The Return of the Transcendent Blacksmith - Chapter 47

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Transcendent Blacksmith’s Return — Episode 47
Bang!
Shin Tae-ho smashed the goblin in front of him with his hammer and charged forward.
A dozen enormous centipedes launched themselves at Shin Tae-ho, but the Storm Hammer he’d thrown moments before was already cutting through the air, crushing their heads as it flew in deadly arcs.
Shin Tae-ho’s expression darkened as he continued to swing his hammer without pause.
‘They fled this far. It took far too long to catch up.’
After entering the tower and passing the trial before Sinterhorn, Shin Tae-ho had needed a full three days just to track the elves’ path.
Three days spent in pursuit, on top of the time consumed by the trial itself.
Subtract those hours from the original 120, and fewer than 40 hours remained before his window to stay in the tower closed.
‘Rescuing just the elves here won’t be enough. After I clear this place, I still need to reach the World Tree.’
Shin Tae-ho clenched his teeth.
The goblin numbers had thinned considerably compared to the battle at Sinterhorn.
Yet hundreds still remained, making a clean breakthrough difficult.
As Shin Tae-ho drew his Ki through his meridians with even greater intensity—
The goblin charging at him took an arrow through its skull and crashed down.
Shin Tae-ho turned toward the direction the arrow had come from and saw a group of haggard elf warriors, their eyes wide with shock.
“Is—is it really you? The hero has returned!”
“Help the hero! Loose your arrows!”
The elf warriors shouted and began firing volleys of arrows.
Seeing the elves, Shin Tae-ho drew his Ki even thicker around himself.
In that moment, a message window materialized before him.
[The number of allies, including the caster, has exceeded 100.]
[Conditions met. You may now use Blessing of the Battlefield.]
“Activate it.”
Shin Tae-ho used Blessing of the Battlefield without hesitation.
The moment the blessing took effect, the exhausted elf warriors who had been fighting so desperately widened their eyes.
“What—what is this? Strength is flooding through my body!”
“My natural power is returning too! How is this possible?”
“Gather your wits! Your bodies will be filled with my blessing’s power! Conversely, our enemies have grown weak—use this moment to annihilate them all!”
Shin Tae-ho’s voice rang out, clear and commanding.
True to his words, the goblins within the blessing’s range found their defense and Ki resistance sharply reduced.
With their armor durability degraded as well, elf arrows that moments before had bounced off their plating now pierced straight through and sank into goblin flesh.
“It’s true! The hero’s blessing dwells within us!”
“The hero bestows his blessing upon us! Exterminate the enemy!”
Emboldened, the elf warriors began tearing through the goblins.
As arrows punched through helms and cuirasses, the fallen goblins multiplied.
With Shin Tae-ho charging into the fray as well, the hundreds of goblins were swiftly annihilated.
“Y-your heroic majesty!”
Kider and Eldein rushed toward Shin Tae-ho.
The two lords knelt on one knee before him, their heads bowed respectfully.
“Your majesty, you’ve returned to us! We waited for you so very long!”
“Calm yourself, Kider. This is not yet finished, and I have precious little time.”
“Pardon? But what do you—”
Shin Tae-ho raised a hand, cutting off Kider’s words.
Instead, he fixed his gaze on Eldein, who remained silent with his head bowed.
“Eldein. Have you found a safe place for your people to shelter?”
“There is a location not far from here that we have scouted. However, it contains even more goblins than this place.”
“That matters not. If I clear it for you, can you guarantee your people’s safety?”
“I regret to say we cannot guarantee it. Yet we could improve their chances of survival somewhat.”
At such an uncertain answer, Shin Tae-ho’s face darkened.
Coming this far only to find the elves’ safety could not be assured felt hollow.
‘What can I do? In this situation, what should I do?’
Shin Tae-ho rummaged through his inventory, turning the problem over in his mind.
Then, in that moment, a single item caught his eye.
‘The World Tree Leaf.’
The leaves he’d received as a quest reward from the World Tree—all 999 of them.
He’d used one before, leaving 998 remaining.
“Eldein, Kider. How many elves survived in total?”
“In all, approximately 1052, sir.”

“That was yesterday’s count. Right now we have exactly 995.”
Eldein corrected Kider’s answer with surgical precision.
Shin Tae-ho scanned the surroundings.
No goblin presence lingered nearby anymore.
Yet the moment his gaze drifted, he could see goblin swarms moving like wasps far in the distance.
‘We’ve only climbed one floor and the situation’s already shifted this drastically. Who knows how much time the next floor will cost us.’
Shin Tae-ho closed his eyes.
The current state of the World Tree was uncertain.
Whether he could receive the World Tree Leaf again—that too remained a mystery.
“Meow.”
At Yong-ryong’s call, Shin Tae-ho’s eyes opened.
Looking into those clear, placid eyes like a still lake, he felt shame for the worries that had consumed him moments before.
“You’re right, Yong-ryong. I was overthinking.”
“Meow?”
Shin Tae-ho reached up to stroke her head, and Yong-ryong tilted her head quizzically.
Yet even without intending it, Yong-ryong’s call had crystallized his resolve.
“Distribute these among everyone. One leaf per elf. Exactly 995 of them.”
“This… this is…!”
Eldein and Kider trembled at the World Tree’s essence they felt radiating from the leaves.
Eldein, who had been staring silently at the leaf, pressed his lips together tightly.
“Why… are you giving us the World Tree Leaves… No, why now, when…”
“Hey, Eldein!”
Kider gasped at the reproachful murmur directed toward Shin Tae-ho.
But Shin Tae-ho could understand Eldein’s heart.
Eldein, who had fought battles leading the elves while cornered and desperate.
Though he lacked the words to express it, his insides were clearly exhausted, rotten, falling apart.
Shin Tae-ho raised a hand to stop Kider, who was trying to restrain Eldein.
Kider and every elf warrior held their breath, their eyes darting between Shin Tae-ho and Eldein.
“I’m sorry.”
“…!”
At Shin Tae-ho’s words, Eldein’s eyes—so full of resentment—shook violently.
Eldein gritted his teeth and spoke with difficulty.
“So many warriors I couldn’t protect died in vain.”
“And yet warriors remain that you did protect.”
“More than half of those who left the city trusting me and Kider have been lost.”
“Then half survive, don’t they.”
“Even now… as we fled, my strength gave out. I wanted to abandon everything.”
“But you didn’t.”
With each word of comfort for himself, tears gathered cloudily in Eldein’s eyes.
Just as Eldein was about to speak again.
Shin Tae-ho, who until then had merely answered, spoke first.
“It wasn’t easy. Yet you didn’t waver. Keeping everyone safe, holding firm until now—you’ve borne a heavy burden. Lord of the Pure Elves, Eldein.”
“…Ugh…!”
A sob escaped Eldein’s lips, unable to hold back any longer.
The emotional weight he’d been bearing all this time crumbled before this trustworthy presence, leaking out uncontrollably.
Kider too gazed upward at the sky, his eyes flushed crimson.
Among the elf warriors, sounds of quiet weeping could be heard.
But Shin Tae-ho had no intention of prolonging this atmosphere.
“Settle your hearts later. First, do what needs to be done. Eldein, Kider.”
“Yes… of course, Hero!”
Kider quickly wiped his eyes and answered with deliberately loud voice.
Eldein drew a deep breath and rapidly composed himself.
Watching the two lords distribute the leaves, Shin Tae-ho looked down at his hand.
Only three leaves remained.
‘This might all be for nothing. The Pure Elves and Dark Elves are beings cast out from the World Tree. There’s no certainty whether the World Tree will accept them.’
But this was the only way that might save these elves.
If they left now, these elves would almost certainly be annihilated.
“Hero! We’ve distributed them to everyone!”
Kider cried out spiritedly.
Every elf stood holding a leaf in their hand, their eyes fixed on Shin Tae-ho.
Shin Tae-ho, his eyes brimming with anticipation, exhaled sharply and vaulted onto a branch visible to every elf in the grove.
“You’ve held on admirably until now! But as you all know, lingering here any longer is nothing but waiting for death!”
His voice rang out crisp and clear.
The goblins, mere specks in the distance, drew swiftly closer.
Shin Tae-ho raised his voice further, gathering the elves’ attention.
“So I will guide you all to the safe embrace of the World Tree! But understand—this is my decision alone. I cannot guarantee the World Tree will accept you!”
As the distance narrowed, the goblins’ forms grew larger and more distinct.
Shin Tae-ho had no intention of prolonging his speech, so he quickened his pace.
“Therefore, act with caution! Do not venture recklessly near the World Tree. Find a safe place and settle there. And prove to the World Tree that you are its children!”
“Keh-ek!”
The goblins’ cry pierced the air.
With his speech finished, Shin Tae-ho grasped both sides of the leaf as if holding something precious.
“Follow me and tear the leaf!”
Shin Tae-ho tore the leaf.
In that instant, his body scattered like grains of sand and vanished.
The elves stood frozen in shock.
Eldein turned toward the elves and cried out.
“For the Mother of Nature, for the World Tree!”
Eldein tore the leaf and disappeared.
Kider seized the next leaf and shouted.
“Why do you hesitate? The hero who has saved us so many times comes to save us again! Don’t you trust him?”
“No, we do!”
“Then come quickly! Don’t keep us waiting!”
Kider grinned widely and, with trembling hands, tore the leaf.
The moment Kider vanished, the remaining elves seized the leaves with resolute expressions.
“For the Mother World Tree!”
“For the World Tree’s hero!”
“For our lords!”
As the elves tore their leaves in unison, those still lingering in the forest began to vanish in rapid succession.
Moments later, a goblin arrived at the place where the elves had been, its expression one of utter bewilderment.
“Kee, kee-lek?”
“Kerr-ruck?”
Where the elves had stood mere moments before, only the confused cries of goblins echoed meaninglessly through the void.
* * *
Shin Tae-ho’s eyes opened.
Before him lay not the forest of moments ago, but the colossal roots of the World Tree.
Yet it was not as he remembered it.
The roots were ravaged in places.
Iron fragments littered the ground in profusion.
And beside them lay mountains of corpses—hobgoblins, ogres, and beasts alike.
Scattered among them were even the guardians Shin Tae-ho had glimpsed briefly, the World Tree Elves.
‘I wondered where they’d gone. They all poured into this place.’
The powerful monsters that had not appeared during the tower’s trials—hobgoblins and ogres.
He had wondered where they’d vanished to; all of them had gathered here.
‘Where are the other elves?’
Shin Tae-ho scanned his surroundings.
He had given the leaves to both the Pure Elves and the Dark Elves, and they should have traveled together.
Yet standing before him was no one but himself.
Shin Tae-ho retraced his memory and began walking toward the place where the guardians dwelled.
Whether all had perished or the monsters had simply retreated, the path was clear.
“Yeoong….”
Yong-ryong’s cry was melancholic.
Until now, the World Tree’s presence had saturated the air; now it could not be felt.
Shin Tae-ho stroked Yong-ryong’s chin to soothe him, then spread his Ki Sense widely.
As he walked toward the guardians’ dwelling, a faint presence emerged within his Ki Sense.
“Over there?”
Shin Tae-ho’s eyes widened as he traced the direction.
It was broken, barely a trace remaining, but—
The hut at the end of his gaze was unmistakably where Yepiel had practiced alchemy.
To be continued ▶
The Transcendent Blacksmith’s Return
Author
Bong Unsealhae
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. Violations may result in criminal and civil liability.
※ Pentagram welcomes submissions from talented writers.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————