The Return of the Transcendent Blacksmith - Chapter 99

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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 — Chapter 99
“Ugh, how petty! I worked just as hard as anyone! Why won’t he give me a permit?”
Bianca had clung to the dwarf foreman in protest and finally been refused; she emerged huffing in frustration.
At the sight of Bianca’s anger, Choi Yu-hwa looked taken aback.
“B-Bianca, did you have an interest in mining? Last time you didn’t even come down.”
“That was because I was exhausted then! But honestly, if I can mine minerals in a tower where you get nothing unless there’s a reward, of course I’d want to!”
“Y-yes, that makes sense…. Hearing you say it like that makes me regret not asking myself….”
“Even if you couldn’t get one right now, if you keep appealing, you’ll be able to get one later. We’ve only just climbed to the third floor, after all.”
Shin Tae-ho tried to console Bianca and Choi Yu-hwa, who both looked disappointed.
When Shin Tae-ho, who had received the permit, said this, Bianca flared up for a moment and gave him a sharp glare.
But soon enough she acknowledged that his words were right and let out a long, heavy sigh.
“Yeah, who am I to blame? It’s my fault for not appealing harder. Honestly, before I saw the permit, I wasn’t even thinking about mining.”
Though her reaction was intense, there was a frankness to Bianca that made Shin Tae-ho give a rueful smile.
Once the conversation about the permit wound down, Choi Yu-hwa turned to the two of them.
“You’re going to mine, aren’t you, Shin Tae-ho? What will you do, Bianca?”
“I need to restore my mana. This trial had me in the tower for ten days getting to Komuto. I want to get out as soon as I can.”
“I see. Then I’ll restore my ki alongside you and head out too.”
Unlike last time, Choi Yu-hwa had not asked the dwarf foreman this time around, and so had not received a mining permit.
Besides, she hadn’t been able to wash properly for several days and didn’t want to linger in the tower in that state.
Shin Tae-ho nodded.
“Then I’ll head to the mine. Thank you both for your hard work.”
“Wait a moment before you go! We’re going to be climbing the tower together from now on. Shouldn’t we actually meet outside of it?”
“Yes? But we’re meeting right now, aren’t we?”
Choi Yu-hwa tilted her head in confusion, and Bianca shook hers firmly.
“Outside the tower, dummy! We’re not going to see each other only here, are we? I’m a Ranker, you know—you’re not curious about that?”
“That would be wonderful, truly! But where would we meet?”
“I’ll come to Korea. It’s easier for me to move alone than both of you traveling. Plus, I have a private jet, so there’s no need to wait!”
“Wow! You’re coming to Korea? That’s great!”
Choi Yu-hwa smiled brightly in welcome.
Pleased by Choi Yu-hwa’s enthusiasm, Bianca folded her arms and smiled with satisfaction.
“Then give me both your numbers. I’ll be in touch.”
“Of course.”
Shin Tae-ho, Choi Yu-hwa, and Bianca exchanged numbers.
At first, Shin Tae-ho had hesitated to give out his number.
But his identity as Mystery would never be exposed.
And even if things somehow went wrong, he could simply change his number, so he didn’t refuse.
“Good! Just to be clear, you can’t give each other’s numbers to anyone else, right?”
“Right!”
“Of course not.”
“Then I’ll call you later. See you soon!”
Bianca and Choi Yu-hwa waved goodbye to Shin Tae-ho as he headed toward the mine.
Shin Tae-ho waved back in farewell and climbed the mountain toward the mine with Yong-ryong-i.
When they arrived at the mine, the dwarf miners recognized Shin Tae-ho.
“You’re the outsider who held back the orcs last time? What brings you here?”
“I’ve come to mine. I received a permit from the village.”
Shin Tae-ho showed them the badge, no larger than a fist, that he’d been given as a mining permit.
The mining dwarf was startled.
“What? That’s from the foreman! By the heavens, that finicky Zetaum actually gave an outsider a badge. The anvil will crack before that happens again.”
“The foreman’s name is Zetaum?”
“That’s right. Foreman Zetaum. And my name’s Totodum. Since we’ll probably see each other around, you might as well remember it.”
Totodum, who introduced himself as the mine chief, extended a large hand, and Shin Tae-ho gripped it firmly.
“I’m Shin Tae-ho. Pleased to work with you.”
“Good. From what’s written here, you can take 50% of whatever you mine. That’s no small amount—work hard.”
The right to own 50% of what he mined.
One might think he was only taking half, but giving 50% was an extraordinary gesture of goodwill.
Shin Tae-ho wasn’t even a dwarf, and as a miner he had no obligation to help maintain or develop the mine.
Compared to the 5% he’d received before, this was a ratio ten times greater.
“Thank you. I’ll work hard.”
Shin Tae-ho picked up an unused pickaxe leaning against one side.
Seeing this, Yong-ryong-i whimpered softly beside him.
“Shin Tae-ho, you’re pounding the wall again? My ears are ringing….”
Since Yong-ryong-i didn’t need to be present while mining, Shin Tae-ho had him play outside, just as before.
“I’m the only one who needs to mine, so go on out and have fun. Just don’t bother Pipi too much, and come back when I call.”
“Wow! Okay! Shin Tae-ho, you’ve got this!”
Yong-ryong-i bolted outside as if he’d been waiting for permission.
Shin Tae-ho smiled at the sight of Yong-ryong-i dashing off so eagerly, then hefted his pickaxe and swung it at the wall.
‘That hammer Orum used to wield—it was undoubtedly worthy of being called Legend Grade.’
It could grow to any size needed, unleashed shockwaves, and became light enough for its user to swing effortlessly.
As he recalled those coveted properties, Shin Tae-ho’s heart began to race.
‘I want to forge one myself. And before that—I want to see the original hammer directly. I need to know what it’s actually like.’
The hammer Orum used was explicitly marked in the information window as a counterfeit.
Which meant the original possessed far more formidable abilities than the copy.
The more he imagined what those abilities might be, the faster his heartbeat became.
And that excitement spilled over entirely into the way Shin Tae-ho worked the mine.
“Ho. Remarkable. Pickaxe work at that speed…!”
“You can feel the resolve to obtain the finest materials.”
“I can’t even fathom how desperately you crave superior ore!”
The dwarf miners, turning their heads at the tremendous sound of pickaxe strikes, watched Shin Tae-ho with satisfaction.
Where skilled miners swung once,
Shin Tae-ho worked at roughly three times their speed—he looked almost like a woodpecker.
“A fine sight indeed. The young ones should take note of such effort.”
“That precision—striking exactly where intended! Extraordinary! This one is already a masterful miner!”
“We won’t fall behind! Come now, back to work!”
Spurred on by Shin Tae-ho’s example, the dwarves picked up their pickaxes again.
Dwarves held hard work and capability as supreme virtues,
and Shin Tae-ho’s tireless swinging—seeking the finest materials for himself to use—greatly increased their favor toward him.
Unaware of this, Shin Tae-ho continued mining while envisioning the original form of Orum’s hammer.
What stopped Shin Tae-ho’s endless mining was neither exhaustion nor any objection from the dwarves.
[You have demonstrated the determination of a master craftsman, mining materials directly to create your greatest work.]
[The War Smith trait awakens.]
[The War Smith trait, Artisan’s Material Obsession, has been unlocked.]
‘What? All of a sudden?’
Shin Tae-ho, drenched in sweat, brushed aside his wet hair and checked the message window in bewilderment.
He’d only thought it would be nice to secure some materials in advance.
He’d never actually believed that creating the finest work required him to mine the finest materials himself.
‘Something seems off about this interpretation… but I suppose good is good?’
So far he’d obtained two traits: Ki Forging and Battlefield’s Blessing.
Regardless of how it happened, every War Smith trait he’d gained thus far had possessed monstrous abilities.
When Shin Tae-ho brought up the information window, details of his newly acquired trait, Artisan’s Material Obsession, appeared.
[The War Smith, who desired only the finest works, possessed a discerning eye so exacting that even selecting a single material required utmost care.]
[That obsession eventually transformed into the conviction that necessary materials must be obtained through one’s own effort, evolving into an ability to locate materials.]
[When you designate your desired material, the trait reveals the optimal path to obtain it.]
[Materials acquired directly undergo automatic appraisal. Through appraisal, you can confirm the material’s grade, purity, and hidden properties.]
“Oh…!”
Shin Tae-ho let out a soft exclamation as he read the trait description.
It wasn’t combat-oriented, nor a production ability in the traditional sense.
Yet it was a trait he could employ just as usefully—perhaps even more so.
‘Since I’m mining anyway, I can test it right now.’
Shin Tae-ho dismissed the message window and immediately activated his new trait, Artisan’s Material Obsession.
[Target material: Taworinium]
[Search commencing.]
Having received his intention, the trait began searching for Taworinium.
After a moment, as the search completed, Shin Tae-ho’s eyes widened dramatically.
‘All of this is Taworinium?’
The mine, where dwarves had been extracting ore for ages and mineral deposits seemed nearly exhausted,
suddenly opened itself to Shin Tae-ho’s vision as though he were wearing x-ray glasses, courtesy of the trait.
He could see clearly where every vein of Taworinium lay buried within the mountain.
Its size, shape, quality, depth—
even the most efficient angle and method to extract each deposit. A smile spread slowly across his face.
‘This trait is insane. If I take just fifty percent of what’s visible here, I won’t have to worry about Taworinium supplies ever again.’
His exhausted body surged with newfound vigor.
Shin Tae-ho picked up the pickaxe he’d set down and resumed mining.
Unlike before, when he’d swung blindly without knowing where to dig,
his pickaxe now—with Artisan’s Material Obsession activated—struck with unerring precision at spots where Taworinium lay buried.
Thud-thud-thud!
Clang! Clang!
“What? That’s all Taworinium?”
“Huh?! What’s the size of that Taworinium…!”
“There was a piece this large among the ones we hadn’t dug yet?”
“That size… it looks like the biggest we’ve found so far…?!”
The dwarves’ jaws dropped.
Shin Tae-ho’s pickaxe work continued in an unbroken rhythm, yielding Taworinium with every strike,
an ore yield rate that even Totodum, who had spent a lifetime mining, had never witnessed.
Crack!
The raw ore of Taworinium finally revealed itself beneath the pickaxe.
A colossal unrefined mass towering at least five meters high—the dwarves stood frozen, mouths agape, unable to speak a word.
Shin Tae-ho, drenched in sweat as though he’d just showered from the mining effort, exhaled deeply and examined the Taworinium.
Even accounting for smelting loss and taking only fifty percent, it would yield well over a hundred kilograms.
‘This is it. This is the jackpot.’
His heart pounded like a hammer strike—overwhelming joy at the unexpected, extraordinary trait he’d acquired.
Continued in Next Episode ▶
The Transcendent Blacksmith’s Return
Author
Seal Release
Publisher
Kim Seok-hwan, Choi Se-ra
Publishing House
Grae Publishing
Contact
[email protected]
Publication Date
May 26, 2026
UCI
G720:N+A327-20260227067
※ This ebook is protected under copyright law. Unauthorized reproduction and duplication are prohibited, and violations may result in criminal and civil liability.
※ Pentagram is waiting for 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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