Chapter 41
I chose the ‘Dwarves of Stone’.
The effect of that choice was immediate.
“Ooooh! Rock! The Rock God has blessed us!”
One of the dwarves shouted, eyes wide open.
The stout dwarf acted like I had always been on their side.
“Kehahaha! Look at this! You vile elves! Even the heavens favor us!”
“…Tch!”
One of the elves clicked their tongue and aimed their bow at me.
Thwip!
Then they loosed an arrow.
“Gasp!”
I quickly drew my staff and deflected the arrow to the side.
It flew past and stuck into the ground.
Bone Five’s Air Shield was protecting me, but I also had a body trained well enough to handle things on my own.
An attack from a low-level elf like this wasn’t hard to dodge.
“Whew, they attacked right away? Well, I’m glad the sides are clearly defined.”
Was it because of affinity?
The dwarves were friendly to me, and the elves were hostile.
That made things easier.
No need to explain the reasons behind the fight.
“Sunny.”
“Yes, my liege.”
“Take care of them. Don’t kill—just drive them out.”
Even though I chose the dwarves, I had to be cautious.
[Help one of the two races and resolve the conflict.]
It clearly said to help one race.
But I couldn’t be fixated on that wording alone.
The real purpose of this stage was to resolve the conflict.
If I just started killing recklessly, I wouldn’t be solving anything—just creating more problems.
“I accept your command.”
Sunny understood exactly what I meant.
He began to control the skeletons, subtly driving out the elves.
Whoosh! Flash!
Sunny vigorously swung his spear.
Crack! Crunch!
Each swing split massive trees.
The ground was torn apart.
“H-How can this be?”
“He’s strong!”
The power radiating from Sunny’s spear was enough to strike fear into the elves.
“A neutral race?”
“Seems like it? I’ve never seen that kind before! And that scent of the dead…! Did the dwarves start dabbling in dark magic or something?”
“Retreat for now! Report to command!”
Ssst!
One by one, the elves disappeared from view.
I could’ve killed them all if I wanted.
“Nice, Sunny.”
But I didn’t bother.
As I stood there watching the fleeing elves with ease—
“Whoever you are, thank you for your help.”
The dwarf who shouted earlier approached and bowed slightly.
“I am Dagnard, warrior of the Rock Tribe. I will never forget this debt.”
Behind Dagnard, the surviving dwarves began to peek out one by one.
I smiled and bowed my head in return.
“It was nothing.”
“Haha, nothing you say? Do you know how dangerous it is to choose one of the two races in this world?”
“Excuse me?”
I tilted my head.
This dwarf—
He was speaking as if he already knew I had chosen them.
No, more than that…
“Are there other races living here too?”
“Huh? Why do you look so clueless? Like you just dropped from the sky or something.”
“……”
Yes.
I think I did just drop from the sky.
I blinked, and Dagnard let out a shallow sigh.
“Sigh, you must’ve been holed up in some remote place for a long time.”
“…That’s right.”
“Hmm… There are many races living in these forests and lands. Some are as bizarre-looking as you.”
“I see.”
No wonder they didn’t seem that unsettled by my presence.
That’s why those elves earlier asked, [A neutral race?]
“But among all those races, none of them ever side with the forest or rock tribes. Even when they witness these battles, they don’t interfere.”
“Why is that?”
“Because every single race that intervened… has been wiped out.”
“……”
Wiped out.
As in, the race no longer exists.
“That’s why I’m grateful to you. For taking the risk and choosing us, the Rock Tribe. For trusting us.”
“I-Is that so?”
Well, I just followed the quest.
If I hadn’t chosen, the penalty was death anyway.
“Hoho, and who are you, my benefactor? I haven’t even asked your name yet.”
Dagnard reached out his rough hand.
“Ah, I’m Joo Donghoon.”
I lowered my staff and shook his hand.
“Joo Donghoon? A fine name.”
“Dagnard is a cool name too.”
“Kehaha, is that so? Well then, Joo Donghoon. As a warrior of the Rock Tribe, I would like to escort my benefactor to our tribe’s city. Would that be alright?”
“The city?”
“Yes, the City of Rock—Titan. Known as the city of minerals and stone.”
Minerals! And stone?
Damn, that’s a phrase no production class can ignore.
There was no need to hesitate.
Let’s go first. Think later!
“Sounds good to me.”
I grinned and nodded.
—
A hidden city behind the rocky region.
Nestled like a basin within a massive rocky mountain, this settlement was called Titan! Also known as the holy land of dwarves.
“Ooh.”
I looked around in awe.
The kind of rocky landscape you’d see in movies filled my vision with wonder.
“My liege, this view is deeply moving.”
If I felt this way…
I could only imagine how Sunny, who was just starting to discover the world, must feel.
“Hey, look at them! Outsiders!”
“They smell like rock!”
“Don’t tell me they chose our tribe?”
“It’s been nearly ten years since another race chose us, hasn’t it?”
My whole body tingled.
The stares of countless dwarves buzzing and muttering.
“Hoho, please understand. It’s been a long time since we’ve welcomed visitors from outside.”
“Hm.”
I looked around at the dwarves again.
Their eyes were filled with clear goodwill.
“How do they all know I chose the dwarves?”
“Haha, didn’t I say? You smell like rock.”
“They know from the smell?”
“Of course! Why do you keep asking such obvious things? If you smell like rock, you’re our benefactor!”
“……”
Seriously?
That’s not obvious at all.
Understanding everything through smell?
‘Well.’
This is a completely different world.
Trying to apply my own logic here is pointless.
I looked around again.
Honestly…
The thing I was most curious about here wasn’t the dwarves.
‘Minerals. Blacksmiths!’
When you think dwarves, you think blacksmiths, right?
That was the whole reason I chose the dwarves over the elves.
“Over there! What’s that place?”
Then—
I pointed excitedly toward what looked like a mine.
“Hoho, there? It’s almost closed down now. Want to take a look?”
“A closed mine?”
“Sigh, just follow me for now.”
Dagnard kindly led me toward the mine.
From his expression, he seemed to have a lot to explain.
After walking a while—
Dagnard let out a deep sigh.
“Sigh, yes… it’s a real shame.”
I immediately understood why he sighed.
From afar, the mine looked majestic.
But inside, it was basically ruins.
Empty carts lay broken and scattered.
Pickaxes lay rusted, abandoned.
“……”
“In truth, it’s been a very long time since we dwarves last made any weapons…”
My heart sank.
‘No way.’
Dwarves don’t make weapons?
[‘Dwarves of Rock’ are short but extremely sturdy and tough. As rock fairies, they love metals and are highly skilled.]
Even the race description said that.
This was a scam! Total scam!
“Are you serious?”
“Hoho, why would I lie to my benefactor? That’s why it’s so sad. Weapon-making is our true talent, but these days all we do is train. Tsk.”
“Why? Why stop making weapons?”
“Hooh, you’re acting just like any other dwarf would.”
Ah.
I’d gotten too emotional without realizing.
But could you blame me?
“Because of the Chairman.”
“The Chairman?”
“Yes, the Chairman of the Dwarven Council and the great warrior of rock, Volcanus, declared: ‘To defeat the elves, we must wield weapons, not tools!’”
“Weapons, not tools…”
So don’t use hammers as tools—use them as weapons.
Why did that remind me of someone?
‘That old man.’
The one who told Bone Six to learn hammer techniques instead of blacksmithing.
“But that’s still strange. If weapons are better, wouldn’t that increase combat power? Why give up blacksmithing for that…?”
“You’re right. We recently realized that was a mistake. Weapons were a major source of our power.”
“…Then even now…”
“It’s too late.”
“…?”
“We’ve forgotten. It’s been a hundred years since the Chairman gave that decree.”
“What?”
Wait a second.
A hundred years?
“Skills need to be passed down—through teaching or documentation—otherwise they disappear. But we lost too many in the wars. Our most renowned craftsmen and blacksmiths all died over time.”
“All the blacksmiths died?”
“It’s too late for regrets. Even if we try to restore the past through old records, there’s no answer. Skills are best learned through the body. And the Chairman went a step further.”
“What step?”
“Don’t rely on weapons! Use that time to sharpen your skills!”
“……”
“Of course, the Chairman is a dwarf worthy of respect. He contributed the most in the war and is the strongest among us. But sometimes his hatred for the elves clouds his judgment. The real fear of war is losing precious culture…”
Ahh.
I furrowed my brows.
It hurt.
That’s why leadership matters so much.
One person’s judgment can send an entire race into decline.
“Hm.”
What a waste.
If only Bone Six could’ve learned skills from this other world.
“By the way.”
Suddenly, I spotted a dwarf’s hammer.
A plain hammer, worn down over many years of use.
“Can I take a look at that weapon?”
“This one? It’s precious, but if my benefactor asks, I can’t say no.”
Swoosh.
Dagnard handed me the hammer.
I accepted it and checked its information.
[Item: Chipped Iron Hammer of the Dwarves]
[Grade: D]
[Type: Hammer]
[Description: A sturdy hammer worn down over the ages.]
[Effect 1: Strength +5.]
“Hm.”
I was speechless.
Even if they aren’t blacksmiths anymore, dwarves should still be dwarves.
How could they carry weapons like this?
It was hopeless.
A moment when all dreams and hope vanished.
“It’s worn out, isn’t it? Still, it’s the tool that saved my life.”
“…Thank you for showing it to me.”
“Hoho, you look quite down.”
He was right.
I was down.
Even that natural mine…
And all the minerals piled up around us…
They were just going to go to waste—wait?
‘Hold on?’
That’s not it.
Suddenly, my mind cleared.
Why was I so depressed?
Shouldn’t I be happy instead?
I opened my eyes wide and stared at Dagnard.
“But come to think of it, there’s a ton of minerals here, isn’t there?”
“Of course. This place is a natural deposit. They say minerals even replicate themselves here. That’s why it’s called the City of Minerals. But we haven’t mined it in over a hundred years… It must be overflowing by now.”
“Uh, then… no one’s using it?”
Greed welled up.
If what Dagnard said was true…
Then the value of all the minerals here—
It would be worth hundreds of billions back on Earth.
And there were even rare ores that didn’t exist on Earth.
‘If I could refine all of that?’
‘If I could monopolize all of it?’
My body itched.
Goosebumps formed, and my palms were sweating.
“Haha, yeah. The dwarves have no interest in it anymore. If someone used it all up, they’d probably be grateful. At least it wouldn’t go to waste.”
“…!”
Wait a second, this—
This might actually work.