Chapter 88 — God Hand Bartas (1)

Translation: Yoni

Editor: Isleidir

Muyoung wrinkled his forehead and confirmed the direction Barca flew towards.

‘There was a time when the Three Pickaxe Sack Alliance had been greatly reduced in the past.’

‘God Hand Bartas’, the lord of that place, was a dwarf who played an active role even 5 years from now.

When the Sun guild, Alexandro Quintart’s guild, was roaming around the Demon God’s Territory, they would find traces of him.

Afterwards, many eye-widening equipment were released and the existence of ‘Bartas’ came to light.

However, even the Sun guild and Alexandro were unable to keep Bartas in their grasp.

‘They said there was a dragon attack. It was clearly the dark dragon.”

They were able to figure out Bartas’s identity, but they were attacked by an unknown dragon.

In the end, Bartas left them and the Sun guild could only hastily fall back.

It seemed like that dragon was Barca.

Either way, Bartas had momentarily been under the Sun guild’s command and there were a few stories Muyoung had heard back then.

Amongst them, was a story about the size of the Three Pickaxe Sack Alliance.

It was a complaint about how they wouldn’t have had to run away like now if they hadn’t been so prideful and defended properly before the dragon seriously started to attack.

And this story took place 5 years ago.

And during that time Bartas overlooked the blacksmiths in the Sun guild for a bit, but their skills rapidly rose during the short amount of time he stayed.

There was a dominate review that if Bartas continued to stay with the Sun guild, he would have been a game changer.

After five years, when the influence and power changed as they started to pioneer in the Demon God’s Territory, all the organization indiscriminately started to keep each other in check even once the great calamity occurred.

In the turmoil where they could not see what was waiting for them, the equipment which God Hand Bartas left behind glistened more than others. Even, the blacksmiths who had been under the tutelage of Bartas for a short period of time shined brightly.

If now, was a time before they were attacked by the dragon, so a time when the size wasn’t reduced…

‘There is an opportunity for me to interfere.’

Muyoung rubbed his chin.

He knew that the Dark Dragon Barca would continue to obsess over Bartas even 5 years later.

If he could resolve this problem, he could easily earn the help of Bartas.

However, it was impossible to face the Dark Dragon Barca in an all-out war.

It would be the same even if the cerberus, Evil Spirit Predator, and the Hellhorse joined.

However, if Bartas decided to help him, the results could change.

‘Bartas is being too prideful. I need to break that pride and at the same time stop Barca.’

Bartas lived up to his name as God Hand and was very prideful.

That was why he lost and had received an unrecoverable loss.

Muyoung stood still as he pondered before turning his head.

“Kalmooh, do you know anything about Bartas?”

“You mean God Hand Bartas? Well, if you’re a dwarf, everyone knows him”

With a puzzled look, Kalmooh nodded.

“Tell me everything you know.”

Although they were in hurry, simply moving wasn’t everything.

Since he had a rough understanding of the current situation, he needed to devise a plan.

Why would there be a saying, ‘more haste, less speed’.

Muyoung was careful.

If he just interfered without much thought, he could lose everything.

The opponent was the Dark Dragon Barca.

Since Barca was an existence Muyoung couldn’t make rash movements about!

Not too long after Barca left, Muyoung was able to find a sign.

It was something that looked similar to a compass and when he shook it a bit, it reacted.

‘It seems like it was made to react to a dragon’s magical powers.’

Muyoung held the compass with his hand.

It seemed like it didn’t work since there were no dragons nearby.

By looking at how it fiercely reacted when Barca was nearby.

‘It is shaking at regular intervals.’

The compass was pointing towards the east.

However, he couldn’t just move by looking at that sign.

This movement was a type of code.

Muyoung tried to interpret this slight shaking movement in different ways.

He twisted his body after realizing that the signal changed as he changed the bearing.

And he climbed up the cerberus and told the direction.

“We will go north.”

“What? But Barca is heading east…”

“It’s a trap. The alliance is north.”

Muyoung was more than half certain.

That there were more of those compasses than just one.

It was a type of trap in order to lure Barca. The shaking was pointing towards the north.

Since it didn’t react to the dragon’s magical powers, it seemed like Barca moved by just looking at the arrows.

‘He’s completely arrogant.’

After solving the code to the compass, Muyoung chuckled.

Kalmooh said that Bartas was his own lord throughout heaven and earth and it was exactly as he stated.

He didn’t fear the dragon but rather enjoyed toying with it.

If the dragon noticed that the magical powers of the compass were reacting strangely, it would be able to find the location of the alliance without a doubt.

“Look carefully if there are a group of monsters on our way there.”

The dark dragon Barca barked up the wrong tree.

That meant he saved that much time.

He still needed to hurry but that didn’t mean he could move without caution.

Since he had figured out the location of the alliance, he now needed to lay out his bait.

In order to make Bartas seek his dear help, it seemed like a little hardship was needed.

The north side was a land full of snow.

It was a place where the wind fiercely blew and the snowstorm raged.

Of course, it was only natural that a lot of the monsters that were located here could only specialize in cold.

Muyoung got off at the center of icy roads and looked around for traces.

‘It’s the territory of ice trolls and the abominable snowman.’

The remaining footprints and the teeth marks on the corpses allowed Muyoung to instantly find out what types of species lived in the surrounding area.

On top, he was able to understand that the two were hostile towards each other.

‘Food is scarce here. Especially the fish they get from this place is their main source of food.’

Piercing a hole through the ice and catching fish were both of their methods in getting their food.

However, the lake wasn’t that wide. Of course, they could only run into each other.

“Kalmooh, I need you to become my bait.”

“Bait?”

Kalmooh tilted his head to the side after hearing Muyoung’s nonsense.

As if Muyoung expected it, he slowly explained it to him.

“I need your help in order to lure the ice troll and the abominable snowman.”

“You’re saying, my help?”

“Yes.”

Just to be sure, Kalmooh wanted to reconfirm with Muyoung but his will seemed firm.

Kalmooh closed his eyes and rubbed his beard.

“If you need my help, I would, of course, be of your assistance but may I ask the reason?”

After finishing his son’s revenge, Kalmooh decided to be Muyoung’s slave himself.

He even had the intentions to die if Muyoung asked him to.

However, he couldn’t do anything about his curiosity.

If the Three Pickaxe Sack Alliance were somewhere around here, why didn’t he try to find them right away but want him to be the bait for other monsters?

Muyoung quietly turned his gaze and looked past the north side.

“I will attack Bartas.”

“Did I hear something wrong?”

Kalmooh’s eyes greatly widened.

To attack God Hand Bartas!

Didn’t Muyoung want to ask the Three Pickaxe Sack Alliance for their help?

There was no greater contradiction than this.

However, Muyoung’s expression didn’t even change for the slightest bit.

“Bartas is completely wrapped up in his dignity. He ignores the dragons and toys with them. If the Dark Dragon Barca finds the alliance it would be too late. Before then, we need to awaken his sense of alertness.”

It was true.

Alertness!

God Hand Bartas needed to be aware himself that he isn’t perfect.

Only then would he need Muyoung’s help.

If Muyoung approached him now, he wouldn’t be able to earn everything he wanted.

Since he had freed Kalmooh, he might gain a favorable impression from Bartas.

At most, Bartas would make an equipment with just the materials he brought.

However, with just those, it wouldn’t be enough.

Muyoung desperately needed Bartas’s help in order to prepare for the ‘Devil’s Long Night’.

For that, it was best to be in a position where he could help him first.

However, from Kalmooh’s expression, it seemed like he still didn’t understand.

“Can’t we just approach Bartas and tell him the truth?”

“There is only one chance. If he refuses, that would be the end. We need to make a situation where he can’t refuse.”

“Ahh…”

Kalmooh then understood.

Kalmooh was also already aware of God Hand Bartas’s arrogance.

He was famous for not changing his mind once he made his decision.

Even if Muyoung told his story, what would he believe in and follow?

Since Kalmooh also spent a long time as a slave, he also didn’t have right to speak.

If anything, it would be fortunate if Bartas didn’t think suspiciously of him.

“I understand. I will readily become bait. However, we probably need to find their location first.”

“I have a place in mind.”

“A, already?”

“If you read Bartas’s personality, it isn’t difficult.”

Muyoung calmly spoke.

But, Kalmooh’s eyes were still with questions.

‘He is quite the mysterious figure.’

He was like an onion.

No matter how many times he was peeled, a new part appeared.

Even so, Muyoung never failed when he acted with certainty.

There was a reason to his every movement.

Of course, there were times when his ways were to the extreme but he always produced a result beyond expected.

Who in the world would think to attack when they are going to ask for help?

Kalmooh inwardly shook his head before starting to speak.

“Then, we just need to decide how I’m going to be bait?”

“I already have something in mind.”

“…Of course, you do. I will just follow.”

He most likely had not thought of a plan beforehand and instead, would have thought of it just now, however, Kalmooh didn’t have doubt him in the slightest and simply nodded his head.

He was just a slave and followed him.

And Muyoung was a wise owner.

*

God Hand Bartas.

The lord of the three alliance and the ruler that ruled over 30,000 dwarves.

Every dwarf trusted and followed him.

Since that was the only way they could ensure their safety.

The castle Bartas made had never allowed an invasion.

Even if it was discovered, it would only quietly disappear.

Bartas had the knack of knowing when the dragon would approach him and avoided it ahead of time.

Although Bartas had the bearing of a tyrant, the reason why no one could show their discontent was the same as above.

If they brought it up, they would be chased out of the castle.

The dwarves who were chased out of the castle were quickly exposed to danger and died.

So, they could only follow Bartas.

However, that strength could only be expressed when ‘the castle Bartas made had never allowed an invasion’.

“Someone has touched the magic barrier of the castle walls.”

“The wall has been exposed! Our base has been discovered!”

“…2,000 ice trolls and abominable snowman are attacking the gate.”

The dwarves who went out to scout made a fuss as they approached Bartas.

Bartas was sitting on a rocking chair inside his castle.

A thick crown placed on his head and all sorts of accessories hung from his body.

However, he couldn’t get up after hearing the news.

“What? The wall has been exposed? Impossible!”

A high-level invisible spell was cast onto the wall.

The wall was never exposed until now since it was a spell which Bartas has invented and placed by using the ‘weak points’ of every living creature.

That was why the dragons couldn’t even find their specific location and destroyed the surroundings.

“It is true. Come, come out and check.”

Bartas lifted his short legs and went out of the castle.

And after seeing that the invisibility on the huge castle walls was lifted, he became dumbstruck.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Even more, since numerous monsters were knocking the castle wall the confusion could only double.

“Who the hell…?”