The Returned Genius Blacksmith has Awakened as an all-Master - Chapter 96

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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 96
096. A Troublesome Item
Geumson charged forward into the monsters once more, his actions speaking louder than any words.
And when he swung the Enhanced Longsword down upon a monster.
A new message appeared before Geumson.
[The system is impressed by your devoted actions.]
[During the quest duration, you receive 5% of the Contribution Points earned by any player who receives an Enchantment Mark from you.]
‘Not bad at all.’
A satisfied smile played at Geumson’s lips.
If things continued like this, Contribution Points would flow in simply by strengthening the players’ equipment.
The more he did, the greater his reward.
It was entirely in his favor.
‘I can raise the standards of the Korean players too… It’s a win-win.’
Geumson smiled as he glanced around at the surrounding players.
Hesitant. Uncertain.
He offered them only one sentence.
“First come, first served.”
At those words, the players began rushing forward like madmen.
Free weapon enhancement.
For any player in Lepion, it was an event that couldn’t be missed.
Even if failure meant destroying their equipment.
“It’s real! It’s not a scam!”
“Me too! Please enhance mine too!”
“Form a line! A line! Don’t push! I said don’t push!”
In an instant, hundreds of players swarmed around Geumson like a cloud.
Iron Walker and Tia were too busy fending off the monsters charging toward them to pay attention.
“Next.”
Geumson continued his work with mechanical precision, yet without the slightest error.
The broadcast chat erupted into chaos.
└ Wow, this is insane… Is that Enchantment Mark speed actually real?
└ That’s possible? He’s casting magical enhancement with bare hands, no scrolls?
└ I’ve never seen anyone enchant by striking with a hammer like that. Is there a blacksmith here? Answer me! Can all blacksmiths do this?
└ How could they? I want to do it too! Why can’t I do this?
└ Geumson really is in a different class.
The chat was flooded with messages of shock and awe.
The method Geumson demonstrated was completely overturning conventional wisdom.
“This shield has a durability problem. I think engraving ‘Resilience’ should do the trick.”
.
.
.
[The ‘Resilience’ effect has been granted via Mana Enchantment Art.]
[Your Mana Enchantment Art skill has reached Lv.4.]
[Defense and durability increase by 20%.]
[Upon defense, there is a 50% chance to grant the ‘Knockback’ effect.]
“This staff has unstable mana flow. I believe a ‘Stabilization’ Enchantment Mark would be necessary.”
.
.
.
[The ‘Stabilization’ effect has been granted via Mana Enchantment Art.]
[Magical success rate increases by 30%.]
[Upon skill use, a ‘Mana Circulation’ effect is granted that returns 10% of mana spent.]
[Your Mana Enchantment Art skill has reached Lv.5.]
.
.
.
Every piece of equipment that passed through Geumson’s hands displayed power incomparable to what it had been before.
The players, intoxicated by their newfound strength, began slaughtering the monsters far more swiftly than before.
And as a result, Geumson’s Contribution Points began climbing rapidly.
[Aerthos Defense Battle—Contribution Ranking]
– 10th Place: Geumson – 614,200P
Geumson’s Contribution Points had skyrocketed in an instant.
He’d climbed from 51st place to 10th.
Narrowing the gap with Kang Mu-jin in first place would still take time.
But now it was only a matter of time.
All he needed was to strengthen more players’ equipment.
And then there was the message that appeared before Geumson’s eyes.
[Your level has increased! Lv.74]
His level had risen simply from strengthening players’ equipment.
Thanks to Iron Walker and Tia hunting monsters so diligently.
It was practically automatic hunting.
‘Now I’m finally making proper use of Iron Walker.’
Geumson watched Iron Walker and Tia with pride as they conducted battle in his stead, earning him experience points.
Meanwhile, the players themselves were hunting eagerly, accumulating Contribution Points for Geumson.
A virtuous cycle was taking shape before his eyes.
Then a hooded figure stepped into Geumson’s view.
A man wearing a robe with the hood pulled deep over his head.
His face was difficult to make out.
But he didn’t look like a player.
‘Rose…… fragrance?’
The man carried the scent of flowers—utterly out of place on a battlefield.
Watching Iron Walker’s exploits, the man spoke.
“Ego Golems are quite useful, aren’t they? I confess, I was surprised. Such autonomy and loyalty…… But the Elementian is rather troublesome…… Hmm.”
Geumson’s head turned toward the stranger at once.
There were precious few who could identify Iron Walker accurately as an Ego Golem.
And this man knew Tia’s true nature as well.
The hooded man extended an item toward Geumson.
“Player Geumson? I’m curious whether this, too, can be strengthened. It’s something I hold rather dear…….”
The man, who spoke of Geumson not as an outsider but specifically as a player, carefully offered an item.
The moment Geumson took it, he sensed it was no ordinary object.
‘This…… is Ancient Grade?’
The item the man had given him.
A bracelet of Ancient Grade, no less.
A rarity that players could scarcely even lay eyes upon.
And this figure had offered it freely to Geumson.
‘Could he be a high-ranking mage of Aerthos?’
Perhaps even someone of high standing in the Magic Tower.
He knew Geumson’s name, used the precise term “player,” and possessed knowledge of magical engineering.
If he were one of those, it all made sense.
What’s more, his speech was notably formal, far different from other NPCs.
But that didn’t matter.
The real issue was the item the man had presented.
The problem was that it was exceptionally troublesome.
“It’s…… cursed, then.”
What he’d offered was the Bracelet of Withering Curse, emanating an ominous black aura.
Wearing it inflicted a fatal penalty: all stats decreased by 50%.
[Bracelet of Withering]
– Grade: Ancient
– Effects:
1. [Absolute Defense] – Perfectly nullifies one attack made against the wearer without their awareness, once per equip period.
.
.
.
※ Cursed with Withering. All stats reduced by 50%.
The bracelet’s options were extraordinary.
Even Geumson felt the pull of desire.
It could nullify assassins’ attacks—the kind of strike you’d never see coming, the kind that could kill you unaware.
But the curse.
Considering the curse, it wasn’t something a player should use.
Moreover, attempting Curse Removal on such an item was usually dangerous.
One wrong move with a cursed item and the person working on it could end up bearing the curse themselves.
So whispers erupted among the players gathered to watch.
“Insane, isn’t that a cursed item? He’s asking for it to be enhanced?”
“Is that NPC in his right mind? Trying to mess with Geumson?”
“What a bastard. Curse Removal costs that much, and he’s asking him to do it for free?”
The players naturally assumed Geumson would refuse.
The notoriety of cursed items was something everyone who played Lepion knew well.
But a genuinely intrigued smile played at Geumson’s lips instead.
‘This… might actually be worth trying.’
Through his Resolve Intuition and Vein Insight, Geumson’s eyes traced the curse’s structure and the flow of mana woven through the bracelet in perfect detail.
Tangled though it was, there were definitely gaps he could exploit.
‘I’ve been wanting to test a certain skill anyway. Perfect material.’
He’d already finished his assessment.
It was worth attempting.
In fact, he needed to do it now.
It was a chance to hone his craft as a blacksmith.
“Of course.”
At Geumson’s unwavering answer, the eyes beneath the Hooded Man’s hood flickered, ever so slightly.
But Geumson’s hands remained steady.
A skill used only after identifying an item through Resolve Intuition and Vein Insight.
‘Enchantment Removal!’
The ultimate skill—selectively erasing only the unwanted Enchantment Marks.
The very skill Geumson had been itching to test.
The moment he activated the Enchantment Removal skill, messages cascaded into view.
[Using the ‘Enchantment Removal’ skill.]
[Remove the ‘Curse of Withering’?]
There was no need for hesitation.
He simply moved his mana through sheer force of will.
Light bloomed from his palm, wrapping around the bracelet.
Black smoke coiled from the bracelet, and a sound like a creature’s anguished shriek tore free.
Kiiiiieeeee—
[Holy power clears the mind.]
[Resisting mental attacks due to ‘Darkness’ attribute influence.]
[Resisting the status abnormality ‘Oblivion’.]
[Successfully removed the ‘Enchantment Removal’ effect!]
[The ‘Curse of Withering’ has been removed.]
[The ‘Void Mark’ effect activates!]
[One additional magical enchantment slot is now available.]
The curse’s resistance was fierce, but Geumson felt barely a whisper of its impact.
He’d already fortified himself well against mental attacks.
So the next skill flowed seamlessly after.
‘Mana Enchantment Art!’
Without hesitation, Geumson carved a new mark into the vacant slot.
Blue light streamed from his fingertips.
The message that appeared in that instant was like a childhood memory surfacing.
[Mana Enchantment successful!]
[Critical success effect activates!]
[The bracelet has gained a new ability.]
[The item name changes to ‘Bracelet of Vengeance’.]
[When ‘Absolute Defense’ activates, the ‘Heavenly Punishment’ effect is triggered.]
[Heavenly Punishment: Strikes the aggressor with an inescapable bolt of lightning.]
[The ‘Mana Enchantment Art’ skill has reached Lv.6.]
‘Heavenly Punishment… absolutely insane effect. Make one wrong move and you’re dead for certain.’
Lightning that cannot be escaped.
True divine retribution.
Which meant whoever attacked the wearer first would have no choice but to brace for impact from a bolt falling from the heavens.
It was an item effect even Geumson himself coveted.
And the Hooded Man, accepting the item back, seemed to harbor the same desire.

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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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