Chapter 45

Let’s talk about a certain individual.

Chairman Volcanus.

He has ruled as the undisputed leader of the Rock Tribe for five centuries.

Ever since the death of the legendary blacksmith, the Great Dmir, Volcanus has never once relinquished his position as chairman.

— Of course. He’s the strongest, after all.

— Yeah, in wartime, the strongest should lead the council.

— The Great Volcanus!

— Without Volcanus, our tribe would’ve been wiped out ages ago!

War consumed the Rock Tribe’s craftsmanship.

As their blood spilled and their flesh tore under elven arrows, they longed for ‘power’.

And at the pinnacle of that power—

Stood Volcanus.

— Rock Tribe! Do not forge weapons!

That was the speech he gave right after assuming the chairmanship.

— Abandon tools and take up arms! Why are you hammering anvils? If you’ve got nothing else to hammer, then drag in an elf and bash them instead! If you must forge weapons, use the bones of elves!

Originally, elves and dwarves were like brothers.

They shared a mutual, symbiotic relationship.

Elves lack craftsmanship.

At most, they can twist together plants or wood—they can’t handle metals like iron.

So to bolster their combat strength, they relied on dwarven weapons.

— Isn’t it frustrating? Doesn’t it feel unfair? Why should we continue being the elves’ servants? What’s the point of creating these weapons just to have them taken away? What matters is power! The power to protect yourself! Without that, you have no right to dream—no right to speak of hope!

Truthfully, there was a reason the two races once united.

The Forest.

And the Dragon that ruled over it and the rocky lands.

The colossal draconic tyrant—’Drugan’.

A terrifying creature that made every race in the world tremble.

To counter that beast, the elves and dwarves joined forces.

The elves brought might.

The dwarves brought weapons.

Together, the two races produced incredible synergy.

— We already killed the dragon. Dmir and Eldrin sealed it deep beneath the earth!

The legendary blacksmith—the Great Dmir.

And the legendary High Elf—Moonlight Eldrin.

Until 500 years ago, those two were the absolute figures representing the Forest and Rock Tribes.

They united their peoples’ strength to bury the dragon beneath the earth—and fell heroically.

— So what are we doing now, forging weapons again? Look at those vile elves. They pierce our hearts with the very bows we forged for them. They are traitors! The moment the common enemy vanished, they drew their blades! They’re a race mad with murder!

Volcanus’s orders were simple.

‘Eradicate the elves!’

Until then, no more crafting of any kind.

Some found his words hard to accept.

— Why not use our strengths?

— Right! Elves mostly use bows, don’t they? If we just don’t make bows, what’s the problem?

— Yeah? Then we won’t have to worry about our weapons being stolen!

Some dwarves voiced reasonable doubts.

But Volcanus was unshakable.

— Silence. Do you have any idea how few fighters we have on the frontlines?

— And what about the blacksmiths we’ve lost as prisoners? Would you still forge weapons if there were a blade held to your family’s throats?

It wasn’t the most solid logic.

But no one could oppose his will.

— I don’t care. If you don’t like it, come fight me. If you win, I’ll step down.

A true tyrant.

And so for five centuries—

Volcanus’s dictatorship endured.

And now—

In the Grand Assembly Hall…

That very dictator descended.

Step, step.

Each step from the squat, stout dwarf echoed with indescribable might.

Just like the first time I met the old man—the sheer presence was suffocating.

“We salute the Chairman.”

“We salute the Chairman.”

All the dwarves seated at the table rose and saluted.

Dagnard and I hurriedly stood as well.

“Hmm.”

The old man clicked his tongue as he watched.

“The world is truly vast and amusing. If I could’ve walked freely between worlds while alive… what a joy it would’ve been.”

Smacking his lips, he looked like he wanted to take Volcanus on himself.

Of course, a living being and a soul of the dead could never truly face off.

“You there…”

That was when Chairman Volcanus’s gaze landed on me.

His bulky muscles twitched.

“You’re the outsider who gifted our tribe a weapon, correct?”

Outsider?

That rubbed me the wrong way.

But technically, he wasn’t wrong.

“That’s correct.”

I nodded.

But—

Something felt off.

Volcanus had a smirk on his face.

But his eyes weren’t smiling at all.

They were filled with unmistakable hostility.

‘What is this?’

My affinity with the dwarves was 75.

I hadn’t done anything to harm them—only helped.

“And tell me.”

Volcanus’s voice turned icy.

“Who gave you permission to use the mine?”

“……”

The conference room went silent.

The air felt heavy, like we were submerged underwater.

Even Dagnard, who had looked at Volcanus with admiration, was frozen stiff.

“Hm.”

I tilted my head.

Forget how powerful he was—

I just didn’t get what his problem was.

“Excuse me, may I ask something?”

“Go ahead.”

“Did I do something to harm the Rock Tribe?”

“Of course.”

Volcanus answered instantly.

“The mines were sealed. Forging weapons has been forbidden. That has been my doctrine for 500 years.”

Ah, ‘that’?

The thing Dagnard couldn’t understand?

A solidified relic of 500 years’ worth of stubbornness.

Volcanus didn’t like the fact that I’d made weapons.

“You’ve shaken the foundation of that doctrine with your reckless behavior. How could I not summon you?”

“……”

“It took 400 years of effort. Only a century ago were we finally able to erase blacksmithing from our history. And now, you’ve rekindled the dwarves’ creative desire. I am very… displeased.”

“……”

It was ridiculous—but not wrong.

I was just a guest in this land.

Volcanus was its master.

To him, I was a muddy fish clouding his purified waters.

“I apologize.”

I bowed my head and offered a sincere apology.

Regardless of anything else—this quest’s goal was to resolve the conflict between the two races.

I couldn’t let the conflict escalate.

“I meant no harm. I simply saw a mine going to waste and wanted to use it. I only made weapons because the dwarves requested it. Had I known the deeper circumstances, I wouldn’t have acted that way.”

Besides…

Let’s be honest.

This guy was terrifyingly strong.

And in the end, strength ‘is’ justice.

“Hoho.”

The old man chuckled beside me.

“I thought my disciple was reckless, but it turns out he knows when to bow.”

‘I’m not bowing—I’m dodging. You don’t dodge poop because you fear it.’

“True. That one’s damn near radioactive.”

‘Exactly.’

“So what now? That guy looks like he’s ready to explode.”

The old man shook his head.

“This isn’t like last time, when you were in your own mental space. This is the real world. One mistake and you’ll die for real. If you die, the Legacy ends. Got it?”

Kind of sad he’s more worried about the Legacy than me…

‘That won’t happen.’

“Why not?”

‘Look at their eyes.’

I gestured toward the assembly members.

They were silent, but I could see it clearly.

“Hoh, they’re dissatisfied.”

‘Exactly.’

I could see it just from their eyes.

The council members—

No, the entire Rock Tribe, including people like Dagnard—

Didn’t like Volcanus’s dictatorship.

They just endured it because his power was too overwhelming.

‘Even a tyrant like Volcanus can’t just kill me. He knows better than to light a match near a powder keg. Tyrants might seem untouchable, but they live in constant fear of revolution.’

Volcanus was strong.

Not just strong—

Strong enough to defeat every elf and dwarf combined.

Which meant he could wipe out his entire race at any moment.

But he didn’t.

Why?

‘Because they’re his own people.’

No matter how powerful you are—

If you wipe out every dissenter, there’s no one left to rule.

Besides, dwarves were known for honoring their debts.

Volcanus might believe I’d wronged him.

But the other dwarves didn’t.

To him, causing a stir wasn’t worth the trouble.

“Hm.”

Volcanus stared me down.

“Unfortunately, I don’t think you can be our tribe’s benefactor. If it were up to me, I’d tear you limb from limb. But since there was no malice—I’ll let it slide. However.”

He was unyielding.

He didn’t bother asking for the council’s opinion.

“Leave this city, Titan, immediately.”

A clear expulsion order.

That was why he summoned me.

“Y-You can’t be serious!”

Dagnard shouted in outrage.

“Joo Donghoon is a true benefactor to our people! He didn’t defy your orders! He just helped us out of kindness! And you repay that with exile?!”

“Oh?”

Volcanus’s eyes turned to him.

Dagnard gasped.

A terrifying pressure began to crush him.

“I spoke politely, and you take that as weakness?”

“G-Guh!”

“If you disagree, it’s simple.”

Boom!

Volcanus slammed the table.

His trademark move when making a decision.

“You can leave with him.”

And just like that—

Dagnard was exiled too.

—

Night fell.

Dagnard and I wandered aimlessly along the border between the rocky and forested lands.

“What a damn joke. The Great Volcanus? Please. All brawn and no brains. No wonder the war’s still going on after all this time. Tsk.”

“That really was outrageous.”

All I did was speak up—

And I was branded an enemy of the tribe.

I mean, I ‘was’ an outsider, sure.

But I genuinely felt bad for Dagnard.

‘More importantly…’

I was disappointed too.

Not just because of the quest…

But because I kept thinking about those mountains of resources in the mine.

‘Bone Six still needs more proficiency grinding…’

“Anyway.”

I stopped the grumbling Dagnard.

“What is it?”

“What now? Do we even have anywhere to go?”

This world was split between two zones:

Elf territory and dwarf territory.

There might be other spaces occupied by minor races…

Dagnard answered my question.

“How would I know? I’ve never left the Rock lands except for battles.”

“…I see.”

“Damn that chairman. I’ll show him just how well I fight—”

His curses started to pick up again.

But before they could snowball—

“Hold on.”

I raised my hand.

Something had triggered my senses.

‘At least mid-level threat or higher.’

Direction: Forest zone.

If elves were coming—

That was bad.

My affinity with them was only 25.

“Damn it. Get ready!”

I quickly summoned my skeletons.