Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: I Raise Skeletons
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After smelting, a presence leaked from the forest zone, and Dagunar spoke up urgently.
“Damn it, it’s an elf! Oh no! We’re done for! An elf in the border zone? That means they’re definitely in a group.”
He made a huge fuss.
I let out a sigh.
“Cut the chatter and get ready! There’s only one opponent.”
I’d already confirmed it through Bone Three’s ‘Sight Secure’.
Excluding the two of us, there was only a single lifeform in the area.
“Is that for real?”
Dagunar’s eyes went wide.
“Oh, it is! Now that you mention it… You! Didn’t you take out that whole elf group on your own last time? We’re saved, we’re saved!”
“Shh, quiet down a bit.”
The corner of my mouth twitched.
If it were a normal opponent, I might’ve taken it easy.
“My lord, this one is no ordinary foe.”
Just seeing Sun Spear on guard told me I couldn’t let my tension slip.
‘And besides.’
Right now, the old man wasn’t by my side.
It left me psychologically uneasy.
Rustle!
That was when it happened.
Just as something revealed itself with the sound of footsteps on leaves.
“Sun!”
“Yes, my lord!”
[‘Sun Spear’ uses the skill, Solar Chain Strike (Lv. 4).]
Flash!
Sun Spear swiftly thrust his spear forward.
A streak of light shot out like crackling electricity.
No matter who the opponent was.
Striking first was advantageous, so I had to suppress them while I could.
If it was a misunderstanding?
I could sort that out later.
But.
The misunderstanding was on my part.
The vain delusion that I could suppress them.
Bam!
Some immense force struck Sun Spear aside.
“Hup!”
Sun Spear let out a sharp breath as he staggered back.
He seemed flustered by the sheer power, beyond his expectations.
“Hmm…”
I let out a groan.
At the same time, I positioned Bone Four up front, with Bone One and Bone Three joining the fight.
The battle had already begun.
Strong opponent or not.
I had to do something.
Right then.
“Wait a moment.”
The opponent raised a hand.
“…?”
That was when I finally got a proper look at them.
Long hair and blue eyes.
Skin so white it sent chills down my spine.
And long ears, like any elf.
“Stop the attack. I’m not here to fight.”
What? The elf was talking to us?
“I’ve been waiting for you here all this time.”
“Huh?”
I was taken aback.
What was this elf?
Waiting here like they knew who I was?
“Being from beyond the world. We know who you are. Your sudden appearance has shattered the balance between our two races.”
The elf’s eyes were mystical.
And at the same time, intense.
It felt eerily similar to gazing upon Armorer Vulcanus.
“You clearly gave gifts to the dwarves. But all you got in return was their betrayal. Are you just going to sit still after being betrayed?”
“…”
So.
The dwarves turned their backs.
Come over to the elf side now.
Was that it?
“Th-that’s a vile trick! You’re not falling for that elf’s words, are you?”
Dagunar shouted.
The elf’s gaze turned toward Dagunar.
“That’s a foolish notion. My creed and philosophy is that if we can check the enemy right in front of us, we can even ally with the Dragon King.”
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
In simple terms, you’ve been abandoned too, so use us if you want.
“Look here! How wicked a race must they be to even bring up the Dragon King from 500 years ago? Don’t fall for it!”
“My name is Serphin. There’s no gain for me in deceiving you.”
“…!”
Serphin?
Who was that?
One thing was certain.
In the dim night, the moonlight illuminating her back looked incredibly bright.
I turned my head to the side.
The struggling shorty had suddenly gone silent.
“Dagunar?”
“…”
Even at my call, Dagunar kept his mouth shut.
When I looked to see why he’d gone quiet, his whole body seemed frozen stiff.
His facial muscles were rigid, and his thighs trembled.
“Dagunar. What’s wrong?”
“S-Serphin…?”
“Huh?”
His pupils shook.
“We’re dead. It’s over. Everything’s over. My life, your life. Ahh, damn it. Even as a ghost, I’ll curse the Armorer…”
“Why? I mean, what exactly? Who is Serphin?”
At my question, Dagunar swallowed hard.
In front of us, Serphin as well.
Made no effort to speak.
She simply watched with her blue eyes, waiting.
“Serphin is…”
Finally, Dagunar’s lips trembled.
“The queen of the elves, the High Elf Queen.”
“Huh?”
What?
High Elf Queen?
A headache hit me.
So, this elf woman right in front of me.
Was the existence that even Armorer Vulcanus was on bad terms with?
And I’d dared to strike first at such a being?
‘Oh, my head.’
My head throbbed.
I let out a deep sigh.
* * *
“So.”
A moment later.
I looked at Serphin and parted my lips.
“You’re saying that due to your pact with the Armorer, you can’t directly intervene in this war?”
“Exactly.”
“And you want me to make the same thing for the elves that I made for the dwarves. Otherwise, you’ll kill me?”
“Well, I never said I’d kill you…”
She gave a slight nod as she spoke.
She hadn’t said it directly, but it implied she might.
“You are a being from beyond the world. Contacting you falls under indirect intervention.”
“Phew, scary.”
I calmed myself down for now.
Honestly, deep down, I was rather positive.
With the Armorer having chased me out, I had no idea what to do next.
But here was the head of the elf race extending a hand first.
‘The elves’ affinity is definitely at 25.’
There was no emotion in Serphin’s eyes, that much was clear.
One certain thing.
Be they the Armorer or the High Elf Queen.
Transcendents beyond limits seemed unaffected by the affinity system.
‘This is a chance.’
A chance to raise the elves’ lowered affinity again.
“Got it. Got it, but first, I need to figure out what I can even do here?”
Honestly.
I was looking forward to it.
The elves surely had some facility for making things too.
I wondered just how much it would boost our Bone Crew’s proficiency.
“…Then shall we move?”
At Serphin’s question.
I nodded.
‘Dagunar…’
A glance to the side, and it seemed there was no need to worry.
No matter how much he hated elves.
He’d want to avoid a meaningless death.
Who knows?
This dwarf might even become the key to resolving racial tensions?
The world works in mysterious ways.
* * *
The place Serphin guided us to was a remote village.
“…Who’s that?”
“Smells like the rock tribe.”
“Disgusting. There’s a dwarf too?”
The non-combatant elves shot wary glances.
But thanks to Serphin’s presence, none dared to pick a fight.
They just drew water or tended plants, doing menial tasks.
“Where is this?”
I asked Serphin.
The place, surrounded by dense trees, was filled with sheep and goats.
Spiders and silkworms abounded.
‘No way…’
Sheep, goats, spiders, silkworms.
These four had one thing in common.
‘Textiles?’
They were the sources of the basic materials for thread in textile production.
“Unlike the rock tribe, we forest folk can’t work metal. However, we can spin thread and weave cloth. We can even make garments from it.”
Serphin looked at me.
“Being from beyond the world. You have the skill to create things. I confirmed it from afar with magic, but the sight of you crafting the Thunder Hammer moved me, regardless of race.”
“R-really?”
She’d been watching that?
“Here, take this.”
Serphin handed something over.
‘This is…’
A single blueprint.
It gave off a similar vibe to the one Tonir had handed me in the past.
[Item: Elisys’s Cloak Blueprint]
[Grade: A]
[Type: Blueprint]
[Description: A design plan for manufacturing ‘Elisys’s Cloak’.]
[Effect 1: Allows crafting of ‘Elisys’s Cloak’.]
[Effect 2: Requires ‘Mid-grade Thread’ x50, ‘Mid-grade Cloth’ x100, ‘High-grade Thread’ x2, ‘High-grade Cloth’ x2.]
[Effect 3: As the crafting difficulty is complex, it boasts excellent performance.]
“Please restore the balance you disrupted.”
“…”
Ahh.
For real?
After smelting, now raising textile proficiency too?
And another A-grade blueprint on top?
‘I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thrilled.’
Truth be told, I was uneasy too.
A dungeon flowing this conveniently for me?
And this was a medium-difficulty dungeon, no less?
“For now, sure. I’ll do my best.”
Right now, I had no other choice.
Serphin was one of this world’s transcendents.
Even if Gi So-yul came to help.
She wouldn’t last a single move.
At my response, Serphin nodded in satisfaction and vanished.
Only then did Dagunar, who’d been holding his breath and watching nervously, finally speak.
“Phew, I have no idea what this is all about. Me, in the heart of the forest zone, helping elves. I can’t fathom what the High Elf Queen or the Armorer are thinking.”
He was right.
I had no clue how this quest was unfolding either.
“So… you’re really going to make their cloaks as the queen said?”
“If I want to live, yeah?”
That’s what I said.
But my real goal was resolving the conflict between these two races.
I did have to restore the balance I’d messed up, after all.
“I could never! No matter how much I hate the Armorer! I can’t betray my race! Not even for you, my benefactor—this just feels wrong!”
“Hmm.”
He could say that in front of Serphin.
I roughly sorted my belongings around me.
Elves seemed less stubborn than dwarves, in a way.
But I couldn’t disappoint Dagunar, who’d spoken up for me.
“This isn’t betraying the rock tribe.”
To be precise, the Armorer betrayed me.
“Then what is it?”
“To fight an enemy, you need to understand them clearly.”
“So?”
“Think of it simply. Isn’t this a huge win? We infiltrated right into the heart of enemy territory without a hint of danger?”
“That’s sophistry.”
Dagunar furrowed his brow.
“What you’re doing isn’t spying on the enemy. You’re openly helping them. Your crafting skills have reached the realm of our ancestors. The garments you make will protect the elves and block dwarven hammers.”
“No, no.”
I shook my head.
To emphasize once more.
My ultimate mission here wasn’t stacking Bone Crew proficiency—it was resolving the conflict.
‘And to resolve the conflict?’
I needed to know its cause.
And the absolute best way to learn that cause?
Ask about the history.
The history of the two races.
Of course, not one-sided history from either side, but objective, accurate history based on ruins.
“Dagunar. Do you happen to know where the Dragon King from 500 years ago is buried?”
“Dragon King?”
Dagunar tilted his head.
Then.
After a brief moment of thought, his pupils dilated.
“Y-you… don’t tell me?!”
“Huh?”
“Ahh, as expected of you! You had a plan all along? Grr, I’m sorry for doubting you even briefly.”
“…?”
“Yes! The place we dwarves want to know most! The Dragon King’s seal is in this forest zone! While doing Serphin’s task, we can scout it on the side?”
That’s what it was?
“There… our ancestor’s relic remains. Great Demir’s relic. Finding that relic is our dwarves’ destiny and the reason for this war! Haha, you’re a genius! I believed in you!”
…Really?
This.
Felt like I’d lucked into something.
But for now, let’s roll with it.