Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Forest and Rocks (2)
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‘Rock Dwarves.’ That was the choice I made.
And the effect of that choice was immediate.
“Oooo! It’s a rock! The Rock God has bestowed his blessing!”
One of the dwarves cried out, his eyes bulging wide.
The short-statured dwarves acted as if I’d been on their side from the very beginning.
“Kraahaha! Look at this! You wicked elves! Even the heavens side with us!”
“……Damn it!”
One of the elves clicked his tongue and nocked an arrow aimed at me.
Twang!
He let it fly.
“Hup!”
I quickly drew my staff and smacked the incoming arrow on its side.
The arrow glanced off and embedded itself in the ground.
Bone-woh’s air shield protected my body, but thanks to my training, I had a sturdy physique of my own.
I could deflect an attack from a low-level elf like that.
“Whew, straight to attacking, huh? Good to have sides decided so quickly.”
Was it because of affinity?
The dwarves were friendly toward me, while the elves were hostile.
That made things simple.
No need for lengthy explanations before fighting.
“Sun.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Deal with them. Don’t kill—just chase them off.”
I’d chosen the dwarves, but I had to be careful.
[Help one of the two races to resolve the conflict.]
It said to help one race, sure.
But I couldn’t get hung up on that word alone.
The goal of this stage was to resolve the conflict, ultimately.
If I just slaughtered them recklessly, I wouldn’t resolve anything—I’d create new conflicts.
“I shall obey.”
Sun understood my intent perfectly.
He controlled the bones and began subtly herding the elves away.
Whoosh! Flash!
Sun swung his spear energetically.
Crack! Crunch!
With every swing, massive trees split apart.
The ground cratered.
“How is that possible?”
“H-He’s strong!”
The power radiating from Sun’s spear was more than enough to make the elves falter.
“A neutral race?”
“Seems like it? It’s a race I’ve never seen before! And the scent of the dead……! Have the dwarves turned to dark magic now?”
“Fall back for now! Report to the higher-ups!”
Sshh!
The elves vanished from sight one by one.
I could’ve killed them all if I wanted.
“Nice one, Sun.”
But I didn’t.
As I stood there leisurely watching the fleeing elves, someone approached.
“Whoever you are, thanks for the help.”
It was the dwarf who’d shouted earlier. He gave a light bow.
“I’m Dagunar, warrior of the Rock Clan. I’ll never forget this debt and repay it someday.”
Behind Dagunar, the surviving dwarves peeked out one by one.
I smiled and bowed my head in return.
“It was nothing.”
“Haha, nothing? Choosing one side in this world is incredibly dangerous.”
“Huh?”
I tilted my head.
That dwarf.
He’d been talking like he knew I’d chosen them from the start.
But more than that.
“Are there other races living around here too?”
“Huh? Why do you look so clueless? Like you dropped out of the sky or something.”
“…….”
Yeah.
Dropped from the sky.
Pretty much.
As I blinked, Dagunar let out a soft sigh.
“Whew, you must’ve been holed up in some backwater for ages.”
“……Yeah, something like that.”
“Hmm…… This forest and rocky region is home to countless races. Even weird ones like you.”
“I see.”
No wonder.
They didn’t seem fazed by my presence, even though it was unfamiliar.
That’s why the elves had asked if I was a [neutral race?]
“But among all those races, none ever bother taking the side of the forest folk or the Rock Clan. They don’t interfere even if they witness these battles.”
“Why’s that?”
“Every race that has interfered…… has been wiped out without exception.”
“…….”
Wiped out.
The race extinct.
“That’s why I’m grateful to you. For risking it to choose the Rock Clan. For believing in us.”
“I-Is that so?”
Well, for me.
I was just following the quest.
The penalty for not choosing was death anyway.
“Heh heh, so who are you? I haven’t even asked my benefactor’s name.”
Dagar extended his rough hand.
“Uh, I’m Joo Dong-hoon.”
I lowered my staff and clasped his hand.
“Joo Dong-hoon? Fine name.”
“Dagunar’s a cool name too.”
“Krahaha, you think so? Well, Joo Dong-hoon, Dagunar of the Rock Clan would like to invite you to our clan’s city. That alright with you?”
“A city?”
“Yeah, Titan—the city of rocks and minerals.”
Minerals! And rocks?
Nice!
Those were words no production-class player could ignore.
No need to hesitate.
Let’s go!
I’ll figure it out there!
“Sounds good.”
I grinned widely and nodded.
* * *
Hidden behind the rocky region was a city.
Carved like a basin into the heart of a massive rock mountain, this settlement was called Titan! It was also known as the dwarves’ holy land.
“Oooh.”
I looked around in awe.
The rocky landscape was like something out of a movie, pleasing to the eye.
“M-My lord. What a moving sight.”
If I was like this.
How must Sun feel, finally discovering the world?
“Look at them! A foreign race!”
“They smell like rock.”
“Did they really choose our clan?”
“It’s been nearly a decade since another race chose us, right?”
My skin prickled.
Countless dwarves buzzed around me, shooting glances my way.
“Heh heh, forgive them. It’s been ages since we hosted an outsider.”
“Mm.”
I glanced at the dwarves again.
Their eyes definitely held goodwill.
“How do they know I chose the dwarves?”
“Haha, didn’t they say it? You smell like rock.”
“They can tell by smell?”
“Yeah, why keep asking basic common sense? If you smell like rock, you’re our clan’s benefactor!”
“…….”
In the world.
What kind of common sense was that?
Judging everything by smell.
‘Well.’
It’s a whole different world.
I shouldn’t try understanding it with my own common sense.
I looked around again.
Truth be told.
The dwarves weren’t what intrigued me most here.
‘Minerals, blacksmithing!’
Dwarves meant smithing, right?
That was a big reason I’d chosen them over the elves.
“What’s that place over there?”
Soon enough.
I pointed excitedly at what looked like a mine.
“Heh heh, that? It’s mostly abandoned now. Want to check it out?”
“Abandoned?”
“Whew, come along then.”
Dagunar kindly led me to the mine.
From his expression, he had a lot to explain.
How long did we walk?
Dagunar let out a deep sigh.
“Whew, yeah…… It’s a real shame.”
I instantly knew why he sighed.
The mine, majestic from afar.
Inside, it was a ruin.
Broken carts lay scattered about.
Pickaxes rusted away on the ground.
“…….”
“Truth is, it’s been quite a while since us dwarves made any weapons…….”
My heart sank.
‘No way.’
Dwarves not making weapons?
[The ‘Rock Dwarves’ are short but incredibly tough and sturdy. True to their name as rock fairies, they love metals and have great craftsmanship.]
It even said so in their description.
This was false advertising! A scam!
“Really?”
“Heh heh, why would I joke with my benefactor? That’s why it’s such a shame. Our true talent lies in forging weapons, but lately we’ve just been training. Tsk.”
“Why, why aren’t you making them?”
“Huh, you…… You act just like any dwarf.”
Ah.
I’d gotten emotional without realizing.
But who could blame me!
“It’s because of the Chairman.”
“The Chairman?”
“Yeah, the Chairman of the Dwarf Clan Council and the great Rock Warrior, Vulcanus, decreed: To win against the elves, we must wield weapons, not tools!”
“Weapons, not tools…….”
Use hammers as weapons, not tools.
Why did someone come to mind?
‘That old geezer.’
The one who told Bone-yook to learn ‘hammer arts’ instead of ‘blacksmithing.’
“Still, isn’t it weird? Better weapons should mean stronger combat power, right? Why abandon smithing altogether…….”
“You’re right. We’ve realized lately that we were wrong. Weapons were a key part of our strength.”
“……Then why not now?”
“Too late.”
“……?”
“More precisely, we’ve forgotten. It’s been a hundred years since the Chairman’s order.”
“Huh?”
Wait a sec.
A hundred years?
“Skills like that need proper transmission—oral or written—to endure. But we lost too many in battles over the years. Renowned artisans and smiths all perished in time.”
“All the smiths are dead?”
“Regret won’t help now. We’ve tried reconstructing from old records, but no luck. Skills are best learned through the body, after all. And the Chairman went even further.”
“How much further?”
“‘Don’t rely on weapons! Hone your skills instead!’”
“…….”
“Of course, the Chairman’s a dwarf worthy of respect. He earned the greatest merits in war and is the strongest among us. But sometimes his intense hatred for elves clouds his judgment. Truth is, the real terror of war is losing precious culture…….”
Ahh.
I furrowed my brow.
It hurt.
That’s why leaders matter.
One person’s decision can lead a race to decline.
“Hmm.”
What a shame.
If only Bone-yook had learned skills from another world.
“By the way.”
Suddenly, I spotted a dwarf hammer.
A plain one, its teeth worn from ages of use.
“Could I see a weapon up close?”
“This one? Weapons are precious, but I can’t refuse my benefactor.”
Swish.
Dagunar handed me the hammer.
I checked its info.
[Item: Dwarf’s Toothless Iron Hammer]
[Grade: D]
[Type: Hammer]
[Description: A solidly made hammer. Worn out over many years.]
[Effect 1: Strength +5.]
“Hmm.”
Nothing to say.
Even if they weren’t smiths anymore, ‘dwarves’ should be ‘dwarves.’
How could they carry something like this?
It was hopeless.
My dreams and hopes vanished in that moment.
“It’s pretty beat-up, huh? Still, it saved my life plenty of times.”
“……Thanks for showing me.”
“Heh heh, you look awfully glum.”
Yeah.
I was glum.
In the end, that natural mine.
The minerals piled around.
All just going to waste……?
‘Wait?’
That’s not it.
My mind cleared in an instant.
Why was I moping?
I should be thrilled.
I stared at Dagunar, eyes wide.
“But man, there sure are a ton of minerals here, huh?”
“Yeah, minerals are this land’s natural bounty. They say they regenerate just sitting there—that’s why it’s called the mineral city. And we haven’t mined in over a hundred years…… They must’ve piled up huge.”
“Uh-huh, so…… you’re not using them?”
Greed stirred.
If Dagunar was right.
The value of the minerals here.
On Earth, you couldn’t buy this quantity for hundreds of billions—no, trillions.
Plus, there were rare ores that didn’t even exist on Earth.
‘If I could smelt them all?’
‘If I could monopolize them all?’
My body itched.
Goosebumps rose, sweat beaded on my palms.
“Haha, yeah. Dwarves have lost interest in this place now. Whoever takes them and uses them—we’d be grateful. Saves waste.”
“……!”
Hold on.
This might actually work.