The Return of the Transcendent Blacksmith - Chapter 59

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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-Grade Blacksmith’s Return – Episode 59
‘Excellent.’
Shin Tae-ho smiled with satisfaction as he read the message window.
Though the pain was severe enough to leave him immobilized, the reward he’d gained was more than worth the price.
“Yong! Yong-yong? Yong-yong-yong?!”
“Yong-ryong-i. I’m alright, so calm down.”
Shin Tae-ho tried to soothe Yong-ryong-i, who scrambled frantically across his body in worry.
He wanted to stroke her head to comfort her, but right now even moving a single finger was beyond him.
‘I have time now. Let me rest.’
Shin Tae-ho relaxed the tension in his body as he lay flat on the ground.
Yong-ryong-i continued scurrying across him, preventing any peace of mind.
Still, it felt almost like a massage, so it wasn’t entirely unpleasant.
As the collapsing circuits gradually stabilized and he felt the wounds in his body beginning to heal, fatigue crept over him.
Right then, as if forbidding him to sleep, a message window appeared with perfect timing.
[The Unknown Being summons you.]
[Recognizing your physical condition, the Unknown Being attempts to summon you directly.]
[Do you accept the summons?]
“…I accept.”
Shin Tae-ho sighed and gave his consent.
He needed to meet the isolated World Tree before leaving the tower anyway.
And since the World Tree would take him even if he stayed still, there was no reason to refuse.
The moment Shin Tae-ho accepted, the landscape shifted in an instant, as it had when crossing dimensions with the Apostles.
In the blink of an eye, Shin Tae-ho and Yong-ryong-i found themselves floating in shimmering emptiness, directly before the World Tree.
“Yong? Yong-yong?”
Yong-ryong-i exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the World Tree, saying something Shin Tae-ho couldn’t hear.
Though he heard nothing, the World Tree seemed to answer, and Yong-ryong-i nodded.
Then the fine, hair-like roots sprouting around the World Tree began to wrap around Shin Tae-ho.
Startled, Shin Tae-ho tried to force himself upright.
But anticipating his reaction, Yong-ryong-i flew over swiftly and pressed down on his head.
“Yong. Yong-yong.”
“It’s alright, so don’t get up and just keep lying down?”
“Yong!”
After a moment’s hesitation, Shin Tae-ho obeyed Yong-ryong-i and settled back down.
Meanwhile, the World Tree’s fine roots wound tightly around Shin Tae-ho’s body.
‘Like prey caught in a spider’s web, or a mummy wrapped in bandages.’
Shin Tae-ho felt a vague unease as he pictured himself this way.
Then a sharp, prickling sensation spread across his entire body, as if receiving countless injections.
Realizing the roots were penetrating his body, Shin Tae-ho’s eyes widened as he looked at Yong-ryong-i.
But Yong-ryong-i simply shook her head, as if reassuring him it was fine.
‘Is it really going to be okay?’
Shin Tae-ho doubted whether he should remain as he was.
Then a voice impossible to describe—mystical and profound—reached his mind.
[At last we meet directly. Hello, child.]
Though the voice reaching his mind was unfamiliar, Shin Tae-ho felt no alarm.
Only three beings occupied this space, so whoever was speaking was unmistakable.
“Are you the World Tree?”
[Yes. I’m helping you recover through a part of myself while we communicate. Feel free to speak with your thoughts.]
Shin Tae-ho immediately tried it out.
[Is this how I speak?]
[Yes. For a first attempt, you’re doing well. Thank you for your hardship in coming this far.]
[Not at all. Are the Elves safe?]
[They’re tending to their wounds. Thanks to you, we prevented meaningless casualties.]
The World Tree shared its vision with him.
Just as Shin Tae-ho could see the World Tree even after the space had been isolated, the Elves who had witnessed his battle to the very end—
Now that he stood beside the World Tree, god-like in their eyes, they were overwhelmed with emotion, bowing toward him with tears streaming down their faces.
[I should have been the one protecting my children. I’m sorry you’ve had to carry such a heavy burden.]
[No. You were forcibly isolated, so there was no helping it. More than that—what happens now?]
Shin Tae-ho asked the question that had weighed on his mind all this time.
It was a question about what becomes of a tower once its ascent is complete.
The answer that came back was shocking.
[I will die soon.]
[Die? You mean…]
Shin Tae-ho went pale.
It wasn’t an answer to his question, but the words were shocking enough to make him forget he’d even asked.
[You’ve defeated all the enemies, and you yourself seem unharmed, don’t you?]
[Only in appearance. The Space Isolation I used was never meant for prolonged deployment. The time I’ve remained isolated… has been far too long.]
[Then… what of the elves…?]
What had they fought so desperately to protect the World Tree for?
Was it all for nothing?
Shin Tae-ho couldn’t voice the last words, only swallowing them back.
The World Tree’s gentle voice came again.
[Do not worry yourself. There, a new version of me is being born and growing even now. And thanks to you, the children who survived the fever have grown stronger for it.]
Through the shared senses of the World Tree, Shin Tae-ho could see the World Tree’s branch body.
It too had grown from the World Tree’s roots, so it could be called another World Tree in its own right.
[Then you will remain trapped here, drifting until your death?]
[That will be my fate. But I will not squander the time you have protected me for.]
The World Tree’s perspective shifted again.
Now he could see his own body lying wrapped in roots, and beside it, Yong-ryong-i, staring directly at the World Tree.
Though he couldn’t see from his own eye position, the World Tree marveled at how precisely Yong-ryong-i met his gaze in the exact line of sight he was observing.
[A mysterious child. The way you instantly master abilities that the Guardians achieved at their ultimate—and to harbor such a powerful life force while barely newborn. I have never witnessed such an existence.]
[Never seen? Haven’t you encountered Yong-ryong-i’s own kind?]
[Yong-ryong-i told me the name, but I cannot fathom what kind of species Yong-ryong-i truly is.]
‘Even I didn’t know dragons existed before I met Arimier… but the World Tree itself doesn’t know?’
The World Tree was revered as a god by the elves, and had existed for incomprehensibly long ages.
It was itself the source of mystery and powerful vital energy.
That such a being would be ignorant of Yong-ryong-i’s nature was astonishing even to Shin Tae-ho.
[I’m glad I could see you and Yong-ryong-i one last time. But to ensure I don’t squander this moment, I must let time flow now.]
A wave of sleep crashed over Shin Tae-ho like a sudden tide, and his mind grew hazy.
He tried to fight the exhaustion, but it was as futile as blocking the ocean with the palm of his hand.
[It’s alright. Rest easy and sleep deeply. When you open your eyes again, my gift will have taken root.]
[What gift are you speaking of?]
[What suits you both best. For Yong-ryong-i, all the natural power I have left. And for you, Shin Tae-ho—I will dissolve my flesh into you.]
[Your flesh…? What do you…?]
Even as exhaustion weighed on him, he managed to ask; the World Tree seemed surprised he hadn’t yet fallen asleep.
[Truly… what formidable will you possess. Your body is battered, yet still you resist sleep. But do not refuse. To fight this with consciousness intact would only bring needless suffering.]
The World Tree’s words sounded sweet as a lullaby, and the drowsiness crashed down harder.
If the fatigue before had been an ocean,
then now that ocean had become a swamp, consuming all resistance.
Against a sleep demon that rendered all struggle meaningless, consciousness began to extinguish in an instant.
But to his mind still linked with the World Tree, the final words came through clearly.
[Thank you for saving my child and me. Because of you, I’m glad I can at last leave my existence as a legacy for you.]
[But the path ahead will be far harsher still. And yet, I believe you will have the strength to shatter this cruel cycle.]
[So do not give up. Move forward. Protect my children, and inherit my legacy. You are their hero—and my successor.]
* * *
“Wait! World Tree!”
“Aaaah!”
The elf watching over Shin Tae-ho’s condition shrieked and tumbled backward at his sudden cry.
Shin Tae-ho rose, drenched in cold sweat, his eyes wide as he scanned his surroundings.
He was not in the isolated space where the World Tree had been.
“Sir, Hero! You’ve awakened!”
The elf scrambled to his feet and bowed.
Shin Tae-ho wiped his sweat-soaked face and turned to the elf.
“Where am I? How long was I asleep?”
“This is the Hall of Heroes, inside Sinterhorn! You slept for ten days after your audience with the World Tree.”
The elf answered each question carefully.
Ten days. The length of time shocked Shin Tae-ho.
“Yong-ryong-i. Where is Yong-ryong-i?”
“The Divine Beast is resting after a meal. Shall I bring him to you now?”
“No. It’s fine if he’s well. I need to see Epiel, Eldein, and Kider instead.”
“Understood! Please wait just a moment!”
At Shin Tae-ho’s request, the elf sprang to his feet and rushed off.
Left alone, Shin Tae-ho retraced the conversation he’d had with the World Tree.
‘The World Tree’s final words were odd. It was as if… they already knew I was a being inside the tower.’
The warning that the road ahead would only grow harsher.
And the plea to shatter this cruel cycle.
Those were words the World Tree could never have spoken if they hadn’t known the tower’s nature.
‘Damn. There was so much I wanted to ask.’
Shin Tae-ho felt the weight of lost opportunity.
Of course, asking was no guarantee of getting answers.
But Shin Tae-ho was a blacksmith.
No matter how futile it might seem, he had to try things himself and see the result—whether it shattered or succeeded—before his mind could rest easy.
As Shin Tae-ho rose to his feet, the last scrap of armor—barely clinging to the crown of his head like a hat—fell away.
The armor he’d been wearing, which he’d used the Steel Pulse on to its absolute limit in his fight with the Apostle.
The full suit of armor he’d crafted in the Tutorial and worn all this time had disintegrated entirely, save for that final fragment.
‘Come to think of it, the hammer probably isn’t in much better shape.’
The hammer that had released vibrations from the Steel Pulse as he struck his enemies.
The war hammer, growing more damaged with every swing, was now reduced to nothing but its handle.
When Shin Tae-ho opened his Inventory, there it was—the hammer, just the handle remaining.
‘The damage is too extensive. Self-repair is impossible at this point. It’s time to let it go.’
The Hammer Beyond Limits and the Armor Beyond Limits—elite-grade weapons he’d painstakingly crafted even in the harshest of circumstances.
Two pieces of equipment that had journeyed with him since the Tutorial had finally reached the end of their life.
He felt no regret.
If anything, he was grateful and proud that they’d endured so long despite their humble origins.
“As their maker, I’m proud of you both. You’ve done well. Now rest easy.”
Shin Tae-ho set the hammer’s handle beside the armor fragments.
As he moved to close his Inventory, a familiar item caught his eye—one he didn’t remember seeing before.
It was a World Tree Leaf.
“Why do I have two?”
The World Tree Leaves he’d used up completely while evacuating the elves.
He’d kept one set aside for his own use later.
But beside it, there was another World Tree Leaf.
However, this new World Tree Leaf was different from the one he’d had before.
‘There’s no quantity marker?’
Consumable items typically displayed their stack count in small text beside them.
But this World Tree Leaf bore no such number.
The unusual phenomenon made Shin Tae-ho focus on the item, and its information appeared in his mind.
[World Tree Leaf]
Description: A leaf left behind by the World Tree in its True Body form. Rub the leaf to transport yourself to a pre-designated location.
-Destination 1: Not set
-Destination 2: Not set
-Destination 3: Not set
-Cooldown: 1 hour
An item labeled as the World Tree Leaf—not the Leaf of the Unknown Being he’d had before.
Even the method of use had changed: instead of tearing it, he was to rub the leaf.
And judging by the listed “destinations,” it appeared to have the ability to designate where he could travel.
Which meant—
‘I can use it like a portal? And indefinitely, at that?’
Shin Tae-ho’s eyes widened in shock at the information describing a performance he’d never even imagined.
To be continued ▶
Transcendent Blacksmith’s Return
Author
Seal Release
Publishers
Kim Seok-hwan, Choi Se-ra
Publisher
Grae Publishing
Contact Email
[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, and violations may result in civil and criminal 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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