The Return of the Transcendent Blacksmith - Chapter 103

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Transcendent Blacksmith’s Return – Episode 103
“You want to learn our Hammer Combat Technique? Not craftsmanship, but actual combat?”
“Yes.”
Shin Tae-ho answered without hesitation.
Zetaum fixed him with what seemed like an angry glare.
His face was grim enough to send chills down the spine of not just fellow dwarves, but orcs as well.
Yet Shin Tae-ho, meeting that gaze directly, showed no change in expression—his eyes steady and calm.
When Zetaum detected not the slightest tremor in his movements or in the way his spirit burned, the skin beneath his eyes twitched.
“What’s your reason?”
“Fighting orcs this time taught me that my combat ability falls short. I want to overcome that.”
“If that’s all, wouldn’t it be faster to ask for a better weapon instead?”
“A weapon is only a weapon. It isn’t me.”
“…Hoh.”
Light kindled in Zetaum’s eyes.
The southern dwarves here had long valued ability and tradition across generations.
And at the root of both of them lay something built up over countless years through bone-grinding effort.
‘Is this what they call ambition?’
Wanting to create better works, and for that reason, wanting better materials.
From Shin Tae-ho, Zetaum felt that kind of wholesome hunger and drive to improve.
‘I’ve heard this directly from him, but truly—the more I see, the more he resembles our dwarves. One might even say he wouldn’t seem out of place as a dwarf from another world.’
Zetaum’s gaze toward Shin Tae-ho softened.
He stopped stroking his beard, where he’d been lost in thought.
“Fine. I’ll have someone teach you. But I won’t teach you directly.”
“Learning is all that matters.”
Shin Tae-ho accepted without any sign of regret or disappointment.
‘Learning from Epiel confirmed it again. What I need isn’t a brilliant teacher.’
Honestly, Epiel couldn’t really be called a good teacher.
Epiel himself had the limitation of being self-taught through records after the Guardians died, picking up their Physical Combat Technique that way.
Shin Tae-ho had kept it secret for fear of wounding Epiel’s pride.
But in less than three months of training, Shin Tae-ho had already surpassed Epiel in skill.
‘What I need is the essence accumulated through years of refining and developing technique. Once I grasp that framework, learning it isn’t difficult.’
Shin Tae-ho’s eyes gleamed with anticipation.
Zetaum, sensing that eager emotion, chuckled and turned his head.
“Since it’s come to this, you teach him the Hammer Combat Art from now on. Orum.”
“Me? Are you speaking to me?”
Orum, who had been standing idly, startled at being suddenly singled out.
Zetaum brought Orum forward with an arm around his shoulder.
“You two have been to Komuto Volcano together before. The reason I sent you then was because you’re among the strongest in the Hammer Combat Art.”
“I see. So there was such a reason. I’d sensed something extraordinary about you.”
“No, I only fought once! And I retreated at that!”
“That was because of the traitor, wasn’t it? When you faced those orcs, you didn’t give an inch—you swept them away. I found that impressive.”
“Right, you encountered them too. At any rate, given the situation, teach him the combat art.”
“When do I have time for that? Right now I’m—”
Orum was stuck in an frustrating situation where he couldn’t properly breathe life into his creations.
He nearly spilled his troubles aloud before catching himself and closing his mouth.
Shin Tae-ho, observing Orum’s reaction, stepped forward.
“I won’t take much of your time. Just tell me what hours work for you, and I’ll come then.”
“No, I—”
Orum, about to refuse, locked eyes with Shin Tae-ho.
Orum, whose ability to perceive spirits was faint but present, was startled to see Shin Tae-ho’s spirit burning so solidly and steadily.
When Orum looked back at Zetaum, Zetaum smirked as if to say, “Now you see?” and laughed.
“Refuse if you want. I only accepted because I couldn’t refuse.”
Zetaum rose with the air of having said all that needed saying and left.
Alone together, Orum glanced at Shin Tae-ho.
Seeing him still regard him with that unchanged expression, Orum let out a deep sigh.
“Fine. I’ll teach you. But as I said, I can’t watch over you for long. At best, I can spare a little time when my schedule permits.”
“That’s enough. Thank you.”
Shin Tae-ho accepted readily.
He’d worried the affinity might be too low for the request to succeed at all, but this was an excellent outcome.
* * *
After receiving a promise from Orum to set a date three days later, Shin Tae-ho waited outside for Bianca and Choi Yu-hwa to emerge from the tower.
While he played briefly with Yong-ryong-i, the two soon entered the tower simultaneously.
Shin Tae-ho, who had entered first and undergone the Trial, summarized the situation for them.
Upon hearing the Trial’s contents, Choi Yu-hwa tilted her head in bewilderment, trying to make sense of what she’d heard.
“Wait, so… we’re supposed to stay in the village for three days and just block any orcs that attack us, right?”
“That is correct.”
“No, something feels really off. It’s completely different from the information I gathered outside.”
Bianca voiced her suspicion.
As an ITRO World Ranker and Swiss ranker, Bianca had been able to gather information from various challengers.
But what they had told her differed greatly from what they themselves had experienced.
“On the first floor, the dwarves weren’t persuaded so easily. We didn’t receive exploration of the Komuto volcano as a Trial. This Trial is different—I’ve never heard of anyone else getting something like this.”
“I’m surprised too. I asked Tower Dot Com and the Guild about it. When I mentioned the Komuto volcano, they said the dwarves got angry.”
“I believe that’s because our Affinity differs.”
When Shin Tae-ho climbed the mountain on the first floor, he had earned considerable favor by explaining that he was a dwarf.
Furthermore, even after clearing all the Trials, he had continued to build Affinity through various means, such as mining minerals in the mine.
His assertion was that as a result, the Trial’s contents were not deeply tied to dwarven life, but rather reflected the depth of that Affinity.
Of course, this wasn’t mere speculation—it was information Shin Tae-ho genuinely knew.
‘The Dwarf’s Tower had such high failure rates because climbers didn’t know these things. If I release this information beforehand, many more people could reach higher floors.’
And if word spread that minerals mined in the mine could be kept and sold for profit?
Challengers would flock to the mine at the prospect of earning money while gaining the dwarves’ favor.
The minerals they extracted would be sold to make money and enter the market.
‘There might be rare ores among them that I never found. If I can buy those with money, nothing could be better.’
“Hmm. Well, I suppose. When I cleared the Trial, all I did was recover Mana and leave. You two actually talked to them and mined in the quarry.”
“Oh, no. The dwarves definitely liked you too. Your Affinity must have been high as well.”
‘Sister?’
Shin Tae-ho looked at Bianca with a puzzled expression.
Bianca, tilting her head as if asking why he was looking at her that way, suddenly realized his confusion and clapped her hands.
“Oh, Shin Tae-ho doesn’t know? Yu-hwa stayed at my hotel for a few days and we spent time together. She’s got a good personality and is cute like a little sister, so I asked her to call me ‘sister.'”
“Ha, hehe.”
At Bianca’s explanation, Choi Yu-hwa laughed awkwardly, clearly embarrassed.
Bianca, who had been chuckling, suddenly remembered something and warned Shin Tae-ho in a low voice.
“But don’t ever drink with her. How is it that she gets drunk on just half a bottle of soju….”
“Aah! Sister! We agreed not to talk about that!”
Choi Yu-hwa jumped up in alarm, and Bianca laughed, waving her hand dismissively.
“Alright, alright. Anyway, we can just relax here for the three days.”
“I can’t guarantee that. A horde of orcs could suddenly come attacking at any moment.”
“Looks can be deceiving—the dwarves fight well. Plus, this isn’t a volcanic region either, right? Meaning my power won’t be weakened.”
Bianca opened her palm, and a small ice crystal manifested above it.
Though she hadn’t deployed her full magical power, the single crystal caused the surrounding temperature to plummet in an instant.
“I’ve been itching to use magic since I haven’t had a chance. Orcs coming at us? I say bring it on.”
Shin Tae-ho nodded.
Indeed, Bianca alone could easily cut down hundreds of orcs without breaking a sweat.
“I’m relieved then. With Choi Yu-hwa and you here, there’s nothing to worry about.”
“You and Yu-hwa just rest. I’m more than enough on my own.”
“Then what if we split the watch? We could take turns keeping watch.”
“Watch?”
This was the dwarves’ stronghold.
If orcs reached this far, it meant the dwarves’ defensive line had already been breached.
Shin Tae-ho’s suggestion was for them to periodically go to the perimeter outside the village and block the orcs’ attacks before they could advance further.
After hearing the proposal, Bianca pouted her lips thoughtfully.
“Hmm~! I like it? The Trial is three days anyway, so if we rotate one day each, it works out perfectly.”
“I agree too! That way the people resting can actually get proper rest.”
“Then let’s do that. Why don’t we draw lots to see who goes first.”
Under Shin Tae-ho’s direction, a quick game of rock-paper-scissors began to determine the order.
* * *
Unlike the two peaceful days when Choi Yu-hwa and Bianca stood watch,
on the third day when Shin Tae-ho was on watch, roughly fifty orcs attacked the village’s outpost.
However, the orcs’ Weapons were nothing special,
and though orcs were a race naturally suited to combat, fifty of them could not overcome Shin Tae-ho and Yong-ryong-i.
[You have cleared the Trial of the 4th Floor.]
[You have been awarded points for completing the Trial.]
[Rewards are being distributed.]
[Reward contents: 1,000 Middle-grade Qi Fragments, 1,500 Lower Essence Fragments,]
[The reward contents may vary depending on your Contribution.]
The moment Shin Tae-ho detonated the Bolt lodged in the skull of the final orc, a message window appeared confirming that the Trial had been cleared.
Bianca’s expression soured as she read through the rewards.
“Only 50 Middle-grade Qi Fragments and 300 Lower Essence Fragments? That’s pretty stingy.”
“I got about the same amount. I suppose if the Trial is too easy, the rewards suffer for it.”
“Hmm. I thought if a Trial was easy, it’d be a goldmine. Turns out there’s no such luck.”
Bianca clicked her tongue in frustration.
She had enough money to last a lifetime, she said, but as a challenger, she couldn’t help but covet the Tower’s items.
Bianca pouted her lower lip as she stared at the message window, then stood and stretched.
“Fine! Since we’re doing this anyway, I’ll go mine for minerals too. You two are heading to the Mine, right? Let me come along.”
“I’m afraid I won’t be able to join you—I have something else to attend to.”
“Huh? Why? I thought you loved mining more than anyone.”
“I have business with the dwarves. It’s personal.”
“With the dwarves?”
At Shin Tae-ho’s words, Choi Yu-hwa’s eyes gleamed with curiosity.
Unlike her, Bianca—raised in individualistic Switzerland and a woman who respected privacy—merely shrugged.
“All right, then. I’ll contact you later. Let’s grab another meal together sometime.”
“Of course. This time, I’ll take you to a bibimbap restaurant I know.”
“Yes! Bibimbap! I love it!”
After settling on a time for dinner, Shin Tae-ho parted ways with the two and headed into the village.
Before he could even ask the dwarves for directions, Orum approached him.
“You made it. You’re right on time.”
“Of course. Do we begin now?”
“Yes. Why—did battling all those orcs wear you out?”
“Not at all.”
Shin Tae-ho chuckled and shook his head.
At his answer, Orum chuckled in return and led the way, guiding Shin Tae-ho and Yong-ryong-i forward.
To be continued ▶
The Transcendent Blacksmith’s Return
Author
Sealed Release
Publisher
Kim Seok-hwan, Choi Se-ra
Published by
Grae Publishing
Contact Email
[email protected]
Date of Publication
May 26, 2026
UCI
G720:N+A327-20260227067
※ This e-book is protected under copyright law. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution is prohibited. Violators will be subject to civil and criminal liability.
※ Pentagram welcomes your precious manuscripts.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————