The Return of the Transcendent Blacksmith - Chapter 35

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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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The Transcendent Blacksmith’s Return — Chapter 35
Tower.com, the community hub for the Tower, was always flooded with posts from players around the world in real time.
But the issue that had recently captured the attention of those players was a rumor about an Awakener from South Korea.
—Who came up with the nickname “Mystery”? It’s perfect.
—But even if we accept the name, how is it possible that nobody even knows their gender? Looking at it from any angle, isn’t the Korean Management Bureau hiding information?
⌎ The fact that they won’t openly reveal their identity is clear evidence that Korea is manipulating information.
⌎⌎ It doesn’t make sense that such a powerful Awakener would emerge from a small country like Korea.
⌎ What are you even talking about?
⌎ What was that~? It’s so quiet I can barely hear a pathetic country that hasn’t even reached Floor 63 yet~?
Most of the posts were expressions of curiosity and speculation about Mystery.
But with people from around the world gathered in one place, users with prejudice against Korea denied the existence of Mystery altogether.
Im A-young, who was monitoring Tower.com as part of her duties, felt a complex emotion that was difficult to put into words.
Denying the existence of Mystery as a fabrication?
In that case, the mood might be bad, but—
she could still argue that the Management Bureau simply hadn’t found information about Mystery yet.
On the other hand, if people believed in Mystery’s existence,
they could boast that Korea had secured a powerful challenger and thus strengthened national power.
But on the flip side, they’d definitely be bombarded with information-sharing requests from other countries directed at the Management Bureau.
‘…Maybe it’s better to lean toward the disbelieving side…?’
As Im A-young tilted her head in thought,
the door to the bureau chief’s office opened, and Management Bureau Director Oh Jin-hyeok emerged.
“Sigh. My ears feel like they’re going to fall off from taking calls without pause.”
Dark circles hung heavily under Oh Jin-hyeok’s eyes—the result of being harassed by calls all night due to the time difference.
“Im. Have you compiled all the information related to Mystery so far?”
“Yes, Director! Here it is.”
Im A-young handed over the testimony file from the Ranker who had entered the Gate with them.
Oh Jin-hyeok furrowed his brow and read through the report with intense focus.
The depiction of Mystery by the Rankers lacked any sense of reality.
They claimed Mystery had single-handedly faced dozens of Ogres.
In less than five minutes, they had eliminated several of those agile Baghest Riders.
It felt like a joke, but no one in the Management Bureau doubted this report.
‘The atmosphere really was vicious back then.’
On the day the Rankers returned after the Gate was conquered,
given the gravity of the situation, the Management Bureau had immediately requested debriefings from the Rankers about what had happened inside.
More critically, the fact that Mystery hadn’t emerged despite the Gate being cleared was itself a serious problem.
Though the Bureau had made a request, judging by the Rankers’ usual conduct, refusal was more likely.
Yet for some reason, the Rankers had complied with the Management Bureau’s request, their expressions half-dazed.
“Their weapon was a Hammer…. They used three Hammers in total—two smaller ones for throwing, and one for direct strikes.”
“Well. Regardless of what Class they obtained, it was impossible. Every time the Hammer struck a monster, fire and ice erupted. Does such a Class even exist?”
“…They were strong. So strong my lance couldn’t block the Ogre’s fist—instead, they shattered it.”
“It was like watching a mage. Or maybe they really were a mage. Using Telekinesis and Multi-Element Control….”
Though their phrasing differed,
there was one thing common to all the Rankers’ accounts: they were unanimous in acknowledging Mystery’s overwhelming power.
If that was true, it meant Mystery possessed combat ability that surpassed even Park Je-hyeok, the current number-one Ranker in Korea.
A challenger who truly lived up to the nickname “Mystery.”
What Class they had obtained, how they hadn’t emerged from the Gate—nothing made sense,
but one thing was certain.
‘Mystery has become the most important figure in Korea right now.’
Though the Gate had been sealed this time, if Floor 66 wasn’t conquered,
after one month—the new grace period—the Gate would open again.
But based on everything he’d heard so far….
‘It seems likely that the challenger Park Je-hyeok failed to clear Floor 66 might be passable for them.’
“Oh, Director. Did you hear? Since leaving the Gate, the Rankers have been dedicating themselves to training on their own initiative.”
“Those three, you mean?”
“Yes! Even when we used to tell them they shouldn’t neglect training outside the Tower, they wouldn’t listen. But lately, they’ve apparently even rented training facilities!”
Im A-young explained with a bright smile, the first in a long time.
At the sight of her, the fatigue-worn expression on Oh Jin-hyeok’s face lifted slightly.
Looking around, he noticed that not only Im A-young but the other staff members’ expressions had brightened too.
‘It’s been a long time since life returned to the Management Bureau.’
The atmosphere of the Management Bureau had been unbearably dark lately.
It all began with the emergence of Mystery, an entity that refused to reveal itself.
Because of this, Management Bureau personnel went through all manner of hardship trying to track Mystery down.
Yet even after all that effort, they had failed to find Mystery, and they were thoroughly chewed out by their superiors as a result.
But an even darker shadow fell over the Management Bureau when Ranker Park Je-hyeok failed to clear Floor 66.
Failure to update the highest floor was a matter of national survival.
After Park Je-hyeok, who had always been cooperative with the Management Bureau, appeared in a state of near-death,
Im A-young had been diagnosed with depression, bearing such a weight on her heart.
Yet Mystery, which had tormented them by showing not even a shadow when they searched so desperately for it, suddenly appeared—
and vanished the most dangerous problem looming before their eyes, the Gate, in an instant.
Thanks to this, the Korean Gate incident, which had captured the world’s attention as a massive crisis, became instead merely a stage that amplified only Mystery’s mystique.
This alone would have been astonishing, but the strange part did not end there.
The people who had been present at the Gate at that time
had taken photographs and video recordings in order to capture the appearance of Mystery, who had revealed themselves.
Yet remarkably, when later asked to describe Mystery’s appearance, each witness gave a completely different account.
Some said it was a frail woman; others described a muscular man; one claimed the voice was thin and reedy, another that it echoed like a cavern.
Even when the recorded footage was examined, it appeared differently depending on who had filmed it, making it impossible to dismiss the testimonies as lies.
‘Not only Korea’s major Guilds, but Guilds with global influence, the Management Bureau itself, and even Scouts are watching Korea.’
According to the Management Bureau’s assessment, people from nations around the world were converging on Korea to find Mystery.
Of course, given that Korea’s Rankers remained strong and they had to protect their own country, they would not stay long.
But because they did not yet know Mystery’s true identity, the Management Bureau could not implement protective measures against them.
‘But that same ignorance applies to them as well.’
As not knowing Mystery’s identity became a blessing in disguise, Oh Jin-hyeok’s expression grew complicated.
Had they revealed Mystery’s identity, there was a high probability the situation would have become far worse.
‘If all of this was done with that consideration in mind….’
The more they learned, the more impenetrable Mystery became.
And the more they discovered, the greater Mystery’s presence seemed to grow.
As Oh Jin-hyeok sat with his fingers interlaced against his chin, a message window appeared before his eyes.
“What on earth is their true identity.”
While pondering Mystery, Oh Jin-hyeok caught sight of a notification about an S-rank clear of Floor 61, and he let out a bitter laugh, muttering to himself.
* * *
“…Truly. No matter how hard I try, it’s difficult even to follow in the Hero’s footsteps.”
Kider murmured as though entranced by something.
Eldein, standing beside him, said nothing.
Eldein felt exactly as Kider did.
The Elf warriors standing behind the two Elf Lords could not close their mouths.
“H-how is it possible… to face the Forest Destroyer Ogres alone like that…?”
“And not just one. There were thirty of them.”
Another Elf warrior added clarification to the shock they shared.
Up through Floor 60, the Ogres had appeared in scattered groups of two or three.
But on Floor 61, some thirty Ogres had poured forth.
The Trial condition itself was to defeat the Ogres within 48 hours while cooperating with the Elves.
Previous challengers who had passed this Trial had barely succeeded by digging various traps and receiving the Elves’ assistance.
Yet Shin Tae-ho cleared Floor 61 in just three hours.
And that time included travel as well.
In fact, fearing the Elves might die meaninglessly to the Ogres, Shin Tae-ho had fought the entire battle on Floor 61 alone.
Shin Tae-ho clenched and unclenched his fist, taking stock of his physical condition.
‘The amount of Qi I can store in my Circuits has increased. And despite fighting, I feel almost no fatigue.’
Shin Tae-ho’s body, already newly reconstructed through Complete Rebirth,
had shown greater physical growth with each floor climbed and Trial passed compared to other challengers.
But with the addition of drinking Ephiel’s Elixir, even the Floor 61 Trial became something he could clear with ease.
‘I never imagined Ephiel could create an Elixir this extraordinary.’
Shin Tae-ho, catching his breath, took a World Tree Leaf from his inventory.
The Trial was cleared, but what really mattered would only begin now.
“I need to return now, so all of you go back to the city as well.”
“Eh? You’re not inspecting our equipment this time…? Ah, I apologize!”
When not only Eldein and Kider but their companions too turned their attention to him, the Elf warrior who had misspoken quickly offered an apology.
The other Elves worried whether Shin Tae-ho was offended.
But contrary to their concern, Shin Tae-ho simply nodded calmly.
“Yes. I’ll do it next time.”
“No, sir! Just what you’ve done for us so far has been honor enough!”
“Is that so? Well, if you’ve heard it put that way, I suppose I should oblige. Fine. I won’t do it next time.”
“That wretch deserves to have his ears torn clean off…!”
“Which one? Bring him to me once the Hero departs. I’ll send him straight to the World Tree.”
“H-hiiii…!”
The elf warrior, caught in his mistake again, trembled violently.
It was only a joke, but the air had turned so heavy—as though the elf warrior were moments from assassination—that Shin Tae-ho moved to defuse the situation.
“It was jest, so I trust no one will lay a hand on this warrior. Eldein, Kider—as commanders and lords of this city, you bear the responsibility of looking after him.”
“As you wish, Hero.”
“Y-yes, thank you! Thank you so much, Hero!”
The terrified elf warrior bowed with gratitude so fervent he looked ready to weep.
Once the elves had quieted, Shin Tae-ho drew a deep breath.
‘The World Tree. I’m going to the World Tree.’
Holding the World Tree firmly in his mind, just as Ephiel had advised him at the Gate, Shin Tae-ho tore the leaf.
In that instant, everything in his vision shimmered like heat haze.
The dizzying world spun wildly—then all at once, the scene snapped into focus with crystalline clarity.
Before his eyes had even fully adjusted, Shin Tae-ho’s nostrils flooded with the rich, earthy scent of phytoncides.
“Ryorong—!!”
Yong-ryong cried out in jubilation.
Mercifully, the clear vision before him was not the decaying, crumbling World Tree he’d seen within the Gate.
This World Tree overflowed with verdant vitality, its sturdy roots towering upward like a high-rise building.
Shin Tae-ho recognized it at once—this was the same World Tree he’d entered with Ephiel in the tower.
‘I’m in the right place.’
Since the leaf had come from the Gate, Shin Tae-ho had tensed with the worry that it might carry him somewhere else—but now he exhaled in relief.
Shin Tae-ho turned his steps toward the World Tree, searching for Ephiel.
“Ryong!”
“I know, Yong-ryong.”
At the creature’s startled cry, Shin Tae-ho halted mid-stride and replied.
In the past, he could never have kept pace with Yong-ryong’s sensory awareness.
But now, having drunk the Elixir, Shin Tae-ho could perceive through his own aura why Yong-ryong had cried out as a warning to stop him.
Thunk!
An arrow wreathed in aura embedded itself before Shin Tae-ho’s feet.
Unlike the elf warriors he’d faced, this arrow was completely enveloped in dense, reinforced aura—its shaft driven deep into the earth, feathers and all.
Seeing several arrows strike the ground at once, Shin Tae-ho lifted his gaze.
From between the branches that extended from the World Tree’s roots, elves dressed in garments of refined elegance emerged.
Neither Pure Elf nor Dark Elf—a third kind entirely.
World Tree Elves, like Ephiel, had revealed themselves, their eyes sharp with wariness as they drew their bows toward Shin Tae-ho.
To be continued ▶
The Master Blacksmith’s Return
Author
Seal Release
Publisher
Kim Seok-hwan, Choi Se-ra
Publishing House
Grae Publishing
Inquiry Email
[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 prohibited. Violation of these restrictions may result in criminal and civil liability.
※ Pentagram welcomes submissions of original 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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