Chapter 49: Warm Dreams, Cold Reality

The Slum in a dimension where countless Dark Elves lived as slaves.

Seven Dark Elves lay sleeping in that place, which looked ready to collapse at any moment, its walls thick with mold.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

-Get up, you maggots! If you’re not out in one minute, don’t expect to eat breakfast!

At the gruff voice of the Overseer, Sierra opened his eyes.

He was a male Dark Elf in his twenties, so thin that his ribs were clearly visible.

“Wake up, everyone. Mother, you too.”

Sierra woke his six younger siblings.

The children ranged from eight to eighteen, each different in appearance and personality, but all suffered from backbreaking labor every day, always on the verge of death.

Sierra shook his mother, Kylie.

A gentle shake did nothing.

He had to shake her hard enough for her head to bob before she finally opened her eyes.

Even then, she blinked for a while before she managed to regain her senses.

She was old, and what little sleep she got couldn’t relieve the exhaustion of labor.

It wouldn’t be strange if she just collapsed one day.

“Sorry. Lately, it’s just so hard to get up.”

“It’s just fatigue. Let’s get going.”

With sleep still clinging to their eyes, Sierra and his family opened the tattered door and stepped outside.

In the chilly, desolate shantytown, other Dark Elves also trudged out with heavy steps.

They were all in the same situation.

The breakfast ration line at the workplace was already long.

Sierra brought his family to the very end of the line and waited for their turn.

“Hey.”

A Dark Elf in a pristine uniform, club in hand, called out to Sierra.

Unlike the others, his broad shoulders and muscles bulged visibly under his clothes.

“Malta Overseer.”

“Double your quota. You know what happens if you fail, right?”

Malta Overseer had been selling off the more attractive children to Pirates for side income for a long time.

To stop that, a family had to turn in twice their allotted quota.

Sierra’s father was said to have worked himself to death trying to prevent Sierra from being sold.

Now, with time, it was Sierra’s job to protect his siblings.

“If you’re even a second late, all your little siblings will be sold off over there. You know what happens then, right?”

Malta Overseer pointed to the deep navy blue Sea of Dimensions.

If they were sold off to Pirates somewhere out there, it was a farewell forever.

Death was common, and even if they barely survived and became Pirates, what were the odds they’d ever meet again?

“I’ll finish it within today.”

“If it’s too much, just give them up now. For a few months, you’ll get to eat as much as you want, first in line.”

“I’m fine. One lump is enough.”

It was a lie.

What they called ‘food’ here was a lump of barely nutritious Dimension Monster meat, smaller than a fist.

“Is that so? Work hard, then.”

Malta Overseer sneered and sauntered off.

“Are you really okay?”

Sierra’s mother, Kylie, asked worriedly.

“I’m fine. Everyone, I’m okay, so work carefully today and come back safe.”

Sierra’s younger siblings tearfully replied that they would.

As the ration line grew shorter, Sierra received his meal.

Eating didn’t fill his belly, but he had to eat what he could.

Chewing thoroughly and swallowing slowly, Sierra headed into the gold mine.

This cramped, dark place, always at risk of collapse, was his workplace—and where he plotted revolution.

“O will of the earth.”

Alone, Sierra called upon the Earth Spirit.

One day, he’d awakened as a Spirit Master.

That was why he could dig up not just twice, but many times the allotted gold.

He set the Earth Spirit to mine ore with a high gold ratio, then entered a small hole in a corner.

After crawling through a narrow passage that only his thin body could fit through, he arrived at a space where several people crouched together.

“Sierra!”

“Brother!”

“Beloved of gold!”

The Dark Elves greeted Sierra with great enthusiasm.

The gold he mined as a Spirit Master was the main source of funds for the Mine Brotherhood they’d formed.

“Try this. It’s delicious, loaded with salt.”

One Dark Elf handed him dried rat meat.

Sierra bit down on it, bones and all.

“It’s so salty it stings my tongue. Where did you get this much salt?”

“I stored it under my armpit.”

“Ptoo! Ptoo!”

“Kidding, kidding. I found rock salt in the tunnel I was working. No need to worry about salt for a while.”

“You could have told me sooner. That meat’s wasted.”

“I saved plenty for you.”

The Dark Elf who handed over the rat meat grinned, revealing a gap-toothed smile.

He wasn’t the only one—in fact, Sierra was the only one here without some obvious injury.

Some limped, some had twisted arms, some were one-eyed.

‘I can’t live like this forever.’

He hadn’t studied deeply, but he knew in his blood how wrong it was for life to be decided by bloodline.

Why should an Overseer’s child be an Overseer, and a slave’s child be a slave?

Sierra believed he was only lacking in physical strength compared to Malta Overseer.

His talent for finding gold was much greater, and if it came to a fight, he could take Malta’s life in a second.

If it weren’t for the risk to his family, he would have done it already.

“I heard something interesting while cleaning the Overseer’s house.”

The gap-toothed Dark Elf gnawed at his rat meat as he spoke.

“What is it?”

“They say communication’s been cut off with the Factory Dimension and Monster Dimension. The last message even said they were under attack. Who could’ve done it?”

“Nahrromel. The progenitor of the Dark Elves has come to save us.”

Sierra pretended to speak with certainty.

“Maybe it’s an Elf from Marsala?”

“Marsala’s way too far from here.”

“Then a demon?”

“Demons get along with Pirates.”

“Monster?”

“They’d get eaten by IANT.”

Sierra clapped to gather everyone’s attention.

“Listen up. Now’s our chance. Tonight, we’re raiding the armory and taking Truss.”

Truss was a 500-meter-long Dimension Ship.

It was designed to float even in the gravity of a dimension—once it was airborne, no matter how many Resistance Army members there were, they couldn’t win.

“Isn’t tonight too soon?”

“No. If we wait, the Overseers might catch on. We need to strike first.”

“If you say so.”

Even without fire, a hot excitement filled the air.

Secret meetings, exchanging knowledge, teaching others, building a network, gathering Dark Elves, and plotting to seize Truss—all of it was for this day.

“Nahrromel will come tonight.”

Among those desperate for change, the phrase ‘Nahrromel will come’ was a rallying cry.

The Mine Brotherhood exchanged determined glances and scattered to their own tunnels.

Sierra returned to his spot.

He pretended to work desperately to meet double quota while passing messages.

‘Will we succeed?’

Sierra felt anxious.

After taking Truss, they would oust the Overseers, arm the Dark Elves, and defeat the Pirates.

Easier said than done—the chances of success weren’t high.

Yet there was a reason they were attempting revolution.

-Please, spare me! Spare me! Aagh!

In a nearby tunnel, a slave was being mercilessly beaten by an Overseer.

When the final death throes rang out, Sierra frowned deeply.

He didn’t want to see slaves treated like objects anymore.

He couldn’t tolerate Overseers trampling fellow Dark Elves for the sake of bloodline.

It was becoming harder and harder to suppress the rage writhing inside him.

Even if he was a moth flying into the flame, so be it.

Sierra slammed his pickaxe down in anger.

Clang!

That night, deep in the darkness.

When the time came, Sierra, who had been lying awake, crept out quietly.

“You’re going?”

Kylie, Sierra’s mother, asked.

Sierra was startled to hear her voice—she shouldn’t have been awake at this hour—and turned around.

Kylie was looking at Sierra with clear eyes.

It was her strength of will.

“Mother…”

“Your father was the same. The night he had that look in his eyes, he left quietly. He never came back.”

“Father died working, didn’t he?”

“No. He died starting a Rebellion. Malta beat him to death, or so I was told.”

“That bastard…!”

“We should have died too that night, but we barely survived by handing over the gold your father had saved.”

“…”

“Can’t you reconsider? If you lie down, close your eyes, and open them again, nothing will have changed.”

Sierra shook his head.

He’d started this.

He couldn’t abandon his comrades.

He didn’t want to live under Malta Overseer anymore.

“I’ve buried gold at my spot. I’m sorry. Goodbye.”

Sierra left the house.

Kylie closed her eyes.

There were no more tears left to shed.

Sierra and the Mine Brotherhood raided the armory.

Because the Overseers had been called away to respond to attacks in other dimensions, it was easy to seize.

“What now?”

“What do you mean? We go for Truss.”

Armed with swords, bows, and more, the Mine Brotherhood marched toward Truss.

The Resistance Army was full of fighting spirit.

They numbered over fifty thousand, with vengeance and freedom just ahead.

“Stop!”

Sierra halted the army.

He studied the way ahead, his face grave.

Blocking their path were black silhouettes.

They were Overseers.

Behind them, mana Ballistae were aimed at the Resistance Army.

Malta Overseer, at the front, shouted,

“Your grandfather and father were just like you. Your family’s always good at gathering fools with wind in their heads, just like today.”

“Damn you.”

“Your siblings will be the same. Their children too. You thought you were special? You’re worse off than an IANT raised for slaughter. At least those things don’t stage mass suicides.”

Malta Overseer raised his hand.

The mana Ballistae were loaded.

Realizing they’d walked into a trap, the Resistance Army began to retreat.

Even if they pressed forward, it would be impossible to get through the mana Ballistae’s deadly crossfire.

‘Father… Mother…’

Sierra, thinking of his parents, called the Earth Spirit and raised the ground.

It wasn’t much cover, but it would buy some time.

He could save at least one more person from the mana Ballistae.

“You only give up after you’re dead.”

Sierra turned.

A female Dark Elf stood there.

Her skin was smooth, her hair gleamed.

She was definitely not a slave from this dimension.

“And you are?”

“The one you’ve been searching for—Nahrromel.”

“Savior?”

“Not the savior. The one who will save this dimension from the Pirates is someone else.”

Dielka fired her bow.

Arrows imbued with spirit and Death Spirit mana exploded above the Overseers’ heads.

“Gah!”

“Hyaaaagh!”

“S-spare me!”

The Overseers were struck by lightning, burned, and engulfed in Death Spirit mana, dying one after another.

“Fire before they pull any more tricks!”

Malta Overseer shouted.

But the mana Ballistae didn’t fire.

Their gunners had all been wiped out by Dielka’s knights.

“N-no!”

Malta Overseer ran toward Truss.

Dielka released her bowstring.

The flying arrow struck Malta Overseer’s shin.

He crashed to the ground, grabbing his leg.

“Did you really think you could survive this?”

Malta Overseer screamed.

The Truss he trusted in began to rise.

A mana Ballista, mounted below for ground suppression, aimed at Dielka.

“You’re all going to die! Every last one of you!”

“You think that piece of junk can kill me?”

Dielka snorted.

Whizzz!

The mana Ballista made its unique sound as it tore through the air.

The Resistance Army thought Truss had fired and hit the ground.

Boom!

But it was Truss itself that was pierced.

It was the mana Ballista from the Dimension Ship Dielka had arrived on.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

After taking three direct hits in quick succession, Truss tilted to the right and crashed to the ground.

“Sierra, what’s next?”

Dielka asked.

Her relaxed attitude was hard for Sierra to understand.

“Uh, right. We need to secure the mana Ballistae and prepare for the Pirates’ arrival.”

“And food?”

“We need to distribute plenty of food.”

“And Malta Overseer?”

“We’ll hang him.”

“You heard him? Move quickly!”

Dielka took command as if she’d always belonged.

The Mine Brotherhood spread out, directing the Dark Elves.

They took the mana Ballistae and strung Malta Overseer up high where everyone could see.

They opened the Overseers’ food stores and distributed them to the Dark Elves.

Some wept at the taste of meat and fresh vegetables for the first time in their lives.

They beamed with joy, singing songs of hope and contentment.

They felt they could do anything, defeat any enemy.

Sierra, reunited safely with his family, also smiled.

He was glad to be alive, but also full of worries.

Even with the Overseers gone, problems loomed large.

Especially food.

Unless they quickly acquired a Dimension Ship and hunted Dimension Monsters, they would starve.

But there was an even closer and greater threat.

The Pirates.

‘Fifty ships. No, maybe up to a hundred—we could manage that.’

Sierra prayed desperately that the Pirates’ attention was still fixed on the ones who attacked the Separate Sea.

Before long, they spotted approaching Pirate ships.

“Pirate ships coming! Pirate ships are coming!”

“How many?”

“How far away?”

The Mine Brotherhood gathered to count the Pirate ships.

“Five hundred twelve…”

Sierra despaired, but didn’t forget his duty.

He evacuated the Dark Elves into the tunnels and tried to negotiate through communications.

Backed by the number of ten million, he intended to surrender resources in exchange for a Dimension Ship and freedom.

But the Pirates refused all negotiations.

It was unconditional surrender or annihilation—and then they unleashed a barrage from their mana Ballistae.

The mana Ballistae on the ground were destroyed in less than ten minutes.

Not even fifty Pirate ships were sunk.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Pirate ships’ mana Ballistae pounded the surface.

The Dark Elves were helpless.

Buildings collapsed, thousands died or were injured.

A place once full of hope and joy was now filled only with screams and sorrow.

Sierra and the Mine Brotherhood took refuge in the tunnels.

The Dark Elf who had given him rat meat never made it.

He’d been hit by a mana Ballista, and they couldn’t even recover the body.

“What do we do now?”

“There’s no way to fight!”

“Should we flee to the Sea of Dimensions?”

Sierra had no answer.

He was half resigned himself.

The rest of the Mine Brotherhood, however, still held out hope.

“No, Nahrromel said she would come.”

“That’s right! The progenitor of the Dark Elves will come. Isn’t that right, Sierra?”

Sierra’s eyes wavered at his comrade’s question.

A tale handed down since his great-great-great-grandfather’s time.

The savior, the progenitor of the Dark Elves, would come.

The Mine Brotherhood believed it without question, but Sierra was the opposite.

He saw it as a story invented to instill hope.

He’d only used it for that purpose.

The proof was, the Dark Elf who claimed to be Nahrromel was quietly sitting with them in the tunnels.

Even Dielka couldn’t do anything against a Dimension Ship firing mana Ballistae from tens of kilometers away.

‘Salvation? Progenitor of the Dark Elves? Ridiculous.’

Sierra laughed bitterly.

Warm dreams always ended as dreams, while cold expectations became reality.

Things like hope or salvation were never real.

“Are you really the legendary Dark Elf?”

Sierra asked.

He was venting his frustration at the charlatan in these desperate circumstances.

“Yes. The progenitor of the Dark Elves has not forgotten you.”

“Anyone can say that. If I claimed to be Pirate Queen Charigna, would you believe it?”

Dielka brought forth the Death Spirit.

Fully grown, taking on every form, the Death Spirit inspired awe in all who saw it.

Sierra’s composure cracked, but his cynicism remained.

“Even if you really are a High Dark Elf, what can you do alone? How are you going to save us from five hundred Dimension Ships up above?”

“The savior you desire.”

“That doesn’t exist!”

“Do you truly believe there is no salvation?”

“If there was, would we be in this state now?”

“If there wasn’t, I wouldn’t be here either.”

A Stealth Ship on the Sea of Dimensions sent a communication spell to Dielka.

-The First Giant Bio Battleship has arrived.

The First Giant Bio Battleship was the name Elves and Dark Elves gave to Kuong.

“Let’s go out.”

“Why? Can’t keep lying in here any longer?”

“Fireworks are about to start.”

Dielka left the tunnel.

The Mine Brotherhood followed her, mesmerized by the strange allure of a High Dark Elf.

“Tsk.”

Sierra finally lifted himself from the ground and exited the dark tunnel.

The barrage had stopped without him noticing.

Sierra was puzzled.

“Why did they stop?”

Dielka pointed at a part of the Sea of Dimensions, grinning widely.

Something unimaginably larger than any Pirate ship was gliding through the Sea of Dimensions.

Its mouth opened, and the sky above the dimension blazed with light.