A Merciful Dragon?
"Huh?" The dwarves were utterly bewildered. Why was that ferocious dragon calling them? Were they going to be killed without even being let out?
Grip—
The dwarves began to tightly clutch their pickaxes and hammers. If they were going to die like this, they might as well go down fighting...
As the tense air flowed, Heuk-heuk panicked. "What's wrong with them?"
"-It looks like they think you're going to kill them. Hurry up and stop them."
To Tae-hyun, the levels of the dwarf tribes here were no joke. 'Their gear... looks like it's over level 300...'
To think dwarf warriors over level 300 were bowing and scraping like this. It truly showed just how powerful Hakkarias had been.
Heuk-heuk hurriedly spoke. "-This treasure is more than enough for me!"
"-You absolute idiot!" Tae-hyun beat his chest internally. There was a world of difference in how one phrased things, yet Heuk-heuk had blurted it out like that! If it were Tae-hyun, he would have said, "Your treasure is deeply unsatisfying, but I shall generously forgive you." Instead, Heuk-heuk had openly shown his satisfaction.
"A-Are you truly serious?"
"-Yes. I am generous."
"Ohhh...!"
"Long live the Dragon! Long live the Dragon!"
Naturally, the dwarves were overjoyed.
Heuk-heuk's reputation within the Steel Hammer Dwarf Tribe has risen significantly!
Heuk-heuk's reputation among the neighboring dwarf tribes has...
Rumors are spreading that the new dragon is merciful. Dragon Slayers may target this weakness.
"......"
"......"
Tae-hyun and Heuk-heuk both looked sour. Why did doing something good bring bad consequences?
> As expected, dragons must live wickedly...
Carbanog's words stung for some reason.
Heuk-heuk's reputation within the Daraz Kingdom has risen significantly...
An envoy from the Daraz Kingdom may arrive.
'The Daraz Kingdom?'
Strictly speaking, calling the Daraz Kingdom a "kingdom" was a bit of a stretch. For a kingdom, it was far too isolated and buried deep underground! Since dwarves naturally sought out mines to live in, they were frequently spotted in the Black Gravestone Mountain Range and its surrounding peaks. No matter how eccentric the dragon acted, they couldn't leave because of the mountains.
If one traveled further northeast from the Black Gravestone Mountain Range of the Auston Kingdom, they would find the dwarven realm, the Daraz Kingdom.
A kingdom built beneath towering mountain peaks and deep underground! In terms of sheer land area, it was barely the size of a single territory, but considering their skill and might, it fully deserved the title of a kingdom. They possessed technology that was completely incomparable to the current blacksmithing skills of players.
Consequently, entry was incredibly difficult. Even players who chose the Dwarf race couldn't start their journey in the Daraz Kingdom. Only a top-ranking Dwarf blacksmith might receive a single invitation to visit, and even then, it was a rare privilege.
Players who had visited the Daraz Kingdom unanimously declared:
"-A place every blacksmith must visit at least once!"
Tae-hyun wasn't uninterested, but he had too much on his plate to seriously target it. With no guarantee of what he could obtain there, he couldn't afford to waste time trying to gain entry. Yet, here was an opportunity presenting itself on a silver platter.
'Hmm. It wouldn't be a bad idea to use Heuk-heuk's influence to sneak in and take a look...'
"Great Dragon! May we take our leave now?"
"-Y... Yes."
As Heuk-heuk was about to let them go, Tae-hyun quickly intervened.
"-Hey. Tell them to hand over something else."
"-I already said I didn't need treasure, so what else...?"
"-Tell them to hand over their weapons."
Heuk-heuk repeated the words exactly.
"-Do you happen to have any weapons on you?"
"Pardon? Yes, we do."
"-Offer those weapons to me."
"These crude weapons???"
"-My... my subordinates will use them."
"The Great Dragon personally takes care of his subordinates?!"
The dwarves were increasingly astonished! Heuk-heuk felt cold sweat breaking out on his back. He wanted to quit! Why did he have to kill Hakkarias in the first place!
"-Am I not allowed to?!"
"W-We apologize!"
As Heuk-heuk flared up, the dwarves quickly left their weapons behind and scurried away.
"As expected of dwarves, they use excellent items."
Tae-hyun checked the weapons with satisfaction. <Dwarf Heavy Musket>, <Dwarf Hand Cannon>... The firepower of the dwarves blasting away with these was terrifying. It was incomparably more stable than the Goblins' unstable engineering!
You have observed the superior weapons of the dwarves!
Blacksmithing Skill level has increased.
Engineering Skill level has increased.
You have perfectly understood the designs. You have acquired the recipes!
'I should arm the Archisus Artillery even more.'
He planned to have them carry not just cannons, but everything from muskets to various engineering weapons!
'Lee Da-bi is a merchant class, so it's a bit awkward for her to fight on the front lines. It would be perfect to have her move with the artillery unit.'
Tae-hyun's party had a very unique composition. To put it nicely, it was unique; to put it bluntly, it was bizarre! No healer, lacking a tank... Honestly, if it weren't for Tae-hyun, the party would have wiped multiple times already.
'I need to make the artillery unit sturdy so I can operate them stably.'
Tae-hyun and Cain could survive pretty much anywhere they were thrown. In contrast, the rest of them had weak durability. Jeong Su-hyeok and Yu Ji-soo were long-range classes, and while Lee Da-bi was slightly better, she wasn't a combat class...
'If I go to the Daraz Kingdom and ask for muskets and cannons for the artillery unit, will they just give them to me?'
Naturally thinking of extorting them, Tae-hyun stood up.
"Golem. There's no forge in Hakkarias's lair, right?"
"-None. None."
"Well... it doesn't matter. I can just remodel one of the torture chambers into a forge..."
He planned to mass-produce equipment using the metals he had gathered earlier and the newly acquired recipes. He also had to melt down the Adamantium-infused armor that Cain had!
He would have to craft more <Chainmail of the Imprisoned Demon Soul> as well.
"Lee Da-bi. How many members of the Power Warrior Guild currently have the <Chainmail of the Imprisoned Demon Soul>?"
"Right now, eighty-six people."
"Let's fill it up to exactly one hundred."
The Chainmail of the Imprisoned Demon Soul! An armor that could only be equipped at Level 1, but in exchange, it came with a powerful skill that granted temporary invincibility. Tae-hyun was secretly cultivating Power Warrior Guild members equipped with this. He would definitely have a chance to use them someday!
Clang, clang, clang—
Tae-hyun remodeled the lair and began hammering away happily. Cain yawned and asked, "Is there nothing for us to do?"
"Heuk-heuk. Take this guy and roll him around in the poison swamp outside. Let him raise his Constitution stat."
"-Kwahaha. Understood, Master."
"H-Hey! That's seriously dangerous!"
Dwarf Heavy Musket has been completed.
The quality of the item is...
Blacksmithing Skill has increased.
Engineering Skill has...
Even if it was a recipe he had just obtained, when Tae-hyun crafted it, additional buffs were slathered all over it. A buff only Tae-hyun could apply, impossible even for the most outstanding dwarves!
Equipment has been crafted.
Demon Blacksmithing Skill level has increased!
A new recipe has been acquired!
<Demon Blacksmithing Skill>. A secret skill that gathered various item recipes passed down to demon blacksmiths! It was an incredibly useful skill that randomly unlocked recipes every time the skill level rose.
'What is it?' Tae-hyun anticipated with a pounding heart.
◈ Durability: ?/?
◈ Physical Attack Power: ?/?
◈ Magic Attack Power: ?/?
◈ Skills: Consume Possessed Demon, Explode Possessed Demon
A cannon that harshly binds the souls of demons. Every time it is fired, the demon possessing the cannonball will guide it directly to the target.
"...???"
Just looking at the name, he couldn't tell what kind of cannon it was.
In other words...
A homing missile!
'Wow. Those demon blacksmiths. Truly amazing.'
Although the crafting materials required quite a lot of demon essences, the effect made it entirely worth it. Cannons were great, but their accuracy was always a pity. If the opponent was fast, hitting them was even harder. But to have a possessed demon automatically aim for you once fired? Those on the receiving end wouldn't even know what hit them.
Of course, the demons trapped inside would suffer terribly...
'Well, they're demons, so who cares!'
> Carbanog pities the demons.
While Tae-hyun was happily crafting all sorts of wicked weapons, a new guest arrived at the lair.
An unidentified guest has appeared!
"Great Dragon. I wish to speak with His Majesty, the King of the Atali Kingdom, who is inside."
"...?"
"-...?"
Tae-hyun and Heuk-heuk stared at each other. Who is that?
"Could it be a Black Dragon in disguise?"
"-Black Dragons do do petty things like that... but I don't think so."
> Carbanog informs you that the guest is an angel.
'...!'
An angel. Weren't angels that wonderful race that generously showered you with gifts?
> Carbanog says something feels off.
Tae-hyun thought of Yohas. Yohas was a truly wonderful angel. Even though he was an angel who worshipped Phytos, he had done his absolute best to help Tae-hyun!
> ......
'I hope it's an angel who worships Phytos.' Tae-hyun thought as he told the guest to enter. Phytos was a god who gave out rewards just as generously as Sadiq! Unfortunately, Tae-hyun's expectations were shattered.
"Do you happen to worship Phytos?"
"No. More importantly, Your Majesty!"
"...?"
"Do you have any idea what has happened because of the World Tree you planted?!"
"Uh... I don't know. Are people happy?"
Even now, people were praying at the World Tree day and night. What a holy sight!
"Originally, this Middle Realm was separated from the Demon Realm and the Heavenly Realm. That is why demons could not easily cross over to the continent..."
The reason such powerful demons couldn't easily come to the continent was due to restrictions. Coming over required immense preparation, and even then, severe level restrictions were imposed the moment they arrived.
"But because of that World Tree, the connection between the realms has grown closer! At this rate, demons will be able to cross over much more easily."
"Ah. Right. I did see some demons coming over." Tae-hyun recalled the demons that had run away upon seeing him. Honestly, wasn't that a bit much?
"Y-Your Majesty! You knew?!"
"Of course I knew."
"A-And yet you just stood by and did nothing?"
"What did you expect me to do? I blocked them as much as I could."
"Please cut down the World Tree!"
"Ah. That's impossible. It's incredibly sturdy."
Of course, even if he could destroy it, he wouldn't. Tae-hyun had many places to visit, from the Demon Realm to the Heavenly Realm.
"At this rate, the continent is in danger!"
"How is it dangerous, specifically?"
"Demons will descend and threaten the people!"
"Hmm?"
Tae-hyun tilted his head. It didn't sound particularly dangerous to him.
"Are demons dangerous?"
"They are dangerous! You must not underestimate demons. They are beings that corrupt humanity."
Tae-hyun subtly pushed the <Demon-Possessed Cannon> he was crafting to the side. It didn't seem like something an angel would appreciate seeing.
"To show you how dangerous they are, they could infiltrate kingdoms and instigate wars between them..."
"Wait, really?"
Such a beneficial function? He really hoped the Erangs Kingdom and the Auston Kingdom would fight!
The angel failed to notice that the more he spoke, the happier Tae-hyun became.
"Yes, Your Majesty! It is not too late. Please join me in stopping the demons! Protect this continent!"
Repel the Demonic Invasion
Because of the World Tree connecting different dimensions, angels and demons can now access the continent more easily. The unidentified angel claims that to resolve this crisis, the demons invading the continent must be stopped. Find a way to repel the demons coming to the continent!
If you succeed, the angels will be deeply impressed by your achievements.
🎁 Reward: ???