Episode 48
048. The Mysterious Egg
└ User: ?
└ User: ??
└ User: ?????? What did you just say?
└ ChickenIsTruth: Gold Hands? That guy with the hammer?
└ FraudDetector: LOLOLOLOLOL Old Man Dusar’s lost his mind. Solo? LOLOLOLOLOL
└ LepionVeteran: Ah, must be an event. The devs are probably pushing Gold Hands since he’s been gaining popularity lately.
└ GoldHandGuardians: Wow…… wow…… WOW!!!!!!!!!! Our man did it!!!!!!!!!! Gold Hands!!!!!!!!!!
└ Analyst: Wait, everyone calm down. This is physically impossible. How can someone solo a level 65 boss?
└ [RealEstateUser]: Should I sell my land in Valkras Manor and move to Kratum? This place is about to skyrocket.
└ PKGodt: (Dislikes this broadcast.)
└ Choi Jin-woong: (Dislikes this broadcast.)
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The number of broadcast viewers soared past 100,000 in an instant.
The chat was now flooded with praise for Gold Hands and endless speculation about the Corrupted Earthworm’s strategy.
“Viewers! Right now, history is being made in Lepyon! A single blacksmith player has accomplished a feat even the largest guilds couldn’t achieve! His name is Gold Hands! This is the true power of Korean Lepyon players!”
While the field reporter, Kim Hyeon-sang, was making a fuss, Gold Hands was receiving a chest containing legendary ore from Dusar.
The moment he opened it, the entire screen was flooded with a dazzling light.
└ User: What’s this eye-blinding effect?! What is this?!
└ Analyst: What? What came out that gives off such light?
└ LepionVeteran: Don’t tell me…… Ancient grade?
└ FraudDetector: ……I’m taking a break today.
└ MinerLife: A server message popped up! A world message? Don’t tell me…… Ancient! It’s Ancient grade!
└ GoldHandWorshipper: Boss! Another round of national pride, please!
The moment the world message appeared—
Not just in the Korean server, but all over the world—
Every Lepione player knew.
Gold Hands of the Korean server.
He had obtained an Ancient-grade ore:
Void Iron Ore.
While Repinet was heating up over the unexpected news of Gold Hands, Dusar invited Geumson and Calis to his personal forge.
“Come, come! Sit here!”
Dusar seated Gold Hands and Calis at a rough wooden table in a corner of the workshop, then poured a thick, crimson liquid from a dusty oak barrel into horn cups.
“Remember the Ingeolbulju we drank last time? But this is on a whole other level. This Ingeolbulju has been aged since my grandfather’s grandfather’s time. It’s made only from the essence of a dragon’s heart-blood and volcanic springs, aged for a hundred years! Even most nobles can only dream of tasting this!”
He proudly raised his cup high.
“To the dazzling future of our young master craftsman, and to the Age of Steel in Kratum! Cheers!”
Clunk—!
With the dull sound of horn cups clashing, the three of them downed their drinks in one go.
As the liquor flowed down their throats, a searing heat, like flowing magma, spread throughout their bodies.
[You have consumed ‘100-Year-Old Ingeolbulju.’]
[All stats increased by 5% for 3 hours.]
[Fire resistance permanently increased by 10%.]
‘Is this liquor or a buff potion? No, permanent fire resistance? What kind of insane drink is this……’
Gold Hands inwardly marveled as he set down his empty cup.
Dusar refilled it with a satisfied expression.
“Whew! You’ve really done something incredible. Solo-ing the Corrupted Earthworm… I’ve never heard of such a feat in all my life.”
“I was just lucky.”
“Luck? Hoho, if luck alone could defeat that thing, everyone in this world would be a hero. That’s not humility—it’s self-deception.”
Dusar shook his head decisively.
Calis, who had been quietly sipping his drink beside them, spoke up.
“Dusar is right, Gold Hands. Your skills have already been proven. Now the world will be watching your next move. Especially… regarding that ore.”
Calis’s gaze drifted toward the inventory pouch hanging at Gold Hands’s waist.
Inside it lay the Void Iron Ore that had triggered the world message.
“To be honest, I thought even a legendary ore like Orichalcum would be impressive enough… but ‘Void Iron Ore’? If you put it up for auction, you could fetch a staggering price.”
Dusar’s eyes sparkled as he chimed in.
“Exactly! That’s what I’m saying! How about we put it up for auction together? If you’re willing, I’ll personally oversee it! If we invite kings, tycoons, and renowned collectors from across the continent… you’ll likely grasp wealth beyond your wildest dreams!”
Dusar’s offer was groundbreaking.
An auction hosted under his name would undoubtedly send its value skyrocketing.
Any ordinary player—even the Gold Hands of his past life—would have accepted without a second thought.
But the current Gold Hands was different.
‘Money…’
Gold Hands reconfirmed the information about the Void Iron Ore that the system had provided.
[Ancient Void Iron Ore]
Grade: Ancient
Description: An ore imbued with the energy of the void. It possesses the property to absorb and warp all magical power. Equipment forged from this will be a calamity for mages.
[Effects]
[Magic Absorption]: Absorbs surrounding magic to restore its own durability.
[Magic Distortion]: When hit by magical attacks, 50% chance to nullify damage, and 10% chance to absorb the magic, making it your own.
[Anti-Magic Field]: Depending on the grade of the crafted item, generates a unique field that weakens magical effects within a certain radius.
Having reviewed the details, Geumson spoke with unwavering determination, as if he had already made his decision.
There was something he had to make with this.
“No.”
That resolute response left Dusar and Caliss momentarily taken aback.
“No? You’re kicking away a chance to sit on a fortune?”
“Money can be earned when needed. I will work on it myself.”
“You, yourself?”
There wasn’t a trace of hesitation in Gold Hands’s voice—only pure conviction.
It wasn’t just about making money; it was a craftsman’s genuine desire to challenge the unknown.
Dusar was momentarily speechless at that fervor.
For a moment, behind Gold Hands, Dusar felt as if he were seeing his younger self—fearless of failure, daring to challenge the impossible, testing his limits solely within steel and flame.
“Hoho… That’s right. That’s what a true blacksmith should be.”
Finally, Dusar burst into hearty laughter.
His eyes held not disappointment, but the joy of finding a true kindred spirit.
“Well, anyone who sees the potential in a material before them and sells it off for a few coins is a merchant, not a craftsman! You can’t forge a masterpiece if you fear failure! Good, very good! I like that spirit of yours!”
[‘Redbeard’ Dusar is deeply impressed by your craftsmanship spirit.]
[Your affinity with Dusar has surpassed ‘Maximum’ and entered the ‘Blood Oath’ stage.]
[You may now freely use Dusar’s forge.]
“Dammit! Another failure!”
On the other side of the globe, in the American server.
At the headquarters of the colossal guild Panteria, located in New York.
Cain, the guild master of Panteria, slammed the table with a curse as he analyzed the raid footage.
Fine cracks spread across the table’s surface where his fist landed.
On the screen, dozens of elite guild members unleashed a barrage of dazzling skills toward the Lich King.
But every attack vanished without a trace the moment it touched the translucent purple barrier enveloping the Lich King’s body.
[All magical attacks nullified by ‘Absolute Magic Barrier.’]
[All physical attacks converted into magic and absorbed by ‘Absolute Magic Barrier.’]
“That damned ‘Absolute Magic Barrier’! If we can’t break it, we’ll never conquer the ‘Spire of the Abyss’!”
The atmosphere in the meeting room grew even heavier at Cain’s furious shout.
Panteria Guild.
Ranked 1st in the American server and among the top five guilds across all global servers.
They had been stuck for over a month now on one of the final content quests: Subduing the Lich King.
“What is the intel team doing?! Haven’t they found a way to break that barrier yet?”
“We’ve scoured all ancient texts and quests, but… as of now, there’s no method, Guild Master. It’s literally an ‘absolute’ barrier—indestructible both physically and magically.”
Megan, the strategy analyst, reported coolly while swiping through data on her tablet.
Her words were like a dagger to Cain’s pride.
“No method?! So we’re just supposed to sit here twiddling our thumbs?! I can practically hear the other guilds laughing at us!”
Just as Cain clutched his head, a cheerful notification chimed from Megan’s tablet.
She glanced at the screen, her expression shifting to one of mixed surprise and excitement.
“Guild Master, just now… a very interesting piece of information came in.”
“What? If it’s another analysis of a failed raid, forget it.”
“No. A world message appeared in the Korean server.”
“Korean server? That’s… Kang Mujin’s territory, right?”
Cain’s brow furrowed.
The recent surge of activity from Kang Mujin, hot on his heels.
The consecutive raid failures.
He couldn’t help but react sensitively at the mention of the Korean server.
Unfazed by his reaction, Megan showed him the new data.
