The Return of the Transcendent Blacksmith - Chapter 3

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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 3
A suffocating silence blanketed the space.
Arimire lay crumpled, face-first against the ground.
Twenty seconds had already passed, yet Arimire remained motionless in that sprawled position.
‘Is he dead?’
Shin Tae-ho was even beginning to entertain the absurd notion of an administrator’s fatal fall when—
Arimire suddenly stirred and rose, brushing dust from his clothes with exaggerated care.
He combed back his hair with deliberate composure, and a smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
“Impressive. To lay such a trap before the Tutorial even begins—I must confess, you nearly fooled me.”
“?”
Shin Tae-ho’s expression betrayed only confusion at Arimire’s nonsensical words.
Still, he held his tongue.
For though Arimire’s words came out as casual as ever, his face had flushed crimson as a persimmon.
One wrong word now, and he genuinely feared the man would snap.
‘He took the Core without asking—that grates on me. But he’s an administrator. Even if he can’t directly harm me, I could face some kind of disadvantage.’
Without deeper knowledge of Arimire, caution was the safest course.
Better to err on the side of restraint when meeting a Tutorial administrator for the first time.
Ignoring Arimire’s muttering, Shin Tae-ho retrieved his Core.
At that action, Arimire’s eyes widened in indignation—then he exhaled slowly.
“Remarkable indeed. That you could absorb my energy in such volume without the Core shattering…”
A Core’s capacity and output scaled with its size.
The Core Shin Tae-ho had brought was roughly the size of a fist.
It ranked among the smaller specimens in the Tower.
Yet Arimire’s energy—both its quantity and density—was incomprehensibly vast.
For such a Core to drink in his energy in a single breath, and then to contain it without fracturing…?
‘It would be impossible even with a Core the size of a mountain. What in the world is that thing…?’
“Is your inspection complete?”
Shin Tae-ho cradled the Core carefully after retrieving it from the ground, dusting it tenderly before securing it against his chest, and spoke.
Arimire opened his mouth to answer, then caught himself, sensing something amiss.
“Your words have grown curt.”
“They have. Is that a problem?”
His tone was measured, but a chill emanated from Shin Tae-ho’s expression.
Arimire stared at him as if bewildered.
“To speak to an administrator in such a manner… you possess remarkable audacity.”
“You’re an administrator, which is precisely why this ends here. You took someone else’s property without consent, inspected it, then hurled it back. That’s all.”
“Ah…”
At Shin Tae-ho’s words, Arimire reflected on his own conduct.
In truth, even he could see it had been excessive.
‘Did I really overstep that much…?’
As Arimire wavered,
Shin Tae-ho, his brow furrowed, posed another question.
“You serve as both administrator and guide, do you not? If the Core is sound, I’ll proceed.”
Shin Tae-ho held Arimire’s gaze.
Arimire, who had been examining the Core, nodded slowly.
“A divine artifact, one might say. Yet it poses no violation of Tower protocol.”
Arimire rubbed his still-tender nose, his expression turning grave.
From the start, Arimire had not come here by choice.
He was the Tower’s administrator.
Thus, whenever anomalies were detected within it, he was compelled to manifest, bearing the obligation
to directly observe and judge such phenomena himself.
Should the Core prove to be a forbidden item smuggled from outside the Tower?
It would be barred from entry—not by permission or denial alone, but by the very nature of the Tower’s restrictions, rendering it impossible to bring into either the Tutorial or the Tower itself.
However, upon thorough examination,
this Core possessed an abnormally extraordinary capacity and energy-absorption capability, though its crafting technique remained mysterious.
It was definitively a permitted item, fashioned from Tower materials and technology, wholly unrelated to any Tower malfunction.
‘Yet something still troubles me. How does a child who only just awakened possess such a Core…?’
Arimire scrutinized Shin Tae-ho with obvious suspicion.
Shin Tae-ho met that gaze unflinchingly, his own eyes reflecting quiet irritation.
Though the attitude displeased him, Arimire suppressed his displeasure.
As Tower administrator, he could not arbitrarily harm an Awakened One.
On top of that, to be honest, the fact that he’d been forcibly transported here and his hands had become rougher was also the truth.
Arimire, having made his decision, nodded his head.
“Yes. I’ve confirmed it. I permit you to take the Core.”
As Arimire raised his hand, the tower’s tightly closed door slid open smoothly.
Shin Tae-ho, passing by Arimire, walked into the Tutorial Tower.
It was absurd how he continued to show his anger right to the end.
Arimire watched Shin Tae-ho’s retreating figure with a peculiar gaze.
“Ha. No matter how much of a newcomer he is, if he’d felt my presence, fear would be natural. What a bold child.”
Arimire’s eyes deepened.
Calling it boldness was generous.
It was extraordinary for anyone to treat him this way.
It was harder than a human not fearing a dragon.
‘Whether he’s fearless or thoughtless, I’m not sure. But… strangely, I find him appealing.’
The vast span of time Arimire had spent in the tower as the Tutorial’s administrator.
During all that time, he’d been summoned only rarely.
Among the few beings he’d met through those sparse summons,
Setting aside the Core, Shin Tae-ho gave off a feeling that was difficult to describe—something different.
“Perhaps… it’s fate that this child came at this particular moment.”
A secret that everyone holds, that no one can speak of.
Arimire too harbored such a secret.
But the veil shrouding that secret was now drawing to a close.
If Shin Tae-ho left, even Arimire himself couldn’t guarantee when he might be summoned again.
“Whether he proves worthy—I shall see.”
A dragon of the Arimire line, worn thin by the weight of his duty as administrator through those vast ages, his emotions nearly drained completely dry.
For the first time in ages, Arimire’s eyes glimmered with genuine interest and hope.
* * *
Bang!
Shin Tae-ho, who had entered the Tutorial Tower, brought his fist down against the door.
He’d succeeded in bringing the Core inside.
Despite meeting the tower’s administrator for the first time, he’d entered the Tutorial Tower without any issue whatsoever.
Yet only one scene played repeatedly in Shin Tae-ho’s mind.
‘Damn it…! Right before my eyes and I couldn’t do a damn thing…!’
When Arimire had casually taken the Core.
Shin Tae-ho had watched it happen with his own eyes and been powerless to act.
At the same time, his mind conjured the image of the traitors using the items he’d crafted as if they were their own.
‘I need strength…! I need the power to keep my own from being stolen. The power to prevent my creations from being misused against my will!!’
Shin Tae-ho lifted his head.
The interior was an empty wasteland.
But Shin Tae-ho had experience coming here before.
And having gathered information from other Awakened Ones as well,
He actually understood the Tutorial better than he had back then.
“Tutorial start.”
His voice was barely more than a murmur.
But since the system responded to Shin Tae-ho’s will, that was enough.
[Unclassified Awakened One confirmed. Initiating Tutorial.]
[Please select a weapon to use in the Tutorial.]
The empty space was instantly filled with countless weapons.
Shin Tae-ho walked among the weapons, his eyes moving deliberately.
His expression darkened as he surveyed the condition of each weapon.
“Hell. It’s all scrap metal.”
Every item displayed in the Tutorial was Common Grade.
It was natural, given they were prepared to match the weak enemies the Tutorial was designed for.
Shin Tae-ho understood that well enough.
But still.
‘Is Common Grade equipment really this pitiful?’
Shin Tae-ho, who had crafted items himself and been called a Transcendent Grade blacksmith.
To his eye, Common Grade items were no different from rags.
‘This won’t work. I’ll reach my limit by the tenth floor alone.’
Shin Tae-ho fell into thought.
In fact, there had been the option of not entering the Tutorial at all.
The Tutorial was called a Tutorial in name only—its difficulty was so punishing that no Awakened One had ever completed it.
Yet despite this, Shin Tae-ho could not bring himself to abandon the climb.
‘I might be able to receive a Class even if I quit the Tutorial. But if I do, I’ll definitely end up as a Blacksmith.’
Or worse—I might not even qualify for the Blacksmith Class.
The first time I entered the Tutorial, I at least made it to the fifth floor.
But now, settling for merely the fifth floor was unacceptable.
‘Trying the same method as before while expecting a different result—that’s what people in the early stages of insanity do.’
Retain the Blacksmith’s knowledge while obtaining a Class specialized for combat.
Maximize that synergy, then climb the Tower myself.
To change the damned future he’d already endured once.
Shin Tae-ho fell into thought as he surveyed the endless array of items before him.
His eyes suddenly gleamed as he considered a variable that might break the impasse.
Without hesitation, Shin Tae-ho moved to verify the possibility that had just occurred to him.
“System. How many items can I take with me from here?”
[You are limited to one weapon and one piece of armor.]
“What if I take more than that?”
[In that case, two items chosen at random from your inventory will be deleted, leaving you with only the rest.]
‘So I can’t use the strategy of loading up on items.’
Shin Tae-ho considered the problem anew.
As his eyes wandered in search of an answer, a familiar-shaped weapon caught his attention.
It was a One-Handed Hammer.
‘A hammer. A hammer, indeed.’
The hammer was something his hands knew well, having wielded it until before the regression.
Of course, he had no intention of choosing the hammer.
With virtually no combat ability to begin with, relying solely on a One-Handed Hammer—with its extremely limited range—carried too much risk for someone as inexperienced in battle as himself.
Instead, a far different but far more promising idea came to mind.
“You said I can only take one weapon when I go up. But before I leave this place, can I use the weapons here freely?”
[…….]
The System, which always answered immediately, fell silent.
Though it had fielded countless questions until now, never before had it encountered one like this.
At last, the System formulated its response.
[There are no restrictions on the number of items you may use within the item selection space.]
‘Perfect.’
Having finally received the answer he wanted, Shin Tae-ho broke into a grin.
“That’s all I need.”
With confirmation in hand, Shin Tae-ho set to work.
He scavenged wood and cloth from various parts of the items—sword hilts, bowstrings, arrow shafts.
Thanks to the infinite supply of items, materials accumulated in moments.
His preparations continued.
Having laboriously dragged over thick, heavy shields, Shin Tae-ho stacked them like building blocks.
Clack-clack-clack!
He inserted a rod into a bowstring and spun it rapidly.
After a time, as smoke began rising from the friction, Shin Tae-ho quickly brought the cloth he’d gathered to the spot.
Whoosh!
The cloth caught fire.
Shin Tae-ho placed the flame into the stacked shields and fed in the wooden pieces from the broken items.
As kindling went in, the fire at last began burning steadily.
“Good.”
Sweat-drenched, Shin Tae-ho’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
It was crude compared to what he’d had before, but at least the bare minimum of work was possible.
As he gathered more fuel, Shin Tae-ho’s memory stirred.
‘The Tutorial doesn’t inflict hunger or fatigue, they said.’
And the Awakened One who’d stayed in the Tutorial longest had remained for a full twenty days.
Though she’d panicked upon sudden entry and remained in the item selection space out of fear.
‘So I can stay at least twenty days.’
A body that doesn’t hunger.
Over twenty days of time.
A crude but temporary furnace.
And even Common Grade items, provided in infinite supply.
‘It’s enough. More than enough.’
Shin Tae-ho gripped the One-Handed Hammer firmly.
His eyes, burning with fierce light, surveyed the infinite expanse of items before him as a hunter regards its prey.
To be continued ▶
The Transcendent Grade Blacksmith’s Return
Author
Bong In-haejae
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 under copyright law. Unauthorized reproduction and distribution are prohibited. Violators will be subject to criminal and civil liability.
※ Pentagram welcomes precious manuscripts from writers.

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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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