< Chapter 12 - The Armory >
Chapter 12 – The Armory
The ancient dwarves were superior to the modern dwarves in many ways, and there was a notable difference in their physique.
“Because the ancient dwarves were quite tall.”
“Rather than being tall, isn’t he just bigger?”
“Well… it’s big anyway.”
While modern dwarves are about 130-140 centimeters tall as healthy adults, the ancient dwarves had an average height of 170 centimeters.
‘As Cordelia said, he was bigger than he was tall.’
What this means is that the body type of the ancient dwarves was identical to that of today’s dwarves.
Short limbs, broad shoulders, and a fairly large head.
Although my body shape is the same, I think I have grown taller, so I guess I should say that all my other parts have grown as well.
The hands are big, the feet are big, and the head is big.
In any case, it was a pretty useful fact for Uther and Cordelia now.
This is because the panel that opens the armory door is positioned at the perfect height for human use.
“hmm.”
“why?”
“No, I think it’s a bit big.”
“Big? You mean height?”
“Oh, is it because your constipation is getting better?”
At the start, Cordelia was in the mid-160s, and Uther was in the late 160s.
Because of the height difference, it wasn’t something I would look up at, but now when we stand next to each other, I have to raise my head quite a bit to make eye contact.
“Well… It’s also because the nine-syllable pulse hindered growth. In the first place, Yuder eventually grew to almost 180 cm. So I guess I’ll grow too.”
“Hmm, 180.”
Cordelia took a step back and looked at Uther up and down as if evaluating him.
“Well, that wouldn’t be bad.”
“Thank you for your kind words, ma’am.”
“Yes, Mom. Anyway, open the door.”
“Isn’t Dad better than Mom?”
“Do you want to be called Dad? Should I call you Papa from now on? Okay, Papa. You have unique tastes.”
“Just call me Mom.”
While exchanging pointless conversations, Yuder brushed away the dust accumulated on the panels attached to the wall.
It was a common number key panel that could be seen anywhere, and the door would only open if a nine-digit password was entered.
In the original, in order to find out the password, you had to first find the notebook of the ‘forgetful manager’ hidden somewhere on the 5th floor, but this time, there was no need to do that.
“Open it quickly, quickly. Door door door.”
“Wait, let me remember.”
Listening to Cordelia’s humming, Uther looked around the palace of memories.
A few more minutes like that.
As soon as the password was successfully entered, the seal on the large steel door of the armory was released with a clanking sound.
“My heart is pounding.”
“me too.”
After answering Cordelia, Uther pushed the steel door that opened to the side with all his might and opened the armory.
“It’s exactly like the original.”
Cordelia spoke softly and looked around the armory with her cheeks flushed.
It was a square room with each side measuring about 10 meters. Although it was cool because it had been sealed until now, it wasn’t completely frozen like a freezer like the other rooms in Frost Anvil.
“Isn’t the real exhaust further inside?”
“Oh, before that, let’s take a look at this side too.”
Cordelia nodded quickly as Uther pointed to the shelves along the wall.
“That’s right, that’s right. I really wanted to take care of it every time I played games.”
It was always just a pie in the sky because it wasn’t an obtainable object, but not anymore.
“Is this a basic armor set?”
Cordelia ran to the shelf and looked, finding a set of gloves, shoes, a vest, and a round helmet.
“Hmm, that’s what it was. I guess it’s more of a storage room for drums than a full-fledged armory.”
“Why? What does it say?”
“No, those are… work clothes.”
“smock?”
“Oh, Frost Anvil was an underground city that was constantly being mined and expanded. Hard hats, safety shoes, safety gloves… things like that?”
But even so, it was a legacy of the ancient dwarves. Furthermore, if it was work clothes to begin with, it would have been sturdy and strong, so it was perfect to use as defensive equipment.
“But it’s too big.”
It was an average-sized helmet by the standards of ancient dwarves, but when Cordelia put it on, it looked like she was wearing a large pot turned over.
Uder tried to suppress his laughter as he continued to rummage through the shelves.
“Look carefully. Even though it’s work clothes, it’s a safety set, so there should be one for children. The gloves and shoes will automatically adjust to the size.”
As Yuder had said, I looked at the corner of the shelf and saw that there were several children’s safety sets prepared.
“Phew, it looks like a chick.”
“Hey, you’re wearing the same clothes as me, right?”
Because the hard hat, safety shoes, safety gloves, and vest were all yellow.
As it was work clothes, it was designed to stand out.
“Don’t you have a combat uniform?”
“Even if it exists, wouldn’t it not fit?”
There probably won’t be combat uniforms for children.
“Besides… I think this alone is good enough?”
As befitting the equipment of ancient dwarves, both the gloves and shoes were enchanted.
“The gloves are for strengthening muscles… and the shoes are for increasing agility?”
Cordelia said, jumping up and down in place, and it seemed to be working, as she jumped much higher than usual.
“Okay, I like it. This will suffice for a while.”
Yuder, who had even tried the method while he was at it, looked down at his feet with a satisfied expression.
Since the safety shoes are not usually sturdy, the kicking attack power will also be greatly enhanced in the future.
“Let’s quickly open the inside too.”
Because the Power Sphere used to defeat the giant white snake in the original was stored behind the second door, which could be considered a true arsenal.
“Okay, just a moment.”
Uder immediately opened the door by manipulating the number panel on the second door.
Then, this time, the same event as in the original occurred.
[I am Jamu, in charge of the armory. Please listen to my story.]
A translucent ancient dwarf appeared just in front of the door and spoke in a deep voice.
It was a holographic image, not a ghost, but a kind of artificial intelligence that managed the armory as it said.
“Let’s just pass since there’s no physical force. Anyway, we’re just talking about general armory stuff.”
It was when Yuder, who had said that, was about to pass by Jamu.
“Wait, wait a minute.”
Cordelia, who was holding Uther’s hand, looked at Jamu with a thoughtful expression for a moment, then spoke to Uther again.
“Let’s not do that and listen to the story.”
“A story?”
“Oh, it was the same in the Witch’s Forest too. You remember how you had a hard time because you skipped it thinking you knew everything? Plus, the event where you get the Power Sphere was shown in a cinematic movie. Wouldn’t it be difficult if there was something you couldn’t see in the video this time too?”
It was a fairly reasonable story.
That’s why Yuder nodded immediately.
“There is a possibility…!”
“Hey, you said that was mine?”
“Anyway, let’s listen. We have plenty of time anyway.”
Yuder, who had made up his mind, unfolded one of the vests on the shelf and made room for it.
“Madam, please sit down.”
“Yes, Dad.”
Cordelia, crouching down next to Uther, looked up at Jamu, and Uther opened his mouth.
“Jamu, tell me a story.”
[Can I tell you a story?]
“Okay, I want to hear your story.”
Jamu looked quite moved by Yuder’s words.
Although it is an artificial intelligence, it appears to have some degree of emotions and ego.
[Ahem, I see. You have great taste for taking an interest in my story. So this story begins in Frost Anvil 004, when I first opened my eyes in the armory.]
As Jamu started to hurry, Cordelia looked back at Yuder without realizing it, and Yuder looked back at Cordelia.
This is because I sensed an ominous aura in the introduction that I felt like I had heard somewhere before.
And five hours.
The two people’s expectations became reality.
&
“I think my ears are bleeding······.”
Cordelia, who had been listening to Jamu’s story for five long hours, spoke with a face that seemed to be dying.
If she fell asleep in the middle of the conversation, Jamu would start over from that part, so she had to force herself to concentrate.
Uther looked back at Cordelia, who was leaning her head against his face as if she was about to cry, and said in surprise.
“Hey! My ears are bleeding!”
“Really?”
“Will it come out?”
As Uther clicked his tongue, Cordelia began to hit Uther’s back as if she had gained strength from somewhere.
“It hurts! It hurts!”
“I told you before, didn’t I? I hit you because it hurts. I’m going to hit you again after you hit me.”
Anyway, the two people who woke up thanks to that stretched out and got up from their seats.
“It was just meaningless small talk in the end.”
“No, well… it wasn’t that it wasn’t very helpful.”
Because I heard the general usage instructions for the weapons stored in the armory.
“Furthermore, it seems that Jamu is also satisfied.”
“I know.”
As Yuder had said, Jamu stood with his eyes closed, looking extremely refreshed as if he had let go of a grudge that had been going on for a thousand years.
If it were a ghost and not an artificial intelligence, it would have ascended right away.
“Anyway, let’s go quickly. I’m sleepy.”
“Okay, let’s just pack our weapons and rest for today.”
The two of them yawned as they entered the real armory, but that only lasted for a moment.
“Wow… There are five power spheres.”
“Can we use this too?”
Cordelia looked at the power spheres lined up against the wall in awe, and Uther looked at the daggers and said.
“Look, there’s a knuckle too. Try it on to see if it fits your hand.”
“Rather than knuckles… it’s more like a power fist?”
Yuder, who had put on the gauntlet that covered his upper arm, clenched and unclenched his fist several times.
As expected of the ancient dwarves with a simple taste, there was no particular decoration, but the moment I equipped it, I felt the heavy feeling of a weapon of mass destruction, which reminded me of the first time I held a gun.
“What do you think? Do you think it’s useful?”
“Oh, okay. Do you have a left arm too?”
“here.”
Cordelia ran like a squirrel collecting acorns and brought back the other power fist.
“Hmm, good. This will make it easier to use the Power Sphere.”
“Right? How much do you think the attack power increased? Strength increased by about 1.2 times? How about the options?”
“What should I say… This is truly rotten water.”
“Tch, you’re the one losing oil.”
Cordelia grumbled, but soon smiled brightly and looked around the armory again.
Since they were ancient dwarves with many warriors, there wasn’t much that Cordelia, a magician, could use, but she seemed happy just to find equipment that Yuder could use.
‘It feels like you’re swapping out items for fellow characters in an RPG.’
Uder, who was snickering, looked at the Power Sphere, which could be said to be the reason for the existence of the armory.
It was a simple structure with a large blade at the end of a long spear, but despite its outward appearance, its internal structure was quite complex.
‘Unleash the psionic energy stored up through the blade.’
The output could also be freely adjusted, but when fired at maximum output, it was practically a beam cannon rather than a spear.
‘It’s actually disposable, but there are five of them.’
Yuder nodded with a satisfied expression and took the power spheres, while Cordelia groaned and took the hammer, mace, and greatsword. No one was going to use them right away, but it would be a shame to just leave them behind.
“It really looks like a squirrel.”
“Huh? Me?”
“Oh. It looks like a hamster.”
He’s filling his mouth with food, saying he’ll eat it later.
“I don’t think that’s a compliment, so I’ll just hit you first.”
“Hey, let’s rest here for today, eat breakfast tomorrow morning, and head straight to the power plant where the sunflowers are blooming.”
“There was a secret passage there too?”
“It was there.”
The flow of the original was as follows.
The protagonists encounter a giant white snake on the 7th floor and accidentally discover a secret passage during a fierce battle.
First, the party enters a secret passage to avoid the White Snake, obtains clues about the armory from the corpses of dead ancient dwarves, and then uses the secret passage to enter the armory and obtain the Power Sphere to defeat the White Snake.
“So, if you use the secret passage, you can go straight to the power room where the white sand and the sun flower are.”
“But you’re going to go up to the third floor without using the secret passage and then go back down the normal way, right?”
“of course.”
If you catch a white snake, your level will go up by a few levels, but then the experience efficiency of the trash mobs located between the 3rd and 6th floors will decrease.
The experience system of Heroes’ Chronicles was somewhat of a mix of absolute and relative values.
Because it was a form where a small amount of correction was added to the basic absolute value due to the difference in level, the lower the player’s level, and the higher the monster’s level, the more experience points could be gained.
“You have to judge what’s worth judging, as they say, “A little goes a long way.”
“That’s right, that’s right.”
They were two people who fit together perfectly.
“Besides, it’s not urgent. Even if we sweep down from the third floor, the white sand will still be hibernating.”
As its name suggests, Baeksa is a white snake.
To be exact, it was the hand of Leviathan Dawn, the ancient overlord who had brought destruction to Frost Anvil, but the fact that he was a snake did not change.
‘And snakes are cold-blooded.’
The reason Frost Anvil became a freezer in the first place was actually in Baeksa.
‘I lowered the temperature to the extreme to trap the White Snake in the Frost Anvil.’
I can’t let that evil hand out.
We need to lock him up here.
It was a heroic decision made by an unknown ancient dwarf.
Even though it was a demon that had been weakened by not receiving proper nutrition for a thousand years, it still displayed incredible strength. So, during the invasion of Frost Anvil, which could be said to be its prime, its power and majesty must have been truly terrifying.
“The setting is that Baek-sa, who is usually asleep, wakes up for a moment after receiving the massive amount of yang energy generated by the blooming sun flower?”
“Yeah, so he must be asleep now.”
In the game, the sun flower bloomed and I reached the 7th floor a day later, but now I had actually arrived a few days ago.
“I put a power sphere in the head of that hibernating bastard and bang!”
What would a monster with a body length of tens of meters do while it’s hibernating?
“Wow, you’re really eating raw.”
“So you don’t like it?”
“No, I love it. Eating raw is the best. I want to eat raw every day. Please let me eat raw.”
“me too.”
Uther and Cordelia looked at each other and smiled brightly as they exited the armory, humming.
And three days later, in the morning.
The two people who swept away all the monsters between the 3rd and 6th floors reached the 7th floor, and long ago, the giant white snake that had terrorized the entire Frost Anvil met a mysterious death.
&
< Chapter 12 - Armory > End
