The foes we had painstakingly vanquished vanished like fog.
It was a baffling and sowhat frustrating outco.
Maybe it was a situation that could lead to the demoralization of all 15 party mbers.
But that didnt happen. Thanks to a remarkably absurd adversary who sprang up right on the spot.
"What were you doing that you arrived so late, you damned fools!"
Right after we had defeated the Nightcrawler squad.
A squatty old man burst out from a corner of the base camp, squawking at us.
"Do you know how many days its been since these outlaws took over the camp?! You should have driven them out faster, darn it!"
"...?"
Everyone looked at this old woman in confusion.
His head was completely bald. Big, round eyes with a beak-like nose the size of a fist.
Beneath that was a gray beard sticking out in all directions.
"Those frozen scoundrels have completely extinguished my forge fire! Cant you see my precious tal ladies shaking with cold?! Huh?!"
The party mbers were still stunned by the sudden appearance of the dwarf old man and his squawking.
However, I recognized the opponent imdiately and felt a sense of relief.
The magical blacksmith. Its Kellibey!
Kellibey, the always available NPC who protects this base camp.
Hes an Elder Dwarf adventurer who ca into the dungeon in search of rare ores and never left.
His disposition is absolutely friendly.
Hes a reliable ally who will side with the player no matter what they do.
"You useless, good-for-nothing, worm-like adventurers! Cant you hear ?! Light the fire in the camp now! Are you children of the dark?!"
...His mouth is a bit crude.
Anyway, a lot of players dislike him because he is a no-break gentleman who curses and commands from the first eting.
Im used to it because Ive seen him so much.
Lucas looked at with a Shall we get rid of him, my lord? kind of expression. I chuckled and opened my mouth.
"Okay, everyone! I know this is a bit confusing, but for now, lets follow the old mans instructions."
Surprised by this response, Kellibey widened his eyes and looked at .
I looked around the base camp.
"This camp will be our base from now on. We have to light the fire as the old man instructed, and restore the places that the enemies have ssed up."
"Ho ho, ho ho!"
Kellibey, who let out a strange exclamation, ca to , huffing and puffing.
"Well, well, theres a clear-headed worm here! Whats your na?"
"Im Ash, Master Craftsman."
"A friend who sticks to basics. I like it, I like it!"
Lucas was eyeing Kellibey as if he didnt like him.
"How dare he be insolent to my lord..."
However, to my surprise, Kellibey snapped at Lucas instead.
"Hey, cant you hear your captain?! Light up the fire now!"
"..."
Lucas looked at with a face like a wronged puppy. I waved my hands, breaking out in a cold sweat.
"...Lucas, go light the fire for now."
Just listen to this old man for a mont. Ill make it up to you later.
"Yes, my lord..."
Shoulders drooping, Lucas went off to light the fires around the base camp. Im sorry, pal...
Eventually, all of our party mbers began lighting fires and cleaning up the debris at Kellibeys command.
"Um! Um!"
As Kellibey watched the scene with satisfaction, I cautiously approached him.
"May I ask for your na, sir?"
I know his na, but I need to ask. For the sake of future communication.
"Normally, I only reveal my na to trusted comrades."
Kellibey, who had cockily shrugged his shoulders, introduced himself.
"You seem promising, so Ill tell you. My na is Kellibey. I am the best blacksmith in this world."
If soone declares themselves the best, its usually seen as arrogant. But this old man certainly had the qualifications.
After all, he was the only one capable of crafting the exclusive equipnt of SSR grade characters.
He was also the only one who could create a certain type of magical weapon.
I need to create the equipnt necessary for Stage 5 through this old man.
My judgnt was quick, and my tongue was smooth, spitting out flattery.
"Indeed, your appearance is extraordinary...! It is an honor to et you in person, Kellibey, a na I have only heard in legends."
At my flattery, Kellibey chuckled and stroked his beard.
"A legend? Its been 50 years since I entered this dungeon, and my na is still known in the outside world, eh?"
"Indeed. In our countrys smithies, you are revered as a god of furnace and anvil, sir Kellibey."
"Puhahaha! Is that so? Is that so? Of course, the weapons I made must be pretty impressive!"
He completely believed my blatant lie.
As I continued to flatter and handle him carefully, Kellibey soon completely opened his heart to . Such an easy-going old man.
"Alright, alright. Seeing how nicely youre treating ..."
When I handed over the entire bag of ergency rations, he gratefully accepted it.
In front of the smithy at the corner of the base camp, Kellibey, sitting on a chair, stroked his beard and winked at .
"Seems like you want sothing, huh?"
"Yes, sir."
Theres no need to beat around the bush. From here on, its a conversation between a blacksmith and a client.
I went straight to the point.
"I need a Star Silver weapon."
Suddenly, the topic of top-tier equipnt ca up, causing Kellibey to flinch.
"How many... are needed? Theyre not exactly easy to make..."
"Fifteen."
Kellibeys eyes bulged out of his head. I shrugged.
"I might need more."
"Are you mad?! You want to forge fifteen Star Silver weapons?"
"Cant do it?"
I crossed my arms and snorted.
"You talk big, but it seems like youre all talk."
"What... what did you say?!"
"So, all that talk about being the best and a legend was all bluff, huh? I guess its typical for old tales to be exaggerated."
Kellibey turned red at my sudden change in attitude and provocation, squawking in protest.
"Star Silver weapons are top-tier exorcism items! Even forging one requires trendous effort. I dont know what youre planning to use them for, but how can you need fifteen-"
"The Vampire King."
The words I spat out made Kellibey fall silent.
Staring into the darkness at the other end of this dungeon, I declared firmly.
"No Life King Celendion will soon descend upon us. These are needed to stop him."
There are many ways to deal with vampires, but the easiest one is to use weapons made of silver.
Because silver is said to have the ability to purify what is unclean.
In the ga, this was simply reflected as a double damage effect.
However, even the effect of silver weapons is halved against high-ranking vampire entities like nobles.
The special silver weapon to deal with these noble bastards is the Star Silver weapon.
It turns all damage dealt to vampires into true damage, bypassing any defense.
It can only be forged here in this magic forge.
You usually can only forge Star Silver weapons midway through the ga.
And rightly so, because noble vampires usually appear midway through the ga.
But things got twisted. The Vampire King appeared at stage 5.
Hence, the need to bring out high-tier equipnt that doesnt match the progress.
"...Celendion, hes invading the outside world?"
Kellibey, who had been silent for a while, stamred out a question. I nodded.
"Yes."
"...Huh."
Kellibey, sighing deeply, stared at the extinguished forge furnace.
"You know, kiddo, when I first entered this dungeon, I ca in with my two brothers."
This was the first ti I was hearing about Kellibeys past. I blinked in surprise.
"We kept finding rare minerals in this dungeon that wed never heard of or seen outside, and we got excited."
Kellibey stuck a pipe in his mouth, struck a match, and drew a puff.
"So we ventured deeper into the dungeon in search of rarer minerals, fearlessly."
A flicker of fear passed through the eyes of the proud and overconfident dwarf blacksmith.
"And there, we encountered them."
"By them, you an?"
"The Vampire Lords."
Kellibey laughed bitterly, puffing out a cloud of smoke.
"And, of all things, Lord Celendion himself."
"...!"
"It was our fault for delving too deep in search of minerals. By the ti we realized we were no match for them in the dungeon depths, it was already too late."
The blacksmiths massive hand was shaking faintly.
"Eventually, I was the only one to escape, leaving behind my brothers sacrifice. I never dared to enter the depths of the dungeon again."
"..."
"Do you know why my brothers chose to die in my place?"
It was a sudden question. I answered cautiously.
"Because youre the most skilled blacksmith, arent you?"
"Exactly! Because Im the best at crafting weapons to kill those monsters!"
Jumping up from his seat, Kellibey marched into a corner of the blacksmiths shop, opened a safe, and brought out sothing.
Even in the dim light, it shone like a moonlit eye, a white tal.
"This is a shard of sacred tal, acquired deep within the dungeon through my brothers sacrifice. Its astral silver, fallen from the stars."
Thud!
"This is all I have."
Kellibey, placing the sacred shard on the anvil, glared at .
"Youre asking to turn the lives of my brothers into a weapon. Are you prepared to pay the price?"
I grinned.
"Of course."
"Oh? And what will you pay with?"
My response was concise.
"The head of Celendion."
"..."
"If needed, Ill bring his blood and hide as well."
Kellibeys mouth dropped open slightly. I gave a confident smile.
"It will make a great soul-stabilizer and an excellent material for equipnt, wont it?"
"Hahaha! I thought you were a decent guy, but youre completely insane, arent you? Youll give Celendions head?"
Kellibey, laughing and covering his eyes, took a deep breath and looked at .
"I havent asked your na yet, you promising worm."
"Ash. Ash Born Hater Everblack."
"Ha! No wonder there was a sinister sll, youre a mber of the Everblack royal family!"
Kellibey clapped his hands loudly.
"Alright, scion of the human royal family. Ill make it. But fifteen is too much. I dont have enough sacred tal."
The dwarfs thick fingers held up three.
"Three. Ill craft three of the finest Star Silver weapons. Hows that?"
I nodded eagerly.
"That sounds good. Lets do that."
"We have a deal! Good, then Ill start preparing to make the weapons right away..."
Kellibey, pulling out a sheet of parchnt from his pocket, picked up so coal lying near the hearth and scrawled so hastily written words. He then tossed the parchnt towards .
"Fetch the rest of the materials!"
[A Limited Equipnt Creation Quest has been activated!]
I casually glanced at the parchnt before stowing it away. I couldnt make out his ssy handwriting, but it didnt matter since it was already updated in the system as a quest.
"Ill be dropping by frequently, Master Craftsman."
"Of course you should. Youll need to make this place your base if you plan on going forward."
Kellibey let out a chuckle, looking around.
"Next ti, youll see the local old-tirs hanging around here. Theres no place as comfortable as this in the dungeon. Youve dealt with those gangsters wearing the damn masks."
Dealt with, huh.
I thought of the Nightcrawler Squad that had vanished like mist.
Could I really say I had "dealt" with them?
"Bring the materials as you gather them. As long as I have the materials, I can get straight to forging."
"I will do so."
After hesitating for a mont, I opened my mouth.
"May I ask you sothing, Master Craftsman?"
"Huh? Youre quite curious, huh? Its the age to be curious about the world, after all. What do you want to know?"
"Its about..."
I ntioned the incident when we had defeated the Nightcrawler Squad.
Despite having killed them, they had turned into mist and disappeared.
What on earth had happened?
Wouldnt the adventurer Kellibey, who had lived here for decades, know the reason?
When I asked, he replied,
"They didnt die and disappeared like mist? Thats because of the curse they received."
Kellibey gave the answer far too easily. I widened my eyes in surprise.
"A curse...you say?"
"Aha, you didnt know? The three curses that were cast upon the Lake Kingdom?"
Kellibey chuckled, stroking his beard with his fingertips.
"I dont know about two of the three curses either. But one of them, I know well. The surviving citizens of this country who occasionally erge, they all suffer from that."
"And what is this curse?"
"The curse that has those ghost-like beings crawling at the bottom of this lake for centuries. What else could it be?"
Kellibey made a gesture as if strangling himself with his thick hand.
"Of course, its the curse of immortality!"
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