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Jimmy's words left Thorin deeply troubled.
Smaug was dead; the greatest deterrent guarding the Lonely Mountain was gone.
Compared to the colossal dragon, the world believed that dwarves who killed Smaug would be far easier to deal with.
And when the ravens flew back to the Lonely Mountain, everything had already begun.
The greedy would not sit still.
They were already moving.
...
Yes, not only had the greedy begun to act, the truly sinister forces had begun to stir as well.
The first to mobilize were the Orc expeditionary forces.
Their vanguard was already close to reaching Lake-town.
As for their purpose, it was simple.
Slaughter.
Not just Lake-town if they passed an anthill, they would probably scald it with boiling water for sport.
Could Lake-town survive this?
...
Gandalf, rescued from the cage where he had been hung, mounted his horse and rode straight for the Lonely Mountain.
He had to warn them.
Meanwhile, the Wood Elves rejoiced when they learned that the ravens had returned.
Ravens returning meant one thing.
Smaug was dead.
If Smaug were dead, then the promise could be fulfilled.
But then another thought surfaced.
In such a short time, the dwarves couldn't have gathered a true army.
That meant Smaug had been killed by chance.
If that was the case...
Did they really need to honor the promise?
And what about the white gemstone necklace?
That had belonged to the king's wife.
Why should the dwarves demand payment twice?
And there was also Thranduil's irritation.
Thorin's dismissive, prideful attitude had left a bitter taste.
Only thirteen dwarves remained, yet he still acted so high and mighty.
What arrogance did he have left?
He was standing before the King of the Wood Elves.
"Mobilize the troops. We march to the Lonely Mountain."
"We will fulfill the promise made long ago."
"Father, aren't we supposed to support the dwarves of the Lonely Mountain? Why does this sound like—"
Legolas stepped forward, trying to stop him.
"Legolas."
Thranduil's voice was cold.
"Only the victor has the right to speak of mercy."
"With only a handful of dwarves, even if Thorin calls himself King Under the Mountain, he cannot protect that wealth."
"If we do nothing, someone else will deal with them for us."
Thranduil turned, mounted his horse, and rode toward the Lonely Mountain.
...
In Lake-town, the greedy Master was already arming the townsfolk.
He planned to form a suicide scouting force to investigate the situation at the Lonely Mountain.
Smaug was dead.
Many townspeople had witnessed it themselves.
A massive flash of lightning split the sky.
Smaug tumbled from the heavens and never took flight again.
This was divine punishment.
Rumors spread quickly.
The dwarves had hollowed out the Lonely Mountain to store gold and gemstones.
The treasure inside was said to be immeasurable.
If they could not claim a share openly, stealing a little would still count.
Besides, not many dwarves had gone up the mountain.
Perhaps Smaug had already killed them all.
Ownerless treasure belonged to whoever picked it up.
Perfectly reasonable.
Thus, the Master of Lake-town began assembling an armed group.
The commander chosen was Alfrid of Lake-town.
Truthfully, the Master had wanted Bard.
It was said that Bard's ancestor had once pierced a dragon scale with a black arrow.
Whether that legend was true or not, Bard's archery skills were undeniable.
Unfortunately, Bard refused outright.
The Master even threw him into prison, but still failed to make him agree.
With no other choice, the Master sent Alfrid instead.
Still, he issued one clear order.
If things went badly, return immediately.
Lake-town still needed Alfrid as an aide.
Alfrid was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes.
"If this succeeds, when I return, I'll make you my deputy."
That was what Alfrid thought to himself.
...
At the Lonely Mountain, Thorin and the others had spent days preparing.
With Jimmy's help, the main gate was sealed completely.
Only a single watchtower above remained usable; entry and exit would rely on ropes.
The mountains of gold inside were left untouched.
Forges were reignited.
Stored provisions were uncovered.
And according to dwarven custom, the fallen were laid to rest.
Once everything was prepared, Thorin personally led the others to forge Jimmy's weapons.
The saber and Blade were reforged using Smaug's dragon bones.
The result was striking.
Their weight increased by more than double; their sharpness and durability rose to an entirely new level.
Naturally, the tracking devices hidden inside were also dismantled.
Jimmy…
...
After inspecting the two blades, Jimmy opened his attribute panel.
The changes were significant.
[Name: Jimmy Halstead]
[Level: 9 (22%)]
[Age: 1]
[Abilities: Accelerated Healing, Feral Senses, Enhanced Smell, Advanced Hand to Hand Combat, Bladed and Clawed Weapon Mastery]
[Equipment: Memory Imprinted(Bound) Adamantium Alloy]
[Strength: 50]
[Agility: 55]
[Mental: 35]
[Available Points: 0]
[Martial Skills: silat]
...
Clang!
Jimmy clenched his fist.
Three claw blades snapped out instantly.
Indeed, the gleaming wolf claws seemed to carry faint red mist flowing along their surface, almost seductive in their intensity.
At the tips, barely visible electric arcs flickered from time to time.
So even this could evolve.
At the same time, it proved one thing.
The gap between him and an adult Logan was still enormous.
Logan had not eaten nearly as much as he had.
Then again, Logan had eaten a nuclear explosion… and taken a full-force Dark Phoenix disintegration blast.
"Sigh. A long road ahead."
Jimmy tossed an elven biscuit into his mouth.
Compared to nuclear bombs and cosmic incineration, he still preferred elven bread and Smaug meat.
Meat and vegetables, perfectly balanced.
Not bad at all.
Still… this whole thing felt a little unreal.
Jimmy took out the "brain stone" he had dug from Smaug's skull.
It was scorching hot.
Its color resembled that of a red crystal, as if molten lava flowed endlessly within.
...
"Jimmy. You're looking at that again. You, you, you…"
Baggins froze in shock when he saw the wolf's claws for the first time.
"What. This?"
Jimmy glanced down.
"Skin-changers can turn into bears. Eagles can speak. I killed Smaug."
"So it's only natural that I'm a little different."
"And you saw it yourself."
"Even Smaug's bones can be forged into blades like steel. You can't seriously think my strength comes from eating more than others."
Jimmy retracted his claws and smiled.
"Oh, sorry."
"I've lived in Bag End my whole life. My perspective is… limited."
"Heh. That's understandable."
"I'm just unusually special."
Jimmy smiled.
This place could still explain things.
If he popped these claws out in Marvel, people would chase him across the planet.
Even the Hulk was hunted relentlessly.
The old popsicle had vials of blood sitting in laboratories.
Tony even had a suit of armor in the hands of a military officer named James Rhodes.
They called it a private gift, but in reality, it was a compromise.
Without an external threat capable of wiping out humanity, internal conflict always turned brutal.
In a world where people could split into ninety-seven genders and fight over it…
If you extended wolf claws into public view…
The shadow of war was not the only thing looming.
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