Vol 8 Chapter 9

"Good. Let's begin."

Kion-hyung's eyes flashed sharply as he loosened up his body, making cracking sounds as he flexed his fists.

"First I'll break through somewhat, then Kar, you use magic targeting that spot. Hyung will give it one shot! Skaga's Breath!"

A huge explosion sound erupted from Kion-hyung's golden fist as he drove it into the wall, making the surroundings shake violently.

Boom boom boom!!

"Magic Shield!"

Kapros created three shields at once, one in front of each of them, to block the flying debris.

"Thanks. This seems good enough for a start."

Kion-hyung looked around while shaking his fist. The hole revealed after clearing away the broken rocks was large enough for all three of them to enter side by side.

'Now it's my turn.'

"Hyung, step back."

Kapros gestured for Kion-hyung to move away from the wall before calling forth the magic he had pre-imagined toward the target point.

"Ice Spear."

Soon the cold air gathered above his hand stretched out long, creating an ice pillar as huge as a utility pole.

"...You call that a spear?"

Lucrecian standing beside him snickered while looking at the Ice Spear that seemed more fitting as a temple pillar than a spear, being so enormous.

"You really made up your mind properly."

Kion-hyung also clicked his tongue seeing the extra-large Ice Spear and stepped back further to approach Kapros's side.

Though Kapros had already learned through training with Superior that visible size wasn't very important in magic, this time he had deliberately called forth larger magic because his goal was to dig a more stable tunnel of consistent size.

'Now with this...'

Kapros slowly aligned the giant Ice Spear with the hole in the wall Kion-hyung had made, then gradually began imagining a new image.

"Ice Spear, rotate."

As soon as his words ended, the Ice Spear began slowly spinning in place.

Whir, whir... whirwhirwhirwhir!!

As the Ice Spear rotated violently like a drill, an unseasonable cold wind swept through the surroundings.

'As expected, this level of compatibility isn't bad.'

"This is... Ah it's cold...!"

Kion-hyung, wearing clothes that exposed the most bare skin among them, closed his front in horror at the cold wind the Ice Spear was emitting. As the Ice Spear's rotation accelerated, the wind grew stronger until it became a gale nearly strong enough to tear off Kapros's robe, and only then did he think this might be enough to try.

'This much rotational force should be fine. Now...!'

"Ice Spear. Just like that...!"

"Stop! Stop! Stop this right now!"

Just as he was about to drive in the Ice Spear, a small silhouette jumped out from behind and blocked the front.

'Ugh, this...!'

"Disperse!"

Before the Ice Spear transformed into a giant drill by magical power could mercilessly pierce through that shadow, Kapros scattered the image and magical power in his mind as they were. Since he had been in full concentration, the penalty returned directly to him instead.

Thud!

'Ugh...!'

Though fortunately the magic disappeared properly, he couldn't prevent the dizziness that came from the backlash as magical power drained away suddenly.

'Damn. I should have asked Superior about countermeasures for cases like this during training.'

"Kar!"

"Hyung. Are you alright?"

When he fell to his knees as strength left him, Kion-hyung and Lucrecian rushed over simultaneously.

"Who are you, you bastard!"

Kion-hyung, who had hurriedly supported Kapros, shouted at the small figure dimly visible through the ice powder still swirling from the Ice Spear's aftermath.

"We're just trying to dig a tunnel here with our own power, why are you interfering?! Come out right now!"

Hyung, no matter what, that sounds too much like something a gangster would say...

"Oh yeah, you think I won't come out just because you say that, you wretched human calves!"

The sound of footsteps could be heard as their opponent, properly provoked by hyung's challenge, walked through the ice dust. And the moment he revealed himself,

"...Huh?"

"Well well, look at these humans, I was going to overlook you crawling around like worms, but now you're trying to break Kelastiers?"

Kion-hyung, who had been supporting Kapros, almost completely lost strength in his arm for a moment before regaining it. Undisguisable interest also dwelled in Lucrecian's eyes upon seeing their opponent.

'...Finally found him. A dwarf.'

And Kapros, though still suffering from the magic failure's aftermath, let out a breath of relief seeing the short other-race standing proudly before them with a fierce expression.

"Though I'm over 200 years old, you lot are the first to try breaking Kelastiers. How could I..."

"Excuse me for interrupting, but are you a dwarf?"

When Lucrecian cut off the words of the apparent dwarf with his question, he frowned as much as possible and grew angry.

"A dwarf, you ask? What else did you think I was, you idiots! To think we had to move our home because of fools like you, I can't understand the Master's thinking!"

"...Now that's one nasty temper."

Kion-hyung whispered quietly toward Kapros.

"It's good that he's confirmed to be a dwarf at least. Are you okay now, Kar?"

"I'm fine. Thanks."

Kapros let go of hyung's arm and straightened up, barely having recovered somewhat. While Ilumine the elf hadn't said much, this dwarf was still continuing to rage loudly about who knows what.

"Though we didn't know we weren't supposed to break this place, if you're a dwarf that's fortunate. We have a favor to ask."

"A favor? After trying to break Kelastiers, you dare talk about favors..."

The dwarf who had been yelling angrily while looking at Kapros suddenly stopped mid-sentence with a start.

"You... you...?"

His face changing colors moment by moment from blue to white with an ominous expression while his eyes were wide open made one wonder if he was seriously unwell.

"You there, reveal your identity. What race are you?"

'...What is he saying?'

When Kapros just stared blankly at the dwarf, unable to understand despite having heard the words with his own ears, the dwarf's face turned even whiter.