V56C4P3 – Dungeon of Argoldia

There were two things about the dungeon that were different from what Weed expected.

“There’s a lot of golems.”

Starting with iron golems, there were also golden and ruby golems stationed.

After a long time, some ceased to work and the dwarves brought out their hammers and various repair tools.

“The receptors connected to the internal core are damaged. A bit of work should do the trick.”

“Oh dear… Look at the structure of these ligaments. I’m not mocking our ancestors but these are so outdated.”

“Implanting compound joints alone will enhance their combat abilities. Above all things, these are so outdated that they clink and clank when they tread.”

The dwarves’ abilities as blacksmiths were far greater than anticipated.

The golems that were damaged in battle were easily repaired by their hands.

At times, they lacked the materials to fix them, but quickly scavenged what they needed in the following battles.

Other times, they dug up the ground with pickaxes.

Weed thought to himself as he saw that ores were abundant no matter which wall or ground they dug up.

“An iron ore mountain of excellent quality… The dwarves would not have created a storage here for no reason. It was because it was abundant in ores.”

The ability to assess land was most prevalent in dwarves above all other races.

They dug up first and second grade high quality iron. They could dig pure silver, sapphire, ruby and opals just as easily.

‘A thousand warriors that are also blacksmiths and miners.’

There were many advantages to taking dwarves in dungeon hunts.

Even in plainfield hunting, the dwarves could install traps or defensive barricades.

That being said, their preference was more into swinging axes and maces.

‘The difficulty of this dungeon was reduced because of these dwarves.’

With each battle, three to four golems joined his ranks as subordinates.

The purpose of their creation was to protect the dwarven secret storage. So, if another race were to enter, they had to engage in battle.

‘But this could be a trap. We are having swift battles thanks to these golems for now, but we may get overwhelmed by monsters all of a sudden.’

Weed had his fair share of unfortunate turn of events.

Weed commanded Gomfhand.

“Send the iron golems to the rear. Us dwarves will keep pushing through.”

“Are you not going to use them?”

“We will. It’s just a waste to have precious monsters slain by golems.”

Weed penetrated through just about any monster with the dwarves’ sheer efforts.

He put dwarves with high defense in front and he himself stood a step further up.

“Sword of Regeneration!”

The secret sword technique that increases defense and recovery rate!

There were 1,000 dwarven warriors under the command of Weed.

It seemed, at first, that too many warriors were mobilized for the dungeon, but that wasn’t the case.

The scale of this dungeon was massive and so was the resistance from the monsters.

The monsters of Argoldia were armed with dwarven made premium gear.

Crustacean monsters five to seven meters tall burst out of the walls and the ground, and poisonous insect swarms came like pitch black clouds.

“The wounded, fall back and rest!”

The dwarves with low stamina and health points were wrapped in bandages and rested. Those that could fight were swapped in and out of battle and fought constantly.

He literally grinded the dwarves into the dungeon.

“Sword of Regeneration!”

Weed and the dwarves had to fend off the reckless stream of monsters.

‘This would have been much more difficult if I didn’t have this skill that I obtained from the savior quest.’

Perhaps the savior quest, too, had a similar step in the process.

To lead an army through battle with the Sword of Regeneration.

‘A savior… Up until now it was just the half-elves that have joined as comrades, but I could lead a human army with this. I could lead a huge crowd of humans and fight against the dragon.’

Blink!

You have successfully defended against a monster swarm for 30 minutes.

Perseverance and Endurance are permanently increased by 2. >

“Um, could we chill down a bit with a glass of beer…”

“There is no time for rest. Our kind is suffering as we speak, so how could you even think about drinking beer right now?”

Weed adamantly declined their request for a break.

As dangerous the dungeon was, their combat skill proficiencies and stats increased rapidly.

The feeling of becoming more powerful was a great stimulus for battle!

“Group 11 will lead in front. Dwarves who have had the luxury to drink beer, advance to battle.”

Weed extorted the dwarves through the dungeon and increased his level once more.

Although not comparable to Undead Summoning, the hunting speed far exceeded the level of typical players.

As they proceeded through the dungeon, they occasionally discovered armories created by the dwarven ancestors.

“This one has a lot of swords.”

There were several hundred dwarven made fine swords!

Some armories contained just suits of armor and shields and others had a span of several hundred meters filled solely with daggers.

“As expected of dwarves. They made plenty.”

Weed did consider selling them, but the weapons and armor were first used to arm the dwarves. They were superior weapons with level restrictions between 700s to 800s, but the dwarves, being blacksmiths, were able to equip them.

‘This race benefits the most from equipment… I can see their combat level being greatly enhanced.’

Their attack and defense were increased, leading to a much faster hunting speed.

The work of blacksmith masters dropped as loot on occasion.

There were dwarves among them that could not use equipment beyond level 900 restriction.

They were rare, but not all dwarves were blacksmiths!

For the time being, they couldn’t utilize the gear but were able to once they activated the Brazier of Sacrifice.

‘By the time this dungeon is cleared, the dwarves’ defense will be indomitable.’

He couldn’t help comparing the dwarves to the desert warriors back in his days as the Great King of the Desert.

The desert warriors went rampant and charged whenever they encountered an enemy.

It looked chaotic but with overwhelming power they crushed the opponent.

‘In terms of attack power the desert warriors are several times more powerful. Their mobility was also exceptional riding on camels. However, they did take severe damage every battle.’

The main objective was to save time, but many warriors lost their lives.

The dwarves’ stability came from high survivability and also possessed high growth potential.

‘They are a race that changes completely depending on how they are commanded. If well led, they could win even against the desert warriors.’

Even so, Weed felt a slight disappointment.

‘The need for leadership is for typical battles. Most of these powerful dwarves will probably die in the fight with Kaybern.’

It would be a huge loss but one that was necessary.

– Mapan: Weed-nim, I have a report from the adventurers.

Weed was ignoring messages from other players once he entered the dwarven secret storage chambers.

It was crucial that he trained the dwarves above all else and he only received the most important news from Mapan.

– Mapan: They reported that they finally discovered Landony’s lair in the Ring of Fire.

“They must have gone through a lot.”

– Mapan: The lair is said to be located where the volcano erupts endlessly. The adventurers are sacrificing themselves to hop inside the lava cave as we speak. I expect good news from them real soon.

“Is that all you have to inform me about?”

– Mapan: I am continuing to monitor any information about Knatul and Malin.

Weed was laid back, waiting for news on the savior quest.

Even if a hero were to join his ranks, it would be less help than ten dwarves.

Kaybern was extremely powerful and could not be taken down with a few heroes.

“I see.”

– Mapan: Also, Weed-nim. It is not too late. If we reduce Morata to a fifth… We could buy so much more time.

11 days remained until the day when Kaybern planned to destroy Morata.

Mapan was suggesting that they reduce the size of Morata before Castle Mistress gets destroyed.

– Mapan: Among the Northern players, some suggest that you protect Morata in person or break down the city and leave just the bare bones.

“Just the bones?”

– Mapan: Leaving the base structure and the Great Landmarks where they are and moving the residential and trades sectors somewhere else nearby. Then, we can rebuild after the dragon’s attack is over.

A Morata preservation plan that was devised among the Northern players!

They were to construct a satellite and transfer as much of the facilities of Morata.

Then after defeating Kaybern they will restore it back to its original state; a truly historical accomplishment of grinding!

Normally, no one would buy this difficult idea, but the many accomplishments founded by the labor force led to this very plan.

Weed, too, thought for a moment.

‘So we tear Morata apart and piece it back together… This could be pulled off quickly.’

If the merchants and the players mobilized, this plan was achievable.

It wasn’t necessary to take down Morata completely, as the removal of just 10, 20% of the residential sector would free the city from Kaybern’s aim.

If the transfer happens at a moderate level every week, the commerce, population and development will lower altogether and would bring down the city to a safe level.

If the base sectors of the city are left intact, it is possible to restore the city once Kaybern is defeated.

‘I’m sure it will do the city some good if I clean up some of the disorderly buildings. When this is all over, Morata is going to be reborn.’

He could see some great advantages to this plan, but it was still a poisonous apple.

Firstly, it would require an immense amount of funding and labor force.

Also, they would be under condemnation from all over the continent.

If Morata becomes safe, it means another city would be destroyed in its place.

Then the citizens of that region will blame Weed.

– How come you protected Morata but left us be?

– Does the Arpen Empire only care about Morata?

A chain reaction of side effects could occur across the continent.

No lord would want their city to become a complete ruin.

If the major cities were to start a competition of destruction in order to stay off as Kaybern’s next target, the results will be catastrophic.

“We can’t do that. If we take Morata apart, the other cities will be destroyed. It will be an endless cycle.”

– Mapan: Yes, I understand. However, Morata is… Sigh. I guess it is what it is. But still, it will be pitiful so please sleep on that plan.

Weed felt uncomfortable after the conversation with Mapan ended.

‘I, too, don’t want Morata to disappear like this.’

The city was the heart of the Arpen Empire’s history.

It was where everything had begun, Morata had risen from the ruins and shaken off the control of the vampires in Black Giant Star Castle to be born again.

(To be continued…)