Chapter 445 **Magic Sword**
—
They wandered without a destination for about three days.
By continuing to walk without rest, the elder and roughly a thousand dwarves were finally able to reach a new *tunnel*.
“You’ve come a long way, Elder!”
A dwarf with an impressive black beard embraced the elder.
Behind him stood rows of fully armed dwarves.
Clad in black helmets and armor, standing in perfect formation—it felt like looking at well-trained elite troops.
They were clearly different from the dwarves who had lived in the elder’s old tunnels.
“Baek. Thank you for welcoming us.”
The elder spoke sincerely.
Yet despite the word *welcome*, the atmosphere was rather bleak.
After walking nonstop for three days, the dwarves were utterly exhausted.
One would expect them to be hurried inside to rest—but instead, they were being received by a fully armed force.
“Of course not. How could we not welcome you when you’ve come to us yourself, Elder? But…”
The dwarf called Baek then turned his gaze toward Dietrich and me behind the elder.
“Who are these people?”
“Ah, they are honored guests from *Pangaenia*.”
“…Pangaenia?”
Baek narrowed his eyes, suspicion evident in his gaze.
Naturally—anyone would be skeptical upon hearing that people had come from a Pangaenia believed to be destroyed.
Yet his expression carried more wariness than mere doubt.
“I’ve heard the news. That the upper-rank knight Alchaka is dead. Did those humans kill him?”
“They did.”
“He may have been pushed aside now, but he was once even a royal guardian knight…”
“They are our benefactors. That gentleman will rescue our god.”
“…Elder.”
The moment their god was mentioned, Baek’s expression hardened.
Only for an instant.
“Very well. You must be exhausted after such a long journey. Please, come inside and rest first.”
*
*
“Wow…”
The moment they entered the tunnel, Dietrich couldn’t help but exclaim.
Everything was different compared to the tunnel the elder had governed.
Far larger. Far more systematic.
Whoooosh!
There was a *fire* that never went out.
Clang—clang—clang!
Dwarves hammered ceaselessly.
Sweat poured from them, yet none took a break.
“Haap!”
“Hup!”
“Push harder! Fight with the resolve to kill your opponent!”
On the opposite side was a training ground.
Dwarves swung weapons and sparred relentlessly. Even when they rolled across the floor or their flesh split open, the matches never stopped.
The elder had led around a thousand dwarves—but here, there were easily tens of thousands.
This was likely the largest tunnel of all.
“What do you think, Elder?”
“…Do you still intend to wage war?”
“The war isn’t over.”
“It’s already a lost war…”
“We haven’t lost. Look how many remain. The greatest blacksmiths who followed our god—the *Black Smiths*. The Gigants they can wield. Even the talented children.”
The elder’s expression grew heavy.
Baek was a hardliner.
He believed the war was not over.
He intended to win, even if it meant mobilizing children.
A temperament that could never truly align with the elder’s more moderate stance.
The elder was already convinced that the war had ended in defeat.
Their enemies were monsters that grew stronger with time. They neither died nor aged, and war only made them more powerful.
And what about the dwarves?
Even the elder, who once commanded them on the front lines, had grown this old.
His strength was gone, his vigor depleted—he could no longer properly wield a Gigant.
“Those children too…”
The elder trailed off.
His eyes lingered on the children swinging weapons in the training ground.
“We’re selecting children who can handle the remaining Gigants. Fortunately, there are many blessed geniuses. Talents incomparable to our generation.”
“…”
“They can easily reach upper-rank knight level or beyond. Especially… that one. That boy is truly like a *treasure of the gods*.”
Baek pointed toward a corner of the training ground.
There, a dwarf sat in meditation instead of sparring.
The elder nodded.
“Ah… Apsel. Has he grown that much already?”
“Yes. Apsel undoubtedly carries the blood of a god. He’s already completed a contract with the strongest Gigant. Isn’t that incredible? He’s even slain seven upper-rank knights—and a royal guardian knight as well.”
“Our god did not leave that child behind to be used as a weapon of war…”
Regret tinged the elder’s voice.
But Baek paid it no mind.
“That’s why I propose this—shall we have a match?”
“…A match?”
“The human who killed upper-rank knight Alchaka. The honored guest from Pangaenia.”
“No. I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
The elder refused politely but firmly.
Apsel having killed a royal guardian knight was shocking—but the elder had personally witnessed how Alchaka died.
In a single blow.
Without even using a weapon.
Killed by a flick of the finger.
“Elder. I want to show you Apsel’s potential. That we *can* win this war. If you stand with me, we can unite again.”
“That’s enough.”
“Our god is already dead. We must have vengeance. By our own hands—not by outsiders.”
“Stop…”
“Then you’re saying we should entrust everything to that human?”
Baek frowned.
A war that had lasted over a hundred years.
The dwarves’ losses were beyond imagination.
And now they were to entrust everything to some unknown human who had suddenly appeared from Pangaenia?
“…Phantom. I apologize. Please pretend you didn’t hear that.”
The elder turned and bowed his head toward me.
Seeing this, Baek’s expression darkened further.
“You’ve truly grown weak with age, Elder. Where has that fearless warrior gone? All that remains is a cowardly dwarf.”
Baek’s eyes shifted to the human called Phantom.
Humans could not be trusted.
When Destruction appeared, humans had ruined everything for the sake of their own greed.
The future of the dwarves could not be entrusted to them.
“Human. If you truly killed Alchaka alone, how about a spar?”
“Hm.”
“If you defeat Apsel, we’ll acknowledge you as our savior and provide all our resources without reserve.”
“Even if those resources include *Gigants*?”
“Yes, of course. Deep within this tunnel lie Gigants that have been used for over a hundred years. Many no longer activate after losing their masters, but… if you win, we’ll let you choose any Gigant you want.”
“Not bad.”
“You accept?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Then we’ll begin immediately.”
Baek smiled inwardly.
He already knew that the elder’s tunnel had been destroyed.
He also knew that Alchaka, who ruled that territory, had been defeated.
But that was all.
Though Alchaka was an upper-rank knight, he was nothing more than a relic pushed aside.
A knight of the old generation.
After the dwarves’ god was abducted, he’d been surpassed by the rapidly rising new generation and even lost his position as guardian knight.
Something Apsel alone could have handled.
“Apsel! A spar!”
At Baek’s shout, Apsel rose from his seat, eyes still closed.
Spot!
In the blink of an eye, Apsel appeared beside Baek.
Speed unimaginable for a stocky dwarf’s body.
Yet Apsel’s eyes remained shut.
Even when killing a royal guardian knight, Apsel had kept his eyes closed.
He had never met an opponent worthy of opening them.
Apsel was the dwarves’ hope.
Not that human.
“Apsel. You’ll spar with that human. You can win, yes?”
Apsel turned his head toward where Phantom stood.
And then—
That instant.
“…”
“…Apsel? What’s wrong?”
“…Ah.”
Apsel’s body began to tremble.
He took a step back.
Before anyone realized it, Apsel’s eyes were open.
They were filled with fear and terror.
And then—
Whoosh!
…He vanished, fleeing.
“A-Apsel?”
“…He knew instinctively. That he couldn’t win.”
The elder added quietly.
But Baek couldn’t understand.
“That can’t be…!”
Apsel had been raised solely for battle.
A prodigy who had never known defeat.
Someone who had never retreated from an enemy.
Yet he ran.
With all his might.
Without even fighting.
“We must keep our promise, Baek.”
“B-but Apsel hasn’t lost yet—”
“Baek. You know what Apsel’s reaction meant.”
“….”
Baek bit his lip.
Yes.
He had raised him—of course he knew.
Apsel had been afraid.
For the first time in his life.
He had encountered an existence he could not oppose—and had no choice but to flee.
Baek looked at Phantom.
He didn’t know what Apsel had seen in this human.
But the fact that Apsel had lost was undeniable.
Which meant the promise had to be honored.
“…Follow me. I’ll open the warehouse as promised.”
*
*
Though it ended before any fight began, I was inwardly surprised.
*He saw the Destruction within me.*
Even though I hadn’t revealed it.
It seemed true that he was called a *child of the god*.
Bearing divine blood. Divine talent. The dwarves’ hope.
Yet his reaction was almost animalistic.
A being capable of nothing but fighting.
“This is it. Choose one here. Though even then, forming a contract won’t be easy…”
Following Baek to the deepest underground level, a massive door appeared.
As Baek approached, the door opened automatically.
What lay inside were truly *priceless treasures*.
Countless weapons.
*All of them are evolving weapons.*
Equipment that devoured runes and evolved on their own—like the Guardian Holy Sword.
Final weapons evolved nearly to their ultimate forms.
There were easily over fifty.
And it seemed they could only be wielded through contracts.
I slowly surveyed the warehouse.
Then I walked through it, gripping each weapon in turn.
“Hmm…?!”
Brrrr!
The moment I touched them, every weapon trembled violently.
Baek’s eyes widened at the sight.
Still, none of them appealed to me.
I walked deeper, stopping before a black sword mounted on the wall.
A **magic sword**.
At a glance, it was far more ominous than any other weapon.
“That one… it would be best not to—”
“I’ll take this.”
“N-no! Stop!”
Ignoring Baek’s warning, I reached out without hesitation—
And grasped the magic sword.
