The Return of the Transcendent Blacksmith - Chapter 48

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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 Blacksmith’s Return — Episode 48
Shin Tae-ho drew closer to the collapsed Hut, sharpening his Ki Sensing.
The faint presence he detected lay far deeper below.
‘No good. The earth has absorbed blood and weakened. If I force the rubble aside, the Basement will cave in.’
Shin Tae-ho felt the debris crumble like mud with each application of force, so he stopped clearing the ruins of the Hut.
If he wasn’t careful, Epiel might be buried alive down there.
“This won’t do. Yongyong, I need your help.”
“Yong-yong?”
At the request for aid, Yongyong’s eyes widened.
She held fire in her mouth, asking if she should breathe flames, but Shin Tae-ho shook his head.
“What I need now is a rescue. Fire won’t help. You need to dig through the earth and tunnel downward.”
“Ryo, yong?”
At his explanation, Yongyong stared at the ground.
The earth, saturated with the blood of hobgoblins, ogres, and countless other monsters, was a dull brown-black and reeked.
Sweat beaded on Yongyong’s forehead, despite her confident nod moments before.
“Yo, yong. Yong-yong.”
“What’s wrong? If it’s just dirt, I’ll wash you off the moment you’re out. If you don’t go now, Epiel will die.”
“Yo, yo-ong…!”
Yongyong wavered.
She didn’t have many memories with Epiel, but she recalled how kindly the Awakener had treated her and Shin Tae-ho.
And the way Shin Tae-ho was looking at her—as if to say, “Surely you won’t let Epiel die just because you don’t want to get dirty”—made her anxious.
“Yo… ong.”
Yongyong, still fretting and clutching her horns, gave a reluctant nod.
Shin Tae-ho patted her approvingly.
“Good thinking. I’ll wash you right away when you get back. Here—take this with you.”
Shin Tae-ho tied a leather bundle around Yongyong’s body.
Inside were an Intermediate Healing Potion, an Intermediate Strength Potion, and an Intermediate Vitality Potion—one of each.
“She’ll be weak from being trapped so long, unable to get out on her own. Once you find Epiel, make sure she drinks all of these.”
“…Yong.”
Yongyong, resigned to her fate, fastened the bundle obediently.
When Shin Tae-ho lifted the debris, a gap just large enough for Yongyong to burrow through opened up.
“Go carefully, Yongyong.”
“Yo-ong…!”
Yongyong shut her eyes tight and squeezed through the gap in the ruins.
Shin Tae-ho held the debris steady to keep the opening clear for her, then carefully lowered it back into place.
About thirty minutes seemed to pass.
An urgent cry came from the hole Yongyong had entered.
“Yooooo-ooong!!!”
“She’s back.”
Shin Tae-ho quickly lifted the debris from where it had been placed.
Yongyong shot out like an arrow and collapsed onto the ground, retching violently.
“Shin Tae-ho…? Is that really you?”
A different voice came from the hole Yongyong had emerged from.
It was Epiel’s voice—familiar, but breathless and hollow with exhaustion.
“It’s me. You drank all the potions Yongyong gave you? Come on up.”
“The… the monsters…?”
“There’s nothing left except me and Yongyong. You’re safe.”
At his assurance, Epiel struggled up through the hole.
The moment Shin Tae-ho saw her, his expression grew heavy.
Epiel had always been thin, but now she was nothing but skin stretched over bone—gaunt beyond measure from however long she’d been trapped.
As Epiel pulled herself free, Shin Tae-ho released the debris he’d been holding.
Without controlling his strength, the rubble that had been barely standing collapsed entirely.
“Just wait a moment. I brought water. Drink some of it.”
“Yong! Yong-yong! Yo-oong!!”
“I’ll wash you right away, Yongyong.”
Shin Tae-ho handed Epiel a waterskin, then began rinsing Yongyong off.
Only after meticulously scrubbing her from horns to tail did Yongyong, who’d been quivering, finally calm down, breathing in ragged gasps.
Shin Tae-ho released Yongyong and approached Epiel.
“Epiel. What happened? Where are the Guardians? And why can’t I sense the World Tree’s presence?”
At his questions, Epiel’s body began to tremble.
Epiel barely managed to swallow the water she’d been holding in her mouth, her voice trembling as she answered.
“The Guardians… they’re… they’re all dead.”
“What? What are you talking about? They might have retreated after losing ground in the battle.”
“No, no. You can tell by looking at the World Tree right now.”
Epiel pointed toward where the World Tree stood.
Following her gaze, Shin Tae-ho saw the World Tree gleaming and brimming with vitality, entirely unlike the damaged roots.
‘What’s the difference? Is there something only elves can distinguish?’
Shin Tae-ho’s eyes widened as an odd sensation suddenly struck him.
It was a small detail, but unmistakably different.
“What’s that shimmering around it?”
A faint, iridescent veil-like shimmer hung around the World Tree.
Still trembling and unable to calm herself, Epiel grasped her shaking hands and explained.
“That’s… that’s the World Tree’s Defense Mechanism. It activates when the Guardian Commander dies.”
The multicolored shimmering light was a thinly formed Dimensional Barrier.
The barrier isolated the World Tree from this place, protecting it from attacks.
But in doing so, it severed the connection to the roots below—cutting off any means of communication with the World Tree itself.
Safety through complete isolation, woven into a thin veil of dimensional separation.
Listening to the explanation, Shin Tae-ho recalled the World Tree’s space he had seen through the Gate.
‘So that’s why the roots were all dead. But something doesn’t add up. At that time, the World Tree itself seemed to be rotting and dead too.’
According to Epiel’s explanation, the severed roots might die, but the World Tree itself should not.
But as Shin Tae-ho thought further, the answer became clear.
‘Could it be… isolated in that dimension, never rescued, it just withered and died? A tree that massive?’
Chills ran down Shin Tae-ho’s spine.
The World Tree, revered by the elves like a god, pulsing waves of deep and formidable power.
He had no sense of how much time would need to pass for such a mighty tree to meet such a death.
“Let’s move. If we go where the Guardians lived, we should be able to find something.”
“We can’t! There are monsters there…!”
“The monsters seem to be dead already. And staying here like this is more dangerous.”
Epiel had survived only because the basement space beneath the Hut had fortunately not collapsed.
Now that even that space was crumbling, there was nowhere safe left for her.
“If the Guardians lived there, they’d have gathered supplies, food, something.”
“That’s… true, but…”
“And you have me and Yongyong. We’ve fought together before, so you know our strength.”
“Roar!”
Yongyong cried out loudly in agreement.
When Epiel still hesitated to answer, Shin Tae-ho drew a Combat Hammer from his inventory.
“Let’s go. You can’t leave the World Tree you revere like a god in that state forever.”
“…The World Tree.”
At those words, Epiel set her jaw.
Though her combat ability had been lacking and recognition had come slowly, Epiel was still a Guardian.
To do nothing out of fear would be to deny everything her life had meant until now.
“All right. I’ll go.”
“Good. Yongyong, go ahead and use Ki Sensing to check if there are any enemies.”
“Roar roar!”
Yongyong answered energetically and floated upward, flying ahead.
Shin Tae-ho kept pace with Epiel’s weakened, slower stride, following in Yongyong’s wake.
Fortunately, they encountered no living monsters along the way.
Instead, as Shin Tae-ho examined new weapons scattered about, his eyes lit up.
‘A mace? But why is it shattered? The Guardians shouldn’t have had an attack powerful enough to break something like this.’
Shin Tae-ho tilted his head, studying the dented and broken mace.
Epiel, recognizing the weapon, shuddered.
“Be careful! That’s dangerous!”
“You know this weapon? It looks broken. How did they attack with it?”
“I… I’m not entirely sure. But they used it to unleash great fire, and iron fragments scattered in all directions.”
‘Scattered?’
At Epiel’s description, Shin Tae-ho’s eyes lit up again.
The technology applied in the Tower was unlike the modern world.
When first climbing the Tower, the Awakers who entered had attempted to recreate modern weapons from materials found within.
But unable to properly use even basic explosives, they had no choice but to fight with the cold weapons the Tower provided.
Yet they had created a weapon that caused explosions?
And doing so with enough force to pierce through a Guardian protected by Ki?
Shin Tae-ho gathered his thoughts and collected the scattered weapons around him.
“What are you doing? That’s dangerous! You’ll hurt yourself!”
“Don’t worry. These will be useful, so I should take them.”
As far as they’d discovered, Epiel was the only living being here.
And recalling how they’d met Epiel at the Gate, it was certain that eventually Epiel alone would survive.
‘Then Epiel will need a weapon to protect herself while I’m away.’
Cold weapons weren’t suitable.
Even accounting for Epiel’s lack of skill.
Facing hobgoblins and ogres alone would be nothing short of catastrophic.
But if he could reverse-engineer this technique and craft such a ranged weapon for Epiel?
Not only could he protect her life, but it would be invaluable to himself as well.
‘They say three years at a village school is enough to learn the arts. How much time has passed that goblins can make something like this?’
When he’d first entered the tower, goblins fought with spears carved from wood.
The fact that such creatures now crafted weapons like this moved Shin Tae-ho deeply.
“Boss!”
Yongyong, who’d arrived first at the Guardians’ dwelling, greeted Shin Tae-ho and Epiel.
As expected, the Guardians’ residence lay in ruins.
Epiel trembled in shock again, but Shin Tae-ho calmly surveyed the surrounding terrain.
‘For defense, higher ground would be better. Epiel’s an elf, so climbing trees won’t be a problem.’
What was broken could be rebuilt.
Besides, there was no time for hesitation now.
As he pondered where to begin,
a forgotten matter suddenly struck him.
“Epiel. When I came here, I gave Leaves to the elves as well. But I don’t see any of them. Do you have any idea where they might have gone?”
“The elves? You mean the Pure Elves and Dark Elves?”
Epiel’s expression shifted to one of surprise.
When Shin Tae-ho nodded, Epiel pondered for a moment before explaining her thoughts.
“Since they were expelled from the World Tree, they couldn’t have come this far inside. They probably fell before the Barrier.”
“Can you let them in?”
“That’s impossible. Only the Guardian Commander has the authority, and the World Tree herself—in her current state—can’t grant permission.”
Epiel shook her head helplessly.
But Shin Tae-ho, having anticipated even this, wasn’t discouraged.
Instead, he posed a question he’d prepared for just such a situation.
“Then even if you can’t bring them in, you can move between inside and outside and communicate with them, right?”
“That’s possible. Why?”
“Why? You can’t think you’ll live here alone. And what if monsters come again someday? You won’t be able to stop them by yourself.”
“That’s…”
Epiel couldn’t deny it.
The monsters had already broken through the Barrier and reached this place, exactly as he’d warned.
And there was no guarantee that what happened once wouldn’t happen again.
Shin Tae-ho met her gaze, as if there was nothing more to discuss.
“Let’s go. I’ll introduce you to the Lords. We’ll get to know them first, then come back and build your home.”
“…Alright. I’ll do that.”
Epiel, who had been deliberating, nodded as she met his eyes.
For a Guardian, meeting exiled kin within the World Tree Realm was an uncomfortable thing.
But in this situation, she could only feel grateful to Shin Tae-ho for making even that possible.
To be continued ▶
The Transcendent Master Blacksmith’s Return
Author
Seal Release
Publishers
Kim Seok-hwan, Choi Se-ra
Published by
Grae Publishing
Contact
[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 strictly prohibited, and violations may result in criminal and civil legal liability.
※ Pentagram is awaiting 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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