Chapter 136

Destroying the dwarves’ warehouse—that was, of course, my doing. Not that it was an easy feat.

“I didn’t expect it to be packed with traps like that...”

At first, I thought I could just rush in, smash the place, and be done. But since it was the heart of their stronghold, the warehouse’s defenses were no joke. Not only were sentries stationed at all times, but various traps were also laid out to deter intruders.

Still, nothing is perfect in this world. After dedicating an entire round of regression to studying the sentries’ patrol routes, I finally found the slightest gap in their defenses.

“What’s this? Why’d you come for the shift alone?”

“Well... there’ve been some unfortunate incidents lately, you know... You’re aware of that. Someone’s supposed to take over soon, but they’re finishing up the tanning work first.”

“...Tch. Fine. Hang in there.”

So far, the dwarves had been portrayed as stubborn and single-minded, but they were also a boisterous and warm-hearted race at their core.

“A family member passed away... They should be given some time off...”

The dwarves weren’t so heartless as to force grieving individuals to stand guard. After all, it would be cruel to demand someone burdened by sorrow to carry out sentry duties as well.

“When will Greg be back?”

But if someone is taking time off, someone else inevitably has to pick up the slack. This isn’t like a ruthless corporation denying vacation days—dwarves aren’t like those greedy capitalists. They didn’t shame anyone for resting.

Instead, other dwarves simply filled in for their absent comrades.

Naturally, this led to overlapping shifts and occasional timing discrepancies. Tasks could either stretch longer or wrap up sooner than expected.

“Well, he’ll be here soon enough.”

The tanner dwarf arrived about five minutes later. But for someone with superhuman abilities, five minutes was more than enough time.

“Couldn’t he have brought snacks on his way... Guh!”

“Take a little nap, why don’t you.”

Subduing one sentry is entirely different from taking on two. Especially if the guards have whistles hanging around their necks.

Once I incapacitated the lone sentry, I finally gained access to the warehouse. But this was only the beginning of the real challenge.

“Why are there so many traps...”

The dwarves’ warehouse was riddled with bizarre traps.

If you didn’t step in with your left foot first, alarms would go off. If you were taller than a dwarf while passing between shelves, you’d trigger another trap. Certain planks were rigged to explode if stepped on. It was a labyrinth of hazards designed to catch anyone unaware.

Of course, I used regression to figure out every single trap and ultimately infiltrated the warehouse successfully. Once inside, I destroyed everything without hesitation.

How did I manage to uncover all the traps with regression?

“...”

Don’t ask. You don’t want to know.

Anyway, with this, the dwarves can no longer hole up like turtles.

“It’s done...”

Now, it’s time to see how the dwarves react.

***

Late that night, inside the dwarves’ council building.

The large hall was filled to capacity with dwarves, their faces uniformly grim.

“We need to reinforce the barriers. Now that it’s proven they can be breached, we can’t leave them as is.”

“The warehouse is destroyed, so we need to find food and water. There’s nothing left to eat tomorrow morning.”

“Shouldn’t we increase the number of sentries? It’s not like the blacksmiths have much to do lately.”

“My beer... My precious beer...”

It was a crisis—an undeniable one.

The dwarves, while proud enough to face death if necessary, were not some saints who could accept it without complaint.

“The culprit is likely that ‘Skull Reaper’ who’s been threatening the climbers.”

The meat was trampled into the dirt, and the barrels of beer and water had been smashed. The warehouse raider took nothing. They simply cut off the dwarves’ supply lines.

If the meat had been stolen, they might have suspected rival players. But since nothing was taken, it was hard to point fingers at anyone.

“Let’s summarize the situation,” said the shopkeeper, calmly reading from notes.

“First, we need water. That’s the most urgent issue.”

Food, they could make do with—barely. If they brushed off the dirt and salvaged the trampled meat, they could survive for now.

But the real issue was water. No living being can survive without it, and now every water barrel within the fortress was shattered.

“Sure, we all know there’s a river just 20 minutes away…”

There was indeed a river near the fortress. It was common sense to settle near a water source unless proper pipelines were built. Securing drinking water wasn’t the problem.

“The issue is… stepping outside the fortress is a risk in itself.”

Especially with that insane murderer roaming the wilderness.

“And it’s not just that. We need to raise the walls even higher, increase the number of sentries, and assign people to hunt for food as well…”

The to-do list was overwhelming. Yet, neither outside nor inside the fortress could be deemed entirely safe.

“I didn’t want to suggest this, but…”

In the end, the dwarves had no other choice.

“…Let’s cooperate with the climbers.”

In a moment of crisis.

An impromptu alliance was formed.

The player representative, Choi Ji-won, and the dwarven representative, the shopkeeper, convened in intense negotiations through the night. By dawn, a temporary alliance between humans and dwarves was established.

The players agreed to assist the dwarves with their reinforcement efforts. In return, the dwarves promised full support to the players. Ultimately, it was a mutually beneficial arrangement.

The dwarves gained manpower. Whether fetching water from the river, hunting in the nearby forest, or fortifying the fortress, the players’ physical prowess proved invaluable. Their superior physical capabilities made them efficient workers and provided at least some resistance should the murderer strike.

The players, on the other hand, gained a safe haven. Instead of sleeping under the stars, they were promised warm beds and cozy blankets, as well as delicious meals once food supplies normalized.

“Wow, look at how sharp this is!”

“And this armor… it’s so lightweight!”

Additionally, players assigned to guard duty received free dwarven-made equipment. The quality was so exceptional that even the most jaded players couldn’t help but be impressed.

“…But wearing this means… we’ll have to fight, right?”

“…Ugh.”

The problem, however, was that nearly all the players were those who had fled to the fortress to escape the murderer. As a result, fewer than five players, including Choi Ji-won, volunteered for guard duty.

The majority were instead assigned to the wall reinforcement crew…

“...”

“...”

Anyone who’s done manual labor knows how critical communication is for construction. To work efficiently, every team must coordinate seamlessly under the lead of a skilled foreman.

“Move those logs over here.”

“…Alright, fine.”

But just because an alliance was signed didn’t mean the tension between the two races magically disappeared.

From the dwarves’ perspective, humans were disgusting murderers who had killed their kin. Meanwhile, humans saw the dwarves as irrational bigots persecuting them for things they hadn’t even done.

There was no reason for either side to like each other, and their mutual animosity was palpable, making the construction site feel like a powder keg.

On the first day of construction, the atmosphere remained tense and hostile.

But as the saying goes, “Time heals all wounds.”

“With five players grouped together, the murderer doesn’t dare approach!”

“We’ve brought water! Take a ladle each!”

“We caught three cows! Tonight’s dinner is meat—lots of it!”

“…What’s a cow?”

“Who cares? Does it matter?”

Thanks to Choi Ji-won’s leadership, the water crisis was resolved quickly, and the food shortage showed signs of improving. The dwarves, with their deep knowledge of the surrounding area, made resource gathering surprisingly straightforward.

“Wow, Choi Ji-won… isn’t she afraid of anything?”

“She really is something else.”

Choi Ji-won’s extraordinary feats earned her the grudging respect of both the players and the dwarves, solidifying her reputation as a hero.

“…Meanwhile, those guys…”

“Tsk, pathetic.”

“…”

As is often the case, when the neighbor’s child excels, your own kids bear the brunt. Choi Ji-won’s shining accomplishments spurred the players working on wall reinforcement to feel a mixture of inferiority and irritation.

“Damn it, I’m a top-tier player too…”

“Being looked down on like this pisses me off!”

The slighted players didn’t just sit idly by.

While they may have been people who sought refuge, they were still elite players at the top of their game. If they were the type to lag behind without complaint, they wouldn’t have climbed this far in the first place.

THUD!

“I moved all the logs!”

“W-What? Already? Then, the pile of stones over there—”

“The stones are done too. What’s next?”

Once motivated, the players threw themselves into the work with fervor. And when superhumans approach manual labor seriously, they can easily do the work of five people each. The results were staggering.

As they poured their sweat into the work, bumping shoulders and gritting their teeth together…

“You’ve got some strong arms there…”

A sense of camaraderie began to sprout.

“Alright.”

Watching from a distance, I carved a mark into a tree to notify Choi Ji-won.

It was time to move to the final stage.

– – – End of Chapter – – -

 

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