—Yes, uh… over there. Follow me.
He led them through terrain no one could have lived in, yet they kept going, driven by dwarven determination as they searched the area for demons. They clearly couldn't understand him, so now that Star was no longer with him, he tried to communicate through gestures.
If he wanted to say that way, all he had to do was move dramatically and point toward wherever he wanted them to go. Of course, the first time he did it, they thought he was cursing them and nearly killed him—but they soon understood his meaning and followed.
—Good —he said with fake confidence—. I'm sure they're somewhere around here.
The dwarves began muttering among themselves. They were not pleased. They had spent four hours walking in circles, revisiting the same places, stopping repeatedly because the demon needed to rest. And in all that time, they had found nothing. Their patience was running out.
The demonic being spoke again:
—TRAK TRAK AKT Grum-Tram! HAHAHA!
The group stopped and looked at one another. They already knew he was a demon, so if he didn't survive the mission, no one would complain. It would simply be an accident that had happened to a despicable enemy.
They agreed on one thing: the demon had to die.
—Friend? —Froggy asked when he saw them gathering.
The first attack came instantly. He had no time to react. The strike passed beside him; one centimeter to the right and it would have cut him in half.
—Wait! Wait! I'll take you to the army!
The dwarves did not understand him.
Froggy ran with all his strength, but strangely, they did not chase him. Instead, they released their chains. Then one dwarf's axe began to glow.
He already knew how this would end.
There were no options left. No way to escape.
This was the end.
—Farewell… cruel world… I won't miss you.
The weapon came down.
A massive explosion shook the place where Froggy had just stood.
[Rebooting… Rebooting… Rebooting…]
[WELCOME BACK TO THE HERO SYSTEM]
"Hero Green Froggy"
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
"You have died."
[Revive]
[Mysterious Option]
—...
Seeing it again felt different now. Like an old coworker who vanished, then came back to help at the worst possible moment.
—Feels kind of cliché. But where were you, System?
6…
—The countdown again?
2…
—You really never change…
[YOU HAVE SELECTED MYSTERIOUS OPTION]
—Let's do this.
[You obtained Old Potato.]
He reappeared directly in front of the dwarves, who stared at him in disbelief.
At that look, he smiled arrogantly.
—Miss me?
The dwarves instantly formed a defensive stance and prepared to charge.
Froggy used the moment to tear away the cloth wrapped around his weapon, revealing his rusty knife, now shining intensely.
—AHA! Look… a glowing artifact of danger. Dangerous… very dangerous.
His voice only irritated the dwarves further. Abandoning fear and now thoroughly enraged, they charged.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
"UPDATE!"
New mission in progress: Defeat the Angry Dwarves
Level: ???
Reward: ???
An axe swing came straight at him, but after judging the distance, he dropped flat to the ground, letting it pass inches overhead.
—HA! —he shouted proudly.
The second blow hit him.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
"You have died."
[Revive]
[Mysterious Option]
—Why do you always give me something when I pick the mysterious option?
[YOU HAVE SELECTED MYSTERIOUS OPTION]
"You obtained Old Potato."
—What are you now? A farmer?
He reappeared once more, but the dwarves no longer feared him. They rushed him together, putting everything they had into their attacks.
One of them, named Twar, charged with more fury than the others.
—NOW! —shouted Twar.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
[HOSTILITY TOWARD USER HAS EXCEEDED CRITICAL LEVELS]
—I KNOW THAT ALREADY! —Froggy yelled, trying to survive.
The end approached again as the dwarves attacked from every angle at once.
There was no escape.
But then his glowing knife began to shine brighter than ever before—a blinding light at maximum intensity.
Everyone covered their eyes.
Only to discover something terrifying:
They could see nothing.
The situation had escalated far beyond anything any of them expected.
The dwarves grew even angrier, deciding they would kill this demon no matter the cost.
Chaos erupted.
Froggy stood up just as blind as everyone else. While the dwarves struck each other thinking they were fighting the demon, he staggered forward and crashed into one of them.
The dwarf stomped on his foot.
—AHHH! Watch where you're walking!
—HE'S HERE! —Twar shouted.
Something sharp struck him.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
"You have died."
[Revive]
[Mysterious Option]
As always, he selected the mysterious option.
[You selected Mysterious Option]
"You obtained Old Potato"
[You have reached the maximum number of free daily Mysterious Options]
[Try again tomorrow]
—Now you're pay-to-win? You've sunk low, System...
And the fight continued, leaving every dwarf bruised and battered, along with the being they believed was demonic, sprawled on the burning ground just as exhausted as they were.
None of them could get back up.
Every part of their bodies ached from the battle.
It was an open field of red, steaming earth, with around twelve dwarves and one man in underwear lying across the ground, weapons and armor scattered everywhere—as if some great war had just taken place.
Froggy sighed.
—I really missed you.
The System did not reply.
Far away, however, something else awoke from an eons-long slumber.
It had sensed something unusual in its territory:
A transported soul.
A hero.
The ancient being opened its eyes—solar abysses brighter than any star.
The primordial creature. Guardian of lava. Master of true flame.
The Absolute Lava Lizard had noticed that glow...
That hero...
It had to eliminate him.
The entire dungeon trembled under its presence.
It had awakened.