V56C4P1 – Dungeon of Argoldia

Weed led 1,000 dwarven warriors from Treestub Village.

He busily moved along with them to Argoldia!

“We have to run.”

The dwarven warriors hurried on their short legs and headed to Argoldia.

The dwarves were gifted with stamina and Argoldia was just beside the Central Continent.

– Spenson: I will send you a detailed map that I drew out the last time I visited Argoldia.

– Chase: I have a collection of information that I gathered about Argoldia.

He received the assistance from fellow adventurers and the avian.

The avian around Argoldia scouted the desert regions in detail.

There were considerable numbers of flying monsters that meant they had a few collisions but even still, they made quick progress.

– Swift Coldwind: I found it. It’s about half a day in distance from where you are now. You will see it after 3 rock mountains.

“Everyone, run!”

Weed dragged the dwarves mercilessly, giving them as little rest time as possible.

The bunch were over level 500, the best dwarven warriors with vigorous strength and stamina.

Some were even near mid and late level 500.

Most of these dwarves had a story. They bore the vocation of confronting the dragon since a young age and lived in the dungeons all along.

‘They are different from other players that spare themselves. They will gladly use the Brazier of Sacrifice for the glory of the dwarves.’

Leading them well was the most important matter.

He had to command them when they finally met Kaybern.

In Argoldia, flying monsters were roaming freely.

– Kuaaaagh.

– Kyaaaagh!

In the past they were fearsome figures and still remained just as formidable.

When the monsters descended to the ground, they fired arrows and threw handaxes to keep them away while running.

Weed arrived at the location marked on the scroll but there was a thick rock wall in their way.

“We have arrived.”

– Swift Coldwind: Judging by the surrounding terrain, this is surely the place. However, I did not find the entrance yet.

Weed examined the drawings on the map and the nearby mountains and was assured that this was the rock wall.

“The problem is the entrance.”

He pondered for a bit but quickly arrived at a simple answer.

“I bet there are dungeons still unexplored. Maybe an avalanche blocked it or someone sealed it off…”

If the map was correct, they would just have to excavate the entrance.

“We will dig an entrance.”

Weed’s words got the dwarves to pull out their pickaxes and begin digging through the wall.

After less than 30 minutes, they busted through the rock and created a path inside the dungeon. The possibility of untold events had them dig the entrance just wide enough for two or three people to pass at once.

– Dungeon. You are the discoverer of the dwarven special storage.

 

---

< Benefit: Reputation increased by 15,000.

Experience and drop rate increased 2x for a week.

In the first hunt, the monster will drop the best item from its potential loots. >

---

 

Just shovels upon shovels of reputation.

The surplus of reputation was perhaps a common trait of the dwarven race quest.

Normally the dwarves spread their reputation as great generals.

Not many became adventurers.

That aside, this quest was extremely vital for the entirety of the dwarven kind, hence he received a substantial amount of reputation.

“We found it earlier than I thought.”

Weed led the dwarves and made his way slowly inside the dungeon.

‘From this point on, I can’t get the help from other players. There are other disadvantages too.’

He would not be able to use Undead Summoning, which was despised by dwarves.  Needless to say, that meant he cannot call upon Van Hawk nor on Torido.

The dwarves were simple minded and did not compromise for the things they hated.

“Hmm. Then I just have to exploit these dwarves to the fullest. We have enough of a fighting chance.”

Weed brought 7 pieces of dwarven gear that he obtained from the dragon lair and distributed them.

There were a huge amount of treasures but it was unexpectedly difficult to find dwarven equipment with level restrictions around 500.

“Is this the work of the great commander Weedhand-nim?”

“I brought this from Kaybern’s home. You are all welcome to use them.”

In a massive war, the equipment of 7 dwarves wouldn’t be much of a difference.

However, if the dwarves leading the group inside the dungeon had reliable defense, they could withstand just about any foe!

“Maintain close formation.”

The dwarven secret storage had marble walls, quite spacious with corridors 20 meters in width.

“Be careful of traps and advance slowly.”

*Clack-clack-clack.*

Weed divided the dwarves into 20 teams of 50.

He already confirmed that these warriors could use about 5 to 6 types of weapons freely.

From throwing weapons like handaxes, daggers to heavy weapons such as double axes and big spears.

They were blacksmiths and consequently had a deep understanding of weapons.

They even wielded shields well, truly the jack of all trades in combat.

– Kwat!

– Kwa-Kyagh!

Keya, the herbivores that inhabit Argoldia appeared in front of them.

They were herbivores 5 meters long, tyrannical creatures that attacked smaller creatures for fun.

“Enemy spotted. Begin battle!”

The cluttered dwarven warriors lifted their weapons and advanced.

Due to the thick skins of the Keyas, typical attacks had little effect.

“Front line throw handaxes and pull back. Second row, throw your spears. Third row, shield charge. Fourth row, arm up with axes and attack.”

The dwarves carried a variety of weapons on their backs and swiftly adapted to the kind of enemy they were up against.

They fended with their shields and attacked the body with spears while cutting off the approaching tentacles with axes.

“Excellent.”

Weed was satisfied at the sight of the dwarves moving exactly as he commanded.

Each dwarf was pulling off their role and the innate intrepidness of dwarven warriors stirred up an intensely engaging battle.

They weren’t as extreme as barbarians, but the defense that came from shields and armor was incredibly effective in close combat.

They took care of the Keyas while sustaining only minor injuries.

“K-hmm. It stings a little.”

“It’s more than bearable. I can fight more.”

It was impressive to see them treat their own wounds after the end of battle.

“Slight tweaks will make them great.”

Weed refined the warrior composition further with each battle.

In the treasure storage, all kinds of monsters from massive insects, rock monsters to cursed spirits appeared.

At times he ordered the battle with mostly handaxes and spread them out in a defensive formation on purpose to confirm their effectiveness.

It was crucial for him to confirm the combat level of the dwarven warriors through a variety of situational combat before confronting the dragon.

“Their defense is great. Currently there are no priests… If they join as well, these dwarves could plant their feet in the ground.”

When they fought with axes in close combat, they were a bit reckless. They swung mindlessly and did not back away even a step.

Conversely, when they wielded swords or spears they were true to their role of keeping the enemy in check.

“So their combat style changes with the weapons. Not too surprising.”

However, when they came across monsters with high defense, the limits of the dwarven warriors were evident.

They hit with strength, then even more strength.

Ultimately, they would swing until the enemy broke and shatter, but it was time-consuming.

“They aren’t half bad in hunting, but not enough to defeat the dragon.”

Weed frowned.

The dwarven warriors were utilizing only the simplest skills.

Their defense skills were diverse but lacked proficiency because they wielded so many.

Thanks to their high strength and good weapons, they were unstoppable against monsters with mediocre defense. But when the enemy was just as dense, they couldn’t kill it swiftly enough.

Spear and axe warriors had decent attack and if arranged in a good composition they could hunt speedily. This method was meaningless against a dragon.

‘It would be a hassle to kill the boss monster of this dungeon, let alone Kaybern. They do hold their ground well though.’

Maybe Weed could mitigate those weaknesses.

The dwarves could wield swords, spears, axes and shields.

He just needed to teach them more efficient and powerful skills.

“Mapan-nim.”

– Mapan: At your service!

“The dwarves are capable of wielding just about any weapon. But their skills are outdated and I need useful ones.”

– Mapan: Is it for battling the dragon?

As expected, Mapan understood his motives clearly.

“It would be helpful to find skills that will do well in normal hunts, but of course we will need secret techniques for the dragon hunt.”

Secret techniques of the sword, axe and spear.

In the past it was difficult to learn just one, but times have changed.

Weed was the emperor of the Arpen Empire and he held the ultimate authority.

With the exception of those within Haven territories, every secret technique could be collected.

‘Not just anyone can master the secret techniques, but I’m sure these dwarves are worthy.’

– Mapan: I will scavenge the best as quickly as possible. Oberon-nim, too, would know quite a bit of defense skills.

Fulfilling the lacking skills of dwarves wasn’t the end.

For them to reach advanced levels, they had to go through an intense grind.

Luckily for them, Weed was an expert in the field.

‘The dwarves are prideful and have high tolerance levels. I can make them crawl just before they die short of breath.’

Now it was time to increase the tempo of the hunt.

– I am Weedhand!

Weed roared and pulled out his Loa sword.

From this moment out, he was to win the hearts of the warriors and engage in the hunt himself.

“Oh. Finally Weed has pulled his weapon.”

“Sword? So he primarily uses swords!”

The Dragon Slayer Axe reduced stats, so he had no intentions of using it.

The weapon was almost forbidden unless he were to face a boss level monster!

Weed’s roar was effective in boosting the morale of the dwarves, but he had a different motive.

From afar, endless legions of monsters stomped towards them.

The dungeon became a living hell filled with the horrific cries of the monsters.

“Now we are going to clean the house.”

Weed did think that it may be dangerous to funnel all the monsters together.

‘I have to save time. With our forces, it’s worth a shot.’

The dwarves did best when pushed to the limit!

If he sealed the halls of the dungeon, only a small number could fight at an instance, no matter how many monsters.

He confirmed the high defense of the dwarves and all that was left was for them to fight until the end.

“Sculptural Destruction! All shall become strength.”

Sculptural Destruction converted all Art stats into Strength!

“Heraim Fencing Skill.. Haaah!”

He ruthlessly slashed through the monsters and wiped them out together with the warriors.

“He’s incredible, that dwarf.”

“He might overpower an ogre.”

The dwarves followed behind him with admiration.

He looked back after they fended off the monsters for a while. The dwarves were worn out but there were no casualties.

It was all because they protected each other with the close bonds they have for their own kind. Weed was very impressed.

“Mmm. I am assured that I can drive them even further.”

He did not want his subordinates to die in vain, but he took the mindset of the exploitative CEO to heart!

“We’ll keep moving forward.”

At some point in their charge, they found iron golems. Thick dust had collected on the head and shoulders and when the dwarves approached them, they opened their eyes.

“Enemy. Prepare for battle!”

– Guuuuuuuuuuuuh. You finally arrived.

– We have been waiting for ages.

Surprisingly, the golems weren’t enemies but the allies of the dwarves.

They were iron golem reinforcements created by dwarf commanders.

“As one should expect from an advanced dungeon in one of the 10 forbidden locations.”

Weed was concerned with the difficulty of the quest.

Even with well prepared dwarves he couldn’t advance, hence the iron golem reinforcements were waiting for them.

“Even so… It will at least be fun.”

Weed wasn’t an ordinary dwarf that was discouraged from a bit of hardship in a quest.

He went through all kinds of difficulties with countless adventures across the continent and possessed a vast range of skills.

“The dwarf race quest in normal progression would have been obtained around level 700 to 800. It might have been later than that. Assuming that the dwarves made progress too, they would at most be around mid to late level 500.”

The quest then would have been different in that he would have had to lead the front by himself and push through the dungeon with the dwarves behind him.

“There will definitely be powerful monsters up ahead.”

These dwarves were to be expended on Kaybern. Not one could die in vain.

“Will it really be that dangerous?”

Weed felt his competitiveness rising.

In a tunnel design dungeon, the dwarves, with their level of defense, could withstand just about any powerful monster.

It was dangerous but not to the extent that they would die instantly. Depending on how they fought, they could all survive.

“We still have the dragon to fight after all this… Surely all this extreme battling is unnecessary.”

***

 

The adventurers that travelled to the Ring of Fire faced the death of their comrades each day.

“This area is dangerous no matter how much caution is taken.”

“Yes, I agree. The terrain is our biggest problem and the monsters are only adding to it.”

The abrupt volcanic eruptions caused the ground to split open and fume unbearable heat.

The adventurers witnessed several dozens of their own burn to death at once, realizing that there was no such thing as safety.

“In regions with extreme conditions, you can survive with proper gear but here, you never know when an accident will kill you.”

“We are going to return. Let’s find any leads in Orcland.”

“The King of demons. Are you going to look for leads on that?”

“Yes. It’s a bit of a goose chase but if we find even the most minor quest, it will be the first lead.”

“We are going to remain here. Landony’s lair is surely around here somewhere. I can’t give up after coming all this way.”

The adventurers formed two groups.

Chase and Spenson.

The accomplished adventurers chose to remain in Jigolaths and continue the expedition. Most adventurers chose to return to the Orcland or Central Continent instead.

The Ring of Fire expedition had been incredibly dangerous except for the land that was connected to Orcland. People died falling in the lava between the land fissures and from falling debris from volcanic eruptions.

Weed, too, explored the Jigolaths in the past, but he only visited the volcanic island in the glacial region.

The unstable tectonic shifts were constant, spewing lava without rest; the earth split apart like grains of sand.

The Ring of Fire was the most dangerous place; it denied exploration.

“So, what will happen to us all who stayed?”

The adventurers that stayed in Ring of Fire opened the map and revised the expedition plan. Even with the deaths of so many adventurers, they explored only 20% of the location.

The rest was extremely dangerous to approach or access was prevented altogether by monster nests.

Chase assessed the map and spoke prudently.

“The exploration is being delayed either because we are all being wiped out while moving together or because we are advancing too cautiously. So, how about we explore individually? We can share new information among ourselves.”

“Sounds good.”

“I don’t know which one of us will find Landony’s lair, but let’s not hog all the glory after we all came this far.”

The adventurers commenced their solo expedition.

They took each step with their lives on the line and left behind markings, indicating safety where they passed.

 

***

 

Bison.

The level 230 adventurer who began in Morata, before the Arpen Empire was established.

“I have to find Landony’s lair!”

Bison, who came to the Ring of Fire, lacked certain skills as an adventurer but burned with passion.

He already came close to dying twice while exploring near the volcano, but he did not return to Orcland.

He fell deep into his thoughts near the flesh-cooking hot river.

“The terrain is so hazardous. The areas I managed to explore just transform because of the eruptions.”

Bison thought that, with his abilities, he would be unable to find Landony’s lair.

The Ring of Fire was befitting of its nickname, the graveyard of adventurers, as it rejected the touch of humans.

“Searching through the entire region will get me killed a million times in a year.”

It was the very reason that so many adventurers decided to turn away.

“If it was Weed-nim… Wouldn’t Weed-nim have failed too?”

Bison was a player who grew his dream by watching Weed in the Northern Continent.

He pondered for a while and decided to reverse the train of thought.

The Ring of Fire was extremely dangerous hence the expedition was delayed.

Adventurers were fearless individuals but none would dare explore an area where a volcano just erupted.

Exploring the surroundings after confirmed safety was quickly overturned by a shift in the terrain or a volcanic explosion, leading to deaths.

“The dangerous areas cannot be explored further because of this. To find Landony’s lair in such a location will cost countless lives.”

Bison blankly stared at a volcano in the distance, erupting.

A volcanic jet that never rests.

The Ring of Fire had several locations that were just radically dangerous to explore.

Lava surged several hundred meters into the air; a dark area where the sky was covered by black blankets of ashes.

“Landony’s lair… Landony is the Red Dragon. Then it would favor the essence of fire.”

Bison was Korean. He thought of the heating mat that he bought for his parents last month.

“Just like how my parents like the warm heating mat, wouldn’t the Red Dragon prefer the same?”

The terrain that was most unique in Ring of Fire.

The mountains with flowing lava, he thought, was most likely, especially the great volcano that erupted frequently!

The most dangerous place in the Ring of Fire seemed to be hiding Landony’s lair.

“Off I go!”

 

***

 

A day later, Chase received a message via whisper.

– Bison: Hello, Chase-nim. I’m at the great volcano.

“I see. You are exploring that area.”

Chase thought it was just a mundane message. For his expedition, he was crafting supplies from the materials he obtained in Ring of Fire.

Crafting many adventure supplies from animal hide, plants, ores and other loots was Chase’s speciality!

– Bison: I got too close to the lava and my body set on fire, haha. The burns are serious and I ran out of water. I guess this is where it ends for me.

“Darn… I apologize for asking you to come all this way.”

– Bison: It’s quite alright. My death this time around is meaningful.

“Did you manage to find something?”

– Bison: Yes. Landony’s lair.

“What?”

– Bison: I’m going to pass soon so I’ll keep it short. The Red Dragon’s lair is visible. You have to take the path between the lava… I will upload a video on the adventurer’s web page so check it out. I wish you all good luck.

“Bison-nim!”

– Bison: It was a fun time on Royal…

That was the last they heard from Bison.

Chase spread the news to all adventurers. They were doubtful at first but soon they confirmed the footage uploaded online.

In it, Bison fled from the monsters and ran while he burned from the boiling heat in the area.

Finally he arrived at the great volcano.

Half of the mountain was covered in dark red lava, a despicable place.

None of the adventurers dared to scout out this location.

Bison began climbing the mountain with just ropes and a shovel.

He kept advancing even when his boots were melting, probably because the situation was too grave for him to stop and recoup.

Like so, Bison succeeded in climbing two thirds of the great volcano.

His health points were at a critical level, but he managed to find a lava cave in the midpoint of the mountain!

That is where he discovered the Red Dragon’s lair beyond the cave, the core of the great volcano.

Chase spoke to all adventurers in Ring of Fire.

– Chase: The coordinates are for the great volcano. All assemble. This is precious information for which Bison-nim sacrificed himself.

 

***

 

Black Dragon Kaybern appeared at the famous trade city Castle Wapen and destroyed it completely.

The Dragon’s Revenge

Black Dragon Kyabern is on the move to destroy all human civilization.

The spirits and fairies are warning.

“Kaybern will head to Castle Mistress in a week.”

Castle Mistress!

According to calculations, the next target should be  Morata, the village that became the foundation of the Arpen Empire.

Now that the empire took over the Central Continent, there was a desperate need for more major cities and Morata was a monument of the Arpen Empire.

“Everyone, proceed to evacuate. It’s best that the merchants leave in advance. I expect that you all will have lots of packing to do before all the other players leave.”

Seoyoon overlooked the evacuation in person.

The Northern players did not want to depart from their cherished city but reluctantly escaped through the city gate. However, they did not get far and established a temporary settlement near Ruben river in the north.

There was a massive group of Morata players moving along and so the market and residential areas formed very quickly.

“Forget about other cities. Shouldn’t Weed-nim be protecting Morata?”

“I’m sure he would, if he could. There’s no choice since he can’t defeat the dragon.”

“But he needs to do as much as he can.”

“It does seem like he gave up quite early.”

The Northern players, too, were shaken, slowly developing a public sentiment against Weed’s decision.

It was not just the memories, but also their living space that were going to disappear altogether.

If Morata were to disappear, the trades, production, adventure, religion, security and most of the environment of the Northern Continent would be affected severely, and the players knew about it.

“The North without Morata… I do not even dare imagine it.”

“Could it be that the Arpen Empire is shifting its weight into the Central Continent?”

“I can’t take that. For real… The North is our home.”

The consensus of the Northern players, too, was shifting away.

They willingly rushed out to countless battles, but this time around there was nothing they could do except watch with eyes of disappointment.

There were two things about the dungeon that were different from what Weed expected.

“There’s a lot of golems.”

Starting with iron golems, there were also golden and ruby golems stationed.

After a long time, some ceased to work and the dwarves brought out their hammers and various repair tools.

“The receptors connected to the internal core are damaged. A bit of work should do the trick.”

“Oh dear… Look at the structure of these ligaments. I’m not mocking our ancestors but these are so outdated.”

“Implanting compound joints alone will enhance their combat abilities. Above all things, these are so outdated that they clink and clank when they tread.”

The dwarves’ abilities as blacksmiths were far greater than anticipated.

The golems that were damaged in battle were easily repaired by their hands.

At times, they lacked the materials to fix them, but quickly scavenged what they needed in the following battles.

Other times, they dug up the ground with pickaxes.

Weed thought to himself as he saw that ores were abundant no matter which wall or ground they dug up.

“An iron ore mountain of excellent quality… The dwarves would not have created a storage here for no reason. It was because it was abundant in ores.”

The ability to assess land was most prevalent in dwarves above all other races.

They dug up first and second grade high quality iron. They could dig pure silver, sapphire, ruby and opals just as easily.

‘A thousand warriors that are also blacksmiths and miners.’

There were many advantages to taking dwarves in dungeon hunts.

Even in plainfield hunting, the dwarves could install traps or defensive barricades.

That being said, their preference was more into swinging axes and maces.

‘The difficulty of this dungeon was reduced because of these dwarves.’

With each battle, three to four golems joined his ranks as subordinates.

The purpose of their creation was to protect the dwarven secret storage. So, if another race were to enter, they had to engage in battle.

‘But this could be a trap. We are having swift battles thanks to these golems for now, but we may get overwhelmed by monsters all of a sudden.’

Weed had his fair share of unfortunate turn of events.

Weed commanded Gomfhand.

“Send the iron golems to the rear. Us dwarves will keep pushing through.”

“Are you not going to use them?”

“We will. It’s just a waste to have precious monsters slain by golems.”

Weed penetrated through just about any monster with the dwarves’ sheer efforts.

He put dwarves with high defense in front and he himself stood a step further up.

“Sword of Regeneration!”

The secret sword technique that increases defense and recovery rate!

There were 1,000 dwarven warriors under the command of Weed.

It seemed, at first, that too many warriors were mobilized for the dungeon, but that wasn’t the case.

The scale of this dungeon was massive and so was the resistance from the monsters.

The monsters of Argoldia were armed with dwarven made premium gear.

Crustacean monsters five to seven meters tall burst out of the walls and the ground, and poisonous insect swarms came like pitch black clouds.

“The wounded, fall back and rest!”

The dwarves with low stamina and health points were wrapped in bandages and rested. Those that could fight were swapped in and out of battle and fought constantly.

He literally grinded the dwarves into the dungeon.

“Sword of Regeneration!”

Weed and the dwarves had to fend off the reckless stream of monsters.

‘This would have been much more difficult if I didn’t have this skill that I obtained from the savior quest.’

Perhaps the savior quest, too, had a similar step in the process.

To lead an army through battle with the Sword of Regeneration.

‘A savior… Up until now it was just the half-elves that have joined as comrades, but I could lead a human army with this. I could lead a huge crowd of humans and fight against the dragon.’

Blink!

---

< Combat achievement! You have accomplished the title ‘Impregnable Wall’.

You have successfully defended against a monster swarm for 30 minutes.

Perseverance and Endurance are permanently increased by 2. >

---

 

“Um, could we chill down a bit with a glass of beer…”

“There is no time for rest. Our kind is suffering as we speak, so how could you even think about drinking beer right now?”

Weed adamantly declined their request for a break.

As dangerous the dungeon was, their combat skill proficiencies and stats increased rapidly.

The feeling of becoming more powerful was a great stimulus for battle!

“Group 11 will lead in front. Dwarves who have had the luxury to drink beer, advance to battle.”

Weed extorted the dwarves through the dungeon and increased his level once more.

Although not comparable to Undead Summoning, the hunting speed far exceeded the level of typical players.

As they proceeded through the dungeon, they occasionally discovered armories created by the dwarven ancestors.

“This one has a lot of swords.”

There were several hundred dwarven made fine swords!

Some armories contained just suits of armor and shields and others had a span of several hundred meters filled solely with daggers.

“As expected of dwarves. They made plenty.”

Weed did consider selling them, but the weapons and armor were first used to arm the dwarves. They were superior weapons with level restrictions between 700s to 800s, but the dwarves, being blacksmiths, were able to equip them.

‘This race benefits the most from  equipment… I can see their combat level being greatly enhanced.’

Their attack and defense were increased, leading to a much faster hunting speed.

The work of blacksmith masters dropped as loot on occasion.

There were dwarves among them that could not use equipment beyond level 900 restriction.

They were rare, but not all dwarves were blacksmiths!

For the time being, they couldn’t utilize the gear but were able to once they activated the Brazier of Sacrifice.

‘By the time this dungeon is cleared, the dwarves’ defense will be indomitable.’

He couldn’t help comparing the dwarves to the desert warriors back in his days as the Great King of the Desert.

The desert warriors went rampant and charged whenever they encountered an enemy.

It looked chaotic but with overwhelming power they crushed the opponent.

‘In terms of attack power the desert warriors are several times more powerful. Their mobility was also exceptional riding on camels. However, they did take severe damage every battle.’

The main objective was to save time, but many warriors lost their lives.

The dwarves’ stability came from high survivability and also possessed high growth potential.

‘They are a race that changes completely depending on how they are commanded. If well led, they could win even against the desert warriors.’

Even so, Weed felt a slight disappointment.

‘The need for leadership is for typical battles. Most of these powerful dwarves will probably die in the fight with Kaybern.’

It would be a huge loss but one that was necessary.

– Mapan: Weed-nim, I have a report from the adventurers.

Weed was ignoring messages from other players once he entered the dwarven secret storage chambers.

It was crucial that he trained the dwarves above all else and he only received the most important news from Mapan.

– Mapan: They reported that they finally discovered Landony’s lair in the Ring of Fire.

“They must have gone through a lot.”

– Mapan: The lair is said to be located where the volcano erupts endlessly. The adventurers are sacrificing themselves to hop inside the lava cave as we speak. I expect good news from them real soon.

“Is that all you have to inform me about?”

– Mapan: I am continuing to monitor any information about Knatul and Malin.

Weed was laid back, waiting for news on the savior quest.

Even if a hero were to join his ranks, it would be less help than ten dwarves.

Kaybern was extremely powerful and could not be taken down with a few heroes.

“I see.”

– Mapan: Also, Weed-nim. It is not too late. If we reduce Morata to a fifth… We could buy so much more time.

11 days remained until the day when Kaybern planned to destroy Morata.

Mapan was suggesting that they reduce the size of Morata before Castle Mistress gets destroyed.

– Mapan: Among the Northern players, some suggest that you protect Morata in person or break down the city and leave just the bare bones.

“Just the bones?”

– Mapan: Leaving the base structure and the Great Landmarks where they are and moving the residential and trades sectors somewhere else nearby. Then, we can rebuild after the dragon’s attack is over.

A Morata preservation plan that was devised among the Northern players!

They were to construct a satellite and transfer as much of the facilities of Morata.

Then after defeating Kaybern they will restore it back to its original state; a truly historical accomplishment of grinding!

Normally, no one would buy this difficult idea, but the many accomplishments founded by the labor force led to this very plan.

Weed, too, thought for a moment.

‘So we tear Morata apart and piece it back together… This could be pulled off quickly.’

If the merchants and the players mobilized, this plan was achievable.

It wasn’t necessary to take down Morata completely, as the removal of just 10, 20% of the residential sector would free the city from Kaybern’s aim.

If the transfer happens at a moderate level every week, the commerce, population and development will lower altogether and would bring down the city to a safe level.

If the base sectors of the city are left intact, it is possible to restore the city once Kaybern is defeated.

‘I’m sure it will do the city some good if I clean up some of the disorderly buildings. When this is all over, Morata is going to be reborn.’

He could see some great advantages to this plan, but it was still a poisonous apple.

Firstly, it would require an immense amount of funding and labor force.

Also, they would be under condemnation from all over the continent.

If Morata becomes safe, it means another city would be destroyed in its place.

Then the citizens of that region will blame Weed.

– How come you protected Morata but left us be?

– Does the Arpen Empire only care about Morata?

A chain reaction of side effects could occur across the continent.

No lord would want their city to become a complete ruin.

If the major cities were to start a competition of destruction in order to stay off as Kaybern’s next target, the results will be catastrophic.

“We can’t do that. If we take Morata apart, the other cities will be destroyed. It will be an endless cycle.”

– Mapan: Yes, I understand. However, Morata is… Sigh. I guess it is what it is. But still, it will be pitiful so please sleep on that plan.

Weed felt uncomfortable after the conversation with Mapan ended.

‘I, too, don’t want Morata to disappear like this.’

The city was the heart of the Arpen Empire’s history.

It was where everything had begun, Morata had risen from the ruins and shaken off the control of the vampires in Black Giant Star Castle to be born again.