The Return of the Transcendent Blacksmith - Chapter 52

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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-Rank Master Blacksmith’s Return – Episode 52
Sinterhone, as it styled itself a kingdom, possessed a castle.
Moreover, it operated under the Dual Monarchy System, led jointly by Eldein and Kyder.
Consequently, the castle’s structure was peculiar—two identical fortresses joined side by side.
Yet the place where Shin Tae-ho was guided was neither castle, but rather the space where both fortresses overlapped.
Despite this, it was an expansive, unusual chamber that encompassed both structures.
“What exactly is this place? And what about that statue?”
“This is the Hall of Heroes, constructed for the Hero and Yong-ryong-i, the Divine Beast.”
“The Hall of Heroes?”
“Yes. It was built so that whenever you visit Sinterhone, both the Hero and the Divine Beast may rest comfortably.”
As Shin Tae-ho examined the hall more carefully after hearing the explanation, details he hadn’t noticed before came into view.
Stone statues carved in the center—one resembling himself, the other resembling Yong-ryong-i.
And beside them, murals and inscriptions recounting how he had met them and how the kingdom of Sinterhone had come to be founded.
Just as Shin Tae-ho felt both burdened and proud, caught between conflicting emotions—
Eldein and Kyder exchanged a glance and stepped forward before him.
“We are deeply honored to have received you in time.”
“Fortunately, it appears we shall be able to bring this matter to a close before we depart.”
“What do you mean by that? You and Eldein are leaving?”
Kyder laughed carelessly, gesturing at Eldein with his thumb. “Heh. Can you not sense it? Neither he nor I know how much longer we have to live.”
Kyder’s crude gesture made Eldein’s brow twitch involuntarily.
Yet, mindful of Shin Tae-ho’s presence, Eldein merely let out a soft sigh.
His dignified composure remained intact despite Kyder’s lack of decorum.
“Crude though his manner may be, Kyder speaks truth. If you depart now, there is no certainty when we shall see you again, is there?”
“Don’t you two have long lifespans? Why are you already preparing for death?”
“With respect, Hero, it has been far too long since we last beheld you.”
At Kyder’s words, Shin Tae-ho fell silent.
His words were true.
He had only ascended a single floor, yet look how much he had aged.
Moreover, Shin Tae-ho did not know how many floors remained ahead.
As Shin Tae-ho struggled for a response—
Eldein and Kyder knelt on one knee each, one on either side.
“We are the rightful sovereigns of Sinterhone. By that rightful authority and by the World Tree, we swear this oath:”
“This Hall shall belong wholly to the Hero Shin Tae-ho and the Divine Beast Yong-ryong-i, and none shall breach these walls.”
“Furthermore, all who have been born and raised in Sinterhone swear that should the Hero and Divine Beast ever require our aid, we shall cast aside all else and answer the call.”
As the oath concluded, spoken in alternating voices—
A message window appeared before Shin Tae-ho’s eyes, one he had seen yesterday.
[A quest has been issued!]
[Accept the Oath of Sinterhone’s Kings]
Description: The two kings have not forgotten the history of losing their city and wandering with their subjects in exile, only to be saved. They have inherited and upheld that memory.
On behalf of all those who have received immense grace from you and Yong-ryong-i, they wish to offer you this Hall and an unbreakable oath.
Accept the oath sworn by Sinterhone’s two sovereigns, Eldein and Kyder.
Reward: Complete ownership of all within the Hall of Heroes. The right to request aid from Sinterhone.
Shin Tae-ho read through the quest details in silence, absorbing each word.
Something hot surged up from within his heart, overwhelming.
‘In most cases, no matter what is given, there is little worth receiving. Yet they have held onto that heart all this time.’
A future that was now the past.
That day when he had spent his whole life in the Blacksmith Workshop with the resolve to protect the world from the tower, only to be betrayed at the end.
What he felt now was the perfect mirror image of the despair and rage he had known then.
“Yong-ryong?”
Feeling Shin Tae-ho clench his teeth inside the helmet, Yong-ryong-i caressed his back with his tail in silent question.
Shin Tae-ho patted Yong-ryong-i reassuringly, then worked to steady his overwhelming emotions before he spoke.
“Thank you. Eldein, Kyder. Your oath—I accept it gladly, and I will cherish it dearly.”
“We are grateful, Hero.”
“Whew! I was worried for a moment you might refuse. Now my heart feels at ease!”
“Now that I think about it—you ought to mind that irreverent tone of yours, at least when standing before the Hero.”
“What? Irreverent? You bastard! Where exactly is my manner of speech irreverent?”
“Entirely. All of it.”
Kyder sputtered indignantly at Eldein.
Eldein pressed his forehead wearily, as though exasperated.
As the quest completion message faded from view, Shin Tae-ho watched their exchange in silence.
Before the city of Sinterhone was even built, two lords who were always at odds.
Neither of them lords anymore now, their faces changed.
Yet for some reason, Shin Tae-ho found himself seeing the younger versions of Eldein and Kyder overlaid before his eyes.
* * *
After Shin Tae-ho succeeded in climbing the 68th Floor—a height even world-ranked Awakeners had never conquered—
Mystery was no longer some figure glimpsed only in community forums or news, known only to the informed few.
⌜An unidentified challenger from South Korea, Mystery, has succeeded in climbing the 68th Floor!⌟
⌜With the conquest of the 68th Floor, Mystery, who appeared late on the scene, has become the world’s only ranked Awakener.⌟
⌜Each nation has requested information on Mystery and strategy data, but the Korean government has only responded that it is still investigating.⌟
⌜Among the people, rumors are spreading rapidly that Mystery will become the savior who climbs to the tower’s summit and saves humanity from crisis.⌟
⌜Enraged by the Korean government’s blanket refusal to comment, the American President has announced a 70% tariff on Korean imports!⌟
“Sigh. It’s absolute chaos.”
Oh Jin-hyuk, director of the Korean Management Bureau, let out a deep sigh and turned off the television.
Just as the news had reported, the world was boiling over with excitement at Mystery’s emergence.
The reality unfolding was even more dire than what the reports showed.
“How many requests concerning Mystery have come in so far?”
“There have been 311 requests for monster subjugation from Gate Break incidents, 55 requests for temporary immigration to climb the tower, and 1,319 requests for information sharing.”
“So that’s how many have accumulated until now?”
“Those figures are only since the successful 68th Floor climb three days ago, sir—weren’t they?”
“…Right. I see.”
Oh Jin-hyuk gripped his throbbing head.
Even before the successful 68th Floor climb, requests to dispatch Mystery for assistance had been piling up relentlessly.
The temporary immigration requests, being state-level affairs, hadn’t exceeded a hundred.
But monster subjugation requests from city units and information-sharing requests from Guild units had begun multiplying rapidly.
Yet the problem remained unchanged.
‘There’s no way to identify Mystery.’
As the matter grew larger, those demanding Mystery’s personal information multiplied.
Some nations even presented the demand in concrete, coercive terms.
For instance, China had proposed something like: ‘Gather all the Awakeners and have them climb the tower together once.’
A proposal that essentially meant whether people who had never climbed or were terrified of the tower lived or died didn’t matter—as long as they found Mystery.
Naturally, the Korean government refused.
But as time wore on, the pressure intensified, and now they were truly reaching a breaking point.
If this continued, Korea would be crushed under the weight of international pressure because of Mystery.
As Oh Jin-hyuk sat in the center of the conference room, grinding his teeth,
Im A-young, who had been hesitant, carefully raised her hand.
“Um, Director. If you don’t mind, could I share one thought?”
“Please, by all means. Captain Im.”
Oh Jin-hyuk leaned forward eagerly.
Everyone’s attention naturally shifted to Im A-young.
Im A-young swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and opened her mouth.
“I believe Mystery doesn’t want to reveal his identity.”
“…You didn’t raise your hand just to say that, did you?”
At such obvious words in such a grave moment, Oh Jin-hyuk was flustered.
Fortunately, Im A-young shook her head.
“N-no, of course not! What I’m trying to say is, if we let him keep his identity hidden while we search for him, wouldn’t we be able to meet him that way?”
“Meet him while keeping his identity hidden? What do you mean by that?”
“Would you look at this?”
Im A-young showed a tablet she had already pulled up.
On it were police officers sending a signal into the night sky to summon a particular hero.
“These officers use this kind of signal to call for and meet the hero. What if we used a similar method?”
“Wait, you’re seriously suggesting we use this comic-book idea in reality?”
One executive let out a scoffing laugh as if it were absurd.
As the others’ reactions proved equally unfavorable, Im A-young’s face flushed red and she lowered her head dejectedly.
But the scoff died abruptly at the sound of Oh Jin-hyuk’s quiet voice.
“Why are you laughing? In my opinion, that actually seems more plausible than anything.”
“D-Director? Do you really mean we should try that?”
“We have nothing to lose. Otherwise, does anyone have another opinion? I’m all ears—please, speak up.”
As a chilling glint crossed Oh Jin-hyuk’s eyes, everyone flinched and bowed their heads.
Oh Jin-hyuk stood from his seat.
“Captain Im will take full responsibility for planning the method and coordinating the signal system.”
“M-me, sir?”
“It was your idea, wasn’t it? If it succeeds, it’ll be a major achievement. I’ll support you, so prepare well.”
“Yes, understood, Director!”
Im A-young bowed repeatedly in acknowledgment.
As Oh Jin-hyuk passed by her on his way out of the conference room, he added quietly:
“Keep your head up. It’s admirable that you came up with this approach even in such a difficult situation. I believe in you.”
The executives who had been sitting in the conference room followed Oh Jin-hyuk outside.
“…All right. Let’s do this.”
Im A-young clenched her fists and opened her eyes wide, organizing her plan in her mind.
* * *
The method Im A-young prepared after receiving her mission was to follow the approach shown in a comic.
Of course, there were practical issues to replicating it exactly, so there were many aspects that needed adjustment.
First, she decided to fire the signal from inside the Management Bureau, where civilians and outsiders could be completely controlled.
Second, she needed to make sure that Mystery would recognize the identity of the signal shot into the sky.
The method of notification was simple.
⌜I am Im A-young, former captain of the Management Bureau. Mystery. Please, if you see this video, I ask that you respond to our request.⌟
The video Im A-young recorded was uploaded to NewTube.
As it became a topic of discussion, it spread like wildfire through TowerDotCom and the news.
People’s reactions to the video were varied.
-Ugh, how embarrassing lol. So the best they could come up with is firing a beam into the sky and asking him to come? lol
-The Management Bureau does that kind of thing? They’re loaded. I’m filing a support application right now.
-But realistically, that’s the only method that makes sense.
-Seriously though, Mystery hasn’t responded to anything until now, so why would he rush over for something like that lmao
Most of the responses were mockery, but Im A-young did not give up.
As time passed and the promised date from the video drew near,
Im A-young turned on the signal and waited for Mystery alone, just as she had promised in the video.
At first, reporters and NewTubers had set up camp to watch, just in case.
But as time crept past four in the morning, most of them cursed and left their posts.
‘He’s not coming.’
Im A-young trembled as she endured the cold air of dawn, still waiting steadfastly.
By common sense, if he hadn’t come after waiting this long, the likelihood was high that he had no intention of coming.
But as Im A-young sniffled, vowing that she would wait until daybreak came, if only he would show,
she felt something solid and pillar-like press against her back.
“Wh-what…?”
Startled, Im A-young turned her head.
And there,
“You called for me to appear.”
Mystery stood before her, clad in full armor from head to foot, looking down at her through the visor of his helmet.
Continued in the next chapter ▶
The Transcendent Blacksmith’s Return
Author
Seal Release
Publisher
Kim Seok-hwan, Choi Se-ra
Published by
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 copying are prohibited, and violation of these terms may result in criminal and civil liability.
※ Pentagram is awaiting your precious manuscripts.

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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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