Chapter 161
Chapter 161
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 161
Chapter Title: The Offensive Begins
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Attack!”
“Kill all those Ollmu bastards!”
The Ollmu habitat—particularly the large one housing hundreds of them—was a place feared by all underground creatures.
No being in this subterranean world possessed the strength to stand against hundreds of Ollmu.
With even more Ollmu gathering here to fight humans, their numbers had now doubled from the usual, making it even more so.
Even for the Ollmu, who ruled this underground like kings, the tunnels were dangerous spaces where death could strike at any moment. But at least inside their habitat, they believed they had an absolute safe zone.
A conviction that no one could invade this place.
But right now, the Ollmu here were in panic.
Humans were supposed to be wild animals that ambushed them in dark alleys, not opponents for full-scale war.
It was like a city under siege by a wolf pack, if you compared it to humans.
But unlike wolves that couldn’t breach walls, human fangs reached the Ollmu just fine.
Thanks to one mighty human at the vanguard overwhelming them with sheer power and momentum.
The mighty human, Arsen, bellowed.
“Co-me—on—!”
Almost no one heard it.
The roar from the drill on the spear gripped in his right hand devoured all other sounds.
Even to human ears, the noise was excessively loud; to the sharp-eared Ollmu, it was pure sonic violence.
The term “sound bomb” wasn’t an exaggeration.
“Fire in sequence!”
“They’re all broken!”
“Why!”
“They exploded!”
A few rational Ollmu tried to find some way to counterattack, but their powerful weapons had already been neutralized.
The arrow launchers installed in this habitat had lost their function.
Anun had borrowed explosive javelins from Arsen, ridden his winged bird, and bombed the arrow launchers.
The precision machinery couldn’t withstand the javelin blasts, so the Ollmu, caught off-guard during rest, had to face the humans with personal arms after abandoning their heavy weapons.
And the result, as could be seen now, was a one-sided massacre.
“They’re fleeing!”
“The monster... we can’t win!”
Arsen was truly like a wolf charging into a flock of sheep, slaughtering the enemy.
Before the terrifying roar, the Ollmu dropped their weapons and clutched their ears; naturally, they couldn’t withstand Arsen’s attacks in that state.
It was no different from slicing through scarecrows standing in place—hardly real opponents.
The Ollmu couldn’t even dream of resisting the horrifying weapon they faced for the first time in their lives.
“Whew.”
Arsen, mounted on his black lion, was covered head to toe in the Ollmu’s sticky blood, making it hard to discern his original color.
If the Ollmu had fairy tales, Arsen’s existence would live on in them for the next thousand years—as the monster that burst from the darkness with a roar to drag away naughty young Ollmu.
“Uwaaak!”
Turning tail to flee from Arsen wasn’t a wise choice either. Most such fools fell to the mages’ spells.
After learning that fire or lightning spells were dangerous underground, the mages had devised and shared side-effect-free attack spells.
Fire and lightning were just the most efficient; there were plenty of ways to strike enemies with physical impact spells, ice, plant summons, and more.
The Ollmu dying shrouded in unidentified black mist proved it.
As he prepared to charge and scatter the regrouping Ollmu, someone blocked Arsen.
“Come at me, you monster!”
“I’m here! Look at me!”
Shouting fiercely, two brave Ollmu heroes blocked Arsen’s path. Larger in build and far better armed, they were elite Ollmu heroes.
These ambush-loving types targeted Arsen because he wielded more influence than dozens of mages combined.
With regular warriors unable to stop him, their lines were collapsing without formation.
“Draw its attention!”
“We can’t hold long!”
These words weren’t from Arsen. Shockingly, they came from the hulking Ollmu before him.
They were remarkably strong, and unlike regular soldier castes, they could speak human-like naturally.
“Oooo!”
Roaring, the two Ollmu heroes charged with dual blades.
Their ape-like faces twisted hideously in rage.
Seeing the incoming attacks, Arsen inwardly admired.
‘Impressive.’
Their twin blades were sharp.
Stance and timing both top-class, bolstered by superior physical prowess—most knights wouldn’t last a few exchanges before losing their heads.
As Anun had said, Ollmu heroes far surpassed average human knights.
But Arsen wasn’t some average knight. He was a high knight who could toy with several ordinaries, owner of mighty relics besides.
“Uooooh!”
As if to build momentum, the opponent unleashed a guttural roar, squeezing out primal strength.
With it came slashing blades.
Arsen thrust his spear to parry precisely; metal screamed horrifically.
‘It holds?’
Surprisingly, the opponent’s blade withstood the drill.
The crimson-edged sword wailed in agony but didn’t break.
Considering how normal weapons shattered instantly on contact, this was tremendous durability.
Feeling the rare tingle of clashing arms, Arsen grinned ferociously.
Matching weapons didn’t mean victory for the foe. It just turned a one-sided slaughter into a fight.
The fierce exchange followed.
Power and speed favored Arsen, but the opponent had support. Whenever in peril, the other Ollmu hero behind fired a crossbow to harass.
Regrettably, the intense bout didn’t last long.
Arsen’s specialty granted abnormal thought speed; projectiles were futile against him, rendering ranged checks meaningless.
Thus, the dual-blade hero fought essentially one-on-one.
After about six clashes, a sharp “clang” rang out—two blade tips flew through the air.
Seeing the midsection gone from its blades, the facing Ollmu wore a hollow expression.
“No...”
Hard to read despite the inhuman face, but Arsen sensed the shock. It couldn’t have imagined its blades breaking.
Confirming in slowed vision, Arsen thrust.
“Kraaah!”
Incredibly, even unarmed, it crossed its arms to block and lunged. Admirable spirit, even if pointless.
The spinning drill crushed arms, thick chest muscles, ribs. Resisting with flesh and bone was like twigs fencing an avalanche—futile.
Finally, the fangs pierced deep, shredding the heart mercilessly.
“Guhk...”
Pulling the spear from the chest that couldn’t even scream, blood sprayed everywhere like a burst water balloon.
Shockingly, the fierce clash took less than twenty seconds.
As it had said, it couldn’t hold long.
“Katu—!”
The rear one shrieked, aiming a massive crossbow loaded with a bolt rivaling a javelin.
Targeting Arsen squarely, the Ollmu yelled.
“Die, monster spawn!”
But arrows that failed with a frontliner wouldn’t work now.
Arsen swung his spear upward to deflect; the bolt exploded on impact.
Admitting ranged weapons were useless, the Ollmu hero drew its waist sword—but victory was impossible.
If a melee-savvy relic-wielder comrade fell in few exchanges, this inferior one stood no chance.
Indeed, Arsen’s spear shattered the blade in one strike, tore the hide, snapped the neck.
The Ollmu hero’s head sailed into the air, face etched in horror.
“Whew...”
Arsen steadied his breath, scanning around.
Only about forty Ollmu remained.
The habitat swarming with over three hundred was now ruins.
Survivors, dazed by magic and drill roars, couldn’t fight effectively.
“We won—! Victory is ours—!”
A hoarse roar echoed through the Ollmu habitat.
* * *
“Mm.”
Ollmu hero Müshu couldn’t shake his unease, groaning unwittingly. A subordinate glanced at him.
“Commander?”
“Never mind.”
“Understood.”
The subordinate obeyed, turning away dutifully.
It was typical of soldier castes: unquestioning obedience to superiors.
Confirming it, Müshu sighed.
‘Exhausting.’
Müshu was revered among Ollmu heroes, appointed by the great king himself as commander of this sector, and one of the eldest.
Ollmu barely aged, dying suddenly when lifespan ended; elders earned respect.
They boasted combat and survival skills proving long life, with robust bodies rivaling youths.
What made this great hero sigh was the hairy folk—humans.
‘Damn humans.’
One of the great threats to their kingdom, humans hid in Müshu’s sector; he was duty-bound to manage their numbers.
He could exterminate them if he chose, but the king ordered preserving their line.
Hero castes, able to question superiors, wondered why spare humans, but Müshu executed faithfully without doubt.
The great king, their leader, had plans beyond ignorant Müshu’s grasp.
Much of their civilization came from human slaves, after all—hard not to see the wisdom.
Ollmu seized human inventions like crossbows and clocks, becoming underground strongest.
But lately, humans revealed hidden forces, threatening Ollmu.
Dozens of mages—the worst foe Ollmu dreaded—plus many “guardians,” human elites. Müshu hung his head.
It was his role to detect and control such buildup.
Worse, a large habitat was recently raided and wiped out—likely human ambush.
Having shamed the king who trusted him with command, Müshu wanted to slit his own throat.
Then, a subordinate opened the tent.
“Commander, visitor.”
“Send them in.”
In came a young hero. Barely past infancy, perhaps half Müshu’s age—or less.
Yet Müshu bowed respectfully. The band proved it bore the king’s message.
The arrogant youth nodded curtly and declared.
“The king’s decree.”
“Speak.”
“Capture alive the unique individual wielding the roaring spear.”
He knew instantly which.
The recent outlier with the deafening spear was already terror incarnate in Ollmu society.
Killing it was hard; capturing, harder.
Thus, Müshu expected another order, waiting silently.
When it came, he grinned wolfishly.
“Permission to fight personally granted.”
Commanders couldn’t fight without king’s leave. Otherwise, Müshu would’ve charged humans long ago.
Though ages since wielding crossbow or blade, he was matchless among Ollmu heroes.
With permission, no hesitation; Müshu signaled right there.
□□□□□□□----!
Stretching his neck, a eerie sound emanated—Ollmu-specific high pitch inaudible to humans or other underground life.
The preset signal spread through their base, then relayed underground-wide.
—Commander joins battle, all assemble!—
Seconds later, cheers echoed from everywhere in the same manner.
Young kin thrilled at legendary commander fighting alongside, facing the monster threat.
Cheers deafening.
—Müshu! Müshu!—
—Commander!—
Amid kin’s cheers, Müshu took up arms.
The weapon given by the king himself.