Rune stood by the window, turning his gaze away from the absurd scene unfolding in the training ground below.
"Are there enough for the team members to share?"
"I understand. Then I'll go with you."
At Rune's wide-eyed look, Ferdikion firmly reiterated, "Yes! Why, is the medicine you're giving me something to be wary of?"
'I've already confirmed the details of the medicine with Christina’s information.'
Ferdikion going along was one of his expectations. He just didn’t anticipate that he would offer to take the medicine with them.
"I'm not going because I want to. I don't like it, but I have no choice."
While the little red dragon's concern for his brother was commendable, Rune simply smiled warmly.
That day, a special dungeon raid announcement circulated among the battle dwarves.
The training ground in front of the castle was packed with dwarves.
They jostled and fought, tearing up the numbers given for queuing or trying to cut in line, only to get beaten up.
Some even started impromptu fights over minor squabbles.
Rune, who had witnessed this ridiculous scene in broad daylight, turned his gaze away from the window.
"Are these all the applicants for my <Dungeon Raid>?"
Ferdikion's expression was calm.
Ferdikion looked at Rune as if he couldn't understand the question.
"You offered an invitation to a dinner banquet as the reward for this raid team."
"Well, we're going to take the medicine and lower the dungeon's difficulty. With that, there's no way to expect a proper reward, so I thought at least giving them a meal was necessary."
"It wasn't just about the meal. Well, it seems the information leaked."
Ferdikion sighed, still looking puzzled.
"Snacks for the raid team."
The 'honey and butter roasted potato dish' listed as a snack for the raid team.
To Rune, it didn't seem like a big deal even if the information leaked.
But he never expected it would draw such a crowd.
"Honey and butter are ingredients you can't get here. And since my brother is making the snacks himself, I thought I should contribute something..."
"...I put up a few decent weapons from other dungeons as rewards."
Rune immediately knew this was the reason.
There were too many for just a special meal.
"No! The weapons are to be lent during the raid and returned afterward."
"...Bro. They're dwarves."
Ferdikion subtly avoided Rune's gaze.
Dwarves weren't just greedy for metal.
They were also quite eager for equipment.
Due to their closed-off nature, it was rare to see good equipment made outside their community.
While dwarves might claim their own equipment was the best, they weren't uninterested in other weapons.
'You must have gotten them on your own, not from Fasyas.'
Ferdikion, a genius among red dragons, was strong.
It was natural for anyone to want to touch and examine the high-quality weapons he had personally obtained from external dungeons.
'An opportunity to closely inspect high-quality weapons that can't be obtained here—no dwarf would want to miss that, especially for just snacks.'
Rune inwardly chuckled at the childish idea.
"Send a message to Udrang and Gorban. We can't keep them standing like this, and we need to start the selection process soon."
"Alright. What are you going to do?"
"Since they came all this way, I'll at least make them some potato chips."
'Potatoes are good for practicing regeneration magic.'
It was a magical dish that gave vitality, and for some reason, Banya particularly enjoyed it.
Ferdikion took out a small bird-shaped carving, a 'message bird' invented by the reformist dwarves.
The bird's red eye was a polished mana stone, a design that combined both style and functionality.
"Udrang. Gorban. Line up the battle dwarves in the training ground and start the test immediately."
The bird's eye glinted, and it spread its wings, chirping 'coo-coo!'
Rune watched the bird fly away, thinking,
'If Black Beauty saw it, she'd want to hunt it. ...Wait, hunting.'
At that moment, Rune had a good idea.
Chapter 45: A Fish in Water
Rune, who had been gazing out the window, turned back to Ferdikion.
"Bro, how do you plan to filter out so many applicants?"
Udrang and Gorban were shouting at the gathered dwarves, and the message bird had likely arrived, replaying Ferdikion's voice with its glowing eyes.
"They'll handle it. They'll be assigned tasks appropriate to their roles, so don't worry."
Indeed, the chaotic training ground was starting to get organized.
"You guys! Move it! Do I have to kick your butts to get you to listen?"
"Do you want to be disqualified before we even start? If you don't want to end up with a broken head, start moving!"
The dwarves, herded like sheep by sheepdogs, gathered in one place.
Soon, an empty space was cleared, and the skill tests began.
'Good. This is a great opportunity for Black Beauty to actually use her hunting skills.'
Black Beauty had the instinct to hunt but lacked combat experience.
Most importantly, she needed to release the pent-up energy she couldn't resolve.
'The battle dwarves should be a good pre-training before the real fight.'
After calculating this, Rune asked Ferdikion,
"Bro, can Black Beauty join in?"
"Do you want to see her skills?"
"Yeah. This seems like a good opportunity."
"Good idea. We should go watch."
Rune immediately called Black Beauty and Banya.
Unusually small and light footsteps.
A glossy black fox tail swayed gently.
Black Beauty, with her black fox ears perked up, raised her hand and announced her name, mimicking the previous applicants. She looked incredibly cute.
"Hehe, what a cute little kid. I'll go easy, but it's dangerous. This is a problem for the dwarves."
"Since she said she wants to face us, we can't back down."
Tas, the dwarf facing Black Beauty, nodded at Gorban's words.
'Playing with a kid and getting a bag of those potato chips sounds like a good way to pass the time and get a famous snack.'
The dwarf with a war hammer licked his lips.
Contrary to Rune's thought that it was 'just a snack,' his snacks were highly valued here, especially among female dwarves.
'Not long ago, Humph succeeded in dating Juliere by giving her potato chips and is now preparing for a wedding.'
The potato chips, rumored to go perfectly with beer, were a life-changing treat.
His friend's success story fueled jealousy.
Another dwarf described how the chips made his tongue roll sweetly, turning him into a poet praising the taste.
By this point, black market trading of the snacks was rampant among the dwarves who had heard the rumors.
Moreover, with the young black hatchling's uncertain stay, no one knew when the next opportunity would come.
Then, the announcer called out,
"Tas! Black Beauty! Start the match!"
Tas, holding the war hammer in one hand, slammed the ground in front of Black Beauty to scare her.
The heavy impact shattered the training ground's dirt floor.
Above the falling weapon, Black Beauty leaped and performed two quick mid-air spins.
She then kicked Tas's left cheek with a heel strike, using the centrifugal force.
Tas tumbled sideways, rolling a few times.
The recoil from the kick sent Black Beauty airborne, and she landed steadily, spinning to face Tas.
She pointed at him with her index finger.
A few seconds later, Tas raised his head in disbelief, sitting up.
He shook his misaligned jaw a few times, spat out two broken teeth, and exploded in anger.
"Argh! No way! Impossible!"
Rune, sitting on a bench, clicked his tongue.
"Bro, you should train these dwarves. No matter who they face, they should at least show some basic skills."
"You're right. Even in a low-difficulty dungeon, they could die embarrassingly if they act like this."
Ferdikion's expression was also grim. It seemed the dwarves who underestimated Black Beauty would soon face intense training.
The dwarves were being one-punched by the cute and small Black Beauty.
The defeated dwarves, ashamed, didn't admit they lost to her, leading to more dwarves falling victim.
Soon, all the dwarves in the training ground faced Black Beauty.
'She has a good fighting sense.'
Even though her opponents were being one-sidedly defeated, it was their lack of skill and overconfidence that caused it.
Rune pondered the distribution of the potato chip snacks, useful for recovery.
Meanwhile, Ferdikion's face grew increasingly stern, and Gorban and Udrang's faces paled.
"I'll personally train that kid next time..."
Gorban's teeth grinding was concerning.
Regardless, Black Beauty ran to Rune, holding out her hands.