Chapter 40

Forest and Rock (1)

The background of a Dungeon usually follows the name of the Dungeon.

The Dungeon where I first encountered Tae Yangi was called “Ancient Desert.”

True to its name, it had a sweltering desert as its backdrop.

‘And.’

The Dungeon I’m standing in now is called “Forest and Rock.”

As the name suggests, the background was also straightforward.

“It’s literally just forest and rock. That’s it.”

I turned my head, looking around.

Exactly to my left was a dense forest.

It was so packed that even the midday sun seemed unable to penetrate it.

‘And to the right.’

A vast rocky area stretched out.

Whoosh.

The sound of fierce wind was audible, and it looked refreshing just to see it.

Beyond the horizon, rugged stone mountains were visible, seemingly devoid of vegetation for some reason.

“Everyone…”

I nodded and opened my lips.

When entering a Dungeon, securing safety is the top priority.

“Appear and form ranks!”

From Bone One to Bone Six.

Thud!

They emerged from the ground in response to my command.

Among these six subordinates.

The one in charge of the squad was none other than Tae Yangi.

“My Lord.”

“Yes.”

“But why did you bother summoning Bone Six?”

“……”

Bone Six was a crafting type.

There was no need for him to appear in the Dungeon.

However.

“Look at those stone mountains.”

I confidently pointed to the rocky area.

“……?”

Tae Yangi tilted his head.

“Look closely. Doesn’t it look like a mineral zone?”

“……Hmm, is that so?”

“Inma, production workers always think when they see such majestic scenery. Ah, what materials await me there? What materials will bring me joy?”

“……”

It was a habit I had developed while exploring C-grade Dungeons recently.

Bone Six, being a blacksmith, was very good at smelling minerals.

‘Although he doesn’t have a mining skill.’

If I took him nearby.

He would create a Bone Pickaxe and dig indiscriminately.

‘Anyway, the advantage of my skeletons is that they grow.’

Just like skills are created according to the Myriad skills Old Man’s teachings.

Wouldn’t he develop a ‘Mining’ skill if he mined recklessly?

That was my thought.

“I didn’t know My Lord was a production worker.”

“Bone Six is a production worker.”

“……Aren’t you being too biased towards Bone Six lately?”

I looked at Tae Yangi as if surprised.

“What, are you sulking?”

I’ve been exploring Dungeons alone lately.

I often talked to him as a companion, so he seemed to have become more friendly than before.

I didn’t know he could say such things.

“No, My Lord.”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

I smiled.

Whatever Tae Yangi’s past was.

My closeness with him is important.

It’s said that communication with summons, especially those that can grow, further unlocks their potential.

“Then, I will maintain vigilance and control reconnaissance.”

Tae Yangi shook his spear and muttered heavily.

He was reliable.

When I was distracted, he controlled the skeletons for me.

He also took care of these trivial and basic tasks himself.

Creak!

They each took their positions.

[‘Bone Three’ uses the skill, Secure Vision (Lv.9).]

Bone Three used his skill to convey the surrounding scenery through his senses.

“Hmm.”

I closed my eyes and fully felt the sensations.

A dense forest and a desolate rocky area.

A Dungeon where nothing else could be discerned.

Where this place was.

What kind of stage there would be, it was a daunting situation.

“My Lord, judging by what I feel, it’s a very wide area. It may not be as vast as the desert area I used to control, but it seems almost comparable.”

“Hmm……”

“Shouldn’t we choose one of the two?”

“Wait, hold on.”

I didn’t open my closed eyes.

Whoosh!

Through the arrows fired by Bone Three, I tried to find something, anything.

Every Dungeon has clues to solve it.

“Hmm?”

It was at that moment.

The boundary between the forest and the rock.

I felt an alien sensation from a very distant place.

‘Ki?’

It was clearly a wave of intense ‘Ki.’

A movement of ‘Ki’ that I would never have been able to grasp if I hadn’t learned the Supreme Clarity Heart Method.

“Okay.”

I muttered.

Tae Yangi seemed to have read my thoughts and stepped back, nodding.

“The direction is set. Move that way. No need to rush, go slowly.”

“I will obey, My Lord.”

We moved slowly.

Carefully preparing for any traps that might be there.

This was the first time challenging an A-grade Dungeon.

We had to pay attention.

“It was as My Lord said. I feel living beings over there.”

Fortunately, nothing special happened until we reached our destination.

However, the sight at the destination was not so fortunate.

“What are those things?”

Cloudy steam escaped from my mouth.

“Long ears and short height……?”

I’ve never read fantasy novels, but I’ve seen them in movies a few times.

Actually, there’s no need to go that far.

Because they were the guys drawn in the monster encyclopedia for hunters.

“Huh, Elves and Dwarves?”

Forest and Rock.

And the root of racial conflict.

The moment the identity of the race was revealed.

“Damn Elves! Kill them! Crush them with hammers!”

“Warriors of the solid earth! Do not retreat!”

“Arrows? Magic? They tickle!”

The Dwarves roared.

“Hmph, how amusing.”

“Do you really think that mere shorties can stand against the reconnaissance party of the rugged forest?”

“Greedy lumps, you should only covet metals, why have you come to covet the beauty of nature? You have no fear!”

The Elves hanging from the trees also shot arrows.

A small-scale localized war of about ten people each.

They were purely expressing their emotions and shedding blood.

They were clashing fiercely.

“……They are certainly unfamiliar races.”

Tae Yangi, who had concealed his presence nearby, said while observing the scene.

He clicked his tongue as if amazed.

“It’s all thanks to My Lord. To think that the day would come when I could witness such a rare sight. But I don’t think there’s anything to worry about.”

“Why?”

“They are weaker than I thought. With My Lord’s power, you can subdue both sides sufficiently.”

I narrowed my brows.

“Weak power, you say.”

“Hmm.”

Tae Yangi stroked his chin.

“I understand your concern. This is an A-grade Dungeon in this world. Are you thinking there might be a trap?”

“……”

No, that wasn’t the problem.

As you can see, the size of this Dungeon is vast.

Only a fool would try to grasp the overall difficulty of the Dungeon by looking at only a part of that vast area.

‘However.’

[Ding!]

[Stage: Place of Racial Selection]

[‘Forest Elves’ and ‘Dwarves of Stone’]

[‘Forest Elves’ are a noble race. They are characterized by their pointed and long ears like leaves. As fairies of the forest, they are good at archery and spirit magic.]

[‘Dwarves of Stone’ are characterized by their short height but very sturdy and strong bodies. As fairies of the rock, they are interested in metals and have good manual dexterity.]

[You have discovered a bloody battle between two races.]

[Help one of the two races to resolve the conflict.]

“……”

Looking at the message that appeared before my eyes, I couldn’t help but hesitate.

I have to choose one of the two?

Choice is important.

Especially in Dungeons like this, ‘choice’ is like a gamble with your life on the line.

“Hoo, Tae Yangi.”

“Yes, speak, My Lord.”

“Which of these two races do you like more?”

“……That’s a profound question.”

Huh?

No, it doesn’t have to be that profound.

“First of all, both are acceptable in terms of location. Thinking about my body that lived in the hot desert, both the forest and the rocky area are like Peach Blossom Land. Abundant trees, cool wind, moist soil. All of them are precious things that are hard to see in the desert.”

“Next?”

“Those with the power of the forest are very agile in their movements. Moreover, since they mainly use ranged attacks, it’s like looking at Bone Three…… Huh?”

“Huh?”

“Hmm?”

Tae Yangi raised his head as if surprised.

His gaze was now directed at Bone Three.

Creak?

In response, Bone Three tilted his head.

“Wait……”

I also frowned.

Originally, skeletons don’t have ears or noses.

Ears are cartilage, so they usually decompose and disappear quickly.

‘But.’

Clearly, Bone Three had bones in his ears.

It wasn’t that noticeable, just a small bone about the size of a thumb.

“My Lord, could it be.”

“……Huh, could it be, Bone Three. Were you an Elf?”

The medium Dungeons show the past lives of my skeletons.

I know this from the fact that Bone One’s past in the Ancient Desert was Tae Yang-chang.

“Come to think of it, using a bow is just like an Elf.”

Now that I see it, his physique is also slender.

I could see some differences from the other skeletons.

“My Lord, Bone Six too……”

“That’s right, I already knew that Bone Six was originally a Dwarf.”

Actually, I asked Tae Yangi, but my heart was already leaning towards the rocky area.

Because, short stature and hammer.

It’s obviously Bone Six’s race.

‘But.’

If Bone Three is an Elf, then it’s a different story.

Both Bone Three and Bone Six are my babies.

The problem of choosing between the two babies is bound to be very difficult.

Clang! Clang!

The two races continued to fight.

If I don’t choose quickly, the stage will pass.

I was wondering if I could choose both.

[Help one of the two races to resolve the conflict.]

[Warning! Warning! Warning!]

[If you fail to ‘choose’ as time passes, a penalty will arrive.]

[Penalty = Death.]

“What the hell……”

I was wondering what would happen if I didn’t choose.

The message kindly informed me.

Then I’ll die.

‘Damn it.’

I became impatient.

I have to choose something.

If I choose the Elves, Bone Three will grow.

Just living and training with the Elves will boast tremendous growth speed.

Conversely, if I choose the Dwarves?

‘Wow.’

I was impressed.

If, really.

If they are naturally gifted blacksmiths?

That’s a really big merit.

A level of skill that is hard to obtain even if you pour billions of dollars into it in reality.

It might be possible to accumulate it for free here.

“……”

The number of Elves and Dwarves gradually decreased.

“Argh!”

“Ugh!”

Casualties were occurring in the clash between the two races.

The emotions of hatred and conflict contained in their eyes.

“I’ve decided.”

I nodded.

Bone Three is lovely, and Bone Six is lovely too.

‘Money.’

When comparing the two loves, what I’m more drawn to is ‘money.’

Because blacksmiths make money.

‘Tae Yangi is enough for force for now.’

“I.”

Whoosh!

I swung my staff.

Clatter!

Then the skeletons emitted light from their eyes and raised their weapons.

They expressed their suppressed momentum outwards.

“I will choose the rock side first.”

[You have chosen ‘Dwarves of Stone’.]

[Affinity changes.]

[Stone Clan: 70]

[Forest Clan: 30]

[Help the ‘Dwarves of Stone’ drive out the ‘Forest Elves’!]

In response to my words, a System message appeared.

‘Affinity?’

There was also a concept I was seeing for the first time.

“What? What are those things!”

“Who are you!”

Now was not the time to worry about such things.

Because the two races, who were fighting vigorously, recognized me.

“Hoo, My Lord.”

Tae Yangi let out a faint sigh next to me.

“As expected, My Lord is only biased towards Bone Six.”

“……”

That’s not it.

Let’s just say that the youngest is always cuter.