“Good. Good. Come In. Come In.”
“Good. Good. Come in. Come in.”
Baek Yiheon gestured to the two of them as if he’d been waiting for this moment.
“Who else but a mad dog would barge in without knowing their place.”
“Who knows? There’s no order to dying, so whether it’s my spot or yours, we’ll see once we get there.”
“That bastard……”
Pasha moved to place his hand on the hilt of his longsword, ready to cut Baek Yiheon down on the spot. But in that instant, Baek Yiheon’s hands were already drawing his twin blades.
Cha-ang—!!
It was fast. The moment people saw Baek Yiheon draw his swords, no other thought crossed their minds.
“Don’t cause a scene. This isn’t our turf.”
“It’s not theirs either.”
“Exactly. Which is why we can’t make a fuss now that the lord of the manor has arrived.”
Dudududududu……!!
With the thunderous clamor of hooves, dozens of knights halted, their sharp spears leveled.
“Who are you?! How dare you invade Duke Jahaal’s territory! State your identities!”
The lead knight bellowed. He was an elderly knight of considerable age, seemingly high-ranking in House Jahaal—level 68. But he lacked the overwhelming presence of Red Sickle. That made sense; his name was a plain gray, Normal grade.
‘There’s definitely a difference. No wonder those two were cautious about him.’
Unlike me, who knew of Red Sickle’s existence, the two had likely never seen him before. They probably hadn’t had many chances to encounter high-level, high-grade NPCs like this yet.
‘Even the Wyvern Captain of House Drake or the Sword Demon Captain of House Leo would yield a step to Red Sickle.’
Both knights were renowned across the continent, but they hadn’t quite reached the ranks of the true powerhouses whispered about among players. In that light, building affinity with Red Sickle had been a godsend.
‘The other knights are mostly in the 50s, so this place seems about on par with Obela.’
Combat NPCs naturally leveled up over time to balance with players, so the fact that House Jahaal’s knights matched Obela’s Red Cat Mercenaries and ducal knights in level meant Obela was a solid enough base.
“We come from House Drake and House Leo.”
“……I see, outworlders. We received word. But why are you here instead of calling upon the Duke?”
“We received a report of suspicious individuals en route by train. Fearing any harm might come to Duke Jahaal, we acted out of goodwill. Forgive our rudeness.”
Lisa Kim responded to the knight with practiced ease, as if she’d rehearsed it.
“Hmmm……”
The knight turned to look at us.
“And who are you? Why have you trespassed into Duke Jahaal’s lands without permission?”
“We are envoys from Obela, sent by the Red Cat to foster friendship with House Jahaal. We came quietly to pay our respects, but……”
I shot a subtle glance at Lisa Kim and Pasha.
“We’ve unfortunately caused a disturbance. Had we known, we would have sent word ahead.”
With House Jahaal’s position weakening under pressure from the two ducal houses, the knight couldn’t miss the intent in my eyes.
“The Red Cat’s name is famous even in the duchy. The master of the Night Auction House coming to see House Jahaal…… unexpected. Are you one of her underlings?”
“Something like that. You might find it hard to believe from an outworlder like me, but him? You can trust him. Red Sickle of the Red Cat Mercenaries.”
“……!!”
In that moment, the old knight’s eyes changed.
“There’s no need for concern. As proof, take this.”
Red Sickle astutely played along, placing his chakram before the knight.
“Ahem……”
“Haha, you can trust them. I vouch for it. Sir Ralph, for the sake of my face, won’t you let us see Duke Jahaal?”
Quick-witted Baek Yiheon chimed in to support my act.
“How dare thieves seek an audience with the Duke!”
“Indeed. They’re desert rabble. Who knows what nefarious schemes they’re plotting? It would trouble Duke Jahaal.”
Sensing the uneasy mood, Pasha and Lisa Kim hurriedly appealed to the old knight.
“Everyone has impure thoughts sometimes.”
But the response they got was unexpectedly cold.
“We’ll hold onto the chakram. Everyone, move to the ducal manor. We’ll hear the details there.”
As the knight turned his horse, Pasha ground his teeth with a grit— in a voice too low to hear.
“That damn NPC…… He’s been a thorn from the start and won’t quit till the end.”
“Quiet.”
I smirked at the two of them.
NPCs in Dimension World weren’t mere quest-givers; they judged and decided for themselves. That’s why bonds with them were crucial. The same info varied by affinity, and some, like Hamma, even deceived. Yet most players still treated them lightly—even the vice leaders of top-eight-clan Kingdom and Owner.
Tsk— Tongues clicking, the two followed the knights.
It was fortunate no fight broke out, but heading to the manor together was unexpected.
‘Meeting Duke Jahaal with those guys would be trouble…… Can’t bring up the dwarf artisan there.’
That’s when it happened. As I pondered my next move, Baek Yiheon slipped up beside me and pressed something into my hand.
‘Map to the workshop.’
He murmured low, hand over his mouth.
“Don’t worry. I’ll entertain the guests. But don’t take too long. Got it?”
Baek Yiheon grinned.
“What are you……”
Pa-at—!!
In a flash, he drew the two swords at his waist and bolted.
“……?!”
The two vice leaders gaped at his sprinting figure, stunned but shouting.
“That mad dog bastard……!! What the hell is he doing?!”
“Grab him!”
p>Clan members chased after Baek Yiheon in confusion. If it had been any other player, they wouldn’t have reacted like this.
“Damn it……!!”
“Everyone, run!!!”
But the one dashing past them toward the manor was none other than the Mad Dog.
‘I owe him one.’
As hoped, their attention locked on Baek Yiheon, letting me slip away. I scanned the area and stepped into the passage toward Norpa Jeran, reading the note he’d given me.
Would you like to check the Old Dwarf's Map?
Applied to the minimap.
Dokdo Technique Lv5
You can search the surroundings in greater detail.
The crumpled note applied to my minimap as Baek Yiheon said—a map, thankfully. But faded with age, it didn’t overlay perfectly, leaving gaps here and there.
‘Still, I can find the way.’
The destination was that massive building ahead anyway—no chance of getting lost.
“Let’s go.”
I dashed toward the workshop marked on the old map.
“This should be it……”
I scanned the area in a narrow alley behind the workshop where the minimap cut off.
“Who’s there?”
That’s when a voice came from the woods. I yanked Norpa Jeran and ducked into cover.
“Not manor folk at this hour…… Connected to that earlier commotion?”
A man strode up—dwarf height but wielding a hammer as tall as himself, muscled build, long curly beard. His aura felt more warrior than craftsman.
‘Bil-sang.’
Seeing him here, whom I’d only known from ancient continental war tales, felt surreal.
Swish— Before I could stop him, Norpa Jeran stepped out as leaves rustled.
“Long time no see. Back then, you were just a clueless kid, and now they call you a master artisan. Heh.”
“Who are you!!”
Bil-sang whipped his hammer up with a whoosh—!
“Put the hammer down. Don’t you have enough time hammering iron?”
“……!!”
As Norpa Jeran swept back his cloak, Bil-sang’s guarded face twisted in shock.
“Y-You……?”
“How have you been? Silly question now that the kingdom’s gone.”
“Norpa Jeran……?! Y-You’re alive?!”
“Unfortunately. It’s tragic that I live in my brother’s stead.”
Twins, but Bil-sang distinguished him from King Guljiwang instantly. Glancing at Norpa Jeran, he frantically checked the surroundings.
“How is this……”
“Do you know Baek Yiheon? He guided us to you.”
“And who are you?”
Bil-sang eyed me emerging from the brush.
Bil-sang (NPC) is wary of you.
“……A human?”
“He’s also the one who saved me from Parahum’s Tomb. You can trust him.”
“What?”
The dwarf hesitated at Norpa’s word, then addressed me.
“I know Baek Yiheon well. He’s the guy I call when I need something delivered.”
‘Says he quit hauling, but cozy with ducal dwarf artisans? Guess transport suits you after all.’
I couldn’t help smirking at his words.
“Come inside first. The workshop’s safe.”
“Mm, thanks.”
After eyeing me a while longer, he nodded at Norpa Jeran’s assurance and led us in.
“Hmmm.”
I checked the time on my minimap.
‘Gotta hurry.’
One wrong move, and those two could end up on the Duke’s bad side.
“What happened? After you and King Guljiwang left, the remaining dwarves scattered.”
Bil-sang’s workshop was larger than expected, walls lined with roaring forges full of searing heat.
“Long story. I went to Parahum’s Tomb seeking a golem core to reclaim the stolen Earth Dragon Scripture from my brother. But I got trapped.”
“Parahum’s Tomb…… You went for the Death Flame?”
“Yes.”
Bil-sang sighed deeply.
“Sigh, you stirred things up. Didn’t Tur Mah say before passing that only attribute stones work for golem hearts? The Death Flame is powerful but too fire-attuned to use.”
“You don’t know till you try. But now it’s moot anyway.”
“……What?”
Bil-sang glanced at me at Norpa Jeran’s words.
“As Tur Mah said, attribute stones are best for golem cores. You can meet him if you want.”
“Ridiculous…… His Majesty passed long ago. Grateful as I am you brought Jeran, don’t sully him.”
Bil-sang slammed the table.
“I said you can meet him, not that he’s alive.”
“What does that……”
“He’s still in Sandorim Forest. I came to have this repaired.”
I pulled the compass from my pocket and showed Bil-sang.
“To think this still exists…… Unbelievable. Someone’s still seeking the tower?”
Bil-sang (NPC) takes interest in you.
Since it’s not friendly curiosity, it may negatively affect your reputation with him.
But Bil-sang still eyed me skeptically.
“Shamefully, my brother and I couldn’t even endure the tower’s lower levels and fled. But even there, we invented new engineering.”
Norpa Jeran pointed to the Torong on my wrist.
“Originally a pair, but escaping the tower, a human took one after aiding us. We barely kept the other…… I must complete the golem to avenge him.”
Click— As he finished, I unlocked the Torong’s compartment. Inside the bracelet was a small scroll.
“I got the Torong from him, but dwarf secrets are beyond me. Only three artisans could implement this now. Trust me, and I’ll free you.”
“What……?”
“Back to the kingdom’s heyday, when magitech bloomed.”
Gulp— Bil-sang’s eyes trembled, flicking between me and Norpa Jeran.
How long was the silence?
‘No time……’
I grew anxious watching Bil-sang hesitate.
That’s when it happened.
Roarrrrr—!!
Blue flames erupted, shattering the quiet. Bil-sang’s eyes widened at me in shock.
“……!!”
Black Eye’s appearance widened Bil-sang’s eyes—not from the divine beast body, but from reunion’s surprise.