Meeting the Dwarves
“There. The magic circle is complete. Step inside, and you'll be transported straight to the Yuglas Mountains.”
After re-engraving the weakening magic circle on the armor, Gepelt hurriedly finished the teleportation array and urged Sung-tae to get going on his adventure.
“Alright. I've got the ore sack too—hope the dwarves like it.”
“You could show up empty-handed, and they'd still love you just for that armor. No need to bother with extras, right?”
“Nah. Gotta bring a gift. Being too greedy turns you bald.”
The massive ore sack slung over his shoulder weighed hundreds of kilograms, but it felt like nothing to Sung-tae.
“……Hmm.”
“My lord? What's wrong?”
“Hey, doesn't that chain look a bit taut? And the ground seems farther away than before.”
“M-Must be your imagination. Ha. Ha. Ha.”
Heh. I see what you're up to.
While waiting for the magic circle and ore sack, Sung-tae had scanned the surroundings and noticed the changes to the castle. The Demon King Castle floated above the lava pit, connected to the ground by iron chains that were stretched taut, as if they might snap any second. And the distant landscape looked smaller than before.
In other words, the castle was rising higher.
Guess he's turning it into a floating fortress? Better play dumb.
“Well, I'm off then.”
“Yes, my lord. Safe travels.”
With a flash of light from the magic circle, Sung-tae and his group vanished from the Demon King Castle.
Once they were gone, Gepelt flashed a meaningful smile. The work he'd delayed while Sung-tae was around could now resume, and the thought alone brought a grin to his face.
“Heh. My lord, surely you didn't think it was something as simple as a floating castle?”
Sung-tae was sharper than expected. He'd probably noticed the rising castle and straining chains long ago. But he hadn't said a word—likely pretending not to know, out of complete trust, so he could feign surprise later.
“If it were just some floating castle, I, Gepelt, wouldn't have bothered starting the renovations.”
Lifting buildings was commonplace even in Yuglatsil. Satisfied with something so pedestrian? It would be a disgrace to his role as the Demon King Castle's butler!
Gepelt, who already saw himself as the butler, could hardly wait. He imagined Sung-tae toppling over in shock.
“Kukuku. Kuhahaha!!!”
The monsters whispered as they watched Gepelt cackle like a madman.
Sir Gepelt's gotten... really weird...
Is the mage's madness finally bursting out?
Gyric.
“Eek! Ehehehe!!! Uhehehet!!!”
“Hm. So this is the Yuglas Mountains.”
Sung-tae took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the endless expanse of vibrant green forest. Forest bathing, right? The phytoncides from the green workers seeped deep into his lungs, calming his mind and lifting his spirits.
The winding peaks looked ready to spit out monsters or wild beasts any second, but the majestic natural scenery stole his attention—no room for worries.
“Whew.”
Sung-tae exhaled. The air was great, but finding dwarves in this vast range? Tricky. If only those monsters who'd found them before were still alive...
“Garba, any idea where the dwarves might be?”
“I'm sorry, my lord. This is my first time here too...”
“No need to apologize. We'll just have to search.”
Sung-tae kicked off the ground and soared into the sky, scanning the mountains. Forests. Trees. More forests. More trees. Forests. Trees. Trees. Forests.
“......This might be harder than I thought.”
Nothing but woods and peaks. Did dwarves really live here? No sign of them, so Sung-tae drew on his life force magic.
“They're alive, so they should have life force.”
Still tricky to wield, but a whole village? Their collective life force should stand out. Sung-tae swept his senses over the range like a hidden object game.
Nothing.
“Huh? Wait a sec.”
Then, in a distant forest clearing, the bushes rustled. His life force sense was crude, but his eyes were sharp.
“Found one!”
A short, stout old man burst from the bushes—straight out of the books Sung-tae remembered. He landed, grabbed Garba, and headed over. Not the village, but one dwarf was enough. He'd guide them.
Plenty of ore, and like Gepelt said, they'll drool over my armor anyway.
“Wh-Who goes there!?”
The dwarf whipped out a pickaxe, wary of the sudden arrival. To ease him, Sung-tae showed no hostility.
“A dwarf, huh. Look, this might sound crazy showing up out of nowhere, but I came to ask a favor.”
“......”
Not talking? At least listening? Sung-tae set down the ore sack and opened it.
“Not asking for free. You like ore, right? Take this, and...”
“Ooh......”
Already hooked? He hadn't even mentioned the armor yet—the real bargaining chip. Gepelt said they'd obsess over it, so Sung-tae planned to negotiate, let them inspect, maybe chip off a piece. It regenerated anyway.
But the dwarf ignored the ore, trembling legs carrying him straight to Sung-tae.
“Th-That’s......”
“Oh? This? Black Oriharcon armor.”
Just as I thought! Made by Ignis! Was that guy the god of smithing?
“Why? Interested...?”
Then Sung-tae recalled Gepelt's words.
—More greedy than dragons.
“Hahk. Hahk.”
Bloodshot eyes. Drool pouring from slack jaws. Flushed face twisted in agonized ecstasy.
“Armor...... armor!”
“Y-You wanna see it? Great, I'll let you...”
It was just like...
“Armor made of Black Oriharcon!!!!”
The face of a total pervert.
“Hahk. Hahk.”
The old geezer drooled rivers, eyes blazing. The madness in that gaze made Sung-tae step back, but he couldn't lose his first dwarf lead.
“Y-Yeah. My armor's Black Oriharcon. What do you think?”
“So cool......”
“Haha...... Thanks.”
“So beautiful......”
Sung-tae was pleased—it was going perfectly—but regretted not heeding Gepelt's warning more deeply. Liking your stuff felt good, gave that superior edge. But this much? Creepy overload.
“Black Oriharcon...... Ahng......”
Ahng? That doesn't match your look at all!
“Wh-What do you think? I can let you get closer if you want.”
“Haang......”
Nearly a year in this world, and for the first time, Sung-tae's body reacted violently.
Aaagh! Quit moaning, you old fart!
Goosebumps everywhere. He itched to scratch, but the dwarf's crazed stare pinned him. Scratching might shatter the illusion if just looking drove him nuts.
Forcing down the chills, Sung-tae offered his gauntleted hand.
“W-Wanna see? Go ahead. But will you hear my request in return?”
“Hahk. Hahk.”
Listening? Right? Why's it seem like no?
The dwarf grabbed his hand, gazing ecstatically at the gauntlet. Eyes of a man drowning in fatal love—unprecedented, unimaginable.
“Black Oriharcon......”
“Yeah. Made of Black Oriharcon.”
“The texture's Black Oriharcon too...... Not fake......”
He shoved his face into the gauntlet. Sung-tae flinched—like a tame pup turning feral—but the old man just sniffed.
“Snuuuurk. Haaa. Snuuuurk!!!”
“......”
“Haaa...... Even the scent's Black Oriharcon......”
“Y-Yeah? You've had your fun, so take me to your village...”
Lick.
Lick?
Was this real? A dream? Did he nod off fixing the magic circle?
Lick lick.
“Haaa. So this is the taste.”
Denial failed; reality hit, unleashing fresh chills beyond goosebumps. The dwarf looked ancient—old man vibes. That tongue slobbering his gauntlet? Grotesque terror.
Sung-tae, fearless till now, felt true dread from this dwarf.
“C-Could you stop licking?”
“Yes. Exactly the flavor I imagined.”
The tongue lashed faster, slathering the gauntlet. Lick lick licklick.
Sung-tae froze solid.
“This is refined Black Oriharcon's true taste!”
“You bastard......”
Sung-tae yanked his hand away. The dwarf toppled forward but crawled after, aiming for his boot.
“Wanna taste other spots too!”
“G-Garba! Run for it!”
“P-Pardon? Yes, my lord!”
Garba, powering up to discipline him, followed Sung-tae instead up a sheer cliff.
From above, Sung-tae watched.
Whoa. Didn't expect this level. He's lost it.
Dwarves loved ore, sure. Black Oriharcon armor? Intense. But still sane, right?
Wrong. This horror show? Unthinkable, unforgivable.
“Where are you!? Black Oriharcon armor!!!”
The dwarf bellowed, searching. No chance spotting Sung-tae far off. Exhausted, he pulled a massive horn from his bag.
Bwoooo!
“What? A horn?”
“What's going on?”
More dwarves emerged—not from woods, but burrowing like moles.
Village underground? That's why I missed it.
Suddenly respected Ignis's old minions who'd found them.
The dwarves clustered around the horn-blower.
“I saw Black Oriharcon armor. Black Oriharcon armor. Black Oriharcon armor...”
Like a broken clock. Sung-tae sighed in relief—no way others bought this madness.
“What!? Black Oriharcon armor!?”
“B-Black Oriharcon armor!?”
“Black!”
......Nope.
Deep trust in comrades.
“Blaaaack!”
Like a plague, they all went feral, eyes gleaming, scouring the forest for Sung-tae—or rather, his armor. Masters of their turf, they bounded through trees effortlessly.
Sung-tae pondered options.
“Can't beat 'em. Can't outrun 'em. No way out.”
He'd come for dwarves—leaving empty-handed? Nah. They might fix his armor curse into a pendant. No hitting. Injury could backfire worse than fleeing.
Only wait for them to calm.
“Sniff sniff. I smell it. The scent...... Black Oriharcon's scent!”
Are you a dog!?
“Found it!”
A sniffer dwarf flattened to the ground, hands planted. What now? Sung-tae watched as dirt swallowed him.
“Oh...... Garba, what’s that?”
“Dwarves are blessed by earth, so they use ground magic. Probably that.”
“Magic?”
Dirt erupted from the cliff base—the same dwarf.
“Here!!!”
Damn! Spotted!
“Where!?”
“There!!!”
Dwarves turned to dirt mounds, popping up on the cliff. Rabid eyes hit Sung-tae like horror—he grabbed Garba's hand.
“Run!”
“M-My lord!?”
Can't fight or leave, so tag—you're-it till they chill. Sung-tae leaped off; dwarves followed.
True to earth blessing, fallers hit ground unharmed.
“Kyaak!”
Tree-smashers hurt bad, but pain? Ignored. Chase on.
“Calm down already! Your eyes are rolled back—no talking to you!”
“Huff huff. Armor...... Blacky! Come here! Just one kiss on my lips!”
“Blacky!? Don't call our Black that!”
“Blacky or Black—wrong! Her name's Har! From Oriharcon!”
Dwarves nicknaming his armor. On Earth? Blacky-chan, Black-chan, Har-kun.
Otaku levels off the charts.
“Please don't run! Meet me once! I'll win you over!”
“Who's wearing that? Daring to rough up our Blacky. Unforgivable!”
Now voices hallucinated '~ne' endings. No matter how fast, dwarves burrowed up ahead. No escape—time to talk.
“Everyone, calm down! Let's chat first!”
“Huff...... Black......”
“Oriharcon......”
“Armor......”
“Y-Yeah, that's what I'm wearing. Here's why I'm here: This armor's cursed—can't remove it. Want it reshaped, curse intact, into a pendant or something. Possible?”
“Wh-What!? Cursed too!?”
“Our Blacky's so versatile!”
“Totally unique!”
Now Sung-tae was pissed. Fists clenching.
“You hear me?”
“Shut it! Human-looking fool—you don't grasp its value. Babbling reshape nonsense. True worth shines with a worthy owner. You're unqualified!”
“Right! Hand it over!”
No unclenching now. Fists stayed balled.
“Hahk hahk!”
“Stay put...... I'm coming......”
Dozens licked chops—not at him, the armor. Tongues lolled: lick lick slurp slurp wriggle wriggle.
Tentacle horror, pervert faces—Sung-tae powered his fist.
“You think I'm a pushover......”
He slammed the ground.
“Who do you take me for!”