The Return of the Transcendent Blacksmith - Chapter 56

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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 56
“The final layer?”
Shin Tae-ho’s eyes snapped wide as he read the message window.
When he thought about it, thousands of monsters pouring forth and the modifications making them stronger meant that reaching the final layer was only natural.
‘Come to think of it, humanity’s highest ascent had only reached Layer 68, so anything beyond that was unknowable.’
In the past, they hadn’t even succeeded in climbing Layer 68—they’d merely reached it.
From Layer 69 onward, this very layer, Shin Tae-ho had no information whatsoever. It was unmapped territory.
‘It came faster than expected, but the fact that it’s the final layer isn’t necessarily bad.’
The Tower was ultimately something that demanded ascent to its highest floor.
If layers multiplied, it simply meant more time spent climbing.
‘The grace period is ten days. If I focus on repairs, that’s more than enough time.’
Shin Tae-ho assessed his condition.
His armor was damaged from the Qi explosion whose wide range he hadn’t managed to fully evade.
And except for the War Hammer shattered from repeatedly unleashing the Destructive Strike while attacking the armored ogres, there was nothing else that needed mending.
Better yet, with the Inventory having become spacious after crafting the bolts, he’d even brought materials with him, so there was no need to venture outside the Tower.
Then.
‘I’ll start repairs right here and cut down the travel time to the Management Bureau’s Blacksmith Workshop.’
Shin Tae-ho examined the fallen monsters’ weapons.
They weren’t rewards for defeating them—he couldn’t carry them or use them as materials—but with some careful hammering they could serve as tools.
Besides, with Yong-ryong-i at his side, there was no shortage of heat.
Having made his decision, Shin Tae-ho gathered the monsters’ weapons for repair work.
“Yong-ryong-i.”
Shin Tae-ho called to the small creature coiled around his neck.
Still trembling, apparently unable to shake off the shock, Yong-ryong-i was quivering faintly.
When Shin Tae-ho gently stroked the creature’s head and back, Yong-ryong-i lifted the head it had been hiding.
“Don’t worry. If that thing shows up again, I’ll smash it to pieces.”
“Y-yong….”
Yong-ryong-i shook its head.
It was a negative response, saying the danger was too great and they couldn’t win, so they should stop.
Hearing Yong-ryong-i’s answer, Shin Tae-ho shook his own head.
“My goal is to climb the Tower and erase it completely from Earth. A single creature like that on this path is nothing—nothing at all. I promise you.”
He meant every word.
That being he’d glimpsed at the end certainly carried an ominous aura unlike any other monster he’d encountered.
But was it stronger than Arcanus himself, the one who had killed him?
No—was it stronger than the dragon that had been merely one of Arcanus’s countless servants?
‘Not in the slightest.’
Shin Tae-ho was certain.
Whatever that thing was, compared to the despair he’d endured in his past, it amounted to nothing.
And that was precisely why he could face that existence head-on without fear.
Beyond that, he knew with absolute clarity that he was no longer the man he’d been before.
Yong-ryong-i stared directly into Shin Tae-ho’s eyes.
The unwavering, steady gaze proved that his words were sincere.
Watching Shin Tae-ho’s steadfast resolve, the trembling that had seized Yong-ryong-i in fear gradually subsided.
“Ryo, rong!”
Yong-ryong-i nodded firmly.
Confirming that Yong-ryong-i had regained composure, Shin Tae-ho smiled slightly.
“But Yong-ryong-i, when you absorbed the poison—did you also charge your Qi?”
It was the Poison Root that Yong-ryong-i had swallowed, absorbing its venom.
And after absorbing that poison, Yong-ryong-i had breathed surprisingly powerful flames while showing no signs of Qi depletion.
“Rong!”
Yong-ryong-i nodded vigorously.
Shin Tae-ho released a relieved sigh.
‘Good. I won’t need to use it then.’
The World Tree Leaves—originally he’d carried nine hundred and ninety-nine of them.
But after evacuating all the Sinterhorne Elves and climbing the Tower, using them as he had,
Shin Tae-ho now possessed only a single leaf remaining.
At present, the World Tree’s body itself was quarantined in the Other Dimension.
That meant if he used this last leaf, he couldn’t be certain whether he’d be able to obtain new ones.
“Then let’s move, Yong-ryong-i.”
“Rong-rong!
Yong-ryong-i, having regained his spirits, clenched his front paws tight as he answered.
* * *
Ten days after Shin Tae-ho succeeded in climbing Layer 69, and the notification reached all Awakeners.
The world that saw the Tower’s highest-level announcement fell into chaos, as if engulfed by confusion.
“Ten days since the announcement was delivered. The Mystery, having returned to the world’s sole Ranker by conquering Layer 69, remains nowhere to be found despite being the typhoon’s core!”
“With the fate of the world at stake, ITRO is mobilizing directly toward Korea.”
“Presidents from nations worldwide have officially warned the Mystery to postpone the ascent to the highest layer.”
“As the Tower may vanish, stocks are plummeting—investors who believed they’d grow infinitely on the New Substances emerging from the Tower are facing ruin.”
Since the Tower appeared in the world, roughly seven years had passed.
The Tower was no longer merely a threat to humanity.
Qi—celebrated as a next-generation natural energy source.
Potions with medicinal effects light-years beyond modern medicine.
And items possessing abilities from ancient mythology.
The Tower, as people now conceived it, could indeed threaten the world.
Yet it was something akin to a natural disaster—observable and preventable through adequate preparation.
And more than that, it was a source of infinite wealth through Challengers: a perpetual profit engine.
But what would happen if someone reached the Tower’s summit?
“Do we have any information on the Mystery yet?!”
Marcus Langford, ITRO’s Secretary-General and Britain’s Ranker, bellowed across the room.
The Awakeners belonging to ITRO shook their heads.
“My apologies. We’ve been searching relentlessly, but without even the slightest lead, it’s proving difficult.”
“That’s why I brought all of you here! How hard can it be to tear this cramped little country upside down?!”
The ITRO Awakeners bowed their heads without answering.
Though they understood his outburst was unreasonable, his panic wasn’t entirely incomprehensible to them either.
Every Awakener under ITRO felt it.
In fact, everyone worldwide who had benefited from the convenience of being an Awakener shared Marcus’s dread.
‘If the Tower vanishes, what happens to us Awakeners?’
Would the abilities gained through Awakening disappear?
Or would those abilities simply weaken dramatically?
Without climbing the Tower further, wouldn’t they lose access to items worth hundreds of millions of won?
Fear multiplied upon fear, each possibility feeding the next.
Bianca Laurent, the Swiss Ranker, turned her gaze toward Tsukuyomi, Japan’s Ranker.
“Tsukuyomi. Your abilities specialize in Detection, don’t they? Found anything?”
“No, ma’am. I’ve exhausted nearly all my Qi searching, yet I haven’t uncovered even a trace. I regret being unable to be of greater service.”
Tsukuyomi bowed his head slightly as he spoke.
The underlying meaning was ‘If you have time for small talk, why don’t you do something yourself?’—but Bianca didn’t grasp that nuance.
“Damn it. Where the hell is he hiding? In any case, you’ve done your best. Thank you for your efforts.”
“…Yes. Thank you, Bianca.”
Tsukuyomi looked at Bianca with an expression of utter exasperation.
Wang Xiaomei addressed Victor, who stood with his mouth firmly closed and eyes shut.
“Listen. A matter of such importance should be decided by the heroes of the same continent, shouldn’t it?”
“What are you suggesting?”
“Exactly what I said. While these petty lords of a small nation dither about, we should take action.”
Wang Xiaomei raised her hand, fitted with her weapon—the Gauntlet.
As vicious, viscous Qi rose from the Gauntlet, Oh Jin-hyuk gasped in alarm.
“Challenger Wang Xiaomei! What are you doing?”
“You say the Mystery’s whereabouts remain unknown? But if we destroyed this nation, wouldn’t he be forced to come out?”
“Are you declaring war on Korea?”
“War? Hardly. This small nation has always belonged to our great Chinese Continent anyway. ‘Cleaning up’ would be the more appropriate term.”
“You…!”
Oh Jin-hyuk immediately drew upon his Qi, ready to stop Wang Xiaomei at any moment.
Yet compared to Wang Xiaomei—once a World Ranker—his Qi was but a candle before a wildfire.
“Ha. You think you can stop me? Try it. Besides, without the Mystery, your nation has nothing—”
“That’s far enough.”
A voice from the side cut off Wang Xiaomei’s words.
Turning his head, the Korean Challenger Park Je-hyuk stood glaring at Wang Xiaomei, his expression burning with barely suppressed fury.
“Huh? You’re speaking to me?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Absurd. A mere commoner without even a proper reputation dares to—”
Wang Xiaomei released her Qi in a threatening display.
The temperature inside the chamber spiked instantly, and gravity intensified with it.
“This maniac! Is he trying to kill that Challenger?!”
Bianca Laurent cried out, shielding her body with her Qi.
At this level of power, anything less than their caliber would find their organs crushed flat—the pressure was that merciless.
Yet when Bianca saw Park Je-hyuk, she could only doubt her own eyes.
‘What is this Challenger? He’s withstanding this force?’
She’d fully expected Park Je-hyuk to cough blood and collapse.
But Park Je-hyuk, spear held in one hand, took Wang Xiaomei’s Qi head-on without wavering.
More than that—he defended his own body flawlessly.
And had even enough composure left to block the Qi cascading toward Oh Jin-hyuk and Im A-young nearby.
Park Je-hyuk fixed Wang Xiaomei with an icy stare.
“If you don’t withdraw your Qi now, I’ll consider this a formal duel challenge.”
“I, I… you damn bastard…!”
Stung in her pride, Wang Xiaomei drew her Qi back from the circuit.
If a former World Ranker like herself lost to Park Je-hyuk, who had never been a World Ranker in his life, how pathetic would she become?
Just as Wang Xiaomei gathered all her strength and prepared to crush Park Je-hyuk under the full weight of her Qi—
Mikhail Ivanov, the Russian Ranker sitting beside her, shot to his feet.
“What, what is it?!”
“Shut your mouth.”
When Wang Xiaomei cried out in alarm and protest, Mikhail stared at her with chilling ferocity, the tendons on his forehead taut.
Startled by that murderous gaze, she hesitated.
It was then that Marcus Langford rose with a gasp, mirroring Mikhail’s sudden stand.
“No, not like this!”
“What the hell is going on?! Why are you both suddenly—”
Wang Xiaomei’s curse caught in her throat as she finally noticed the notification window blooming before her eyes.
On the quietly appearing notice lay a single line.
[The Trial of Layer 70, the Tower’s highest floor, has begun.]
“…Mystery!!”
Marcus, trembling as he read the notice, unleashed a roar thick with rage.
The Qi-imbued shout reverberated through the chamber, shattering furniture in its wake.
* * *
[You have entered the final layer of the Korean Tower.]
[Surrender Rights cannot be used on this floor.]
“Huh.”
Shin Tae-ho took a deep breath after reading the message.
He’d steeled himself before entering, but the nerves were unavoidable now that he was inside the Tower.
“Yong-ryong-i. Nervous?”
“Yong!”
Yong-ryong-i answered Shin Tae-ho’s question with a firm shake of his head.
Seeing Yong-ryong-i puff out his chest with confidence, Shin Tae-ho chuckled softly and surveyed his surroundings.
Layer 70’s setting matched exactly what Shin Tae-ho had anticipated before entering.
The landscape he’d first glimpsed when the Gate appeared by chance.
Combined with the content of the Trial on Layer 69 just below.
And the knowledge that this was the final layer, the answer came easily.
“Shall we go, Yong-ryong-i?”
“Yong!”
Monsters crawling up the World Tree roots like ticks, swarming in their countless numbers.
And against them, Sinterhorne Elves unleashing arrows in torrential volleys. Shin Tae-ho hoisted the War Hammer onto his shoulder, gripping it firmly in hand.
To be continued ▶
The Transcendent-Grade Blacksmith’s Return
Author
Seal Release
Publisher
Kim Seok-hwan, Choi Se-ra
Publishing House
Grae Publishing
Inquiries
[email protected]
Publication Date
May 26, 2026
UCI
G720:N+A327-20260227067
※ This e-book is protected by copyright law. Unauthorized reproduction and distribution are prohibited, and violations may result in both criminal and civil liability.
※ Pentagram awaits 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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