Twenty dwarves had suddenly appeared. They held a shield in one hand, and a giant hammer in the other.
âHey, you over there!â
âConcentrate, will you!?â
The dwarves surrounded the giant monster, and bombarded it with attacks.
Their weapons, which were encased in powerful auras, shattered the monsterâs tough armor.
The monster didnât just sit there and take it. It spewed dark red lava from its mouth, and shot beams from its topaz-like eyes.
Whenever it swung its huge fists, a weighty âwhooshâ could be heard. If it struck the ground, then the ground would shake.
Kang Oh scratched his cheek.
âWhat the hell is going on?â
Had it heard him muttering? The system suddenly gave him a quest.
[The Struggle for the Ruins]
These ruins are the Lava Tribeâs home.
However, the Red Claw Dwarves have their eyes set on these ruins. They are under the control of the Black Nightmare, Inarius.
The Red Claw Dwarves seek the giant heap of Alarcon Ore, which lies in the innermost point of the ruins.
The tribe hopes to present this ore to Inarius in exchange for their freedom.
Alarcon Ore is left behind by deceased members of the Lava Tribe. Alarcon is regarded as their ancestor and companionsâ most precious keepsake and gift.
You may choose a side and help them.
If you choose the Lava Tribe, then you must find and kill the Red Clawâs expedition leader that lies somewhere in the dungeon, and destroy the teleportation crystal.
If you choose the dwarves, then you must kill Eurasis, and obtain the Alarcon Ore.
You will be able to trade with either the Lava Tribe or the Red Claw Dwarves depending on your decision. You will also be rewarded by the faction you choose.
Minimum Requirements: Enter the Lava Demon Eurasisâs Ruins.
[Would you like to accept this quest?]
âItâs a faction quest.â
In other words, it allowed the player to choose a side, and then fight the opposing faction.
The questâs rewards would differ depending on which side was chosen, so the player would have to choose wisely.
However, Kang Oh didnât really have to think too hard about it this time.
âThe Black Nightmare, Inarius.â
It was the name of the âlizardâ that Kang Oh would have to kill someday.
Inarius was the mortal enemy of the dwarves! In spite of that, the Red Claw Dwarves were working for it.
It seemed like the dwarves sought to steal the Lava Tribeâs treasure and present it to Inarius in exchange for their freedom.
âSo if I help them, then Iâll be giving Inarius all of that treasure.â
He couldnât let that happen!
âI choose the Lava Tribe.â Kang Oh chose immediately.
[You have chosen the Lava Tribe.]
[The quest has changed to âDrive Out the Red Claw Dwarvesâ.]
[Defeat the dwarves in front of you.]
Now that he thought it, he had already pulled out Ubist and Sarahoff when he saw the giant monster.
Although he didnât need to put them back, his target did change.
âHaahp!â Kang Oh cried out, and simultaneously threw his demon swords.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
His jet-black greatsword and purple longsword spun through the air, and struck the backs of two different dwarves.
Upon contact, the power within the weapons was released, resounding with a giant âboomâ.
âDonât get in our way!â
The dwarves stared at Kang Oh and yelled.
âMe? Iâm your new nightmare.â Kang Oh acted like that line wasnât corny.
He had gotten the idea from Inarius.
âIâll become an even scarier nightmare!â or something like that.
âWhat are you talking about!?â
There were twenty dwarves in total. Five of them charged at Kang Oh.
The Black Hammer Dwarves had undergone horrific live experimentation! The Red Claw Dwarves were the beneficiaries of their experiments.
First, they received an ogreâs strength!
The Red Claw Dwarves possessed an ogreâs muscles, which gave them strength that far surpassed any normal dwarfâs.
Second, they possessed a Rikao Snakeâs skin!
They were covered in snakeskin, which was not only tough, light, and soft, but also extremely resistant to fire.
Third, they received a Covantusâs blood.
The blood of a Covantus, or a rhinoceros that lived in the north, flowed through their veins. This blood had incredible regenerative properties.
They were also given other modifications, such as a Falcaoâs eyes, a Ruma Rabbitâs hearing, etc. A Falcao was considered the fiercest hawk in existence.
In summary, the Red Claw Dwarvesâ entire bodies were modified!
All they had left was their physical appearance and their skill with their hands.
Inarius considered these dwarves a success, while it considered the Black Hammer Dwarves a failure.
They were obviously strong; they far exceeded a typical dwarf in every single way!
The frontmost dwarf swung its hammer downwards. It was fast, and it let out a threatening âwhooshâ.
Kang Oh quickly backed off.
The hammer hit the ground, leaving behind a huge crater and a thin crack.
But then, the dwarf withdrew its hammer, positioned its shield in front of it, and charged.
It moved and responded quickly.
Kang Oh kicked off the floor and flew over the dwarfâs head.
Then, two other dwarves rushed at him. They aimed for his upper and lower body respectively.
His Hyper Intuition warned him of danger; it was to the extent that he felt cold all over. Thatâs how powerful their attacks were.
His demon swords flew from the sides, and struck the dwarves.
The dwarves fell to the ground, and Kang Oh retrieved his twin demon swords.
Kang Ohâs previous opponent turned around and aimed for his back. But Kang Oh had eyes on the back of his head, his Hyper Intuition!
He timed it just right, and moved to the side.
The heavy hammer grazed him.
Kang Oh could see a weak point.
Kang Oh swung Demon Sword Ubist at its neck. However, he didnât like what he was feeling. It felt as though his sword was stuck in thick gum.
Sure enough, the dwarf counterattacked as if it were uninjured.
Kang Oh dodged it by folding his body in half.
The dwarves he thought heâd killed stood back up.
âTheyâre not ordinary dwarves, huh.â
He tightly gripped his demon swords.
Kang Oh began to go on a rampage.
Sarahoffâs purple blade, which was encased in blue energy, passed through a Red Claw Dwarfâs neck.
Though the dwarf possessed Rikao Skin, Kang Ohâs sword passed right through it. Red shards of light spurt out like a fountain of blood.
Razor sharp attacks were effective against their skin. He couldnât give them time to heal either, due to their vast regenerative abilities.
Kang Oh replaced Ubist with Blood.
A weighty blade like Ubist wasnât suitable for extremely quick, sharp attacks. If he really put forth the effort, then he could, but he had Blood, so there wasnât any point to using Ubist.
His twin demon swords ripped the dwarf to shreds.
Darkness Strike also acted halfway through too.
Two waves, resembling a bat and a bird in flight, devoured the Red Claw Dwarf.
[You have defeated a Red Claw Dwarf Warrior.]
[Closeness with the Lava Tribe has increased slightly.]
[The Red Claw Dwarves are Inariusâs subordinates.]
[Hostility from the Red Claw Dwarves and Dragon Inarius has increased.]
Killing a Red Claw Dwarf increased Inariusâs hostility towards him as well! That was exactly what he wanted. He had no intention of playing nice with such an evil lizard.
âAnd that makes three.â
Kang Oh had already killed three dwarves. Now, there were only two left!
âW-We need reinforcements!â
âFive of you, go over there and help them. The ten of us are plenty against this thing.â
Some of their troops, which had previously been fighting the monster, rushed towards Kang Oh.
Now he had to fight against seven of them!
Kang Oh was attacked on all sides.
The dwarves in front and back of him rushed in with their rectangular metal shields. It seemed like they planned on sandwiching him. The shields were the bread, and Kang Oh was the contents within.
Meanwhile, the dwarves on the left and right gathered red energy around their hammers.
The remaining dwarves stayed far away. They pulled hand axes off their belts and waited for their opportunity.
Then, Sarahoff released a massive cold wave.
The approaching dwarvesâ hammer and shields froze first. Then, their beards and a portion of their bodies were frozen.
The dwarves widened their eyes, and their teeth chattered. âItâs cold!â
Kang Ohâs lips twitched.
âRing of Frost truly is amazing.â
There wasnât anything it couldnât freeze. After all, Sara was a Yuki-Onna that possessed the Ice Soulâs power!
Now it was Bloodâs turn, the sword that held the Great Forestâs Demon.
The blood red energy that surrounded his snow-white blade spread to the floor, and then rippled outwards.
The red energy ate away at the ice.
Countless shards of light fell from their bodies, which the red energy greedily consumed.
Kang Ohâs HP was quickly restored, and stars shone on the length of Bloodâs blade. There were a total of seven of them!
The three faraway dwarves threw their hand axes. Their proficiency in Throw Projectile seemed pretty high. The axes flew with great speed and power.
âIâm taking you all down at once!â
Blood red energy thrashed around him. It was instantaneous. A red whirlwind swept through his nearby enemies, and also devoured the incoming hand axes.
Since their hand axes had failed, the three dwarves rushed in with their shields. They would save their comrades and attack Kang Oh simultaneously.
Kang Oh feverishly swung his demon swords. However, he wasnât swinging them randomly. His movements were extremely sharp.
None of his attacks were imprecise. He dealt so much damage that it far surpassed the healing abilities of the remodeled dwarves.
[You have defeated a Red Claw Dwarf.]
[You have defeated a Red ClawâŠ]
[Closeness with the Lava Tribe has increased slightly.]
[Hostility from the Red Claw Dwarves and Dragon Inarius has increased.]
Four of the dwarves had died. That was their destiny as soon as Kang Oh had joined hands with the Lava Tribe.
âWe canât stop him!â
The remaining dwarves soon joined them.
Kang Oh cleaved the last one in half.
Then, Kuntaâs Ring radiated dim light, triggering a spontaneous quest.
There is nothing that can stop you, who is pursuing the path to greatness. The leader of the expedition team, Gainof, cannot stop you either. He, unlike his brothers, was given dragon skin by Inarius.
Cut through Gainofâs dragon skin! (0/1)
Reward: Master-Rank Slash, Slash gains a unique ability.
Failure: Slash does not gain a unique ability.
His proficiency in Slash was sitting at 98%. Now, he only needed to raise it another 2% in order to master it.
However, getting that 2% was a problem. After all, proficiency rose at a snailâs pace.
Thatâs when Kuntaâs Ring had come in with a spontaneous quest!
âItâll add a unique ability too!â
When a basic skill or spell gains an ability it didnât originally have, it becomes a unique skill or spell.
If he completed the spontaneous quest, then Slash would become a unique skill.
âThanks!â Kang Oh kissed Kuntaâs Ring.
The monster approached him. Like a gorilla, it had extremely long arms and a huge body, and wore rock armor that seeped lava out of the cracks.
He didnât sense any hostility whatsoever. It was because Kang Oh had helped it take out the dwarves.
âUm⊠Hello?â Kang Oh awkwardly waved his hand.
âCan I speak with it? It looks like a monster from the outside.â
However, the monsterâs body suddenly released a ton of steam.
âW-Whatâs going on?â Kang Oh instinctively stepped back. Then, his eyes widened and he gaped.
The chest armor opened up, revealing the cockpit inside. Then, the âtrueâ Lava Tribe member came out.