Limit Breaking Genius Mage Chapter 426

Episode 426 Waystone (1)

Before leaving the central continent, I tried to learn briefly about the dwarf clans living on the western continent, but I had no significant results.

The assistance of the society dispatched to the ownerless land was also mutual.

───Dwarf? We don't know about that?

This was the answer from Unia, who was actively and covertly conducting espionage activities in the conflict zone through communication devices.

In a way, it was natural.

The Society was large in size, but it wasn't an information organization or anything like that.

───But if you're the Sage of Power, you might know something. Since you're from the Western Continent. It'll be difficult to return to the island right away… …But if you really have to, I can connect you.

From what we know so far, it is likely that the Sage of Power is from the Arnak Empire, and is a former or previous War Lord.

If done well, he might be able to obtain a lot of information, but… … After considering the immediate situation, Verden declined.

Although continental space travel has become possible through [Einver]'s <Gate>, it is impossible to invade places that are constantly protected by spatial distortion, such as the Society's headquarters.

The same goes for the Ark of the Ark.

In the meantime, I couldn't carelessly waste the extremely limited means of traveling between Society's islands.

The dwarf's information wasn't that valuable.

───Oh, that's not necessary? Okay, then. More importantly, we're really doing our best in the conflict zone, aren't we? I'll be looking forward to that special gift that you mentioned last time!

The voice is full of energy.

Is it because the environment of the conflict zone suits you? Or maybe it's the sense of accomplishment.

Yunia put the gift in her mouth until the end and then ended the call.

anyway.

In the end, as originally planned.

The best way is to directly confront it.

After a brief recollection, Verden gathered his magical power and accelerated further.

Hwaaaaaaaah!

According to the function of the existing [Einver], the halo is created in order and can be stacked up to three times.

The speed of light.

The ground scenery seen through the gap in the clouds moved quickly.

Finally, we reached the end of the meadow.

The land gradually becomes barren, the green waves gradually turn yellow, and the overall temperature rises.

The proportion of soil and rocks began to increase rather than grass and trees.

You have entered the area of the volcanic zone that covers the southwestern part of the Western Continent.

Verden recalled the policy.

'First, we're looking for the foreign player, Linus Baltimog.'

* * *

According to the Guardian Elf, Karanth, Linus headed to the volcanic area.

He must not have died in the meantime, as he was a man filled with a desire to survive, even after being imprisoned in Leonil's laboratory for years.

Linus is a blacksmith who created the light of the east, Orient, with his crippled body. So, how great of a craftsman must his master, the 'dwarf craftsman', be?

Although we don't know for sure, for now, he is definitely the person most likely to handle the keel.

Even if the prediction turns out to be wrong, it will open the way for us to be introduced to other dwarves.

'It might take more time than expected… … but we have to take that into account.'

It is absolutely necessary to select a being that can create a weapon suitable for a Transcendent, one that can draw out the performance of materials such as dragon bones, runes, and the highest grade metals to the extreme.

'The next target is Black Hour.'

Since you will be dealing with the Transcendent in earnest, you must have no shortcomings both internally and externally.

If the remaining gap cannot be narrowed, it will be Verden himself who will die.

At that moment, a noise was detected nearby.

Then a heavy scream rang out.

Berden immediately put the brakes on the <flight> and looked to the side to see two short men being chased by a giant Stone Eater.

“That is…….”

Short, thick muscles, and a bushy beard.

A body that looks even more massive because it is covered with elastic subcutaneous fat… … .

These are racial characteristics that I encountered in books.

I discovered the dwarves less than two days after arriving on the Western Continent.

Alpha said.

[The distance between the dwarves and the alien species is gradually closing in. One dwarf will die in about 46 seconds. It is judged to be advantageous to rescue them before that.]

Since we don't know where the dwarf clan is in the volcanic zone, it would be best to ask the locals for guidance to move more efficiently.

It's a great tool to clear debt here.

Alpha learned to think more rationally by experiencing the world over others' shoulders.

“I agree with you, Alpha. But it won’t work in your current form.”

[I agree.]

Verden's appearance is widely known throughout the continent as a divine one, and he came to the volcanic zone to utilize dragon materials.

If Asher's identity was discovered, it would certainly be a huge hassle. It was natural to hide one's identity except in unavoidable circumstances.

I closed my eyes and concentrated.

'[Einver], who awakened following me, has acquired a total of four new abilities.'

First, a <gate> that sets spatial coordinates and creates a passage that can travel in both directions.

Second, the <veil> that obstructs the perception of the world and even hides one’s existence.

Third, <Mystery>, which can overlay a new shape made up of infinite magic.

Fourth, <Darkness>, which grants special powers using the magic of destruction as its driving force.

As the saying goes, it evolves to suit its owner, and is truly an ancient artifact created just for one person.

He realized once again that the Demon King's relics had become his complete possession.

The magic circuit was activated.

Within, the first magical path that was pioneered was opened, and the robe's functions were brought out.

Verden was surrounded by [Veil] and [Mystery].

* * *

Just as the Suin prefer undercooked meat and the Elves cherish and love the green nature, the Dwarves also have a nature that is characteristic of their race.

Just mining.

They are crazy about mining.

With their unique persistence, they dig and dig into the earth, and feel a thrill when they find the mineral they have been looking for or something unexpectedly rare.

Most male dwarves are like that.

Dwarves who search for minerals outside of the mines often have to operate in a very large area, exposing them to all sorts of dangers.

Just like now.

“Waaa …

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!”

Two dwarves, holding pickaxes in both hands, ran as fast as they could.

Although his legs were short, he wasn't that slow thanks to his good muscle strength… …but his life was still in danger.

Kukukukukuku… … !!

A large burrowing worm, the Stone Eater, comes in pursuit, its strong teeth clashing repeatedly.

The creature's shell was partially broken and foul-smelling blood was oozing out.

Dwarf, Corey, scolded Bali.

“Hey, I told you not to dig! How can a dwarf not tell the difference between a rock and a Stone Eater shell?”

“You didn’t recognize me either!”

“If you were hitting it with a pickaxe and it felt weird, you should have stopped in the middle! Why are you even seeing blood?! Can’t you see that monster’s eyes are rolled back?!!”

“No, shit! Where the hell does a Stone Eater have eyes!! And if you have such a keen eye for detail, you should at least stop him! Just shut up and run!”

The Stone Eaters, responding to the loud roar, begin to move closer.

An abandoned quarry appeared before the fleeing dwarves.

To humans, it was full of small rocks that were only about the size of their shins, but they were bound to be a huge obstacle to them.

“Ugh, ugh, ugh……!!”

I gathered all the strength I had from sucking on the bottle and moved my arms and legs.

One was meaningless.

I was just about to escape the obstacle zone, but this time an artificially cut cliff blocked my way.

It was too steep to climb.

“This is really fucked up.”

Corey turned around.

The Stone Eater, which had approached without notice, raised its body vertically.

The mouth, which could fit three or four dwarves, opened wide, and the head of the creature swung around and lunged in diagonally.

It's on the verge of collapse.

“Oh, I don’t know!”

Bali, with his eyes tightly shut, swung the pickaxe with all his might.

It was just a struggle.

Even if you hit it directly, all it would do was put a scratch on the Stone Eater's shell.

Phew!

Then, out of nowhere, a loud noise erupted.

"uh?"

Bali opened his eyes.

The Stone Eater, who had been drooling just a moment ago, disappeared without a trace.

Where the thing had been, there was nothing but a foul-smelling liquid and shattered shell.

“You, you how…….”

Corey's mouth fell open.

Bali stared blankly at the remains of the Stone Eater and his own pickaxe.

“I did this? No, I didn’t have any taste for it.”

“Then who else but you can do it! Oh my god. Bali, you’ve been hiding this kind of power… You can mine in places that are too dangerous to go to. Take me with you! I’ll call you big brother from now on!”

"older brother……!"

I can't believe the day will come when I hear that shameless Cory call me big brother.

Bali was in high spirits.

“Hahahaha! Okay, if you call me hyung from now on───”

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

An unfamiliar voice brushed past my ear,

Bali stopped talking and looked back.

A plain, unfamiliar man wearing a plain robe stood nearby.

“Fuck, this is surprising!!!”

Bali, startled, threw down his pickaxe.

puck.

* * *

Cold water splashed my face.

“Ahhhhh!!”

Bali raised his upper body, waving his hands.

He looked around after roughly washing his face by rubbing it.

It seemed quite stupid.

Corey kicked the guy and clicked his tongue.

“Tch, what kind of guy is this… Come to your senses and get up. You’re the dwarf who lied and said he killed the Stone Eater with a single blow from a pickaxe.”

“What, what? I’m the Stone Eater.”

“What the heck!”

Cory pointed to Verden, who was disguised as an ordinary man… … next to him.

A mix of descriptions of the situation and swearing.

Only then did Bali become sullen as he realized that it wasn't he who had killed the Stone Eater.

“Then, brother…….”

“Of course that never happened.”

Corey stroked his beard as he looked at Verden.

“Well, anyway, I appreciate you saving my life. But what’s a human wizard doing here? Did he come here to mine or something?”

“I came to entrust the production to you.”

Verden briefly explained the purpose.

The purpose was to see how they would react to human visitation.

But the answers from these dwarves, Cory and Bali, were completely different from what was expected.

“So that’s where it was. But why are you here instead of going to the city…?”

"city?"

“You don’t even know where the city is? Oh, I see, you’re a first-time visitor to the volcanic region. That happens sometimes. It seems like the trading city between dwarves and humans isn’t well known.”

Trade with humans?

“I heard that dwarves don’t get along well with humans.”

“It’s not that there aren’t such clans, but they’re old news for us. What is it? Ar……nak?”

Bali has been corrected.

“It is the Arnac Empire.”

“Yeah, Arnak. He’s stupid, but he has a good memory… Anyway, for example, in this area, there was a guy called the Arnak Empire who made an agreement with the Red Volcano Clan Leader and built a city called ‘Waystone’. There were a lot of alien species around, so it was hard to use the roads, but Arnak….”

“The Empire of Arnac.”

“You’ve got a beard in your mouth, so just keep your mouth shut, Bali. Ahem, so there used to be a lot of monsters in the area, but the Arnak Empire stepped in and cleared them out. As a result, humans began to come and go more frequently, and production requests and mineral trade became more active.”

A story I've never heard before.

Verden listened with interest.

'I never thought the Empire would trade with the dwarves.'

The situation is good in many ways.

Thanks to this, we can now approach dwarves without being rejected as humans.

Verden asked.

“Can you please guide me to the waystone?”

“Guide? Hmm, I guess it’s possible. We were just about to go back, right?”

“Yeah, I can’t stand being chased by Stone Eaters anymore.”

Bali and Corey nodded.

I thought it would end there… … but then the two dwarves reached out their hands at the same time.

“I will guide you if you give me two very small jewels.”

“I like even the smallest jewels.”

… … Usually, when we receive unexpected favors, we tend to repay them in various ways.

Especially if it's a life debt.

But this was not common sense to these dwarves.

“We didn’t ask to be saved. If you just said thank you, that would be the end of it. What more could you ask for?”

“That’s that, and this is this. If you don’t give me the jewel, I’ll just go?”

The height of confidence.

It seemed like he was trying to prioritize his own interests as much as possible while avoiding losses.

As far as I can see, it was like that.

“…….”

[… … .]

Verden and Alpha realized how selfish the dwarves were.

After a while, they headed to the waystone.

* * *

Meanwhile, the land is ownerless.

The great lords who controlled the East gathered together for a meeting. In fact, it was more like a banquet than a meeting.

Naked women served drinks and men in thin, see-through clothing constantly brought food.

Half-naked lords kept laughing and smoking cigarettes.

“I never thought that the Southerners would be secretly developing a large-scale mine together with the Diamun Tower. It’s truly disgusting and yet admirable.”

“I heard that the development is more than two-thirds complete. I won’t feel sick even if I eat it raw, but I’m worried that my stomach will explode.”

“We are closer in terms of distance to the conflict zone, and if the ruler of the West shows his greed, his tongue will be cut off. We have the ‘Great Warrior’, right?”

A being from the northern part of the continent.

He, the embodiment of desire, was already sleeping with his seventh woman in the open bedroom.

Instead of the Grand Master's answer, a shout was heard.

“How can one be so full of strength? Even though I am old, as a man I am envious.”

“Who wouldn’t be like that? Okay, okay, let’s forget about them and have a drink.”

The wine goes down smoothly.

The pleasant atmosphere became even more enjoyable with all kinds of stories.

The escort who had been waiting outside entered the banquet hall.

The escort delivered the letter.

“Urgent report from the north.”

"north?"

Because it's the north… … .

I've been racking my brain, but nothing really comes to mind.

The Great Lord tilted his head, Gerdom broke the seal and examined the contents.

[Liam Arlane. He proclaims himself ruler of the North and declares his dominion.]

Summary written at the beginning.

Gerdom blinked when he saw him.

“What is this?”

The ownerless land was split into four parts.