The legendary Moonlight Sculptor

V54C8P1- The Plan of the Dwarves

"That is my sword technique."

Weed stopped the swing of his sword and walked closer to the Half-elf.

"You are right."

"Were you the one who sought for me?"

"I have arrived to this place in order to fight against Kaybern."

The adventurers that led the maze expedition had backed away to a distance and listened quietly to the conversation between them.

Vishur raised her lean body.

"Kaybern is truly a dreadful dragon."

"I'm fully aware of that."

"Has attacked again, causing the humans to fight against the dragon?"

"Yes."

Weed started to talk about Kaybern who destroyed cities and raised monster invasions. He did not forget to criticize him in the midst of his explanation.

"The peace of the continent will never revisit us until we slay that smokey dragon."

"I see. So, the reason for Kaybern's attacks is because of its egg?"

"That's right."

"That may not be a real dragon egg."

"Excuse me?"

Vishur's next story was a shock in its entirety.

The Black Dragon Kaybern had thought of the elves as a nuisance since long ago.

Unlike the dwarves that it could rip off through its harassment, the elves were a noble race with pride.

They were untouchable under the protection of the World Tree and the Green Dragon.

Then, Kaybern devised a scheme that would give him a cause for harassing the elves.

The dragon egg!

It sent a fake dragon egg forged from magic into the elven forests, and when it broke, it used the egg as an excuse for the assault.

"Black Dragon Kaybern burnt down the forest and murdered elves. Even the World Tree, the genesis for the elves burnt to ashes. From that day on, the elves lost the forest."

"So, that's what happened."

It was surprising, even for Weed.

What Kaybern committed were the actions of a bunch of thugs.

'Is that why it claimed its nickname as the Black Dragon? If a fake dragon egg existed, this quest would have come up sooner or later.Even if the Hermes Guild wasn't involved.'

The fake dragon egg would never hatch in a natural way.

After some time had passed and the egg was destroyed, Kaybern would have attacked the humans.

It was just then the Hermes Guild destroyed it before it would have been destroyed ordinarily, to screw him over. Meaning that they only sped up the process of what was inevitable.

'To think that the dragon's assault was a predetermined danger… Though it would have been much easier, if I dealt with him later.'

<Half-Elf Vishur Complete.>

At last, they discovered the Half-Elf Vishur within maze Zode.

They succeeded in waking her with the Sword of Regeneration, who had turned into a plant from the depletion of health points after a long life span.

He learned that the Black Dragon Kaybern's plot occurred for the elves, and it was about to begin for the humans as well.

Even so, it was too early to give up.

Just like how the Half-Elf Vishur revived, the spark of hope was unextinguished.

< You have gained a level. >

< Wisdom increased by 2. >

< Adventure achievement increased all stats by 2. >

He gained experience and adventure progress from the quest completion.

Thanks to the help of many users, he was able to complete it easily, but it was no easy quest given the process.

Vishur summoned a water elemental and spoke after she healed herself.

"I was in search of comrades to fight against Kaybern. If you seek vengeance too, why don't you fight alongside me?"

Weed nodded instantly.

"Of course, I will join your journey."

He was immensely excited for the Half-Elf Vishur to become a comrade.

'I'll exploit her thriftily as I did with Hestiger.'

Elves were gifted in archery and elementals and were highly efficient with their nimble bodies.

Half-elves were nothing like the normal pure-blooded elves, but they compensated with their sword technique and endurance.

"Alright. I have studied over 200 years for a way to eradicate Kaybern."

"For 200 years?"

"I knew that if Kaybern were to begin its activity, it would come to torment the elves. I considered many options, but they were not sufficient enough to fight against a dragon. The final method we discovered was the Brazier of Sacrifice."

"Brazier of Sacrifice?"

"It is a legendary item owned by the dwarves. The dwarves are the race that follow the sacrifice of fire and new birth. There is a myth that if one offers himself to the brazier, he will acquire the power to fight against a dragon. Do you wish to go on the search for this brazier with me?"

Blink!

< The noble artefact of the dwarves.

Dwarves live with the fire their entire lives..

With their short stature, they raised so many flares in history, but there are three mystical braziers they hid away from all others.

The Brazier of Bugta Volcano.

The Brazier of Sacrifice.

The Brazier of Birth.

However, there was a great secret within the Brazier of Sacrifice.

"Dwarves are weak? We make everything from the breath of flames. Like burning lumber in the fire, we can make miracles from burning our own life. Magic? Magic is nothing compared to the power of the brazier."

The Brazier of Sacrifice was an artefact that was dormant for 500 years.

If this dwarven artefact were to be discovered, it could grant enough power to confront the dragon.

One of the dwarven elders will know about the Brazier of Sacrifice.

Difficulty: S

Quest Requirement: Savior of the Continent, Highest adventure reputation. >

< This quest cannot be declined under any circumstances. >

< Quest has been accepted. >

'Hmm. Brazier of Sacrifice…'

He had never heard of it before, but the fact that it was a dwarven artefact hyped him up.

'If I can get the power to face the dragon, that would be terrific but…'

The problem was that the artefact was named the Brazier of Sacrifice.

The word Weed despised the most was sacrifice.

"It burns the user's own life?"

"I don't know in detail. But, it won't be something like dark magic because it is a dwarven artefact."

"Mm-hmm. I don't have a good feeling about it."

Dwarves hated dark magic or evil deeds, and they themselves did not tell lies.

Users that did not keep their promises with the dwarves had their reputations dropped to the point where they had trouble with their activity in the village.

'This is an S rank difficulty linked quest for facing the dragon. Indeed it will have traps and danger. For now, I need to look into this.

***

Oberon.

He, who was the leader of the Cold Roses Guild, was also the lord of Castle Vent under the Arpen Empire.

'I wonder how dreadful I will feel if Kaybern were to destroy my castle.'

He observed Weed's adventure with nervous eyes.

He couldn't watch every single moment of the hunts, but he did make sure to watch the crucial scenes.

"The Brazier of Sacrifice…?"

"Boss. Isn't it what we heard about that time?"

"Uh… Yeah. The 3rd dwarven treasured brazier."

The dwarven warriors in the Cold Roses Guild also chimed in.

"I have to inform Weed-nim right away."

Oberon spoke on the chat channel for Arpen Empire's important lords.

"Weed-nim. I know about the Brazier of Sacrifice."

It was only after 2-3 seconds.

Ropener: "Awesome. As expected from Oberon-nim." Pia: "Wow… That's Oberon-nim for you, indeed." Lemon: "You're so amazing. Now that we have the info, the proceeding for the next quest will be a lot quicker." Flame: "This will certainly be a huge help in stopping Kaybern."

The lords cheered, and Weed checked the communication channel soon after.

He expected reports from the users as his meeting with Vishur during his quest will be broadcasted live.

Weed: Oberon, I will be on my way right now. Send me your current location.

A moment after, Weed arrived with Yurin through the Picture Teleportation Skill.

"What kind of information is it?"

"I know what the Brazier of Sacrifice is."

"Great."

Weed thought that it would bring incredible assistance to the quest as it would resolve the aspect that bothered him most.

'This is a good start.'

If he knew what was the exact role of the dwarven artefact, he could deduce the direction of the quest.

"Yes. At that time, I didn't pay much attention to it… But I heard that you could burn your life force with the Brazier of Sacrifice."

"What does it exactly mean to burn your life force?"

"It is exactly as told. Health points. The user can burn their maximum health points and levels at the brazier."

"… And then?"

"The use of the Brazier of Sacrifice results in the decline of maximum health points, and your level is lowered as well. In return, you become stronger until the flames die out."

"Just how much power?"

"I heard it is 10 times the loss of health points or level."

"That is a high multiplier."

"Though it can be dangerous too. No, it is surely dangerous."

Burning 10,000 maximum health points in the Brazier of Sacrifice resulted in a temporary boost of 100,000 health points.

Weed was at 120,000 health points, meaning that it could become almost double the amount. Burning 100 levels will result in 1,000 levels temporarily.

"There would be conditions?"

"I don't know that in detail. I've only heard the basic stories about it."

"Hmm."

Weed crossed his arms and became lost in his thoughts.

'Time duration is the problem, but combat-wise I can become immensely more powerful. This way, I could even try hunting down Kaybern…'

It was a far stretch of an adventure that required a considerable amount of maximum health points and levels to be deducted. His maximum health points were already lower than other users and this meant that his consequences would be more severe.

He could raise his health points with the Goblet of Flames and other equipment, but a loss was still a loss.

'If I have to pay such a sacrifice and fail, I won't be able to taste any bitterness from coffee.'

Lately, life has been easier on him, and he decided to drink one can of coffee every day.

'I saved up until now, so a can of coffee per day sounds fine, right?'

Popping a can of coffee early in the morning, laid back, enjoying life in comfort.

'This is the happiness in life.'

Just dying once had a detrimental impact on level and skill proficiency, and he forbade thinking about failing, after using the Brazier of Sacrifice.

That being said, if he hunts down the dragon, he could earn an enormous number of combat achievements and treasures.

That moment, Oberon pulled out his axe from his back and spoke.

"Weed-nim. I want to assist in hunting Kaybern as well."

"Pardon?"

"I believe I accumulated all these levels for a time like this. I want to join the Kaybern hunt and give up about 100 levels."

Weed suddenly grasped Oberon's hand.

"Thank you. You are a true hero."

Instinctively, he touched Oberon's luxurious axe.

It is only natural for people to check prices when they're near expensive items.

"Your words are kind. It is also my duty as lord of Castle Vent. Weed-nim, you are the emperor of Arpen Empire with all the burden of continental peace on your shoulders."

"It is rightfully my responsibility to protect the peace of this continent."

"I have always envied you,Weed-nim."

Only Weed's old companions knew of his true side.

'The users will be watching this as well.'

Viewer rating would easily reach 15%.

After Arpen Empire conquered the Central Continent, the popularity among the users heightened even further.

There were going to be more users signing up for the Kaybern hunt like Oberon, however,he could no longer back out from the quest.

'It's not like my stand can neglect the destruction of the continent… Sigh. The Hermes Guild will be joyful and throw a party about this. Even if the hunt succeeds, would it be a profit?"

He was stuck in a swamp of dilemmas.

Even if he were to obtain the Brazier of Sacrifice, he had to bet everything on the line for the Kaybern hunt.

(To be continued…)