Episode 137

The long, brutal wars with humanity had plunged the continent into chaos. One by one, the other races severed all ties and fled to the world's frontiers. The elves vanished into the southern forests, the hobbits to the northern hills, and the beastmen to the eastern wilds. The dwarves, however, journeyed west, carving out a new home deep beneath the earth.

The western lands were peaceful, with few dungeons to threaten them. They were rarely troubled by raiders, and the nearby human cities remained oblivious to their existence for centuries. For hundreds, even thousands of years, the dwarves lived in quiet prosperity.

But that peace was now shattered. The demon tribe had come. A Dungeon Master had breached their sanctuary.

"Not raiders, but demons!" one of the chieftains roared, his voice echoing through a grand stone hall. "How dare a mere Dungeon Master trespass in our domain!"

"We must crush these arrogant soldiers of the dungeon at once!" another bellowed.

"First, we raise the Great Invasion Barrier!" a third declared. "They must not be allowed to set foot in our sacred temple!"

The chieftains debated with fiery passion. The enemy had already overrun the Red Anvil village; action had to be taken.

From his seat at the head of the stone table, Great Chieftain Tuperus brought his warhammer down with a resounding crash that silenced the hall. "We will cast the barrier," he commanded, his voice like grinding stone. "Each chieftain will prepare for a siege from within the temple. We will show these invaders our unyielding will!"

A unified roar answered him. "Ooooooh!"

"Waaaaaah!"

"Tuperus! Tuperus! Tuperus! Tuperus!"

The hall erupted in a boisterous chant. They had been driven west by humans, but the Rough Rock Tribe would not fall to demons. Their temple was a masterpiece forged over centuries, a fortress of stone and dwarven pride. No matter how strong the enemy, they would not break through.

Tuperus rose, hefting his hammer onto his shoulder. "For the Rough Rock Tribe! Forever!"

"Forever!" the chieftains roared back. "Forever!"

And so, the resistance of the Rough Rock Tribe began.

---

A shrill cry from a harpy circling overhead announced the discovery of another village ahead.

[Elite Evil Goblin has acquired a B-rank Magic Stone.]

[Elite Personal Fairy has acquired a C-rank Artifact.]

[Elite Orc has swallowed a B-rank Magic Stone.]

His soldiers were already sweeping through the abandoned settlement, collecting anything of value.

"Hey," Taehyun called out, pointing. "Make that one spit out what it just swallowed."

"Right away, my Lord! You there, spit it out!" Jighart bellowed at the offending orc.

"Chwiik!" the orc grunted, reluctantly coughing up the glowing stone.

Aside from the occasional dim-witted orc, a steady stream of magic stones was flowing into their inventory. Taehyun surveyed the village with satisfaction. As expected of a fire-wielding race, forges dotted the landscape. The anvils were still warm—a clear sign of a hasty retreat.

'I need to capture as many of them as I can,' he thought. 'Elves are useful, but dwarves… their potential is immense.'

He was already mining ore, but with the finest blacksmiths on the continent at his disposal, he could craft equipment of unparalleled quality.

'The magic stones, the artifacts, the equipment… this place is the real deal.' Every B-rank magic stone was crucial for his push to A-rank. To stumble upon a dwarven civilization now was a stroke of incredible luck. Pleased, he activated his radar.

[Casting Radar Detection Net.]

[The detection net will remain active for a set duration.]

[All beings entering the detection net's range will be automatically detected.]

A shimmering net of energy expanded around his forces, a necessary precaution against ambushes. A moment later, a single red dot appeared on his mental map. Inside a forge.

Taehyun gestured, and a pair of goblins darted into the building, dragging out a struggling dwarf.

"Eek! The God of Fire, Parmian, will not forgive you for this!" the dwarf bellowed, his spirit unbroken despite his capture. He was the very image of his kind: a long, braided mustache, a stern face, short, powerful legs, and a stature half that of a man.

[Red Anvil Dwarf, Roland]

[Rank: C]

[Level: 24]

[Class: Blacksmith]

[Title: Representative Blacksmith of the Rough Rock Tribe]

[Affiliation: Rough Rock Tribe]

[Skills: Equipment Crafting, Equipment Repair]

[Special Ability: Blessing of Fire]

[Strength: 5] [Endurance: 1] [Agility: 1] [Stamina: 4]

[Mana: 1] [Divinity: 1] [Affinity: 8] [Luck: 5]

'Rough Rock Tribe,' Taehyun noted. 'So they're organized by tribe. That means everyone here belongs to the same clan.' Just as the High Elves had spoken of other forest dwellers, the dwarves were likely scattered across the west in their respective tribes.

Taehyun looked down at Roland with a contemptuous sneer. "Why don't you summon that great god of yours? We'll see who's not forgiving whom."

"Grr! The will of the Rough Rock Tribe will not be broken!" Roland spat. "You won't set a single foot inside our temple!"

"The will of the tribe?" Taehyun scoffed. "You were the one hiding in a forge, too terrified to run. You're all talk."

"Th-That's—!" Roland sputtered, his face flushing. It was the truth. He had missed his chance to flee and had been cowering in fear. He had no rebuttal. Head bowed, he ground his teeth in shame.

Taehyun's sneer widened as he gave an order to a nearby troll. "Tie him to a shield. We're advancing."

"Kwoooar," the troll rumbled in understanding.

"Y-You fiends! Let me down this instant!" Roland shrieked as the troll began lashing him to the front of its massive shield.

"If he keeps screaming, give him a few spins to quiet him down," Taehyun added casually.

The troll obliged, whirling the shield through the air. Roland, now foaming at the mouth, was mercifully silent.

"My Lord," Jighart inquired, "what do you intend to do with this dwarf?"

"Isn't it obvious? We're going to use him to draw the others out of that temple."

"But surely they won't emerge for a single hostage?" Jighart questioned. It was, indeed, a foolish move. But Taehyun was counting on the dwarven nature. They had retreated to the temple to make a final stand, which meant it was heavily fortified. A direct assault would be costly.

But with Roland strapped to the front lines, could they bring their siege weapons to bear? Taehyun thought not. The 'unyielding will' Roland had boasted of likely stemmed from their powerful sense of solidarity. Furthermore, he was their 'representative blacksmith'. For a tribe that worshipped a god of fire and craft, abandoning their finest artisan was unthinkable. They wouldn't just try to save him; they would charge out, ready to die for him.

'I could be wrong,' Taehyun conceded to himself, 'but I have other plans in reserve. It's no great risk. We advance on the temple.'

He gave the signal, and the army of Balak marched onward, their new hostage leading the charge.

---

[The first Faction War has ended.]

[First Faction War Final Rankings]

[1. Resistance (2 points)]

[2. Tarantula (2 points)]

[3. Blood Lion (2 points)]

[4. Foxy (2 points)]

[5. Secret (2 points)]

[6. Naider (2 points)]

[7. Rodria (2 points)]

A series of messages flashed before his eyes. The first Faction War was over. As he'd expected, all the major players had secured their points and landed in the top seven.

[1st Faction War Resistance Contribution Rankings]

[1. Taehyun Yoo]

[2. Seonghwi Hyeon]

[3. Narae Min]

[4. Hyunjun Jo]

[5. Injong Seo]

[6. Geonwoo Lee]

[7. Songyi Han]

The player rankings followed. To his surprise, he had taken first place. 'I thought Seonghwi would get it. Did my performance have that much of an impact on the contribution score? Well, I suppose this is a good thing.' The mission briefing had promised rewards based on rank. A new message appeared.

[You have achieved 1st place in contribution for the 1st Faction War.]

[Reward: B-rank Random Reward Box.]

[Reward: Random Mercenary Summon Card.]

'Oh? A B-rank box and a summon card?' The rewards were surprisingly generous. The box was usable immediately, and the card would be invaluable soon. It felt as if the System was already preparing him for his ascent to A-rank.

As he was about to open his inventory, a thunderous voice boomed from the temple ahead.

"How dare you invade our sacred temple! Unforgivable, you demon wretch!" It was the Great Chieftain, Tuperus.

Jighart, ever eager, stepped forward and bellowed, "You are the leader of these dwarves! Surrender peacefully to the might of Balak!"

"The will of our Rough Rock Tribe will not be broken!" Tuperus roared back. "The God of Fire, Parmian, will never forgive you!"

"Very well! Then we shall show you the true power of Balak!" Jighart declared, raising his shield. He was trying to rally the troops, but from Taehyun's perspective, it was just pathetic.

"Hey," Taehyun cut in dryly. "We're the invaders here. It's not like we declared war. Why are you shouting like an idiot?"

"But my Lord! Seizing the initiative is crucial in battle!"

"Enough. Fall back. Your shouting is giving me a headache." Taehyun shoved Jighart aside and motioned for the troll to step forward, displaying Roland, still tied to the shield.

"R-Roland?!" Tuperus's hand, which had been gesturing for his warriors to prepare their siege weapons, froze in mid-air. Their representative blacksmith was a human shield. If they opened fire, Roland would be the first to die.

Rage contorted the Great Chieftain's face. "You despicable demon! How dare you use one of our own as a hostage! Have you no shame!"

"I'm a demon. What did you expect?" Taehyun retorted with a shrug. "Go on, give the order to fire. He's your tribe's greatest blacksmith, isn't he?"

"H-How did you know that?!"

"I have my ways," Taehyun said, his voice laced with amusement. "So, what's it going to be? Show me that famous 'unyielding will' of the Rough Rock Tribe. Surely one dwarf's life is a small price to pay to protect your precious temple."

He could see the indecision warring on Tuperus's face. Just as he'd predicted, they couldn't bring themselves to sacrifice their comrade.

"W-Wait a moment!" Tuperus yelled. He and the other chieftains vanished from the ramparts. They were going to hold another meeting.

Taehyun stared blankly at the empty wall, utterly dumbfounded. "You see this, right?" he asked Jighart. "They're idiots, aren't they?"

"Indeed, my Lord," Jighart replied, equally bewildered. "To ask an invading army to simply wait is the height of foolishness."

Taehyun sighed. "…I guess we wait."

A shimmering barrier now enveloped the temple. It didn't look like something they could break with a simple charge. And so, the army of Balak stood down, waiting patiently before the dwarven fortress.

---

Nine stout figures stormed back into the meeting hall, their expressions graver than before.

"This is a disaster!" one of them exclaimed. "Roland, our finest smith, has been captured! If our cannons strike him, we will surely face the wrath of Lord Parmian!"

"Then what do you propose?" another demanded. "We've raised the barrier, but it won't last forever!"

"We have no choice!" a third chieftain declared, slamming his fist on the table. "It is time to unleash the might of the Rough Rock Tribe! If the Red Anvil and Blue Anvil warriors join forces, we can crush their soldiers and rescue Roland!"

A consensus quickly formed. As servants of Parmian, the god of the forge, they could not abandon their greatest blacksmith. Roland was the living embodiment of their craft and their faith. He had to be saved.

Great Chieftain Tuperus nodded, his decision made. He brought his hammer down. "So it is decided! We will rescue Roland and drive back the invaders! Red Anvil, Blue Anvil—gather your warriors! Our technology will grant us victory!"

"Ooooooh!"

"Waaaaaah!"

"Tuperus! Tuperus! Tuperus! Tuperus!"

The hall once again filled with thunderous shouts. Tuperus rose to his feet, his voice ringing with renewed purpose. "For the Rough Rock Tribe! Forever!"

"Forever!" they roared. "Forever!"

And so, the operation to rescue Roland began.

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