Every single day, someone was paying the price. Doomsday had rewritten the rules of reality. And that was months ago, when people barely understood how much top-tier gear was worth. Now, after the eerie creature invasion, prices for equipment had gone insane. Artifacts weren't just valuable anymore. They were beyond price. That old auction had become a legend. The billionaire had gotten a steal. The seller had saved his mother's life with that money, however. But no one believed something like that could ever happen again. Yet right now, the possibility of earning an artifact wasn't just a fantasy. It was standing right in front of them. Fortune favors the bold. Even with death staring them down, a few players still crawled toward the Dwarves, greedy for that fat payout.A sharp crack split the air as a hammer the size of a fist hurtled from the distance and smashed into the ground between them. -80 -80 -80 Three blood-red numbers blinked above their heads. The man in front grinned, his tone cocky. "Ha! Only eighty? I can handle that—" Before the word was out of his mouth, the hammer sparked alive. Lightning flared over it like a storm tearing through the night. The next second, raw energy burst outward, swallowing every one of them. -80000 -80000 The shockwave shredded their bodies into pieces. Gear clattered across the ground like a rain of broken metal, and loot scattered everywhere."Are you kidding me? Eighty thousand in one hit?!" The rest of the players froze on the spot. None of them dared take another step. Their palms were slick with sweat. At that damage rate, anyone who got close was done for. The Dwarves were clearly not something players could handle yet. "These filthy humans," a deep voice snapped. "Always plotting something. I can't even look at them without disgust." "Thor, I told you walking through human territory was a bad idea," another grumbled. The gold-armored dwarf with the thick beard reached out, and the hammer snapped back into his hand like a loyal dog. He let out a sharp snort and gave the blue-armored dwarf beside him a look that could kill. "Cool it, Thurinn," Thor said evenly. "Humans might be disgusting, but some of them are strong. If those three strong auras hadn't vanished out of nowhere, those eerie creatures wouldn't have retreated."Since the humans scared them off, this route's obviously safer." "Then quit wasting time," Thurinn barked. "I hate being gawked at like some sideshow freak. If it weren't for the clan, I'd crush every last one of those humans myself." He swung his hammer, sparks glinting off its edge. "I didn't get named Hammer of the Northwest for nothing." Thor let out a tired breath. "Yeah, yeah, I heard you. But could you stop yelling like that? I swear the dead can hear you." "Hurry it up! I'm this close to smashing those idiots! And if you don't come up with something fast, I'll start with you!" Thor blinked in silence. If any NPCs had witnessed the massacre earlier, they would've saluted those players who got flattened. Everyone knew this about Dwarves. They weren't the strongest race. Not even close. Among the ancient races, they barely scraped the bottom.But their tempers? They were unmatched. If they could win, they'd smash you. If they couldn't, they'd still smash you. They'd hit Gnomes. They'd hit Dragons. They'd even hit Elves, no matter how breathtaking or graceful they looked. If a dwarf didn't like you, you got hammered. Simple as that. Because of that, they kept to themselves. They stayed out of sight, away from everyone else. They knew one wrong look could start another fight. And even when no outsiders were around, they still beat on each other. Brawls happened every other day. Slugfests were commonplace. Their thick skin and sturdy bones couldn't save them forever. With time, their numbers thinned. No one really knew how most ancient races disappeared from the world, but the Dwarves? They quite literally hammered themselves into oblivion. That was who they were. Even when the eerie creatures almost wiped them out, not one dwarf took a single step back. Another race might've saved a few lives, maybe built a future. The Dwarves didn't. They just kept swinging. If Aiden hadn't stepped in and taken down the two bosses first, ending the eerie creature invasion early, the Dwarves hiding deep in the forest would've been slaughtered to the last one. And those idiots still thought they could sneak up on them? That was suicide with extra steps. "Back off! Everyone, get back!" After witnessing the massacre earlier, the players finally wised up. That hammer wasn't a toy. They stumbled backward, terrified the weapon might come flying at them again at any second.