The Runesmith

Chapter 548: Hard Wall To Crack.

”Yer want us ta get through there?”

“Yeah, can you do it?”

“Hah! Does a bar wench know how ta fill a bloody tankard?”

“I’ll take that as a yes then.”

“Aye, stand back ‘n watch!”

Within a darkened dungeon, a group of dwarves stood in front of an unassuming wall. Next to them was an armored man, the leader of the expedition, Roland. In the previous chamber, they had left behind a troop of humanoid obsidian golems, the same type he had faced before. However, the previous main boss was missing and had been replaced by a standard large-sized humanoid golem that had fallen to him with little effort.

Afterward, he had guided the dwarven workers to the wall, the same with an unusual mana flow behind it. Now, they were swinging their pickaxes against the stone. They were made from dwarven steel, the same material he used on Robert’s runic exo-armor, and it wasn’t going too well.

”By tha old oneʼs beard… what is this made oʼ?”

To his annoyance, they could not make it budge. Even with the high-quality tools they wielded, they left behind only small marks. He had hoped they would be able to break through eventually, but this would clearly take longer than expected. Then there was the issue of depth, which was entirely unknown. They might need to tunnel through tens of meters or even a hundred.

Roland crossed his arms, deep in thought as the sound of pickaxes striking stone echoed through the dimly lit chamber. The dwarves grunted and cursed under their breath, their normally unshakable confidence beginning to waver as their efforts barely scratched the surface of the strange wall.

“Bah, I ain’t never seen rock this tough!”

One of the dwarves spat, wiping his brow.

“It’s like hittin’ a bloody mountain’s bedrock.”

”We might ‘ave ta get tha golems down ‘ere—this one ainʼt goin’ down easy!”

Roland knelt beside the wall, pressing his palm against its surface. He could feel mana pulsating through it, an energy that almost made his fingers tingle. It was certainly different from the other dungeon walls, which were usually easy to get through. It was as if the dungeon had reinforced this section specifically, ensuring no one could pass. But what was it trying to hide?

‘Is it really just the dungeon core? Or could it be something more? The other core wasn’t this well-defended… but not all dungeons are the same.’

Roland watched as the dwarves struggled to break through the wall, their progress painfully slow. After thirty minutes of effort, they had managed to create only a tiny hole, but at a cost. Their pickaxes had bent out of shape, their tips worn down to uselessness. Yet, the workers remained undeterred, pressing on without hesitation. The damaged tools could easily be reforged by the blacksmiths accompanying the expedition, and if necessary, mining golems could be deployed through the teleportation gate now stationed here.

‘Robert was supposed to attempt the ascension trial again… maybe this time heʼll succeed.’

After ensuring the workers were managing well, Roland turned and made his way back to the main chamber. Inside, he found other members of the expedition, along with his golems, diligently gathering obsidian stones that were the remnants of defeated monster golems. There was still an abundance of them, and once reforged, they would strengthen their forces once more.

The boss chamber reset every two weeks, meaning they would have to withdraw before then, only to return when it was time to clear it again. Despite knowing this, neither Roland nor the others were willing to take unnecessary risks. He was the only one here capable of safely clearing out the boss chamber. While Armand, Lobelia, and a few other Tier 3 class holders were present, none were as powerful as he was at the moment.

To mitigate this risk, they had put a safeguard in place. A series of wedges would keep the massive boss chamber door from fully closing. As Roland moved toward it, several dwarves worked alongside him, driving metal bars into position to hold the door open. Even if they had miscalculated the reset timing and the boss attempted to respawn a few days early, this precaution would ensure a safe retreat. Now that his primary task was nearly complete, it also guaranteed that he could leave without issue.

‘This sure has become a grand operation, hasn’t it?’