Tanabur sat while hugging his knees while he stared off in the distance.
He had just been saved by his men, who tried to pull him out of the quicksand, due to his incessant shouting of "I don't want to die!"
Lux didn't make a move to stop them and simply chuckled at the scene. When the Orc Warlord had been saved, Lux then addressed the other Orcs and gave them a speech.
"Strength alone doesn't win battles," he said. "You shouldn't always rely on strength, but strategy as well. This is why having Barca as your next chieftain will allow the Blackrock Clan to grow because he is a Half-Orc. He had the strength of an Orc and the scheming mind of a Human."
Barca, who was standing beside Lux, had a calm expression on his face, while he endured the b*llsh*t that the Half-Elf was saying. He knew that the red-headed teenager was doing his best to convince the Orcs to make him their Chieftain even though he was only a Half-Orc.
Lux, who was like a salesman who was trying to sell a product to the Orcs, told them the importance of having a flexible leader to supervise their clan.
In the end, he heard a series of notifications inside his head, confirming that he had succeeded in the mission.
Once again, the bodies of the Dwarves glowed, as their levels increased once again, making Colette and the others very happy.
All of them had now become Apostles, and had finally graduated from the Beginner's Zone. However, after realizing this fact, the happiness they were feeling disappeared as they stared at the Half-Elf that was looking at them with a smile.
"B-Big Brother…," Colette said with teary eyes.
Lux didn't answer and simply patted her head. "Silly girl. Don't think of anything else. After we return to the Leaf Village, let's all perform your graduation ceremony. You still haven't beaten the Red-Eyed Terror Mantis, nor have you replaced your sister's name in the Bronze Crypt. There are still plenty of things to do before you move out of Leaf Village."
"... Un." Colette nodded her head as she hugged Lux's body.
Soon, the Half-Elf found himself being hugged by all the Dwarf children, with the exception of Matty, who was just standing a meter away from Colette.
He was looking at Lux with a complicated look on her face before raising his fist at him. A tsundere through and through.
Lux smiled because he understood the gesture. The Half-Elf raised his own fist and bumped it against the Simp Dwarf's fist since the boy refused to give him a hug.
While everyone was having a group hug, Barca had finished his talk with the Orc Warlords and went to seek out Lux to talk to him about his rewards.
"Please, follow me inside the Stronghold," Barca said. "I will now give you the rewards for helping me in my quest."
"Rewards?" Lux blinked. He had received several rewards after completing the mission, and thought that he would no longer get anything from the dungeon. However, Barca's words piqued his interest.
"Okay," Lux replied as he, and the Dwarf children followed the Half-Orc back inside the stronghold.
After walking for several minutes, they stopped beside what seemed to be an Altar that was used to worship the Orc God, who gave blessings to the Orcs.
"Go to the altar one by one," Barca stated. "Your rewards will appear based on the contributions that you have made for the sake of our clan."
Lux nodded as he lightly tapped Colette's shoulders. "You go first. I intend to go last."
Colette nodded her head as she climbed the short stairs leading to the altar. When she arrived at the place where the offerings were placed, a golden light descended from the Heavens and hit the altar.
A moment later, a golden treasure chest appeared on top of it.
Colette looked at it with a determined gaze before opening it with both hands. Inside the treasure box, a mace and a shield could be seen.
Although she didn't have Lux's ability to appraise items, Colette's instincts were telling her that both of the items were Mythical Equipment, which made her eyes widen in shock.
The Dwarf girl happily took the items and ran back to show her Big Brother, and her friends the item that she received from the treasure box.
All of them were surprised, and even Lux couldn't help but whistle after seeing the items that Colette received as her reward.
"Mythical Items," Lux said softly. "The rewards sure are generous."
Matty was the second one to go to the altar, and he received a pair of Mythical Shortswords.
Helen, Andy, and Axel, all received Mythical Staffs that corresponded to their elemental affinities, which made them extremely happy.
When it was Lux's turn to stand in front of the Altar, two golden chests appeared in front of him. One big, one small.
The Half-Elf tried to open the small golden chest first, but its lid didn't budge. Eiko got curious and decided to give it a try. As soon as the baby slime jumped over the lid of the box, it slowly opened, and a golden mist flew out of it and merged with Eiko's body.
At first, Lux panicked because he thought that it was something harmful. However, after seeing the series of text that appeared in front of him, his worry disappeared and was replaced by a look of disbelief.
—-
< Eiko's Reward >
– Three Rank Up
This baby Slime performed exceptionally during this mission and the reward fitting for her is a Rank Up. However, a single one was not enough, so she will receive three Rank Ups instead.
—-
"Unbelievable," Lux said softly as a wide grin appeared on his face. "You did well, Eiko."
The Half-Elf lightly patted Eiko's head as he praised her for doing a good job.
"Pa!" The baby Slime giggled before crawling up Lux's arm, until she was back on top of his head with a smile on her face.
Eiko's Monster Rating was E, and the resources needed to increase her rank gave Lux a headache. However, this unexpected reward would immediately raise her rank to D+, saving the Half-Elf the trouble of collecting a scary amount of Beast Cores to make Eiko stronger.
After calming his heart, he then placed both of his hands on the big treasure chest in front of him. The chest was bigger than the others, which proved that Lux had played a crucial role in the completion of the mission.
After opening the treasure chest, Lux's eyes widened in shock when he saw something that was very familiar to him.
—--
Blackrock Legacy Armor (Set)
Rating: Pseudo Legendary
Requirements: 100 to all stats
The Legendary Armor of the Blackrock Clan's first Orc Chieftain.
+50 to all stats
+400 to Defense
30% decrease in physical and magical damage
– This Armor is bound to Lux Von Ainsworth
– Any creature under Lux's Von Ainsworth's command is capable of equipping this armor.
Active Skills: Warlord's War Cry
Passive Skills: Warlord's Presence, Bloody Fervor, Auto-Fit, Indestructible.
—--
< Warlord's Warcry >
– Increase the Physical and Magical Damage of all allied creatures by 200 Points.
< Warlord's Presence >
Your presence in the battlefield inspires your allies and makes them do well in battle.
– 10% Increase to Physical and Magical attack to the Warlord and its allies.
< Bloody Fervor >
Your physical and defensive abilities increase with each slain creature in the battlefield.
– For every slain creature in the battlefield, your attack and defense points will increase by five.
—--
'Oh… my… Goddess!' Lux almost roared in laughter after seeing the stats of the Pseudo-Legendary Armor in his possession.
A few hours ago, he had cursed at how unreasonable Orobak's armor was. However, that same armor was now in his possession!
How could Lux not be happy with this sudden turn of events?
In truth, Lux was already very satisfied with the amazing rewards that he had received from the completion of the hidden quest. but the Blackrock Legacy Armor set was simply so amazing that he couldn't stop smiling.
—--
Nevreal and the Dwarves guarding the entrance of the Dungeon were getting anxious. There was not a single news about Lux and his friends. They had already waited several days, but they still hadn't returned.
Suddenly, a notification was heard all over the Stronghold of Norria, as well as its surrounding territories.
—--
Norria Territory Announcement: The Orc Dominion Hidden Mode has been cleared!
Six Brave Heroes have cleared the Quest of Dominion!
– Success Rate of Blacksmithing within the territory of Norria will be increased by 10% for two years!
– Success Rate of Alchemy within the territory of Norria will be increased by 10% for two years!
– Success Rate of Crafting within the territory of Norria will be increased by 10% for two years!
– All Riders of Norria will receive a temporary buff of 30% increase to attack and defense when protecting their territory for two years!
– All Village Guards and Defenders will receive a temporary buff of 30% increase to attack and defense when protecting their village for two years!
—-
The Dwarves guarding the gate felt a refreshing breeze wash over their bodies, followed by a surge of strength which made them gasp in shock.
"T-This is like a buff I received from the Oracle back in the Kingdom's Capital when I was assigned to be one of her guards!" The Guard Captain looked at his hands in surprise because it was the same feeling that he felt back then, while he guarded one of the VIP's of their Kingdom.
Nevreal was about to ask the Guard Captain if he was feeling anything else, when a flash of light appeared behind him.
All the Dwarves turned their heads to look at the Half-Elf and his friends, who appeared in the spawning area for those that had just left the Dungeon.
"Finally, we're back," Lux said as he stretched his arms. "Let's all get something to eat first."
""Okay!""
The Dwarf children happily agreed to Lux's proposal because they hadn't enjoyed any good food for the past few days due to the constant traveling they had done inside the dungeon.
"Y-You guys!" the Guard Captain pointed at Lux and his friends with a shaky finger. "What in the world did you do inside the dungeon?!
