The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 139

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————

Chapter 139. The Blacksmith of the Allied Forces (2)
Srandel, the Steel Master of Feractrum.
He gazed quietly down into the pit that Broombar had entered.
The pitch-black darkness yawned like the gaping maw of The Abyss itself.
Part of me longed to descend into that void as well.
But such a thing was impossible.
“Eleven kilometers.”
A depth beyond all comprehension.
Even Feractrum, the very kingdom of the dwarves, did not lie at such a depth.
I could only wait endlessly for Broombar to emerge.
Tedious as it was, patience is the virtue of dwarves.
How many years had I spent striking metal in silent dedication?
For a master of supreme refining arts like myself, waiting was simply another form of discipline.
Thus passed one day, then two, then three, then four.
And on the fifth day.
A presence stirred from the depths of The Abyss’s pit.
Slowly, Broombar emerged into view.
His skin was charred black.
His clothes were singed and scorched.
One could immediately grasp how scorching the heat beneath the earth had been.
“Patriarch! Did you verify it? What did you find?”
Broombar brushed the dust from his body and spoke.
“I estimate there are approximately 1.6 billion tons of Runesteel ore deposits beneath this place.”
“Good heavens!!”
I widened my eyes in shock.
1.6 billion tons? Surely that could not be right.
“Does that make sense, Patriarch? How could such a quantity of Runesteel ore possibly—!”
“It’s Archean strata.”
The Archean Eon.
Primordial bedrock formed during the dawn of life itself.
An era of vigorous crustal activity, where sedimentary basins and volcanic processes operated intensely, allowing specific minerals to accumulate in extraordinary concentrations.
“The chemical precipitation processes of the primordial oceans also played their part.”
In other words, substances dissolved in ancient seawater had gradually settled, forming the Runesteel ore veins.
“What lies beneath us is the product of geological transformation spanning billions of years.”
“Which means….”
“We can obtain the 150,000 tons of Runesteel we require.”
Yet my expression did not brighten easily.
The Runesteel Ore Vein buried eleven kilometers underground.
Extreme heat and crushing pressure.
It was no different from a living magma layer—an environment even I could not endure.
“Patriarch, can you construct the mining equipment?”
“Hmm.”
“It’s not merely a matter of heat and pressure. At such depths, mana interference will be severe. Whether existing mining equipment will function properly remains uncertain.”
Broombar offered no rebuttal.
Every word was true.
“It seems we’ll need to bring that here.”
“That, you mean….”
Srandel trailed off.
A moment of silence fell.
“But that’s your life’s greatest masterwork. Are you truly willing to part with it?”
At Srandel’s question, Broombar maintained his silence.
He was not willing.
How could he possibly surrender the countless years and effort poured into its completion to humans?
More than anything, becoming entangled with humans in this manner was utterly unacceptable.
Once bound together like this?
What would they demand next?
Humans always craved more once they obtained what they desired.
Thus, Broombar could not accept.
And yet.
“I am Broombar.”
This name carried within it the responsibility to forge the unacceptable into the acceptable.
* * *
Most regrettably—
“I am terribly sorry….”
Adlern had failed to produce a prototype of Night Mead.
Five million gold in additional investment.
“Though imperfect, I managed to complete the research somehow….”
Adlern had managed to finish the prototype research.
But completing research did not mean completion itself.
Fermentation vats, aging chambers, temperature control systems.
Not a single piece of production equipment had yet been installed.
“Since the fermentation method differs entirely from conventional brewing, I could not utilize existing production facilities….”
Asking for a prototype in merely five days under these circumstances was unreasonable, even by my standards.
It was remarkable that the research had been completed at all.
“I am truly ashamed….”
“No. You did your best.”
I returned to Whitewolf Territory empty-handed.
Upon arriving at the reception hall of Count’s Castle—
“Oh! Brother! What perfect timing!”
Seraphia called out cheerfully.
And seated directly across from Seraphia was Broombar.
Yet for some reason, the dwarf named Srandel who had come with him was nowhere to be seen.
“How did it go?”
“I will accept the proposal.”
“Does that mean you can construct the mining equipment?”
Broombar nodded with ponderous certainty.
As expected of Broombar.
His technical prowess remained undiminished, then as now.
“However, there is a complication.”
Broombar continued, his expression grave.
“Upon examining the ore vein, I discovered it lies within Archean strata. Given the nature of such ancient geological formations, we must anticipate severe mana interference.”
“Please, continue.”
“Therefore, constructing the equipment with conventional mining apparatus would prove exceedingly difficult….”
And with that, a torrent of complex technical terminology poured forth.
Shall I be honest?
From the mention of Archean strata onward, I understood nothing.
Fortunately(?), Broombar summarized it all in a single phrase at the end.
“To construct the mining equipment, we require an ‘Arcanoheart.'”
An Arcanoheart, you say….
“You mean a Mana Fusion Core?”
A Mana Fusion Core.
This was a device that triggered fusion reactions of primordial energy—mana itself—to generate tremendous power.
The pinnacle and jewel of arcane engineering.
And it was Broombar’s magnum opus, the masterwork of his lifetime.
“How do you know of the Arcanoheart?”
Broombar’s eyes narrowed sharply as he questioned me.
It was the same manner in which Isolde had asked how I knew of transcendence beyond the Holy Rank.
‘Oh no.’
…I had blundered.
“I… read about it in a book.”
“In a book?”
Seraphia tilted her head in confusion, but I deliberately ignored her.
Broombar fell silent for a moment.
Fortunately, he did not press the matter further.
“The Arcanoheart currently resides in Feractrum.”
Feractrum, the kingdom of the dwarves.
“It must be transported here directly.”
“So the transport itself is not a simple matter.”
“Precisely.”
Broombar nodded in confirmation.
And for good reason.
“The Arcanoheart is a fusion reactor that triggers mana fusion reactions to produce explosive energy. If we attempt to transport it carelessly—”
“There’s a risk of detonation.”
Its destructive power was sufficient to obliterate an entire city.
In my previous life, I had even weaponized it strategically by exploiting that very property.
“But there’s no need to worry. Safety mechanisms are built into the design, so even in the worst-case scenario, it won’t detonate.”
Otherwise, it would have been impossible to handle such tremendous energy in the first place.
However.
“Unless some ignorant fool decides to tamper with the reactor’s circuits.”
To prevent such incidents, the Arcanoheart emits specific ultrasonic waves and vibrations through its own mana field into the surrounding area—
“It mimics the biowave frequency that dragons emit. I designed it that way intentionally.”
The purpose was to prevent mindless underground creatures from approaching the reactor.
Therefore, the Arcanoheart generates a mana field that mimics the dragon’s biowave frequency.
In other words, Dragon Fear—naturally repelling monsters and creatures from approaching it.
This was the optimal method: minimal energy consumption while providing continuous defensive effects.
That is, of course.
“Wait? That’s actually possible?!”
Assuming Dragon Fear could be artificially replicated.
“It’s possible.”
Broombar answered with unwavering certainty.
Seraphia’s eyes widened in shock, but I remained unperturbed.
I already knew.
I had witnessed it many times in my previous life and had even used it on several occasions.
Of course, it wasn’t something any dwarf could accomplish.
It was something only Broombar could create.
Broombar—the hero of the Allied Forces who forged the very history of The Continent.
That was no exaggeration whatsoever.
Just as civilizations are categorized by eras like the Stone Age and Iron Age, blacksmiths have been the driving force behind The Continent’s progress. Broombar was the greatest blacksmith—one whom even other master blacksmiths revered.
Thus, the Allied Forces called him the Celestial Blacksmith—a title suggesting he was one who tempered fate itself with heavenly power.
In any case.
The Dragon Fear emitted by the Arcanoheart.
Every monster and creature on The Continent instinctively sensed it and refused to approach its vicinity.
But there was one exception.
“There’s one creature that senses the dragon’s frequency and doesn’t flee.”
More precisely.
“One that knows it’s a dragon and charges at it anyway.”
In simpler terms: a madman.
Yet even in a world full of madmen, such extreme insanity was rare.
No—it didn’t exist.
No, there wasn’t.
What madman across the entire Continent would dare challenge a dragon?
Yet the Continent is vast, and with such expanse comes an abundance of exceptions.
“During the transport of the Arcanoheart, that creature could appear.”
Only now could I fully comprehend the ‘problem’ Broombar had spoken of.
“What are the odds of its appearance?”
“It’s more likely it won’t appear. But if it does….”
“Then there’s a risk the Arcanoheart could detonate.”
Broombar nodded gravely.
A moment of silence stretched between us.
I fell into contemplation.
In truth, there was a simple way to resolve this problem.
My infinite inventory.
I could simply store the Arcanoheart within it and transport it.
However, only items under my ‘ownership’ could be stored in the inventory.
The Arcanoheart was Broombar’s magnum opus, the work of his entire life.
There was no chance he would hand it over to me, and it remained uncertain whether ownership would be recognized in such a manner.
‘Still, it’s worth trying.’
I would keep the possibility open, but I needed to consider alternatives as well.
As my thoughts continued in this vein, that was when it happened.
“…Who is that? Please, tell me too!”
Seraphia bounced excitedly as she asked.
No matter how hard she tried to think, she couldn’t fathom who this madman challenging a dragon could be.
Well, I had been the same.
I simply couldn’t believe such a madman existed in this world.
But after encountering that madman in my previous life, I came to know.
A madman who dares challenge the dragon—the supreme lifeform that reigns above all creation.
A deranged being that hunts dragon hatchlings, the young of dragons.
“An Ogre.”
A creature called an Ogre.
* * *
Approximately tens of millions of years ago.
There was an animal that, unable to bear its own massive body, entered the sea.
The whale.
However, not all ancient whales that led to modern whales completely abandoned the land and evolved into marine creatures.
Some of the whale’s ancestors remained on land.
Most of them went extinct, but some survived and continued their lineage.
-The hippopotamus is a prime example.
A whale that survived by traversing rivers and lakes—the hippopotamus.
-The ancestors of hippopotamuses reduced their body size instead of entering the sea.
Through this adaptation, they evolved to freely traverse both water and land, and ultimately survived.
But another descendant of the whale evolved along a different path.
They grew larger in body and maintained powerful musculature.
Then a mutant factor called Madness intervened, and they evolved into monsters.
Inheriting the legacy of the whale that once reigned as the ocean’s apex predator, they were reborn as the land’s supreme predator—
“Ogres?!”
The birth of Ogres.
The reason Ogres go mad at a dragon’s biological wavelength is simple.
They hunt dragon hatchlings.
And the reason Ogres target hatchlings is—
—because they are their only natural predator.
Once a dragon matures, the Ogre becomes prey.
So when dragons are young, they eliminate the threat preemptively.
—It’s like wolves risking their lives to hunt tiger cubs.
In other words, it’s an instinct to reduce the population of their natural enemy—the dragon—to ensure the Ogre species’ survival.
Therefore, Ogres are classified as natural disasters.
Once an Ogre strong enough to hunt hatchlings begins its rampage, there is no way to stop it.
We can only minimize the damage and wait for it to stop of its own accord.
“But as I mentioned, the probability of an Ogre appearing is low. The Ogres should currently be in hibernation.”
Broombar spoke, and I agreed with him.
Ogres on the Continent were nearly extinct, and temporally, it wasn’t the season for them to awaken—
“I… I apologize for bringing this up, but…”
Seraphia opened her mouth cautiously.
“There is currently an awake Ogre.”
“An Ogre has awakened from hibernation?”
“Yes.”
“How can you be certain?”
“I recently heard news of an Ogre sighting.”
“Where?”
That’s information I haven’t even heard.
“At the Royal Social Society.”
“At the Society?”
“More precisely, at the Tea Reception Hall. I overheard nobles discussing it. They said the roads in the Central Region are in terrible condition because of the Ogre sightings…”
“I see.”
Seraphia, who retained detailed knowledge of The Vanished Social Club’s contents.
By listening to the nobles’ conversations, one could grasp the Kingdom’s political situation and obtain important information from within.
“So I heard that Belgard Territory’s specialty goods are experiencing transport difficulties.”
Her sense for gathering information was quite sharp.
“Then we must assume it will definitely appear.”
Broombar spoke with a hardened expression.
If it were in hibernation, that would be one thing.
If it were awake, I had to consider that it would appear with certainty.
“What if we postponed the transport schedule?”
“Until the Ogre enters hibernation again?”
“Yes.”
The mining of the Runesteel Ore Vein would be delayed as well, but there was still time before The Emperor began his full-scale activities.
It was better than bearing the risk of the Ogre, but….
“I would like to, but… we need Runesteel right now.”
Broombar lowered his gaze and explained the situation.
The Kingdom of the dwarves, Feractrum.
An unprecedented geological upheaval occurring there.
To prevent it, they needed 150,000 tons of Runesteel ore.
“It will happen within the next six months.”
But winter had only just ended.
We could not wait until winter returned and the Ogre fell into hibernation again.
Even if I wanted to tear it out myself, 150,000 tons was far too much.
I had already exhausted myself for an entire day just extracting 1 ton.
To extract 150,000 tons?
By simple calculation, it would take 150,000 days.
‘How strange.’
I thought Broombar had taken the bait quite quickly.
But then.
‘This is something I never heard of in my past life.’
I searched my memories, but nothing came to mind.
Then the possibilities narrowed to three.
First, Broombar simply did not mention it in my past life.
Second, the geological upheaval ultimately never occurred.
And third.
‘The Empire’s new movements, different from my past life, may have played a role.’
In other words, the geological upheaval might have been induced by The Emperor’s experiments or actions that did not exist in my past life.
From the very appearance of the Ogre, there were already strange aspects.
This seemed to warrant separate investigation.
In any case.
There was only one method left.
Hunt the Ogre.
I had to capture the supreme predator of the land.
But that was certainly no easy task.
“….”
Broombar’s expression grew heavy.
He was well aware of how dangerous hunting the Ogre was, and how much sacrifice it would demand.
Perhaps that was why.
◆Evolution Quest, [There Cannot Be Two Suns Beneath Heaven] has arrived.
A Quest notification suddenly materializes before my eyes.
Moreover, it was a newly emerged Quest type called an ‘Evolution Quest’.
==[There Cannot Be Two Suns Beneath Heaven]==
[Objective] – Devour an Ogre
[Reward] – 【Primordial Human】 Bloodline Awakening
[Refusal] – No Penalty
‘Primordial Human?’
My head tilts involuntarily in confusion.

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————