The Return of the Transcendent Blacksmith - Chapter 120

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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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The Master Blacksmith’s Return: Chapter 120
Shin Tae-ho’s sunken eyes reflected a distant past.
A tower that had appeared suddenly in the world, threatening the survival of humanity and Earth itself.
Against that tower, Challengers who gained power through Awakening, staking their lives as they climbed.
Yet not all of them were united in common cause.
Many sought fame as Challengers, hungering for wealth that came with it.
Others grew obsessed with the Ranker rankings, using Dark Schemes to eliminate those stronger than themselves.
And some—some would stab their allies in the back at the critical moment, using weapons forged through blood and tears to topple the tower.
It was not confined to any single nation.
Greed and jealousy were traits most people carried within them.
And they were not bound by gender, age, or borders.
And now.
Shin Tae-ho felt the anger he’d buried while focused on tower climbing resurface, his nerves turning sharp and raw, standing on edge.
“Kheh. You stupid bastard. If only you’d stuck with those Japanese Rankers, you might’ve had a chance at survival.”
“But walking into a dead end yourself? It just makes things cleaner for us.”
“We’ll be merciful. I’ll send you off gently with a single blow.”
The Chinese Challengers took combat stances.
They affected casualness to suppress their killing intent, but their hearts shrank with growing impatience.
‘Even if they’re held back by the landslides and orcs, those two are Rankers. They could arrive here soon.’
‘This one isn’t a Ranker, so he won’t be much trouble. Finish him quick and get out of here.’
China’s population was one billion four hundred and ten million.
Though they’d been pushed to second place by India, the numbers still overflowed.
Because of this, many in China who failed to become Rankers chose to hide their strength entirely, rather than display it clumsily.
From conversations, these five all claimed they were such cases.
Believing their words absolutely, they harbored no doubt about their victory.
But Shin Tae-ho had not yet taken a combat stance.
“Pointless question, but I’ll ask anyway. Why are you after me?”
Shin Tae-ho had never displayed items worth coveting.
And his death wouldn’t bring them the sort of fame that mattered.
There was simply nothing to gain from killing him.
He couldn’t fathom why they were staring at him with such hunger in their eyes.
The odds were low, but if by chance they’d misunderstood the situation or confused their target—
He was willing to break their limbs and send them back without killing them.
But Shin Tae-ho’s consideration became meaningless the moment a thick sneer crossed their faces.
“Stupid indeed. Obviously it’s not your things we want.”
“What would we covet? This Crossbow? Your Armor perhaps?”
“Those are impressive, I’ll grant. But what we really want is that thing around your neck.”
“A dragon?”
Yong-ryong-i’s eyes widened in shock.
Wondering if he’d misheard, he lifted his head to find ten eyes glinting with avarice turned toward him.
“A dragon. A dragon! And still so young—the meat will be tender and easy to eat!”
“Taste doesn’t matter. Just thinking about how much stronger we’ll become by consuming it… kheh kheh.”
“Eat it?”
Shin Tae-ho’s voice dropped lower.
He’d thought they were blinded by greed for items, but the reason was far more vile and disturbing than he’d imagined.
Shin Tae-ho barely squeezed out his last shred of patience.
“You believe that nonsense about becoming stronger by eating a dragon? You’d harm someone over something that’s never been proven?”
“I don’t think it works that way, but it doesn’t matter. Even if it doesn’t make us stronger, eating a dragon isn’t an ordinary thing, is it? We lose nothing.”
“Harm someone? What’s it to you? In the end, he’s still my competition, isn’t he?”
“Besides, people are plentiful. What matters is what kind of being you become among them.”
“And for that, you need the courage to seize opportunity when it comes!”
“That’s enough. I’ve heard all I need.”
Shin Tae-ho cut them off, having confirmed their unshakeable resolve.
He secured Yong-ryong-i safely inside his Armor, then donned his Helmet, his fists clenching hard.
“Your kind have always existed. Self-centered idiots who care for nothing but themselves, eager only to pad their own coffers.”
“Hah! How would a commoner comprehend the wisdom of a hero?”
“By nature, the foolish and stupid are meant to be devoured by their betters!”
The five Challengers spread out.
Regardless of whether their opponent was a Ranker, they would not be careless in an undertaking of this magnitude.
In the formation they’d practiced countless times, the most robust of them charged toward Shin Tae-ho.
“Farewell! Your dragon is ours—”
Bang!
Before he could finish, the fired bolt detonated in a burst of force.
The armor where the bolt struck crumpled and cracked.
But since the armor hadn’t pierced through, his opponent showed no fear whatsoever.
“Hahaha! Just as weak as I thought! So this is the limit of the Tamer class!”
“How tiresome.”
The man mocking Shin Tae-ho felt a chill run down his spine at the voice coming from behind.
Using the Guardian’s Body Technique, Shin Tae-ho had closed the distance in an instant, and his fist came crashing down on his opponent’s shoulder.
The punch was far more devastating than the earlier explosion, and as the Chinese Challenger’s shoulder shattered, a scream tore from his throat.
“Gyaaagh?! W-what kind of strength is this?!”
“Enough playing around!”
“What are you doing? We’ve wasted enough time—stop stalling!”
The four others cursed their kneeling comrade and rushed at Shin Tae-ho, encircling him.
They came at him from all four directions at once, forming what looked like a perfect siege.
But Shin Tae-ho used the residual energy left in his own footprints to trigger an explosion, shattering their formation with ease.
“Ugh! T-the ground—?!”
The Challenger attacking from the east lost his footing and stumbled.
In that instant, Shin Tae-ho’s knee shot forward like lightning, driving straight into his opponent’s face.
The helmet crumpled like aluminum, and the man whose nose and cheekbone had been shattered rolled across the ground.
“Waaaagh! It hurts! It hurts!”
“Y-you goddamned monster!”
The three remaining Challengers realized their comrades hadn’t been exaggerating and activated their skills.
Stones from the ground shot toward Shin Tae-ho like bullets, while an electrified club swung at his legs.
Yet with just three steps, Shin Tae-ho evaded everything, then struck both attackers with a sweeping kick that sent them flying.
“A-agh! Y-you’re not a Tamer! You must have deceived us about your class!!”
“Damn it! The dragon! Go for the dragon! Even if we can’t kill this bastard, we have to take the dragon!”
At the shouts of the four downed Challengers, the last man steeled his resolve.
The sole Challenger not wearing armor twisted his body like slime, lunging at Shin Tae-ho.
‘What is that?’
Despite its grotesque form, the speed wasn’t impressive, so Shin Tae-ho moved to dodge easily.
But then the body suddenly expanded before him, stretching to cover his entire escape route.
Realizing he couldn’t evade, Shin Tae-ho’s eyes narrowed.
Splurt!
“Got him!”
As the half-liquid body engulfed Shin Tae-ho, the Chinese Challengers cheered.
This technique—enveloping a target completely and stuffing itself into every gap to suffocate them—was originally reserved for use against Rankers.
An unknown Tamer would be dead in moments, they were certain.
But events unfolded differently than they expected.
Crack-crack!
The body covering Shin Tae-ho twisted violently and coiled.
The force grew stronger and stronger, twisting the body like a corkscrew until it could no longer hold him, and it fell to the side.
While the other four watched in shock.
The twisted Challenger’s body suddenly exploded, scattering in all directions.
“W-what?”
“W-wait. How did this happen?”
No answer came.
Only then did the surviving four grasp the reality of their comrade’s death, their spines going rigid, eyes wide.
“T-that bastard…!”
In the face of their comrade’s death, the survivors’ minds raced.
Whatever method he’d used, Shin Tae-ho was far stronger than anticipated.
Moreover, nearly five minutes had already passed, and the risk of Rankers arriving to reinforce them was growing by the moment.
More than anything, they were merely Challengers randomly assigned by the tower—chance acquaintances.
They’d fought together only because they shared nationality and purpose, not out of any bond worth dying for.
Tap-tap-tap!
The quickest-thinking Challenger turned and bolted.
But before he could take even two steps, he screamed as an excruciating pain seized him, and he collapsed to the ground.
“Gyaaagh! W-what?!”
Shin Tae-ho’s energy, which had penetrated deep into his body, took root within his channels and twisted them like a corkscrew.
As the panicked man glanced at his comrades, he realized their situation was identical.
“No, no! P-please, save me!”
“I, I surrender! I surrender!! Stop, please!!”
“Too late.”
Shin Tae-ho took a step forward.
The qi lingering in his footprints resonated, twisting the fallen Chinese Challengers’ bodies with even greater force.
And the moment that power exceeded the body’s limit.
Bones shattered and muscles tore with a sickening sound as one body burst apart, just as before.
“Huh, huh-ack! Whee-ack!”
With two dead, the remaining survivor gasped for breath.
Desperate thoughts flooded his mind, and a message window materialized before his eyes.
[You currently have 1 Withdrawal Right remaining.]
[Do you wish to forfeit the challenge and exit the tower?]
“I, I’m leaving! I’m leaving!”
“Hey, hey! You wouldn’t—?!”
“That bastard! He’s trying to save himself alone!”
The other two, sensing his intent to use the Withdrawal Right, hurled curses at him.
Regardless, the man gripped by the terror of death kept screaming that he was getting out.
But before the Withdrawal Right could activate.
Shin Tae-ho detonated the qi within his body, and the screaming man’s breath ceased.
“Hiii, hiii-ick…!”
Shin Tae-ho looked at the remaining two.
At his gesture, one of them exploded identically.
The last remaining Challenger wept, begging for his life.
“P-please spare me! If you only let me live! I will move as you command and become a useful servant!”
“Not necessary.”
Shin Tae-ho gestured again.
The qi coiled like a serpent within his body nourished itself on the Challenger’s qi, preparing for detonation.
The Challenger’s voice cut off, his eyes hollow with despair as he pleaded to the end.
“I learned through bitter experience. If you don’t root out the aftermath entirely, it will inevitably return as poison one day.”
Shin Tae-ho muttered to himself.
The corpses of the Challengers began to crumble like sand.
A message window appeared in Shin Tae-ho’s vision as he watched the bodies disintegrate with hollow eyes.
[Murder detected.]
[Analyzing cause of death]
[Determined to be legitimate defensive action for self-protection.]
[Action deemed justified. Karma of Wrongdoing will not be applied.]
The karma that accumulates when one harms another Challenger in the tower for profit or personal grudge.
In this case, Shin Tae-ho’s actions were recognized as self-defense, and no penalty was incurred.
Had his actions not been deemed legitimate, his hard-earned reputation might have plummeted.
Or a subtle crimson aura would have surrounded his body, marking him as dangerous to both the Dwarves and fellow Challengers alike.
[Items from the deceased Challenger’s Inventory will be transferred to you.]
After reading the message, Shin Tae-ho let out a small sigh of relief and checked inside his armor.
“Are you okay, Yong-ryong-i? Did you get hurt?”
“I’m fine-ryong. Are you okay, Shin Tae-ho-ryong?”
Yong-ryong-i looked at Shin Tae-ho with concern.
Yong-ryong-i, who had consumed much drama and animation over time.
From what he’d seen, people often suffered great shock and psychological damage when harming their own kind.
Shin Tae-ho was slightly surprised by Yong-ryong-i’s worried response, then smiled wryly.
“I’m fine.”
“Really-ryong?”
“Yes. Really.”
Shin Tae-ho reassured Yong-ryong-i.
Meanwhile, the party, who had finished dealing with the orcs belatedly, rushed toward Shin Tae-ho.
“Shin Tae-ho! Are you alright…?”
The three who arrived quickly froze at the sight of the battlefield around them.
By any measure, this didn’t look like they’d been fighting monsters like orcs.
The three stared at Shin Tae-ho with shocked eyes.
Shin Tae-ho, who had no intention of hiding the truth with lies, nodded.
“I killed them.”
At Shin Tae-ho’s candid answer, the three’s eyes widened in alarm.
Continued in the next episode ▶
The Return of the Transcendent Blacksmith
Author
Bongineul Haeje
Publisher
Kim Seok-hwan, Choi Se-ra
Published by
Gerae Publishing
Inquiries
[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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