Chapter 1: Dwarven Village Iron Hand
“Excuse me, what is the level of your sculpting skill? You’ve clearly progressed into the Intermediate level, but is it over Intermediate level 6?”
“If I hand over my prized iron ores to you, would you disclose a little secret about creating a sculpture?”
It was unusual for a Dwarf to beg to another dwarf to the extent of clinging to his legs. The moment Sculptor Weed walked into the Sculptor’s Guild, an astonishing event occurred.
Ttiring!
— You have started on the path of the Eternal Sculptor.
Possible changes in some stat will occur when earnest attitude towards sculptures is displayed. To some extent, magnificent artistry would be helpful to accomplish high skills.
Sculptors have formally stepped back into the world.
Nobles and Royalty will hear of your name through the Sculptor’s Guild, and other Sculptors will have their competitive spirits kindled.
The immeasurable imaginations and variability in expression; if one has the creativity, they are able to pioneer a new techniques to Sculpting.
— Because of passion for sculptures, Art stat has increased by 100.
— Charm has increased by 50.
— The effect of skills related to sculpting has increased by 20 %.
— Mana consumption for skills has been permanently reduced by 20 %.
He had sacrificed many benefits to pursue the path of a Sculptor.
Weed was already standing at the zenith of the Sculptor profession.
Since the sculpture he created garnered attention, it surprised the entire continent; in which he recieved abundant fame and glory.
The Dwarf Instructor said.
“Even if you devote your entire life to the boundless world of Sculpting, you will never see the end. While people who are obsessed with hunting and adventuring can’t see the value of sculpting, they say that the venerable Dwarven Sculptor Kendellev thoroughly enjoyed adventures. Have you heard of his tale?”
The Dwarves who gathered around trying to unveiled the secret of sculpting, grew silent.
They were closely listening to the Dwarf Instructor, since it seemed like he would provide some information.
‘Dwarven Sculptor Kendellev?’
‘That’s the name of the Dwarf from the quest that no one was able to solve.’
‘However, the prologue is a little different from last time.’
‘Hurry up and say that you haven’t heard of it!’
The dwarves were thinking this, however they were eager to hear the Instructor’s words, so they stayed silent.
Intuitively, Weed’s mouth began to speak words of praise.
“So it’s like that. That is a welcoming task for us Dwarves who love challenges. Us Dwarven Sculptors can walk anywhere using our powerful legs.”
“Ahm. That’s right, if it’s another race with weak constitutions, they have to travel by horse.”
“The romance of traveling lies in walking. It is a given that only by walking can one fully experience things and be inspired.”
“It’s something you should try.”
Weed was getting annoyed with the onlooking Dwarves.
‘How can I have a peaceful conversation with the instructor like this.’
‘All I can hear are tremulous chatter.’
The Dwarf Instructor continued.
“In any case, he was a Dwarf who liked to travel alone, and no one would ever lay a hand on him. One could say that he was one of the rare Dwarves who was extremely respected by even the arrogant Elves.”
“He seemed be a very talented Sculptor. He can even tolerate the loathsome Elves.”
The characteristics of the Elven race.
They despise using materials such as trees, rocks, and clay to create their sculptures. They despise using parts of nature [to artificially create sculpture, and labelled them negligible.
The Elves hated Sculptors because they take the lives of trees and turn them into wood.
Because of that reason, forests where Elves reside did not have a Sculptor’s Guild.
“This story has been passed down from the time of my great-great grandfather. It was said that his sculpting skills have reached godliness but unfortunately, none of his remaining works can be seen.”
Although most of Zahab’s sculptures in Rosenheim Kingdom were destroyed, there were significant number of collectors who kept his sculptures in storehouses, who now thrive from selling them.
As with the religious shrines and the Tower of Warriors, the Tower of Magicians also preserved the products of the great masters, but the Dwarven Sculptor Kendellev did not leave any pieces for posterity.
“Due to the situation, only the Dwarves knew of his God-like skills. The haughty Elves would not even talk about our ancestor, who made astounding sculptures in their image…”
“He doesn’t have any family or disciples?”
Even if it was just Kendellev’s descendants, Weed wanted to meet them somehow.
“They say he didn’t. He liked to travel by himself so much that he didn’t marry and lived all of his life alone. Even the location of his final resting place remains unknown. We Dwarves can only cherish the pieces we make everyday.”
“That’s right.”
The Dwarves were a race who had great pride in their equipment, protective gear, and artwork.
“I can’t believe that he would destroy his life’s work so that no one could see it. Although it’s only conjecture, a place that is difficult to find… I think his work could be contained in a hidden place that only the most outstanding craftsman, even amongst us Dwarves, can enter. If it’s an exceptional Sculptor, he or she might be able to discover it.”
Weed nodded his head.
“That could be possible.”
“Please let me know in the event that you are able to discover traces of that person, because I want to rub it in the noses of arrogant Elves and Humans.”
Ttiring!
— Sculptor Instructor Jorbid’s Request.
An unbelievable story was disclosed in the Dwarven Sculptor’s Guild since antiquity.
The Dwarves claim that there was a Sculptor who could craft fire and water, light and darkness, amongst them. However, others don’t believe this claim.
“While the Dwarves may be a race that can produce an amazing quality of weaponry, no matter how talented they are, their artistic talent is like that of a child’s. Since they’re short, even if they say they know how to sculpt, how can they? Hahaha!”
The Elves’ insulting remarks echoed throughout the forest.
“The Dwarves have still yet to learn about the mystery and beauty of nature.”
Although their words were very degrading, the Dwarven race would not protest.
For Dwarves to regain their pride, one would need to find traces of Dwarven Sculptor Kendellev’s work.
Difficulty: Dwarven Sculptor Race Quest.
Reward: Honour among the Dwarves
Quest Limitations: Only available to Dwarven sculptors.
If the quest should fail, Dwarves will receive the same hostile treatment from Humans as that of Elves.
Bystanding Dwarves who were listening to the story tried to discouraged him.
“The Instructor have also tried to give me this quest before.”
“Don’t accept this. This is an inferior quest that they give to any Dwarf who thinks of picking up Sculpting. If you accept it for now, it’s hard to forfeit it later, and it’s an impossible to clear quest. I swear.”
“I accepted this quest, but no one knew anything about Kendellev. It’s a quest that I gave up on after suffering for two weeks trying to complete it. I suffered a lot to recover from the loss of fame and intimacy.”
The Dwarves were trying to stop a Dwarf they had never seen before, and kept encouraging him to refuse the quest. However, there were also extremely curious.