Chapter 170: The Haflings Problem

The thing about the Halflings was that the Red Scripture talked about them extensively. According to Luthor’s records, Halflings were essentially tiny humans, standing around three to four meters tall at their greatest, although their physical appearance was otherwise far closer to humans than most of the beast races Ka’z had encountered.

Unlike the Dwarves, however, the Halflings had devoted almost their entire civilization to the study and development of magic. They possessed an extraordinary natural affinity for it, and according to Luthor, it was nearly impossible to find a Halfling who could not access magic in some form. Their magical talent was so widespread that Luthor had described them as perhaps the race most genuinely blessed by the heavens.

That, however, was not what concerned Ka’z.

The problem is that they are complete simps for humans. The forces of the Kingdom of Lanthor enter the Evergreen Forest from the north, which is Halfling territory.

According to the Red Scripture, the Halflings practically see humans as Gods. It literally says they pray to them and offer sacrifices to them. They don’t just worship them either, they give them safe passage through the northern region and even collect information for them. And in return, the Kingdom of Lanthor has forbidden its soldiers from taking any aggressive or unfriendly action against the Halflings. Their relationship is what gives Lanthor effortless passage through the Evergreen Forest.

Ka’z’s fingers slowly tightened around his knee. That was the part that bothered him most. The humans weren’t conquering the northern region. They had already found a race willing to open the door for them.

"Before I read the Red Scripture, I always believed my days of going on expeditions were over," Ka’z said, his voice becoming colder. "But right now, if I’m ever going to mobilize soldiers for war, it will be to attack the north and wipe out the Halflings. They are traitors to all of Evergreen Forest."

Kong’gong chuckled softly and shook his head.

"Halflings will wipe us out in hours if we went to war with them as we are now."

Ka’z’s eyes widened.

For several seconds, he simply stared at his teacher, trying to determine whether Kong’gong was exaggerating. "You are joking, right?" he muttered.

"Kid, do I look like I’m joking?" Kong’gong raised a brow. "Or did that scripture of yours not explain how powerful they are?"

"It did, but..." Ka’z’s voice trailed off.

"Then it clearly did not do the Halflings justice," Kong’gong interrupted. He snapped his fingers lightly and leaned back against the stone wall. "Then let me paint you a clearer picture of how powerful they are."

Ka’z’s irritation immediately faded, replaced by curiosity. He knew Kong’gong had lived beyond the colony and had encountered races that existed far outside their limited understanding of the world. If the old kobold believed the Red Scripture had underestimated the Halflings, then Ka’z needed to listen.

"How strong do you think the guardian magic beasts at the top of the regional hills are?" Kong’gong asked.

Ka’z raised a brow, clearly not expecting the question. "You said they were Gold Realm beasts with better bloodlines, so they are much stronger than us."

Kong’gong nodded while picking up his cup and taking another slow sip of wine. "Exactly. Now understand this. Humans are extremely dangerous, but just like us, they have far fewer magus among them than there are magical beasts. Most human magus struggle to reach the Silver Core compared to beasts like us, who can reach the Silver Core far more naturally. The Gold Core is a dream that only a handful of humans attain, and many of those who do require unusual methods, rare resources or extraordinary circumstances to develop their talents."

Ka’z listened carefully.

"That is why humans struggle against the guardian beasts occupying each region," Kong’gong continued. "A Gold Core human cannot simply defeat a Gold Core magic beast just because both have reached the same realm."

Ka’z’s expression shifted. The comparison immediately made sense.

It also reinforced something he had discovered while studying Luthor’s writing. Human magic was highly structured. Their understanding of magic was built around Words of Power, runes, magical tools, preparation and increasingly sophisticated applications.

They had created an entire civilization around the idea of understanding and controlling magic through knowledge. But Luthor had questioned whether that path was actually making them stronger.

The more Ka’z thought about it, the more the Red Scripture’s teachings began connecting together.

Tier Zero magic is basic manipulation of an element. The simplest spells that Ka’z had been using instinctively since awakening his powers.

Luthor had argued that the constant use of basic magic was one of the reasons magical beasts could develop such terrifying elemental power. Their spells might appear primitive compared to the sophisticated techniques developed by human magus, but they were not necessarily weak. A magical beast could spend decades refining the same fundamental manipulation of an element until the spell became so powerful and efficient that it could rival, or even surpass, higher tier magic.

The longer the creature lived and practiced, the deeper its understanding of its element became.

Ka’z suddenly remembered Luthor’s criticism of humanity’s approach to magic. Humans had become obsessed with understanding magic through what they considered a scientific lens, constantly searching for formulas, structures and increasingly complex methods of manipulating their elements. Yet according to Luthor, that obsession could eventually become the very thing that destroyed magic within the human race.

"Our obsession with understanding magic through a scientific lens will be the reason for the death of magic within the human race."

The memory settled heavily in Ka’z’s mind.

Kong’gong continued speaking, unaware of the exact thoughts running through his student’s mind. "These guardian beasts do not bother us because they understand that we are part of the ecosystem of the Evergreen Forest. They know our colony belongs here. We have lived within this forest for generations, and as long as we do not disrupt the balance, they have no reason to waste their strength exterminating us."

He paused and took another sip.

"Humans are different."

Ka’z’s expression became serious.

"These guardians understand how dangerous humans are. Humans don’t simply enter a region and live alongside everything already there. They explore, expand, harvest resources and eventually try to claim territory. That’s why the guardians take it upon themselves to eradicate human forces whenever they notice them entering their regions."

Kong’gong’s voice became quieter as he recalled something from the past.

"That’s how our Vaal’kor colony survived the human raid that cost us fifty percent of our population. The guardian beast of our region eventually intervened. Without it, my generation would probably have been wiped out entirely."

Ka’z’s eyes narrowed as the implications became clearer.

"But that leaves us with the most important question of them all." Kong’gong leaned slightly forward. "Shouldn’t the guardian beast of the northern region be stopping human encroachment?"

Ka’z slowly nodded. The question had already entered his mind.

If the guardians were so hostile toward human expansion, then why had Lanthor been able to establish such an easy route through the north?

Why were humans able to enter the forest without immediately being attacked?

Why were the Halflings allowed to facilitate their movements?

"So why isn’t it stopping the human encroachment?" Ka’z couldn’t help but ask.

Kong’gong’s expression hardened.

"Because the guardian beast of the north is dead. It was killed by the Halflings of that region after it stood against the first attempted encroachment of human expedition forces."

Buzz!

Ka’z shot to his feet so abruptly that his cup nearly toppled over. His eyes widened, and the effects of the wine seemed to vanish from his expression completely. He stared at Kong’gong as though he had just heard something that fundamentally changed everything he believed about the northern region.

"What?!"