The Return of the Transcendent Blacksmith - Chapter 132

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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 — Chapter 132
Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi were taken aback by the lukewarm reaction from both of them.
“Hmm? You don’t seem very surprised?”
“I heard many people wanted to buy that spear and the competition was fierce. I was just glad you managed to obtain it.”
Han Ji-hyun spoke her honest thoughts.
Coming to his senses at her words, Shin Tae-ho quickly offered his own excuse.
“I also heard that spear was difficult to acquire. I was surprised because Amaterasu has one.”
‘But that wasn’t a surprised expression at all.’
Tsukuyomi grew suspicious.
Yet Amaterasu, taking their words at face value, broke into a wide smile.
“I didn’t know either until just now. Tsukuyomi happened to buy it before they all sold out, he said.”
“That’s impressive, Tsukuyomi.”
“I simply thought it would be useful for you. It’s nothing special, really.”
Tsukuyomi answered modestly.
Yet despite his words, a subtle satisfaction lingered in his expression.
“Thank you so much for the congratulations. Next time, I’ll try to get something for both of you as well!”
“I appreciate it, but I have no use for a spear, so it’s quite all right.”
“The same goes for me. I’m grateful for the thought alone.”
Shin Tae-ho and Han Ji-hyun shook their heads in refusal.
Tsukuyomi looked puzzled at Shin Tae-ho’s rejection.
“Han Ji-hyun is a mage, so I understand that, but wouldn’t a weapon be useful for you, Shin Tae-ho?”
Shin Tae-ho’s physical prowess was impressive enough in Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi’s eyes.
They would have believed without question that he had obtained a Knight Class instead of a Tamer Class.
Yet he was turning down a spear?
Just as Shin Tae-ho faltered under the pointed question.
Amaterasu’s brows drew together.
“Surely you’re not troubled by accepting it? If that’s the case, there’s no need to worry. We’re fellow climbers of the tower, after all!”
“Not at all. Rather, precisely because we are colleagues, I believe I must observe proper courtesy.”
Shin Tae-ho, having deliberated on how to make his excuse, turned Amaterasu’s own words against her in his refusal.
At this unexpected answer, Tsukuyomi regarded Shin Tae-ho with fresh eyes.
‘I’ve noticed it before, but Shin Tae-ho truly prioritizes courtesy above personal gain, even when opportunity presents itself.’
As an ITRO World Ranker, Tsukuyomi understood well that all manner of challengers existed.
And the tower was a space that was reality and yet not reality.
Since meeting in the real world would be difficult once one left the tower, challengers tended to become more honest with their desires within it.
Moreover, Amaterasu and he were World Rankers.
One could easily assume that with abundant wealth and high renown, a gift of this caliber would be no burden—yet here he was, declining it.
Of course, that wasn’t Shin Tae-ho’s true reason for refusal.
‘Why would I buy that?’
That spear was an item that Shin Tae-ho had made himself and sold on TowerDot.com under the name Hephaestus.
Moreover, since he had affixed safety mechanisms and crafted it carelessly, he knew its limitations all too clearly.
‘Still, it’s more than sufficient for climbing the tower.’
When Amaterasu put away the spear with a dejected look, Shin Tae-ho felt inwardly relieved.
An item he had deliberately weakened in performance, mass-produced as if by rote.
And facing someone in person who had purchased that item and was proud of it—it was harder than he’d expected.
Once their conversation ended, Shin Tae-ho’s group entered the city to undergo the Trial.
After coming and going so many times, the dwarves no longer even inspected their belongings.
Shin Tae-ho, arriving before Zetaum as if greeting an old friend, stepped forward and bowed.
“Greetings, Zetaum.”
“Oho, Shin Tae-ho! And you, foreign friends of Shin Tae-ho’s! Welcome back.”
“Yes. We requested this audience hoping to assist you once more, if there is anything.”
“Kehehehe! You’re a strange one. Why are you so eager to help us?”
“Perhaps it is the kinship born of sharing the same history.”
Zetaum, pleased by Shin Tae-ho’s answer, laughed even louder.
In high spirits, Zetaum had a dwarf distribute mugs of beer to each member of the group.
Zetaum drained his mug in a single draught, wiped the foam from his beard, and his expression grew serious.
“So, might we impose a difficult favor on you once more?”
“Of course. We’ve already rescued an informant from deep within enemy territory—nothing could be more difficult than that.”
“Krahaha! That’s right. I’m truly grateful. It’s been a great help.”
This hearty laugh was briefer than the one before.
Zetaum quickly returned to his serious expression, regarding Shin Tae-ho quietly.
“But this task is far more demanding than anything we’ve encountered. And once you speak the words, there’s no taking them back—you’ll be bound to cooperate entirely. Are you certain you can do that?”
[Zetaum’s Affinity toward you has been triggered.]
[You are given an opportunity to obtain a high-difficulty Trial with a guaranteed high score.]
Shin Tae-ho’s eyes snapped open.
This kind of message window was something he’d never seen or heard of before.
Shin Tae-ho glanced at his companions’ reactions.
The message window had appeared for them just as it had for him—all three of them wore expressions of wide-eyed surprise.
Tsukuyomi’s eyes narrowed with unease and worry.
Yet Amaterasu was the opposite, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.
Han Ji-hyun showed little change in expression as always, but her eagerness was nonetheless plainly evident.
Just then, Yong-ryong-i, standing beside Shin Tae-ho and sipping a soft drink instead of beer, let out a snort after wiping his lips with the back of his hand with a satisfied “Ahhh.”
“We’re incredibly strong! Plus, we’ve never refused a single request so far!”
“Exactly. You’re absolutely right.”
Amaterasu nodded in agreement, rubbing Yong-ryong-i’s shoulder in encouragement.
Tsukuyomi’s expression visibly wilted at Amaterasu’s support, yet he couldn’t bring himself to stop her.
“Sigh. Well, it’s a rare opportunity, and since the lady puts it that way, I suppose I have no choice in the matter.”
“My, what do you mean? Tsukuyomi is free to express his own opinion, surely?”
“But the lady will disagree either way, won’t she? Freely, of course.”
“I’m sure that will be the case? Freely!”
Tsukuyomi closed his eyes wearily at the unspoken message: ‘The answer is already decided, but feel free to speak your mind.’
“Yes. I will also agree to this.”
“Oh! Tsukuyomi feels the same way! I’m so pleased!”
Amaterasu beamed, taking Tsukuyomi’s hand in hers.
Finally, Han Ji-hyun gave a single silent nod, her expression resolute.
Once all four had agreed, Shin Tae-ho gave his own nod on their behalf.
“We accept.”
“Ha. Well, it’s amusing to say this now, but you foreigners are a truly peculiar bunch.”
Zetaum chuckled dryly, setting aside his empty cup and bowing slightly.
“Then I’ll speak plainly. What I need from you is to confirm any contact between those in the North and a mysterious, strange Foreigner.”
“Such a being exists?”
Tsukuyomi, his lips partially hidden behind a half-opened fan to mask his tension, started at the revelation.
But Shin Tae-ho, rather than showing surprise, found himself recalling his past exchange with Kogarum.
‘The dwarves of the North tried and failed to wield a mythical Hammer, losing their homeland in the process. But when I said their lives must have grown destitute, Kogarum denied it.’
Moreover, the dwarves of the North were now treating the orcs as an inferior race, commanding them like servants.
And most importantly—
‘At the time, Kogarum said the orcs had been given to them.’
It was impossible for dwarves, the native inhabitants, and orcs, mere monsters, to live in harmony naturally.
If that were possible, there had to be another force orchestrating it.
Shin Tae-ho sensed instinctively that the Foreigner Zetaum spoke of was that very force.
“But we know absolutely nothing about them. We don’t even know what race they belong to, let alone what they look like.”
Zetaum finished his explanation with the grave bearing of a dwarf commander.
“Bring me information about them.”
[You have been offered a Special Trial.]
[Proposed Trial: Gather information on the entity aiding the dwarves of the North.]
[Clear Condition: Collect information about this unknown being—their race, appearance, abilities, objectives, and more—and report your findings to Zetaum.]
[Note 1: The Trial difficulty is abnormally high. The failure and death rates far exceed those of this floor.]
[Note 2: The rewards for the Trial are proportionally increased to match the difficulty.]
“What…?”
The party was taken aback upon reading the entire Trial description.
In all their climbs through two towers, they had faced countless Trials.
But never before had a Trial warned so explicitly that this one was dangerous.
As Tsukuyomi, seized by anxiety, opened his mouth to speak—
Zetaum, who had given them the Trial, spoke first.
“As I said, now that you’ve heard it, refusal is not an option. Should you decline, there will be no further requests.”
“Of course.”
Shin Tae-ho answered.
By those terms, refusing this Trial would make further tower climbing impossible.
Besides, he had never intended to refuse in the first place, so his answer required no deliberation.
Tsukuyomi, now certain that there was no backing out, closed his eyes with an expression of resignation.
* * *
A dark night.
Orcs stationed in a fortified outpost kept watch over their surroundings.
For orcs, born lovers of combat and devotees of physical labor, sentry duty was as tedious as rat poison.
Yet the orcs posted here neither dozed nor dared distract themselves, their attention razor-sharp on their task.
But no matter how keenly one’s senses were honed, it was difficult to guard against one’s own shadow.
Slash!
Thud!
An orc’s head fell from its shoulders.
At the dull sound, another orc keeping watch spun around in alarm.
But what his eyes caught was not his companion’s headless body—it was a sharpened fan spinning toward him.
Slash!
In an instant, both sentries’ breath ceased.
As Tsukuyomi launched himself from the outpost and landed on the ground, his companions appeared closing in on the structure.
No words were needed.
Shin Tae-ho pointed to the nearest outpost ahead, and Tsukuyomi nodded in acknowledgment.
The moment Tsukuyomi vanished into shadow to dispatch the orc at the outpost Shin Tae-ho had indicated, the party surged forward.
Their advance held no hesitation born of worry that Tsukuyomi might fail.
If anything, Han Ji-hyun, the slowest among them, struggled to keep pace in a hurried jog as Tsukuyomi waited.
“We’re clear. Looks like we’ve handled everything in the area.”
Shin Tae-ho spoke in a low voice, surveying the vicinity.
Since there were no outposts within a five-hundred-meter radius, it seemed safe to talk.
“That was hard work, Tsukuyomi. This operation was exhausting with its scale.”
“Thank you, miss.”
Tsukuyomi bowed his head, accepting the praise.
Normally he would have demurred with humility.
But this place was massive—five days to traverse, a week to reconnoiter—and over twelve days Tsukuyomi had repeatedly depleted and replenished his energy reserves.
Even for Tsukuyomi, it was difficult to deny such recognition with false modesty.
Shin Tae-ho reviewed their operation by studying the map he had drawn during their reconnaissance.
“As you know, we must finish this tonight.”
Now that the outpost orcs were dead, discovery at shift change was only a matter of time.
After that, security would tighten considerably, making it far harder to infiltrate undetected in any operation after this one.
“Tsukuyomi, replenish your energy as quickly as possible. In the meantime, Amaterasu and I will deal with the orcs coming to relieve the watch.”
“Once they notice the relief guards aren’t arriving, they’ll grow suspicious. The average shift change is two hours, so we have two hours to finish.”
As Amaterasu spoke, everyone nodded in agreement.
“Han Ji-hyun, please stand ready in case anything goes wrong.”
“Understood.”
Han Ji-hyun nodded.
Though her face showed no expression, Han Ji-hyun—who had seldom found opportunities to shine because her companions were so formidable—was delighted to finally have a role to play.
As they spoke, Shin Tae-ho spotted orcs arriving for their shift change and dropped into a crouch.
“Let’s begin.”
Everyone moved into position to fulfill their assigned tasks.
To be continued ▶
Transcendent Blacksmith’s Return
Author
Seal Release
Publisher
Kim Seok-hwan, Choi Se-ra
Published by
Grae Publishing
Inquiries
[email protected]
Publication Date
May 26, 2026
UCI
G720:N+A327-20260227067
※ This e-book is protected by copyright law. Unauthorized reproduction and distribution are prohibited, and violators may face criminal and civil liability.
※ 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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