42. The King's Legacy (3)
"You fools! Riding human Gigants? We dwarves?!"
I offered my final heart. I sacrificed my lifelong comrade and the king's symbol, the Thunder Golem Ahri Man, to ensure my descendants could evacuate safely. There was only one reason.
Hope!
"As long as even one dwarf survives, we have not lost."
"Never lose the dwarven pride until the end!"
Those were the only words I entrusted to the dwarves fleeing the kingdom on the brink of death.
Yet why had my descendants fallen so low? Why had they failed to inherit the great legacy of their ancestors? Greater than the hatred and thirst for revenge against the dragons who doomed the kingdom and turned their homeland barren was my resentment toward these honorless descendants.
Dwarves do not reclaim honor through castles, territories, or axes. Only through an unyielding, steadfast heart! A resilient spirit.
That was why I believed the kingdom would endure eternally as long as even one dwarf survived.
And yet...
"Uwaaaah!"
Wayne's heart pounded like it would burst as he ran. Rage filled his chest right now.
He would rush over and berate the descendants! A dwarf who lost their pride was no longer a dwarf!
- Grrr! Grrr!
'What?'
The moment Eleven growled and red Odd enveloped Wayne's body, his mind snapped clear. Wayne halted in place.
'I've gotten too immersed in King Bras's memories!'
Like Eleven's signal, he was overly excited right now. He needed to calm himself. No, empty his mind.
Thinking calmly, back when he'd killed Cassnet and become the marquis's youngest son, he'd only had John Conner's memories. Then, following Snow to subjugate orcs, he'd gained the memories and experiences of King Karian from the Lava Cave, feeling like the true King Karian. Thanks to that, he'd acquired ancient Odd techniques.
And when he'd absorbed the monster's red Odd and memories in Adam's office, he'd immersed himself in the monster's abilities and recollections, to the point of wanting to charge blindly into the Great Forest. And he had.
Finally, finding the ancient dwarf kingdom in the barren lands and acquiring King Bras's Odd had made him feel like the real Bras. He'd come straight to the Estel front lines just hearing dwarves were here.
'There are too many memories and experiences inside me!'
Since they were all real, he empathized and sank into them without even realizing it. Just moments ago, on the way to meet the dwarves, King Bras's emotions had surged, making him think and rage just like the king.
'This is a problem...'
His current situation was already complicated, and there was no guarantee more memories and experiences from other beings wouldn't enter him in the future. Especially hunting monsters in the Great Forest often meant absorbing their Odd and experiences, and just as King Karian's and King Bras's memories lingered, the ancient elf queen's memories might too—and he'd have to absorb those as well.
So he needed something to anchor his emotions. If he got too immersed in others' memories, he might make mistakes.
'Can I use John Conner as the emotional anchor?'
For now, living as Wayne made sense with Wayne Stein at the center, but the real Wayne was dead—his essence and body belonged to John Conner. John had endured 13 years of beatings from Cassnet, and in that moment of death, he'd recalled his reincarnation, killed Cassnet, and barely escaped crisis.
Come to think of it, that wasn't John's thinking. It was Han Sang-tae's. Without his past life's self as Han Sang-tae, the lowly servant John could never have had such thoughts or resolve in a lifetime.
Then wouldn't Han Sang-tae be the easiest anchor? The 38-year-old eternal bachelor, perennial middle manager, salesman salaryman Han Sang-tae. The true self who could observe all the experiences and beings inside him from one step back.
He had no abilities of his own, but he could borrow others', so what did it matter? No—precisely because he lacked abilities, borrowing them wouldn't drag him into emotional turmoil.
Instantly, his mind cooled, and memories of Han Sang-tae's grueling past life surfaced.
'Damn, a bit depressing?'
But he wasn't reliving that past life. Besides, he had no ties to this world. So he wouldn't get swept up in this world's relationships, grudges, or emotions.
And living as Wayne Stein was no issue. It was the name he'd chosen, after all.
So from now on, he just needed to live strictly by Han Sang-tae's thinking as the standard.
With his mind settled, Wayne started moving again.
Eleven was already watching the dwarves' meeting from their temporary corridor. Now that they were greatly flustered was the perfect time to persuade them.
Hundreds of dwarves gathered and murmuring made the massive underground corridor buzz.
"Brock, you're saying a human altered the flow of the earth?"
"Yes, Chief Yulih!"
"You expect me to believe that?"
"If I hadn't seen it myself, I wouldn't believe it either."
The other warriors couldn't believe it either. But Brock was a great warrior who never lied. Strong enough to face nine orcs alone, the dwarves respected him and believed without doubt he'd be the next chieftain.
"And that human has the King's Hammer."
"The King's Hammer...? Impossible!"
The dwarves began whispering. It was an item from legends only. No one had seen it firsthand—just tales passed mouth-to-mouth, depicted in drawings and ancestors' murals.
"I've heard about it since childhood. Seen it in murals, books, and the ancestors' temple. It matched exactly the image and size engraved on the temple floor—Yol Das."
"This can't be! The King's Hammer Axe is no longer passed down!"
"I saw it clearly!"
A human using dwarf magic was absurd enough, but the King's Hammer appearing like legend to dwarves without a king was even more shocking.
"Chief Yulih! The ancestors' legends say when Yol Das returns to the world, our dwarf king will return."
"You saying a human is our king now?"
"No, it means Yol Das has appeared, so we dwarves must unite and elect a new king!"
"But the king is the one who commands the Thunder Golem. Even if that's real Yol Das, we don't have Ahri Man."
Yulih's head throbbed. They'd captured a Gigant yesterday but couldn't pilot it. He'd thought his own Odd would let him board immediately. But he couldn't even open the massive entrance.
In the midst of that, the sudden appearance of the King's Hammer and a human using dwarf magic made the chieftain's head ache worse.
Then Priest Huldra stepped forward.
"Chief Yulih! This is an opportunity!"
"What do you mean?"
"If it's the King's Hammer, we must take it."
"...?"
"It's an ancestral relic and the king's symbol. If our clan possesses it, we can stand above other clans, unite them, and form one dwarf kingdom."
"Unite the dwarves into one...?"
Hearing Huldra, Chieftain Yulih's mind cleared instantly. Perhaps the ancestor gods had sent Yol Das to him to unite the dwarves.
"Yes! The priest is right! No matter the sacrifice, we must retrieve the King's Hammer!"
"Valhalla!"
The dwarf warriors raised axes and hammers, roaring in cheers.
"A human!"
"A human's come in!"
Dwarves in the back shouted.
And one human emerged with a gray wolf, holding the King's Hammer high!
"Th-that's Yol Das!"
"Ooh! The real King's Hammer!"
Seeing the blue Odd membrane emanating from Yol Das, the dwarves dared not block and parted left and right. Thanks to that, Wayne strolled leisurely through hundreds of dwarves straight to the chieftain.
"Seems you were all talking about me."
Wayne brimmed with composure amid the dwarves' sturdy auras.
"Entering here barehanded without a Gigant? Mad human!"
Great Warrior Brock drew a massive axe from his back that could split an orc's skull in one blow.
"Grrrrr!"
Eleven stepped forward, baring teeth and growling. To protect his master.
Then intense red Odd Eyes burst from Eleven's eyes, startling even the great warrior.
"Whoa, whoa! Easy, Eleven!"
At Wayne's words, Eleven retreated. Wayne stroked his scruff to calm him.
"I'm not here to fight. Everyone, relax!"
Hundreds of warriors holding breath over one human and one wolf—if it were King Bras, he'd have bellowed and broken the dwarf chieftain's legs already. But Wayne was anchoring with Han Sang-tae's emotions now.
"Human! Did you come to give us Yol Das?"
For some reason, Chieftain Yulih asked.
"Before I explain my purpose, let me introduce myself first."
Wayne continued calmly.
"I am the one inheriting the great ancestors' legacy! Wayne Stein. Right now, the soul of your ancestor and the last Dwarf King Bras resides within me!"
"What?"
"The human's insane!"
The dwarves wore bewildered, incredulous expressions.
Dwarves revered ancestor gods. Wayne figured this beat saying "I am King Bras!" and beating them all.
Then Chieftain Yulih shouted.
"Nonsense! How could a great ancestor's soul enter a human body?!"
"Right! Kill this mad human now!"
"Kill him!"
The dwarves' mood turned murderous, ready to swing hammers and hurl sharp axes.
At that moment, Wayne slammed Yol Das's head into the ground.
Boom!
Whiiiiiing!
Odd energy spread across the floor, whipping up underground winds and shaking the earth violently.
"Eek! The ground's shaking!"
The excited dwarves toppled en masse, the floor cracked like an earthquake.
They all stared at Wayne in shock.
Wayne scattered Odd everywhere and shouted.
"Then explain! How I just used dwarf magic! And how I found the King's Hammer!"
"......?"
Overwhelmed by Wayne's power, the dwarves couldn't speak. Neither chieftain nor great warrior could shift earth's flow on this scale instantly. A young-looking human doing it made them think perhaps the dwarf king's soul truly resided in him.
"Don't you know why the ancestors' soul entered a dwarf-less human? It's all because you lost your pride!"
"What do you mean? We dwarves are honorable."
Wayne smirked at Yulih's words.
"So you tried stealing and riding a human Gigant? Abandoning your ancestors' legacy?"
Yulih flinched. Great Warrior Brock tried to retort but stayed silent, recalling the humiliation from Estel Kingdom's Magic Knights earlier.
Dwarves didn't endure humiliation. That betrayed heart and self. They mustn't lose pride even in death, yet they'd endured due to weakness. Their ancestral legacy golems had long vanished in practice. So they couldn't refute Wayne.
"I'm not here to scold you. I'm here to deliver your ancestors' legacy."
"How?"
Priest Huldra stepped forward.
"How? I heard from previous priests. Long ago, our king fell asleep. Our ancestors fled chaos, wandering seas and islands for decades. Returned to the continent, spent decades in deserts, centuries in wastelands. Do you know that arduous life? We survived that long darkness. But as you say, we lost the ancestors' legacy on that journey. So how now do you claim to restore it?"
"I'll say it again. I am the one inheriting the ancestors' legacy! I'll restore it—and your pride—to you."
Yulih asked gravely.
"You want us to serve a human as king?"
"No! The dwarf king raises the Thunder Golem, so cooperate with me until the true king emerges. And if my actions dishonor dwarves, leave without mercy."
Wayne—Han Sang-tae—thought: Even with King Bras's experiences and memories, he couldn't demand blind loyalty from dwarves. He was human, not dwarf. But teach them dwarf Odd and build ancestral golems, and they'd follow. Crucially, he knew how to make the Thunder Golem Ahri Man.
"How do we know he has the true ancestral legacy?"
"Yeah! How believe without seeing?"
The dwarves wanted the legacy but doubted Wayne. They might trust a dwarf, but not the humans who'd driven them to the mountains.
Chieftain and priest acknowledged his power but deemed finding the legacy impossible.
As dwarves murmured in suspicion peaking, it was time for a powerful demonstration.
'Climax time!'
Wayne raised the King's Hammer Yol Das high.
"Behold!"
The dwarves looked at the King's Hammer at his shout.
"Yes! Witness the great ancestors' legacy!"
"......?"
Groooan!Screeech!Grind!
Then the massive Steel Golem lying behind flashed blue eyes and rose.
"The Gigant stands!"
"How? No Magic Knight in that Gigant!"
All were aghast.
The Steel Golem slammed its sword down.
Kuwaaang!
The sword tip gouged the earth, fierce winds whipping the underground cavern. The Steel Golem held its massive sword two-handed, standing behind Wayne.
"Behold! This is no Gigant! It's the ancestors' legacy—the Steel Golem!"
"Is that really the legendary golem?"
"Heavens! Bigger than a Gigant!"
Dwarves gaped in shock.
"In the past, dwarf warriors brought these Steel Golems to battlefields. They never yielded to Gigants or Magic Knights, uniting to hunt Great Forest monsters! What say you, warriors? Will you reclaim dwarven pride with me?"
Wayne thrust Yol Das forward. The Steel Golem swung its massive sword over the dwarves' heads.
Whoosh! Whoooosh! Kwaang! Boom!
The huge sword embedding in the wall punched a hole, shattering rock in one strike. Each step shook the entire cavern.
The dwarves shuddered at its immense, sturdy form.
The priest shouted first.
"Ooh! He possesses the ancestors' legacy!"
"Dwarves are strong!"
"Valhalla!"
"Waaaaah! Wayne wielding the King's Hammer, using dwarf magic! And the ancestors' legacy Steel Golem too!"
The dwarves cheered. This was the power of staging. Beating and threatening with the Steel Golem from the start wouldn't have worked on all. Even the chieftain and great warrior agreed to cooperate actively until learning Steel Golem creation and use—dreaming of a new dwarf king...
Wayne scattered red Odd, roughly gauging the number of dwarves here.
'About a light thousand for now...'