Chapter 89 — God Hand Bartas (End)
Translation: Yoni
Editor: Lesurous
When someone hid and there were no ways to immediately chase them down, it was the basics of tracking to analyze the person’s usual behavior and personality.
And Muyoung knew of God Hand Bartas’s arrogance.
There was a high chance that he didn’t hide deep underground but in an unlikely place where it was in plain sight.
After investigating a few suspicious places, there was an awkward location but nothing was visible.
The snow reached high and vine-like plants were surrounding the place.
If it wasn’t for Muyoung who was used to all the hidden traps, it wouldn’t have been noticeable, but Muyoung was certain.
‘There are perception distorting magic and invisibility magic casted.’
Even if they entered the vines, they would still get lost.
By just realizing this truth, Muyoung could go in the right direction.
Muyoung had the directional awareness to be able to see through a simple distortion of his perception.
When he entered deeper parts, he was able to feel a clear but hard wall.
The problem was how he was going to reveal this transparent wall.
‘Bartas has prepared all methods.’
A way to find and a way to lift the magic were all inside the compass.
After awakening his pure state, he was able to instinctively detect the flow of magic, and he could tell that this flow of magic was different.
And that different flow was completely opposite from the magical power he could feel from the compass.
It seemed like if the two opposite flows were found, it would return to the original.
So, he went around the invisible castle and tried to match the direction of the compass depending on the bearing.
‘As expected.’
Then, the flow of magic that was slightly off course returned back to normal.
Eventually, the huge and strong appearance of the castle slowly appeared.
Bartas.
He was truly an arrogant dwarf.
He left the method openly as if allowing others to find him if they could.
His skills were certainly great but Muyoung knew this arrogance will hold him back.
Right after the invisibility was removed, Muyoung prepared for the next step.
It was the under the table work for Kalmooh to become the bait and draw the ice trolls and the abominable snowmen.
‘A medicine good for the body is normally bitter.’
It was a way for him to awaken Bartas’s alertness.
He hoped was that it wouldn’t be too bitter that he would spit it out.
The method for Kalmooh to drag the ice trolls and the abominable snowmans’ attention was simple.
By going in between the two who were fiercely fighting for the resources that were limited and stealing the resources that they were fighting for.
“I don’t know why I have to partake in something like this.”
“You need to run faster than that!”
Kalmooh was running madly across the ice as fast as he could.
Beside him, the Evil Spirit Predator was using a great number of specters in order to hide his appearance and was helping Kalmooh to run away easily.
And Kalmooh was..
Holding a great big fish net full of fish.
Without the help of the specters, it would have been impossible either way, but they were able to steal the food of the abominable snowmen and the ice trolls right in front of them.
The ice trolls and the abominable snowmen could only see Kalmooh.
Kyahhh!
They were chasing Kalmooh with their neck veins bulging and screaming their lungs out.
Of course, a few of the monsters were greatly influenced as they were possessed by specters, losing their conscious and going wild.
Since when a few lose conscious and start to go wild, it would infect other monsters as well.
‘It is crazy!’
Kalmooh truly thought that.
With his bare body, provoke about 2,000 monsters?
It was truly something that not even a suicidal person could easily do.
He would instantly disappear without a trace of a bone piece if he was to be caught by them.
On top of that, as he was thinking that these crazily running monsters were intended to attack Bartas, he felt a slight guilt.
However, it could not be undone.
Kalmooh clenched his teeth and ran.
The result was the current situation.
As 2,000 monsters were crazily knocking on the door, the huge castle gate shook violently.
If the trolls and abominable snowmen were to combine their strengths, they were famous to display Ogre-like strength.
No matter how sturdy the castle walls were, if tens of ogres were knocking on the gate, it wouldn’t be possible to stop them.
If it continued like this, it was too obvious that they castle gates were going to be broken.
‘He is responding late.’
Muyoung climbed up the exterior wall and looked around the surrounding.
Although there were traps, magic, and etc. prepared for intruders, they couldn’t fool Muyoung’s eyes.
There was always a gap in between them and Muyoung was like a fish in the water and walked leisurely in between them.
“If it continues like this the gate might break!”
“They say that the numbers are greater than 2,000?”
The dwarves were greatly taken aback and weren’t able to easily make the next move to deal with the situation.
They only thought of a way to escape in case of a dragon’s attack and never in the world thought that the castle would be found by normal monsters and would be invaded by them.
‘Sheeps without a shepherd.’
It was a thought that naturally occurred.
historical
What was the point of having strong, sturdy castle walls?
What could thousands of dwarves do when they are grouped together?
This happened because they only believed in their wall and neglected other ways to deal with the situation.
And in the middle of this was Bartas.
He could tell just by looking at the inner parts of the wall.
As Bartas reigned as the lord of the Three Pickaxe Sack Alliance, it seemed like he used other dwarves as his slaves.
Besides the castle, all other buildings were very poor, unlike the dwarves to dwell in.
“Wh, what should we do?”
“Let’s go to Bartas. If it is Bartas, he will give us the answer.”
It didn’t seem like there was a guideline for the confused dwarves.
Their trust only in Bartas’s insight, and their reliance on him appeared in numerous conversations.
If enemies appear, they should instantly put on their armor and raise their swords to stop the gate from opening.
Like the time when the dokkaebis confronted the fire tars, even that wasn’t enough to keep them in check in order to prevent them from coming in further.
But, the dwarves first started to gather inside the castle.
There were no dwarves who made an arbitrary decision to arm themselves.
It was probably because Bartas was that great but from how they managed this, Muyoung could only be disappointed.
‘True slaves don’t even know that they are slaves themselves.’
By looking at the dwarves who couldn’t do anything without Bartas’s orders, Muyoung couldn’t help but have this thought.
However, it wasn’t the time yet to cut them off.
Muyoung entered the castle and started to move.
“We are much greater in number. Even though the transparency of the wall has been removed, those are no greater than coincidence. There are no reasons to fear if it isn’t a dragon!”
A dwarf with his crown placed on his head and all sorts of accessories hung from his body was presenting a speech in front of the castle.
Muyoung could tell right away.
That dwarf was Bartas.
“Co, could we fight against trolls?”
“There aren’t many dwarves that know how to fight. They only know how to blow the bellows.”
The dwarves were still frightened.
It was something they had never experienced before.
Muyoung waited for Bartas’s reaction.
It was an embarrassment to run away from just 2,000 monsters and not a dragon.
As a lord, his face would be lost.
Finally, Bartas took out his sword.
“The weapons we have created can even rip apart an Ogre’s body! What are you worried about? Raise your weapons! Now is the time to show the true strength of dwarves!”
As expected, Bartas chose to fight.
Dwarves weren’t a physically strong species.
However, the equipment they have made could close the gap of their physical difference.
Bartas’s next move didn’t seem that bad.
By choosing just the ones who knew how to fight, he protected the gate.
They shot arrows and huge crossbows.
There were also items that were similar to cannons.
And by operating a detached force, he made them sneak out the back gate and attack the backs of the surviving monsters.
‘The tactical strategy itself isn’t bad.’
After fighting for more than half a day, they were able to massacre 2,000 monsters.
It didn’t seem like Bartas was a good lord just by appearance.
All the dwarves were carried away by their triumph.
However, would they know?
That this wasn’t the end of it.
That it hasn’t even properly began!
After the fight, Bartas placed the transparent spell on the wall and inspected the security.
However, before he could even figure out the main cause, the next attack started.
It was because few hundreds of orcs with blue leather found the castle.
‘Moon orc!’
Bartas could only turn pale after looking at the orcs.
‘The moon orcs should be a species that live quite far to the north from here?’
It was hard to understand why the moon orcs would suddenly head towards the castle.
Even more, the transparency had once again been broken.
It was never broken naturally.
‘Someone is continuously removing the security.’
Bartas was dripping cold sweat.
They also defended against the moon orcs but now before they could even recover, numerous werewolves appeared.
“We, we will all die.”
“Like this, there is no hope..”
The dwarves couldn’t even sleep properly.
They were slowly being encroached by fear.
Still, Bartas couldn’t make a decision easily.
‘Is it waiting for us to come out of the castle and run away? It wouldn’t be a dragon but who could it be?’
The biggest problem was he had no way of figuring out who the opponent was and what his intentions were in removing their security.
If it was a dragon, it wouldn’t use a complicated method like this.
If it knew how to remove it, it could just have just done that.
Bartas used his head.
Either way, he couldn’t be just toyed by the opponent’s intentions.
However, the number and the species of the monsters that were invading were just the amounts for them to continuously defend.
It was awkward to run away and awkward to continuously defend.
Hence, it was odd but he didn’t have time to think deeply.
In the end, Bartas’s wisdom was starting to break down due to the endless wave of monsters.
This happened because of the continuous battle he wasn’t used to.
As he postponed his decision a few times within the castle, he didn’t concern about the fighting spirit of the dwarves at all.
Thump!
At last, the castle gate broke.
After a full 15 days, the monster that appeared was staggering twin head ogre.
Although it had two heads, it was the monster of the monsters that could exhibit the strength of 20 ogres.
“Ahh..”
“The twin head ogre!”
“Run, we need to run.”
The eyes of the dwarves were full of despair.
Clank!
There were even dwarves that dropped their weapon.
‘What should we do?’
Even Bartas was taken back. However, it was already too late.
The twin head ogre entered the castle and was massacring the dwarves.
The only way was for them to run away.
To prepare for the attack of the dragon, didn’t they prepare a few ways to leave the castle?
“I will escape the castle. All of you stop the twin head ogre!”
As lord Bartas retreated, the fighting spirit of the dwarves reached rock bottom.
It was when all the dwarves’ eyes were filled with despair.
Blaze!
A dokkaebi appeared as he sliced an arm of the twin head ogre.
Kyahh!
The twin head ogre held its sliced-off arm and went insane.
For a moment, the dokkaebi turned his head and talked to the dwarves that were stepping back.
“The twin head ogre is weak against fire! We can catch it if we pour gunpowder on it!”
However, the dwarves couldn’t easily move.
So, the dokkaebi suddenly cried out.
“Are there only dwarf cowards?! Heimdall will weep!”
Heimdall. The name of the god the dwarves worshiped.
Thud!
After listening to his words, Bartas stopped his movement.
The dokkaebi was obviously Muyoung.
Muyoung inwardly smiled after looking at Bartas.
God Hand Bartas.
The dwarf with insight and knowledge but was completely arrogant due to his skills greater than any of the other dwarves. Nonetheless, in the end, Muyoung knew he was still a coward.
However, he wouldn’t have always been a coward.
‘If he is just a coward, he couldn’t have become a lord.’
And Muyoung’s thoughts were exactly right.
Bartas who was running away, stopped, and shook his body.
He was devoted to Heimdall more than anyone else.
“How dare a dokkaebi talk about us!”
The emotions he had suppressed until now had bursted out.