The Miner Bekelf's Inheritance
The demon Calcason. An evil fiend sealed within one of the dwarves' treasures, biding his time until an accident by the dwarves accidentally unleashed him.
He was by no means a weak demon. As one of Demon Duke Gusireg's loyal lieutenants, he was a cruel and powerful combat-type demon who would paint any battlefield in blood at his master's command. He wielded blood-related magic similar to vampires or the Salavian Church, combined with the martial skills of demons, making him an incredibly troublesome foe to face. If given even a single opening, his unique skill allowed him to disperse his body into a bloody mist to envelop his surroundings, draining blood to amplify his own power—a technique notorious even among demons.
...Of course, that was only if one actually had to fight him. Tae-hyun didn't even know who his opponent was.
'I actually leveled up. Was he stronger than I thought?'
In truth, if Calcason had fully recovered his strength and engaged in a head-on clash, even Tae-hyun would have found him quite troublesome. Vaporizing him before he could even gather his bearings had been a masterstroke!
Carbanog says they have never heard of this demon either.
'Hmm. So he just yielded a massive amount of experience?'
Tae-hyun checked his stats.
'My Luck stat didn't increase as much as I expected. I suppose I have been burning through it quite a bit lately.'
Normally, it would have surpassed 7,000 by now, but seeing it still at 6,920, his recent heavy usage of the Luck stat had clearly taken a toll.
'...Though even after using it so much, it's still right on the cusp of 7,000.'
His Reputation had surpassed 150,000, and his Infamy had cleared 70,000. A truly staggering amount of Reputation!
In fact, compared to other players in Pan-On, his most overwhelming stat wasn't actually Luck, but Reputation. While others struggled to complete a single major quest, he had cleared them repeatedly by himself...
'My Holy stat is at 39,010. I'll hit 40,000 soon.'
Carbanog asks if you would build a statue of them to commemorate hitting 40,000 Holy power.
'That was the reward for our bet.'
Carbanog sulks.
“Hmm. That demon... He looks awfully familiar.”
Gusion tilted his head inside the cage. Calcason's appearance was undeniably familiar. He felt as though he had seen him somewhere before!
If he could have observed him a bit longer, he might have recognized him, but the artillery barrage had commenced the very instant Calcason appeared, obscuring his view.
Pogalo sneered at Gusion from beside him.
“Familiar, my foot! You wretched traitor. If you would just snap out of it and cooperate with me right now...”
“My Lord, this fellow is spouting nonsense again!”
“Haha! Good lad, Gusion. We appreciate it.”
“Our Gusion is the absolute best!”
The dwarves rushed over in a flurry and splashed holy water all over Pogalo. Pogalo shrieked, thrashing his body in agony.
Meanwhile, dwarf warriors poured out from the collapsed gateway. And they offered Tae-hyun their deepest gratitude... Or rather, they didn't.
“Aaaah! Demons!”
“No, wait! Those are the good demons!”
“What kind of goblin-brained nonsense is that, you lunatic?!”
The dwarf scout who had entered first desperately tried to explain, but the dwarf warriors were not easily convinced. To them, it was an utterly absurd claim!
Ultimately, Tae-hyun had to step forward and shout to explain the situation. Once his lengthy explanation concluded, the dwarves nodded slowly and asked,
“Ah... So you're saying those demons are captives you drag around with you?”
“Exactly.”
“...”
The dwarf warriors' expressions turned incredibly bizarre.
The warriors of the Galkard Dwarf Tribe feel terror toward you!
Terror rises among the dwarf warriors!
“...”
Tae-hyun felt a bit miffed. 'Wait, shouldn't their affinity be rising? Why is their Terror stat going up instead?'
Carbanog asks why you are questioning something so obvious.
Hearing that someone dragged demons around like pets to exploit their power was bound to strike fear into anyone. Furthermore, they had just witnessed him utterly obliterate a newly escaped demon in an instant!
'The scouts understood, though.'
Tae-hyun smacked his lips. It seemed the younger scouts and the battle-hardened warriors were cut from different cloth.
“So, may we enter?”
“W-wait just a moment. We aren't quite prepared to receive guests yet.”
The dwarf scout beside them blinked in confusion.
“We had preparations like that?”
“Shut your mouth, you tactless fool! The gatehouse collapsed because of that rampaging demon!”
The dwarf warriors scolded the clueless youngster. At that moment, an elderly dwarf from the Archisus Artillery stepped forward.
“*Ptooey!*”
“????”
Tae-hyun and his party stared in bewilderment at the artillery dwarf's bizarre entrance. What on earth was he trying to do?
“You young punks! Have you no manners, no sense of protocol?! When guests arrive, you should naturally invite them inside and treat them with proper hospitality!”
“W-wait, isn't he a dwarf too?”
“Is he a demon wearing a dwarf's skin?”
The dwarf warriors whispered among themselves. The sight of a dwarf hanging out with demons and blasting things away was simply too shocking.
But the artillery dwarves were genuine dwarves. And very elderly, venerable ones at that! Dwarves strictly adhered to a hierarchy based on age. This rule held true even when meeting members of different tribes. A younger dwarf could never easily argue with an elder.
As the elders of the Archisus Artillery exuded an imposing aura, the dwarf warriors panicked and tried to make excuses.
“It's not that, it's just that the interior is currently...”
“You young punk!”
“So, what I mean is...”
“You young punk!”
“...”
The ultimate, invincible technique among dwarves: 'You young punk!' Once invoked, any younger dwarf had no choice but to shut their mouth and stand down.
“His Majesty has personally graced us with his presence, and instead of welcoming him, you stand there bickering?! Out of my way! Go summon the others immediately!”
“Yes, sir...”
The dwarf warriors slunk back inside, thoroughly cowed. It was a truly unexpected spectacle.
“Y-Your Majesty. We have a problem.”
“?”
“That dwarf over there looks older than me.”
“...I'll handle the talking, so don't worry.”
Tae-hyun gestured for his dwarves to step back. The dwarf king of the Galkard Kingdom was coming out to greet him.
Though styled as a kingdom, it was essentially a tribe, meaning the king's status was closer to that of a minor noble. Compared to Tae-hyun, he was of much lower rank! Yet, Tae-hyun greeted him first.
'I need to make a good impression.'
Since Tae-hyun needed the dwarves' cooperation in the Zaion Mountains, he had to play his cards right. If showing a bit of humility could win their favor, he would gladly do it a hundred times over!
Galkard XXIII looks favorably upon your polite demeanor!
Your Speech skill is highly effective...
Affinity has increased significantly!
Fortunately, Tae-hyun's achievements and high Speech skill carried far more weight than the fact that he kept demons as pets. The dwarf king welcomed Tae-hyun with a warm smile!
“Welcome, King of Humans. I hope you find comfort and rest within our halls.”
You have been granted entry to the Galkard Kingdom!
This is a privilege granted only to a select few special adventurers. Reputation increases.
Blacksmithing skill proficiency increases.
Gaining entry to a dwarf city required official permission. The process was notoriously difficult, having driven countless player blacksmiths to tears.
'Whew. Passed the first hurdle.'
Tae-hyun let out a quiet sigh of relief. Somehow, he had managed to secure a foothold in the Zaion Mountains. If he could map out a few more cities like this, traversing the mountain range would become infinitely easier.
'I should acquire a map showing the locations of other nearby dwarf cities before heading back out.'
“Do you mind if we check out the shops?”
“The shops? I don't mind, but will they really be of any help to you?”
Tae-hyun looked at Choi Sang-yun, puzzled. Of course, visiting the shops in a newly discovered town or city was standard practice. It was a treasure hunt! One never knew what hidden gems might be waiting in an unexplored settlement untouched by other players. Unreleased items, gear with rare options...
However, such windfalls were exceedingly rare. Even if they could find decent gear in a dwarf city, it was highly unlikely to match the quality of what Choi Sang-yun currently wore. High-tier gear perfectly tailored to a ranker's specific class didn't just grow on trees.
“But... there might be something good!”
“Well, that's true. It's been a while since I tried my luck at a gacha...”
Tae-hyun decided to lead his party on a tour of the dwarf shops. If there was anything worth buying, grabbing it now was always the smart play!
“Lee Da-bi. You know what to do, right?”
“Yes. I'll buy up everything useful and bring it back.”
Lee Da-bi already knew exactly what to do without needing to be told. Buying low and selling high was the fundamental rule of commerce!
“Great. Let's go!”
You have purchased dwarf weapons in bulk!
Experience increases!
Because she was purchasing them under her merchant class, system notifications flooded her screen. Lee Da-bi swept up every single item that promised a decent profit margin.
“Mmph! Mmmph! Mmph!”
And the one suffering for it was Towang-i! Since weight limits were a non-issue thanks to the rabbit, they were able to go on an absolutely insane shopping spree. Naturally, the rest of the party paid the poor creature no mind.
“Ugh, what is up with these options?!”
“Ugh... this bow is a bit... Yeah, dwarf-made bows really aren't it.”
“Aren't you going to pick a weapon, Senior?”
The party meticulously compared options, determined to salvage at least one decent piece of gear. It was the true spirit of a Pan-On player.
Even as the dwarf craftsman cleared his throat with a deeply displeased scowl, Yu Ji-soo paid him no heed, casually muttering that dwarf bows were subpar. Tae-hyun watched her in admiration.
He had truly grown strong!
“Aren't you going to pick a weapon, Senior?”
“Not really... Honestly, the disposable weapons I craft myself are more convenient anyway. Maybe I'll look for something Cain can use.”
Tae-hyun scanned his surroundings without much expectation.
Your Reputation is extremely high!
You have met the quest requirements.
You are the Avatar of Archisus. You cannot change classes.
“...”
The message window flashed and vanished in the blink of an eye. He had gotten his hopes up, thinking he had stumbled upon something incredible...!
Tae-hyun shook his head with a bitter smile.
Your Infamy is extremely high!
You have met the quest requirements.
'Is this another scam?'
Dwarves settled underground not just because they loved the subterranean depths, but because the metals they required were buried deep within the earth. Spending their entire lives mining metals beneath the surface, dwarves often passed down vast fortunes of ore to their descendants.
Occasionally, some dwarves failed to properly bequeath their inheritance, and as time passed, whoever discovered these forgotten treasures became their rightful owner.
The Miner Bekelf's Inheritance
There is a rumor that the miner Bekelf once discovered an Adamantium vein but monopolized it for himself. The ores in this shop contain a minute trace of Adamantium! This is proof that the Adamantium hidden by the miner Bekelf exists.
📍 Objective: Find and claim the inheritance of the miner Bekelf!
🎁 Reward: Bekelf's Hidden Adamantium
“!!!”
Tae-hyun's eyes widened. The quest format itself was a standard treasure hunt, which wasn't particularly surprising, but the reward was absolutely staggering.
Adamantium!
Furthermore, judging by the quest description, it wasn't just a meager handful.
'This... I absolutely have to do this!'