The Villian Who Broke The Story

It was a normal morning in these damned lands of tall beings.

Everywhere I looked, there were humans, elves, and beastkin walking around as if they owned the place. They strutted through the academy with those ridiculously long legs of theirs, using weapons and equipment forged by dwarven hands while acting as though they were superior simply because they happened to be taller.

It was irritating.

No...

It was infuriating.

I had spent most of my morning inside the academy’s smithy, but staying there all day had become unbearably boring. For the past few days, the entire academy had been unusually lively. Students were constantly rushing from one place to another, and loud cheers echoed through the grounds every now and then.

Curiosity eventually got the better of me.

As an honourable Royal Dwarf, it was my duty to investigate whatever nonsense these tall beings were up to.

Like Father always said...

”Do not trust the Tall.”

I muttered those familiar words beneath my breath as I walked through the academy with my trusty mallet resting comfortably on my shoulder.

The closer I got to the stadium, the more crowded the surroundings became. Students streamed in and out of the enormous structure, chatting excitedly among themselves.

As I walked past them, several pairs of eyes landed on me.

I noticed it immediately.

Their gazes weren’t directed at my weapon.

Nor were they looking at my clothes.

They were staring at my beard.

A satisfied grin spread across my face.

Of course they were.

These magnificent beards were a blessing.

A symbol of my royal bloodline.

Proof that I was the next King of the Dwarves.

Any sensible person would admire them.

I proudly stroked my beard before lifting my chin slightly.

”These tall bastards should admire my beard more,” I thought to myself with complete satisfaction.

Then—

Bump!

Someone slammed into my shoulder hard enough to knock me off balance.

I stumbled backwards before falling onto the ground.

For a brief moment, I simply stared ahead.

Then slowly...

Very slowly...

I stood back up.

Dusting my clothes, I turned towards the culprit.

A tall human.

Much taller than the average one.

The irritating part wasn’t that he had bumped into me.

It was the fact that he didn’t even bother looking back.

No apology.

No acknowledgement.

He simply continued walking as though nothing had happened.

A vein bulged on my forehead.

Like Father always said...

”The taller they are... the more deceitful they are.”

My fingers instinctively tightened around the handle of my mallet.

This tall idiot clearly needed someone to teach him proper manners.

With that thought, I charged after him.

He still hadn’t noticed me.

Pathetic.

I leapt into the air, raising my mallet above my head.

”This will teach you some manners!”

BONK!

The mallet landed squarely on top of his head.

The human froze.

His eyes rolled backwards.

Then his body collapsed face-first onto the ground.

Thud.

I stared down at him with folded arms.

”Damn tall idiot,” I muttered.

Honestly...

How were these people so fragile?

”All these tall doofuses always getting knocked out after a single strike to the head.”

”Pathetic.”

I clicked my tongue in disappointment.

I had expected at least a little resistance.

Instead, he had collapsed after just one hit.

What a weakling.

Just as I was about to continue on my way, something strange caught my attention.

I glanced down at the badge hanging from my waist.

”Hm?”

The number engraved on it had changed.

Before, it had read 303.

Now...

It displayed 4.

I blinked twice.

”...I wonder what that’s all about.”

I scratched my beard thoughtfully.

Was it broken?

Or had one of these tall people tampered with it?

Before I could inspect it any further, voices erupted from nearby.

”Did he just beat Rank Four with a single strike?”

”Don’t tell me he’s a first year too!”

My ears twitched.

Rank Four?

I slowly lifted my head.

So...

That tall idiot was apparently important.

Interesting.

I immediately sharpened my gaze, searching for whoever had spoken.

But before I could find them—

A strange sensation crept over my back.

Someone...

Someone was standing behind me.

Too close.

I hadn’t heard any footsteps.

I hadn’t sensed anyone approaching.

For someone to sneak up behind a Royal Dwarf...

Impossible.

Without thinking, I spun around.

My mallet whistled through the air as I swung with all my strength.

Only—

...It stopped.

Completely.

I blinked.

My eyes slowly travelled upward.

A single finger.

Someone had stopped my full-powered swing...

With one finger.

My gaze continued climbing until it met the face of an annoyingly tall woman.

She looked down at me with an amused smile that instantly irritated me.

I pulled on my mallet.

Nothing happened.

I pulled harder.

Still nothing.

She wasn’t even using both hands.

She simply held the head of my weapon with her arm as though it weighed nothing.

For the first time that day...

I felt something dangerously close to caution.

I tightened both hands around my mallet and pulled with all my strength.

Nothing.

Not even the slightest movement.

The annoyingly tall woman continued holding my weapon between two fingers as though she was absentmindedly playing with it. Her amused smile never left her face, and somehow, that irritated me even more than the fact that she had effortlessly stopped my attack.

”This is an interesting development,” she said, tilting her head slightly as though she had just discovered a rare mineral. ”I didn’t expect you to knock out the first year’s Rank Four this easily.”

Her gaze slowly swept across my body before settling on my beard.

”You seem to be quite special... maybe royalty?”

I narrowed my eyes.

How did she know?

Only a handful of people inside this academy should have known anything about me.

”Who are you?” I asked warily, refusing to let my guard down.

Instead of answering, she simply continued smiling.

She seemed to know far too much, and that alone was enough to make me uncomfortable.

”This woman is annoying,” I thought as I tried pulling my mallet once more.

It still refused to budge.

Then she suddenly asked a single question.

”Does Bragg know that you’re here?”

My body froze.

The moment that name left her lips, every thought in my head disappeared.

She watched my reaction carefully before nodding to herself.

”From your expression,” she said calmly, ”I can see that he has no idea what is going on here.”

She slowly released my mallet, finally allowing me to pull it back.

”And you’re about to interrupt a very important event for the academy.”

She folded her arms.

”If this ever reaches his ears...”

”...he’ll definitely be angry at you.”

She looked directly into my eyes.

”I wonder what he’ll do to you.”

I subconsciously tightened my grip around my weapon clicking my tongue.

”What do you want, you damn tall fiend?” I spat.

The woman smiled wider.

”Now we’re getting somewhere.”

She dusted off her clothes before speaking as though everything had already been decided.

”You can refer to me as Miss Stella what is your name youngling.”

”My name doesn’t matter,” I replied flatly.

She ignored me completely.

”Any way you’re going to be participating in the tournament...”

”...in the place of the student you just knocked out.”

For a moment...

I simply stared at her.

Then I shook my head so hard my beard swayed from side to side.

”No.”

”You can’t expect me to participate and fight for the amusement of those tall fiends.”

”I refuse.”

Miss Stella didn’t argue.

She merely shrugged.

”Well...”

”I guess you wouldn’t mind if I went to have a little conversation with Bragg.”

She turned around as though she genuinely intended to leave.

My face immediately changed.

”O-Okay, wait!”

She stopped walking but didn’t turn around.

I clenched my teeth.

”I’ll participate.”

”But if I kill anyone...”

”...don’t blame me.”

I glared at her as I spoke.

After all, she was the one forcing me into this ridiculous event.

If one of these tall idiots couldn’t withstand a proper hit, that certainly wasn’t my fault.

A faint smirk appeared on her face.

”There’s a student of mine...”

”I want you to try your very best to kill him.”

She spoke so casually that I wondered if I had heard her correctly.

”That is...”

”...if you can.”

Her voice carried complete confidence.

”As for holding back...”

”Don’t.”

”For your own good.”

She resumed walking.

This time I hurriedly called after her.

”And who exactly is this student of yours?”

She didn’t stop.

Nor did she bother looking back.

”You’ll know...”

”...when you fight him.”

Those were the last words she said before disappearing into the crowd, leaving me standing there alone with far more questions than answers.

I frowned.

”A student she wants me to kill?”

Still...

A slow grin spread across my face.

Perhaps this tournament wouldn’t be as boring as I had first thought.

That was how I ended up participating in this ridiculous tournament.

I had no interest in fighting for the entertainment of these tall fiends, but since I had already given my word—and more importantly, because I didn’t want Bragg finding out about this little incident—I decided to see it through.

My first opponent was an elf.

The moment I stepped into the arena, he looked down at me.

That alone was enough to annoy me.

”You damn long ears!” I barked, pointing my mallet at him. ”Always looking down on people because you’re taller! Do you think you’re better than me just because you’re tall?”

Before I could charge him, a barrier appeared between us.

The referee glared at me.

”The battle hasn’t begun yet. Calm yourself.”

I slowly turned my head towards him.

”...Are you telling me what to do?”

The referee blinked.

”...Just because you’re taller than me?”

I tightened my grip on my mallet and took a step toward him.

The referee immediately brought his hand down.

”The battle begins!”

The barrier vanished.

The coward disappeared from the arena almost instantly.

”Hey! Come back here, you tall coward!” I shouted, looking around for him. ”Where do you think you’re going?!”

Since he had already run away, I turned my attention back to the elf.

He looked strangely calm.

Almost as if he had realized something.

”Now it’s a crazy dwarf that has his attention on me...”

That was probably what he was thinking.

Good.

He should be afraid.

Without wasting another second, he raised his wand.

”Ice Spikes!”

Dozens of sharp icicles shot toward me.

I swung my mallet.

BOOM!

Every single spike shattered before reaching me.

I bent my knees before launching myself into the air, raising my mallet high above my head.

The elf reacted quickly.

Mana gathered around the tip of his wand before a concentrated spell shot directly toward my weapon.

The impact knocked the mallet clean out of my hands.

It flew across the arena before crashing onto the ground several metres away.

I landed without my weapon.

The elf smiled.

”Take that, you barba—”

He never got to finish.

I closed the distance in a single burst of speed.

My fist slammed directly into his face.

BAM!

His head snapped backwards.

Before he could even fall, I grabbed him by the hair.

”You’re not done yet!”

I yanked him back before smashing his face straight into the arena floor.

BOOM!

The stone beneath him cracked.

Then...

I started punching.

Right hook.

Left hook.

Straight punch.

Again.

And again.

And again.

The elf couldn’t even scream anymore.

Only when a barrier appeared between us did I finally stop.

”The battle is over!”

”The winner is Hulk!”

The referee’s voice echoed across the stadium.

Silence.

Complete silence.

The audience stared at the battered elf lying motionless on the ground.

I turned toward the referee.

”You interrupted me.”

He immediately waved his hand.

Before I could say anything else...

The world around me distorted.

Space twisted.

In the next instant, I found myself inside the waiting room.

”...Hmph.”

I rested my mallet against my shoulder.

Not long afterward, they called my next match.

I stepped back into the arena.

The moment I saw my opponent...

Recognition flashed across my face.

”...You.”

It was that same tall human from the blacksmith shop.

The one who had come asking for a free sword.

The same annoying tall idiot who kept talking back.

He pointed straight at me.

”Hey! You’re that dwarf that almost beat me up for nothing when I came to collect a free sword.”

My eyebrow twitched.

My grip tightened around my mallet.

”Don’t let me get my hands on you, you tall bastard!” I roared.

”How dare you point at me! Is it because you’re tall?”

”I’m going to knock some sense into you!”

The referee didn’t even wait for another argument.

”And the battle begins!”

The human vanished from where he had been standing.

Without hesitation, I swung my mallet at the spot where he had stood.

BOOOOM!!

The arena floor exploded beneath the impact.