“…Snow Drake?”
“…Snow Drake?”
-Huh?
-Legendary field boss ㄷㄷ
-Wasn't it the snow mountain field boss giant?
-Nah, Yeti's just elite.
-Legend records mention Snow Drake.
One legend from the antique quest. Long ago, a Snow Drake was supposedly discovered in Ifrit's snow mountains.
But the only boss-grade monster players uncovered was the snow mountain giant called the Yeti. Some folks hunted high and low for it anyway, but they came up empty-handed every time.
“That thing's a horrific monster.”
Gorik's face darkened as he continued in a voice laced with fear.
“It froze everything around it solid, and its roar stole my consciousness in an instant. I only realized I'd been hit after waking up from passing out.”
Gorik had slipped out of the dwarf village and headed into the familiar snow mountains. He'd misstepped into a crevasse, tumbled down, and ended up washing right into the Snow Drake's stronghold.
“So it really exists? Can we take it down?”
“Who knows. Taking it down might not be easy.”
“…If you say it's tough, how strong is that thing?”
Kang Hanbit's blunt words left Kim Jaeha unsettled. But beyond calling it “difficult,” nothing specific came to mind. True “subjugation” of a Snow Drake was just too steep a wall.
“Do you know its location?”
“The crevasse is blocked now, so not precisely. But if we scour the tallest peak in the snow mountains, we should find it. Once we're in the stronghold, I'll use my token to pinpoint the legacy's spot.”
-Huh?
-Location revealed?
-We're screwed.
-Emergency emergency.
-I'm going first~
The Snow Drake's lair had come to light all too casually. This intel would spread to other players like wildfire in seconds. But Kang Hanbit had no intention of rushing.
“Then let's head out tomorrow—no need to delay.”
“…You're not even afraid of death, are you?”
Gorik let out a sigh at the utterly nonchalant exchange. Considering the Snow Drake's danger level, it bordered on suicide. Of course, Kang Hanbit's response stayed true to form from the past.
“Just think of it as that important to Your Highness's power. Anyway, we're setting off tomorrow—back to the village for now.”
“No, not yet. We still need to prepare…”
“Prepare what? Let's go already.”
Kim Jaeha cut off Gorik's firm refusal and started shoving him toward the village like he was herding him along.
“Quit pushing! I've still got plenty to mull over before heading back!”
“Think about it on the way.”
The two bickered as they trudged on. It was a sight Kang Hanbit had never witnessed in his past loops.
-Check that hammer charisma.
-Straight outta a sitcom lol
-Nothing scarier than fondness gone sour.
“…Human chemistry?”
Kang Hanbit didn't know the details, but if they meshed well, it was a good sign. They'd end up as master and disciple, after all. Satisfied, he followed behind them.
*Ring-*
[Sub Quest #2 completed.]
[Sub Quest #3 unlocked.]
[Sub Quest #3]
Successfully negotiated with Gorik. Just one thing left: help him reclaim his lost royal power.
Objective: Help Gorik retrieve the dwarven legacy.
Reward: Sub quest settlement.
Straightforward sub quest details. Clearing this would make the episode a breeze by comparison. And if Kim Jaeha picked up smithing too, it'd knock out their biggest goal.
*Ring-*
Then another alert chimed in his ears. A message from Juyeonu.
He turned the screen and checked it.
「Roper」
「Bro, looks like folks are swarming over that dwarf smithing thing. Stay sharp.」
Same news Luna had sent just hours ago. It really hit home how fast the advance scout had relayed it.
“You're back!”
Returning to the village, the dwarves swarmed them.
“Your Highness! Hear us out, just once!”
“Yeah! There's a misunderstanding!”
“Truth is, back then we had no choice 'cause of money troubles…”
*Boom-!*
A massive thud shook the ground. Kudran, standing at the village entrance, slamming his hammer down.
“You gonna throw away the last shred of a smith's pride too?!”
He glared at the villagers with blazing eyes. Turning their backs on ancient craft traditions for quick cash was each person's choice. To Kudran—who'd shunned booze and revelry to hammer iron—they were all the same.
-That intensity ㄷㄷ
-But they had no choice, right?
-Bit over the top.
-Kinda hard to respect money-grubbers.
“Hoo.”
Gorik, watching them, let out a short sigh. These arguments had played out in the past too, but now was the time for change.
“Your hammers belong to no one else. Don't shove the blame or consequences onto others. I won't either.”
“……”
The dwarves fell silent at the prince's words. They struck too true—no rebuttals came to mind.
“Kudran, will you learn the royal craft too?”
Gorik asked the dwarf who'd always poured his heart into the craft. But Kudran shook his head.
“No way! I wanna climb to the top on my own effort!”
“Even learning it takes effort. It's just knowledge, after all.”
“I'm good! I can develop my own techniques!”
He declared his ambition with spirited resolve.
“…I see.”
Gorik gave a faint smile at the expected response. That iron will hadn't changed over time.
“Clear out the village. I'm setting up my workshop.”
With a commanding warning, Gorik turned and pointed at Kim Jaeha.
“You, follow me. Time to teach you.”
“Right now?”
“To master a craft, every day counts. Your level's obvious anyway.”
“…Harsh.”
The critique thrown right in front of the dwarves. Kim Jaeha shrugged and glanced at Kang Hanbit.
“Cool if I go?”
“Don't push yourself—log off whenever. I'm heading to bed soon anyway.”
“I'm fine. Don't wanna look like a joke to that old man.”
With a joking quip, he trailed after Gorik. No matter how you sliced it, they'd make an odd pair. Kang Hanbit had bonded with Gorik as master and disciple before, but they'd never really clicked. Somehow, Kim Jaeha seemed to vibe with him better.
“Then everyone, head inside the walls. The mayor approved it—no worries.”
“What? The mayor okayed it?”
“What're you talking about?”
The dwarves voiced their doubts at the news. As expected, Kang Hanbit relayed what had happened earlier.
“We're fixing the walls?”
“That's impossible!”
“Impossible? The prince is back!”
“Yeah! Everything's gonna be fine now!”
“You idiots! Even with blessings, skills neglected for years won't sharpen overnight!”
The dwarves' opinions clashed. None were outright wrong, but the premise was off. The dwarven legacy wasn't in Gorik's hands yet.
“I'll take responsibility, so head in for now. Get too noisy, and monsters might show up again.”
“What about Your Highness?”
“Workshop's underground—safe. Let's go.”
Kang Hanbit led the dwarves to the gate. The flustered guards let them through, having heard from the mayor.
“This is really happening… unreal…”
Bollibo scanned the stares, face pale as a ghost. City folk eyed the dwarves with a mix of disgust and suspicion.
-Those looks are terrifying;
-Disgust maxed
-How women look at me.
-Sir…
“Where we headed?”
“Not some filthy sewer, right?”
Worry seeped from a few voices. They knew all too well their reputation.
“This way.”
Kang Hanbit led them to the city's northern edge. At the rundown shack, the dwarves blankly inspected it.
“Huh?”
“Here…?”
The near-collapse hovel left them stunned.
“Haha! All on the brink of crumbling!”
Kudran just laughed heartily, amused.
Kang Hanbit stepped forward and addressed them all.
“Fix this place however you like.”
“…Fix it up?”
“Dwarves do that, right? Expand underground to surface as you please. Bollibo, you own the land around here too?”
“Huh?”
Bollibo flinched at the sudden callout. He hesitated, then nodded in defeat.
“…This whole area's mine.”
“Perfect. Haul in materials, help with whatever's needed. Or our deal's off…”
“Got it! I said got it!”
Bollibo tore at his hair, wailing. Shady as he seemed, he got the job done—results would follow.
“You mean make this our base?”
The elder, who'd watched the exchange with a complicated look since facing Gorik, spoke up.
“Easier on the mind than the city center, right? But time's short—do what you need by tomorrow.”
“…Understood.”
The elder nodded slowly. A spark of enthusiasm flickered in his eyes.
*Ring-*
[Main Quest #6 completed.]
[Progress increased.]
[Main Quest #7 continues after settling ongoing sub quests.]
*Current progress: 23%
The alert popped up at the conversation's tail end. The sub quest interleaving made sense—it threaded through the whole episode.
“See you tomorrow then.”
Leaving the dwarves already deep in discussions, Kang Hanbit stepped into the street. Avant-garde followed, checking his watch.
“Dawn already. Time flew.”
“Thanks for sticking it out late. I'll text tomorrow's login time.”
“I could pull all-nighters for days.”
“…Get some sleep. Thanks to viewers too—see you tomorrow.”
-Ryongba.
-Fucking awesome.
-Tomorrow's the real game, right?
-ㄷㄱㄷㄱ
The chat flew by at breakneck speed even now. Kang Hanbit gave final thanks and ended the stream.