"STOP RIGHT THERE, YOU WRETCHED HUMAN!!"
Zabord came running with wide eyes.
"Good morning, Zabord. Why are you screaming so early in the day?" Aisei asked calmly.
"GIVE ME THAT HAMMER, YOU FILTHY HUMAN!!"
Aisei had had enough of the insults. In a flash, he raised his hand — his elemental sword materialized instantly, its tip now resting against Zabord's neck.
"You've crossed the line… don't you value your head?" said Aisei, his tone growing dangerous.
Zabord felt a chill run down his spine. His heart raced. Weird things always happened when Aisei was around.
"Hehe... young Aisei... just kidding, don't be mad…" Zabord began sweating.
Aisei sheathed his sword and slung it over his back.
"You're fired up way too early. What's the reason, Zabord?"
"Where did you get that Bravgor Hammer?! That belongs to the Blacksmith King of Lutria! It's been missing for over 1,000 years!" shouted Zabord, voice trembling with emotion.
"Huh... it's an heirloom from my family," Aisei replied — lying without a hint of shame.
"Your family...? More like a family of thieves!" snapped Zabord.
Aisei's hand crept toward his sword again.
"-_-''
"I didn't mean to insult you! Don't get me wrong! Don't misunderstand!" Zabord pleaded quickly.
(That really is the missing Bravgor Hammer... but how did a human from Earth get it?) Zabord's mind spun with unease.
"You want this hammer?" Aisei asked.
"Yes!!" Zabord blurted out immediately.
Suddenly, a blue scroll appeared in Aisei's left hand. He led Zabord to a small dining room with a long table and twelve chairs, then stared him dead in the eyes.
"I'll give you the hammer… if you agree to do something for me."
Aisei tapped the scroll lightly.
"That blueprint in your hand?" Zabord asked.
"Yep. I've drawn up the design. All you have to do is follow the blueprint, gather the materials, and build it."
"If it's just crafting something, that's easy for a dwar—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Aisei handed him the hammer.
Zabord froze. His eyes sparkled. His hands trembled from excitement.
"I swear… on the name of the dwarven race from Lutria… I will complete this blueprint, Aisei!"
Without another word, Aisei pulled out even more blueprints from his Chamber. They piled up on the table.
But Zabord was too busy admiring the hammer to notice.
Aisei left the room.
"I hope you keep your promise, Zabord. Don't bring shame to your people."
Zabord waved slowly after Aisei.
"Remember… dwarves are not like Earth hum—"
He quickly clamped his mouth shut. Afraid Aisei might turn around and take the hammer back.
Aisei gave an evil grin. Chuckled quietly. "Hehe…"
And walked away.
---
A few minutes later…
Zabord finally turned to check the blueprint that was mentioned, and...
"YOU DAMN HUMANNNNNNN!!"
He screamed and cried.
"Humans... so cruel…"
---
Meanwhile...
Aisei was at the training grounds, refining his technique using the invisible thread alongside his sword.
Each time he activated the thread, he felt a heat in his chest — as if a force was flowing from within.
"Chamber, is this invisible thread connected to Rentra?"
[Yes, Master. According to the data, Master can control it using Rentra energy.]
"Oh… I see. Thanks."
[You're welcome, Master.]
Aisei started forming attack combinations, merging his invisible thread with the Elemental Sword. His moves grew sharper and more fluid, crafting a unique fighting style.
Not long after...
"Sei! Sei!" Ajuka shouted from a distance.
Aisei turned to him.
"Prof's about to launch the CP002 project soon! We need to collect as many Energy Stones as possible. The more we get, the better!"
"CP002 project?" Aisei smiled. "Looks like the old man's made a breakthrough with his research…"
The two of them began planning a large-scale operation — an attack on the High School of KIR. This would be the first time they moved not just to survive, but to challenge something greater.
---
Inside a half-complete Weapons Workshop…
Ajuka stepped into the workshop.
"Zabord, why are you crying?"
Zabord looked up with weary eyes. Tears still streamed down, but his hands never stopped forging metal.
"I won't break my promise…"
"Promise? What promise?" Ajuka was confused. He knew nothing about the deal between Zabord and Aisei.
Without pressing further, Ajuka approached Zito — the first dwarf Aisei had met back at Mount KIR.
"Zito, I need equipment to make traps."
"Take whatever you need from that rack over there," Zito replied, pointing to a corner filled with weapons and gear.
Ajuka walked over slowly, scanning each item. A smile formed when he spotted something.
"Oh... this looks fun."
Without delay, Ajuka picked out a few items and began preparing for the mission to the School of KIR.
---
A Few Days Later
Aisei and Ajuka headed toward the High School of KIR. All the gear was stored inside the Storage Chamber.
Since roads were destroyed and no longer usable for wheeled vehicles, they—as usual—traveled on foot.
Upon reaching the school area—
[Ting!]
Main Quest: Defeat the Iron Beetle Queen
Difficulty: C
Rewards:
+15 Strength
+15 Agility
+15 Defense
25x Token
Aisei was surprised. The Chamber had assigned another quest.
(Chamber... how do you know about this Queen? And the name of its species?)
Just like with the dwarves' quest, the Chamber had known the exact numbers of dwarves and Lizardmen. This couldn't be coincidence.
(Chamber... you must be connected to the Cataclysm somehow.)
Aisei exhaled. He knew the answers would come — someday.
"Sei, wear this. I got it from the workshop," Ajuka said, handing over an armguard made from the giant snake hide they killed on Mount KIR.
Aisei slid it on.
"Nice... The dwarves really know how to make gear."
They began setting traps around the school grounds. As planned, Ajuka would wait near the traps while Aisei's job was to lure the enemies out from the building.
Carefully, Aisei stepped into the school. Using a sound radar, he detected movement in the main hall — over ten Iron Beetles were gathered inside.
Wasting no time, Aisei threw a smoke bomb, then moved toward the garden and threw another, beginning the operation to draw enemies into their trap.
He dashed through the school's dark and muddy corridors. The silence was eerie — until...
Bzzzz… Bzzzz… GRRRRRR!!
A piercing buzz and mechanical growls echoed from inside the assembly hall. Aisei crept close to the wall, pressing his body against it while activating the Sound Radar.
[Units detected: 17 Iron Beetles. Distance: 15 meters.]
"Just enough to warm up," Aisei whispered.
He pulled a smoke bomb from the Chamber and tossed it into the center of the hall. Within seconds, thick smoke engulfed the room.
Ssshttt! FWOOSH!
"Chamber, disable smell and vision senses."
[Scent and vision suppression mode activated.]
Aisei swiftly repositioned toward the garden and threw another smoke bomb. The air filled with a stinging blend of sulfur and chemicals. The Iron Beetles grew disoriented and began stomping out of the building — exactly as planned.
The creatures eventually spotted Aisei sprinting away.
GRRRRRRR!!
Aisei unsheathed his Elemental Sword from his back. The blade crackled with electric energy, blue sparks flaring along its sharp edge.
Elemental Sword: Gravity Mode activated.
"Let's see what this sword can really do."
He dashed into the open field outside the school, leading the horde of Iron Beetles right into Ajuka's trap.
Aisei leapt into the air, spun his body midair, and swung the sword at three nearby Iron Beetles.
SHAKK! SHAKKK!!
All three were sliced in half in an instant.
Ajuka's eyes widened. Deep down, he thought, Aisei really was born to wield a sword — not a machete. His speed and precision left the creatures no chance to react.
"Now, Juka!" Aisei shouted.
Ajuka pressed the trigger. A special bolt fired, connected to a custom-designed trap wire. The ground gave way — not to kill, but to drop the enemies into a spiked pit.
Zraaakkk!! Boom!
Several Iron Beetles fell into the pit, impaled on jagged spikes.
Ajuka quickly opened a small vial containing dense, dark red liquid — blood in bullet form.
"Blood Missile."
ZWAPP! ZWAPP! ZWAPP!
Five blood bullets shot into the pit, hitting the trapped enemies dead-on. Small explosions and dark red splatters marked the end of their lives.
"Huff… huff…" Ajuka gasped for breath. He had used up a lot of his energy.
Meanwhile, Aisei continued pushing forward, weaving between enemies that hadn't fallen into the trap.
"Gravity-Crush Zone!"
A field of pressure radiated from around his sword, weighing down the beetles' bodies.
Aisei could feel the power drawing directly from the Rentra energy in his heart.
His blade slashed — cutting legs, necks, and antennae one by one.
ZAAAPP!! KRAKK!! SHRAAKK!!
All 17 were defeated.
Aisei walked over to the trap area where Ajuka was resting.
"Juka, why'd you use your ability? You should've saved it for the Queen. We don't know what she's capable of."
"Sorry… I forgot," Ajuka replied, lowering his head.
Suddenly, the ground trembled.
DUUUUUMMMM!!
A massive shadow loomed from the direction of the ruins.
They froze.
An Iron Beetle Queen emerged — the size of a double-decker bus. Its wings gleamed like steel shields, and two electrified horns sparked violently atop its head.
Ajuka gulped. Their plan was to attack the Queen only after all her spawn were eliminated.
"Uhh… Sei… the plan's off."
Aisei glanced at him. Cold sweat rolled down his cheek. His breathing was heavy. Before them, the metallic monster spread its wings — a screeching ZZZRAKK rang out as metal scraped through the air.
"She's freaking huge…" Aisei muttered, biting his lip.
Ajuka stepped up beside him. "I don't think our traps will work on that."
"Of course not. This is beyond anything we prepared for."
Aisei closed his eyes for a second. Silently, an invisible thread extended from his wrist — barely visible to the naked eye.
(I'll stop her movement...) Aisei thought.
Quickly, he anchored the end of the thread to a nearby tree. A silent trap was forming.
"Chamber, analyze the Queen's movements. Find a weak point."
[Understood, Master. Vulnerable area detected — beneath the chin.]
At that moment, the Iron Beetle Queen raised her front legs. Electric surges danced across her metal horns. She was ready to strike.
"Juka, when I give the signal… hit her under the chin. I'll lure her into the trap."
Ajuka nodded. "You sure?"
"Nope… but we don't have a choice."
The Queen shrieked — it sounded like a tank crash wrapped in thunder.
GRRROOOOOAAAARRRR!!
Aisei sprinted to the right, crossing the path where the thread was set.
The beast charged after him without hesitation.
Its heavy legs pounded the ground, leaving cracks and tremors in its wake.
Ajuka stood ready, blood spear in hand.
"Now!" Aisei yelled.
The Queen charged forward — and suddenly froze.
ZRAKKKK!
The Invisible Thread had snagged her front leg. The nearly invisible line went taut, binding itself to her joint.
The Queen went berserk, thrashing wildly.
Aisei kept running, pulling the thread tighter.
Ajuka launched the blood spear straight under the Queen's chin.
DOOGHH!!
The spear sank halfway in. The hit was solid, but not enough to bring the beast down.
The Queen roared. Her horns glowed brighter and discharged a massive electric burst into the sky.
ZZZZZRRRAAAKKKKK!!
Nearby rubble lifted into the air, pulled by the magnetic field forming around her body.
Both Aisei and Ajuka were thrown backward by the energy shockwave.
"Holy crap, she's jacked!!" one of them muttered, coughing blood.
With his left hand, Aisei maintained control of the invisible thread, still holding the Queen in place.
"Juka! Toss me a blood vial!"
Ajuka quickly threw a glass bottle filled with thick red blood.
Aisei caught it, leapt toward the Queen, and hurled it directly at the wound on her neck — the same spot Ajuka had hit earlier.
"Juka, now!"
"Blood Thorny!" Ajuka shouted.
A thorny blood explosion erupted from within the wound.
The Queen convulsed violently, her massive frame collapsing sideways, writhing in agony.
Aisei slowly stood up.
"She's not dead yet…"
"Huh.. huh.. huh.. Sei.. finish it!!" Ajuka collapsed from exhaustion.
Aisei smiled.
He ran up the body of the Queen, which was still twitching, then thrust his Elemental Sword straight at her neck.
SHAKKKKKK!!!!
That final slash severed the Iron Beetle Queen's head.
The creature went silent.