Ch.40Dwarf Kingdom (2)

“Huh…?”

“Well then, shall we go take a look first?”

I headed toward Zone D where Arges’s forge was located, leaving behind a stunned and frozen Lilly.

The dwarven kingdom of Gagap is largely divided into two areas.

The surface area and the underground area.

The underground area was directly connected to their mines and could be considered an area allocated to the most skilled blacksmiths.

One might think the surface would be more comfortable than underground, but from a dwarf’s perspective, that wasn’t the case.

‘When I asked before, they said they liked it because heat concentrates better and materials can be supplied more quickly.’

There were also dwarves who preferred being underground rather than on the surface where unnecessary humans tended to gather.

Apparently, humans who could come underground had at least been somewhat vetted.

“It’s really strange that a craftsman race doesn’t want customers.”

“It’s not that they don’t want customers, it’s more that they’re selective about who they serve.”

“So, are you not going to tell me more about Vulcan?”

Lilly, who had somehow caught up with me again, sat on top of my head and looked down at me.

She still seemed unable to process the bombshell I had dropped earlier, wearing an expression of disbelief.

And perhaps because of the thought of meeting a god, I could sense a strange mixture of anticipation and tension emanating from her.

“You’ll know everything when the time comes. But… for Lilly’s sake, I’ll tell you one thing: it’s better not to expect too much.”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“I mean your fantasies about gods. He’s someone who doesn’t even realize who he is in the first place.”

In truth, I wondered if the man would change even if he did realize who he was, but since I hadn’t yet confirmed what he looked like as a god, I couldn’t give a definitive answer.

“I’ll keep that in mind for now, but are we going the right way?”

“Yes, we’re going the right way.”

Lilly looked around and asked if we were heading in the right direction, and I answered briefly.

Of course, despite my answer, Lilly looked even more confused.

That was understandable because unlike the previous area that had been full of heat, Zone D had no one hammering or stoking fires in forges.

Zone D was much quieter compared to other areas. Not only was it quiet, but the overall atmosphere was subdued.

“This zone is where those who no longer swing hammers live.”

They might have injured their hands, fallen ill, or perhaps lost heart after an adventurer who used their weapons died.

For whatever reason, those who no longer worked as blacksmiths gathered here in Zone D.

“Then, does that mean this Vulcan… I mean, this dwarf Arges doesn’t forge anymore?”

“No, he still hammers. He still hammers…”

As I trailed off, recalling what I had seen in the past, the sound of hammering could be heard from far away.

In the quiet, pitch-black world, a single forge stood alone, making noise and emitting light.

“Did he get slandered by the dwarves and get kicked out? He seems to be working hard, unlike what the insults suggested.”

“Vulcan has the title of God of Fire and Blacksmiths. But that’s just his main title; Vulcan has one more epithet.”

I entered the forge. Since it was already open, there was no need to ask for permission or call out to whoever was inside.

Inside was a dwarf hammering away diligently.

Clang-! Clang-!

The hammering sound was rhythmic and powerful. But listening closely, something seemed off.

Not just the sound, but standing in the forge even for a moment, something felt strange.

Lilly quickly noticed this strangeness too and expressed her doubt to me.

“Isn’t the temperature too low compared to other forges…?”

Crash-!

The iron the dwarf was hammering seemed about to be shaped, but then, as if lacking sufficient heat, it simply shattered.

“Ahhh… was the temperature too low again? I should add more alcohol…”

“The other epithet attached to Vulcan is the God of Alcohol.”

There was a dwarf who, instead of using charcoal in his forge, was throwing in the alcohol he had been drinking.

* * *

Vulcan, God of Fire and Blacksmiths.

He had another well-known epithet: God of Alcohol. What could be the reason he received this title?

Because he was good at drinking? Or because he was good at making alcohol?

Considering how dwarves love alcohol, both seemed likely, but surprisingly, neither guess was correct.

The alcohol Vulcan made, Nectar, was originally a fuel that helped raise the temperature of the forge.

It was just that among the gods it was considered alcohol, and the diluted version that came down to the dwarves was regarded as fine liquor.

‘At first, even Vulcan himself didn’t understand why they drank it, but eventually he joined in drinking it too, didn’t he…’

Even if Arges had fallen from grace, his past as a god didn’t disappear.

Vulcan’s experience and skill were clearly engraved in Arges’s soul. That’s why he could create the finest weapons every time if the conditions were right.

But if the conditions weren’t right, he couldn’t even complete a weapon, let alone make a good one.

‘His instinct tells him to raise the temperature with alcohol, but no matter how much ordinary alcohol he pours in, the temperature won’t rise…’

It was only natural that his blacksmithing would fail from the start.

On top of that, other dwarves came to dislike Arges, saying he was imitating a god and tarnishing the god’s name.

In truth, just imitating wasn’t a problem. The issue was that he was a drunk with a terrible personality.

“I came to have a sword made.”

“I’m in a bad mood, so get lost!”

See? He throws a hammer at the first word from a stranger.

Crash-!!

As I tilted my head to avoid the flying hammer, it collided with the forge wall, completely smashing it.

“How dare you destroy my forge… I hope you’re prepared to pay the price?”

“I didn’t break it. Arges, it was broken by the hammer you threw.”

“Shut up!”

Arges reached out toward the hammer he had thrown, and immediately, the hammer flew back into his hand on its own.

‘What is he, Thor or something?’

Having retrieved his hammer, Arges seemed to realize throwing it wouldn’t work, so this time he gripped the hammer and charged at me.

“Lilly, please put up a barrier around the forge. Make it as strong as possible.”

“Got it.”

Crack-!

Confirming that Lilly’s barrier was up, I immediately drew my sword, deflected the hammer, and drove my fist into Arges’s solar plexus.

“Ugh! You’ve got some basic skills, boy!”

But Arges only staggered slightly, showing no sign of real damage.

In fact, I was the one who suffered a loss in that brief clash. Though I thought I had deflected the hammer well, just one hit had bent the side of my sword.

‘His strength is ridiculously overwhelming. No wonder his stubbornness hasn’t been broken.’

Arges isn’t a fool. Of course he knows that trying to raise the temperature with ordinary alcohol is futile.

Yet he can’t stop because of the stubbornness that developed when he was a god.

‘Originally, he might have had the mindset to try new things, but now only his stubbornness remains…’

The fortunate thing is that I know how to break that stubbornness.

“What are you going to do?”

“Beat him senseless until he comes to his senses.”

I looked at Arges.

Despite his small stature, his durability and strength from his near-perfect physique were raging. His stamina was also top-notch.

If my opponent had been a proper warrior, I would have had no way to win.

But Arges was not a warrior but a blacksmith. And right now, he was practically in a drunken state.

“You’re going to beat me senseless? With those scrawny arms and legs? That’s hilarious.”

Of course, Arges didn’t seem to think he would lose, pointing his hammer at me as if to say “bring it on.”

“I’ll hammer you and throw you outside.”

“I don’t intend to cut you down mercilessly, so don’t worry.”

Our gazes met briefly, and then Arges was the first to move.

“Strike first, win first. Kid!!”

“With your short limbs and short hammer, can you even reach me?”

Arges charged at me with the intention of smashing my head, jumped at close range, and brought his hammer down toward my head.

I moved my body to the side to avoid the hammer and kneed his defenseless head while he was in mid-air, sending him flying.

“Shouldn’t you be trying harder? At this rate, it seems like you won’t land a single hit.”

“Oh yeah… let’s both die together!”

Arges seemed furious to the point that his already red face from alcohol turned completely crimson as he charged at me.