Chapter 138: The Allied Army’s Blacksmith (1)
Through the windows of the White Wolf Count’s reception room, a snowy landscape stretched out.
Every time the wind blew, the frost lining the windowpane shivered slightly.
Although winter had passed, a chill still lingered in the reception room.
By the side, a fireplace burned vigorously, pushing the cold air away.
“It’s a bit warm.”
…Warm?
Seraphia blinked in disbelief.
She never thought she would hear such a thing in the White Wolf County, where harsh winters lasted all year round.
In fact, this was the first time in her life she had heard such words.
Seraphia cautiously looked at the two people sitting across from her.
Muscular and burly.
Shorter than her.
Yet they radiated an overwhelming presence that made their height irrelevant.
‘Incredible…!’
The dwarves she was seeing for the first time in her life were truly fascinating.
From what Seraphia had read in books, dwarves were an extremely closed-off race.
They rarely interacted with humans, and only a few master craftsmen occasionally stepped into human society.
Even then, they seldom left their kingdoms.
And yet, here were dwarves who had come all the way to a snow-covered county.
Such a thing had never been mentioned in any of her books.
Her eyes sparkled in amazement at the sight.
“Are you Adrian Whitewolf?”
“Uh…? No, I’m not.”
Seraphia cleared her throat.
“I am Seraphia Whitewolf, Count of the Whitewolf family.”
“Then who is Adrian Whitewolf?”
“My older brother.”
“Older brother?”
“Yes. By now, the head steward should have delivered the news, so soon—”
Before Seraphia could finish, footsteps sounded from outside the door.
The reception room door opened, and Adrian appeared.
Dwarf
A race born long ago when elves divided into separate groups.
Technically, they should have been called Dark Elves.
However, the underground environment changed them drastically, and they no longer considered themselves elves.
Eventually, they accepted the human-given name “dwarf,” which became their new identity.
As a result, dwarves developed several unique cultural traits. One of the most notable was how they introduced themselves.
Humans introduced themselves in this way:
“Let me formally introduce myself again. I am Seraphia Whitewolf, Count of the Whitewolf family. It is an honor to meet such great craftsmen.”
Humans conveyed their social status through their family name and position. Even non-nobles would say things like:
“I am the third son of five children…”
Iliana had said this reflected human society’s social nature. But in any case,
dwarves did not follow this system.
Their self-definition was different.
For example:
“I am Strandul, master of the highest metallurgy, who shattered the Thunder Mountains with a hammer forged in the heart of fire, and the creator of five masterpieces: The Oath of Iron, Blooming Flame, The Hammer of Ironblood, The Howling Lightning, and the Silver Flash.”
…Roughly like that.
Lineage, family, or title was unimportant to dwarves.
What mattered were their skills, achievements, and masterpieces.
A dwarf’s identity was defined solely by their accomplishments.
This is why dwarves are strong, straightforward, and proud. Their display of skill was not arrogance but confidence backed by ability.
Next to Strandul sat another dwarf. He was the clan chief and the greatest master among them, the commander of the Engineering Corps, a hero of the Allied Army.
“Brumbar.”
The greatest blacksmith shaping the history of the continent.
Just like in his previous life.
Brumbar did not introduce himself in a grandiose way.
Had he done so, listing his skills, achievements, and masterpieces would have taken a full day.
Instead, Brumbar introduced himself briefly: one simple word: “Brumbar.”
In that name alone were his fame, skill, and accomplishments.
Brumbar was Brumbar.
The only difference from before was his rigidity. In his previous life, he had been rough but cheerful.
Now, there was no trace of joviality.
Cautiously, I used my Predator Instinct [S].
<Character Info>
Name: Brumbar
Classification: Mammalian, human-dwarf hybrid
Gender: Male
Age: 64
Traits: Hyper-Phantasia [L], Unbreakable [A+]
Hero of the Allied Army, master blacksmith. The Brumbar I knew.
The reason for his rigid demeanor…
‘Is it wariness?’
It seemed so. Dwarves were not very friendly toward humans.
Though not as openly as elves, humans were not easily trusted.
Being a race that branched off from elves, their instincts were deeply ingrained.
And these instincts weren’t mere prejudice—they were painful lessons from historical experiences and repeated betrayals.
Hence, he was a hero that could not be met lightly. A hero that had to be baited to come.
But—
‘I didn’t expect him to take the bait so quickly.’
From the time rumors of the Rune Iron ore spread, it was inevitable that it would take time for Brumbar to take the bait.
I thought he might come crashing into the county gates tomorrow, but…
‘He really did.’
When Bernard called him a guest, I assumed Ian had come, but it was Brumbar. Unexpected, yet not in a bad way.
“Adrian Whitewolf.”
Brumbar slowly looked at me.
His gaze was sharp as a forged blade.
The pressure emanating from his steel-like physique and muscles was immense.
“I’ll be direct. I need Rune Iron ore.”
“Eh? Rune Iron ore?”
Seraphia tilted her head. She hadn’t heard this before. Explanation would come later.
“How much do you need?”
“150,000 tons.”
“Whaaaat?!”
“I’ll give it to you.”
“Whhaaaaaaat?!?!”
Seraphia couldn’t keep up with the pace of the conversation. Her eyes widened in shock.
Even though it was 150,000 tons of Rune Iron ore, the value was astronomical. More importantly, the sheer existence of such a quantity was almost incomprehensible.
“O…older brother…? Can you really…?”
Seraphia stammered, but the explanation would come later.
“I won’t give it for free.”
“You will pay a price.”
150,000 tons of Rune Iron ore were worth more than gold could quantify easily. But dwarves could pay such a price.
The dwarf race were unmatched craftsmen, their technology beyond human imitation.
The equipment and armor they made were priceless, but—
“I won’t accept payment.”
“Whhaaaat?!”
Seraphia jumped in shock. Her red eyes nearly popped out.
“Not accept payment…?”
Brumbar widened his eyes in surprise too. Of course, it didn’t mean he truly wanted nothing in return.
“Instead, I have a proposal.”
“Proposal?”
“Yes. Rather than explain here, you should see the situation for yourself.”
The White Wolf County, home to the Rune Iron veins.
Even in this frozen land, no ice or snow remained around the area—likely due to the aftereffects of the Dragon Blast [E] and the Rampaging Dragon’s Wrath [L].
Beneath the ground, a seemingly endless abyss opened.
“At roughly 11 km underground, the Rune Iron veins are located.”
“Hmm.”
Brumbar hummed. No further explanation was needed. He knew the challenges of being 11 km underground.
“My proposal is simple: provide the infrastructure to mine the veins. In return, I will supply the 150,000 tons of Rune Iron you need.”
Brumbar pondered deeply, seemingly visualizing the infrastructure in his mind.
It seemed impossible, but with Brumbar, it was. Not because he was a dwarf, but because he was Brumbar.
◆ Hyper-Phantasia [L]
The user can perfectly imagine all [concepts, phenomena, materials, etc.] including [laws]. Using this, the user can [restructure] and [transform] reality, and precisely [analyze] information about concepts or materials.
A super-imagination. Brumbar could envision everything perfectly.
‘No wonder.’
It explained why he had said what he did in his previous life.
Visualizing hammer strikes was no different than actual forging.
Brumbar could detect flaws in equipment with mere imagination.
However, things he had never experienced could not be imagined.
“Time to go down and check for myself.”
Brumbar leapt into the pit without any safety gear.
11 km underground, geothermal heat boiled intensely.
A human would have their lungs scorched just inhaling. Even an armored knight would burn.
I, too, would never dare without my solid-body transformation [U].
And yet he jumped in barehanded? Madness.
Even Strandul, Steelmaster of the Engineering Corps, wouldn’t dare. But for Brumbar, it was different.
◆ Unbreakable [A+]
Skin and muscle fibers are restructured into diamond-like chitin crystals, boosting [strength, durability, resistance] by +34,335%.
Grants immunity to [physical, magical, and mental damage].
Passive and permanently applied.
…A monster.
The A+ rank alone was absurd.
Above Isolde’s Perfect Muscle Control [A], equal to Iliana’s Apex Intelligence [A+].
In other words, a physical talent rivaling, perhaps surpassing, dragons.
Literal “Unbreakable.”
‘So that’s why he used fists and arms instead of hammers.’
I shouted to him below.
“How long will it take?!”
No answer came, even after a long time.
Perhaps he was falling faster than sound could travel.
Then—
About five days.
A faint voice came from below. Without my 163.8 Agility, I wouldn’t have heard it.
‘Five days.’
I quickened my pace.
Dwarves lived underground, completely different from elves.
The underground environment changed not only their appearance but their values and culture.
They loved alcohol and feasts—not merely for pleasure, but as an essential cultural and ritualistic practice.
Reasons:
Underground life deprived them of sunlight; feasts provided mental liberation.
Clean water was hard to obtain, but fermented drinks were safe.
Underground conditions were perfect for fermentation.
Grain cultivation was difficult, so mushrooms, roots, and fungi became staple foods, giving rise to unique dwarf liquors.
Thus, not drinking was considered ‘un-dwarflike,’ and alcohol became a core cultural ritual.
Good alcohol was the surest key to integrating into dwarf society.
“Adelrun.”
Thump! 5 million gold in additional investment.
“Can you research and produce a night beer throughout the next five nights?”
Since Brumbar had taken the bait faster than expected, preparation time was tight.
