Chapter 146
Chapter 146
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 146
Chapter Title: The Price of Mithril
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A month had passed since the inhuman races began their search for a new home.
They were satisfied with the environment of the Decartes Mountains and quickly settled in.
Though fierce battles with other monsters erupted even after they established their territories, there was now a sense of mutual recognition of their domains.
Still, the Decartes Mountains were always fraught with danger, but many problems were resolved as the spirits purified each race's territory.
For one, the undead monsters that appeared at night no longer approached, making the boundaries of their territories much clearer.
By the end of the month, a sense of ease could be seen among each race.
Most had settled down and were preparing for a stable life.
However, one race was not.
"Ready?"
At Wang-sik's words, Min Ha-na glared at the dwarven chieftain, Doloy, who stood beside him.
"Ahem. Isn't this for everyone's benefit? Once we secure the mithril, we'll craft the finest equipment for you, I promise!"
Hearing this, Min Ha-na swallowed the words she was about to say.
There was a reason for Min Ha-na's sensitive reaction.
It was because of the subjugation effort to find a home for the dwarves.
—We need to do some work to see what kind of minerals are here...
Min Ha-na had heard these words during the first subjugation.
After they defeated the monsters, the dwarves were satisfied with the abundance of iron ore but didn't choose it as their home.
—Just in case, we should check the other mines too.
In the end, they cleared all three candidate sites. The one they chose was the very first area they had subjugated.
Min Ha-na was annoyed but decided to let it go.
But then, the spirits, who had grown friendly with the dwarves, changed everything.
—Mithril? There's a mithril mine?
The spirits had belatedly informed them about a mithril mine.
An ore that didn't exist on Earth.
On the Azelan Continent, it was an ore under the special management of the Empire.
Naturally, the dwarves couldn't help but be excited.
—There are Iron Gargoyles.
It was a Tier 5 area, complete with guardian statues.
It was deemed too dangerous, but the dwarves were confident.
—Building fortresses is our specialty.
In the end, Wang-sik gave his permission, and a subjugation mission involving all of Mad Castle's combat personnel was decided.
"You'd better keep your promise."
"Of course! We'll forge the best equipment for you."
After receiving another firm promise from the dwarf, Min Ha-na sighed as the subjugation began.
The Tier 5 mithril mine.
The battle there was fierce.
The other inhuman races offered to help, but Wang-sik refused.
*'There could be casualties.'*
He judged it would be better to handle it decisively with his own team.
Taking on four Iron Gargoyles at once, each comparable to an S-rank boss monster, was no easy task.
*Rumble!*
The first gargoyle fell thirty minutes after the battle began.
Min Ha-na had thrown her flame spear five times, and Sa Seon-gi had driven his awl into the small crack that formed. Only after Wang-sik struck it several times with his shield to widen the crack could Min Ha-na finish it off with a Fire Burst.
They wouldn't have lasted without Gong Yeong-ji.
Still, after their first success, the battle picked up pace.
With the number of monsters charging from all sides reduced to three, they finally had some breathing room.
The gargoyles, capable of flight, were certainly difficult opponents, but Wang-sik's tanking ability was beyond imagination.
"Wow, my friend. You're pretty cool at times like this."
"Stay loyal."
"I am!"
Another gargoyle fell to a Fire Burst that Min Ha-na unleashed in a fit of irritation.
From then on, Wang-sik threw chains at the two remaining gargoyles and began to hold them off.
Thanks to him holding fast to the soaring gargoyles, their muscles bulging as if they would burst, Min Ha-na succeeded in bombarding them from the air. When one fell to the ground, Sa Seon-gi plunged a massive awl into its cracks.
As they finished off the remaining two, cheers erupted from somewhere nearby.
It was the dwarves, who had been waiting nearby with weapons in hand, keeping their word.
Among them, warriors from other races were also waiting, ready to provide support at any moment.
*'Still, they've changed a lot.'*
They knew Wang-sik's party was strong, but after witnessing a battle that showcased their peak abilities, they cheered with genuine admiration.
"Leave the rest to us now."
"Of course you will. I don't have the strength to help anymore."
As soon as the battle ended, Min Ha-na collapsed on the spot. Wang-sik, on the other hand, collected the black orbs that had dropped from the four gargoyles.
"I've never seen these before."
At first, he thought they were mana stones, but holding them in his hand, he realized they felt completely different.
"Those are gems called the Gargoyle's Atonement. They are the power that binds them to this place. A very rare gem that can be used to create artifacts."
Wang-sik didn't miss the glint in Doloy's eyes.
"We'll deal with these later."
Wang-sik pointedly stored the four gems in his inventory.
"Ha-na, let's go."
"Where?"
"We need to clear the inside too. We don't know what might be in there."
"Hoo, I guess we do."
Min Ha-na pushed her weary body to its feet.
Judging by the gargoyles' behavior, the inside was likely empty, but one could never be sure.
They moved again, heading into a naturally formed cave.
However, the result was not what they'd hoped for.
"It's a dungeon."
It wasn't a maze-type dungeon.
"Huh?"
Before he could fully assess the situation.
Wang-sik, feeling a strong vibration, shouted.
"Everyone, run!"
The team members reflexively fled the entrance and got outside. At the same time, the mine entrance collapsed, and something enormous pushed aside the debris and rose to its feet.
"Damn..."
A giant with a silvery body tinged with black.
"A Mithril Golem!"
The one who cried out in surprise was Doloy. Yet, despite the terror in his eyes, he was smiling.
The other dwarves had a similar reaction.
"The source of the vein!"
"What are you talking about?"
"A Mithril Golem only appears at the source of a mithril vein! That means this mine contains the purest, highest-quality mithril!"
"And the deposits?"
"The largest on the continent, of course!"
There was a reason for the appearance of both gargoyles and a Mithril Golem.
"Then we have to take it down. Everyone, fall back."
Wang-sik gave the order, but the inhuman races reacted strangely.
The finest warriors from each race stepped forward into the open area in front of the mine.
"Magic won't work on that thing."
This meant Min Ha-na, their main source of firepower, was neutralized.
In the end, it had to be dealt with through physical force, so the warriors had no choice but to step up.
"Alright. Let's make this a joint operation."
The Mithril Golem displayed its might, stretching its ten-meter-tall body, leaving no time for lengthy deliberation.
"Yeong-ji, get way back. Ha-na, protect her."
"Got it."
Wang-sik quickly issued his commands, and the battle preparations were complete.
A total of thirty warriors participated.
Among them was Aisi.
"Everyone, stay out of its range. When I give the signal, and only then, you all charge in, strike, and immediately retreat. If you disobey even once, you're out of the operation."
Without waiting for a reply, Wang-sik extended his chains toward the Mithril Golem.
Four chains shot out from his hands, binding the Mithril Golem's neck, both arms, and one ankle.
In a contest of strength, however, Wang-sik was bound to be overpowered.
Instead, he was dragged toward the Mithril Golem, and a massive fist came crashing down on him.
*Claaang!*
A tremendous shockwave erupted from the shield that blocked the punch. The warriors watching were stunned by the force.
Despite this, Wang-sik held his ground and wrapped the chains around it once more.
Enraged that a small human had withstood its attack, the Mithril Golem lifted its giant foot to stomp on Wang-sik.
*'Now.'*
The moment the Mithril Golem made its large movement, Wang-sik sent the signal. Aisi caught on and charged forward.
Aisi's action served as the signal, and the thirty warriors charged in unison, weapons raised.
*Thud!*
The instant the Mithril Golem's foot crashed down where Wang-sik had narrowly escaped, the thirty warriors struck it all at once.
"Retreat!"
As ordered, the warriors delivered their concentrated attack and then fell back.
So far, not even a scratch was visible.
"Prepare again!"
Wang-sik executed the plan with confidence.
This strategy placed the entire burden on him, but he didn't consider any other way.
*'It's the safest method.'*
Among the various possibilities, he chose the one that was safest for his allies.
"Let's see which one of us is tougher."
Though the situation was difficult, Wang-sik didn't waver in the slightest.
*'I can win this.'*
He wasn't simply choosing to sacrifice himself. He believed they could win this way.
After the first assault came a second, then a third.
The number of attacks grew one by one.
After more than twenty attacks, scratches began to appear on the Mithril Golem's once-impenetrable body.
From that point, the Mithril Golem's attack pattern changed.
"I know a thing or two about golems."
When the golem changed its pattern, Wang-sik didn't give the order to attack. He knew it was deliberately conserving its strength.
It was planning to counterattack when the assault team approached, but Wang-sik saw through it and focused on defense.
As the golem used less force, defending naturally became easier. Seizing the opportunity, Wang-sik charged toward the golem's legs.
*'Holy Strike!'*
*Crash!*
Wang-sik attacked for the first time. Focusing on a faint crack in its left leg, he sent fragments showering to the ground.
"There's no rule that says a tanker can't attack, right?"
The enraged Mithril Golem began to rampage.
It charged directly at the assault team. Wang-sik extended his chains from behind, bound it, and lowered his stance.
As the furious golem threw a punch with its full weight, Wang-sik sent the attack signal he had been holding back.
Perhaps because they had waited so long, the assault team charged in even more fiercely.
At the same time, they exposed some openings, but Sa Seon-gi immediately stepped in and pulled those in danger to safety.
Now feeling the impacts, the Mithril Golem continued its wild attacks, while Wang-sik, in contrast, grew calmer.
Thanks to this, opportunities to attack increased, and the Mithril Golem's wounds multiplied rapidly.
*Bang!*
Then, Wang-sik saw a large piece of ore break off from the Mithril Golem's side.
"Aisi, excellent work."
It was the result of Aisi focusing her attacks on a single spot.
"Ha-na!"
"About time you called me!"
Min Ha-na, who had been out of the fight, was already prepared. She plunged an immense lava spear she had created beforehand into the golem's side.
*BOOM!*
The lava spear pierced through the crack and exploded, blowing away half of the golem's torso.
Unable to support its own weight, the golem's body tilted to the side.
"One more!"
Red energy gathered in the crack, and another explosion erupted. The Mithril Golem's body was torn in half, its upper and lower body separating.
Cheers erupted from the onlookers, and Min Ha-na swore under her breath, clenching her fists.
But Wang-sik shouted loud enough to drown out the cheers.
"It's not over!"
They had to stay focused until the very end.
As long as its core remained, the Mithril Golem would not die.
As expected, the separated upper and lower halves began to move independently.
The lower half charged at Wang-sik, kicking, while the upper half crawled on its arms toward the assault team.
Everyone was startled by the bizarre sight, but Wang-sik bound both the off-balance upper and lower halves with his chains.
Just then, Sa Seon-gi leaped into the battlefield and gave Wang-sik a meaningful look.
—I'll take the lower half.
Understanding his intent, Wang-sik shifted his chains to the upper half.
Sa Seon-gi drew the lower half's attention by brushing past it, while Wang-sik tightly bound the upper half, creating an opportunity for the assault team.
"Find the core!"
Aisi, the first to grasp the plan, attacked the golem's shattered waist.
The goal was to exploit the weak point until the core was exposed. The others also understood and took turns attacking the same spot.
Before long, a black orb finally came into view.
"Everyone, back off!"
This time, the shout came from Min Ha-na.
Having conserved her strength for this very moment, Min Ha-na dropped another lava spear onto the golem's core.
*CRACK!*
Black smoke erupted in all directions, swallowing everything.
And when the smoke cleared,
the Mithril Golem was no longer moving.
After confirming with his own eyes that the core was shattered, Wang-sik finally lowered his shield and said,
"Battle over!"
His declaration was met with a thunderous roar of cheers.