon Brain Choi Jin-ung—he was staying silent.
‘This quiet is making me uneasy. What exactly is he after?’
When Kang Mu-jin displayed such achievements, Choi Jin-ung should have reacted.
But Choi Jin-ung maintained his silence.
His quietness—a man who had been active until the latter half of the Age of Ruin—was unmistakably a source of danger.
The deeper one considered it, the more lethal a man the Demon Brain Choi Jin-ung proved to be.
Geumson’s thoughts grew complicated.
But he shook his head and pushed the thought away.
He was busy enough resolving the quest Astrid had given him; he didn’t want to clutter his mind with complications.
“Walker?”
Tia…….
When Geumson’s expression turned contemplative, Iron Walker and Tia both showed signs of concern.
He offered them a small smile, then turned his attention back to surveying Aeratos.
Aeratos remained as peaceful as ever.
“Something’s off though…… Astrid wouldn’t have said anything without reason. So what exactly is the problem?”
He looked over Aeratos carefully, but found nothing particularly amiss.
Just to be sure, he swept the city with both Gyeol’s intuition and Mac’s insight, but the results were the same.
He couldn’t sense anything notably wrong.
But then.
Iron Walker pointed with one finger in a particular direction.
“Waker? Walker?”
The direction Iron Walker had indicated was the market.
The Central Market, where Players bustled about.
“What’s wrong? I don’t see anything unusual…….”
Geumson’s brow furrowed.
The Central Market appeared unchanged at first glance.
But looking closer, he sensed a subtle shift in the atmosphere.
It was the clothing of the Players.
Those who normally frequented the Central Market wore casual robes and light garments.
But now it was different.
‘They’re almost completely armored. Did a war break out or something?’
The Players were outfitted in all manner of defensive gear.
Moreover, the popular items they were selling seemed to have changed as well.
“Potions with excellent effects! Nothing like cheap garbage! Guaranteed instant relief! No refunds!”
“Weapon and armor repairs! We buy damaged equipment at a discount!”
“Return Stones for sale! You all know how reassuring it is to have one—stock is limited! Get in line! Line!”
Items that didn’t suit a peaceful city.
The atmosphere reminded him of a dungeon city.
And once he’d noticed it, even the Players’ conversations sounded suspicious to him.
“Wasn’t the road to Aeratos like clearing a dungeon? You’re telling me they don’t have regular sweeps here? Since when are there so many monsters?”
“On the way over, I saw merchant caravans getting torn apart by them. I saw an Ogre.”
“That’s nonsense. This is desert terrain—where would Ogres come from?”
.
.
.
The whispered conversation of passing Players.
They glanced at Geumson and murmured among themselves.
They seemed to have recognized him but didn’t dare approach.
Still, Geumson couldn’t afford to pay attention to such minor details.
Because he’d heard something troubling.
‘Lots of monsters around Aeratos? And…… Ogres?’
A stable city like Aeratos shouldn’t have many monsters nearby.
With the heavy traffic of Players, monsters naturally dwindled over time.
And Ogres—the lords of the forest.
That made even less sense.
Aeratos is desert terrain to begin with.
A sighting of something that shouldn’t exist.
He couldn’t let this pass unexamined.
‘Could it be…….’
Something nagged at Geumson’s mind.
He quickly activated the skill Astrid had given him.
‘Vigilance Recognition!’
The moment Geumson activated the skill, his senses sharpened and expanded dramatically.
Every sound, every scent, the minutest currents of air—all flooded into his awareness.
And before him, the system map spread open.
[No threats detected.]
An ordinary message, nothing remarkable.
So he had been putting his mind at ease.
But this time, he began to pour his Mana Power into it.
Every last point of Geumson’s Stat 99 Mana Power.
Then the system message began to respond.
[Consuming Mana Power to initiate a broader range search.]
[Player Geumson’s information processing capacity has reached its limit.]
[Halting the search for Player Geumson’s safety.]
Drip, drip—
Thick blood streamed from Geumson’s nose.
At the same time, his head began to throb.
Geumson staggered for a moment, dizziness washing over him.
But he gritted his teeth.
‘Information processing capacity? Then…….’
Geumson opened his Player Details and invested all his remaining 50 Stat points into Wisdom.
[Investing all remaining 50 Stat points into Wisdom.]
[Wisdom: 60 → 110]
Then Vigilance Recognition activated once more.
This time it displayed a different message.
[Consuming Mana Power to initiate a broader range search.]
[Marking potential threats by color.]
[Search complete.]
A wave of Mana Power rippled outward from Geumson’s center.
When it returned to him like a modern sonar pulse, Geumson found himself speechless.
‘What…… is this?’
The map displayed by the system.
Safe zones were supposed to show in green.
But the map of Aeratos before Geumson’s eyes was completely smothered in blood red.
Moreover, red dots scattered outward from Aeratos itself.
‘If each red dot means a monster…….’
Red dots scattered in concentric circles, like ripples spreading across a still lake after a stone is thrown.
It looked as though he were watching a crimson wave.
This phenomenon.
Geumson knew what it was.
‘A Monster Wave…… is going to hit Aeratos?’
The Age of Ruin.
The Monster Wave that had devastated Seoul, the capital of South Korea.
That endless tide of monsters was silently pressing into Aeratos.
[Warning: An undetectable threat has spread across the entire city.]
[Warning: Hostile attention directed toward Player Geumson has been detected.]
[Warning: It is recommended that you evacuate the area before the Monster Wave completes.]
.
.
.
Warning messages began to scroll across the screen.
He had received warning messages before, but never like this.
The one hopeful thing, though, was the evacuation recommendation message.
It meant there was still time to escape.
‘Is this different from the Monster Wave that leveled Seoul?’
Back then, Gates had opened surrounding Seoul.
Hundreds, thousands of Gates opening all at once.
And from those Gates, monsters poured forth.
The endless procession of monsters had torn through Seoul’s defenses without resistance.
But Aeratos’s Monster Wave was unfolding differently.
Monsters tightening their encirclement, gradually compressing around the city.
They hadn’t yet sealed it completely—there were still loose gaps in their formation.
That was how the Players had managed to break through and reach Aeratos.

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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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