V56C3P1 – Legendary Artifact

The entrance to Norn Mountain Pa.s.s.

Pale was on standby with the a.s.sault squad in order to help Weed with his quest.

“Whew… My heart feels tight but it’s a thrill to watch.”

On live stream, so many draconic warriors and monsters could be seen roaming the mountain pa.s.s. It was incredible that Weed and the dwarves were able to infiltrate thus far, and the scene of them heading to the village disguised as animals was palm-sweating.

“There is no need for us to step in.”

Randel, one of the squad members spoke in amazement.

She was a lightning type mage!

A level 510 mage that could focus unmatched firepower on monsters in a split second.

Randel came to the ridge expecting a raging battle but instead was simply watching from afar.

“I didn’t think they would weave through that horde of monsters. This could be really dangerous if the dragon shows up as well.”

“That’s Weed-nim. He always comes through with insane achievements but avoids needless fights.”

“Amazing. Such a variety in proceeding quests.”

Sollon of Mabaros Guild also cut in and pretended to be amazed, but in truth he was disappointed that Weed wasn’t killed by the draconic warriors.

‘He did well as the emperor of the Arpen Empire until now, I give him that. But, there is no need for him to do better. Right about now is a good time for him to die and fail.’

A considerable number of players from the Central Continent were clapping but were full of jealousy.

They wanted to witness Weed fall to his demise, but time and time again he escaped like a slippery roach.

KMC Media was also streaming the scene of Weed traversing Norn Mountain Pa.s.s.

– Hyemin-ssi, the terrain of this place is known to be the greatest challenge, right?

– Certainly. The downhill path toward the village has lots of places to hide in comparison. We can a.s.sess that they have pa.s.sed through the most dangerous areas now. The higher the level of the player, the more they think resolve becomes important. They know that concentrating on fighting is what will save their lives. Novice players however, they try all kinds of methods.

– It is astonis.h.i.+ng to see this kind of method succeed. The draconic warriors have no clue.

– Though it may be bright, it is still night time… There is gra.s.s and trees on this mountain. It would be normal for them to see animals roaming around.

– The draconic warriors were admirably loyal, but they are not exactly wise or quick-witted. I think Weed-nim is taking full advantage of that.

– He got well around their backs.

***

A thick fog settled in the midst of the night.

Weed and the dwarves followed the ridge and soon diverged into a path between the trees.

“Treestub Village isn’t far from here. I know a safe route.”

With Brockhand’s guidance, they pa.s.sed through a cave and gra.s.sy regions.

Their range of sight was only about 3-4 meters but the dwarves knew the roads like the back of their hand.

The closer they got to the dwarf village, the more covers and caves they could use to keep themselves hidden.

If Brockhand died before getting this far, they would have never known this route.

“Up ahead is Treestub Village.”

Finally, they had arrived at Treestub Village where vicious-looking dwarf guards who were holding ma.s.sive hammers and axes were standing by the entrance.

“Do you go by Weedhand?”

“We welcome you!”

Weed was shocked by the equipment these dwarves were wearing.

‘Only the best dwarf warriors are gathered in this village.’

Over time, the quality of equipment worn by players has improved constantly.

Items of level 400 ~ 500 were very common and those of higher level showed up as well. The typical examples of these gears were the ones looted from the dragon’s lair!

The equipment worn by the dwarven warriors were at least over level 500 and given the current standard of the players, the quality of these items were of the best.

‘1,000 dwarf warriors. It means they are Thor’s best dwarf warriors.’

The elites of the elites trained in secret for the a.s.sault on the dragon.

Blink!

< Dwarf Conference Complete.

You have arrived at Treestub Village where the dwarf conference will take place.

Now you and the dwarves will decide on the fate of the dwarven race.>

< Reputation increased by 20,000. >

< Adventure achievement increased all stats by 2. >

< Perseverance increased by 5. >

< Spirit increased by 4. >

The dwarf warriors gathered in Treestub Village varied from young men to seniors, but they all possessed incredible strength and stamina due to their racial trait.

They each emptied 20 gla.s.ses of beer straight and denounced Kaybern.

“The Brazier of Sacrifice has returned and it means the time we dwarves have been waiting for has come.”

“No matter what danger awaits us, this opportunity is worth every risk.”

“We will advance and show the youth what pride is.”

It wasn’t long before the dwarves decided to go to war.

The thousand most skillful dwarven warriors in the entire race determined to step into battle against the dragon.

The next moment, a chain quest appeared!

Blink!

The dwarves made up their resolution to fight with their boastful iron axes.

Their bodies and stamina were denser than the rocks!

The dwarven warriors, the crushers of fearsome monsters, ama.s.sed their will.

“We dwarves will not stop until the end.”

“For freedom!”

The dwarves spoke in agreement.

“However, we must announce the leader who will lead us all.”

“The most valiant dwarf. One who can charge at Kaybern fearlessly.”

Pa.s.s the test of the dwarves.

You will gain the t.i.tle to lead them.

Should you fail, you will be unable to lead them in battle and instead will partic.i.p.ate as one of many in the battle against Kaybern.

Difficulty: Race quest

Requirement: Dwarf. Restricted to dwarves in Treestub Village only.

Reward: Legendary weapon.

This quest cannot be forfeited. It will proceed invariably.>

The dwarves in charge of the conference came out with 5 axes.

“Since you retrieved the Brazier of Sacrifice, you get to choose an axe first. Pick the axe that fits your preference.”

The dwarf warrior with the reddest nose and muscular forearms spoke.

“If you’re a dwarf, you must have a great understanding of axes and iron. Examine with your eyes and wield it with your hands. If you choose the right axe, we will be under your command.”

Weed looked over the axes.

They were crude axes that varied in size, thickness and materials.

These dwarven made weapons carried the unique trait; the sharp blade s.h.i.+ned in the light and a sense of raw power that could split anything apart.

‘The handles are nothing fancy, very ordinary.’

Dwarven made products were known for being extremely practical and st.u.r.dy, but these axes seemed like they were crafted long ago.

Weed grasped the thick axe with his hands.

“Identify.”

< A blacksmith who wields the essence of iron has hidden the details of this axe.

Your blacksmithing level is too low. Identification failed. >

Identification skill was useless.

‘Of course there was a trick.’

He knew it seemed too easy compared to the difficulty of the quest.

The dwarf warrior explained with his rough voice.

“One of these axes is a legendary weapon that we have treasured, three are axes wielded by heroes in the era of war, and the last is just a plain axe.”

“Legendary weapon?”

“The dwarves, deemed as great commanders, crafted this through generations. One of these axes was a masterpiece crafted over hundreds of years, instilled with the will of us dwarves to crush Kaybern’s skull in half. It was a desire greater than life itself.”

He must search out this axe with his eyes and touch.

Weed gulped anxiously having to find the axe just by appearance.

‘A legendary axe. Lucky draw is definitely not my forte.”

Since he was young, he never believed in luck.

He never played claw machine games because he thought it was a waste of money, but when life was hardest, he bought a lottery ticket just to keep himself hopeful.

For a week he was dreaming of the chance of winning 1st place and made a plan of how to spend it.

First, he would buy a house, then make a deposit to the bank and buy clothes for his grandmother and sister.

‘I never won.’

He kicked himself after watching the lottery announcement, thinking he was stupid enough to waste money and sc.r.a.pped the ticket.

Even after that, whenever he hit curves in life he bought himself tickets, but never won.

‘Lucky draw is buying false hope. S rank quests are better off.’

Indeed it was a challenge to figure out the correct axe just by looking.

‘It’s not about the appearance. Novice weapons could be differentiated easily from the better made weapons, but these axes are premium.”

The plain axe mentioned in the quest could be identified with ease.

The handle was made from plain lumber and seemed like it was ma.s.s produced.

However, picking a legendary weapon out of the 4 incredibly well-crafted weapons was near impossible.

‘This too is a dwarf quest after all. If I used an axe as my primary weapon, would it have been easy to figure out? No. It would have been some help, but I don’t think I would have figured it out just by brief touch.’

Weed swung each axe into the air. The weight balance and transfer were all clean as they were all dwarven made.

If swords were elegant and quick, axes were swung with brute force acc.u.mulated from the entire body focused into a single point.

Due to its destructive power, one who started off with an axe rarely switched to other weapons.

‘One of four. 25% chance. That plain axe is undoubtedly what it looks like. It doesn’t seem to carry any tricks.’

Weed was having trouble determining which axe to choose.

‘Should I really leave this to luck? A Miracle? No. There must be a way. One that can’t be seen with just eyes and touch…’

A thought suddenly pa.s.sed through his mind.

Dwarves were master artisans before they were the strongest warriors.

How the weapon would be wielded was the most important for their kind.

(To be continued…)