Mask (1). The Alliance with the Dwarf

Dwarf joint operation, huh… Definitely, this proposal had nothing bad about it. Dwarves were a pretty excellent race. Unlike the average appearance, they had solid strength and agility. Short height and stubby limbs—except for that pathetic scrawny build—everything else was fine. “But we’re Korean, right?” That part wasn’t exactly heartwarming. Before anyone could even think twice, someone bolted forward.

Glasses girl. “Kyaaaah!” The troll’s club slammed straight into her face. Glasses girl had paid the price for thinking she could just run.

“No mercy for the runner!” Green-skins were all about battle. Except for the weakest goblin, they never refused a straight-up fight. Running or running headfirst? Worst choices possible. They lived for it.

“Ugh… ugh…” The leader and the glasses girl collapsed in a heap from one clean hit.

The Korean party fell into pure panic. Fear of death was already eating their bodies alive. They shivered and only watched the trolls’ every move.

Somehow, the trolls refused to kill them on the spot. Instead they just toyed with them.

Clang! The dwarf was slowly being pushed back. Couldn’t help it—racial differences were a bitch.

“Khehehe, this battle is rare! Finally something worth my time!” The troll roared. Even with all the cuts, its overwhelming recovery power kept it pushing the dwarf back.

Some of the wounds hadn’t even closed yet—body had to be draining a lot of energy.

“…Human!” The dwarf was at his limit now. He’d survived this long; it was pure willpower.

By pure skill, the dwarf should’ve been way stronger than the troll. The matchup was just trash because of racial advantages. Nothing else.

I glanced at Yoo Dahui. She was staring at the battlefield with serious, analytical eyes—like she was plotting every move. That serious face shouldn’t look stupid at all, yet here she was analyzing like a genius.

“Okay.” She matched my height perfectly. Muscular as hell, built like a tank. Probability of winning wasn’t great, but running was stupid. I was faster.

I grabbed my sword and shield and sprinted toward the dwarf.

“Don’t interrupt the holy battle!” A troll guarding the Korean party swung its club at me. It was faster than I thought.

I slammed my shield up, but I couldn’t block everything. “Kgh!” Pain flooded in heavy. I almost blacked out.

If I hadn’t stolen that strength from the anchovy, I would’ve been rolling in the dirt like the leader and glasses girl.

“Dwarf!” The troll that had been hammering the dwarf turned its axe on me.

“Human, you want to die that badly?!” The troll came down with the axe. That swing would’ve ended me instantly—no pain, just oblivion.

“Kim Jinwu!” Yoo Dahui yelled as she rushed in behind me. I ignored her and rolled sideways to dodge the axe.

My torso-sized weapon sliced empty air. Whoosh—sharp sound sliced right past my ear. I knew I’d regress even if I died, but I still felt like pissing myself right then.

“Kim Jinwu! What the hell are you thinking, jumping in like that?! What about after death…?!” Yoo Dahui spun in place, gripping her shield tight. Now it was three-on-one against the troll in front of us.

“Khhahaha! Come ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠on! Come at me! I’m the strongest warrior—Gargash!” The axe-troll roared and charged. Its advance was so intimidating I could feel its palm shaking.

“Huu…” I can win. I can win. Suddenly a memory flashed— Yoo Dahui getting hit by the axe, the troll laughing behind her. The holy power coiled inside me surged. White energy gathered in my left arm following my will.

Ring! [Player ‘Poreng’ is strengthening ‘Crude Shield’.]

The white light that had been on the dwarf’s hammer vanished instantly. The weapon lost its glow.

That fading light seeped straight into my shield.

My shield had been upgraded. The gap between 1★ and 2★ was insane. I suddenly felt unbreakable.

“Die!” I blocked the troll’s axe with my shield. A completely different feeling washed over my whole body.

“Fuck, this hurts like hell…” The other trolls guarding the Korean party were nowhere near as strong as the axe-troll. Impossible to compare. Even with the upgrade the shield felt heavy, but I could actually hold it.

“Holy power…? Are you a paladin? I’ve never seen that kind of armor.”

“I only know how to use holy power…” The dwarf muttered, swinging his hammer to smash the troll’s knee.

The troll didn’t dodge and kept attacking. Reckless fighting based on pure recovery.

“Human paladin!”

“Aaaah!” The dwarf shouted. He wanted me to block the axe. That upgrade was for exactly this role-sharing, huh? Damn, that was smooth.

“Since it came to this…” I dropped the sword, caught the axe with both hands on the shield, and handed it to Yoo Dahui.

“Fuck, this feels solid!” Right arm 1★, left arm 2★. The 2★ was way tougher and steadier. Poreng’s skill had done it.

“Kyaaaah!”

“Just fight! Fight like you mean it!” Behind us it was a hopeless 2-on-5 battle, but we were swinging with everything we had. The system gave us courage. Unlike games, death was real here.

“Dropping the sword? Fine. That shield? I’ll just smash it to pieces!” The troll swung the axe like chopping firewood with both hands, then brought it down in a mad frenzy.

“I’ll smash it too!” Poreng threw his shield away, grabbed the hammer two-handed, and started smashing the troll’s lower body.

This wasn’t even a life-or-death fight anymore—it was just savage.

“Uaaaaaah!”

“Hammer’s coming!” At some point Poreng’s hammer started glowing dark green. My crude shield had fallen back to pathetic 1★.

I moved the holy power to my right arm.

“O… it’s actually fine?” My left arm, abused for so long, felt almost normal. The holy power support was seriously broken.

“Swoop—!”

“Kyah! These bastards…! Dwarf, I’ll kill you!”

“This is for my friends!” Poreng’s effort finally paid off. He smashed through the troll’s recovery and broke its waist.

The troll staggered and dropped to its knees.

“Dahui!” I took the sword and stabbed straight through the troll’s chest with all my strength. The blade went in smoothly. Its tough life was finally running out.

“Human… Dwarf…” It spat blood, eyes swirling red as it glared at us. Even in death its killing intent was terrifying.

“Just die already, you bastard!” I didn’t stop. If I stopped, I’d be the one lying there. Poreng kept hammering.

At some point the troll stopped twitching. All reaction gone.

“Gargash!” Two more trolls charged toward us. The Korean party was wiped out, and these two trolls were still way too healthy.

Right after the axe-troll died, the rewards hit me. Strong monster confirmed. The reward numbers weren’t joking.

“Two skills leveling up at once… I’d say I was lucky if even one did.”

“Human paladin. Still up for more fighting?” Poreng muttered with that same stern face.

I nodded at him.

Poreng pointed at Yoo Dahui and yelled, “Hey, seed-receiver! Use your legs and help the human paladin!”

“What? Seed-receiver?” Yoo Dahui’s face turned beet red with rage. Modern society had never heard that term.

“I’ll take one of them. Human paladin! Deal with my seed-receiver together!”

Poreng didn’t even listen. He charged out with pure rage from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠losing a friend.

“Even a dwarf dares kill Gargash…!”

“I’ll send you right next to him!” Poreng barreled into the troll ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like a little kid charging an adult. Just raw courage.

Thud! Hammer versus club. The king of blunt weapons.

“Whoa… he’s good…” A sigh of admiration slipped out from watching two men fight with minimum dodging.

“Then if I just kill one…” My skill levels had gone up, so I had nothing to fear.

“Human! I’ll turn you into my buddies too!” Green-skins never refused a straight fight. They loved one-on-one too much.

“Dahui. Be careful, put the shield up.” The troll was slamming forward like thunder.

I handed the last shield to Yoo Dahui.

“Tough Skin” had just leveled up one, so her version was more efficient now. But why wasn’t she taking it?

“Yoo Dahui…?”

Yoo Dahui was glaring at the dwarf, suppressing her anger. Her clenched fists were shaking.