The Return of the Transcendent Blacksmith - Chapter 121

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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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Return of the Transcendent-Grade Blacksmith — Chapter 121
Shin Tae-ho and his group hurried away from the site, carrying the informant who was still dazed.
The orcs gave chase through the debris, but after a trumpet blast sounded from the base, they stopped pursuing.
Shin Tae-ho sensed that it was Kogarum’s doing.
Only after they descended the mountain and reached a spot with trees thick enough to hide among did Shin Tae-ho slow his pace.
“They’ve given up the chase, so we should be able to go at a leisurely pace from here on.”
Under normal circumstances, even Amaterasu would have offered a response, but this time nothing came back.
Shin Tae-ho wasn’t troubled by it.
‘I killed someone. It’s natural they’d be wary.’
It wasn’t as though he felt no sense of injustice at all.
But at the same time, he had no desire to step forward and actively defend himself, insisting on his innocence.
It might become an issue outside the tower later.
The three people Shin Tae-ho knew weren’t the type to rush forward and spread rumors carelessly.
‘From the next floor on, I’ll go alone.’
As Shin Tae-ho settled things with them in his mind,
Amaterasu, who had hesitated throughout the walk, hurried to his side with quickened steps.
“Shin Tae-ho. Before you go, there’s something I need to tell you.”
Amaterasu’s expression was grave.
Shin Tae-ho, who had anticipated such a move, nodded.
“It’s fine. I understand. For now, finish this trial. From the next floor, we’ll move separately.”
At Shin Tae-ho’s words, Amaterasu’s feet came to an abrupt stop.
“Y-you’re really upset, aren’t you…?”
“I’m sorry?”
Caught off guard by what seemed like a non-sequitur, Shin Tae-ho turned to look at her with a bewildered expression.
And when he saw her eyes glistening as though she might cry at any moment, he was taken aback.
“Why are you suddenly like this?”
“I’m truly sorry. Because of my carelessness, I’ve caused trouble for you. It’s all my fault.”
As Amaterasu’s voice trembled, Tsukuyomi rushed to her side in a single stride.
Normally, he would have demanded what she was doing, but
this time he merely supported her and, bowing his head, followed quietly.
“I also apologize. My weakness allowed you to nearly face danger.”
“Could you explain why you’re both thinking that way?”
“As you know, they’ve been targeting the lady and me from the start.”
Tsukuyomi explained, his expression clouded.
The challengers who had given the orcs their trial objective when they first met on the eleventh floor.
Having humiliated them once in the Dwarf City, he’d known they would come at him someday.
But who could have guessed they’d target his companion Shin Tae-ho instead?
Had they only shown resolve and dealt with them earlier, Shin Tae-ho would never have faced such peril.
‘But that’s not it.’
Shin Tae-ho found himself at a loss for words.
As he deliberated on how to explain,
Amaterasu suddenly dropped to her knees on the ground.
“My lady!”
Though he understood the trembling voice and apology as something unavoidable,
Tsukuyomi was shocked when Amaterasu—a World Ranker and the distant bloodline of the imperial house he served—knelt down.
Tsukuyomi tried to lift her up, but Amaterasu, resolved in her heart, wouldn’t budge an inch.
“This is how I offer my apology. I’m truly sorry. But setting aside my shame, I must ask: please don’t take back your words about climbing separately from us.”
‘My lady, whatever could drive you to go this far?’
Tsukuyomi was bewildered.
It was certainly true they bore some responsibility in all this.
But even so, the root cause of everything lay plainly with those who brazenly attacked him and Shin Tae-ho.
There was no reason for Amaterasu to cast aside her dignity and pride and apologize like this.
Similarly, Shin Tae-ho, aware of this truth, was equally at a loss when Amaterasu came forward in such a manner.
“Please, get up. There’s no reason for you to do this.”
“I know. But even so, I want to climb the tower with you.”
“Why is that?”
“That is….”
Amaterasu’s words grew faint.
Seeing her averted cheek flush a delicate pink, Tsukuyomi’s eyes widened.
‘My lady… could it be…?!’
Amaterasu was a noble lady who had spent half her life under the protection of her family.
As such, she had scarcely ever encountered men, let alone spent time with them.
Tsukuyomi’s eyes gleamed as he looked Shin Tae-ho over.
Now he saw details of Shin Tae-ho that had escaped his notice before, when his attention had been fixed on Amaterasu.
‘A sturdy build. A handsome face. Impressive height. And a humble, sincere character.’
Tsukuyomi, cataloging what he sensed in Shin Tae-ho, felt a start of alarm.
Honestly, he couldn’t find a single serious flaw—only advantages stacked upon advantages. It wouldn’t be strange at all if Amaterasu had developed feelings for him.
But the possibility of something and actually falling in love were two different matters.
‘You mustn’t, young mistress!!’
Tsukuyomi threw himself forward, desperate to cut off whatever Amaterasu was about to say.
Yet her lips were already moving before he could act.
“Because I find it deeply enjoyable to climb the tower together with you, Shin Tae-ho.”
“Pardon?”
“What?”
Shin Tae-ho and Tsukuyomi both blinked in confusion.
Tsukuyomi, mid-lunge, caught his foot and nearly stumbled.
The three of them—Han Ji-hyun included—stared at Amaterasu.
Amaterasu’s face flushed with embarrassment as she laid bare her true feelings.
“When I’m with you, Shin Tae-ho, the most extraordinary things happen.”
Amaterasu reflected on all her tower-climbing experiences to date.
During her ascent of the Elf Tower, the elves’ fastidious and exclusionary nature had meant she walked alone in all but name.
The Dwarf Tower had been much the same from floors one through ten.
She’d pulled strings to ensure she was paired with Tsukuyomi using her special abilities, but that was all.
People from other nations shunned or mistrusted them.
Conversely, Japanese nationals either clung to the two Rankers seeking aid, or deferred to them obsequiously.
Yet that, too, had been uncomfortable.
What Amaterasu had wanted when climbing with others was truly reliable companions she could depend on.
She did not want what she had at the family mansion—servants regarding her with eyes full of expectations.
In that regard, Shin Tae-ho and Han Ji-hyun were exactly the companions Amaterasu had sought.
“You two never stood behind me hoping I would solve problems, nor did you stand ahead insisting you must protect me.”
Shin Tae-ho had been especially fair.
When Tsukuyomi offered to take the night watch alone, Shin Tae-ho had insisted all four take turns instead.
In combat, he had no hesitation in delegating tasks to her as an equal.
That had given her a genuine sense of belonging as a true companion.
“And above all else, as I mentioned, you are truly extraordinary, Shin Tae-ho.”
There was something most Challengers had never managed to do, neither in the Elf Tower nor the Dwarf Tower.
That was to earn the trust of the tower’s inhabitants—elves and dwarves alike.
The dwarves, too, had regarded her as an outsider to be wary of through floor ten.
Yet when they met Shin Tae-ho on floor eleven, they had shown him trust and warmth, conversing openly with him and even sharing their beer.
The dwarves’ closeness and trust transcended mere goodwill and reflected itself even in the Trial itself.
It had led to the consequence of being entrusted with a matter of great importance—the Trial they now faced.
An unwavering person who held to his convictions and moved forward without doubt.
Amaterasu knew one other person like that.
‘Susanoo.’
Someone she had watched through the media long before they ever met.
Someone whose unshakable presence had kindled a quiet admiration within her heart.
The thought of him crossed her mind, and a bittersweet smile played at the corners of her lips.
Tsukuyomi and Han Ji-hyun, who had been listening quietly, nodded.
‘Certainly. I’ve never heard of ITRO giving out Trials like this one.’
‘It’s completely different from the Trial details the Management Bureau told me about.’
Tsukuyomi, a World Ranker, had access to ITRO’s information.
And Han Ji-hyun, who had received an S-Grade from the Evaluator and was managed as special personnel by the Management Bureau.
Even those two, better positioned than anyone to access sensitive, classified information, found this Trial’s content markedly different from those faced by other Challengers.
And at the center of the cause was undoubtedly Shin Tae-ho.
“Therefore, alongside my apology for my shameful conduct, I wish to make a personal request of you, Shin Tae-ho. Please continue to walk this path with us.”
Amaterasu lowered herself into a kneeling position, bowing her head to the ground.
Tsukuyomi’s eyes widened sharply.
Though her forehead did not actually touch the earth, it was more than the surrender of pride—it was an abject, humiliating apology, a dogeza.
Tsukuyomi bit his lip and moved to kneel beside her.
He could not stand rigid and upright while his young mistress performed dogeza and begged forgiveness.
But before Tsukuyomi’s knees could touch the ground.
Shin Tae-ho approached so swiftly that Tsukuyomi didn’t even notice, lifting Amaterasu to her feet while simultaneously blocking his path.
“I understand your feelings. But let’s stop now.”
Amaterasu was pulled to her feet by Shin Tae-ho’s strength.
Normally, Tsukuyomi would have rushed to support Amaterasu immediately.
But this time, shock kept him from moving.
‘That movement just now…?!’
Judging by what he’d glimpsed during their battles until now, Shin Tae-ho’s movements transcended those of a mere Tamer.
But the movements he’d just displayed weren’t simply superior—they approached the level of a Warrior-class Challenger.
Yet even that had been him holding back his speed, which was why Shin Tae-ho didn’t notice Tsukuyomi’s shock.
“For now, let’s return to the city. If we linger here any longer, we may have to fight the Orcs again.”
“Very well, I shall rise then.”
Amaterasu pushed herself upright.
Shin Tae-ho, carrying the unconscious Dwarf on his back, led the way ahead.
As he walked, Shin Tae-ho exhaled softly, making sure no one else could hear.
Suddenly, Bianca and Choi Yu-hwa, whom he’d parted with on the tenth floor, came to mind.
The two who had awakened in him the feeling of having comrades.
If Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Han Ji-hyun remained as dependable companions even outside the tower, as those two had become.
‘It would be a tremendous help for what lies ahead.’
Shin Tae-ho quietly reached into his pocket and stroked Yong-ryong-i, who was nestling around his neck.
As if sensing the tumultuous emotions within Shin Tae-ho, Yong-ryong-i nuzzled her head against his hand in encouragement.
* * *
[You have successfully returned the imprisoned Dwarf informant to the city.]
[The Dwarf informant’s condition is in excellent health.]
[You have cleared the second Trial.]
[The favorable impression of the southern Dwarves toward you has greatly increased.]
The moment they arrived at the city, messages appeared on screen.
Zetaum rushed out personally to verify the informant, who hadn’t regained consciousness during the journey to the city.
Confirming that this was indeed the informant he’d been seeking, Zetaum beamed with joy and seized Shin Tae-ho’s hand with his massive, cauldron-lid-like palm.
“Thank you so much! I never expected you to bring him back so quickly! You’re a hero to us all!”
“Not at all. We were only able to get through the Orcs and bring him back thanks to everyone going together.”
“Even so, I wouldn’t have entrusted such an important task to you if you weren’t the one! Thank you, Shin Tae-ho!”
[Zetaum’s favorable impression has increased.]
Zetaum released Shin Tae-ho from a tight embrace and called for the other Dwarves.
Perhaps because the Trial had further raised their favorable impression, the Dwarves who emerged regarded Shin Tae-ho with noticeably greater trust than before.
“Give our honored guests a meal and ale. Sparing no expense!”
“Understood, Zetaum.”
“We’ll prepare everything in abundance!”
“Ah, one more thing—after the meal, would it be all right if I did some mining at the Mine?”
“Of course! You already have a Permit, don’t you? There’s no need to ask permission each time!”
“Thank you.”
Having received Zetaum’s approval, Shin Tae-ho bowed respectfully and followed the Dwarf who was guiding them.
Amaterasu, following behind Shin Tae-ho, murmured as she recalled the conversation.
“Mining…!”
Her eyes sparkled as the heavy thought that she hadn’t yet earned Shin Tae-ho’s forgiveness lifted slightly.
To be continued ▶
The Master Blacksmith’s Return
Author
Sealed Release
Publisher
Kim Seok-hwan, Choi Se-ra
Publishing House
Grae Publishing
Inquiry Email
[email protected]
Publication Date
May 26, 2026
UCI
G720:N+A327-20260227067
※ This e-book is protected under copyright law and is prohibited from unauthorized reproduction and distribution. Violators may be subject to criminal and civil liability.
※ Pentagram awaits the author’s precious manuscript.

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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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