The dwarven mountain range was a massive territory with an area of ninety thousand kilometers. This region was home not only to millions of dwarves, but also hundreds of species of monsters.
There were five known monster-infested regions in the dwarven kingdom.
The Bottomless Gorge.
The Mudwater Forest.
The Poison Insect Paradise.
The Death Cavern.
And the Bloody Twin Forest.
All considered forbidden regions of the kingdom, the monsters living in these territories were so fierce and numerous that even King Lerenon had given up reclaiming these lands.
After receiving the dragon's trial, the princes immediately mobilized their army. Tens of thousands of dwarven warriors, along with their weapons, equipment, and machinery, marched toward the monster-infested regions.
The first prince chose the Death Cavern as his target, the second prince, the Bottomless Gorge, the third prince, the Bloody Twin Forest, while the fourth prince chose the Mudwater Forest. None of the princes dared ventured into the Poison Insect Paradise, as it was a death trap that had already killed countless royals. The poison of the insect monsters lurking in the deepest parts of that region was so potent it could kill a dwarf instantly.
"Prince Hafnir," said Gulan, the second prince's right-hand man—the dwarven envoy who visited the Kingdom of Lukas and negotiated with King Alvis, before the war with the empire. "The power suits are ready. We can move out at any time."
Prince Hafnir nodded his head. Out of the four princes, he'd invested the most in the Fifth Weapons Factory. He was confident he had the greatest number of power suits at his disposal. These five-meter tall mechanical armors were the pinnacle of dwarven kingdom technology. Its black exterior was made of tempered steel, its fibers were created using mithril, and its core was powered using middle-grade mana stones.
Although First Prince Margaro was far stronger than him in magic and swordsmanship, Prince Hafnir was confident of winning the trial using these artifacts.
After all, this wasn't a test of their individual strength, but their ability to lead their men.
"Prince Hafnir," said the leader of the reconnaissance group. "The scouts have secured the Bottomless Gorge's entrance."
"Well done," said Prince Hafnir. He turned to the dwarven army before him. A thirty-thousand-strong army composed of dwarven light infantry, heavy infantry, cavalry, marksmen, mages, engineers, healers, and laborers.
It was almost comparable in size to the Margaro Army. With the addition of the fifty dwarven warriors using the power suits, Prince Hafnir was confident of securing the Bottomless Gorge.
He roared, "Hafnir Army! The time has come! Everyone! All of you have been training for this very day! The day we prove to everyone that I, Prince Hafnir Rugard, am the most deserving of the crown!"
With heated gazes, all of the soldiers listened to the second prince. All willing to enter the Bottomless Gorge in order to help their liege ascend the throne. They believed that out of the four princes, the second prince deserved to be their ruler.
"To the Bottomless Gorge!" roared the second prince.
"Hoooah!"
"Hoooah!"
With those words as cue, they started marching toward the Bottomless Gorge. They descended the dwarven mountain range, and before reaching the Dragon's Mouth—the region that served as the border between the White Stream Oasis and the dwarven kingdom—they entered a large fissure underground.
Torches and luminous devices were lit as the army descended the fissure. Although it was called the Bottomless Gorge, in reality, it was a deep underground fissure that spanned several kilometers. The hundreds of tunnels inside were home to an innumerable number of ferocious beasts and monsters.
Had it not been for the dragon's trial, no sane dwarf would have dared enter this hellhole. Although the Hafnir Army numbered thirty thousand, everyone knew that if things went wrong, there was a chance they would be wiped out.
"My prince," said Gulan. "Are you really not going to wear a power suit?"
The Bottomless Gorge was becoming darker as they went deeper into the fissure. Had it not been for the torches and the luminous devices, the army would have been met with total darkness.
Prince Hafnir shook his head. "Morale is important when leading an army. It'll be better if I lead like this. And besides, I have you next to me."
Gulan closed his eyes momentarily. He inwardly sighed. Although the second prince was right, Gulan still couldn't help but be worried for his liege's safety.
"I understand," said Gulan. "Even if it costs me my life, this Gulan shall protect His Highness."
Prince Hafnir carefully surveyed their surroundings. He mumbled to himself, "The dragon's trial is truly difficult. Who would have known we'd be forced to enter the Bottomless Gorge like this? How amusing."
The majority of the dwarves who entered never came out alive. And the lucky ones who did survive frequently told horrifying tales.
"Prince Hafnir!" said one of the military officers. "Darkmantles ahead!"
The luminous devices shot beams of light ahead of the army, revealing over a hundred black creatures resembling ogres. They had four arms, a long snout, and six-inch fangs.
"Above us! Ursus Bats!"
The beams of light also revealed several dozen bats hanging on the walls. Their faces resembled a rabid grizzly, and their bat wings, when unfolded, spanned four meters.
The Ursus Bats shrieked, releasing a shockwave that messed with the dwarves' proprioception. And using this opening, the Darkmantles shot toward the dwarven army, their roars echoing through the Bottomless Gorge.
Gulan and the elite warriors who'd managed to resist the shockwave started issuing commands.
"Heavy infantry! Forward!" Gulan roared. "Mages, cast Iron Will on the affected warriors!"
The armored warriors, despite being affected by a shockwave, moved forward and intercepted the Darkmantles' attack. The two forces clashed.
The sound of metal clanking, of Darkmantles roaring, and of flesh being ripped apart became background.
After Iron Will—a spell capable of increasing a person's mental fortitude—was cast, the dwarven warriors immediately regained their senses and fought back. The dwarven marksmen pointed their arquebus at the enemies and started firing projectiles. Even without the help of the dwarven engineers and the power suits, the Hafnir Army easily slaughtered all the Darkmantles and the Ursus Bats within their vicinity.
This was the power of a well-prepared thirty-thousand-strong army.
"Hafnir Army! Gather the corpses!" said Prince Hafnir. "Commander Sakruid!"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
"You'll be in charge of securing the gorge's exit," said Prince Hafnir.
"As you command!"
"Brognock."
"My prince!"
"You'll be in charge of securing all the monster corpses. Immediately send them to the capital and make sure to preserve them. As for the mana stones inside their bodies, leave them behind!"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
After issuing these commands, Prince Hafnir led his army deeper into the Bottomless Gorge. As expected, they were attacked by numerous monsters along the way.
Darkmantles, Ursus Bats, Twin-headed Deathworms, Dark Phantoms, Flesh Mongers—the number of creatures attacking the army increased as they went deeper into the Bottomless Gorge. Enough to destroy a human city.
"My prince, we'll be reaching the Abyss soon," said Gulan. His sword, armor, and face were stained with the blood of the monsters he'd slain.
The Abyss was considered the deepest part of the Bottomless Gorge. It was where the Abyss Lurkers—the top predator of the Bottomless Gorge— dwelled. According to records, a single Abyss Lurker was powerful enough to fight on par with a dragonewt.
"We've already secured several thousand monster corpses," said Gulan.
"And we've been fighting for almost half a day. The army is exhausted."
Hafnir wiped the blood off his face. Although he was not as great as Gulan in swordsmanship, he still led the army at the very front. He knew this was the least he could do to show his men his resolve.
"The casualties?" said Hafnir.
"Three thousand, My Prince," said Gulan.
Had it been an ordinary human army, they would probably have lost several times that. It was already a great achievement that they'd managed to lose only that many men despite entering one of the Forbidden Regions.
Prince Hafnir looked at his soldiers. Seeing how exhausted they were, he issued an order: "Set up a camp in the areas secured by the Sakruid Unit.
General Gulan will be responsible for overseeing the camp's protection.
Stop, rest, recuperate! We'll be resting for the night!"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
The laborers immediately set up camp in the areas secured by the Sakruid Unit. Skillfully, they pitched tents and prepared dishes for the starving soldiers. General Gulan assigned dwarves in power suits, along with several light infantries and mages, to stand guard in key locations.
After he was done delegating tasks to his men, General Gulan entered the tent where Prince Hafnir was.
"You're finally here," said Prince Hafnir, his eyes glued to the map spread on the table. "How's Brognock?"
Gulan stood next to Prince Hafnir. He looked at the map on the table. It was an incomplete map of the Bottomless Gorge. Numerous marks were written here and there, signifying the entrances within the fissure. There were also lines signifying the army's escape route.
"He's already sent most of the corpses to the capital," said Gulan.
Prince Hafnir stroked his braided beard. "The dragon emphasized the need for the corpses. This expedition will be for naught if we're unable to send those corpses back to the capital."
"Of course," said Gulan. "That's why I've assigned three power suits to accompany the unit delivering the corpses to the capital."
Prince Hafnir understood Gulan's intentions. While the army was here in the Bottomless Gorge, the unit delivering the monster corpses would be an easy target for the other princes and members of their factions.
Hopefully, the power suits would be enough to deter any unwarranted attacks.
"Gulan, do you know why I chose the Bottomless Gorge?" said Prince Hafnir.
"To hunt the Abyss Lurkers," said Gulan. "They're probably the strongest monsters in the mountain range, next only to the creatures living in the deeper parts of the Poison Insect Paradise."
Prince Hafnir looked inside the room. He cast a basic silence spell, making sure no one aside from General Gulan would hear his following words. "That's not it. Gulan, listen. I'm certain there's an adamantite vein in this place."
General Gulan's eyes widened. He immediately connected the pieces of the puzzle. The reason Prince Hafnir conceded the right to conduct an expedition to the Death Cavern to the first prince. The reason he invested heavily in the Fifth Weapons Factory at a young age. The reason they brought pieces of mining equipment with them and several tools used to assess the soil and geographical region.
"This trial… There's more to it than meets the eye," said the second prince. "Do you know what happened to my father's brothers after he became king?" He paused, breathed in, and said in a heavy voice, "Most of them died the same year my father ascended the throne. Was it a coincidence? Was it the doing of the dragon? Or did my father kill the threats himself?"
Prince Hafnir looked General Gulan straight in the eye. "You're already aware of this—the only one who survived is Uncle Gorovir. The dwarf who holds the title of 'greatest blacksmith' in the kingdom."
Prince Hafnir's shoulders started quivering. Fear was evident within his voice. "Three decades ago, when I was eight, I accidentally discovered a hidden pathway in the Royal Library. And do you know what I saw there, Gulan? Records. A long list of names from the royal family dating back since the time of the kingdom's founding. Their status, their background, their achievements—everything. What terrified me was the fact that all the crown candidates were killed the moment a crown prince was chosen. The number of princes spared could be counted on one hand. It was then that it dawned to me, Gulan, that I would die if I failed the dragon's trial."
Prince Hafnir clenched his fists. He still couldn't stop his body from trembling. "And in order to prevent that from happening, I need to bear an achievement comparable to this kingdom's greatest blacksmith. This is the real reason I became the staunchest supporter of the Fifth Weapons Factory at an early age. I realized I needed them to complete the power suits in order to explore the Bottomless Gorge. It's the only way. Although we're delving in dangerous territory, it's still fortunate that we've managed to come this far in the Gorge."
"Then… the adamantite vein," said Gulan.
"Should I lose in the trial," said Prince Hafnir in a determined voice, "I will present it as a gift to the Ancient Fire Dragon."
Gulan's eyes glimmered.
Unlike what most people believed, the second prince was no fool.
This conversation strengthened General Gulan's loyalty even more. He silently vowed that should the second prince fail the test and die, he would gladly follow him to the afterlife.
The second prince was truly wise to use the trial not only as a chance to become the crown prince, but also to finally find the location of the adamantite vein.
General Gulan placed his right hand on his chest and said fervently, "This Gulan will dedicate his life in serving Your Highness! No matter what happens, I shall help you find the adamantite vein!"
"I expect great things from you!" said Prince Hafnir, nodding happily.
"But for now, we rest! Tomorrow, we shall proceed deeper into the—" "Prince Hafnir!"
The Vice Commander of the Sakruid Unit barged into his tent. The moment the tent's flap was opened, Prince Hafnir and General Gulan caught a glimpse of the pandemonium outside. They must have not heard the commotion, due to the silence spell the prince had cast.
The prince and the general's faces turned grim.
"What is it?" said Prince Hafnir.
The Vice Commander huffed, "Abyss Lurkers! Eight of them! They started attacking the rear! Our exit is blocked by those monsters!"
Prince Hafnir's mind went blank for a moment.
What was happening?
He made sure they retreated before entering the territory of the Abyss Lurkers. He made sure the army kept a safe distance from the deeper parts of the Bottomless Gorge.
"From the rear?" said General Gulan. "That's impossible. We already secured the route to our exit before making camp!"
"No, it's possible," said Prince Hafnir. "There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of entrances within the Bottomless Gorge. We must have missed some of them, and the Abyss Lurkers used them to reach the back of our army. General Gulan, the Abyss Lurkers are the top predators of this region not only because of their strength, but also their intelligence."
General Gulan and the Vice Commander of the Sakruid Unit felt shivers crawl down their spines. It felt like they were the ones being hunted right now.
Prince Hafnir said to the vice commander, "What's the situation outside?"
The vice commander replied, "More than half of the dwarves with power suits went to the rear to stop the Abyss Lurkers. I believe they've managed to stopper their advance for now!"
"More than half the dwarves with power suits went to the rear of the army?" said Prince Hafnir.
He had an ominous feeling about this. He looked at the map for a moment then went outside the tent. General Gulan and the Vice Commander of the Sakruid Unit followed. Outside, the military officers were issuing commands and redirecting more dwarven warriors to reinforce the rear.
Prince Hafnir decisively said, "General Gulan, issue the command to retreat."
General Gulan was surprised. Weren't they just talking about the existence of the adamantite vein? Why was the prince suddenly issuing the command to retreat?
What about the trial?
"My prince, isn't it too early to—" "Didn't you hear me, General Gulan?" snarled Prince Hafnir. He looked really uneasy.
Prince Hafnir huffed, lowered his voice, and said to General Gulan, "This is probably a diversion. A trap. Our best choice of action is to pierce through the Abyss Lurkers blocking the rear of our army. We'll just have to reorganize the army once we've escaped the Bottomless Gorge. Right now, our priority is survival!"
Hearing this, General Gulan realized the reason for the second prince's sudden command. He saluted. "As you wish, Your Highness!"
General Gulan was about to issue a command when suddenly, a fast-moving object shot toward their direction. General Gulan reflexively moved in front of the second prince and cut the object in half, making blood splatter about.
"It's… a dwarf," said General Gulan, seeing the corpse he'd slashed in half.
A shrill laugh was heard. Everyone looked at the creature who threw the mangled dwarven corpse toward the second prince.
"A-Abyss Lurkers!"
"W-What are they doing here!"
"There's so many of them!"
The dwarven soldiers were horrified to see over a hundred Abyss Lurkers latched on the walls. These four-meter large monsters resembled a wendigo, with seven-meter long serpentine tails which they used to climb walls and cliffs with ease. Their long arms reached past their ankles, their teeth were serrated, and their eyes numbered more than a dozen. Spikes protruded out of their backs. For centuries, their bodies had evolved to better hunt their prey in the Bottomless Gorge.
Prince Hafnir had planned on hunting these creatures down one by one, but it seemed that the plan had just gone down the drain.
Prince Hafnir quickly considered the pros and cons of confronting their enemies head-on in their current state.
"How many dwarven power suits do we have left?" said Prince Hafnir.
"Seven, Your Highness," said the Vice Commander of the Sakruid Unit.
"The rest were sent to the rear to take care of the Abyss Lurkers there."
Seeing the number of Abyss Lurkers here proved that decision was wrong.
An Abyss Lurker roared, then dozens of them started running down the wall and shot toward the dwarven warriors below. Like a heated knife slicing lard, each of their strikes ripped apart the flesh of the dwarven warriors. The battle-hardened dwarven warriors started falling like flies, one after another.
"They're targeting the mages! Protect them!" shouted one of the military officers.
True to the military officer's words, the Abyss Lurkers penetrated the army and moved in to kill the mages at the back of the central camp. The dwarven marksmen tried to shoot them down, but the Abyss Lurkers moved swiftly and erratically, evading the projectiles.
"Power suits!" roared Prince Hafnir. "On me! Everyone, launch an all-out attack!"
Although the Abyss Lurkers were strong and numbered more than a hundred, there were still tens of thousands of dwarven warriors here. Prince Hafnir judged that they would suffer more casualties if they retreated. These Abyss Lurkers were sentient—they would surely chase the retreating army and slaughter everyone.
Prince Hafnir decided to fight the Abyss Lurkers here, then, once an opportunity arose, safely retreat.