Why Doesn't Sincerity Ever Work?!

The dwarfs of the Archisus Artillery lamented. But to the dwarf patrol, their reaction was only natural! Even if they were of the same race, there was a limit to what one could overlook. Bringing along demons, giants, and even chimeras—it would be stranger if the patrol didn't react this way.

"This can't be right. Those dwarf bastards..."

"Give it a rest. This is definitely a dwarf passage," Tae-hyun said firmly as the goblins tried to deny reality even in this situation.

"But Your Majesty! Why on earth would those dwarfs build a passage this massive?"

Calling this underground passage a "passage" was an understatement; it was so vast and wide that even the giants and demons from the prison could traverse it without any trouble. It wasn't without reason that the goblins kept insisting, "There's no way dwarfs dug this!" If dwarfs had dug it, they could have made it a fraction of the size.

"Ah! Now I see why the passage is so wide!"

"Exactly! It was because of this!"

The giants in the back slapped their foreheads in realization. It wasn't just for dwarfs to walk through; it was designed to transport all kinds of massive siege weapons!

"Is this really the time to be amazed?! Prepare defenses! Prepare defenses!"

"Charge up the demons' energy! We intercept them immediately!"

The dwarfs of the Archisus Artillery shrieked in panic. Being dwarfs themselves, they knew all too well how terrifying their own kind could be.

Dwarfs! An artisan race possessing a Blacksmithing Skill far superior to that of goblins. Unlike goblins, they rarely used the dangerous and unstable Engineering skill, but that was simply because they didn't need to. Their traditional blacksmithing techniques alone were more than enough!

And indeed, dwarfs were far more successful than goblins. While goblins were mostly scattered in small tribes, dwarfs settled in the fertile lands beneath the mountain ranges, maintaining kingdoms steeped in ancient tradition. There was a very good reason why goblins detested them!

"Prepare for battle. Even if we're going to talk, we need to subdue them first."

Tae-hyun's party fell into formation. The dwarfs were charging, but none of the players here were intimidated. They had fought enemies far too powerful to be scared now! Though dwarfs were famous for being tough and sturdy, compared to a Demon Duke or a demigod of death, they felt like child's play.

Wait, didn't they say dwarfs don't use engineering? What's with the tank?

In Pan-On, there were guns (primitive as they were), robot-like golems, and pretty much everything else you could think of. Naturally, there were also tank-like armored vehicles. Tae-hyun had seen something similar in the lair of the Underground Alliance Goblins. However, those were highly volatile products of advanced Engineering! Dwarfs barely touched that skill, so how? The answer came soon enough.

Rumble!

"!"

It wasn't engineering; it was magic?!

The dwarf tank was clearly powered by a combination of blacksmithing and magic. Since the higher-tier branches of the Blacksmithing Skill included magic sword crafting and enchanting, it wasn't surprising that dwarfs were skilled in such magic.

Still... Tae-hyun felt a twinge of disappointment. Then, he shocked himself.

I've been corrupted by those Mechanical Engineering Blacksmiths...!

Normally, seeing magic would make him think, Whoa, magic! I'm so jealous! But here he was, complaining, Magic? Not engineering?!

Ignoring Carbanog, Tae-hyun absorbed the flames and lunged forward.

Ancient Hammer.

His weapon swapped in an instant. The Ancient Hammer—a weapon that was practically the Grim Reaper itself to inanimate objects! Its blazing aura radiated an overwhelming pressure. Inside the massive tank, the dwarfs' voices of admiration seemed to drift out.

"L-Look at that hammer!"

"That... we have to buy that!"

Did I hear that wrong?

Divine Foresight, Lucky Strike, Lucky Strike, Lucky Strike...

The tank was basically a rolling hunk of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠iron, a siege weapon. A sort of miniature mobile fortress! If Tae-hyun had been an ordinary player, he would have been at a complete loss as to where to even strike. The armor was heavily enchanted and incredibly durable, and if one tried to force their way close, it would spray magic in all directions... and if you got run over, you'd end up with broken bones at the very least.

But Tae-hyun's compatibility was simply too perfect.

And to top it off, their attacks are mostly fire-based.

Relying on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Sadiq's Authority and his evasion, Tae-hyun ducked low and slid underneath. No matter how sturdy the armor was, Tae-hyun's attack power was enough to rip it to shreds with a single blow. And guided by Divine Foresight, the tank's weakness was glaringly obvious.

The wheels underneath!

Crash!

"Elder... would it be alright if I touched this...?"

One of the patrol dwarfs cautiously asked a dwarf from the Artillery. He was still self-conscious about the insults they had traded earlier.

"Hmph. Do as you please."

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"Hmph. It's not like I particularly like you or anything. I'm just doing my duty to teach a younger dwarf."

"Elder...!"

"...By the way, there's some holy water over there. Why don't you try splashing some?"

The dwarfs completely forgot the insults they had just hurled at each other and reconciled.

"You crazy dwarf bastards! Why are you splashing holy water on me just because you made up?!"

Of course, for Pogalo, it was absolute torture.

"That would be the giants, of course."

When Tae-hyun asked about the most threatening entities in the Zaion Mountains, the dwarfs answered without a moment's hesitation.

"I know about the giants, but are they really that dangerous? Honestly, I feel like dwarfs of your caliber should be able to handle them."

"Oooooh. Your Majesty. That is not true. That is not true."

"We are strong. We crush dwarfs."

The Artillery giants in the back protested. This was a matter of racial pride! However, Tae-hyun's words were actually true. No matter how strong an individual giant was, they couldn't stand against ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dozens of heavily armed, highly organized dwarfs charging at them like madmen.

"Of course, the monsters of the Zaion Mountains are massive and powerful. Even we get tense when facing them. Deathworms, basilisks, Silver Wyverns, drakes... even the rampaging rock spirits are terrifying. And the Silver Wyverns..."

"But while we can manage those beasts somehow, those crazy ancient giants are truly dangerous. They are far larger and stronger than normal giants, and they possess high intelligence... We dwarfs have been routed by them more than once or twice."

The dwarf shuddered. Dwarfs were primarily subterranean dwellers, so they rarely crossed paths with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠giants. Yet, the mere mention of them made him tremble, proving just how monstrously powerful those ancient giants were. They were beings the dwarfs had to constantly keep an eye out for whenever they ventured above ground!

Are they really that strong?

Tae-hyun was puzzled by the dwarf's explanation. In truth, giant-type monsters had terrible compatibility against Tae-hyun. Since almost all of their attacks were physical, they had virtually no way of hitting him, and tricky magic was extremely rare among them. Even when giant mages did exist, they favored flashy, destructive offensive magic rather than annoying, unavoidable curses. That was why Tae-hyun had confidently conquered the Zaion Mountains before, and why he had returned this time.