The Mountain's Oath… and the World Awakens
The mountain wasn't waiting for a king.
It was waiting for acknowledgment.
When Lee Soo-yeon returned, he brought no royal guard—only three men. No show of strength… only confidence.
The gate opened.
He entered.
The Mountain's Test
In the first hall, dwarven warriors stood in heavy silence.
"One who enters the mountain… is tested."
Lee Soo-yeon replied:
"The mountain tests not the fearful… but the respectful."
The test wasn't battle. It was a narrow stone bridge above a deep abyss.
He crossed without hesitation.
The Test of Mind
In the second hall, Dorgrin sat on the stone throne.
He asked: "What do you do with wealth that can corrupt the world?"
Lee Soo-yeon answered:
"I turn it into power that prevents the world from corrupting me."
Not politics.
A king's answer.
The Test of Oath
In the third hall, Lee Soo-yeon faced the royal hammer.
"An oath among dwarves is never broken."
"That is why I came alone."
He placed his hand upon the hammer.
The hall trembled—like the mountain agreed.
Dorgrin knelt.
Then thousands of dwarves knelt behind him.
"We swear loyalty to the king of this land."
In that moment, it wasn't just an alliance.
It was the birth of the greatest industrial and mining power in Arcadia's history.
The Cost Begins… Beyond Arcadia
But the system never gives without cost.
In the same days, strange phenomena spread across the world—mostly in mountains.
Stone ruins.
Carved passages.
Unexplained heat signatures.
The public knew nothing.
Governments opened files with numbers instead of names.
The cause was one word:
Runes.
Magic that concealed, distorted, and turned "impossible" into "technical error."
Europe: Valdarin — The Gray Stone Kingdom
In remote European mountains, a dwarven city appeared: Valdarin—half ruin, half alive.
Ruled by a council that refused loyalty to any human king.
A geology team approached a gate.
No arrows.
Only a quiet sentence:
"This is mountain land… not man's land."
The site became a secret file.
North America: Dorkathar — City of Black Iron
Between the U.S. and Canada, in rough border mountains, another kingdom emerged: Dorkathar—militarized, fortified, with stronger runes.
Drones failed near its gates.
One message returned:
"We are not enemies… but we are not subjects."
A silent border crisis began.
The World Changes Slowly
In Arcadia, Lee Soo-yeon watched the sea.
He was not the only king of dwarves…
…but he was the only one they chose.
And that difference would change the world.
A hammer struck deep below—again—declaring the earth would never remain the same.
End of Chapter Six