The dwarfs joyfully led him deep into their small town.

For the first time since Trevor had arrived inside the dungeon, he finally saw light.

The town looked very peaceful. From afar, he could see plants growing, everything appearing vibrant and alive. It resembled a small, quiet settlement, the kind that should have been filled with laughter and movement.

But unlike how a joyful settlement was meant to be, there was no one outside.

No children running or playing around.

No signs of daily life.

It was as if there was nobody living in any of the houses at all.

Just as Trevor was about to ask the question tugging at his mind, the dwarf beside him finally spoke.

"They are all indoors. They do not want to take the risk of losing more of our people. We are a very small group of beings, and we could easily be wiped out. We are barely up to two thousand in number, and this creature has already taken away half of our population."

Trevor remained silent as he listened to the dwarf speak.

He couldn’t deny it, he was beginning to believe that they were truly knowledgeable. From the way they spoke, the things they considered, and even how they acted, it was clear they were not as simple as they appeared.

Yes, they acted a little childish at times, but they were intelligent, far more than one would expect.

"Do not worry, good helper. We are knowledgeable in sword crafting as well. We have forged an indestructible sword, one that is anti-magic. Of course, we could not create anything that works using magic, since we would have to rely on magic ourselves for such a creation," the dwarf said with a cough as they walked through the town.

"But after months of intense study, we were able to craft a blade that can counter both ancient and modern magic, making it indestructible. However..." he paused, stroking his silvery beard in sadness, "...we are too short and not truly built for combat. Using it against the monster would be like flipping a coin and expecting it to land perfectly balanced like a wheel."

"Alright, you know what, do not worry at all. Just give me the sword and lead me to this monster," Trevor said calmly.

The dwarfs nodded as they continued walking. After a few minutes, they reached what looked like a dead end. To the side, however, was the opening of a deep cave.

"This is the cave of the Breeder. It sleeps during the daytime and hunts us at night. We always stay indoors and remain as quiet as possible during the day so it does not wake and attack us. But even at night, we are not safe. It roams around the town repeatedly, searching for prey. If it finds none, it breaks into houses and devours all the inhabitants within."

The dwarf whispered into Trevor’s ear, doing his best to keep his voice low, as if even the slightest sound could awaken the monster from its slumber.

Just as the dwarf finished speaking, another dwarf hurried over and whispered something into his ear.

The dwarf speaking to Trevor suddenly widened his eyes in surprise, as though he had just heard something remarkable.

"Good helper, please take the sword he is holding. We will all be waiting at the entrance of the cave. We hope you will be able to defeat this cursed entity."

Trevor said nothing further. He immediately took the sword.

It felt light and perfectly balanced in his hands, and the blade looked incredibly sharp.

Trevor glanced down at the dwarfs. Their eyes were fixed on him. It was obvious they were watching closely, trying to gauge his reaction to their creation.

"Well, it is amazing. You all are doing a very good job. It is light and beautifully crafted," Trevor said as he casually walked into the cave without sparing them another glance.

Still, he was certain they were rejoicing at his words.

As soon as Trevor stepped into the cave, the dwarfs’ expressions turned serious once again.

"Do you truly mean what you just said?" the dwarf who had been speaking to Trevor asked the messenger.

"Yes, sir. That is exactly what the Queen Mother said. She also added that it would ensure nothing like this ever happens again and would save our community from going extinct in the near future," the messenger replied calmly, as though recalling her words with precision.

A long silence followed.

"It is a brilliant plan," the dwarf finally said, "but the good helper cannot be trusted completely. From what we can see, he is only helping because he wants the map so he can continue his journey."

He sighed deeply.

"It will be very difficult to convince him. And if we push too hard, he might become angry and kill us all just to leave." 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Only if our noble Queen Mother could find a match within our kind... I suppose we are simply too useless for her," one of the dwarfs muttered, his voice heavy with disappointment.

"Wait, I have an idea," the messenger suddenly said, breaking the tense silence.

Everyone turned toward him immediately.

The dwarf glanced nervously toward the cave, as though he had spoken too loudly.

Without wasting any time, he leaned in and whispered his idea to the others.

Almost instantly, their eyes lit up.

"That is a brilliant idea. We might actually stand a chance with this," the dwarfs said joyfully.

Trevor stepped further into the cave. It was not as dark as he had expected, but it was damp and swampy, which felt unusual for a cave.

It wasn’t long before he began to hear deep, rumbling snores echoing from within.

Immediately, Trevor equipped the werewolf card and moved forward cautiously.

He had not seen the creature yet, but his plan was simple.

Kill it as quickly as possible.

If he could sneak up on it and drive the sword straight through its chest, the battle would end before it even began. No struggle. No unnecessary risk.

That was the kind of victory he wanted.

Without making a sound, Trevor continued forward, following the faint tracks carefully.

Before long, a gigantic creature came into view.