Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory
Chapter 373: Dwarves?

Chapter 373: Dwarves?

"That... that’s it! What the hell is going on? Why is there such a terrifying energy coming off you?! This is insane..." Emily clutched her chest, heart pounding like crazy, her face pale as a sheet. She stammered, clearly shaken.

"That’s Tier energy," Ethan said calmly, shaking his head. Then he casually reached out and touched her forehead. A soft hum resonated as he released another wave of power. Instantly, the fear and the primal tremor running through her blood vanished, replaced by a strange calm.

"Tier energy?" Emily blinked, staring at him in disbelief. "You mean... like from the Hero Unit? The hero Tier?"

"Yeah," Ethan nodded.

"But... but even a purple Epic hero isn’t that intense! For a second there, I seriously thought I was gonna die! And I’m a purple Epic too—how can there be such a huge gap between us?!" Emily’s voice rose in disbelief.

"Who told you I was a purple Epic?" Ethan replied with a half-smile, half-smirk.

"What else could you be? Don’t tell me you’re actually an orange Legendary or something—"

Emily rolled her eyes, thinking he was just messing with her. But before she could even finish her sentence, she caught the look on Ethan’s face—that smug, knowing smile—and suddenly froze.

Gulp.

She swallowed hard.

Her eyes locked onto Ethan’s, widening in shock.

She stared at him like he’d just grown a second head.

Frozen in place like a statue.

BANG!

"Bro... y-you... don’t tell me... you’re actually an orange Legendary hero now?!" she finally blurted out, grabbing his arm like her life depended on it, eyes locked on his face, stammering uncontrollably.

"What do you think?" Ethan chuckled, then nodded. "Yeah. I’m an orange Legendary now. And not just that—I’m SSS-rank."

"SSS-rank... orange Legendary?!"

Hissss! "Oh my god..."

Emily’s pupils shrank to pinpricks as she sucked in a sharp breath.

She was so stunned she couldn’t even form words.

It felt like a herd of wild buffalo had just trampled through her brain.

Total chaos.

SSS-rank orange Legendary?

What even was that supposed to mean?!

Okay, maybe she’d never seen one in person, but she’d at least heard of them.

As far as she knew, out of the billions of people on Earth, the highest known Hero Unit Tier was SSS-rank purple Epic. And even those were so rare that North America didn’t have a single one yet.

But now?

Now her own brother, Ethan, was telling her he’d already become an orange Legendary hero—

And not just any orange Legendary, but the highest possible level: SSS-rank.

It hit her like a freight train.

Her entire worldview felt like it was cracking apart.

"This has to be a dream..."

"You’re serious?!" Emily stared at him, completely overwhelmed, her brain short-circuiting.

"You think I’m joking?" Ethan rolled his eyes. "Wanna feel it again?"

"No no no no—!"

"I’m good!"

Emily jumped back like a cat whose tail just got stepped on, practically leaping eight feet away. She stared at him, eyes wide with lingering fear, shaking her head and waving her hands like crazy. It was like every cell in her body was screaming "hell no."

"Alright, alright, I’m just messing with you," Ethan laughed, flopping lazily onto the couch and stretching out with a yawn. "Enough about me. What about you? How’ve things been on your end? Did you find the Solenya Kingdom yet?"

"I did find it... but it wasn’t nearly as great as we thought," Emily said, shaking her head.

"What do you mean?" Ethan paused, curiosity piqued.

"With Aeliana’s help, I managed to locate the ruins of the Solenya Kingdom... but it looked like someone had already cleaned the place out long before I got there. Aside from a few abandoned Creature Dwellings, there was basically nothing left." Emily sighed, clearly disappointed.

"So it was a wasted trip?"

"Pretty much... though I did find this weird-looking key. It might lead to something, but honestly, I could just be overthinking it. It didn’t trigger any quests or anything." She shrugged.

"Hey, don’t get discouraged. If it didn’t work out this time, there’s always next time. I’ve always got your back," Ethan said softly.

"It’s not like I’m that upset, really. And to be honest, I don’t regret the trip at all. Actually, I think I gained a lot from it. I saw things, experienced things... and I think I understand a bit more now." Emily smiled, her tone calm and reflective.

"I can tell..." Ethan smiled back, a flicker of pride and emotion flashing in his eyes.

Truth be told, in the past, Emily had always seemed like she was trying too hard to act grown-up—putting on a mature front that didn’t quite fit. There was always a bit of awkwardness, a kind of youthful clumsiness that made it feel like she was playing a role.

But now, just from a few minutes of conversation, he could feel something different.

There was a quiet strength in her now. A sense of maturity and restraint that hadn’t been there before.

This girl...

She really was growing up.

"So where are you in-game now? Still in Kazmordûn? Or did you make it back to Argentum Citadel? It’s been a while—you should’ve returned by now, right?" Ethan asked.

But as soon as he said that, Emily gave a wry smile and shook her head. "I wish. But I don’t think I’ll be able to go back anytime soon. Ever since the faction wars broke out, Argentum Citadel shut down all its teleportation gates. I’ve been stuck in Kazmordûn ever since."

"But it’s not too bad here. It’s actually pretty safe. Sure, there are occasional raids from the Inferno and Dungeon factions, but they’re usually just small squads. And as long as they don’t find the underground entrance, they’re basically just headless chickens—no real threat."

"Underground entrance? You mean like a Dungeon portal?" Ethan asked, confused.

"Dungeon? No, not that," Emily shook her head. "I’m talking about the Dwarves’ home—Undercitadel. A few months ago, when I tried to leave, I got ambushed by an Infernal Legion patrol. I would’ve been toast if a group of Dwarves hadn’t shown up and saved me. They even invited me to take shelter in their city. That’s where I’ve been staying—Wintergrasp Hold, one of the eight Undercitadels in Kazmordûn."

"Dwarves?" Ethan blinked, surprised. He hadn’t expected Emily to end up crossing paths with the actual rulers of Kazmordûn—the Dwarves themselves.

In the world of Glory Lords X, the Dwarves were no joke. They were one of the official faction powers. Sure, they were considered one of the weaker factions—definitely not on the same level as Tidesworn or Fortress—but still, a faction was a faction.

And in this game, no one underestimated a faction.

The Dwarves were a coalition of scattered clans that had banded together into a formidable force.

They worshipped the Fire Dragon, Arkath.

They were the old friends of flame.

These devout followers of the Flame Dragon God built their sanctuaries deep near magma chambers, where they prayed in lava-lit halls with unwavering faith.

In return, they were gifted with the secrets of forging, the mysteries of the furnace, and the sacred knowledge of flame runes. Their mastery of fire runes even surpassed that of the Tower faction’s archmages.

And because of their deep affinity for fire, the Dwarves built their homes and castles close to volcanoes and magma flows—sometimes directly beneath them.

Their cities were like massive underground hives, carved into the stone and glowing with the heat of the earth itself.

...