Preparations in the Depths
Hanbit headed to the rundown cabin at the northern edge of the city with the two men in tow. Bollibo was dozing in a chair by the entrance.
"What're you doing?"
"Ugh!"
Thud! When Hanbit tapped his shoulder, Bollibo jolted awake and tumbled to the ground. Flailing around, he spotted Hanbit's face.
"Why'd you take so long!" Bollibo jumped to his feet and shouted in a frantic voice. It was an odd reaction.
"What's wrong?"
"The guild master came by to inspect the place! He stared right into my eyes and asked, 'So you were the original owner here?'"
"...Jinook?"
Hearing the sudden news, Hanbit paused to think. This was a situation that had never happened in his past memories. But variables cropping up was only natural, all things considered. His current moves were a bold new challenge from the start.
"What'd the inspection turn up?"
"He didn't say a word. Not even after checking out the dwarves inside! What kind of punishment is he planning..."
From what Bollibo described, Jinook had quietly scoped out the interior and left. No warnings, no outbursts of anger—just gone. For a trembling Bollibo, that silence probably felt more ominous than anything.
'The shock must've hit him hard.'
During the monster wave, the biggest emotion Jinook had felt was powerlessness. Monsters beyond his strength to stop. For someone as brimming with confidence and pride as him, the blow would've been massive. And knowing Jinook, he'd channel that anger into building his skills.
"Mr. Zenon, heard anything?"
"I did hear the guild master's searching the forests around Ifrite. Heading northeast where the monsters appeared."
"Yeah?"
Zenon's info matched Hanbit's memories perfectly. Investigating the monster wave's cause and the surrounding changes. That was the order from his sister, the mayor.
'Gotta move fast for now.'
Jinook's probe could spawn more variables. With some predictable ones in play, the priority was rushing preparations.
"Let's head in. You too."
"Wait, what about the guild master? Am I okay? If something goes wrong..."
"Eek!"
Hanbit shoved the flustered Bollibo's back, ushering him inside. The basement had been transformed into a new space.
"Unique structure."
"The dwarves handled it themselves. The lower level's for living quarters..."
Hanbit's words trailed off as they descended the stairs. The space before him was nothing like yesterday.
'Damn, they're fast.'
The rough basement he'd last seen was gone. Now, it was all classic dwarven castle vibes, seamlessly blended.
"You've arrived!"
As Hanbit stared in surprise, Kudran appeared, a tool bag slung at his waist.
"You did all this since then?"
"Just loosening up our hands and reviving old memories together! Hope His Highness approves!"
-Cool af;
-These dwarves?
-They nail it when they try...
-This without blessings?
-Different from gear-making tho.
-Lets switch to architects.
The dwarves who'd lived in the village for years had only done menial labor and grunt work. For wall repairs and such, they needed to shake off the rust first.
"Looks good. Bring the other two."
Hanbit messaged Kim Jaeha: Come with Gorik, somehow.
"We should talk somewhere. Where do we wait?"
"Ah, the parlor's this way!"
Kudran led them eagerly. They'd arrived at basement level 2.
"How many floors you planning?"
"Two for now. I'd love to recreate the old castle exactly, though."
"...That was eight floors, right?"
"How'd you know?"
"Think I heard from His Majesty."
Arriving at level 2 amid talk of grand plans, Hanbit entered the parlor with the others. Kim Jaeha and Gorik showed up about ten minutes later.
"What a pointless endeavor."
Gorik grumbled from across the table, eyeing the familiar underground scene.
Kim Jaeha spoke up like a translator.
"He says he likes it."
"When did I say that?"
"You were muttering approvals earlier?"
"Hmph. They didn't capture our traditions right. That pillar's angle and groove depth..."
Gorik pointed around, critiquing. That reaction alone screamed approval. A pretty-but-flawed build would've sent him storming out.
'They're getting closer.'
Gorik nitpicking like a stubborn craftsman, Jaeha taking it in stride. They looked like master and apprentice who'd worked together for years.
"Sorry! We'll make it perfect!"
"We'll give it our all!"
"......"
The dwarves listening apologized and vowed resolve. But the prince stayed silent.
'Still too soon.'
Gorik screaming villagers' names amid the monster-ravaged town—that raw heart was separate from the heavy shadows of the past. Emotional bridges needed time and effort.
"Wasn't the dwarf prince supposed to have vanished?"
Zenon, who'd been quiet, piped up. The prince who'd disappeared from Ifrite matched his memory perfectly.
"Why's a human adventurer here?"
Gorik bristled too. Ifrite folk were still suspects to him.
"Better to explain all at once. Here's the rundown."
With questions piling up, Hanbit laid it all out. Dwarf legacy to monster wave—barely holding anything back.
"This... I never saw it coming."
Zenon looked grave when Hanbit finished. After a moment's thought, he faced him.
"So, to fend off threats to Ifrite, you need the dwarf legacy? And subjugating the snowfield lord's for that too?"
"Retrieving the legacy comes first, not subjugation. You noticed the wave was off, right Mr. Zenon?"
"...Didn't seem like pure instinct. That troll acting like an undead was weird, but multiple species hitting at once? Not normal."
Zenon nodded—it was unprecedented. Not monsters stumbling in together, but coordinated strikes.
'Sharp eyes as always.'
Zenon had the best observation and judgment in Ifrite. No one else would've caught that anomaly. Way better tactician than Jinook, whose stats skewed pure combat.
"I think the next wave'll be way worse. Glass walls won't cut it."
"The walls... yeah."
Zenon got it without hand-holding. But practical hurdles remained.
"I get reclaiming dwarf tech. But hunting the snowfield lord—who knows how long that'll take."
"No sightings on record?"
"One from 200 years back, but reliability's crap."
-200 years whoa
-Maybe it never existed?
-Until you see it, it don't.
-Schrodinger's field boss;
-Gorik crying.
Like Zenon said, the snowfield lord—Snow Drake—had never shown itself. But that was just surface level. It breathed deep in the snowfields always.
"I saw it with my own eyes. Fled for my life, but I got a clear look at that white giant!"
Gorik stood, voice rising. No one doubted him yet—it was a plea of truth.
"It's definitely there. If it'd been slain, the snowfields would've changed. Key is how this monster mess impacts..."
"Ah."
Kim Jaeha frowned beside him. Hanbit turned—Jaeha was messaging, then forwarded one.
Ding!
「Taeyul Corp - Dept Head Ihojung」
「Hey, you bastard. Time's up ages ago—get your ass here?」
Hanbit checked the clock. Appointment overdue. But rushing? Nah.
"Ignore it. Finish here first."
"Got it."
Jaeha nodded calmly. Hanbit turned back to the group.
"Anyway, find the snowfield lord, reclaim the legacy. That's the goal. Details as we go."
"If you've got tactics planned, bring more hands? Wider options."
Zenon suggested smartly. Made sense, but adding NPCs now was iffy.
"Guild master's out investigating, so top adventurers are moving too?"
"Yes. Plenty back by afternoon."
"Afternoon's too late. I'll handle reinforcements—trust me."
"Got a party in mind. More stability's great."
Zenon nodded approvingly. Taeyul Corp party counted as reinforcements, sorta.
"Next: prep list here. Your Highness, for city defense, what do you need?"
"...Just monsters?"
"Focus on monsters. I'll sort the rest."
"Hm."
Gorik stroked his chin at Hanbit's question, then continued sourly.
"Without swapping those damn walls, it'll take heavy labor. Weapons, magic tools too. Materials won't be cheap."
"Fine. List what you need here."
Hanbit pulled out huge parchment and handed it over. Table-filling size.
"You sure?"
"Of course."
"...Fine. All of it."
Gorik nodded grimly, quill in hand. Thirty minutes later, it was crammed full.
"Depends on situation, but this'll do for now."
Gorik finished, setting the quill down. Zenon's inputs bulked it up beyond memory.
Hanbit eyed wide-mouthed Bollibo.
"You know what to do?"
"Y-you want me to get all this?"
"Fast as possible. Bill me if it goes well."
"...For real?"
"Why'd I lie? Be late, though, and forget it."
"Hmph. Who you take me for."
Bonus pay flipped Bollibo's attitude. He grabbed the parchment and stood.
"Oh, Kudran—help Bollibo with the other dwarves."
"Got it!"
Kudran nodded and left with Bollibo. Hanbit rose too.
"Time for us to head out."