Episode 95
095: The First Customer
‘Like this… I’m just relying on Kang Moo-jin, aren’t I?’
Nothing had changed. The moment he checked the contribution ranking, a cold bead of sweat trickled down. The scene unfolding before his eyes evoked a severe sense of foreboding .
The relentless wave of monsters surging forward. The precarious defense line holding out before them. And on that very front line, a single hero, Kang Moo-jin, bearing everything and fighting alone.
Ultimately, he felt he had become a bystander once again. A sense of powerlessness, similar to what he felt the day the sky collapsed in his past life, washed over him.
‘I can’t let this rely on Kang Moo-jin.’
If the battle ended like this, even if Airtos was saved, all the spotlight would eventually shine on Kang Moo-jin. People would praise his abilities and expect even more from him. That would become a shackle for Kang Moo-jin when that day in the future arrived. It would become the trigger making him charge toward his death.
golden hand gritted his teeth. He couldn’t let the tragedy of his past life repeat. He saw Iron Walker, relentlessly continuing the fight without rest.
‘……Why did I decide to walk the path of a blacksmith again?’
The thought that flashed through golden hand’s mind. It was the fundamental question that started all of this.
Kang Moo-jin was a sword. The sharpest, strongest sword that could cut the world. But golden hand was not a sword.
On the day the sky collapsed, he had vowed. Seeing the messages as the equipment he made shattered, he had decided. To walk the path of a blacksmith.
‘What I must do now is not fight.’
Creating Iron Walker in the first place was to compensate for his lack of combat ability. His essence was not a warrior. He was a blacksmith. Then, what could he do in this battlefield as a blacksmith? He should have pondered that.
‘Contribution… contribution? Right! This isn’t a monster kill count battle. It’s a contribution battle.’
golden hand’s eyes flashed. Hunting monsters directly wasn’t the only way to raise contribution. Healing the wounded, repairing broken walls, buffing exhausted allies—all these actions converted into ‘contribution’.
So, what could golden hand do now? Right, creating equipment. He had to do that.
“Worker, Tia! From now on, perfectly defend a 50-meter radius around me. Don’t let any monster approach!”
“Wor-kerr! Defend! Defend!”
—Tii-at!
At golden hand’s command, Iron Walker entered combat stance, and Tia flew high into the sky to scout the surroundings. golden hand opened the hidden system, ‘Giant’s Forge’, right there.
Krrrrrrumble—!
In the middle of the battlefield, amidst monster corpses and blood, the illusion of a massive lava forge appeared. And using the 《Repion》 system, he prepared a broadcast. He quickly typed in a title.
[Broadcast Title: [URGENT] Free Equipment Enhancement Event! (First 100 people)]
└ [ㅇㅇ]: ?
└ [ㅇㅇ]: ??
└ [ㅇㅇ]: ???????? Isn’t that right in the middle of the battlefield?
└ [Scam Detector]: 100% a scam. golden hands is a blacksmith, but think enhancement is easy? You think 《Lepyon》 is that simple?
└ [IsTheSuckerHere]: But… what if it’s real? It says free enhancement….
└ [AskAndGoDouble]: I’ll go check. My gear is broken anyway, so no loss. Let’s get an enhancement!
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Less than a minute after Golden Hand’s broadcast started, his personal broadcast channel was instantly filled with tens of thousands of viewers. And on the broadcast—the very heart of the Airtos battlefield. There stood golden hand. At that surreal sight, even the players fighting nearby had their gazes drawn to him.
“Hello, this is Geumson.”
A confident smile, unbefitting the fierce battlefield, graced golden hand’s lips. Now, it was time for golden hand to overturn the battlefield’s dynamics.
“Hey! Heal! Give me some heal! I’m dying!”
“Anyone have magic potions! I’ll buy them with gold!”
“The front line is collapsing! Tanks, forward! Go hold the line! How else are we supposed to dish out damage!”
“That… isn’t that a boss-level? Fall back for now! We’ll handle it from range!”
“Who do you think you are, giving orders!”
The area around Airtos’s walls was a crucible of chaos. War cries and screams like thunder, mixed with the roar of exploding magic, made ears ring. Below the walls, an endless crimson tide of monsters surged. From familiar monsters like orcs, goblins, and trolls, to bizarre forms of monsters never seen in desert terrain. It was a true hodgepodge.
But amidst that chaos, golden hand had secured a spot right in the middle of the battlefield and started his broadcast. The moment golden hands started his stream, viewer numbers began to skyrocket.
[‘Golden Hand Believer’ has entered the stream.]
[‘Pot Collector’ has entered the stream.]
[‘Hammer Warrior Rise’ has entered the stream.]
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[Current Viewers: 314,812]
The current situation in Airtos was being watched by players not only in Korea but also from overseas servers. A quest where even Kang Moo-jin participated. Moreover, the quest rewards were unprecedented, drawing immense interest.
golden hand stream, launched in such a situation. The stream of golden hand, who could be said to be the origin of this Airtos quest. Naturally, golden hand viewer count hit record-breaking numbers.
“Hello, this is blacksmith Geumson. As you can see, Airtos is currently in a crisis. But at the same time, it’s also a tremendous opportunity for all of us.”
golden hand calm voice resonated through the stream. In the midst of chaos, the gazes of fighting players gradually turned toward him. The overwhelming presence of Iron Walker fighting behind him, and the cute, mystical sight of Tia occasionally perching on golden hand’s shoulder were enough to draw attention in themselves.
“Starting now, I will begin a special event for everyone participating in the Airtos defense battle.”
The chat scrolled rapidly. But Geumson didn’t look at the chat. He just spoke with a confident face.
“I will personally engrave new power onto your weapons or key equipment for ‘free’!”
At his declaration, not only the chat but also the players hunting nearby began to show interest. But no one readily stepped forward. In 《Lepyon》, equipment enhancement was only possible by finding special NPCs or using special magic scrolls. It required a fortune. And it was a risky gamble with a chance of failure. Yet here was golden hand, offering to do it barehanded, on the spot.
It was hard to believe that a mere player, Golden Hand,, could do such a thing. And for free. But the first person to step forward seemed to have immense trust in Geumson.
“Brother, I’m ‘golden-handed Believer’… I followed you all the way here.”
“Ah, I’ve seen you in chat sometimes. Thanks.”
“It’s trustworthy, right? This gear… I spent my entire fortune on it… I trust you, hyung, for real!”
With trembling hands, ‘golden hand Believer’ offered his main equipment. He was one of the players who always sought out and cheered on golden hand’s streams. To the point golden hand remembered him. golden hand couldn’t betray the expectations of such an ardent fan.
“Don’t worry. At the very least, I won’t break it.”
The Unique-grade Longsword handed over by golden hand Believer. The longsword, with many parts worn from fierce battle, but that wasn’t a problem for golden hand.
Thump—!
Clang—!
Clang-clang— Thump!
Every time golden hand’s hammer struck the longsword, a dazzling light burst from the blade. His every movement was like perfect art, without an inch of error. The watching players unconsciously held their breath.
‘Intuition of Resolve, Insight of the Flow.’
In golden hands eyes, the longsword’s physical structure and magic flow were simultaneously visible. He found the most inefficient part, hammered it straight, and opened blocked magic pathways. Simultaneously, he used Astrid’s magic skill.
‘magic Engraving Art!’
Blue magic blooming from golden hands’s fingertips flowed over the blade, carving an ancient character symbolizing ‘Sharpness’.
[The ‘Soul’s Forging’ skill is activated.]
[The ‘Divine Dexterity’ skill is activated.]
[‘Magic Engraving Art’ grants the ‘Sharp Blade’ effect.]
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[Magic Engraving successful!]
[Great Success effect activates.]
[Item grade adjusted from ‘Unique’ to ‘Legendary’.]
[Proficiency of the ‘Magic Engraving Art’ skill has increased.]
[The ‘Dull Longsword’ has been granted a new ability.]
[Item name changed to ‘Dull Longsword with Engraved Sharpness’.]
[20% chance to inflict ‘Bleeding’ effect on attack.]
[Attack Power increased by 15%.]
As the messages appeared, Geumson smiled. The effect was better than expected.
‘Bleeding… an effect that makes the opponent bleed endlessly once wounded.’
Along with that, attack power increased by 15%. A significant effect for a simple enhancement. ‘golden hand Believer’, who received it back, couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear.
“It’s… Legendary grade! As expected! I knew trusting hyung was right! Wow, seriously! Even a Bleeding effect! This is amazing! Hyung, are you really doing this for free?”
Golden Hand Believer made the item information public. Then the surrounding players began to stir. Because it was proven that golden hand words weren’t empty.
“In return, hunt diligently. It’ll be a real headache if Airtos falls.”
