Subscriber of the Gods Episode 258
Episode 258. How to capture dwarves
Tartarus.
A land filled with hot heat.
The musty smell that tickled your nose with every breath, along with the smell of sulfur, was like a warning to humans not to enter this place.
‘Tartarus is much worse than Waterpia.’
Waterpia was once open to the outside world, but Tartarus has never had such a history.
That would be the case, as dwarves were not a race that enjoyed interacting with others.
‘Everything the dwarves want is in Tartarus.’
So, for the dwarves, welcoming someone was just a chore, since they wanted to use that time to hammer away one more time.
A crack appeared in Tartarus.
“Damn it! I don’t have time for this!”
“Why can’t we just destroy everything?”
“Then the cracks will get bigger and more monsters will come out. They’ll destroy our forge.”
“Ha, that sucks.”
The great underground city of Tartarus.
As soon as Ethan entered Tartarus, he heard the dwarves complaining. The dwarves had such good voices that even from a considerable distance, he could hear the content very clearly.
“What? Human?”
“Is it connected to the human city too?”
As Ethan emerged from the rift, the bearded dwarves looked puzzled.
“What kind of person is it? There must be scales under the clothes.”
“Do people these days act so human?”
Ethan didn’t bother to correct him by saying he was human.
“But what kind of person would it be to have difficulty moving properly in our Tartarus?”
“Hey, young man! Go back!”
“hello.”
Ethan gave a brief greeting and explained why he was there.
“You came to check the crack?”
“It’ll be hard to see them all, won’t it? They’re so huge.”
“Damn, they even created one in our blacksmith shop. So instead of steel, they’re pounding monsters?”
There were cracks in Tartarus as well, but the damage seemed to be much less than in Waterpia.
That was to be expected, as individual dwarves were much more powerful than the fish people.
‘Dwarves are said to be so strong and physically fit that they can hold a hammer as soon as they are born.’
If you don’t have the stamina to keep up, it’s impossible to strike the hammer in the scorching heat of the earth.
They also have an instinctive ability to recognize excellent ores, and there is a tendency to place considerable importance on strength training in order to handle these ores perfectly.
‘Of course I have no choice but to become stronger.’
Their strength and stamina come from their desire to create good things.
“But the monsters in the cracks drop interesting ingredients.”
“Ah! That’s good!”
“I wish rare monsters would appear.”
Even if monsters appear, there isn’t much damage, so Tartarus has a much more stable atmosphere compared to Waterpia.
Rather, there were dwarves who welcomed this crack, saying it was a chance to obtain materials that could not be found underground.
Ethan approached the dwarves and greeted them politely.
The dwarves here also reacted with surprise, just like Sigma.
“Oh, you. How come you know our greetings so well?”
“Brunir Carhat.”
Ethan smiled and answered in Dwarvish. The Dwarves’ expressions brightened even more.
I never thought that a fisherman from Waterpia would use the common language of Tartarus for a dwarven greeting.
‘Pronunciation is the most important. Rather than being fluent, speak slightly awkwardly.’
If a foreigner you meet by chance speaks Korean fluently, you’ll be surprised at best.
However, when I see foreigners stubbornly trying to speak Korean even with awkward pronunciation, I sometimes feel a strange sense of familiarity.
Look at this guy? That feeling. Ethan aimed for that friendliness.
And that worked out exactly for the dwarves.
“Huh? You even know Korean?”
“Is your pronunciation okay at this level?”
“Hahahahahaha-! Yes, nice to meet you! If you can speak Korean, you can be considered a dwarf, right? Of course, you’ll have to grow a beard.”
“Thank you for welcoming me.”
Some say that dwarves are very cautious, but that’s because they don’t know much about them.
‘It’s true that he’s very cautious, but it’s easier to let go than it looks. And once you let go of that caution, it’s not hard to approach him.’
“I actually came here to check the cracks, but I also came here to find one of the items in Tartarus.”
Ethan didn’t bother to mix in any lies.
“thing?”
“Are you talking about equipment?”
“No. The Great Hammer said it was an object imbued with sacred, ancient power.”
“ah!”
“I think I’ve heard of it. Isn’t that the one that has been passed down through generations from the Great Hammer?”
“But why are you looking for that?”
For a moment the dwarves showed their wariness openly.
Some dwarves even held the hammer handles on their waists tightly.
It was an atmosphere where if you said something wrong you would get beaten with a hammer.
The scorching heat there made it difficult to breathe.
“I asked why you were looking for it.”
The atmosphere that had been warm just a moment ago suddenly turned cold.
“Because it helps my business.”
“business?”
“Yes, it’s a beer brewing business.”
“……beer?”
The dwarves’ wariness disappeared. Their eyes had also returned to a friendly gaze.
No, beyond goodwill, the eyes of all the dwarves present were burning with anticipation.
“Beer?”
“Did you just say beer?”
“Just now… …what did you say?”
“What did you just say!”
“Didn’t you clearly say beer!?”
Ethan’s one word had a huge impact.
The surrounding dwarves quickly approached Ethan.
Ethan also had a hard time controlling his expression as dozens, if not hundreds, of dwarves rushed at him in an instant.
‘The smell of sweat that overcomes the smell of sulfur.’
But Ethan gritted his teeth and went back to controlling his expression.
“I’m trying to brew a proper beer using magic. I heard from the Great Hammer that the key ingredient is in Tartarus, so I came here to check the cracks. Do you know where it is?”
“Hey, is this a proper beer?”
“Hahahahaha, have you ever seen such an impudent person!”
“So you’re saying you came all the way to Tartarus to brew the best beer?”
“Get out of the way!”
“Take me to the elders immediately!”
* * *
Tartarus’ power comes from his skill with the hammer.
This was because the criteria for selecting the King of Tartarus, who was called the Great Hammer at the time, was skill in handling iron and hammers.
That is why the King of Tartarus, known as the Great Hammer, abdicates the throne when a king with greater ability is elected.
At the same time, he was given a new position, that of elder.
What this means is that the Elders of Tartarus were once called the Great Hammers and boasted overwhelming power within Tartarus.
‘I’m nervous.’
These elders are the core of Tartarus.
The items they made had options that far surpassed S-grade in terms of grade.
‘Because if you make it without regard to weapons or armor, it will be an item that even a sword master or great magician can use.’
Although it would not have been easy to meet these people, things worked out well in many ways.
‘The five apostles actually helped me.’
Whoosh whoosh-!
Three dwarven elders entered the room with a blast of heat.
They all had solemn expressions, but Horus could clearly see their emotions in their eyes.
‘I’ve been waiting for you.’
The best beer Ethan has ever had.
Everyone is obsessed with it.
“Ahem, you said Ethan Wickers? I heard from the kids that he was brewing beer.”
“It’s not just about making beer, it’s about making a strong, deep flavor.”
“The kids below say they’re trying to make the ultimate beer.”
The three elders looked at each other with a strangely solemn look in their eyes.
Everyone becomes a child when faced with something they love.
“Yes, that is my dream.”
Beer was actually one of the good potions. It especially helped with mana circulation, and the better the beer, the faster it made mana circulation and helped with mana recovery.
‘It’s a kind of mana potion.’
Of course, feeling better was a bonus.
“Hmm, but the thing you’re looking for is said to be filled with divine power.”
“All the things in our Tartarus are in the storehouse that has been passed down from generation to generation to the Great Hammer. But that storehouse is not a place that anyone can enter.”
“Even Sigma, the greatest hammer of the time, couldn’t enter. Sigma, who had no interest until now, suddenly said he wanted to enter.”
Ethan got up cleanly, brushing off the nuance of the story that seemed difficult.
“Then I guess there’s nothing I can do. I think it would be better to travel around the continent a bit more and gain some training.”
However, the dwarf elders expressed their discomfort.
“Wait, Ethan Wickers! We can open that warehouse for you with our authority!”
“But there is a condition.”
“You said you wanted to start a beer business, right? If you say you’re going to make the best beer, you must be confident in your abilities.
“We must taste your beer once. Then we can grant your request.”
The three elders laughed at the same time.
Ethan returned the smile.
“As much as you want.”
* * *
The ingredients for beer are simple.
Barley, hops, water, yeast.
‘All four of these are things that can be easily obtained in Tartarus.’
However, pure beer made using only these four ingredients would have a hard time appealing to dwarves.
‘That’s why I use herbs.’
Now Ethan had the skill to make special herbs.
The Power of Asclepius. The Herbal Medicine of Radiance.
This technique, which draws out all the power of herbs, allows us to maximize the flavor of herbs added to beer.
‘I never thought I’d be able to use this technology to make beer. But abilities can be used in many ways.’
Originally, beer had to be brewed through several processes and then finally aged.
‘Because there’s a magic specifically for maturation.’
Ethan’s enemy was a magic that could be used with just mana. Ethan was even very skilled in this magic.
‘It’s magic that utilizes Brûlée.’
Ethan began brewing beer in the room the dwarven elders had given him.
‘Rather than the traditional way of working.’
It could be seen as a task of making a beer potion.
Ethan quickly got to work. It was quite enjoyable to be making beer potions after such a long time.
“hmm.”
Ethan created a beer potion through two fermentations.
Gulp gulp.
“It tastes good. I made it, but it’s good. Especially the Radiant Herb Wine. This is perfect for making herbs to put in beer.”
Certainly, the power of Asclepius played a major role.
This bitter yet deep taste was possible because the full potential of the medicinal herbs was drawn out.
‘Actually, this was made without considering the unit price. It has to be delicious.’
But now was not the time to think about unit prices.
Ethan stood before the dwarven elders with the completed beer potion.
“That’s fast. You can make it this fast?”
“No matter how much magic has developed… … .”
“As I said, my dream is to make the best beer. I don’t just shout about romance without any of these skills.”
The three elders stroked their chins and smiled secretly in satisfaction at Ethan’s confident attitude.
A craftsman should have such an attitude. As blacksmiths, they were quite satisfied with Ethan’s attitude.
The three of them drank the beers Ethan handed them at the same time.
Gulp gulp.
“Unbelievable.”
“This taste… … .”
fantasy,
