The Return of the Transcendent Blacksmith - Chapter 105

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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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Transcendent Master Blacksmith’s Return — Chapter 105
After the duel between Shin Tae-ho and Orum ended.
At Orum’s earlier request for repairs, the dwarves entered the Training Hall where the duel had concluded.
And upon seeing the Training Hall they were meant to repair, the dwarves’ jaws fell open.
“No, wait. Orum. What kind of training were you doing with this outsider?”
“Is it even possible to destroy the Training Hall like this…?”
“It’s not just dented—there are places where it’s completely shattered…?”
The Training Hall was a space constructed from the strongest material available, built to withstand the power of dwarves.
Even if a landslide were to occur, the Training Hall would remain unscathed beneath the debris—one could guarantee it with certainty.
Yet the Training Hall was not merely dented; it was shattered.
That meant an impact far greater than hundreds of tons of rock pouring down had occurred.
“Remarkable. Truly astounding.”
“Where are Orum and the outsider? If the Training Hall is in this state, surely they couldn’t have come away unscathed?”
“Orum went to the infirmary with injuries. The outsider… apparently went straight to the Crafting Workshop after the duel ended.”
“The Crafting Workshop? Surely not. Even after fighting so fiercely, he has the strength to craft a work immediately?”
The dwarves were astounded.
While Orum had gone to the infirmary, the outsider had gone to the Crafting Workshop.
This also meant that the victor of this battle was the outsider.
“Hah. We knew it when the four of them pierced through Komuto Volcano. They’re truly monstrous beings.”
The dwarves shook their heads.
Yet it was not blame—it was admiration.
“That’s right! Only those with that much strength have any right to call themselves dwarves! I like it!”
“Hehehehe! We built it so sturdily from the start that we rarely had cause to repair the Training Hall. Now we get to do it!”
“Let’s put some real effort into it! When else would we get the chance to work on the Training Hall like this?”
“Absolutely! You bet we will!”
Dwarves are beings who find their identity and fulfillment in being recognized for their craftsmanship.
To leave their mark on the sole Training Hall in the village—there was no honor greater than that.
The dwarves soon grew animated, laughing merrily as they discussed how to repair and renovate the Training Hall, their laughter filling the space.
* * *
Cling-clang! Cling-clang!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The clear ringing of a hammer echoed through the Crafting Workshop of the Dwarf Village.
The Crafting Workshop was always bustling with dwarves.
Yet the hammer sound now was unfamiliar even to them.
In the place where the dwarves kept stealing glances, Shin Tae-ho was hammering away at heated Tawernium.
‘I suppose it’s because I’ve been inactive for so long. This feels refreshing.’
A faint smile played at the corners of Shin Tae-ho’s mouth as he wielded the hammer.
The final duel with Orum in the Training Hall had ended in Shin Tae-ho’s victory.
But through Orum’s full-strength commitment, Shin Tae-ho had glimpsed another level of the Hammer Combat Technique.
And now he was reviewing and reflecting on that enlightenment in his mind.
‘Especially the method of attack he displayed at the end—that was impressive.’
Shin Tae-ho’s body, having undergone complete transformation, possessed extraordinary talent for learning martial arts.
As a result, Shin Tae-ho had already reached a higher level than Orum.
But in terms of experience with the Hammer Combat Technique, Orum was ten steps ahead of Shin Tae-ho.
Orum, who had been losing ground in the exchange of blows, had unleashed a secret move at the end to reverse the situation.
And it was a remarkable combat method Shin Tae-ho had never conceived of.
‘Breaking apart a section of the floor, striking those fragments to unleash a shockwave.’
The attack where he struck the floating Training Hall debris as if hitting a baseball—hard and powerfully.
That attack not only scattered the shattered fragments like buckshot.
But also generated shockwaves through the medium of the fragments that could spread widely.
‘I’m certain there will be times when I can use this later.’
Even as Shin Tae-ho reviewed in his mind, his hands did not stop.
Actions ingrained through long repetition moved his hands unconsciously.
And in the meantime, the long chunk of metal that was Tawernium gradually took on the perfect shape of a staff.
“Yong-ryong-i. Could you help me out for a moment?”
“Sure thing! But once I’m done helping, I can go outside, right?”
“Yeah. Once you help with this, I won’t keep you waiting anymore. You can go absorb Qi and play as much as you want.”
“Yes, yes, yes!”
Yong-ryong-i clenched his fist at his side in delight.
Yong-ryong-i had stayed beside Shin Tae-ho because he’d asked him to wait, but merely listening to hammering sounds in the cave was far too dull for him.
“Do I just need to breathe fire again this time?”
“No. This time, add a little of that venom from your scales—the one you showed me before.”
“Venom?”
Yong-ryong-i tilted his head, bewildered.
Shin Tae-ho stroked the creature’s head and explained.
“This staff is for Bianca. There’s no need for fire. And I’m curious—what kind of ability does your venom impart to the crafting?”
“Oh! Now that you mention it, Bianca makes ice and things! If I breathe fire, the staff would get hot, so fire’s definitely no good!”
“Your fire doesn’t grant or strengthen fire properties, but… I suppose that’s one way to think about it.”
Yong-ryong-i’s fire was meant only for refining and forging metals.
Breathing fire on a weapon or armor didn’t imbue it with fire attributes.
But Shin Tae-ho saw no need to explain further. Instead, he simply stroked the creature’s head as it pondered seriously, enjoying the moment.
Pleased by the petting, Yong-ryong-i transformed into his dragon form and lifted his tail above the staff.
Moments later, his scales shimmered with a faint purple hue, and a liquid began to pool at his tail’s tip.
As a single drop fell onto the staff, Shin Tae-ho stopped him.
“That’s enough. This much will do.”
“What? But I’ve barely started!”
“We need to conserve. Besides, this is still the experimental stage. I need to see what happens.”
“Hmm~. Got it! Can I go play outside then?”
“Sure. Take this chocolate too.”
“Yay~!”
Yong-ryong-i, delighted with the extra treat, bounded toward the village exit.
Shin Tae-ho watched the creature’s spirited form disappear with a quiet smile, then returned to his work.
‘Now let’s see what changes unfold.’
He continued forging, shaping the piece with careful, precise blows.
Despite only a single drop,
the venom Yong-ryong-i had released was already weaving a thin, long band throughout the staff—one that reached Bianca’s shoulder height.
“A staff? You’re making something peculiar. Doesn’t look like it’s for yourself. Are you making it for someone?”
A familiar voice came from behind him as he worked.
Zetaum, the Chief Dwarf, had been watching over his shoulder and couldn’t contain his curiosity.
“Yes, sir. Someone needed it, so I’m crafting it for them.”
“I see. A splendid staff indeed. The recipient will be delighted. But tell me—why aren’t you infusing it with Spirit?”
“Spirit, sir?”
Shin Tae-ho paused. He’d heard dwarves use that word many times, but its meaning remained unclear to him.
When dwarves spoke of Spirit, they meant the Ki that Awakeners wielded.
Elves, similarly, called it Natural Force.
‘I did infuse a small amount of Ki into it using my Ki Forging trait. But perhaps the quantity is so minimal, so insignificant, that he can’t sense it?’
As Shin Tae-ho considered his response,
Zetaum’s eyes widened slightly as he examined the staff more closely.
“The finish is truly excellent. Immaculate. But you haven’t infused it with Spirit. The sensation is similar, yet… it seems you haven’t yet reached the level where you can impart true Spirit?”
“Forgive me—is infusing Spirit something like this?”
Shin Tae-ho retrieved a Throwing Hammer from his Inventory and struck the staff with his working hammer.
The hammer, now visibly infused with stronger Ki, unleashed Ki Forging across the staff.
Zetaum’s expression shifted to surprise, but he shook his head.
“Strange. It resembles Spirit, yet it’s entirely different. What you just used isn’t Spirit as a crafter wields it—it’s more akin to Combat Spirit Infusion.”
“Are they different?”
“Distinctly so. Spirit responds to your will, shifting its form accordingly. The same hammer, depending on your intent, might shatter an enemy’s skull or birth a masterwork—that’s the difference.”
“…!”
This time, Shin Tae-ho’s eyes widened.
Just as Orum’s Hammer Combat Technique had once granted him an unexpected revelation,
Zetaum’s words now stirred something new in his chest, something that made his heart quicken.
‘To imbue crafting… with Spirit…?’
Zetaum smiled faintly as he watched Shin Tae-ho’s expression grow serious.
“You sense something stirring, I see. It won’t be easy. But I have a feeling you’ll find your way to that truth before long.”
“Could I learn the method you described—how to imbue Spirit?”
“It’s not something learned through instruction alone. It’s a height reached through thousands upon thousands of creations, through anguish and perseverance. But I can guide you in the right direction.”
“I truly wish to learn.”
Shin Tae-ho’s eyes blazed with determination.
‘A fine one indeed.’
Watching the intense hunger for growth in his gaze—the same fervor he’d shown when learning Hammer Combat—Zetaum’s smile deepened.
* * *
[You have cleared the 10th Floor Trial.]
[Points are awarded for clearing the trial.]
[Rewards for clearing the trial are being distributed.]
[Reward contents: 800 Middle-grade Qi Fragments, 1,500 Lower Essence Fragments,]
[Reward contents may vary depending on your contribution.]
“In the end. We’ve made it through the 10th floor.”
Behind Shin Tae-ho, who watched the message window, Bianca muttered with a hollow laugh.
Choi Yu-hwa, her expression unusually grave, kept her lips tightly pressed together while anxiously fussing with Pipi.
The strain made her grip tighter than usual, but Pipi, wary of Yong-ryong-i who lurked about watching for any opening, didn’t even think of nipping at her hand.
“Everything has proceeded according to plan up to this point. The rest we’ll have to leave to fortune.”
“Right. It’s infuriating that there are others thinking up the same strategy as us.”
Bianca ground her teeth audibly.
The tower’s announcement had naturally appeared to all other challengers as well.
When word spread that the tower-climbing roster would be reorganized, not only the news outlets but Tower.com had descended into chaos for a while.
In the midst of it all, a famous internet broadcaster ended up airing the same opinion that Shin Tae-ho had proposed on their stream.
As a result, more people grew eager to climb the tower quickly, and avoiding a certain degree of competition became impossible.
“Ugh, this is so frustrating. They should’ve just kept it to themselves, so why did they have to broadcast it and cause all this trouble?”
“They claimed it was for the greater good, but… knowing that we might be eliminated because of it, I can’t feel entirely happy about it.”
Choi Yu-hwa agreed with Bianca.
Just as the mood had settled into a heavy gloom,
Shin Tae-ho, who had been listening quietly, opened his inventory.
“Even so, not that many people will have reached the 10th floor. I’ve heard that the rate of those who cleared the first floor of the Dwarf Tower in a single attempt was less than 10%.”
Comforting the two of them, Shin Tae-ho reached into his inventory and pulled out an item.
Bianca, watching Shin Tae-ho speak, widened her eyes at the large staff that emerged from the inventory.
“Huh? That, that thing. Don’t tell me—?!”
“Yes. I’ve brought it. Your new staff, Bianca.”
“Kyaah! It’s here! It really came! I was honestly worried it would just vanish with only the supreme-grade frost rune in its belly!”
“Um, sister.”
Choi Yu-hwa was taken aback by such frank words.
But Bianca, her mind entirely absorbed by the staff, didn’t even hear her call.
Now that she had ownership and could view the item information, Bianca didn’t wait and immediately pulled up the staff’s details.
[Crafter’s Poison Frost Staff]
-Grade: Elite
-Description: A staff crafted by a creator who identifies themselves as a Crafter.
It possesses the ability to amplify Frost Magic and carries the essence of poison.
-Unique Effects: ⌜Poison Infusion (LV.4)⌟, ⌜Frost Amplification (LV.3)⌟, ⌜Mana Amplification (LV.2)⌟, ⌜Self-Restoration (LV.2)⌟
-Unique Ability: ⌜Poison Frost Cloud⌟
“Huh, gasp! Wahhhhh—!!”
At the item information that far exceeded her expectations, Bianca shrieked as though possessed.
To be continued in the next episode ▶
Transcendent Blacksmith’s Return
Author
Seal Release
Publisher
Kim Seok-hwan, Choi Se-ra
Published by
Grae Publishing
Contact Email
[email protected]
Publication Date
May 26, 2026
UCI
G720:N+A327-20260227067
※ This e-book is protected under copyright law, and unauthorized reproduction or copying is strictly prohibited. Violation of these terms may result in civil and criminal legal liability.
※ Pentagram welcomes precious manuscripts from writers.

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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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