The Return of the Transcendent Blacksmith - Chapter 112

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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 Blacksmith’s Return — Episode 112
Having lost their rallying point, the orcs swiftly decided to retreat.
Yet it was not a panicked flight like that of goblins seized by terror.
As though duty-bound to relay this information, a handful turned and fled.
The remaining orcs held their ground, weapons drawn, standing against Shin Tae-ho’s party to shield those in retreat.
Shin Tae-ho frowned as he regarded the orcs.
‘Do we have to fight again? I hate wasting bolts.’
A single bolt—the ammunition for a crossbow—cost no less than one Middle-grade Qi Fragment.
This time he had unleashed them without restraint, facing the unexpected threat of the Blood Orc.
Under normal circumstances, these were not items to be squandered so freely.
As Shin Tae-ho deliberated on his next move,
Amaterasu stepped forward ahead of him, straightening her Ōtachi.
“You’ve labored greatly. From here, I shall take the burden. Please, rest now.”
“You mean to face them alone?”
“Not alone. I have a trusted comrade—closer to me than my own shadow.”
Amaterasu smiled faintly and gestured toward the fleeing orcs.
Han Ji-hyun, who had been listening from behind, widened her eyes at what Amaterasu indicated.
The muscular-legged orcs darted swiftly, having already raced far ahead.
Yet from some point onward, they began falling one by one, their heads severing from their bodies.
Han Ji-hyun, bewildered by the incomprehensible violence, soon grasped the reason.
Whoosh!
The shadow of a running orc suddenly surged upward.
In that instant, Tsukuyomi emerged from the shadow via the skill Shadows Eternal, wielding a short sword layered with dense Energy.
Without even confirming the orc’s decapitation, Tsukuyomi vanished back into shadow to strike again.
‘Japan’s World Ranker Tsukuyomi…!’
Han Ji-hyun activated Detection Magic to closely observe this rare display of combat.
The enraged Tsukuyomi moved like a machine—merciless and swift, cutting down fleeing orc after fleeing orc.
‘It is my weakness that has endangered her…!’
Tsukuyomi’s short sword flashed.
Past noon, as the sun began to descend and clouds cast shadows across the light, the darkness grew more distinct than before.
Threading through those shadows, the densely charged short sword aimed with precision at every gap the helmets could not cover.
With each swing, orc heads fell to the ground like fruit.
‘How can I possibly serve her like this? What manner of Ranker am I?’
‘… Tsukuyomi. You seem quite angry.’
Amaterasu, wearing a wry smile, held her Ōtachi horizontally.
The moment the charging orcs entered her striking range,
Amaterasu lunged forward and swung the blade—taller than herself—in a devastating arc.
“Kruh… ack?”
“Kraaack!”
Three orcs caught by the blade’s edge fell in a single stroke, combat-disabled.
Maximizing her blade’s cutting power, Amaterasu’s narrowed eyes opened quietly as she carved through orc and armor alike.
‘That is my burden as well.’
Her own inadequacy had placed even Tsukuyomi, who trusted and followed her, in mortal danger.
Had she only stepped forward herself with conviction, even if Tsukuyomi had cautioned against it, this would never have come to pass.
Seized by belated regret and shame, Amaterasu gripped her Ōtachi all the more firmly.
‘I will not repeat that mistake.’
The orcs were formidable.
Stronger than the goblins they had faced in Elf’s Tower.
Even compared to the orcs they had encountered on Floor 10, the previous level, these were far more powerful.
Then she too must advance with earnest resolve.
As Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi settled into position and revealed their true strength, the orcs began to fall in rapid succession.
The Chinese Challengers watching from a distance were astonished.
“So that is their true power? They were hiding their strength all along.”
“Tsukuyomi is one thing, but our intelligence on Amaterasu was sparse. We must observe as much as possible this time.”
“We laid this trap specifically for the orcs—a waste. Still, gathering information is its own substantial reward.”
“Of course. Here, they won’t even notice our pres—”
Mid-conversation, one of the Chinese Challengers glanced skyward and fell silent.
Sensing something amiss in their comrade’s behavior, the other four followed his gaze upward, their chests tightening as they held their breath.
A single dragon hovered in the sky above them, gazing down with unwavering eyes.
“A dragon?”
Yong-ryong-i came to confirm the presence she felt through her Energy Sensing, gazing down at the Chinese Challengers without a trace of emotion.
One of the Chinese Challengers, a chill running down her spine, immediately called out in a low voice.
“Everyone, get out! Escape from here!”
“Wait, just a moment. We’ve already been spotted, haven’t we? Wouldn’t it be better to explain—”
“That thing’s a beast—it won’t listen to reason! If we slip away now, they won’t even know we were here!”
“Ah! R-right!”
“Understood!”
The Chinese Challengers fled the tower all at once.
Besides, they’d already cleared Floor 11’s Trial thanks to Park Su-hyuk, and their plan had failed anyway—there was no reason to linger.
“…Ryong!”
Yong-ryong-i, who had been staring at the space where the Chinese Challengers had vanished, flew swiftly toward Shin Tae-ho.
* * *
Thanks to Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi’s efforts, not a single orc escaped—all lay dead on the ground.
Looking at the orc corpses scattered across the earth, Shin Tae-ho exhaled as if exhausted.
‘I was so pleased to finish the Trial quickly, and now I’ve gotten tangled up in something like this.’
His Trial with Han Ji-hyun had been to find and report traces of a missing informant.
On paper it had looked difficult, but the Trial resolved far more easily than expected.
When Shin Tae-ho had climbed the tower with Bianca and Choi Yu-hwa, he’d wandered the perimeter of the Dwarf City countless times.
Fortune smiled upon them, and they quickly uncovered what appeared to be the informant’s Broken Hammer.
‘I could have left then, but… if I had, those two wouldn’t have made it out safely.’
As Shin Tae-ho was inspecting his armor for damage, Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi, finished with their battle, approached him.
“We cannot thank you enough. We managed to escape that perilous situation only because of your assistance.”
Amaterasu bowed her head in gratitude.
Tsukuyomi, who had hesitated, followed her example and bowed as well, seeing his lady offer her thanks.
Shin Tae-ho shook his head.
“Not at all. People as strong as you hardly needed me to interfere.”
‘Is he being sarcastic?’
Tsukuyomi’s eyebrows rose slightly as he misunderstood Shin Tae-ho’s words.
But looking into Shin Tae-ho’s eyes, Tsukuyomi realized it wasn’t mockery at all.
‘He seems to have helped in genuine sincerity. I nearly misunderstood because of my own troubled thoughts.’
Embarrassment flushed Tsukuyomi’s cheeks a faint red.
Yet beneath Shin Tae-ho’s gaze lay a hidden chill.
‘These so-called World Rankers are already wavering like this? That’s troubling.’
As Shin Tae-ho conversed with the pair, Yong-ryong-i descended from the sky.
Shin Tae-ho opened his arms in a familiar gesture, and in an instant, Yong-ryong-i shifted into human form and nestled against him.
“Yong-ryong, where did you go?”
“Ryong! When the orcs were attacking, there were people hiding over there, so I went to check them out, ryong!”
“People hiding, you say?”
They had barely a moment to marvel at Yong-ryong-i’s swift transformation before Tsukuyomi’s eyes sharpened at the mention of hidden figures.
Tsukuyomi’s gaze became knife-edged.
Yong-ryong-i, nestled comfortably in Shin Tae-ho’s arms, nodded.
“Their armor gleamed bright, and they weren’t hiding their energy, so I could see them right away, ryong. Five of them were watching from over there, laughing, ryong!”
“Laughing? You’re sure about that?”
“Of course, ryong! They were talking quietly among themselves and laughing, ryong! I don’t lie, ryong!”
Yong-ryong-i raised her voice indignantly at Shin Tae-ho’s question.
Of course, he hadn’t truly doubted her, so Shin Tae-ho apologized at once.
“I wasn’t doubting you. I’m sorry. What’s certain is that they were simply watching—whether they laughed or not.”
Shin Tae-ho subtly summarized Yong-ryong-i’s account while glancing sidelong at Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi.
Surprise registered on Amaterasu’s face; cold fury blazed across Tsukuyomi’s.
As an awkward silence descended, Han Ji-hyun, who had been quiet until now, raised her hand toward Shin Tae-ho.
“Shin Tae-ho, shouldn’t we be leaving now? If we stay longer, we might encounter more scouts.”
“You’re right. Let’s move.”
Shin Tae-ho set out toward the Dwarf City, still cradling Yong-ryong-i in his arms.
The three who followed behind him walked silently in his wake, each lost in their own thoughts.
* * *
Back in the city, the four reported their results to Zetaum.
Until Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi showed him the three items they’d found, Zetaum’s reaction was unremarkable.
But the moment Shin Tae-ho and Han Ji-hyun presented the Broken Hammer, Zetaum’s face darkened noticeably.
“I see… So it’s come to this after all.”
Zetaum gripped the Broken Hammer, clenching his teeth hard as his eyes fell shut.
In that moment, a message window materialized before Shin Tae-ho’s eyes.
[You have cleared the Trial of Floor 11.]
[You are awarded points for clearing the Trial.]
[Trial completion rewards have been distributed.]
[Reward details: 300 High-grade Qi Fragments, 2,000 Middle-grade Qi Fragments, Treasure Box Key Fragment (1/3)]
The rewards had increased substantially—a sign that this Trial had been significant.
Yet what truly caught Shin Tae-ho’s eye was the key fragment at the end of the list.
‘A key fragment. It’s been a while.’
He’d received key fragments as rewards in the Elf’s Tower before.
Back then, Shin Tae-ho had opened a treasure chest that the elves had kept in their village and obtained the Fusion Tesseract.
Moreover, unlike the Elf’s Tower where he’d needed to collect five fragments, this key required only three pieces to complete.
‘But I’m sure they’ve made collecting pieces equally difficult.’
The Tower grew increasingly harsh toward Challengers with each floor.
Shin Tae-ho knew the Tower well enough not to celebrate simply because the number of fragments had decreased.
Zetaum, who had been sighing with his eyes closed and hammer in hand, opened them and looked toward Shin Tae-ho.
“Stranger, Shin Tae-ho. I hear you slew the Blood Orc. Is that true?”
“It is true, though we defeated it together.”
Shin Tae-ho graciously divided the credit equally among them.
Yet Zetaum, having observed the spirits of the others, shook his head.
“Their spirits won’t allow that claim. You took the greatest share of the glory—no doubt about it. We truly owe you thanks.”
[Zetaum’s Favorability has increased.]
[The Southern Dwarves’ Favorability has increased slightly.]
‘What? Favorability increased?’
Shin Tae-ho’s eyes widened as he read the message window.
Favorability notifications—these hadn’t appeared before. So why were they showing up again?
With that thought, Shin Tae-ho turned to look behind him.
Just as he suspected, Han Ji-hyun was watching him with an expression of feigned surprise, as though she’d seen the same message window.
“The two of you risked your lives and pushed deep into enemy territory to find this hammer. I wish to repay that debt. Tell me—is there anything you desire?”
“Anything we desire…?”
Han Ji-hyun was the first to respond, her eyes questioning as she looked at Zetaum.
Countless Challengers had requested weapon crafting from the dwarves before.
Yet each time, they either spoiled the mood or worse, provoked the dwarves’ anger.
Never had a single dwarf offered to craft something unprompted.
So for him to ask what they desired…?
Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi also stared at the pair with eyes wide with astonishment.
Shin Tae-ho alone remained composed, appearing lost in thought, then nodded.
“If you’ll permit me, I have something I’d like to ask.”
Zetaum had expected the Challenger to request item crafting, so he was genuinely surprised.
“Something you wish to ask? What is it?”
“It concerns the hammer your dwarven people have revered and safeguarded for generations.”
“…What?”
Zetaum froze like stone at this unexpected question.
To be continued ▶
The Transcendent Blacksmith’s Return
Author
Bong In-haejae
Publisher
Kim Seok-hwan, Choi Se-ra
Publishing House
Grae Publications
Inquiry Email
[email protected]
Publication Date
May 26, 2026
UCI
G720:N+A327-20260227067
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※ Pentagram welcomes your precious manuscripts.

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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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