The Return of the Transcendent Blacksmith - Chapter 29

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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 Chapter 29
Shin Tae-ho searched his memory.
After Park Je-hyeok, who had been a Ranker back then, failed to clear the 66th Floor.
Other Rankers had also failed the 66th Floor, and unable to update the highest cleared floor, a Gate had opened in Korea.
The Gate had opened near Gaya Mountain, located in Hapcheon, South Gyeongsang Province.
The Management Bureau had failed to close the Gate within the time limit.
As a result, a Gate Break had occurred, and Korea was forced to mobilize its military to deal with the monsters that poured out.
‘The casualties were terrible too.’
The monsters that poured from Gaya Mountain spread as far as Changnyeong and Gimcheon, leaving everything in ruins.
Shin Tae-ho clenched his teeth, remembering that over a thousand people had died back then.
“S-Shin Tae-ho? Should I… should I give it back to you…?”
Startled by his expressionless yet murderous look, Choi Yu-hwa asked hesitantly.
Pulled from his thoughts by her question, Shin Tae-ho shook his head.
“No. I was just thinking about something serious after watching the news.”
“The news? Ah….”
Choi Yu-hwa nodded as she turned to look at the broadcast.
As both an Awakener and a Tower climber, she understood just how grave the situation was.
“Given these circumstances, I believe giving you the Foldrun was the right choice. I hope you’ll use it well.”
“Yes…! Thank you so much, Shin Tae-ho. Pipi, say hello.”
“Pweep.”
Pipi, sitting atop the Foldrun with claws fully extended, bowed her head.
Shin Tae-ho returned the gesture with a slight nod and rose from his seat.
“I’d like to talk longer since it’s been a while, but I have matters to attend to, so I should take my leave.”
“Really? Are you very busy? After giving such a generous gift, I’d at least like to treat you to dinner….”
“I apologize. Let’s make another appointment for next time.”
Shin Tae-ho declined firmly.
Knowing what would happen when the Gate opened, he couldn’t afford to waste time.
‘Five days remain until the Gate opens. Even if I rush, there won’t be enough time to reach the 66th Floor.’
Shin Tae-ho was currently climbing the 56th Floor.
Even if he climbed the Tower without rest over the remaining five days, the 60th Floor would be his limit.
Then he’d have to prevent the Gate Break by other means.
And he also needed to suppress the riots of Awakeners that would cascade once the Gate opened.
‘Things are about to get busy.’
Leaving the café, Shin Tae-ho hurried toward home.
* * *
[You have entered the 56th Floor of the Tower of Korea.]
Upon entering the Tower, Shin Tae-ho ran toward the Elven city without hesitation.
In the meantime, a message window appeared, informing him of the Trial’s content on the 56th Floor.
[56th Floor Trial: The Elves have only defended Sinterhon until now. However, emboldened by destroying enemy outposts in the surrounding areas, the Elves now seek to expand their attack zones to the outer regions.]
[Help the Elves exterminate the enemies entrenched in the eastern outer regions.]
[Time Limit: 24 hours]
‘The outer regions. I’ve never ventured out there before.’
Until climbing the 55th Floor, the main arena had never extended beyond the Elven city.
Though called a city, the densely grown forest felt nearly hundreds of kilometers across.
With enemies constantly attacking, there had barely been time to defend on all sides.
But venturing to the outer regions meant his operational area would expand significantly.
‘How vast is this place, anyway?’
As Shin Tae-ho approached the city, a sentinel, as always, came running toward him.
“Greetings! Could you possibly—”
“I’m Shin Tae-ho. Take me to where Eldeain and Kider are.”
“Yong-yong!”
Yong-yong-i poked his head out from the armor and nodded in agreement.
Following the delighted sentinel, Shin Tae-ho found the two lords waiting with their warriors gathered.
“As expected! You’ve come again, Hero!”
“Good. You both look well. Kider, Eldeain.”
“It’s all thanks to you, Hero. Have you come to help us again this time?”
“I have. And furthermore, this time I intend to participate in the battle myself.”
“What? Do you mean it, Hero? But why…?”
Kider looked taken aback.
Of course, Shin Tae-ho had helped them until now.
But that was merely lending a hand when the warriors faltered in combat or found themselves in peril.
Once the warriors’ attacks began to land on enemies through the Enchantments, his role had been nothing more than directing them and offering counsel.
“I have work to do. I need to end this battle as quickly as possible.”
Re-entry to the Tower was twenty-four hours after clearing a floor.
That is, if he used up the full twenty-four-hour time limit on the fifty-sixth floor to clear it, another twenty-four hours would be added, and he wouldn’t reach the fifty-seventh floor until forty-eight hours had passed.
‘I need to climb one floor a day and reach as high as I can.’
The Ranker Park Je-hyeok’s failure to clear the sixty-sixth floor would lead to a Gate opening.
As had happened before, Park Je-hyeok would be unable to climb the Tower for some time while recovering from his injuries.
And with that, ordinary people and Awakeners overwhelmed by fear would riot.
There was only one way to prevent that chaos beforehand, or to minimize it.
‘I have to climb to the sixtieth floor and keep hope alive.’
Shin Tae-ho pulled a hammer from his inventory.
With two Throwing Hammers fastened on either side of his waist and a Combat Hammer slung across his shoulder, Shin Tae-ho looked at Eldeain and Kider.
“Let’s move out.”
“Understood, Hero. All troops, prepare to advance!”
At Eldeain’s shout, the warriors grasped their weapons and fell into formation.
Their faith and loyalty in Shin Tae-ho ran so deep that neither doubt nor fear could be found in their expressions.
* * *
The moment they ventured beyond Sinterhon, the elven city, enemies appeared, watching for any opening.
At first there were only Forest Goblins, but soon Forest Hobgoblins joined their ranks.
Now, on the fifty-sixth floor, Ogres appeared sporadically among them as well.
As time passed and goblin technology advanced, the enemies wielded increasingly convincing weapons.
The massive iron clubs swung by the Ogres were powerful enough to splinter and crush wood.
These were dangerous foes that would have caused even the confident elves—those who now possessed Enchanted weapons—to strategize carefully before attacking.
Yet Shin Tae-ho carved through their ranks armed with nothing but three hammers.
Crash-bang!
Whoosh!
Clang!!
Fire and ice erupted with each strike of the Throwing Hammers against an enemy.
His Combat Hammer lacked that explosive impact, yet with each swing he toppled even the towering Ogres.
Watching Shin Tae-ho conduct alone a battle that should have taken their warriors a hundred at a time, the elven soldiers’ faces went blank with awe.
“That—that is the Hero’s way of fighting…!”
“We witnessed it once when he saved us. But seeing it again like this… the power is truly extraordinary…!”
Shin Tae-ho had not demonstrated proper combat since rescuing both the Pure Elves and the Dark Elves.
Creating Enchanted weapons for the elven warriors had been enough to clear the Trial.
Besides, in ordinary times Yong-yong-i drank all the Qi alone, so he had to conserve it carefully.
Instead, Shin Tae-ho had spent that time learning to channel Qi far more efficiently.
As a result, he could now topple enemies without difficulty while using far less Qi than before.
-Woof! Woof!
The sound of barking rang out, and black wolves burst from between the trees.
Upon each wolf rode a Hobgoblin nearly two meters tall, gripping the reins.
“Be cautious, Hero! Those are Hobgoblins who have tamed Baghests!”
Kider shouted and nocked an arrow to his bowstring.
The Bagheest Riders, combining the Bagheest’s agility with the Hobgoblin’s javelin throw, were a particularly menacing threat to the elven warriors.
The Bagheest that had evaded his thrown hammer as it charged forward bared its teeth at Shin Tae-ho.
But before the Bagheest could attack, Shin Tae-ho recalled his Throwing Hammers and activated his Unique Ability.
[Unique Ability, Verdant Shackles, activated.]
The Unique Ability of the two Throwing Hammers: Verdant Shackles.
As the ability took effect, tree branches and vines from the surrounding forest coiled around the Bagheest’s body and tightened.
The startled Bagheest and Hobgoblin struggled to tear apart the shackles with brute strength.
But the Bagheest’s teeth, sharp enough to shatter stone, could not snap the pliable, resilient Verdant Shackles.
Thud!
With his physical abilities heightened by Qi, Shin Tae-ho brought his hammer down on the Hobgoblin rider’s head.
Before the Hobgoblin with its crushed skull could even fall,
he reversed his grip on the Combat Hammer and drove its sharp, beak-like point into the Bagheest’s skull.
The Bagheest, its head shattered, died without even a cry.
“Kck, kck-kck!”
“Grrrow—!”
The enemies watching Shin Tae-ho’s combat flinched.
The sight of Shin Tae-ho fighting continuously without tiring at all, powered by Qi, stirred a primal fear in the monsters’ instinctive nature.
But Shin Tae-ho had no time to savor the enemies’ terror, no leisure for it.
“What are you doing? Shoot your arrows.”
“Yes? Ah, yes!”
The elven warriors, who had been watching the battle in a daze, drew their bowstrings at Shin Tae-ho’s command.
As the elven warriors joined the fray—a battle that had been tilted against Shin Tae-ho alone—the tide turned with stunning speed.
Crack!
“Gaaaaahhh—!!”
Shin Tae-ho’s hammer shattered the ogre’s neck as it made its final stand.
The moment the ogre’s breath ceased, a message window appeared.
[You have eliminated all enemies in the eastern outskirts.]
[The elves’ loyalty toward you has increased!]
[Your loyalty rating with the elves is already at maximum!]
[Excess loyalty will be reflected in your rewards!]
[Reward contents: 50 Superior Qi Fragments, 1 Intermediate Healing Rune.]
‘A Healing Rune!’
Shin Tae-ho’s eyes gleamed.
Though the quantity of rewards had decreased, the quality had risen considerably.
Moreover, the Healing Rune was an ability used for treating wounds.
And given that it was Intermediate-grade, crafting items with the rune would significantly boost his combat endurance.
‘A fine haul.’
As Shin Tae-ho checked his inventory with satisfaction,
one of the elven warriors tidying the area let out a shout.
“There’s a chest here!”
“A chest?”
At the elf’s cry, Shin Tae-ho rushed over.
Inside what appeared to be a large building where the ogres had been staying, a chest lay openly—like treasure itself.
It was a Treasure Chest, something that appeared only rarely in the tower.
‘A Treasure Chest, here of all places!’
Shin Tae-ho glanced at his still-open inventory.
There, a single Key sat intact—assembled from fragments he had gathered.
As Shin Tae-ho withdrew the Key and approached the chest,
Eldeain, who had been examining it, let out a contemptuous snort.
“Leave it. It’s merely an iron chest with nothing worth taking. Compared to what we possess, it’s beneath consideration.”
‘This bastard?’
Shin Tae-ho, holding the Key, froze mid-step.
But as he mulled over those words, he suddenly looked up in surprise and asked Eldeain,
“Eldeain. Are you familiar with chests that look like this?”
“Yes? Of course, Hero. We even have one in Sinterhon right now, but we keep it in storage since we have no way to open it.”
“You have a chest?”
“Why—why are you asking, Hero?”
When Shin Tae-ho pressed further in surprise, Kider grew flustered.
Shin Tae-ho did not reply.
Instead, he glanced back and forth between the Key and the chest before him, then placed the Key back into his inventory.
“That chest. I want to open it. Can you guide me to it?”
At Shin Tae-ho’s words—a request made for the first time—Eldeain and Kider’s eyes went wide.
To be continued ▶
The Transcendent Blacksmith’s Return
Author
Seal Release
Publisher
Kim Seok-hwan, Choi Se-ra
Publishing House
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 face criminal and civil liability.
※ Pentagram awaits the precious manuscript from the author.

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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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