The Return of the Transcendent Blacksmith - Chapter 93

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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 Regression — Chapter 93
The moment Shin Tae-ho emerged from the tower after climbing smoothly to the second floor, he called Kim Jong-soo.
Under normal circumstances, Kim Jong-soo would have answered before the dial tone even rang twice.
But for some reason, this time he didn’t pick up until the fifth ring.
-Master? It’s been a while!
“It has indeed been some time, Kim Jong-soo. I trust you’ve been well?”
-Of course! I’ve been reviewing everything you taught me. Work has just piled up lately, so I’m sorry for the delayed answer.
“When you say work has increased, do you mean more commissions for crafting?”
-That’s right. To be precise, commissions for armor crafting have exploded.
Kim Jong-soo explained the current situation.
Ever since the Mystery revealed itself,
not only existing challengers but also Awakeners who had abandoned tower climbing out of fear now desired armor.
At first he thought it was merely a passing trend,
but when famous streamers uploaded their experiences of wearing armor while following the Mystery, it evolved from trend into a systemic shift.
-After wearing armor, injury rates dropped by fifty percent, and death rates fell by a remarkable ninety-five percent. Compared to the Elf’s Tower, those are staggering numbers.
“So you’re calling the first tower the Elf’s Tower now.”
-It seems the name stuck naturally because it’s easier to remember that way. And they’re calling the current tower the Dwarf’s Tower.
Shin Tae-ho nodded at the explanation.
Regardless of what they called it, the tower’s essence remained unchanged; what mattered most was distinction and easy recall.
-But what brings you to call? Were you planning to visit the Blacksmith Workshop soon?
“No, I realized I hadn’t been in touch for a while because of the tower climbing, so I wanted to check in on you.”
In truth, he had called to have Kim Jong-soo refine the Towerium he’d obtained this time as both training and practice,
but upon hearing that Kim Jong-soo was busy, Shin Tae-ho quickly changed his approach.
Kim Jong-soo laughed at his words.
-It’s both a shame and a relief, actually. Right now I have so many backlogged orders that I was worried whether I could even handle new instruction.
Shin Tae-ho chuckled softly.
It was obvious that Kim Jong-soo wasn’t entirely sincere in what he was saying.
‘Crafting armor is a different difficulty level than forging solid weapons. And with commissions pouring in from across the nation, he won’t have a moment’s rest.’
Since Shin Tae-ho himself had experience working in the Management Bureau’s Blacksmith Workshop,
he felt no displeasure at Kim Jong-soo’s words.
“You sought my instruction in order to contribute to the challengers’ ascents. Right now, focusing entirely on armor crafting is the right choice.”
-As expected… thank you for understanding. I feel as though I’ve been blessed with an extraordinary master.
Kim Jong-soo’s voice grew thick with emotion.
Sensing the atmosphere becoming awkward, Shin Tae-ho cleared his throat.
“I’m glad to hear you’re doing well. Please reach out whenever you have a moment. I’ll come visit.”
-Understood! I’ll do my very best to finish these orders quickly!
“No—the challengers are putting their lives in the hands of your armor. Please craft it with care and precision.”
-I-I’m sorry! I’ll do it properly!
After ending the call, Shin Tae-ho turned to look at Yong-ryong-i.
Yong-ryong-i had already fallen asleep eating chocolate.
Shin Tae-ho wiped away the smudges of chocolate around the child’s mouth with a handkerchief, then lifted Yong-ryong-i into his arms.
The moment he rubbed the World Tree Leaf in that state,
unlike when he had tried it in the tower, Shin Tae-ho and Yong-ryong-i found themselves already transported to the hall.
“Hero! Welcome-”
“Shh.”
Shin Tae-ho placed a finger to his lips and gestured toward the sleeping Yong-ryong-i.
The elves who had been about to respond enthusiastically startled and hurriedly bowed in apology.
After the elves withdrew,
Shin Tae-ho laid Yong-ryong-i on a soft bed and retrieved the armor from his Inventory.
‘I didn’t wear it because I was afraid it would give away that I’m the Mystery. But if it’s become fashionable, then this works out well.’
Shin Tae-ho approached the forge and lit a fire.
This armor had already been worn and taken out as the Mystery,
and since it had been crafted primarily to conceal identity rather than for defense, it needed to be properly remade.
As he raised the forge’s temperature, Shin Tae-ho took out his smartphone.
After tapping it a few times, a video he had previously downloaded offline began to play.
In the video was Wang Xiaomei hunting monsters that had poured into reality from a Gate Break.
⌜Truly, our Ranker Wang Xiaomei! World, are you watching?! This is the power of the Kung Fu homeland!⌟
The person filming was raising their voice in praise of Wang Xiaomei.
But Shin Tae-ho muted the grating commentary and focused entirely on Wang Xiaomei’s movements.
‘So she layers energy over her gauntlets and uses them that way. Not a bad approach.’
The reason Shin Tae-ho watched Wang Xiaomei’s video.
It was because he had chosen martial arts as his combat method while working as a Tamer.
‘Bolt consumes Fragments of Energy. Besides, using only a crossbow won’t let me properly help Yong-ryong-i if he gets into danger.’
But starting to learn swordsmanship or archery at this point would be far too inefficient.
Instead, he decided to find a way that could connect to his benefit while also working as a Mystery.
What he chose was to learn martial arts like Wang Xiaomei, who had become a Ranker by incorporating Kung Fu.
‘The problem is figuring out what to learn.’
If he were Korean, it would have been taekwondo.
But since what he’d face in the tower were monsters, it remained uncertain whether striking arts would be of great use.
Grappling styles like wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu were naturally out of the question.
And so, the only person to have risen to Ranker while hunting monsters through martial arts.
Wang Xiaomei was the best method he could employ right now.
“Like this, and this way. Is it like this?”
Shin Tae-ho mimicked Wang Xiaomei’s movements while watching the video.
But even though he’d slowed the video to 0.25 speed, her movements were far too swift.
Some parts were obscured from view, so he couldn’t grasp exactly how she moved.
“Shin Tae-ho? What are you doing?”
Just as Shin Tae-ho was deep in practice.
Epiel appeared with a puzzled expression, having heard news from the elf who had gone out cleaning.
“You’re here? I was in the middle of training.”
“Training? The intention seemed clear for it to be dancing. Is that martial arts, by any chance?”
“Kung Fu—a comprehensive martial art combining various styles of combat. I’m planning to use it when fighting monsters from now on.”
“Monsters? Why? Did goblins appear somewhere again?”
“Not goblins. Orcs—they’re bigger than goblins.”
Shin Tae-ho calmed the wide-eyed Epiel.
He didn’t understand what an orc was, but at least hearing they weren’t goblins allowed Epiel to quickly regain composure.
“I thought the goblins were coming back again. But martial arts, is that really what you need to learn?”
“It’s not necessary, but there’s nothing better available.”
“Is that so? Then would you like to learn the Guardian Combat Technique?”
“The Guardian Combat Technique?”
As Shin Tae-ho showed interest, Epiel began to explain.
“It’s a combat technique that only elite Guardians can learn. I’ve mastered it through records.”
“If it’s a secret art used by the Guardians, it would certainly be helpful. But is it alright to teach something like that to me?”
“Originally, only those selected by the Guardian Commander could learn it. But now there’s no need for such restrictions.”
Epiel answered with a bitter smile.
He was the only Guardian left.
There was no commander or senior to object, even if he taught this technique to Shin Tae-ho—they no longer existed in this world.
“I understand what you mean. But first, I need to confirm whether that technique will truly be helpful.”
“Confirm? How?”
“A sparring match.”
Shin Tae-ho gestured toward the outside with a nod of his head.
Epiel was taken aback.
“A sparring match? The martial art you’ve learned and the Guardian Combat Technique?”
“Yes. Of course you’ll win. I haven’t even properly learned Kung Fu yet. But I should be able to tell which one would be more helpful to learn.”
“That makes sense. But the Guardian Combat Technique will definitely be far superior. I’m certain of it.”
Epiel led Shin Tae-ho outside with complete confidence.
Facing Shin Tae-ho, Epiel placed both hands neatly at his sides.
“I’m starting, Shin Tae-ho.”
“Go ahead. I’m coming straight at you.”
The moment the words left his mouth, Shin Tae-ho shot forward with his elbow thrust out.
It was the Bow Stance, mimicking the posture of drawing a bow, an attack focused on forward momentum.
It was an attack meant to catch him off guard with a surprise rush and exploit any opening.
But Epiel dodged it as if he’d anticipated it, his body swaying gently to slip past the strike.
‘If Epiel’s attack connects, I could block it with my Energy and make it hard to gauge the actual power. I won’t use Energy in this match.’
Shin Tae-ho mimicked Wang Xiaomei’s movements using only physical ability as he pursued Epiel.
Yet each time, Epiel evaded Shin Tae-ho’s attacks perfectly, seeming almost about to get hit but never quite.
As he continued to watch that evasive motion, one image formed in Shin Tae-ho’s mind.
“A leaf…?”
“Sharp eye. But you should also pay attention to the ground.”
At Epiel’s warning, Shin Tae-ho glanced down at the ground quickly.
As Shin Tae-ho moved, he felt the faint trace of Energy lingering in Epiel’s footprints.
“A leaf carried by the wind cannot be caught.”
For the first time, Epiel rushed toward Shin Tae-ho.
Shin Tae-ho tried to slip away by shifting his feet, but Epiel’s movements followed him with a serpentine fluidity that defied evasion.
“I widen the ground my feet touch and cultivate my own path through Growth.”
With nowhere left to retreat, Shin Tae-ho attacked in defense.
Whistle-whistle-whistle-swish!
The Eagle Claw spread as his fingers extended to seize Epiel.
Yet Epiel, drawing on the Energy deposited in her footprints, evaded every attack with far greater freedom and fluidity than before.
“All existence that enters the field becomes entangled in the roots.”
Epiel’s fist drove mercilessly through Shin Tae-ho’s openings.
In an instant, her attacks penetrated the angles, hammering his ribs, armpits, and thighs without mercy.
“And in time, what becomes entangled in the roots suffers internal penetration, shattering from within into nourishment.”
Epiel struck Shin Tae-ho while treading on the Energy she’d left on the ground, synchronizing her strikes with the residual force.
In that moment, it wasn’t external trauma—his internal organs were torn with a pain that erupted from deep within.
“Cough!”
Shin Tae-ho dropped to one knee, clutching his abdomen.
He’d taken that attack bare-handed, without armor or protective Energy, for a fair comparison.
It exceeded his expectations.
“Shin Tae-ho?! Why didn’t you use your innate power until the end? Are you alright?! Should I get a Healing Potion?!”
“I’m fine. Cough. Calm down.”
Shin Tae-ho drew up his Energy, steadying the shockwave that had rippled through his body.
Thanks to his Complete Rebirth and the Elixir he’d consumed, his twisted organs, bones, and muscles realigned swiftly without serious damage.
But the Energy Epiel had driven into him twisted like a spiral the more he tried to expel it with his own, resisting all the while.
Only after Epiel helped unwind her Energy could Shin Tae-ho shed all the pain.
“Epiel. Just asking to be sure—was that your full power? Did you show me the true might of the Guardian Combat Technique?”
“No, actually. I did put in proper effort to show you how excellent the Guardian Combat Technique is, but when I saw you weren’t using your innate power, I held back to less than a tenth of my usual strength.”
Epiel explained with genuine bewilderment.
She’d received great personal aid from him, and he was called a hero of the elves.
More than anything, if Shin Tae-ho were injured, Yong-ryong-i would be furious—there was no reason to attack in earnest.
Shin Tae-ho laughed with satisfaction at Epiel’s response.
“I see. Hearing it that way makes it even clearer.”
“Clear? What became clear?”
“That the Guardian Combat Technique is truly the martial art I need.”
Shin Tae-ho gazed intently at the trace of Epiel’s Energy still lingering in her footprints.
To be continued ▶
The Return of the Transcendent Master Blacksmith
Author
Release the Seal
Publisher
Kim Seok-hwan, Choi Se-ra
Publishing House
Grae Publishing
Inquiry Email
[email protected]
Publication Date
May 26, 2026
UCI
G720:N+A327-20260227067
※ This e-book is protected under copyright law. Unauthorized reprinting and reproduction are prohibited. Violations may result in 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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