Chapter 68
A way to win their favor? That was definitely necessary.
I was already their hero, but if I could win even more favor, I could probably get even more out of them.
Then a brilliant idea suddenly came to me.
‘Hey, you’re a god anyway, right? If you show them your true form, wouldn’t those guys worship you on their own?’
That would be the surest and fastest way, wouldn’t it?
Hard as it was to believe, it had apparently once commanded a similar retinue.
But Sandworm’s answer was no.
[Sandworm says it is not time yet.]
‘Why?’
[Sandworm explains that its power is not yet fully restored. In its current state, it cannot properly display the majesty of a god.]
[Sandworm argues that it would not be too late to accept worshippers after raising its rank enough and regaining its lost divine power.]
‘You don’t want to look like a fallen god? Well, I can understand that.’
While I was talking with Sandworm, the dwarf king laughed heartily and tapped my shoulder.
“Benefactor! We must honor your great deed—awakening our city and helping those elf bastards rise again, must we not?”
“That sounds good. Then the reward can be a legendary item….”
“We would like to hold a grand feast in the dwarven way! Please do not refuse our hospitality!”
“A feast?”
The dwarf king shouted to those around him.
“Bring the hardest bread and the strongest liquor!”
At the king’s command, the dwarves cheered and began bustling about at once.
The area in front of the furnace was transformed into a noisy banquet hall in an instant.
I followed the dwarf king’s guidance to the seat of honor.
A huge plate and a drinking horn were placed before me.
“Come now, benefactor! Eat as much as you like! This is our dwarven pride, stone bread!”
‘I’m supposed to eat this?’
What the king pointed to really was a loaf that looked like a stone.
Half skeptical, I picked one up.
Heavy.
I scratched it with my fingernail, but it didn’t leave a single mark.
My brow furrowed.
Are these guys messing with me right now?
At this point, even scooping up dirt for me would have seemed more sincere.
As if noticing my expression, Sandworm whispered softly.
[Sandworm explains that this is the dwarves’ way of showing hospitality.]
[Sandworm says dwarves regard those who can handle harder bread and stronger liquor as true warriors.]
‘…What kind of culture is that?’
[Sandworm explains that it is similar to Koreans making foreigners eat kimchi.]
‘Hey, people don’t do that these days. More importantly, how do you know that?’
I frowned inwardly, but outwardly I pretended to be calm and picked up the bread.
Well, this much is easy.
Without hesitation, I bit into it.
Wadduk-!
A sound like chewing pebbles echoed through the banquet hall.
In an instant, the dwarves’ noisy chatter stopped as if it were a lie.
All eyes turned to me.
A look of admiration flashed in their eyes.
“Gulp.”
I chewed the piece of bread and swallowed it as if nothing were wrong.
In truth, I didn’t feel a thing.
Thanks to my Mineral Devour skill, something like this was easier than cake.
“Ooooooh!”
At the sight of me, thunderous cheers burst out among the dwarves along with exclamations of admiration.
“He can chew and swallow stone bread that easily with such a tiny mouth!”
“He has the makings of a true warrior!”
The mood heated up in an instant.
The dwarf king smiled with satisfaction and gestured.
Then a servant brought out a loaf that looked bigger, blacker, and even harder.
“Benefactor, I am amazed by your toughness! This is steel bread, a challenge only the most skilled warriors among us dwarves can even attempt! Please, taste this as well!”
“…I’ll gratefully take it.”
I sighed inwardly and accepted the bread.
And once again, I took a big bite.
KRUNCH-!
A much bigger, sharper cracking sound than before.
“Oooooooooh!”
“As expected!”
The dwarves’ cheers grew even louder.
Yeah, at this point, let’s go all the way.
I raised one corner of my mouth and said arrogantly.
“Is this all the hardness you’ve got? I’ve got a rough idea of the dwarves’ level….”
“What boldness!”
“He is a true warrior!”
“Bring more bread! No, bring it all!”
And so several more rounds of challenges followed.
The bread’s hardness gradually went beyond all reason, and each time the dwarves’ reactions grew even more fervent.
“I never thought we’d end up bringing this out for an outsider….”
At last, the dwarf king personally came carrying a massive chest with a solemn expression.
When the chest was opened, a loaf that shimmered like a diamond was revealed inside.
No, to be honest, it no longer even seemed right to call it bread.
“…This is the diamond bread passed down through generations of our dwarves. Even I need half a day to chew through a single piece. Dare you take on the challenge?”
“Bring it on.”
Every dwarf in the banquet hall held their breath.
I picked up the bread.
And then I shoved it into my mouth in one bite, as if it were soft cotton candy.
Crunch… Crack…
All sound vanished.
In the banquet hall, only the sound of me chewing echoed eerily loud.
“….”
“…!”
The dwarves were no longer cheering.
They only stared at me with eyes filled with a mix of shock and fear.
I didn’t stop there.
The real show was just beginning.
I stood up from my seat and walked over to the pile of minerals sitting off to one side of the forge.
“This should be enough.”
Then I picked up the biggest, hardest-looking chunk.
And, right in front of the dwarves, I began chewing it.
Crack! Crack-crack!
The stone chunk crumbled helplessly beneath my teeth.
“Clang-!”
The drinking horn slipped from the dwarf king’s hand and hit the floor.
At that moment, the silence that had ruled the banquet hall was broken.
At the same time, an explosion-like cheer burst forth.
“Waaaaaah!”
The dwarves all sprang to their feet at once and swarmed toward me.
Unable to hide their excitement, they hoisted me up in the air.
“Hiek?”
They tossed me into the air and shouted in unison.
Stop! I’m afraid of heights!
“He’s not just a warrior!”
“The greatest warrior! Steeljaw!”
“Steeljaw! Steeljaw! Steeljaw!”
“Aaaagh!”
A scream burst out of me before I knew it.
The horrifying sensation of my body being dragged downward by gravity.
“Thud!”
Fortunately, the dwarves caught me safely.
But my fear didn’t go away.
They were preparing to throw me into the sky again.
“W-wait! Stop! Stop!”
I shouted desperately.
But it didn’t reach the ears of the dwarves, who were consumed by madness.
They flung me into the air once more with all their might.
“Steeljaw! Steeljaw!”
“He’s a god!”
Screams and cheers mixed together and swirled around my ears.
Only after several more rounds of being tossed in the air was I finally able to get back on the ground.
“Ugh, ugh….”
My legs were shaking so badly I could hardly stand.
When I came back down, I was surrounded by countless dwarves.
“Please, just shake my hand once, Steeljaw!”
“Please let me touch that steel-like jaw just once!”
“I-I want to touch it too!”
“Get lost!”
Their eyes were full of pure respect and worship.
One dwarf elder looked at my small stature and exclaimed.
“For such a tiny frame to possess that much strength! There must be dwarves among his ancestors, without a doubt!”
The other dwarves vehemently agreed.
“Indeed, that is the wisdom of an elder! Otherwise, that toughness cannot be explained!”
“That’s right! Though he lacks a beard, that man is a warrior with dwarven blood flowing through him!”
The dwarf king stepped forward.
He placed a hand on my shoulder and proclaimed solemnly.
“From this day forth, I appoint you an honorary dwarf! And I bestow upon you the name Steeljaw!”
Thus, I became both a hero of the elves and an honorary dwarf.
***
“I’m exhausted….”
After the frenzy of the feast ended, I sat facing the dwarf king.
He spoke to me with an expression that still hadn’t lost its excitement.
“Steeljaw, I once again pay tribute to your greatness. To repay the kindness of awakening our city, I wish to give you a gift.”
“Ah, finally….”
“If there is anything you want, say the word. Anything in this forge will be yours.”
At last, we were getting to the point.
I casually stroked the World Tree staff in my hand and opened my mouth.
“Hmm… well. The elves I met recently gave me a piece of the World Tree in return for saving them.”
At my words, the king’s eyebrow twitched.
“A part of the World Tree…?”
“Yes. This staff and pendant are exactly that. They gave up what was essentially a sacred relic of their race as payment.”
I finished speaking and looked at the king with a meaningful smile.
“Surely the great dwarves won’t give a reward inferior to the elves’, right?”
My provocative remark made the dwarves around us bristle.
One dwarf sprang to his feet and shouted, slamming his warhammer into the floor.
“What are you talking about, brother!”
“How dare you compare our great dwarves to those cowards!”
“Your Majesty! That brother is right! How could we possibly lose to those weak elf bastards!”
Starting with his shout, the other dwarves began to agree at once.
“That’s right! If they gave up that piece of wood, then we should give up our souls!”
“The honor of the dwarves is at stake! We must never be outdone by those bastards!”
The dwarves’ pride was thoroughly ignited.
The dwarf king, too, seemed stirred by my words, his face flushing bright red.
He pounded his chest with his fist and shouted.
“How dare anyone compare us dwarves to those elf bastards! Very well, Steeljaw! We will make the greatest treasure our dwarves can give you!”
Having declared that, the king immediately summoned the smiths.
“Gather all the finest artisans! Melt down the purest materials!”
At the king’s command, the dwarves began moving in perfect unison once more.
Dozens of dwarf craftsmen gathered before the furnace and hammered away while working the bellows.
I watched the scene with interest.
Things were becoming much bigger than I’d expected.
Finally, all the work was done, and the dwarf king came to me personally.
A small box was in the king’s hand.
“Here, take it. This is the greatest gift our dwarves offer you, and our pride.”
I carefully opened the box.
Inside was a single ring emitting a mysterious light.