Chapter 74 – Floor 11. If It’s a Request, I Should Help

Seven apostates have instantly become corpses, rolling on the floor.

Bodies with heads burst open, throats pierced, and intestines spilling out.

A large amount of blood that has flowed out copiously from the carotid and subclavian arteries cut by daggers is pooling on the stone floor, sloshing.

“Phew… that was tough.”

I lightly rotated my shoulders to loosen the slightly stiff muscles from the intense movement, then put the mimic that was quietly waiting on the floor back onto my shoulder.

Though they were weak, there were still seven of them.

It definitely wasn’t a number I could ignore, but apart from feeling dirty and the extremely nauseating smell of blood, there wasn’t much difficulty in leading the battle.

This was thanks to Alraune’s status effect powder, which demonstrated excellent performance against these living enemies.

‘It doesn’t work on plants, the undead, and other creatures.’

Now I’m just a normal human who doesn’t discriminate by race, but originally in D.D, there was a catalog you could choose from before selecting your starting stats and magic—and that was race.

You could play not only as a human but also as an orc, lizard, and even a skeletal creature with only bones left, or a half-fish Sahaguin.

Alraune is powerful against humans who need to breathe in the flower powder. Conversely, she is relatively weak against the undead who don’t breathe.

How do I know this?

Because the data accumulated from playing as various races tells me so.

Status effects and diseases are certainly powerful, but if a counter appears that can nullify their effects, they become severely weakened compared to other trees.

‘If everything had been affected, I could have easily caught the ogre too.’

That’s unfortunate.

“Ugh… You’re different from those who worship the evil─ idol scattered on this floor.”

The Dwarf Brewmaster, Naud of Burning Chest, sat down on the floor, leaning against the oak barrel as if he was having difficulty.

“My name is the Chief Brewing Master of the great─ Dwarf Kingdom. Naud of Burning Chest.”

“Hmm… aaaa.”

“Ea… That’s a good name.”

How does aaaa become Ea? I thought about it briefly, but honestly, whether it’s AAAA or A4 or Ah-ah or Ea, it didn’t matter much to me.

It’s not like I had forgotten my real name; what meaning could there be in a name I had typed in a rush by just pressing keys because I was too lazy to come up with a name before starting?

“The most important thing for brewing excellent─ ale is excellent water.”

“What are you suddenly talking about?”

“Sigh… Anyway, thank you. I almost lost my precious─ ale. Though the rest are gone…”

Despite my question, Naud just stroked the oak barrel once with nostalgic eyes without telling me anything about “Ea.”

Since he didn’t seem willing to explain, I’ll just have to consult the Severa Encyclopedia later.

Naud brushed off his knees and stood up, shouldering the oak barrel as if he was about to move again.

“Thank you, friend. I’m in a hurry, so I’ll be on my way.”

“Hey, wait a minute, what’s going on? I might be able to help you.”

Deep-set eyes looked at me.

“Here?”

“Yeah, let’s talk outside first. I feel like throwing up too.”

Naud and I left the room in the abandoned mine that looked like a Texas Chainsaw Massacre scene, without either of us taking the lead.

Drag─ Drag─

As we slowly moved through the abandoned mine’s passage, the hoops, iron rings that tightened the wood of the oak barrel, made an irritating dragging sound against the stone floor.

Yet I couldn’t criticize him, as the oak barrel was damn heavy.

If it’s filled with barrel-sized liquid, it weighs close to 200kg.

Even if he was dragging such a heavy thing on the floor, the fact that he was shouldering it alone without taking turns was admirable.

“Phoo-! May I rest─ a bit?”

“Sure.”

But it seemed he was indeed finding it difficult, as Naud took a break, panting heavily.

“Want some water?”

“Don’t you have any alcohol?”

Isn’t it normal to drink water when your throat is dry? Does this crazy race prioritize alcohol consumption over hydration at the genetic level?

Looking at his grotesque expression, I took out the whiskey I had brought earlier from the mimic and handed over the bottle.

The cork came out with a pop- sound by his thick fingers.

Naud buried his nose in the bottle’s mouth and inhaled deeply as if to savor the aroma.

“Sniiiff-ha. Was it aged in oak barrels that had wine burned into them? There’s a bitter grape aroma hidden in the woody scent. And this sharp, penetrating spice aroma… Excellent! Is this also a Dwarven─ brand?”

“Unfortunately, it’s a Human─ brand.”

I’m not sure if there was any meaning in asking, as Naud put the whiskey bottle to his mouth and glug-glug-glug- downed it before even hearing my response.

I licked my lips as I watched the amber liquid disappearing instantly down his throat.

‘That was expensive.’

Tap-

After shaking out the very last drop onto his tongue, Naud finally wiped his beard with a swish- and smiled contentedly as if he could now live.

“Kehe..! It lacks some depth compared to Dwarven─ whiskey, but such a clean and refined taste! Human alcohol is no longer to be underestimated! I’d like to stock up and drink it at home. Still, I wish it had a higher alcohol content.”

It’s definitely not something to say after downing a 700ml bottle of 40% alcohol whiskey in one shot, but I decided to think… well, he’s a dwarf.

I’m a racial equalist.

I decided to accept and acknowledge the fact that dwarves are insane alcoholics at the genetic level.

“So now isn’t it time to tell me? This is already an abandoned mine that your people deserted, but why did you come this deep, what’s the reason for moving that heavy thing, and what’s inside it?”

“Hmm… I’m going through all this trouble because of a very grand─ plan.”

“A grand plan?”

“Yes, a grand─ plan! It’s to reconcile between the mountain spirit who became angry with the dwarves long ago and my dwarf brethren! I’ve prepared for 108 years for this!”

A century plus eight more years.

Honestly, for me, who has lived just over 20 years, it was a timespan I couldn’t really comprehend.

Would it be worth investing that much time?

Well, with different lifespans, there would be some difference in the perception of time, but still, 108 years wouldn’t be a short time even for a dwarf.

Naud showed great pride in what he was doing, clenching his fist.

But soon, his beard drooped, and as if losing strength, he rested his arm on the oak barrel and began his story.

“What’s inside this oak barrel is none other than Dwarven─ Brandy, aged 108 years, personally brewed by me, the Chief Brewing Master of dwarves─.”

Naud expressed well-founded confidence in his alcohol, adding that if he opened it just a little in the middle of a square, madness would ensue with people begging for just one sip.

Indeed, even I couldn’t resist a 108-year-aged brandy.

Unlike the unmarked garbage sold in markets, this was made by a verified craftsman and aged for 108 years? It might cost hundreds per glass.

I looked at the oak barrel, licking my lips, then refocused on Naud’s story.

This brandy was made from grapes grown on this very mountain.

I personally grew plump, well-seeded grapes with the utmost care, seeking advice from my brethren, then made wine and distilled only the finest of it.

And I also selected excellent─ oak and, with the help of various brethren, completed the perfect─ oak barrel to age the alcohol.

Tap-tap-

Naud tapped the oak barrel containing the legendary 108-year-aged brandy with his palm and smiled contentedly.

Up to that point, everything was perfect.

I had distilled what I could proudly claim to be the finest wine I’d ever made in my lifetime, creating a great─ water of life.

And I stored the oak barrel in this abandoned mine, which has the right temperature for storing brandy, to age it.

It was closed off so ordinary brethren couldn’t easily enter, and originally, for my plan, it had to be aged in this abandoned mine.

It was fine for quite a while.

If only it weren’t for those who believe in that evil─ idol!

Naud, bursting with anger about the apostates, was so upset that he stamped his feet, but when I handed him another bottle of whiskey, he downed it again with glug-glug-glug- and seemed to barely calm down, catching his breath.

Those creatures sneaked into this abandoned mine secretly from my brethren and made their nest.

I could only pray that they wouldn’t find the room where I had hidden my alcohol.

It was in a remote─ place, but close to the entrance.

But it seems my prayers didn’t reach heaven, as those cursed beings eventually found my alcohol!

With their filthy─ hands, they touched and rolled the oak barrels I had made with all my heart, and took them away to the depths below!

I fought desperately and managed to protect this one barrel, but the other three fell into the hands of those damned cultists.

Naud made a demonic expression, glaring fiercely with his rugged eyes. His face was so ferocious that someone who didn’t know might think Naud was the enemy.

“That alcohol was going to be a gift to the mountain spirit to appease its anger!! A gift to convince that from your body, we and our brethren can create such beautiful things!!! An offering!!!”

Bang! Bang! Bang! Rumble─

His stomping was so violent that small rock fragments fell from the ceiling, making a white shower over our heads.

The abandoned mine resonated as if in harmony with the dwarf’s anger, and soon, as Naud sat down, exhausted by his own outburst and panting heavily, the reverberating vibrations in the abandoned mine also stopped.

‘Well…’

“Please… please help me, friend…”

The dwarf, having expelled the anger that had been bottled up inside him and now feeling empty, took my hand.

“Retrieve my alcohol from those creatures…”

[The Dwarf Brewmaster, Naud of Burning Chest, asks you to recover his alcohol.]

[Y/N]

Naud’s alcohol exists as one barrel each on floors 12, 13, and 14.

Of course, you don’t need to defeat a mini-boss to obtain it, but you can get Naud’s alcohol by opening treasure chests in monster houses where apostates are gathered closely.

A quest spanning the entire abandoned mine area.

I looked down at the dwarf.

Despite having strong arms and legs that seemed capable of easily lifting a person-sized rock, they were trembling as if no strength was entering them.

“Alright.”

[You have accepted the request from the Dwarf Brewmaster, Naud of Burning Chest.]

“But.”

At that word indicating a condition, Naud raised his head, waiting for my next words.

“Let me taste the alcohol.”

Are we strangers?!