The Return of the Transcendent Blacksmith - Chapter 20

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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 20
After Yong Ryong-i finished registering.
Shin Tae-ho went straight to the Awakener Store and sold off his items.
He held back the important things—runes, Key Fragments, and the like—but there was so much else that it added up to a considerable sum.
“Your total is 357 million won. It’s been deposited to your account.”
“Thank you.”
Shin Tae-ho checked his account.
Adding this to what he’d made from selling items before, his account now held over 400 million won.
Even after taxes, it was a staggering amount.
Of course, death lurked around every corner as a Challenger, but the ability to handle money on this scale was part of what made the life so alluring.
Yet Shin Tae-ho wasn’t satisfied.
‘Still not enough.’
The reason Shin Tae-ho was heading to the Management Bureau Public Blacksmith Workshop.
It was to use the forge and craft items, naturally.
And for that, he needed to buy decent metal from the shop attached to the workshop.
But like most items that emerged from the Tower, metals from above commanded astronomical prices.
‘I’ll buy what I can afford.’
Besides, he couldn’t enter the Tower while his hammer head was recovering.
And during his climb to the fifteenth floor, Shin Tae-ho had become acutely aware of a fatal weakness.
The absence of any way to attack enemies at range.
A hammer was a weapon for closing distance, for fighting nose-to-nose.
Effective as it was, it came with equal danger, and if an enemy fled, he had no choice but to chase them down—a clear disadvantage.
‘A throwing weapon. What would suit me best?’
Shin Tae-ho found himself delighted, pondering what weapon to use.
In the past, he’d only ever crafted what others demanded or needed.
Making items he would actually use himself while climbing the Tower felt entirely different.
Looking for the shuttle bus stop to the workshop, Shin Tae-ho called Choi Yu-hwa.
Through the phone came the sound of her labored breathing.
“H-hey, Shin Tae-ho! Did you… hah… finish registering?”
“Yes, all done. I’m heading to Daecheong Lake now.”
“Daecheong Lake? What for?”
“To use the public blacksmith workshop there.”
“A blacksmith workshop? Oh! I wish I could go too, but today I can’t because of Ppi-ppi.”
Choi Yu-hwa sounded disappointed.
She’d only just managed to calm Ppi-ppi down, and if she introduced Yong Ryong-i again now, there was no telling what would happen.
“So I’ll just head back. Let’s meet again next time!”
“I understand. And I’m sorry about what happened today.”
“Don’t be! Yong Ryong-i didn’t do it on purpose. And Ppi-ppi gets scared easily too. Huh? Wait, hold on! Ppi-ppi, wait!”
“Squeeeak!”
Through the receiver came the sound of Ppi-ppi’s indignation.
Offended at being called a coward.
“Ow! Ppi-ppi, don’t bite! Shin Tae-ho! I’ll call you again next time. Travel safe!”
“Of course. It was nice to meet you today. See you next time.”
“It was great meeting you too! Next time we’ll definitely meet up with Yong Ryong-i again!”
The call ended just as the shuttle bus arrived.
Stroking the invisible Yong Ryong-i, who was hidden by the Concealment Skill, Shin Tae-ho spoke quietly.
“You heard that, right? Next time you see Ppi-ppi, give a proper apology, Yong Ryong.”
“Ryong…”
Yong Ryong-i replied dejectedly.
* * *
Shin Tae-ho got off the bus and surveyed the Crafting Complex.
Inside the massive factory-like building, the endless sound of hammers striking metal echoed through the air.
Shin Tae-ho, who had once worked here, felt a flood of nostalgia.
‘Those days were exhausting.’
Shin Tae-ho recalled the past.
When he’d received the Blacksmith Class and lived off his work in the forge, pouring all his effort into crafting items.
As a result of that dedication, Shin Tae-ho had crafted countless items and become the first to create a Transcendent-Grade Core, earning the title of Transcendent-Grade Blacksmith.
But from that point onward, he’d had to move about constantly under escort.
Everyone he met asked him to craft items for them without exception.
Some even pleaded, or cursed him for acting as though making a single item was so difficult.
Guilds and foreign Management Bureaus were constantly scheming to kidnap him.
The domestic Management Bureau and Guild pressed him day after day to craft items for them.
‘But the items I poured my heart into making—traitors hiding in our midst used them. For the Tower, not for humanity.’
Shin Tae-ho’s expression twisted into something ugly.
The memory, not yet healed or forgotten, rose up with all its original fury each time he recalled it.
“Welcome, customer. How did you— Oh!”
The shop owner was speaking in his usual gruff manner when he startled.
Shin Tae-ho’s face looked murderous enough to devour someone on the spot.
‘W-what? Is this an Awakener here to lodge a complaint?!’
It wasn’t common, but there were always Awakeners who would complain after buying an expensive item and finding it unsatisfactory.
However, such a menacing expression—like he was about to kill someone—was rare.
When the shop employee flinched, Shin Tae-ho realized his mistake and softened his face.
“Hello. I’ve come to look at some goods.”
“Oh, welcome.”
The employee, who normally greeted people with the rough manner typical of blacksmiths, offered a polite bow.
Shin Tae-ho approached the counter and scanned the sales list with practiced ease.
‘Expensive.’
For a Challenger, items were like a lifeline.
And since Awakeners earned substantial money, even common-grade items easily exceeded ten million won.
After checking the item prices, Shin Tae-ho flipped to the metals list.
Fortunately, since metals were raw materials, they were relatively cheaper than finished items.
But they were still costly, so Shin Tae-ho carefully combed through the list.
As he neared the end of the list.
His eyes suddenly stopped at one entry.
‘Isn’t this Literanium? But why is the price so low?’
Among the Tower’s metals with various properties, Literanium was the one with a quality that returned to the user—a metal that fed back its benefits.
In the future, Literanium would easily command over ten billion won per kilogram.
Yet on this list, it was only one hundred million won per kilogram.
Looking at the name next to the image, Shin Tae-ho understood the situation at once.
An entirely different name was written there.
‘They don’t know this is Literanium yet!’
Shin Tae-ho’s eyes gleamed.
He had to buy this no matter what.
“I’d like to purchase this.”
“That? Well, it came from the Tower, but it’s just inert material with no special properties.”
“That’s fine. I don’t have much money anyway, so there’s nothing else I can afford.”
‘Ah. I see.’
The employee’s eyes lit up at Shin Tae-ho’s words.
It was an item nobody wanted and that was hard to get rid of.
If he sold it now, he could make a good profit.
“We’ve got exactly 5 kilograms left. How about spending another hundred million?”
“I don’t have that much.”
“How much do you have?”
“A little over four hundred million won.”
The employee pretended to consider Shin Tae-ho’s words.
Of course it was an act—his mind was already made up.
“Then don’t buy just 1 or 2 kilograms and be left wanting. Buy all of it. If you buy everything, I’ll give you a substantial discount.”
“Really?”
Shin Tae-ho’s face brightened.
Not only was he getting Literanium wholesale, but luck was smiling on him too?
‘Coming here today was definitely the right call.’
Shin Tae-ho processed the payment with joy.
His account emptied in an instant, but his heart felt warm.
Perhaps pricked by his conscience at the sight, the employee cleared his throat.
“You’re refreshingly straightforward. I’ll throw in 20 kilograms of iron on the house.”
‘If I only use Literanium, the durability will be too weak. I feel bad accepting iron on top of such a cheap deal, but… now’s not the time to refuse.’
“Iron too? Thank you. I’ll put it to good use.”
‘Thanks, my ass. You’re just getting rid of dead stock and padding your numbers. I should be the one thanking you. Either way, it’s metal, so once I craft items from it, I won’t starve.’
The employee and Shin Tae-ho, unaware of each other’s true thoughts, laughed together in genuine delight at the transaction.
* * *
Whoosh!
Clang! Clang!
Hissss!
The Management Bureau Public Blacksmith Workshop was filled with scorching heat and the rhythmic sound of hammers striking metal.
Blacksmith was not a Class suited for climbing the tower.
Because of this, blacksmiths made their living by crafting materials into items and selling them for profit.
But today, the workshop carried an unusual atmosphere unlike any other day.
“Did you hear? One of the Tamer Awakeners reserved the workshop.”
“What’s a Tamer doing coming to a blacksmith shop? Just sightseeing?”
“Even if we had the space, we wouldn’t lend it to someone who won’t use it.”
Even among Awakeners, being human meant the same comparisons applied.
The most common comparison among Awakeners was whether they were Challengers climbing the tower or not.
Naturally, people looked favorably on Challengers who risked their lives ascending the tower.
Conversely, Awakeners who didn’t climb the tower faced subtle disdain from both non-Awakeners and Challengers alike.
Yet here was a Tamer—a Challenger with no connection whatsoever to blacksmithing—reserving the workshop and walking in.
From the blacksmiths’ perspective, such an action was the same as breaking an unspoken rule.
“I’m curious what kind of person this is. Don’t you think so, Master Kim Jong-su?”
Someone posed the question seeking agreement, but Kim Jong-su did not answer.
Kim Jong-su had been active as a blacksmith since before the Crafting Complex was established.
A master craftsman now called the nation’s finest blacksmith, with the achievement of creating a Rare-grade item.
Such a Kim Jong-su understood well the weight of his own words.
“Don’t act rashly. An Awakener is simply using the workshop, that’s all.”
“Well, using it or not, they’re just coming to look around, aren’t they?”
“Exactly. What’s a Tamer doing here at the blacksmith shop?”
“If they came to spy on our techniques, we’ll break their arms and legs.”
Long ago, before the unspoken rule was established that only blacksmiths entered a blacksmith shop.
Some rude Challengers had urged the blacksmiths to make things faster.
Or there had been instances where they stared at the craftsmen working as if watching animals in a zoo.
If this Tamer who was coming now did anything like that, they would not let it slide.
“Good afternoon.”
Just as the blacksmiths were steeling themselves and growling with resolve.
A voice they’d never heard before came from behind them.
They instantly recognized it was the Tamer who’d come to rent the workshop, and their faces twisted into ugly scowls.
“What? Who is this greeting—huh?”
The blacksmith who’d been trying to intimidate from the start faltered in shock.
Massively broad shoulders and sharply defined musculature.
Tall and lean, anyone could see at a glance this was a Warrior-class Awakener.
“Wait, you said Tamer?!”
“B-but we definitely heard it was a Tamer?”
“Does that look like a Tamer to your eyes? I’d sooner believe them as a Hunter.”
While the blacksmiths whispered among themselves, Shin Tae-ho naturally found his place in the workshop.
Though his first official visit to the Management Bureau Public Blacksmith Workshop, Shin Tae-ho knew this place better than anyone here.
The way he instantly raised the furnace temperature and checked the quenching tank left the blacksmiths stunned.
“Has this person been here before?”
“What are you talking about? No one’s come here besides us in years.”
“Then how in the world do you explain what we’re seeing…?”
No answer came.
The blacksmith seeing Shin Tae-ho for the first time could have no way of knowing the reason.
‘Let’s begin.’
As Shin Tae-ho pulled Literanium from his inventory, a faint smile crossed his face at the thought of crafting for the first time in so long.
To be continued in the next episode ▶
The Transcendent Blacksmith’s Return
Author
Seal Breaker
Publisher
Kim Seok-hwan, Choi Se-ra
Published by
Grae Publishing
Inquiries
[email protected]
Date of Publication
May 26, 2026
UCI
G720:N+A327-20260227067
※ This e-book is protected under copyright law. Unauthorized reproduction, distribution, and copying are prohibited. Violation of this restriction may result in criminal and civil legal liability.
※ Pentagram awaits your 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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