Chapter 90: "Hey...!! What the hell are you doing?"

"Hey...!! What the hell are you doing?"

Isabel Silver stared at me with a look of utter bewilderment and shouted.

"Why?"

"Who the hell hijacks someone else's quest like this? If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have even made it to this secret room."

"You're in the same boat, aren't you? You were just standing there watching because you couldn't handle the coffin guardians."

"Tch..."

She grimaced and glared at me.

"And just a minute ago, you said it yourself. We can't just let incompetents waste away with the Torong manual in their hands. I agree with you, so I just made him a new offer."

"That's why I'm just giving the Torong manual to someone who can actually use it properly."

"You..."

Isabel Silver gawked at me in disbelief. Seeing her usually impassive face twisted like that made me want to tease her even more for some reason.

"Sure, the Veil and the Magic Tower have plenty of talented people, but how much do they really know about magitech? Even if they got the Torong manual, they'd be no different from the human who stole it from the Golem King."

"Don't lump us in with those thieves."

"I'm not judging right or wrong—I'm just asking objectively about capability. This is dwarf technology. Doesn't it make sense for dwarves to handle it? In my eyes, you and the Torong clan look exactly the same."

The curiosity alert signaling a shift in affinity lit up, so I pressed her even harder.

"Hidden Eater. You compared the Magic Tower and the Veil, but what's your edge over the mages? Can the elf leader of the Veil really recreate dwarf tech?"

"...?!"

She couldn't hide her shocked expression at my words.

"I'm not as obsessed as you, but I do take a keen interest in this world. And the Tanubiel family's status as the elf royal house isn't exactly a huge secret."

"...You're impossible to read."

I ignored her head-shaking and turned to Norpa.

"I just want to give you the freedom to choose. And yes, you can meet Tur Mah. He repaired this for me."

I pulled out the compass and showed it to him.

"It's not perfect, but still."

"This is..."

Norpa's eyes trembled faintly the moment he saw the compass. Watching his reaction, I knew I'd nailed it.

'If he went to the tower with the Golem King, of course he'd recognize this.'

"We'll talk more later."

I took the compass back from Norpa and tucked it away—before Isabel Silver could ask about it.

"Fine. Then let me say my piece. Norpa, if you want to take that golem core you desire, the Death Flame, you'd better choose wisely."

She wasn't backing down either, flaunting Parahum's heart like it was meant for me. It was so ridiculous I couldn't help but chuckle.

"The Death Flame is a powerful mana gem, sure, but for a golem core, balance is better than leaning too far into one element. Not that you'd know—you've never seen one."

"Have... have you seen a golem?"

Norpa finally showed interest in me.

"Tur Mah's masterpiece, the Colossus, still remains. But the dwarf artisans left in the kingdom couldn't build it now."

I put deliberate weight into my slow voice.

"But you could. You could create the perfect golem that Tur Mah and your brother dreamed of."

Thump-thump-thump—

His heartbeat couldn't possibly be that audible, but his expression betrayed his racing pulse.

"Norpa!!"

"It's simple," I said in a low voice. "Give me the Torong."

The quest updated right on cue, deleting the original rewards of Torong and the Torong manual. But it wasn't a downgrade—quite the opposite.

Clink—

Norpa unclasped the bracelet from his wrist and handed it to me.

"Keep your promise."

"...Norpa!!"

Isabel Silver cried out desperately, but he was resolute, saying nothing more.

"Of course."

Unlike my other gear, the lengthy description left even me speechless.

'This is insane...'

In Dimension World, where skill slots were limited, an item ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with even one built-in skill was huge.

'And it has both attack and defense skills.'

It was the epitome of offense and defense in one. No class restrictions meant it worked with stamina and mana—perfect for me.

'On top of that, Unique grade.'

Even the dragonkin amulet from the white dragon hunt wasn't Unique.

'Probably so players can craft them later if blueprints drop.'

But no one could craft Torong yet.

'Even if players max magitech later, they need blueprints.'

In short, without the Torong manual, it was impossible.

'That explains why the Torong clan heir U-ryu-ga and no one else used these. It wasn't just for the leader—they couldn't make them from the start.'

Finally, the hidden truth of Torong clicked.

'No matter what... U-ryu-ga, I have to meet you somehow.'

I gazed at the perfectly fitted bracelet on my wrist.

"I've chosen him. But I don't want to put you in a tough spot... How about this: help us escape the tomb, and I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠promise to go to the Veil."

Norpa said to Silver, who was glaring at me.

"Don't worry. You won't be in any trouble. Your leader wants me for me, not the Torong manual."

Her eyes wavered briefly after hesitating. If my guess was right, her quest had updated too.

"...Understood."

She reluctantly accepted Norpa's proposal.

"Good. Now with dwarf gear that can destroy the Death Flame, we can take down Parahum."

I shook my wrist lightly, jingling the bracelet. Behind her half-mask, I caught her lip twitching.

She must've been eyeing the Torong too.

"What did you show him back there? Why'd he pick you over the Veil leader?"

"Want to know? Beat Parahum first. We're behind schedule—though not without gains."

We left the secret room and retraced our steps.

Isabel Silver put more force into her steps at my words.

"Somehow, everything's going your way."

She sounded annoyed, but a hint of intrigue flickered in her eyes.

"Naturally."

I told her as much.

"And the same'll happen with that guy up ahead."

"Guy?"

"You asked if the eight great clans were helping Rerto Karen out of fear."

"And you said you'd prove otherwise."

"Of course. You think I'd just hand that scepter to Rerto?"

Light poured in from the passage's end.

Boom—

Kaboom—!!

The clamor of battle still raged inside.

"Hup...!"

I held my breath, sheathed my sword at my waist, and gripped my left wrist with my right hand.

Clank—!!

Ziiing...!!

The bracelet on my wrist expanded like a gauntlet, enveloping my left fist. An opaque, massive intangible fist cloaked my black-clad knuckles.

Whoosh...!!

A faint aura wrapped the intangible fist once more.

"Impossible..."

Norpa Jeran, former owner of Torong, couldn't hide his shock at the dual-powered fist.

[Kraaaaargh!!!!]

The instant Parahum's shrill roar pierced the air, I kicked off the ground with all my might and leaped.

"Move!!"

At my shout, Phlia and Red Sickle scattered left and right without looking back.

Kaboom—!!!

The fist slammed dead-on into Parahum's wraith.

[How dare you...!!]

But the struck bastard swung his massive scepter at me unfazed.

That was when—

Woooong...

I opened my clenched fist and shoved its chest again.

Kraka-boom!!!

The condensed aura under my palm exploded in a double strike, hurling the wraith's body back into the wall.

"...!!!!"

Everyone in the hall froze in shock at the sheer power.

[Gr... grrr...]

As the dust settled, the wall-embedded wraith let out a faint groan.

"How...?"

Rerto Karen stared at me in confusion—the wraith that had shrugged off every attack was staggering from one blow.

Thud—I landed lightly from midair and turned my head.

"Watch closely."

Clank—!!

Shrrrk...!!

Twisting my left wrist retracted the Torong gauntlet back into bracelet form.

Shing—!!

I slowly drew my sword.

[Y-you bastard...!!]

Parahum's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wraith glared, heaving ragged breaths. Its hazy body was sharpening into clarity.

The heart that turns wraiths back to the dead—

Deep in its left chest from my strike, the Death Flame was embedded.