Do-Jin struck right at Maglo’s hosickness. “Money isn’t the real problem here. The people in your clan must be worried sick about you.”
“I guess they would be, ey...?”
“Don’t give that excuse about the monster nest blocking the way. That’s just bullshit and you know it. If you really wanted to go, you could have gone. If monsters were the problem, you could have hired adventurers to deal with them.”
Maybe those words cut deeper than intended, because Maglo’s face twisted with pain. “That’s not it... The forge has run into the red more often than not, and I still haven’t finished paying off the loans...”
“What kind of fucking business managent is that?” Do-Jin snapped.
“I couldn’t help it. The forge tools and machinery need upgrading every quarter, and even when making sothing as small as a kitchen knife, the highest-grade steel has to be used to maintain quality...”
Do-Jin finally understood. This dwarf was dood from the start. A man like this, a craftsman obsessed with standards, was never ant to run a business. Making money was out of the question. Losing it was all he ever did.
“Enough of the depressing story. If things keep going like this, you’ll never see your holand again before you die. When the thought cos up, when the longing hits, when an opportunity presents itself, that’s when you need to grit your teeth and go. Otherwise, you’ll never set foot on that land again. And really, when else will a Rank 7 adventurer offer to help you for free?”
Maglo clenched his glass, eyes glistening as he wrestled with his thoughts. Finally, he burst out in a choked voice. “Damn it, you’re one hell of a good kid!”
After a long conversation in the bar, Do-Jin had finally secured his guide. Along with that ca a quest notification.
[Romantic Treasure Hunt]
Grade: Hidden
Objective: Experience the treasure hunt Silvermoon has prepared.
Reward: Silvermoon’s Legacy
An old connection of Silvermoon has been found. Follow him to uncover the traces Silvermoon left behind.
***
The mont Maglo decided to return ho, he bolted straight into the forge. A loud clatter echoed inside for a long while before he finally erged, carrying a backpack bigger than himself.
“What the hell is all that?” Do-Jin asked.
“What do you think? They’re gifts I’ve been putting together little by little whenever I got hosick. I also packed a few supplies we’ll need along the way.”
Do-Jin opened his inventory and offered, “I’ll carry so of it for you.”
“That’s the problem with mages. You guys have no sense of romance at all. This weight is the thrill of going ho. Sa thing with adventuring. You’ve got to feel the heft on your shoulders to get that rush, the feeling that a journey’s really begun.”
Maglo just laughed heartily and waved him off. He had hesitated for so long, yet once the decision was made, he looked happier than he had in years.
With that, Do-Jin led him toward the Magic Train station. “Let’s get so sleep on the train.”
It was already late at night. He boarded the train heading in the direction of Tigrek Mountain and imdiately dozed off to rest. Maglo, on the other hand, stayed awake. His eyes were clouded with a tangle of emotions as he stared out the window until morning.
***
Tigrek Mountain was tall and unforgiving. The only saving grace was that the route to Maglo’s ho village didn’t go over the peak. They followed the rugged trail upward, crossing along a low ridge.
“The road to our clan’s village isn’t that high up. It should take about three hours.”
Despite what the dwarf had said at the start, they had now reached an altitude where permanent snow lay thick. For soone with stamina that was “pretty decent for a mage,” that was where Do-Jin’s strength finally ran dry.
“Are we... there yet?” he asked between ragged breaths.
Maglo wiped the sweat from his brow and scanned the path ahead. The fact that he was sweating in the snow said everything about how punishing the trek had beco.
“It feels like it’s just a little farther. The snow’s changed the path from what it used to be, but I’ve still got my instincts.”
It wasn’t exactly the most reassuring claim. Just as Do-Jin narrowed his eyes, a mottled beast lunged up from the slope below.
“Whoa!” shouted the startled Maglo before landing hard on his bottom.
Do-Jin reacted instantly with a Frozen Arrow. In a place cold enough for snow to stick all year, the bolt of ice ford quicker than usual and cut the beast down mid-leap before it could close in.
The attacker was a snow leopard, though not an ordinary one. It had been twisted into a monster, and even after taking a direct hit from the Frozen Arrow, it sprang back up and charged again.
Do-Jin threw up Ice Shield to steal its timing, then chained Electric Shock into Frozen Lance. The paralysis bought him enough ti to finish the heavier cast. This was the bread and butter of a mage’s combat style.
Upon impact, the snow leopard let out a final cry and collapsed.
Maglo stared at the corpse, then turned to Do-Jin. “You’re incredible!”
In truth, this was nothing to fret over for Do-Jin. This part of Tigrek Mountain was around his level, so there was hardly any danger.
“I told you monsters weren’t the issue. The mountain itself is giving more trouble than they are,” he said truthfully. Walking was far more exhausting.
“No need to worry! We’re almost at the cave that leads to the village!”
“That’s a relief.”
Of course, with a mountain native, “almost” might have ant another two hours of climbing.
***
After spending far too long stewing in the bitter realization he’d been scamd, Do-Jin finally reached the cave.
“So this is the place that turned into a monster den?”
Maglo nodded stiffly, his face showing just how tense he was.
The mana density’s a hell of a lot higher here, Do-Jin thought.
He could see it clearly with the eyes of soone who could read mana. The glow and swirl of energy filled the air, visible in the smallest currents. And more than just sight, his instincts as a mage were screaming the sa thing. The tunnel that the Steelpeak dwarves had once used as their main passage now carried such a concentrated density of mana that the air itself felt thick. It was no wonder monsters kept spawning without end, turning the place into sothing no one could ever use as a road again.
At this point, it’s not just a passage. This is a goddamn dungeon.
Still, if they went through quickly, it wouldn’t be too much of a problem. If things got hairy, he could always summon Anemone. She could cut a path open by force, no question about it.
“Let’s go,” Do-Jin said.
“Hold up. I’ll light a torch. Want to make one for you too?”
“I don’t need one.”
“Yeah? Fine, suit yourself.” Maglo lit his torch, and the two of them stepped inside.
The cavern ceiling stretched easily ten ters overhead, and the vast space was filled with the low, hollow, almost mournful humming sound of the wind howling through from the other end. It echoed against the stone until it sounded like the entire mountain was groaning.
“How far do we have to go?”
“It’s a long walk. This tunnel cuts all the way through the peak.”
The two of them kept talking in snatches as they walked deeper. Then Do-Jin’s eyes caught on sothing. It was a hole that was rough, jagged, and about half a ter wide.
What the fuck is that...? Before the thought was even complete, a sudden whoosh blasted out of it, and sothing shot straight for him.
Oh, fuck . Do-Jin’s body reacted before his mind caught up. He rolled hard backward, narrowly avoiding the sudden strike.
It’s a Giant Worm!
The hole wasn’t random. It had been carved open by one of those monsters, which grew to lengths of two or three ters.
“M-monster!” Maglo shrieked, waving his torch wildly, stumbling as if swinging it around could drive the thing away.
Do-Jin paid him no attention as his focus was already on a spell. He steadied his breath and waited. The trick was to ti it exactly for when the worm burst out again.
As the creature lunged from the tunnel mouth once more, its maw opening wide, his spell finished casting. A razor-sharp Wind Blade tore out and sliced through the worm’s head the instant it appeared. The monster let out a screech and collapsed, twitching violently on the stone before going still.
With the overwhelming firepower Do-Jin wielded, he barely flinched at it.
Tch. From here on I’ll have to keep an eye out for any more of those holes. And I should summon Anemone too. With her senses, she’s the best counter to monsters that try to ambush.
“Anemo—” He was just about to summon her when sothing caught his eye.
In the ceiling yawned a massive hole, easily four to five ters across, maybe larger. The instant he saw it, his back went cold and a shiver ran down his spine. A small vibration spread through the stone beneath his boots. From that gaping maw above, mana began to pour out in waves, shimring like heat haze.
“Run!” Do-Jin yelled without wasting another second. He grabbed Maglo by the scruff of the neck and yanked him into a sprint toward the entrance they’d co from.
“W-what the hell’s happening?!”
“Just fucking run if you want to live!”
They hadn’t made it far before the cave shook with a violent roar that felt like the world collapsing. The thing slamming its body into the ground was no Giant Worm. This hulking monster made the last one look like an actual worm.
A Great Worm dropped into the cave, its massive body crashing into the earth. The impact alone was enough to rattle bones. It hesitated for only a heartbeat, then turned and locked onto them. Then it charged, terrifyingly fast, faster than sothing that huge had any right to be.
“AAAAAAHHHH!” Maglo shrieked.
Do-Jin gritted his teeth and ran harder. By sheer luck, they noticed it in ti and managed to clear the tunnel before the worm caught up. But they still weren’t safe. His gaze swept the terrain before he veered sharply to the side on instinct.
“This way!”
“That’s... ah, screw it!” Maglo wheezed, following without argunt.
Before them was a drop-off steeper than the most brutal expert ski run. If they slipped, there was no telling how far they’d tumble, or if they’d survive. However, it was the only way out right now.
A Great Worm starts at Level 200 at least! Running into one here is a fucking disaster! Cursing under his breath, Do-Jin threw himself onto the snow-covered slope.
He managed to roll down in sothing resembling control, but Maglo wasn’t so lucky. With the enormous pack strapped to his back, the dwarf spun like a ragdoll, flipping and crashing, arms and legs flailing wildly as he tumbled down the incline in complete chaos.
***
After tumbling for what felt like forever, Do-Jin and Maglo finally ca to a stop. They turned to look at each other, and their appearance was nothing short of pathetic. How that oversized backpack had managed to survive the fall without bursting open was a miracle in itself.
Maglo barely managed to lift himself off the ground before collapsing back down with a heavy sigh. He was ready to give up.
“Let’s just go back. I can’t keep this up, and I feel guilty for dragging you into this any further,” he said.
“No. We didn’t co all the way here just to quit because of one oversized worm.” Do-Jin’s tone was flat, unshaken. He wasn’t about to give in.
“Didn’t you see what that thing was? With a monster like that in the way, how the hell do you plan on getting through?”
Do-Jin brushed the snow off his clothes and straightened up, his expression hard. “Isn’t there another way?”
“There isn’t. We have to take the tunnel. The only other option is climbing up to the summit, crossing the ridge, and circling down the far side... but that route’s crawling with Yetis. You step onto it and you’re dead.”
The Great Worm was over Level 200. The Yetis that road Tigrek Mountain started at Level 120. At least the latter path was one Do-Jin could deal with.
“Then let’s go.”
“Are you not listening? I said Yetis.” Maglo began listing all the reasons the mountain was suicide. “And not just them. Sotis Ice Trolls show up too. And it’s not only the monsters. The terrain is treacherous, the cold will kill a man if he lets his guard down, and the distance is three or four days of straight marching.”
Do-Jin looked him in the eye. “If you want to turn back, I won’t stop you. But can you honestly say you won’t regret it?”
If fear made Maglo quit, Do-Jin wouldn’t force him. The greater the danger, the more important it was that the choice be his. Finding the village would be painful, but it wasn’t impossible alone.
“If I say I’ll go, would you really stay with ?” The way Maglo’s voice wavered made it obvious he wasn’t ready to commit.
“Please get up.” Do-Jin held his hand out, his voice leaving no room for hesitation.
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