The Return of the Transcendent Blacksmith - Chapter 131

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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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Master Blacksmith’s Return: Episode 131
A few days later.
Shin Tae-ho visited Sinterhon for the first time in a while, accompanied by Yong-ryong-i.
The elves who were cleaning with their usual reverence filed out, and not long after, Epiel came rushing over the moment she heard that Yong-ryong-i had arrived.
“Shin Tae-ho! Yong-ryong-i!”
Once upon a time, Epiel had maintained her dignity as a World Tree Elf even under the watchful eyes of the other elves.
But now, after spending so much time together, such formality had fallen away—Epiel greeted Yong-ryong-i without hesitation.
“Epiel, it’s been ages!”
“Yes. It truly has been a long time. Have you been keeping well?”
“Been having lots of fun!”
Yong-ryong-i shared some rich chocolate with Epiel, chatting away cheerfully.
Watching a dragon and an elf—creatures who thought nothing of centuries—call a mere few days without seeing each other “ages” struck Shin Tae-ho as darkly amusing.
But he had work to do, so Shin Tae-ho headed straight for the workshop.
“Yong-ryong-i. You go play with Epiel and the World Tree. I’ve got work to do.”
“Got it! Epiel, let’s go!”
“Yes! Shin Tae-ho, I’ve set out some food for you. If you need anything else, just say the word.”
“Thank you.”
Shin Tae-ho thanked Epiel for her thoughtfulness and immediately opened his Inventory.
Inside lay tons of iron that Oh Jin-hyuk had gathered as promised.
Mixed in were special metals like Literium and Graveium that he’d received as rewards and materials.
‘I’ll use these for myself. For crafting, I’ll stick to iron and Towerium only.’
He was supposed to craft items to stop Challengers from selling National Points.
But Shin Tae-ho wasn’t naive enough to believe everyone who possessed his creations would be virtuous.
‘I never want to see my weapons misused against their purpose again. I need safeguards to prevent that.’
The battle suits and weapons he’d once mass-produced—gathered from only the finest talents among Alchemists, Mages, and other elite classes, including himself.
Ironically, those had fallen not into the hands of Challengers risking their lives to protect the world, but into those of traitors to humanity.
And with the care he’d poured into them, they had slaughtered the heroes he’d desperately wanted to protect.
Though vast stretches of time had already passed since staying in Sinterhon.
The mere recollection of those days twisted his insides and brought a fury that constricted his heart.
‘I will never repeat that mistake.’
Shin Tae-ho steadied his mind with a deep breath and lifted a Throwing Hammer.
Haven’t used it much recently, so Qi had been accumulating in its circuits—now the Qi flowed into the hammer.
The lowest-grade Fire Rune embedded in the Throwing Hammer responded to the Qi, readying itself to generate flame at any moment.
‘For now, I’ll mix iron and Towerium at a nine-to-one ratio. Later, when I select worthy recipients, I’ll adjust the Towerium proportion.’
Whoooosh—crack!
Heat poured from the Throwing Hammer so intense it warped the air itself.
Watching the iron begin to melt and fuse under the tremendous firepower, Shin Tae-ho rolled his neck and loosened his shoulders.
‘Let me work like a machine again, the way I used to.’
A bitter smile crossed his lips as he recalled the days in the Management Bureau when he’d been drowning in daily quotas.
* * *
“Mmm—”
Amaterasu rose from her sleeping quarters and stretched with a long yawn.
As she was loosening her body with gentle stretches, a knock came from beyond the elegant sliding door as always.
“Miss. Tsukuyomi has come to pay his respects.”
“Yes. Please show him in.”
“Very well, Miss.”
A minute of leisure passed after Amaterasu gave her permission before the sliding door opened.
Unlike Amaterasu, who had just woken, Tsukuyomi entered already fully dressed and bowed to her.
“I hope you passed the night peacefully.”
“Isn’t that greeting a bit strange when we saw each other just last night?”
Amaterasu asked with a playful expression.
Though Tsukuyomi knew she was teasing him, his response was therefore entirely proper.
“However brief my absence, my affection for you prompted me to ask after your well-being. I apologize.”
“Oh, so you’re countering like that? I’m flustered.”
“How could I jest about such matters? All my words are sincere, so I humbly ask for your understanding.”
“All right, I understand. I’ll stop teasing, so please stop too, Tsukuyomi.”
“I’m not certain what you mean, but I shall comply.”
Tsukuyomi, who had been kneeling reverently with his head bowed, lifted his face.
Amaterasu let out a soft laugh upon seeing the faint triumphant smile at the corner of Tsukuyomi’s mouth.
“Hehe. Climbing the tower together and growing closer to Tsukuyomi like this—I’m so happy.”
“I have always served the lady with an unwavering heart, have I not?”
“This won’t do. We need to get to the tower quickly.”
Aware of the attendants waiting outside, Tsukuyomi maintained his composure throughout, and Amaterasu’s lips quirked in displeasure.
As Amaterasu retrieved her armor from her Inventory and began to don it, Tsukuyomi spoke.
“There has been an intriguing rumor circulating in Korea recently. It seems someone of considerable skill has been crafting and selling items.”
“Is that so? When you say ‘considerable,’ do you mean by your standards or by common opinion?”
“Shamefully, it is my own assessment.”
“…My.”
Amaterasu, who had asked the question offhandedly, was genuinely taken aback by his answer.
The media often exaggerated trivial matters for the sake of attention.
But Tsukuyomi was not merely objective—he was notoriously harsh in his judgments.
For him to call someone’s work “considerable” was extraordinary.
“Now you’ve made me curious. What sort of item was it?”
“So far, only a spear has been confirmed. However, there was one peculiar detail.”
“A peculiar detail?”
“Every single spear listed in the sales post—design and performance alike—was identical.”
“Identical? So they weren’t just selling a handful?”
“No. As of my last check, the transaction volume was approximately fifteen hundred units.”
“Pardon?”
Startled, Amaterasu began to turn her head, then adjusted her movement instead.
Without hesitation, Tsukuyomi shifted to match her motion, fastening the back of her armor as he nodded.
“They appeared seemingly overnight and began selling spears in unprecedented quantities. It’s clearly mass production by some organized group.”
“That’s certainly possible. But I find it remarkable—how could they be confident enough to produce fifteen hundred without knowing if they’d sell?”
“They must have been quite confident. Even I attempted to purchase, but five was the limit I could acquire.”
“What?! You actually bought them, Tsukuyomi?!”
“Yes. They arrived last night, and I brought one to present to you.”
“Really? I’d love to see it at once!”
“Then I shall take the liberty, with your permission.”
With her consent, Tsukuyomi opened his Inventory and withdrew a spear.
The shaft was smooth and unadorned, crafted with a rigor toward pure practicality.
Yet precisely because of this, it seemed entirely fit for actual combat, and this very absence of excess appealed to Amaterasu.
As she examined the spear’s surface, Tsukuyomi transferred ownership, and Amaterasu immediately checked its item information.
[Spear for Challengers]
—Grade: Rare
Description: A spear forged by one who identified themselves as Hephaestus.
—Unique Effects: ⌜Penetration (LV.2)⌟, ⌜Throwing (LV.2)⌟, ⌜Accuracy (LV.1)⌟
—Unique Ability: ⌜Desperate Throw⌟
“…No, surely not?”
Amaterasu’s eyes widened in astonishment.
The most heated debate recently centered on Dwarf-made items purchasable with National Points.
Dwarf items were so coveted precisely because they bore Unique Effects rarely seen among ordinary Challengers.
So abundant were they that with just a few more National Points, one could even afford Special Grade items—which was why everyone was trading away their National Points these days.
Yet this spear, despite being Rare Grade rather than Special, possessed three Unique Effects.
More remarkable still was that it even possessed a Unique Ability—something rarely seen even on Dwarf-made items.
“This isn’t just excellent—it’s impossible!”
“Indeed. Given such performance, the post went up only two days ago, yet all fifteen hundred units have already sold out.”
“I understand why. But looking at the performance alone, it must have been extraordinarily expensive. What was the price?”
A spear with such capabilities should easily command tens of billions at current market rates.
But again, Tsukuyomi shook his head.
“By ordinary standards, it wasn’t cheap, yet neither was it absurdly expensive. The price was one billion won. But if one lacked the funds, other items could be traded instead.”
“I beg your pardon? That… is that possible?”
Amaterasu’s astonishment deepened.
One billion won was nearly half the market value—why would they sell at such a loss?
And the willingness to accept items in trade rather than cash seemed equally reckless.
Amaterasu’s brow furrowed.
“This is troubling. People will certainly emerge seeking to profit through speculation, regardless of their actual use.”
“There is no need to worry. The purchase conditions were quite stringent, with a one-per-person limit imposed.”
“One per person?! But surely they’d want to sell more—wait. Then how did you manage to purchase five?”
Confronted with information that contradicted his earlier statement, Amaterasu looked perplexed.
Tsukuyomi nodded as though the answer were obvious.
“I borrowed the names of our retainers to make the purchases.”
“Is that even allowed?!”
Amaterasu gasped in alarm.
There was a rule of one per person—could they really get away with such a workaround?!
Ordinary people would think of it and execute it without much trouble.
But Amaterasu, who had spent most of her life in a grand mansion and received private tutoring at home, found it a scheme almost beyond her imagination.
Tsukuyomi, knowing this about her, nodded firmly without a trace of hesitation.
“Of course. After all, each person did purchase one apiece. We simply gathered them together.”
“I see…?”
Amaterasu felt oddly convinced by this explanation, though still bewildered.
Was that how it worked?!
Noticing Amaterasu’s confusion, Tsukuyomi steered the conversation forward.
“The armor is equipped. You may enter the tower whenever you’re ready.”
“Oh, that’s right!”
Amaterasu, her head swimming moments before, suddenly snapped back to attention.
She grasped the spear, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
“Shin Tae-ho and Han Ji-hyun are going to be amazed when they see this! Let’s go show them right away!”
“Yes, miss.”
Tsukuyomi responded with deference.
Though inwardly he thought: the person selling the spear is Korean—would Koreans really be surprised?
Still, Tsukuyomi had the tact not to spoil the mood.
Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi entered the tower at once.
The moment a message window appeared announcing entry to floor 18, they found themselves standing at the entrance to the Dwarf Village in a blink.
Shin Tae-ho and Han Ji-hyun, who had arrived first and been waiting, greeted them.
“Hello, Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi.”
Though Shin Tae-ho’s eyes were shadowed with dark circles for some reason.
Too delighted at the thought of surprising them, Amaterasu failed to notice this fact and hid the spear behind her back.
“Hello! Shin Tae-ho! Han Ji-hyun! Tada! Take a look at this!”
Amaterasu thrust the spear forward from behind her back, proud and beaming.
Tsukuyomi, standing behind her, glanced sideways, inwardly anticipating their astonishment.
But their reaction was entirely different from what he expected.
‘What is this?’
Han Ji-hyun tilted his head with his usual blank expression, as if asking why she was showing him this.
And Tsukuyomi was taken aback by Shin Tae-ho’s deeply furrowed brow, his expression radiating a weary exasperation.
To be continued ▶
The Transcendent Master Blacksmith’s Return
Author
Sealed 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 by copyright law. Unauthorized reproduction and duplication are prohibited. Violators may be subject to both criminal and civil liability.
※ Pentagram welcomes precious manuscripts from authors.

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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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