The Return of the Transcendent Blacksmith - Chapter 16

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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-Grade Blacksmith’s Return — Episode 16
Elves.
They loved and cherished nature, possessed pointed ears, and among the tower’s demi-races, they were counted among the longest-lived beings.
Such Elves were divided into three classifications depending on their kind and characteristics.
Until now, the Challengers who had encountered Elves had met only two of these types: Dark Elves or Pure Elves.
But what stood before Shin Tae-ho’s eyes was neither a Dark Elf nor a Pure Elf.
Pearl-white skin, and hair that shimmered as if spun from melted emerald.
Ears that rose at a pronounced angle, not merely elongated, and eyes the color of spring leaves.
This was the rarest of the three Elf types to encounter.
‘A World Tree Elf.’
An Elf said to exist only in rumor and tale, known solely through the accounts of Challengers who had achieved high affinity with Dark Elves or Pure Elves.
In fact, even in the past, there had been nothing but whispers of the World Tree Elf’s existence.
Not a single Challenger had ever claimed to have met one face to face.
And yet such a World Tree Elf had appeared on the 15th Floor?
Since Elves could normally be encountered only from the 20th Floor onward, Shin Tae-ho found this situation incomprehensible.
“Are you a World Tree Elf? What are you doing here?”
“That’s what I should be asking. You came to where I am.”
The Elf answered with eyes that had grown cool and measured.
Realizing the misunderstanding, Shin Tae-ho quickly clarified.
“I was here to stop the monsters gathering in the forest. I didn’t come to bring harm to it.”
“I know. I was watching.”
True to her words, the World Tree Elf remained wary of Shin Tae-ho but showed no outright hostility.
“But it’s strange. How did you find this place?”
“I just felt it. Didn’t you reveal your presence?”
“No. I’ve been concealing my trace from the very beginning.”
At the World Tree Elf’s answer, Shin Tae-ho tilted his head in confusion.
But it didn’t take long before he understood the reason.
“Then it must be because of this.”
Shin Tae-ho gently drew forth the Core essence of Bedileum that he carried within his Circuit.
The World Tree Elf’s eyes widened as she sensed the essence.
“That essence…? That’s impossible. How do you possess the essence of our kind?”
“I received it.”
The tower’s demi-races were beings unaware that they belonged to the tower.
If he explained the plain truth—that he’d obtained it from Bedileum in the tutorial—she would surely fail to comprehend.
Rather than waste time on a pointless explanation, Shin Tae-ho pragmatically chose a small lie.
At the word “received,” the Elf’s eyes widened further.
“Impossible. Why would a warrior give it to someone of a different race?”
“I defeated her in combat and took it. As for her reasons, I couldn’t say.”
Again, the Elf fell silent, words failing her.
After a moment’s deliberation, she spoke once more.
“You seem to be a formidable warrior. Would you hear a request of mine?”
“A request?”
When Shin Tae-ho asked her to elaborate, the Elf nodded.
“Yes. First, allow me to introduce myself. I am Yephiel, guardian of the sacred World Tree.”
‘Out of nowhere?’
At the abrupt introduction, Shin Tae-ho’s eyes narrowed slightly.
But Yephiel, undeterred, continued her explanation.
“However, in the recent attack, I was unable to mount a proper defense, and the Ward protecting the World Tree has been damaged. I would ask for your aid in its restoration.”
The moment Yephiel finished speaking, a message window materialized.
[Quest has been initiated.]
[Request from the World Tree Guardian]
Description: Yephiel, guardian of the World Tree that is the home of the Elves, was unable to withstand a sudden attack.
She requests your aid in restoring the damaged Ward.
Reward: Unknown
‘A Quest.’
Already astonished at meeting an Elf, Shin Tae-ho was now presented with a Quest—one that normally required trust and affection to even receive.
Hiding his inward surprise, Shin Tae-ho weighed the matter carefully.
‘My Core is already scarce; I should conserve what I have for the next floor….’
Yet a Quest could not be guaranteed to present itself again; it was an opportunity not to be squandered.
Above all, Shin Tae-ho had not forgotten the counsel Arimier had given him in the tutorial.
Don’t get caught up in climbing the tower quickly. Listen carefully to the stories of those you meet along the way, and observe them well.
That way, you’ll be able to walk a path different from everyone else.
‘I should do that.’
Shin Tae-ho, sensing that now was the time, finished his brief deliberation and gave his consent.
“Understood. I’ll help.”
[Quest accepted.]
As Shin Tae-ho spoke, the message window changed.
Yephiel’s tense face relaxed, as if she’d been worried he might refuse.
“Follow me.”
Yephiel dashed ahead along the branches of the tree.
When it felt like they’d been running for about an hour.
Yephiel, who had gone ahead, was waiting for Shin Tae-ho on a branch above.
Yephiel pointed with one finger.
“My request is to deal with that together.”
‘That?’
Wondering what exactly she was asking him to handle, Shin Tae-ho looked in the direction she’d pointed and was startled.
Where Yephiel was pointing, there were monsters you shouldn’t encounter on the 15th Floor—like Elves.
‘Stone Skin Ogres? Those only appear on the 50th Floor?’
The Stone Skin Ogre was a monster whose skin, true to its name, was hard as stone.
Ordinary bladed weapons couldn’t even pierce it, and it had excellent magical resistance—a difficult monster to face.
And it was absolutely not a creature that Challengers at the level of climbing the 15th Floor should be dealing with.
Seeing Shin Tae-ho’s expression, Yephiel nodded in understanding.
“I’ve handled the others, but that one I simply couldn’t face alone.”
While Shin Tae-ho had been fighting, Yephiel hadn’t been idle either.
The proof was the abundance of ogres lying dead around the Stone Skin Ogre, apparently having come with it.
Moreover, with arrows sticking out from various points on the Stone Skin Ogre’s body, it was clear she’d fought it but her attacks hadn’t been effective.
Shin Tae-ho, looking at the ogre with exasperation, let out a sigh.
“Wait a moment.”
Shin Tae-ho tapped the Helmet.
Yong-ryong-i, who’d been sleeping from exhaustion, stirred awake and yawned at the sound.
“Ryong-hm…?”
“Yong-ryong-i. It’s going to shake around a bit. This time, don’t come out—stay inside.”
“Ryong…?”
Though not entirely sure what was happening, Yong-ryong-i nodded, since it was Shin Tae-ho speaking.
Shin Tae-ho finished his warning to Yong-ryong-i and picked up the Hammer.
“Go.”
At Shin Tae-ho’s signal, Yephiel nocked an Arrow on her bow.
Shin Tae-ho, wreathed in Bedileum’s qi, charged forward with his body low and struck the back of the ogre’s head.
Crash!
“Kuhk?”
The ogre, which had been occupied with something, scratched its head and turned around.
Seeing not even a scratch on the back of its head, Shin Tae-ho frowned.
‘As expected, at my current level I can’t inflict any real damage. Then…’
Qi flowing from the Circuit wrapped around the Hammer.
The Hammer, layered with the Destructive Strike, aimed for the ogre’s arm.
Only then did the ogre, recognizing Shin Tae-ho as an opponent, swing its arm as if he were contemptible.
It was an action based on the calculation that no matter what struck it, it would suffer no damage.
Bang!!
The ogre’s boulder-like arm and Shin Tae-ho’s Hammer collided.
From the tremendous force, Shin Tae-ho’s Hammer flew from his hand.
If the ogre attacked again, it would be able to ravage the defenseless Shin Tae-ho.
But instead of attacking, the ogre grabbed the arm that had been struck by the Hammer and let out a horrible scream.
“Kwaaaaagh!”
Yephiel’s eyes widened.
She had thought the attack had failed.
But the ogre’s rocky skin was now cracked and fractured, as if broken armor.
Shin Tae-ho, stepping back to retrieve the Hammer, shouted.
“Shoot!”
At Shin Tae-ho’s command, Yephiel, now alert, aimed for the exposed skin.
An Arrow streaked forth with a brilliant trail of light, embedding itself deep within the wound.
Whoosh!
“Shriek!”
The ogre let out a horrible cry.
In that moment, Shin Tae-ho picked up the Hammer and unleashed Destructive Strike again.
Chest, legs, neck.
Each time an opening appeared, he struck with Destructive Strike, and Yephiel gained that many more targets to aim for.
As the battle dragged on, the Stone Skin Ogre’s body was bristling with arrows wherever its hide had cracked.
‘Good. It seems appearances can be deceiving—there’s real impact behind her attacks.’
Compared to the ogre’s massive frame, Yephiel’s arrows looked like toothpicks.
But they were inside the Tower.
External wounds didn’t necessarily correspond to actual damage output.
In fact, the Stone Skin Ogre was noticeably slower, its movements labored, focusing increasingly on defense—a sign that damage was accumulating.
‘Time to finish this.’
Sensing the end was near, Shin Tae-ho charged at the ogre.
Even exhausted, the ogre swung at him with terrifying strength.
But the attack was slow for all its power, and Shin Tae-ho sidestepped easily, positioning himself behind the creature.
Through his eyes, he saw the nape of its neck—half-buried in countless arrows.
“Farewell.”
Crack!!
Leaping skyward, Shin Tae-ho brought the Hammer down hard on the arrow-laden nape.
The arrows struck by the Hammer drove deep into the ogre’s muscle and bone like nails being driven through wood.
The light faded from the Stone Skin Ogre’s eyes.
Boom!!
When the tree-sized Stone Skin Ogre crashed to the ground, the earth trembled.
Confirming it was truly dead, Shin Tae-ho caught his breath and inspected his Hammer.
He had used Destructive Strike, which ignored a certain percentage of defense.
But the Hammer head, which had been pounding against the durable Stone Skin Ogre, was more than half-shattered and cracked.
‘I was so focused on using the skill that I didn’t maintain my energy control. The Hammer couldn’t handle the strain.’
Shin Tae-ho’s expression darkened.
Since it had self-repair properties, the Hammer head would gradually recover over time.
But the real problem was that it was made from Normal Grade item materials—and for an Elite Grade weapon, its durability was inadequate.
‘I need to get a new weapon before I reach the 50th Floor.’
Yephiel leaped down from the tree and landed beside Shin Tae-ho.
Following her gaze to the cracked Hammer, regret flickered across her eyes.
“Thank you for your help. I couldn’t have defeated it without you. Your weapon….”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Shin Tae-ho opened his Inventory and stowed the Hammer away.
Now that the battle was over, there was no need to carry the broken weapon.
“But my energy is completely depleted. Is there anywhere in this place to restore it?”
Bedileum’s energy, which had never been abundant to begin with, had been completely exhausted during the fight with the Stone Skin Ogre.
“Energy? Ah. You mean natural force. Natural force… natural force….”
Yephiel murmured to herself, stealing glances at Shin Tae-ho.
Not answering his question but instead giving him sidelong looks—her behavior made Shin Tae-ho furrow his brow.
“You’re deliberating an awful long time. Yes or no. That’s all you need to say.”
“…You’re right. A warrior who helped me to the point of breaking his own weapon—the one that’s like his very life—you’ve earned the right.”
Yephiel nodded, as though a decision had crystallized while she spoke her thoughts aloud.
Passing the corpse of the Stone Skin Ogre, she moved her arms and spoke without pause, words flowing ceaselessly.
Shin Tae-ho, about to call out to her at these sudden actions, fell silent instead.
Abruptly, from the circular space that appeared before Yephiel, an astonishingly dense concentration of energy poured forth.
‘What concentration of energy is this? And that is….’
Beyond the boundary outlined in condensed energy—a space visible through it.
Within lay a tree of impossible, surreal dimensions.
“I can’t keep this open long. Come inside.”
Yephiel, having already crossed through the mirror-like circular gateway and stepped inside, called to Shin Tae-ho.
At her call, Shin Tae-ho did not hesitate; he moved forward.
There was no reason to hesitate.
From the conversation they’d had so far, Shin Tae-ho could already discern what this was.
The homeland of the Elves—something only a rare few Challengers who had built trust with them were permitted to hear of.
Yet even among the Elves themselves, its location and the means to reach it remained unknown, passed down among them as legend.
‘The Forest of the World Tree.’
Shin Tae-ho’s eyes trembled with excitement as he gazed upon the World Tree.
Continued in the next episode ▶
The Transcendent Blacksmith’s Return
Author
Bong-in Haejae
Publisher
Kim Seok-hwan, Choi Se-ra
Published by
Geuraepublishing
Contact
[email protected]
Publication Date
May 26, 2026
UCI
G720:N+A327-20260227067
※ This e-book is protected under copyright law. Unauthorized reproduction and copying are strictly prohibited. Violations may result in 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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