Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Treasure (1)
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[You have entered the 30th floor of the tower (EXTREME).]
Finally, the last floor of the 20s.
Before leaving home, I'd already finished deciphering the stone tablet from the 29th floor.
‘The heart of the mountain. The souls of the race slumbering there, along with great treasures.’
The moment I saw the word "treasures," I headed straight for the tower.
"The 29th floor was the royal palace, right?"
Having looted the palace, the next place to appear would surely be even more secretive and important.
In my mind, there was only one such place.
The treasure vault.
A dwarf treasure vault. Just imagining it brought a smile to my lips.
"Since they're dwarves, there must be plenty of expensive items, huh?"
I wouldn't be greedy—just two or three legendary items would do.
I focused on the shifting view, brimming with anticipation.
"What? Where's my treasure?"
But the scene unfolding before my eyes was far from a glittering treasure vault.
If anything, it was the complete opposite.
"What is this place...?"
A massive cave sealed on all sides.
Yet it was bright inside.
Transparent lava flowed above the ceiling, illuminating the cavern.
It felt like being deep inside a volcano.
At the center of the cave stood a colossal smelter.
On a scale as if an entire mountain had been transplanted here.
But the smelter appeared long unused, cooled to a frigid state.
The surroundings were filled only with cold ash and debris.
I glanced around briefly before quickly losing interest.
"Where's the treasure?"
I grumbled without hiding my disappointment.
That was when it happened.
Rustle.
The ash and trash piled around the smelter began to clump together.
A golem born of ash and dust.
It had no fixed form, particles continually streaming from its surface.
Soon, the massive lump reached out a hand toward me.
Ash projectiles launched from its tip.
Similar in form and size to my sand projectiles.
"What, is this guy the same type of ability user as me?"
I didn't bother blocking it.
My automatic barrier would handle such basic attacks on its own.
Instead of defense, I prepared an attack.
A sharp blade formed from sand infused with diamond particles blossomed from my fingertips.
Slash!
The blade cleaved the thing in half.
But the severed cross-section fused back together in an instant.
"Tch...."
I clicked my tongue and clapped my palms together.
Clap, and dozens of projectiles materialized in the air.
I snapped my fingers. Volley fire.
Whoosh-!
Dozens of projectiles pierced the golem's body, riddling it with holes.
But that was it. The holes filled in immediately.
"Damn, physical attacks really don't work, huh?"
It was the limitation of an earth-attribute mage.
Diamond cutters or tungsten projectiles—didn't matter.
In the end, it was all about shaping sand into physical forms for attack.
Most of my attacks leaned heavily physical.
My only pure magic attack was erosion.
Bad matchup for taking on something like this.
"Will this work?"
I pondered for a moment before coming up with a new approach.
I slammed my staff deep into the ground.
Rumble!
At my will, sand and rock from the cave floor surged upward.
Walls formed on either side of the golem, soon transforming into massive hands.
Clap-!
I clapped loudly.
In sync with my hands, the stone arms moved, trapping the golem within their grasp.
Grind!
The golem resisted fiercely.
The sound of it gnawing at the rock echoed terrifyingly.
Cracks began to spiderweb across the surface of the giant fists.
"Where do you think you're going."
I poured even more mana in.
The sand fists clamped down harder.
Compress, then compress again.
The golem's amorphous body grew denser and more solid.
What had been half-smoke turned into a high-density mass.
Finally, as its resistance hit its limit and its body curled into a ball like a boulder.
I thrust my hand in.
I could vividly feel it thrashing about.
"Erosion."
A single strike channeling all my mana.
A storm of mana erupted from my fingertips like an explosion.
It began converting every single ash particle into sand.
The golem resisted violently, trying to push back my magic.
The fist containing it cracked with a snap, black dust leaking from the fissures.
"Damn, it's holding out?"
I gritted my teeth.
Even though I was turning ash into sand, I could feel my mana draining in an instant.
Would this thing turn fully to sand first, or would my mana bottom out first?
A tense battle of attrition continued.
A warning of mana depletion rang in my head.
My vision started to blur.
But I couldn't stop here.
I squeezed out every last drop of remaining mana and poured it in.
"Disappear!"
Crack-!
With a sharp breaking sound, the pressure bearing down on me vanished like a lie.
At the same time, the massive stone fists lost their power and crumbled away.
In its place remained only a mound of fine sand, no golem in sight.
"Haa... tough one."
I staggered, dropping to one knee. Strength drained from my entire body.
That was when it happened.
A cool sensation touched my forehead.
It was Super Recovery.
Super Recovery wiped the sweat from my brow.
The ring wrapped around my finger sent a signal too.
[Sandworm points out that you were too reckless.]
I chuckled at the sight of them.
Unlike my completely depleted mana, a warmth bloomed in my chest.
"I'm fine, it's nothing."
I patted Super Recovery's head and stood up.
The massive smelter came back into view.
I pulled a box from my inventory.
The orihalcon box containing the heart of the mountain.
An item that had absorbed the cores of countless machine monsters, now brimming with tremendous heat.
"This should do it, right?"
Holding the scorching heart of the mountain, I walked toward the smelter.
Without hesitation, I tossed the item into the smelter's dead furnace.
Right at that moment.
W hum-!
A low hum vibrated the surrounding air.
The heart of the mountain devoured the last embers deep within the smelter, unleashing explosive energy.
Red light began leaking from the extinguished smelter.
The light grew ever brighter, slowly spreading along the complex circuits inside the massive hunk of metal.
Boom-!
Finally, the smelter erupted with a colossal roar.
Immense heat filled the entire cave.
Boiling molten metal poured from the smelter's giant outlet like a waterfall.
At that moment. Something began to rise from the flowing molten metal.
It was the shape of a person.
"Dwarves...."
They emerged from the river of metal, dragging bodies like molten lava.
As their bodies cooled in the hot air, their glowing red skin hardened into rock-like solidity.
The race revived alongside the smelter's flames.
They had multiplied into dozens, filling the cave.
I quietly watched the scene.
Soon, a dwarf of the most dignified bearing parted the crowd and stepped forward.
A helmet and armor adorned with gold. Long platinum beard braided down.
The dwarf king.
The king approached me and bowed his massive frame in respect.
"We thank you, mage. Thanks to you, we dwarves have been freed from our long curse."
"It just kinda happened that way."
"You are our benefactor. Dwarves never forget a debt of gratitude."
The king smiled in satisfaction.
But that expression didn't last.
The moment his gaze fell on the staff in my hand and the pendant around my neck, his face hardened.
‘Root of the World Tree’ and ‘Radiant Leaf of the World Tree’.
Clear wariness shone in the dwarf king's eyes.
"...Benefactor, where exactly did you get those items?"
Uh...? What?
I tensed up for a moment.
The dwarf king who had just called me benefactor and expressed gratitude.
The warmth vanished from his eyes in less than a second.
It wasn't outright hostility or anger.
He apparently still had enough conscience not to draw weapons on a benefactor.
But the air of suspicion was unmistakable.
The surrounding dwarves mirrored the mood.
The cheers from the dwarves fell silent as if it had all been a lie.
The dwarf king spoke.
"Benefactor. There's one thing I must ask."
His gaze pierced straight into my eyes.
"The staff you hold and the leaf around your neck reek of the cursed pointy-ears. A scent we dwarves have endured for thousands of years—one we'll never forget. Care to explain?"
I answered as calmly as possible.
"...You're right. I got them from the elves."
Murmurs rippled through the dwarves at my response.
I asked cautiously.
"By any chance... dwarves and elves don't get along well?"
No sooner had my question ended than the king snorted.
"Don't get along? What a ridiculous question! Who could get along with those pointy-ears?"
The king stroked his chin beard with a massive hand.
"How insidious and cunning that race is!"
His voice grew louder.
He began venting his grievances against the elves.
"They've never held a hammer in their lives, just cowering and shooting toy-like arrows from afar!"
The surrounding dwarves nodded at the king's words. Agreeing shouts erupted.
"Right!"
"Ignorant fools who know nothing of the sacred value of honest labor through sweat!"
"Laziness incarnate, holed up in their forests!"
"A stupid race that diverts nutrients meant for beards straight to height and ears?"
"Truly, dwarves are the greatest race. Scientifically proven fact!"
"Make dwarves great again!"
I was speechless at their racial remarks.
Suddenly, a word from the info window of the pendant around my neck flashed in my mind.
[Special Title: 'Hero of the Elves' has been added.]
Ah, maybe I shouldn't have worn this?
If I'd known they were this stubborn, I wouldn't have.
After his tirade, the king turned back to me.
"So, tell me. Benefactor, what exactly is your relationship with those scum?"
In that instant, a brilliant idea struck me.
‘How about I just say this: Actually, I killed all the elves and looted their treasures.’
Since the dwarves seemed to hate elves, wouldn't that make me their avenger?
Truth? Not that important.
If believing a lie makes everyone happier, isn't that fine?
Right as I opened my mouth to speak.
The ring on my finger vibrated faintly.
[Sandworm warns that it's not a good idea.]
[Sandworm explains that dwarves have the ability to detect lies.]
Damn.
I cursed inwardly.
What kind of headache-inducing race is this?
In the end, only one choice remained.
I took a breath.
Then, calmly began recounting everything from the late 10th floors up to the 20th.
"The elves I met were already corrupted...."
I told them about the elves who had lost the World Tree and become dark elves.
The process of climbing to the 20th floor to purify the corrupted World Tree.
And finally, planting the World Tree's seed and meeting them.
I laid it all out exactly as it happened.
A heavy silence filled the cave as my story continued.
The dwarves simply listened mutely.
When my tale finally ended, the dwarf king stroked his beard and spoke.
"What a... tragic story."
"Yes?"
It wasn't sarcasm.
His voice carried genuine solemn mourning.
I was a bit surprised by the unexpected reaction.
"We dwarves know well the pain of a race fading away, having endured it ourselves."
He truly pitied what had befallen the elves.
"For you to save them and restore their World Tree—truly a fortunate thing."
I doubted my ears. Fortunate? For real?
No way.
Seeing my puzzled expression, the king chuckled heartily.
"You're serious?"
"Of course! If those wretches had all vanished in such pitiful shape, who would we have left to smash skulls against and prove our greatness?"
"Ah, that kind of vibe?"
"Waaaaah!"
"Steel alone! Dwarves alone!"
At the king's shout, the surrounding dwarves slammed their war hammers on the ground in unison, cheering.
I quietly watched the scene.
They were a race I couldn't quite comprehend.
At that moment, a faint vibration came from my finger.
[Sandworm says it understands your confusion.]
[Sandworm reminisces that it once had kin similar to them in the past.]
‘Kin? You had subordinates?’
[Sandworm reminisces about its own days of similar glory.]
I chuckled at Sandworm's words.
Sandworm being worshipped by dwarves? Hard to picture.
But its next words were intriguing.
[Sandworm proposes that it can teach you how to win their favor.]