Chapter 600
V54C8P1- The Plan of the Dwarves
“That is my sword technique . ”
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Weed stopped the swing of his sword and walked closer to the Half-elf .
“You are right . ”
“Were you the one who sought for me?”
“I have arrived to this place in order to fight against Kaybern . ”
The adventurers that led the maze expedition had backed away to a distance and listened quietly to the conversation between them .
Vishur raised her lean body .
“Kaybern is truly a dreadful dragon . ”
“I’m fully aware of that . ”
“Has attacked again, causing the humans to fight against the dragon?”
“Yes . ”
Weed started to talk about Kaybern who destroyed cities and raised monster invasions . He did not forget to criticize him in the midst of his explanation .
“The peace of the continent will never revisit us until we slay that smokey dragon . ”
“I see . So, the reason for Kaybern’s attacks is because of its egg?”
“That’s right . ”
“That may not be a real dragon egg . ”
“Excuse me?”
Vishur’s next story was a shock in its entirety .
The Black Dragon Kaybern had thought of the elves as a nuisance since long ago .
Unlike the dwarves that it could rip off through its harassment, the elves were a noble race with pride .
They were untouchable under the protection of the World Tree and the Green Dragon .
Then, Kaybern devised a scheme that would give him a cause for harassing the elves .
The dragon egg!
It sent a fake dragon egg forged from magic into the elven forests, and when it broke, it used the egg as an excuse for the assault .
“Black Dragon Kaybern burnt down the forest and murdered elves . Even the World Tree, the genesis for the elves burnt to ashes . From that day on, the elves lost the forest . ”
“So, that’s what happened . ”
It was surprising, even for Weed .
What Kaybern committed were the actions of a bunch of thugs .
‘Is that why it claimed its nickname as the Black Dragon? If a fake dragon egg existed, this quest would have come up sooner or later . Even if the Hermes Guild wasn’t involved . ’
The fake dragon egg would never hatch in a natural way .
After some time had passed and the egg was destroyed, Kaybern would have attacked the humans .
It was just then the Hermes Guild destroyed it before it would have been destroyed ordinarily, to screw him over . Meaning that they only sped up the process of what was inevitable .
‘To think that the dragon’s assault was a predetermined danger… Though it would have been much easier, if I dealt with him later . ’
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At last, they discovered the Half-Elf Vishur within maze Zode .
They succeeded in waking her with the Sword of Regeneration, who had turned into a plant from the depletion of health points after a long life span .
He learned that the Black Dragon Kaybern’s plot occurred for the elves, and it was about to begin for the humans as well .
Even so, it was too early to give up .
Just like how the Half-Elf Vishur revived, the spark of hope was unextinguished .
< You have gained a level . >
< Wisdom increased by 2 . >
< Adventure achievement increased all stats by 2 . >
He gained experience and adventure progress from the quest completion .
Thanks to the help of many users, he was able to complete it easily, but it was no easy quest given the process .
Vishur summoned a water elemental and spoke after she healed herself .
“I was in search of comrades to fight against Kaybern . If you seek vengeance too, why don’t you fight alongside me?”
Weed nodded instantly .
“Of course, I will join your journey . ”
He was immensely excited for the Half-Elf Vishur to become a comrade .
‘I’ll exploit her thriftily as I did with Hestiger . ’
Elves were gifted in archery and elementals and were highly efficient with their nimble bodies .
Half-elves were nothing like the normal pure-blooded elves, but they compensated with their sword technique and endurance .
“Alright . I have studied over 200 years for a way to eradicate Kaybern . ”
“For 200 years?”
“I knew that if Kaybern were to begin its activity, it would come to torment the elves . I considered many options, but they were not sufficient enough to fight against a dragon . The final method we discovered was the Brazier of Sacrifice . ”
“Brazier of Sacrifice?”
“It is a legendary item owned by the dwarves . The dwarves are the race that follow the sacrifice of fire and new birth . There is a myth that if one offers himself to the brazier, he will acquire the power to fight against a dragon . Do you wish to go on the search for this brazier with me?”
Blink!
< The noble artefact of the dwarves .
Dwarves live with the fire their entire lives . .
With their short stature, they raised so many flares in history, but there are three mystical braziers they hid away from all others .
The Brazier of Bugta Volcano .
The Brazier of Sacrifice .
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The Brazier of Birth .
However, there was a great secret within the Brazier of Sacrifice .
“Dwarves are weak? We make everything from the breath of flames . Like burning lumber in the fire, we can make miracles from burning our own life . Magic? Magic is nothing compared to the power of the brazier . ”
The Brazier of Sacrifice was an artefact that was dormant for 500 years .
If this dwarven artefact were to be discovered, it could grant enough power to confront the dragon .
One of the dwarven elders will know about the Brazier of Sacrifice .
Difficulty: S
Quest Requirement: Savior of the Continent, Highest adventure reputation . >
< This quest cannot be declined under any circumstances . >
< Quest has been accepted . >
‘Hmm . Brazier of Sacrifice…’
He had never heard of it before, but the fact that it was a dwarven artefact hyped him up .
‘If I can get the power to face the dragon, that would be terrific but…’
The problem was that the artefact was named the Brazier of Sacrifice .
The word Weed despised the most was sacrifice .
“It burns the user’s own life?”
“I don’t know in detail . But, it won’t be something like dark magic because it is a dwarven artefact . ”
“Mm-hmm . I don’t have a good feeling about it . ”
Dwarves hated dark magic or evil deeds, and they themselves did not tell lies .
Users that did not keep their promises with the dwarves had their reputations dropped to the point where they had trouble with their activity in the village .
‘This is an S rank difficulty linked quest for facing the dragon . Indeed it will have traps and danger . For now, I need to look into this .
Oberon .
He, who was the leader of the Cold Roses Guild, was also the lord of Castle Vent under the Arpen Empire .
‘I wonder how dreadful I will feel if Kaybern were to destroy my castle . ’
He observed Weed’s adventure with nervous eyes .
He couldn’t watch every single moment of the hunts, but he did make sure to watch the crucial scenes .
“The Brazier of Sacrifice…?”
“Boss . Isn’t it what we heard about that time?”
“Uh… Yeah . The 3rd dwarven treasured brazier . ”
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The dwarven warriors in the Cold Roses Guild also chimed in .
“I have to inform Weed-nim right away . ”
Oberon spoke on the chat channel for Arpen Empire’s important lords .
“Weed-nim . I know about the Brazier of Sacrifice . ”
It was only after 2-3 seconds .
Ropener: “Awesome . As expected from Oberon-nim . ” Pia: “Wow… That’s Oberon-nim for you, indeed . ” Lemon: “You’re so amazing . Now that we have the info, the proceeding for the next quest will be a lot quicker . ” Flame: “This will certainly be a huge help in stopping Kaybern . ”
The lords cheered, and Weed checked the communication channel soon after .
He expected reports from the users as his meeting with Vishur during his quest will be broadcasted live .
Weed: Oberon, I will be on my way right now . Send me your current location .
A moment after, Weed arrived with Yurin through the Picture Teleportation Skill .
“What kind of information is it?”
“I know what the Brazier of Sacrifice is . ”
“Great . ”
Weed thought that it would bring incredible assistance to the quest as it would resolve the aspect that bothered him most .
‘This is a good start . ’
If he knew what was the exact role of the dwarven artefact, he could deduce the direction of the quest .
“Yes . At that time, I didn’t pay much attention to it… But I heard that you could burn your life force with the Brazier of Sacrifice . ”
“What does it exactly mean to burn your life force?”
“It is exactly as told . Health points . The user can burn their maximum health points and levels at the brazier . ”
“… And then?”
“The use of the Brazier of Sacrifice results in the decline of maximum health points, and your level is lowered as well . In return, you become stronger until the flames die out . ”
“Just how much power?”
“I heard it is 10 times the loss of health points or level . ”
“That is a high multiplier . ”
“Though it can be dangerous too . No, it is surely dangerous . ”
Burning 10,000 maximum health points in the Brazier of Sacrifice resulted in a temporary boost of 100,000 health points .
Weed was at 120,000 health points, meaning that it could become almost double the amount . Burning 100 levels will result in 1,000 levels temporarily .
“There would be conditions?”
“I don’t know that in detail . I’ve only heard the basic stories about it . ”
“Hmm . ”
Weed crossed his arms and became lost in his thoughts .
‘Time duration is the problem, but combat-wise I can become immensely more powerful . This way, I could even try hunting down Kaybern…’
It was a far stretch of an adventure that required a considerable amount of maximum health points and levels to be deducted . His maximum health points were already lower than other users and this meant that his consequences would be more severe .
He could raise his health points with the Goblet of Flames and other equipment, but a loss was still a loss .
‘If I have to pay such a sacrifice and fail, I won’t be able to taste any bitterness from coffee . ’
Lately, life has been easier on him, and he decided to drink one can of coffee every day .
‘I saved up until now, so a can of coffee per day sounds fine, right?’
Popping a can of coffee early in the morning, laid back, enjoying life in comfort .
‘This is the happiness in life . ’
Just dying once had a detrimental impact on level and skill proficiency, and he forbade thinking about failing, after using the Brazier of Sacrifice .
That being said, if he hunts down the dragon, he could earn an enormous number of combat achievements and treasures .
That moment, Oberon pulled out his axe from his back and spoke .
“Weed-nim . I want to assist in hunting Kaybern as well . ”
“Pardon?”
“I believe I accumulated all these levels for a time like this . I want to join the Kaybern hunt and give up about 100 levels . ”
Weed suddenly grasped Oberon’s hand .
“Thank you . You are a true hero . ”
Instinctively, he touched Oberon’s luxurious axe .
It is only natural for people to check prices when they’re near expensive items .
“Your words are kind . It is also my duty as lord of Castle Vent . Weed-nim, you are the emperor of Arpen Empire with all the burden of continental peace on your shoulders . ”
“It is rightfully my responsibility to protect the peace of this continent . ”
“I have always envied you,Weed-nim . ”
Only Weed’s old companions knew of his true side .
‘The users will be watching this as well . ’
Viewer rating would easily reach 15% .
After Arpen Empire conquered the Central Continent, the popularity among the users heightened even further .
There were going to be more users signing up for the Kaybern hunt like Oberon, however,he could no longer back out from the quest .
‘It’s not like my stand can neglect the destruction of the continent… Sigh . The Hermes Guild will be joyful and throw a party about this . Even if the hunt succeeds, would it be a profit?”
He was stuck in a swamp of dilemmas .
Even if he were to obtain the Brazier of Sacrifice, he had to bet everything on the line for the Kaybern hunt .
(To be continued…)