Chapter 851: Fierce Battle with Dwarves, A Dispute Not So Distant, Just One Hundred Years

Accompanied by a roar from Jier, his entire body lunged forward along the ground like a heavy stone thrown by a giant.

With his Shield extended forward as the point of impact, he collided violently with the Dwarf, who had been stunned by the sudden surprise.

Bang! Clatter—

First came the heavy, booming sound of the impact, followed by the sharp friction of metal against metal and a spray of sparks from their armor. Using the recoil of his retracted left arm as a buffer, Jier knocked over the Dwarf who had originally intended to ambush him.

The Dwarf let out a sound of surprise and a dull grunt of pain, flipping onto his back on the ground. Before the opponent could pick up the weapon that had been knocked from his hand during the collision, Jier used his height advantage to pin the Dwarf down against his black Metal Armor, his knee pressing against the Dwarf's chest to prevent him from rising. Amidst the opponent's struggles and Jier's repeated suppression, the collision of their armor sent bright sparks flying from the metal contact.

"Die!"

Jier's left-hand Shield slammed down hard against the Dwarf's Helmet, making a clanging sound, but the next moment, the Dwarf grabbed the weapon that had been knocked away and swung it at Jier.

Thud! The Shield securely blocked the blow, and immediately, the Long Sword in his right hand seized the opening in the Dwarf's defense, emitting a Blinding white light toward the direction of the Dwarf's Helmet.

Swish—

Deep in the Forest shrouded in White Mist, a burst of intense light flashed from within the fog.

"Oh—%%￥%！！!"

The suddenly blinded Dwarf let out an exclamation and unintelligible curses, but Jier did not give him a chance; since the opponent had prepared to ambush him, it was only natural for him to be killed in return.

The Long Sword thrust downward toward the spot where the curses were coming from behind the Helmet, but amidst a spray of sparks, it was blocked by the thick steel plating on the front of the Dwarf's Helmet.

The Dwarf's cursing was forced to a halt, followed only by terror, as the tip of the Human's Long Sword had pierced his nose, and as it stirred, the nose was reduced to fragments.

Jier pressed down hard with his right hand, while his left hand released the grip behind the Shield to also rest on the sword hilt to provide leverage. Amidst a creaking sound, the Dwarf pinned beneath Jier finally let out a scream: "%%##&! %%##&! &————"

However, Jier could not understand what this guy was saying; he grinned ferociously and roared: "Shut up! Just die obediently—"

Just as Jier was preparing to exert more force to drive the Long Sword through the thick metal protection on the front of the Dwarf's Helmet, the warning hiss from the Tianxuecao not far behind him brought him back to his senses.

"Lu... Lu... Lu!"

There was another ambusher behind him!

Jier instinctively felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. No longer caring about taking the life of the ambusher beneath him, he performed a quick, side-rolling dodge. Although the movement was clumsy, it was highly effective.

While rolling, Jier saw a long-handled iron hammer, over a meter long, smash down into the spot where he had previously been, missing its mark. Well, not exactly; the hammer didn't hit Jier, but instead struck the ambushing Dwarf whom Jier had been pinning down.

Thud, another dull sound of impact. This low, thumping sound made Jier, who was dodging to the side, twitch his mouth in sympathy, let alone the Dwarf who had been struck squarely.

The Dwarf's screaming stopped for a moment as if he had lost his breath, but perhaps because the thick armor he was wearing performed a great service, after having his breath knocked out of him by this heavy blow, the next moment he began to grunt and groan with low, unintelligible curses.

It seemed he was injured by this blow, but not severely.

Jier then looked at this new arrival.

Sure enough, it was also a Dwarf wearing thick Metal Armor, with a long gray beard visible from under the edge of his Helmet. There was no help for it; the characteristics of these guys were simply too obvious. After all, even though the Dwarves had intentionally added tall metal horns and impact spikes to their Helmets to increase their stature, they still couldn't reach Jier's chest when standing up.

Coupled with that wide and sturdy build, how should one put it? It was like a mobile, short, metal ball.

The Dwarf who arrived later saw that his blow had hit the wrong person, but he was neither annoyed nor apologetic. Ignoring Jier, who was climbing to his feet, he grabbed the war hammer that was as tall as himself in one hand and the Chest Armor of his Dwarf companion in the other. With his short legs, he moved like a powerful tank, stepping with a "thump, thump, thump" and dragging his companion toward the White Mist ahead.

Naturally, Jier would not let the enemy retreat so easily. Although he did not know if there were other ambushing Dwarves hidden nearby, he did not want to let them go so easily.

He pushed off the ground with both feet and charged forward with long strides. The Dwarf's movement speed was not fast, and although those short, powerful legs were moving rapidly, he was caught up by Jier the next moment.

The Long Sword danced, swishing heavily through the air in a Heavy Cleave toward the opponent's shoulder.

But amidst the ear-piercing sound of metal cutting, a significant counter-force traveled through the Long Sword in Jier's hand, nearly causing him to lose his grip on his Sword. The wooden hilt also emitted a suspicious, twisting sound, but Jier had no time to check it.

The Dwarf dragging his companion was not having an easy time either. Although Jier's sword strike failed to split the opponent's shoulder armor, the attack was still effective. The Dwarf let out an irrepressible grunt of pain, but it seemed the opponent possessed an extremely tough character and will, as the grunt was quickly suppressed.

Jier gritted his teeth and swung the sword again; this time, he unleashed a Horizontal Slash toward the Dwarf's Helmet.

This was not an attack that could be easily endured with willpower; being struck in the head, the shock and dizziness were not so easily ignored.

However, perhaps Jier's intent for this strike was too obvious, or perhaps this Dwarf, who was dragging his companion, had rich combat experience. The opponent anticipated that Jier would attack the head, so he had already blocked the side of the Helmet with the metal war hammer in his hand.

It landed perfectly, Jier's sword striking the solid metal hammerhead.

Even though Jier's Long Sword was not light in weight, compared to the opponent's excessively heavy hammerhead, it was still slightly lighter. Therefore, the swing only produced a burst of sparks, and after carving a rather deep mark into the metal war hammer, it had no further effect.

"Damn it!"

Jier cursed, knowing that his Long Sword, which was usually very powerful, was truly ineffective against these "iron-wrapped" Dwarves. Thus, he changed his tactics, lifted his foot, and kicked out directly, landing squarely on the back of the Dwarf in front.

Jier felt as if he had kicked an iron plate; the sole of his foot was numb and aching.

The Dwarf naturally did not have it easy either. The one retreating with his back to Jier let out a muffled grunt, blood flowing from the corner of his mouth down into his beard, staining his large gray beard red. He was kicked into a massive stagger, nearly dropping his weapon and the unlucky young junior who was wailing on the ground about the pain and being unable to see.

But this Dwarf knew that the nearest tunnel entrance was only a few meters away, so he endured the pain, gritted his teeth, and stiffened his body to rush forward.

After Jier finished his kick, he stomped his feet on the ground to relieve the numbness in his right sole.

He wanted to try one more time to completely knock the opponent down, but the next moment, he saw the Dwarf reach a large tree, lower his body, set aside the war hammer, and with one hand, flip open a square stone slab that had been hidden under the fallen leaves of the tree.

Jier caught up, but the Dwarf first threw his injured and blinded companion into the tunnel entrance, then turned around, gripped a metal war hammer with a wooden handle, and stood his ground in a fighting stance.

"@#￥@."

The Dwarf in the fighting stance shouted something loudly. Jier did not know what the opponent was saying, nor did he know if it was meant for him.

But he did not care. He stood sideways with his Shield extended to cover himself, and the Long Sword in his right hand, changing from his usual style, was held unusually high above his head, ready to smash down at any moment.

"Very well, a fight, is it? I quite like fighting. Come on! You dwarves who love to ambush! Even Goblins have more sense of honor in battle than you."

Jier shouted, then stepped forward with crossed strides, preparing to engage in battle.

But to Jier's surprise, the Dwarf who had struck a fighting pose did not engage in combat after seeing Jier charge up. Instead, he took a step back and hopped into the tunnel entrance behind him.

It turned out that in this short time, the Dwarf who had been thrown into the tunnel entrance earlier, although unable to see, was not deaf. After hearing his companion's order to crawl forward, he crawled into the tunnel regardless, thereby clearing the tunnel entrance, which could only accommodate one Dwarf at a time.

Seeing the enemy retreat into the tunnel, Jier hurried to catch up, just about to reach out and grab the Dwarf enemy below. But after falling into the tunnel entrance, the Dwarf manipulated the war hammer in his hand in advance, waving it back and forth in small arcs across the tunnel entrance. Although it looked ridiculous, it batted away Jier's reaching hand, completely covering his retreat into the tunnel.

For Jier, the narrow and cramped tunnel was just right for the Dwarves to stand in, which completely dispelled his intention to follow them down. The enemies were not incompetent gang thugs, nor were they Bandits with diverse professional backgrounds. These Dwarves not only had excellent weapons and equipment, but their physical fitness was also astonishing. Jier was tongue-tied that such thick armor could be easily worn for battle, and they could also use heavy metal war hammers to fight, not to mention that the enemy just now had high combat experience and an indomitable will.

"Phew, you won't be this lucky next time."

Outside the tunnel entrance, after stomping his foot heavily, Jier shouted a threat toward the bottom. Inside the tunnel entrance, the Dwarf also stared at Jier outside, his eyes seeming to look at the front of the metal belt on Jier's armor. After a moment of contemplation, the Dwarf spoke.

"Outsider."

The other party was silent for a moment, as if pondering how to say the next words. Jier was shocked; he had thought that Dwarves could not speak the Human common tongue, but it turned out they could. So what was all that gibberish just now?

Oh, you thought you could take me down, so you didn't bother to communicate with me in the Human common tongue, is that it?

"Outsider, since you have stepped into this forest, don't even think about leaving. You won't make it out of here."

The Dwarf said this, his voice sounding somewhat aged, low, and accompanied by some irrepressible pain.

Jier let out a breath, pointed his sword directly at the Dwarf who had uttered the threat, and said seriously: "I don't care what you think or what you did before; you attacked me, so any counterattack I make afterward is fair game, right? Can't make it out? Just because of you lot?"

"Then let's try it, let's see if you can actually do it. Not only am I going to enter this forest, I am also going to leave, and I am quite curious, how have you treated the Humans who entered here before? Hmph."

Jier roughly guessed why those who entered here never returned; either these Dwarves hiding in the depths of the forest wouldn't let them leave, or they had their legs broken, losing the ability to travel far and escape.

"A group of Dwarves living illegally on the land of the Saint Hors Kingdom, ha, I think the local Noble Lords would love this news, and as it happens, I know one or two of them. Furthermore, our Human gods and the churches of the gods would also love this news."

"Ah, defending the territorial rights of Humans."

Jier sneered, intimidating the Dwarf below.

The two Dwarves in the tunnel gritted their teeth upon hearing these words; the one holding the war hammer didn't say anything, his gaze merely becoming deep, while the Dwarf deeper in the tunnel who had been Blinding could no longer hold back and shouted loudly.

"What kind of shitty Kingdom! This is the pioneer territory of us Dwarves! Our ancestors have been developing and expanding here for who knows how many years! How could it so easily belong to you!"

Hearing this, Jier only sneered, but the Dwarf holding the war hammer saw that the Human above dared not come in, so he immediately helped the young junior who was sitting on the ground to his feet, preparing to retreat temporarily into the depths of the tunnel network beneath the forest.

Before evacuating this exposed tunnel entrance, he turned and asked the Human youth still outside: "Young Human, what is your name?"

Jier looked at the thick armor of the Dwarves retreating into the tunnel and said generously: "My name is Jier, Qiao-Jier. A man from Kendall County, Northwest Province, Saint Hors Kingdom. Let me tell you honestly, as long as the Empire's Border Knight Order exists, and the gods' Boundary Stone on the border remains, the Dwarves cannot take this land away. This is already Human land; for nearly a hundred years, it has officially been our Human land."

The Dwarf below snorted coldly: "A hundred years, huh? It's only been a hundred years, young Human Jier, we shall see."

After saying this, the Dwarf walked into the depths of the tunnel. Listening to their heavy footsteps, which they no longer deliberately hid, Jier let out a sigh of relief. He reached out to stroke the blade of his Hunting Sword and discovered that the blade, made of Magic Material that usually suffered no damage in battle, actually had several spots that had become dull due to collisions and cutting during the fight.

"Damn it, Dwarves wearing turtle shells."

After cursing, he realized that he was also wearing armor. Although it was far inferior to the Dwarves' exaggeratedly thick armor in terms of protection, his armor was full-coverage, more flexible in battle, and had balanced, uniform defense, not losing to the Dwarves' gear at all.

A single curse had ended up cursing himself as well.

"Pah, pah, pah, my set doesn't count."

Muttering and grumbling, Jier destroyed the stone slab cover at the tunnel entrance before leaving, then followed the large number of tracks from when he arrived—mainly the conspicuous marks of the Dwarves moving and dragging things—and returned to his warhorse.

He even took the opportunity to pick up the weapon of the Dwarf he had fought with earlier.

This was a square-shaped one-handed war hammer; both the hammer head and the handle were made of metal, and its hardness and weight were quite good. It might be too heavy for an ordinary person, but for a Dwarf with strength, and for Jier who had undergone Knight Training, the weight was quite suitable.

Jier even felt that the loot in his hand was a bit light and a bit small, but it was a one-handed war hammer after all; as long as he could swing it to hit people, he couldn't ask for too much.

Seeing his master return, Tianxuecao snorted excitedly, ears flicking back and forth, wanting to friendly nudge Jier with its head, but as soon as it got close and saw the square one-handed hammer in Jier's hand, Tianxuecao was scared into backing up two steps.

It snorted uneasily through its mouth and nose, humming and looking at Jier with a pair of large eyes.

"Coward, look, this is loot! Although I couldn't kill that insidious Dwarf to avenge you, I did capture the weapon that hurt you! Come, stomp on it hard, let off some steam!"

Jier laughed, threw the square one-handed hammer he was tossing in his hand to the side of Tianxuecao's hooves, and then gestured to let his clever horse understand what to do.

After Tianxuecao understood, it excitedly raised its front hooves and stomped hard on the hammer on the ground; crisp metallic sounds rang out continuously from the repeated contact between the Horseshoe and the hammer.

Seeing his warhorse regain its vitality, Jier nodded with satisfaction, and then, while Tianxuecao was excitedly stomping on the hammer that had hurt it, he shoved the Weapon Rack he had placed on the ground back onto Tianxuecao's back.

Tianxuecao turned its head to look at Jier, showing not a hint of unease at having its feigned injury exposed, and continued to play with the broken hammer by its feet.

"Hehe, I could tell you were faking the injury earlier; a warhorse that took a hammer to the head wouldn't have such a good appetite to eat, would it? But never mind, you did well just now, knowing to give your master a warning in advance."

Jier patted the warhorse's tall body with a slap-slap sound, continuously saying sweet things the warhorse loved to hear.

Afterward, he placed the supply bag from the ground onto the horse's back, shouldered the Metal Double-Edged Long Spear, and led the warhorse away in a hurry.

He continued to advance along the forest path under his feet, but unlike before, Jier now understood who had built this strange, hard road with anti-slip patterns.

It was the Dwarves, it must have been the Dwarves.

When he first entered the forest, he had briefly mistaken the strange situation in Huitou Forest for encountering Elf Ruins again; and that was right, the Elves had abandoned this place long ago, so there shouldn't be many ancient Elf Ruins left behind anyway.

But the Dwarves were different; the Dwarves not only had advanced technology but also a long history, and the time they had lived and developed on the land under his feet was even longer, at least much longer than the Humans who had lived here for about a hundred years.

Jier thought, just as that Dwarf had said earlier, a hundred years, merely a hundred years.

The struggle between Humans and Dwarves for the land beneath their feet was far from decided.