Chapter 667: Dwarf's Story and a Dungeon?
Chapter 667: Dwarf’s Story and a Dungeon?
“You want to enter a dungeon with me?” Ryuji sipped his pint, curious about the old dwarf’s plan. He didn’t seem to be pulling his leg or trying to con him. If not, why wait till this point, and it’s quite clear that the old man couldn’t earn much from a C-Rank dungeon.
The bar became less busy as the night grew close to the end. This port town was large, but people woke early to fish or venture into the many dungeons.
‘It’s surprising that people in the mainland rarely close dungeons…’
“Well, let me tell you why…”
Logan began to explain to Nikolai with foam coating his beard, but the tone of the old dwarf was much brighter than before.
On the mainland, they didn’t complete dungeons, and it was actually the law if an adventurer closed a portal or dungeon. Then they would face charges and a hefty fine, as only dungeons above A-Rank would be closed.
“Hmm… so if people break this law, the empire cannot farm the minerals, herbs and monster meat?”
“Yes, the nobles use the dungeons in their territories to lower taxes, in return people who enter the dungeon give a percentage of their items and gains.”
“Oh?”
‘That sounds like a unique and curious method… if I could turn the dungeons in the Demon Empire into something similar it might just boost our economy further.’
Low taxes brought less money, which Ryuji used the Mana-enriched earth to balance out, but if he did this with the dungeons and added a small tax on goods. Or the ability to trade directly with the kingdom, he knew his people would be better off.
“Then what do we need for the dungeon and what is our goal?” Ryuji asked. He knew that using his gold from the continent was fine in small amounts, but using it for the auction would be too much, so the dungeon was a good idea for him. ‘It gives me a sort of alibi.’
“Aye, Laddie. The dungeon we’re heading for has a special monster… something that is difficult to kill because of its body, but with your strength, I think we stand a chance.”
“Oh…?”
Ryuji peeked at the quest board a few metres to the right and noticed various missions and requests, and the only one that seemed to align with the one that Logan mentioned was the mention of a “Magical Metal” which appeared to have taken the form of a suit of armour.
“Tell me more about the dungeon, dwarf master.”
“Hohoho! You got it, Lad.”
It was quite bizarre for Ryuji. If he wanted to, he could probably transform and destroy the dungeon, rescue the prisoners. Yet, when he saw the people here living like normal people, it reminded him of something.
‘Not everyone in the mainland is an enemy…’
He knew his power, but right now something told him, or rather the same emotion that made him aware of the accident in the west… now nibbled at his mind. It said to him that he should get close to this dwarf, for it would be foolish to rush.
‘Am I wrong?’ Ryuji could be wrong here… but in the end, he would give it three days.
Logan wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and leaned forward, his chair creaking under the weight of his squat frame. “This dungeon, lad, ain’t like the usual hole-in-the-ground with goblins an’ slimes.” His voice dropped lower, half excitement, half warning. “It’s an anomaly. The guild calls it the Iron Maw. Only opened up about two months ago near the old mining cliffs north of Stormvale.”
Ryuji tilted his head, curious about the meaning. “Anomaly?”
‘Is it like the time we fought the lich?’
The dwarf nodded. “Aye. Doesn’t behave like a proper dungeon. It changes every few days, shifting the position and floor layout. Folks say the first team that went in never came back out. When the guild sent a second team, they found the first team’s corpses walkin’ around wearin’ bits of armor made of the same metal that’s growing out of the walls in there.”
“…Almost sounds like the dungeon ate them.”
Logan slammed his pint down with dark eyes. “Aye. Eats ’em, then spits ’em out as puppets… Iron-skinned bastards that don’t die even when you chop their heads off!” He reached into his coat and slapped a folded parchment on the table. A rough map, drawn in charcoal, marked with coordinates and a warning stamp from the local guild master.
“I didn’t plan to return… but, the party who went missing…” The dwarf paused while chewing his lips.
Ryuji studied the parchment, able to translate the language and sense the distinct traces of mana with his eyes, which shone with a faint golden thread. Then he noticed the name of a person on the list.
Thorim Stonekeg.
“One of the missing people, is it family?”
Logan’s hand froze midair, the mug stopping just before his lips. For the first time since they met, the dwarf’s grin faltered. His shoulders seemed to shrink slightly beneath the weight of that name.
“Aye…” he said quietly, voice cracking under the rasp of ale and grief. “My boy. My only one.”
“Your son?”
Something strange happened. Ryuji’s chest tightened, and the faces of his children floated in his mind: Kaelen, Varian, Lith, Leon and Ryusei…
The tavern noise dulled into background murmur and distant laughter, the clink of tankards, and the crackle of the hearth. Ryuji leaned forward, his piercing blue eyes softening. “I will help you.”
‘Can I save him? If he’s become a monster…’ There was a strange desire to help the man before him. A dwarf, who helped him when he first arrived. Was it foolish of him to want to do this? But… the voices in his mind calmed the moment he became interested in this.
Logan’s eyes widened. He clearly fought back tears as he continued staring down into his drink. “Thorim was a good lad. Not like me. He didn’t have my temper or my bad habits. He wanted to be a guild knight, y’know? Always talked about earnin’ enough gold to build a forge and settle down with this useless old man… nothin’ like me.” He laughed bitterly, rubbing his forehead with one hand. “Said he wanted to make somethin’ worth protectin’.”
Ryuji said nothing.
He listened to the old man speak.
He wanted to accept.
‘Is this part of becoming a god? The power inside me feels like it’s starting to grow… even if it’s a tiny fraction.’
“When the Iron Maw opened, he volunteered. Said it was ’bout time he stopped talkin’ and started doin’. I told him it was madness! Somethin’ about that place felt wrong even before the guild marked it off. But he went anyway. Last thing he said to me was…” Logan’s jaw tightened, eyes wet with restrained anger. “When I come back… let’s enjoy a nice cold beer together.”
Logan coughed before clearing his throat and rubbing his eyes. “What kind of dwarf doesn’t drink ale… stupid boy.”
Silence followed. Even the rowdiest drunk nearby seemed to sense the weight in the air and turned away. No, maybe they all knew this dwarf and understood. Even Lucy started to act more solemnly.
“…” Logan seemed to struggle to get his words out.
“Don’t rush yourself, Dwarf. I’ll listen in your own time.”
“I was too much of a coward to follow him then,” Logan muttered. “Now I’ve had two months to drink on it, and I’m sick of waitin’. If I die, I die. But I’m bringin’ him home… I have to bring him home.”
Ryuji leaned back and slowly closed his eyes for a few breaths. ‘Family, a sense of duty and loss.’ He understood those feelings, even more so after becoming a father and husband. The ache in the dwarf’s voice was something genuine and shook his emotions. When he opened his eyes again, there was no hesitation in his tone. “Then I’ll help you bring him home.”
‘And I will save him. So you can enjoy that drink… with your son.’
Logan blinked up at him, surprised. “You serious, lad? You don’t even know me. You could walk away right now and no one’d blame ya.”
“I also have children… important people. If in the same position as you, I would be insane.”
Ryuji smiled falsely, his head a little buzzed thanks to his ability to stop his resistance to alcohol. So he could enjoy getting tipsy. His hand brushed the handle of his axe, resting beside the table. “Besides, I need to see what this dungeon to save the people in the slave auction. I need coin, right?”
The dwarf’s eyes gleamed faintly, hope flickering behind the sorrow. He raised his mug in a small toast. “Then two fools with good intentions, eh? I’ll give my share of the loot to you if we can find my son.”
Ryuji clinked his tankard against Logan’s. “Two fools,” he echoed with a wide grin. This moment reminded him of when he first arrived in this world and met Alan and realised he wasn’t an enemy.
Meanwhile, as they enjoyed their dream, outside, thunder rumbled in the distance, a low, rolling cry almost like a beast stirring beneath the sea.