Main Quest #5: The First Wave
[Main Quest #4 completed.]
[Received 100,000 gold.]
[Progress increased.]
[Main Quest #5: The First Wave]
The plan to evacuate the dwarves was complete. Now it was time to move them to safety and face the first wave.
Objective: Protect the city from the first wave.
Rewards: 200,000 gold, 60,000 EXP, 5 stat points
*Current progress: 11%
The main quest wrapped up with Bollibo's agreement. After checking the details, Hanbit turned to him.
"Good thinking. No need to buy that cabin then—I'll just use it as is."
"Yeah, less hassle that way. But what are you planning to do with it?"
Bollibo pointed at the cabin and asked. Even on second thought, it was way too rundown to be practical.
"Nothing fancy. Just a place for the dwarves to live. Around a hundred of them, right?"
"...You're cramming a hundred into that? Wait, you're actually planning to house dwarves inside the city? Not just hiring them?"
"Something like that. Hang on a sec."
Hanbit gave a casual reply and headed back down to the hole-riddled basement.
Over there, yeah?
He landed lightly and made his way to the farthest corner. A wooden crate sat there. Crouching down, Hanbit rummaged inside.
"That's all junk down there. Stuff that won't even sell."
Bollibo poked his head over the edge and waved dismissively.
"This stuff's all imported from abroad, huh?"
"More like it came as unwanted baggage. Tiny merchant caravans bring it as 'gifts' to stay in our good graces."
Dealing in faulty luxury goods meant buyers everywhere—from other Republic cities to foreign lands. Not many caravans, but plenty tried to butter them up with bundles of crap.
Ah, found it.
Hanbit pulled out a glass vial filled with dark red granules and turned with a question.
"You deal on the black market too, I see?"
"B-black market? What nonsense!"
Bollibo denied it vehemently, but his face screamed busted.
"Don't worry. I'll keep it quiet while we're business partners."
"No, that's not..."
-Damn, he's screwed. lol
-Isn't that the strengthening agent?
-Yeah, the one Bares used?
-Anyone can use it;
-Side effect: lose your mind and go berserk.
Bollibo stammered in panic, unable to continue. No wonder—he'd been secretly shipping to the black market. Using reliable foreign caravans meant no traces left behind.
"How'd you... know about that?"
"This vial? It's a strengthening agent that only circulates on the black market."
"Strengthening agent?"
Hanbit shook the vial as he explained. The same stuff that turned Bares into a monster—a body enhancer made from monster corpses, impossible to trade legally.
"And this vial's even rarer. Made in the Holy Nation."
"Holy Nation? Did you just say Holy Nation?"
Bollibo's eyes bulged at those words. He waved his hands frantically and backed away.
"I-I don't know anything! I never meant to deal with the Holy Nation!"
"Who said anything about dealing? It's just a rare find on the black market."
Hanbit had no intention of pressing him. Even real Holy Nation ties meant nothing here.
"Come on out."
Hanbit stepped outside the shop. Night had fully fallen.
"See this on the bottom?"
"Huh?"
Hanbit flipped the vial, and Bollibo leaned in close.
A faint magical rune shimmered on the base.
"What's that? It wasn't there when I checked the goods."
"It's disguised, obviously. You can't get this outside the Holy Nation. Finding it on the black market is the real miracle."
"...You've had that this whole time?"
Astel, master craftsman of the Holy Nation. His works each had unique properties. This vial preserved anything perfectly—extremely useful.
"Wait, that's gotta be worth a fortune! Sell it now!"
"Holy Nation item, remember? Lucky to import it, but one wrong step and you're dead—execution."
"That's..."
Bollibo deflated at "execution." Caught red-handed? Instant death sentence.
He frowned, then asked glumly,
"What about you? I don't know why you got that golden bracelet, but it won't grant immunity."
"I'm fine. I got credit for busting a Holy Nation devotee in Edlen. Just say I found it there."
"You caught a devotee? Wait... you're that adventurer, Black Dragon?"
Bollibo had kept tabs on Edlen news. A big-shot adventurer showed up, but he never dreamed it'd be right in front of him.
"Anyway, I'm keeping this. Got it?"
"...If it leaks, leave my name out, yeah?"
"You're already an accomplice. Give up."
"Haa... How'd it come to this..."
Bollibo sighed deeply, full of regret. All self-inflicted, though—no sympathy there.
Hanbit stowed the vial in his inventory and turned toward the city gate.
"Let's go."
***
A short while later, Hanbit and Bollibo headed out the gate to the dwarf village.
"Me, tangled up with dwarves... The mayor finds out, and I'm toast."
"If you're that scared, how'd you fence all that junk?"
"That was all planned out! This? Total blindside!"
-Total J type, huh.
-Life's more P.
-Yeah, then improvise into disaster.
-You're C-ass, T aren't ya?
-Not how you use it lol;
Bollibo kept whining anxiously. Not entirely baseless—he thrived on plans and structure. Hanbit, though, could foresee the future like a compass.
"You're here!"
Avant-garde waited at the village entrance, eyes sparkling. Already locked on Bollibo.
"Jaeha's watching inside, right?"
"Yes! I'm better suited for perimeter watch, so we split duties!"
They handled roles perfectly without instructions. Handy allies.
"Anyway, care to explain that NPC? And what was that glass vial? Holy Nation craftsman? How do you even use that strengthening agent?"
Questions poured out like a dam burst. Inside, Kim Jaeha shook his head at the sight.
"He hangs with lunatics? Watch out for guys like that."
Bollibo asked cautiously, eyeing Avant-garde's fervor. Hanbit nodded and addressed them.
"I'll answer later. You two chat. I'm heading inside."
"Got it!"
"Wait, hold on...!"
-lmao
-Tossing Bollibo in.
-Bangga's in bliss.
-TMI bomb him for an hour.
Ignoring Bollibo's wail, Hanbit went to the village center's empty house. A fresh underground space lay beneath.
"Whew. Burned some real energy for once."
"Even in the mines, I never pushed like this!"
"Enough—clean up your side!"
Dwarves bustled inside, faces flushed, voices excited. Desperation for survival mixed with long-lost teamwork.
"Feels good to move like this again!"
Kudran followed, breathing hard like he'd been at it too.
"How's it going? On plan?"
Kim Jaeha climbed up from below to ask.
"Pretty much. How was the vibe?"
"Not bad. Started bickering, but focused up quick."
Jaeha had braced for issues, but it went smoother than expected.
Hanbit glanced inside—preparations complete as needed.
"Checked outside?"
"Patrolled at first. Dead quiet. Hard to see anyway."
The dwarf village at night relied on faint lamps—pitch black otherwise. Monsters? Good luck spotting them.
"Your company folks cleared this episode, right? How was it?"
"Saw the vid. First wave's a joke. Local NPCs and defenses handle it fine."
As discussed before, the first wave was easy. City guards, forces, and resident adventurers sufficed. Player meddling? Barely mattered.
"Point is, they aced it too well—first mistake. Safe block led to everything unraveling."
"...So we should've interfered? They'd boot us from the city."
"If it's obvious or caught? Yeah. That's why we're using a special method."
"Special method? What're you—"
Thud!
A sound cut through the talk. Their eyes turned to the dark forest beyond the village. Avant-garde's lamp caught wriggling shadows at the edge.
"Right on time."
Hanbit checked his watch, then drew the dark red vial from his pocket.
"...That agent—we're not eating it, right?"
"No."
Click. Hanbit unscrewed the lid.
Gazing at the forest shadows, he said,
"We're using it on those monsters."