The Ancient Dwarf Stronghold (2)
In this primitive medieval world, unlike the modern era, there weren't many forms of entertainment. Valerius had suffered a lot of stress from that, usually venting it through violence and brutality. The North Duchy was harsh by nature, and survival demanded a certain cruelty anyway.
"Hoo."
With nothing else to do, he'd exercised, and fighting for survival had been his battles. For Valerius, combat was a vital source of dopamine.
Krunch.
But facing off against a single steam golem wasn't exactly welcome. No blood, no sense of clashing, no raw emotion for staying alive. It felt more like messing around with a toy forklift.
Valerius glanced back. In the rear, under Sophia's guard, Yanes was sprawled on the ground, scribbling something furiously. She seemed to be devising a solution.
He turned his head, scanning elsewhere. Raven lurked in the shadows, biding his moment, while the steam golems kept pouring out relentlessly without pause.
Bringing down the citadel itself would solve it, but that felt like a huge waste. This was a dwarf legacy, after all.
No wonder. The artifacts performed way too well.
He'd thought the artifacts were overpowered compared to what those ragtag mercenaries in the original story could handle, but to think they were tied to ancient dwarves.
If they could snag even a fraction of their tech, the North would become a hell of a lot more livable.
"Found it! I found it! Found it!"
The moment he matched one steam golem, Yanes's shout rang out. Raven would handle his part, so Valerius pulled back and headed straight to her.
"What'd you find?"
"The circuit! I can fix the command circuit by injecting my mana into it!"
Her mana knowledge was impressive. Parsing ancient dwarf magitech in this shitty environment wasn't easy.
Too bad about her constitution, though.
"Aren't you suffering from Ma Force Insensitivity Syndrome?"
"H-how did you...?"
"You pick up on that stuff when you hit Master."
Lie. It was from the original story. Anyway, the key point was that Yanes, afflicted with Ma Force Insensitivity Syndrome, had less mana than a commoner. She could cast spells, sure, but recovery took forever, and mana depletion hit her harder than most.
He locked eyes with her stunned face.
"You could end up crippled, you know."
What happens when you lack the mana needed to use mana? In wuxia terms, you'd burn your innate essence. Interfering with an ancient dwarf golem's mana circuit would guzzle massive amounts, and screwing up could leave her unable to cast spells ever again.
"I started this. I have to fix it."
Valerius grinned at the resolve in her steadfast gaze. As if this makes her some villainous lady.
"Fine. You're not just a ward—you're a pink ward."
With that, he stood up. Until Yanes finished her work, his job was keeping her safe.
"She's yours."
"...Yes!"
Yanes replied energetically and prepared the circuit interference. Sophia hurriedly dropped her pack and pulled out a potion. The shimmering purple liquid was probably low-grade elixir—worth a commoner's year of pay, showing her sincerity.
Then he'd have to match it.
"Come on."
Valerius reached toward the sky. His mana surged wildly, black smoke-like wisps swirling around him. The reason his guerrilla unit was called the Black Lion.
The black smoke coalesced into form—not so much a weapon as a ferocious beast forged from black iron. Atop the hefty axe blade, a lion's head gaped wide, its fierce eyes gleaming as if devouring screams.
A mantle of darkness draped over Valerius's head like a hood.
Nemea.
The trophy he'd claimed by cleaving the enemy himself, his most cherished blade. The shadowy lion manifesting over his head like a robe evoked Hercules, so he'd named it after the Nemean Lion.
Valerius gripped Nemea two-handed and assumed his stance.
"Been a while. Let's play."
Krraaaang!
He swung Nemea, and a lion's earth-shaking roar echoed as a massive slash erupted forward. Valerius unleashed all the mana he'd been holding back and charged into the enemy ranks.
"...Insane."
Trolls were B-rank monsters. Absurdly regenerative, huge, and strong—enough that a pack could topple a city with ease.
The steam golems had comparable size and power, lacking regeneration but immune to pain, making them troll equivalents.
Boom!
And Valerius was facing hundreds of them solo. Aside from the occasional bolt from the shadows, it was one man's raw power pulling off the impossible.
Thanks to that, Yanes could focus fully.
"Done! Here we go!"
Finding the circuit gap, Yanes drew up her mana—a pitiful handful. The misfit heir of the lofty Valbasor magitech house shone with will.
Keeein.
The precise mana circuit powering the entire citadel. Her mana slipped in, disrupting the flow.
"Nngh!"
Her mana vanished in an instant, and the vital energy slumbering near her heart stirred—the primal mana called ether in this world, used only to sustain life. Her will guided it successfully into the circuit.
Mana access detected in defense system... Analyzing... Valbasor mana compatibility confirmed. Access granted.
A massive wave rippled out. The endlessly spawning steam golems halted, and the defense system shut down completely.
"Hoo."
She steadied her ragged breathing. The shadow lion pelt and Nemea dissolved into black smoke, sinking into Valerius's shadow.
"Boss. You okay?"
At Raven's words, Valerius checked himself. Nemea was a cursed weapon—it demanded a toll.
"Tch. Gonna suffer for a bit."
It fed on blood and flesh, usually from enemies, but these were golems. So he'd paid with his own body. Sighing at his now gaunt frame, he muttered.
"Gotta snag some tasty-feeling weapon later."
"Nothing beats Nemea, though."
"That's the problem. Big problem."
Dragging his feverish body, Valerius headed to Yanes.
"This is bad."
Blood streamed from her eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. Sophia wiped it with fine cloth while Raven carefully fed her diluted elixir.
"Status?"
"Elixir saved her life, but she won't move for a while."
"Hm."
Plus, with Ma Force Insensitivity Syndrome, her recovery would be 60% slower than normal. Full mana depletion like this would take ages to heal.
"Any permanent damage?"
"...Circuit's mostly fine, just overloaded. Problem's her vision—some damage there."
Tch. He clicked his tongue. Things were going great until eyesight damage. Still, tampering with mana circuits was risky; this was lucky. Valbasor blood, no doubt.
"Set up camp. We're staying here tonight."
They'd toiled and sacrificed—they'd claim more than equal reward.
"Whaddya see?"
"As expected of ancient dwarves."
"No, what do you see?"
"...As expected of ancient dwarves—nothing."
A full day later, Yanes woke. Her vision was blurry, as Sophia said, but treatable, not permanent.
Tending to her immobility, they explored the citadel. The party scored big: blueprints and docs in ancient dwarven script. Yanes frothed at the mouth over them, so Sophia bundled them up.
"Oh. Yeah, this is it."
Plus artifacts from the original story. A magic staff for Yanes—not your standard one.
"Mana's engraved inside. Invest a bit, and spells fire right off!"
"Can slot in a mana stone instead."
"R-right! Brilliant idea!"
Perfect for Yanes's thimbleful of innate mana. She loved it.
"I'll repay this favor. I'll set up a food smuggling route."
"Whoa whoa, that's treason, no way."
She was casually suggesting something no merchant would touch. He barely talked her down—getting caught would wipe out Rozanica.
After a full day, they'd checked most of the golem facility—about 30%. The rest was locked tight.
Now for the final area. The original story's top artifact.
"Found it."
Valerius held two pendants.
"What're those?"
"One's a pendant for 6 seconds of invincibility."
"What!?"
Yanes gasped at his follow-up. Too familiar an effect—the Holy See's relic, said to be used by the saintess.
"Wh-why's that here?"
"Dunno. But I didn't want that one. This."
Unlike the ornate holy relic, the one Valerius hung around his neck was crude.
"What's its effect?"
"15 seconds of status immunity."
"...Huh? Huuuh?"
"Raven. Take this."
"...Pardon?"
Raven caught the tossed relic. Silence fell.
"No, boss. This is better—why me?"
"Invincibility ain't top laner style. Gotta be ungankable for true top laner cred."
"Damn it."
Raven covered his face with both hands at Valerius's words. He should've felt good, but embarrassment hit instead.