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Giant pillars supported the structure on all sides, amidst which various statues stood majestically. They depicted dwarf warriors, armed with hammers and axes. The statues, over 5 meters tall, were so finely crafted that their beards seemed to flutter with life.

At the center of the temple, Tilla gazed in awe at the large emblem of flame engraved there.

“This is the temple of Lord Al Fort… Could this be the Grand Forge?”

Understanding seemed to dawn at last. Among the relics of the Silver Age, there were those that distorted space, linking distant points instantly. Likely, the light emanating from the broken pillar had such powers. Russ murmured in reverence.

“Truly, the Silver Age… to travel a distance of over a fortnight in a mere moment…”

The group marveled as they examined their surroundings. They were on the western ruins of the temple. Or, rather, it didn’t seem quite right to call it ruins. While extensively damaged, the dirt and stones were still freshly scattered, with rocks tumbling down and broken edges crisp—indicating recent destruction.

Suddenly, Sillan grimaced.

“Mr. Repenhardt…”

“Hmm? What?”

“Could this destruction be because of us?”

“Exactly.”

“What? We did this and it’s okay?”

Sillan gaped at Repenhardt, who chuckled and waved his hand dismissively.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. It’s all in the prophecy…”

Repenhardt’s expression suddenly hardened.

‘Wait a moment?’

Now, he had come to the Grand Forge, just as he remembered from his previous life. Back then, even after demolishing the temple, Al Fort had provided all necessary prophecies.

But now? The prophecies of Al Fort had completely changed. It occurred to him that the dwarves would unlikely understand this situation!

Sure enough, from a distance came a loud cry of anger.

“The temple has been destroyed!”

“Intruders!”

“Everyone, repel the intruders!”

Everyone glared at Repenhardt in unison. He awkwardly laughed as sweat poured down his face.

“Ahaha, hahaha…”

The sound of noisy footsteps echoed from the passages connected to the cavity. While Siris, Sillan, and Tilla only listened to the noises, Repenhardt and Russ, who could manipulate aura, could clearly discern the positions and numbers of their opponents. Approximately fifty dwarves were swiftly closing their encirclement. They each hid behind pillars and walls, exuding a thick aura of killing intent.

As soon as the encirclement was formed, one of the dwarves shouted with a resonant voice.

“Open fire on everyone!”

No sooner had the command been given than dozens of arrows flew toward the group. They all turned pale and hid behind the ruins of the collapsed temple. Sillan grumbled, ducking his head.

“Ah, these dwarves are so impulsive…”

Even if they were intruders, was it normal to shoot arrows without a word?

“Isn’t there usually some expected dialogue in these situations? Like asking who we are or telling us not to move… What kind of people start shooting without saying a word?”

Ting-ting, tang-tang.

The arrowheads clinked against the stone walls, creating a clear sound. Repenhardt, trying to defend the dwarves’ actions, swatted away the incoming arrows and retorted.

“Would you have the leisure to chat if someone just wrecked your house and barged in?”

“Well, wasn’t it you, knowing full well the consequences, who caused this madness?”

“…When you put it that way, I have nothing to say.”

Repenhardt awkwardly continued to deflect the arrows. As the arrow assault proved ineffective, the dwarves began to show themselves. They were heavily armed with axes, hammers, and swords, glaring at the group with clear hostility and intent to kill.

In truth, dwarves are not inherently aggressive. However, the dwarves here were in a situation where they had been living hidden from human eyes, and once discovered, they could not afford to let these intruders live. Moreover, what Repenhardt and his group had destroyed was the temple of the dwarves’ god, Al Fort. Naturally, the dwarves were not inclined to look kindly on those who had demolished their sacred site.

Repenhardt and Sillan exchanged bitter smiles as they looked at each other.

“Tsk, everyone’s gaze is no joke, huh?”

“Indeed. It’s like the look a father gives when he finds a stranger breaking into his daughter’s bedroom window in the middle of the night.”

“…That’s an oddly plausible analogy.”

Russ’s complexion hardened as he gripped his sword. He glared down at the dwarves and bellowed,

“How dare you lowly creatures attempt to harm a human!”

The expressions of the dwarves grew even colder, clearly angered by Russ’s arrogant words. Russ snorted and gathered his strength.

Hummmm!

A blue blade aura blazed incandescently around him as a murderous intent rose above Russ’s shoulders. Repenhardt, serious, shouted at him,

“Russ! Withdraw your killing intent!”

“Eh? But brother…”

Confused, Russ stepped back, and Repenhardt walked forward. His figure fully exposed, the dwarves were startled and pulled their bowstrings. About ten arrows flew towards him. However, Repenhardt made no move to block the attack. Instead, to clearly show his lack of hostility, he even raised his hands above his head.

Ting-ting-ting-ting!

The arrows bounced off harmlessly. Without using any aura or anything, Repenhardt’s trained body was unscathed by mere ordinary arrows. The dwarves gasped and murmured among themselves.

“He’s a monster!”

“The arrows don’t work on him!”

“And he’s blatantly showing off that our arrows can’t touch him, mocking us!”

“No, that’s not it…”

Repenhardt clicked his tongue inwardly. Raising his hands in surrender had only intensified the murderous look on the dwarves’ faces. Knowing he couldn’t delay any longer without escalating the situation, he quickly spoke up.

“Sons of the Earth who can hear the voice of truth! Hear me out! We are not your enemies!”

The killing intent in the dwarves visibly subsided. They exchanged confused looks. The head of the dwarves, a burly middle-aged dwarf, cautiously spoke up.

“Are you saying you, a human, are not our enemy?”

Still with his hands raised, Repenhardt responded,

“Yes, indeed!”

It was certain. The intruder before them was speaking the truth. The middle-aged dwarf, with an expression of disbelief, then asked,

“Then who are you? Why have you come here?”

Repenhardt’s expression hardened for a moment. Who am I? Why am I here? Of course, he had an answer, but that answer was…

“Ah, it’s too embarrassing to say out loud…”

Still, to avoid shedding blood here, he had no choice but to proclaim it. Gathering his courage, Repenhardt declared again,

“I am your savior! The one foretold in the Oracle of Al Fort!”

The dwarves’ expressions changed drastically. There was no more malice. Their eyes widened as they stared at Repenhardt.

And his companions’ eyes were just as wide, though for entirely different reasons.

“Wow, Mr. Repen, my face is burning up. What kind of line is that?”

“Sh-shut up! Do you think I enjoy saying such things?”

Having uttered the line, Repenhardt’s face turned crimson with embarrassment as he desperately avoided their gazes. Then, he called out to the dwarves once again,

“I have come to meet the High Priest Makelin, guided by the Steelhammer clan to this Grand Forge!”

Russ, who had been tense in the background, clicked his tongue.

“No, brother. Even so, there’s no way they’ll believe us…”

Before he could finish, the dwarves sheathed their weapons. They all cheerfully exclaimed,

“Oh! It’s the savior!”

“The savior of our clan has come!”

“Welcome!”

“Nice to meet you!”

“But why appear here instead of the proper main gate?”

With the earlier malice gone, they all crowded around the group with faces full of welcoming smiles. Sillan murmured with a dazed expression,

“Wow, how can their attitude change so quickly like flipping a palm?”

* * *

The Grand Forge was an underground city located 30 meters beneath the Setelrad mountain range. Within a vast cavern, spanning a diameter of 2 kilometers and a height ranging from 30 meters at the lowest to 50 meters at the highest, numerous buildings were densely packed. Instead of river water, boiling hot springs flowed through the two rivers that cut through the city, emitting clouds of steam everywhere. The ceiling of the city was studded with giant geothermal stones every 100 meters, providing light and heat. Although it wasn’t as bright as the midday sun above ground, it was bright enough to distinguish objects without any difficulty.

Led by a middle-aged dwarf, Repenhardt’s group walked along the main road at the center of Grand Forge. It was the same dwarf who had first shouted to shoot arrows at them. Introducing himself as Fulbar, he pointed out various places around Grand Forge like a tour guide.

“This area is the smithing district, where all the master smiths gather. If we walk a bit further, we’ll reach the residential district where the homes are clustered.”

Everyone looked around as if they were country bumpkins just arrived in the city. Sillan let out a whistle.

“Wow, how did they manage to build all this?”

Siris also appeared to agree, surprised at the skill of the dwarves.

“I knew dwarves were skilled craftsmen, but I never imagined it to this extent.”

Even Tilla, a dwarf herself, was gaping. Indeed, she fit the description of a ‘country bumpkin’ the most among them.

“I’ve heard many stories but… the Grand Forge really is incredible…”

A newfound sense of pride in her clan swelled in her heart. While most elves and orcs had forgotten all their culture and traditions, the dwarves still maintained this level of civilization. Russ looked on in disbelief.

“It’s incomprehensible. Even for dwarves, such a grand endeavor would require a tremendous number of people…”

Russ couldn’t grasp how such a significant population could live in such a harsh wilderness. Remote areas are called so because they are difficult to live in. It seemed unlikely that dwarves capable of such large-scale construction could properly sustain life deep within the Setelrad Mountain Range.

“And if they have this scale of resources, why don’t they try to free their kin who live as slaves?”

“Ah, Russ, are you starting to find it strange that dwarves live as slaves?”

“What are you talking about, Sillan?”

“Well, you wouldn’t ask such a question otherwise.”

“Hmm…”

Russ groaned at Sillan’s teasing comment. Even someone as set in his ways as Russ couldn’t help but have his paradigm shaken by such an incredible sight.

At the two’s conversation, Fulbar gave a bitter smile and said,

“In truth, we did not build this Grand Forge.”

Originally, the Grand Forge was a relic of the Silver Age, a dungeon. It was repurposed by dwarves who had been driven to this location. After many sacrifices, continuous exploration, and modifications, they made it their dwelling place.

Indeed, across the continent, there are many relics that have been fully explored and subsequently abandoned. Most disappear into other dimensions after losing their magical cores, but some, like this one, remain in reality.

Usually, humans demolish or repurpose such places into buildings for other uses, with the palace of the Graim Kingdom, Del Graim, being a prime example. Originally a dungeon, it was fully explored 400 years ago by the first king of the Graim Kingdom, Del Graim. He modified the underground and built a palace above it, turning it into the royal castle.