The Return of the Transcendent Blacksmith - Chapter 85

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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-level Blacksmith’s Return — Episode 85
Ranker: a title bestowed with reverence upon those who have set foot on the highest floor of their nation’s tower.
Merely by receiving this title, a Ranker was not only the strongest Awakener in their country, but also
hailed as a hero who had protected the nation’s safety from the tower itself.
Yet among them, it was human nature to rank who was stronger.
Thus, people created the system of World Rankers—not limited to national Rankers alone, but ranked according to the tower’s absolute floor count.
After the World Ranker system emerged, even national Rankers who were not World Rankers began to be subtly dismissed.
Conversely, nations that possessed World Rankers were regarded with envy by neighboring countries, their status and national power rising.
But recently, the World Ranker system that had become established over several years was shaken.
“Ugh… aaaaahhh—!!”
-Lmao this still cracks me up every time I see it
-How can they be the same World Ranker but have such a huge difference in level?
⌎It’s the difference between a fake who climbed up with bloated national support and someone who climbed with real combat-hardened experience
⌎Is it the difference between a dog and a tiger? Haha
On the day Mystery first appeared at Cheongju International Airport to depart for America,
the aggressive Wang Xiao-mei picked a fight with him.
But Wang Xiao-mei’s attacks did not land on Mystery,
and the sight of her clinging to his arm like a cicada caught in an Armbar became a laughingstock across the globe.
Naturally, China was enraged at the fallen national prestige.
“It’s because Mystery cowardly used Armor that amplifies his power.”
A Chinese spokesperson, attempting damage control, pointed out the difference between Wang Xiao-mei, who wore nothing but clothes, and Mystery, who wore Armor.
Had it ended there, the ridicule could not have been completely buried.
But the spokesperson added one more logic.
“True strength is not dependence on items, but the pure ability of the Challenger themselves.”
Though it was merely an excuse, that statement earned agreement from many Challengers.
In particular, Rankers from nations with smaller economies who could not receive the abundant support that wealthier nations offered strongly resonated with this.
-The current World Rankers aren’t decided by fair standards! We’re just playing in a game rigged by wealthy, powerful developed nations!
-If we measure all Rankers fairly by ability alone, excluding item effects, our country’s Rankers are stronger!
Opinions increasingly held that current Rankers should be measured by pure ability rather than good items.
China, which had raised the initial argument, was taken aback and changed its position, claiming that using good items was also part of a Challenger’s ability.
But as if welcoming this shift, ITRO made a momentous announcement.
“ITRO announces the completion of development of the Evaluator—equipment that measures Awakeners’ abilities and displays them by grade.”
“A new era dawning? ITRO pursues global Awakener grading system through the Evaluator”
The Evaluator was a machine that measured an Awakener’s grade based on musculoskeletal development and Qi usage ability.
The grades were divided into seven levels: S, A, B, C, D, E, and F.
When Secretary-General Marcus voluntarily took the test, he received an A grade.
ITRO boldly claimed that it could measure Awakeners’ abilities based on this grading system,
and encouraged participation to objectively assess Awaker abilities and contribute to global security.
Naturally, not every nation welcomed the Evaluator.
But Korea, allied with the United States
and thrust into the world’s spotlight through Mystery, had no choice but to accept the Evaluator due to complicated political interests.
“Measuring Qi detection ability… Confirmation complete. Next, we will measure total output. Please remain still.”
As the explanation flowed from the speaker, Lee Ye-seul, Korea’s Ranker standing in the incubator wearing only measurement clothes, furrowed her brow.
“Excuse me. How much longer is this going to take?”
“It looks like it’ll take about twenty more minutes. Please bear with us a bit longer.”
Im A-yeong answered softly, coaxing her patiently.
When Lee Ye-seul sighed and looked forward again,
Oh Jin-hyuk, who stood behind Im A-yeong, approached and examined the monitor.
“Is the process proceeding smoothly?”
“No irregularities. Reliability is… as you can see.”
Im A-yeong answered quietly, tilting the monitor so he could see it better.
The monitor displayed various measured abilities organized into graphs,
and as it calculated the total, the grade that had started at F had climbed past C and was now approaching the starting point of B.
Oh Jin-hyuk furrowed his brow.
“The Evaluator is catching everything—that Ranker Lee Ye-seul has low Qi output capacity and focuses only on physical ability.”
“Yes. It’s quite remarkable, actually. The reliability itself isn’t bad.”
Though it was regrettable that Qi had to be used for the measurement,
the Evaluator’s grading ability appeared to be accurate without major issues.
Shortly after, Lee Ye-seul, having completed the examination, came out and approached with quick steps.
“So? What grade did I get? An A? Or maybe… an S?”
At the beginning, her eyes had been full of doubt, but now they brimmed only with curiosity and anticipation.
Im A-yeong laughed awkwardly at Lee Ye-seul’s question.
“Ah, haha… wouldn’t it be better to look at it once it’s been organized into a results sheet?”
“The grade comes up right away anyway, doesn’t it? I’m just curious.”
“Well… it came out like this.”
Im A-yeong hesitated before showing Lee Ye-seul’s grade result on the monitor.
Lee Ye-seul’s eyes widened as she saw the letter printed boldly across the screen.
“…B? I’m a B-grade?”
“That’s… yes.”
“But that Marcus person had two-thirds of the A-grade filled up… so, so it’s the tail end of B? I barely missed A, right?”
“Um… well…”
When Im A-yeong didn’t answer right away and hemmed and hawed, Lee Ye-seul’s eyes narrowed slowly.
“What is it? No?”
“Ranker Lee Ye-seul. Please calm down first. I think it would be better to look at the results sheet.”
Oh Jin-hyuk stepped in to stop Lee Ye-seul, who looked ready to explode with anger at any moment.
Recognizing Oh Jin-hyuk, the Management Bureau director, Lee Ye-seul’s angry expression softened. She drew in a rough breath.
“…Understood. I’ll be going now.”
“Th-thank you for your hard work!”
Im A-yeong bowed, but Lee Ye-seul merely nodded her head curtly and left.
Im A-yeong, who had been tense, slumped with an exhausted expression.
“Ugh, that scared me. What should we do? I think she’s very hurt in her pride.”
“Since we confirmed the grade itself differs from Ranker Park Je-hyuk who was tested first… there’s nothing we can do about it.”
There were six Rankers in Korea in total.
Of those, excluding Mystery, whose whereabouts were unknown.
Only Park Je-hyuk, Lee Ye-seul, and Han Ji-hyun had agreed to the Evaluator test, excluding the other Ranker who had refused examination.
Park Je-hyuk, who had been tested first, received a grade of A.
Moreover, it wasn’t a barely-scraped-by grade at the beginning—it was a mid-tier A-grade similar to Marcus’s.
Oh Jin-hyuk’s expression darkened.
‘It’s good that Ranker Park Je-hyuk’s abilities are outstanding, but if these results get out, interest in Ranker Park Je-hyuk will only increase going forward.’
At first, he had thought the Evaluator was created to find Mystery, who they had been so interested in.
But this was something that could cause far more problems than merely finding Mystery.
‘What is someone plotting? What on earth are they scheming?’
While Oh Jin-hyuk was frowning amid complicated thoughts,
a small, timid voice came through the speaker.
“I, I’ve arrived. What should I do now?”
“Hello, Ranker Han Ji-hyun! Please enter the area you see in front and follow the instructions.”
“Yes… um, but if I do this, the Qi you promised to provide…”
“I’ll provide the Qi as soon as the measurement is complete! Though it won’t be a large amount, it should be enough to manage the Mana Addiction phenomenon you’re currently experiencing.”
Im A-yeong answered while looking at Han Ji-hyun standing beyond the isolated window.
Her face, which had grown gaunt with weight loss and trembled faintly as if from cold, brightened somewhat.
“R-really? How long does the test take?”
“About thirty minutes. I’ll finish as quickly as I can.”
“Yes, yes. Th-thank you.”
Han Ji-hyun nodded vigorously and stepped into the Evaluator.
Watching her, Oh Jin-hyuk’s brow furrowed.
“She’s gotten worse than before.”
“There’s nothing we can do about it. They say Mana withdrawal is beyond imagination in how difficult it is. And the symptoms worsen depending on the total amount and Magical Power concentration.”
Im A-yeong watched Han Ji-hyun with sympathetic eyes.
Han Ji-hyun was concentrating harder than ever, with the thought that once the test ended and she received Qi, she could replenish her Mana.
The test began shortly, and an automated voice flowed out.
⌜Measuring physical ability. Please remain still.⌟
Han Ji-hyun’s test progressed faster than Lee Ye-seul’s.
Perhaps because of her withdrawal, Han Ji-hyun’s physical abilities had declined to the point of weakness,
and since she was a Mage Class to begin with, her poor physique meant the test didn’t take long.
⌜Next, we will begin measuring abilities related to Qi. Please draw up your Qi for a smooth test.⌟
Once the physical test ended, the Qi-related test began.
The graph hadn’t even reached B yet—it was still below E—and Im A-yeong’s expression grew anxious.
“If, if another B-grade appears this time, what do we do? Han Ji-hyun probably won’t get angry like Lee Ye-seul, but…”
“That’s not something we can control, so don’t worry about it.”
Oh Jin-hyuk, who had been soothing Im A-yeong as she looked at him with concern, absently gazed at the monitor showing the test in progress.
Oh Jin-hyuk, whose face had been etched with sympathy at Han Ji-hyun’s weakened state, suddenly went rigid.
“This… what is this?!”
“Yes? Director, why did you suddenly— Huh?!”
Im A-yeong turned to follow Oh Jin-hyuk’s gaze and gasped.
The graph that had been crawling forward like a snail from the E starting point was now surging upward as the Ki examination began.
Past E, then D, and beyond D into C.
It climbed to the threshold of B, yet the speed at which the graph rose showed no sign of slowing.
And when the measurement finally ended.
“I… what…?”
Im A-yeong hiccupped at the S grade—a rank she’d never expected to see in Korea.
* * *
“Wow! Home! It’s been forever, dude~!”
Yong-ryong-i threw his arms up in triumph as he and Shin Tae-ho returned home after so long.
Though he called it “after so long,” the time spent in Synterhorn had stretched dozens of times longer, making this homecoming feel like an age had passed.
Yet Yong-ryong-i hadn’t forgotten his home routine.
“Come on everybody, shake it together~ Shake, shake, Porolong~.”
“Porolong~.”
Yong-ryong-i turned on his favorite children’s program and swayed his hips in time with the character’s movements.
Watching him, Shin Tae-ho found himself certain of a theory he’d been quietly considering.
‘Of course. Because he’s a dragon, I suppose. Even after spending decades in Synterhorn, Yong-ryong-i’s mental age has developed quite differently from a human’s pace.’
Though Yong-ryong-i had devoured every film and drama available—domestic and international alike—on the smartphone he’d brought.
Still, his greatest love remained that children’s animated program.
Yong-ryong-i, lost in hip-swaying entertainment, suddenly blinked and came back to himself.
“Oh, I got so caught up watching Porolong after all this time, dude!”
“It’s fine. Enjoy it at your ease. I have my own things to handle anyway.”
“Really, dude?!”
“Really.”
With Shin Tae-ho’s permission, Yong-ryong-i happily refocused on the screen.
Upon entering NewTube, every content creator had nearly identical titles.
And contrary to their different titles, all of them were broadcasting the exact same content.
“Twenty minutes until the new tower appears! Challengers! Are you all ready?!”
“Of course.”
Shin Tae-ho answered quietly in response to the content creator’s energetic shout.
Continued in next chapter ▶
The Transcendent-level Blacksmith’s Return
Author
Bongeonhaejae
Publisher
Kim Seok-hwan, Choi Se-ra
Published by
Grae Publishing
Contact
[email protected]
Date of Publication
May 26, 2026
UCI
G720:N+A327-20260227067
※ This e-book is protected under copyright law. Unauthorized reproduction and copying are prohibited. Violations may result in criminal and civil liability.
※ Pentagram welcomes 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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