Regression of the Transcendent Blacksmith - Chapter 11

========== REGRESSION OF THE TRANSCENDENT BLACKSMITH CHAPTER 11 ==========

A future that has now become the past due to his regression.

Shin Tae-ho was naive back then.

Having obtained the Blacksmith class, he thought he just needed to work hard making items to fulfill his duty.

If he did that, the challengers would conquer the Tower, and peace would come to the world.

However, that pure enthusiasm became a dagger just as sharp, stabbing Shin Tae-ho deep within.

The Human Traitors, overwhelmed by the Tower and the powerful demi-humans within.

They equipped themselves with the suits Shin Tae-ho made to secure their own power and safety.

And they attacked humanity, wielding the weapons that Shin Tae-ho had also made.

Every single item Shin Tae-ho made was incredible.

It was only natural.

Because those were the best items, forged after Shin Tae-ho had desperately agonized and devoted himself to the challengers.

That was why their betrayal could pierce not just Shin Tae-ho’s mind, but deep into his very soul.

And that wound remained in Shin Tae-ho’s heart, unhealed.

“It’s been a while.”

Shin Tae-ho got out of the taxi and looked at the Awakened Management Bureau.

The registration bureau occupied an entire building.

For some reason, it was bustling with people as if it were a theme park.

Shin Tae-ho tilted his head.

‘Was the registration bureau always this crowded?’

According to statistics, the ratio of Awakened is about 1 in 1,000.

Because they were such rare beings, the registration bureau was usually quiet.

Shin Tae-ho adjusted his bag and walked into the registration bureau.

It would have been easier to go alone, but he was anxious about leaving the Dragon egg at home.

Besides, he couldn’t put it in his inventory, so Shin Tae-ho had wrapped the egg well in a blanket and brought it in his bag.

It was noisy outside, but inside the registration bureau, it was even more ridiculous.

“No, I’m telling you, I’m the one the Management Bureau is looking for! The First Tutorial Conqueror! That’s me!”

“Heh, you have no eye for talent. That’s why you’re wasting your time like that. Now, the Tutorial Conqueror is here in person, so please guide me inside.”

“What the…?”

Shin Tae-ho, who had been listening to the conversations going back and forth around him, grasped the situation and was shocked.

All sorts of people were trying to register as Awakened, claiming to be the Tutorial Conqueror.

Among them, there were those who were obviously joking or Newtubers trying to film videos.

But surprisingly, there were also people who genuinely believed they were the Tutorial Conqueror.

Shin Tae-ho let out a dry laugh, as if he found it absurd.

‘I could understand if it were a mage with a screw loose due to mana addiction. But seeing seemingly normal people acting like this is bizarre.’

The Mage class that uses mana.

They converted Qi into their own mana through their Qi Circuit to use it.

For some reason, the dependency on mana increased during that process, and the rate of mental illness was high because of it.

But no matter how he looked at it, most of the people here were not mages.

‘I’m already tired.’

Shin Tae-ho pressed his eyes with one hand.

He had a strong premonition that registering as an Awakened was going to be more tiring than he thought.

‘I must endure. I must endure.’

Im A-young smiled, desperately trying to stop the vein about to bulge on her forehead.

She had been smiling for so long that the corners of her mouth were twitching.

“So, you’re certain that you’re the one who conquered the entire Tutorial?”

“Ah, of course! I’ve been saying that the whole time!”

The person wearing a hat pulled down low retorted to Im A-young’s question.

Im A-young, who quietly gritted her teeth, tried to maintain her smiling face.

“I see~. Then, Awakened-nim. What was the condition to pass the 28th floor of the Tutorial?”

“Yes? The 28th floor…?”

The Awakened who had been raising his voice was flustered.

It was only natural.

The floor where the Awakened had failed when climbing the Tutorial was the 13th floor.

There was no way he could know what was on the 28th floor.

When he couldn’t answer and just stammered, Im A-young’s smile turned cold rapidly.

“Oh dear. At least the others memorized something before coming. You didn’t even prepare? Please go over there.”

“Tsk!”

The Awakened clicked his tongue as if it were a shame and obediently followed the Management Bureau staff’s guidance to go outside.

It was just a prank following the trend, so he had no regrets.

Im A-young let out a deep sigh.

‘Ugh, seriously. Aren’t they embarrassed? Why on earth do they pull pranks like this?’

Awakened had started gathering at the registration bureau from some point on.

At first, the Management Bureau was happy about the crowd.

Their goal was to find the Tutorial Conqueror, and it was because of the hope that the Awakened might really be among so many people.

That was a misunderstanding.

Most of them were people who wanted to be treated well by pretending to be the Tutorial Conqueror just in case.

It was only natural.

What if they could sign a direct contract with the Management Bureau by pretending to be the Tutorial Conqueror?

It was obvious they would receive treatment incomparable to the generally known benefits for Awakened.

These actions of the Awakened were soon known on Tower.com as well.

After that, a situation occurred where all sorts of Awakened, from Newtubers to pranksters, flocked in like now.

‘I wish I could say that pranking would result in legal punishment, but…’

Only Awakened can climb the Tower.

And since they are people who always risk their lives climbing the Tower, the law was lenient toward the Awakened.

What if they sent the few Awakened they had to prison?

It was obvious that they wouldn’t be able to update the highest floor of the Tower within the time limit, and great damage would occur to the Republic of Korea.

Her head hurt just from this stress, but there was an even more serious problem.

Im A-young, who was turning her eyes as if sighing, glanced to one side.

There, people were watching their smartphones while keeping an ambiguous distance.

No, people pretending to watch were scanning the people with sharp eyes.

People who hadn’t come to register as Awakened, nor to film videos or pull pranks.

‘Overseas scouts.’

That was a certainty, not a guess.

The National Intelligence Service and the Management Bureau had already uncovered their identities.

The problem was that even if they knew they were scouts, they couldn’t just kick them out.

Basically, scouts were organizations made up of Awakened to grasp the Qi of other Awakened.

Above all, if they touched them the wrong way, friction could arise between nations.

‘No, more than that, will the Conqueror really come?’

It had already been two weeks since the Tutorial Conqueror appeared.

Furthermore, judging by the circumstances, it was highly likely that the person continuously achieving S-rank clears and climbing the Tower, as announced, was that Conqueror.

That would mean there was an organization helping the Conqueror.

There might be no reason for them to come to register as an Awakened.

“Section Chief Im. Are you not working?”

“Yes? Ah, ahh! I’m sorry!”

When her boss, who was sitting next to her, spoke in a dying voice, Im A-young snapped to her senses.

While lost in thought, she had been pushing her work onto her boss without realizing it.

Im A-young bowed her head to apologize to her boss and called the next person.

Im A-young’s eyes gleamed when she saw Shin Tae-ho, who had come in for his turn.

‘His body is very solid. Is he a Warrior-type class Awakened?’

Just then, Im A-young’s eyes flashed as she discovered something.

The identity of it was the bag Shin Tae-ho was carrying.

“Wait a moment. You cannot bring personal belongings like bags.”

“You can’t even bring a bag?”

“Of course. It’s even more forbidden because it’s a bag.”

Im A-young said firmly.

Since there had been a suicide bombing incident at a registration bureau in another country a few years ago, she had to be sure about things like this.

Im A-young narrowed her eyes as she watched Shin Tae-ho hesitate and take off his bag.

His behavior was too cautious, and him being anxious looked suspicious.

“What’s in the bag? Could you take it out?”

The staff on both sides, having read the subtle atmosphere, stared at Shin Tae-ho.

They were ready to pull up Qi from their circuits to subdue him immediately if necessary.

Shin Tae-ho, who sensed the Qi, frowned slightly.

‘It seems there’s some misunderstanding. I should be careful.’

Shin Tae-ho, having read the unusual atmosphere, carefully opened the bag and took out what was inside.

Im A-young was surprised to see the egg carefully wrapped in a blanket.

“Ah! I’m sorry! You were a Tamer. I misunderstood.”

Im A-young apologized immediately.

Receiving an egg after the Tutorial is a custom of the Tamer class.

Furthermore, for a Tamer, a summoned beast is family and an existence that protects their life in the Tower.

Thinking that way, it seemed natural for Shin Tae-ho to handle the egg with care.

Those who were preparing for a contingency next to Im A-young also let out their raised Qi with deflated expressions.

Whether they did or not, Shin Tae-ho, who had been suddenly mistaken for a Tamer, was flustered.

“Yes? Wait a moment. I-”

“Wow, a Tamer! It’s a rare class, so congratulations! Actually, because your body is so impressive, I thought you might be a Warrior class.”

Im A-young’s expression brightened at the thought that she had met a normal registrant for the first time.

Since the egg hadn’t even hatched yet, there was no way Shin Tae-ho could be the Tutorial Conqueror.

Shin Tae-ho, who had been dumbfounded by her appearance of having already decided his class on her own, paused.

‘Wait. Is there a need to explain?’

Before coming to register as an Awakened.

Shin Tae-ho had long agonized over whether to honestly reveal his class.

War-smith is a Unique grade even among Special classes.

As Special classes are rare, it was clear he would receive a lot of attention.

But now, what if he even revealed that he was the Tutorial Conqueror?

‘Just thinking about it makes me tired.’

Shin Tae-ho shook his head at the unsatisfactory result.

Besides, come to think of it, it wasn’t entirely wrong.

Even if he wasn’t a Tamer class, if he had a summoned beast, wasn’t he a Tamer in the first place?

Shin Tae-ho nodded, seeing Im A-young’s eyes sparkling as if she had guessed right.

“Yes. Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. I’ll just fill out the paperwork and pass you through. Just a moment.”

Im A-young typed familiarly.

After waiting a moment, she handed him the printed documents and pointed to one side.

“Here, if you take the documents and go inside, you can receive training!”

“Yes. Thank you.”

Just by saying thank you twice, Shin Tae-ho was able to pass the registration.

Shin Tae-ho was bewildered by the process, which was easier and faster than he thought.

‘Is this… lucky?’

Shin Tae-ho, who had suddenly been registered as a Tamer, went inside to finish the registration, feeling a bit bitter.

Im A-young watched Shin Tae-ho’s retreating figure and was secretly envious.

‘I’m jealous. How nice it would have been if I had received the Tamer class too.’

A Special class that only a few can obtain among the few Awakened in the world.

Tamer is not a Special class, but it was a rare class that belonged just below it.

Although it is said that the Tamer themselves is not very helpful in battle.

Instead, it was a class where the weakness of Awakened, who become vulnerable to threats because they cannot recharge Qi when they come out of the Tower through a summoned beast, did not apply.

Im A-young, who followed Shin Tae-ho with her eyes until he disappeared as if envious, gathered her strength and called the next registrant.

She spoke before the Awakened who had entered could even sit down.

“The Tutorial Conqueror the Management Bureau is looking for. That’s me.”

‘…Should I just beat him up and write a letter of apology?’

Im A-young, who had enjoyed a moment of peace through Shin Tae-ho, clenched her fists at the cold and disgusting reality.

To be continued in the next chapter ▶