War with the Orcs
"I made it just in time!!"
I wiped the cold sweat beading fluffily on my forehead. If I'd been even a little later, it really would've been a total disaster. Good thing I'd set out right away the moment Mae arrived, even if I packed kinda sloppily. Of course, the only reason I could afford to pack sloppily was because I'd be joining them.
"Is it really okay for me to come along?"
"I'll be inside the turtle's shell the whole time, so it's fine. I absolutely won't step outside."
Anyway, if the turtle's shell got breached, I'd be dead meat regardless. To guard against any potential assassins, I had zero intention of poking my head out.
Nyangnyang and Penguin, who'd gone ahead, had safely landed by riding Hyunwoo Park's flying swords. But Mae, the turtle, and Hyunwoo Park were still hovering above the Sam Mart.
The reason we weren't all dropping together? First off, when the turtle lands, it can send out a shockwave to blast the surroundings—that was one factor we wanted to exploit. And second, we were about to launch the backdoor assault.
"...How's it feel wearing it?"
"Not bad."
"Then let's get started!!!"
At my command, Mae shot straight ahead. Then, at a spot teeming with orcs, he dropped the turtle. Hyunwoo Park stayed hanging onto Mae in standby mode. Those two were about to strike the orc main base.
"You said the Orc King is definitely guarding some special room?"
"Yeah. If the Orc King is here right now, let's check that place out."
You never know. The spot the Orc King always guards might be their weak point. Daring to leave the main base empty?
As I watched Mae and Hyunwoo flying off, the turtle and I landed on the ground. The drop angle wasn't the best, smashing up a fair bit of buildings, but the debris from those crashes rained down on clusters of orcs, inflicting massive damage.
Piles of orc corpses stacked high. I hoped the Orc King would drop just like these bodies.
But the Orc King had weathered the turtle's shockwave and was still battling Nyangnyang and Penguin. Thanks to those two powerhouses joining the fray, Seola Han had successfully broken free from the orc horde. Her leg seemed to be bothering her, though, so she fell back for a breather.
The Orc King was facing off alone against multiple awakeners and two companions. Even against such numbers, it held the advantage. It shrugged off the White Tiger's claw swipes and Penguin's ice shards, relentlessly pushing back the survivors charging at it.
"Turtle."
"This one shall try to grab onto that fellow as much as possible!"
Our goal right now was to pin down the Orc King. The turtle charged forward at full speed.
The Orc King eyed the approaching turtle. Its gaze narrowed. It felt like it was staring right through the turtle at me.
"...You're there, aren't you?"
Before the Orc King's censored words could finish.
I started stuffing plants into the Tree of Life on my shell like crazy. First, a few potatoes, then the rest all onions. The Tree of Life munched them down shell and all—it was pretty impressive.
The Tree of Life scattered plant buffs around. As the buffs touched our companions and the survivors, their minor wounds began healing.
And most importantly, the moment the onion effect kicked in.
They could now ignore a casual axe swing from the Orc King and press the attack.
"...What is this?"
The Orc King prepared a big move to shatter the blue protective barriers that had appeared on all the awakeners. But big techniques always come with risks.
"...Annoying."
The Orc King glared at the turtle, but breaking free from this many humans right now didn't look easy. That was good enough. Just tying it down would clear the way for the backdoor—no interference.
Confirming I'd fed plenty of onions to the Tree of Life, I headed to the side. This inside of the shell felt like a temporary lodging now. Boxes full of various plants sat next to the Tree of Life, with a chair and a small sleeping bag just in case beside them. And next to that, the ice screen Penguin had made, so I could sit comfortably and watch the situation. Oh, and french fries and cola as a bonus.
Through the ice screen, I saw Hyunwoo Park and Mae. The orc village was coming into view in the distance. Once they got close enough, Hyunwoo paused midair to report in.
"We've arrived. How's the Orc King situation?"
"We're holding him down right now."
"Then we're going in."
"Yes!!"
The moment I finished speaking, Hyunwoo let go of Mae and leaped onto his flying swords, rocketing straight into enemy territory.
"...Should I record this for the history books?"
I pulled out my phone, which had half its battery left, and started recording the ice screen.
This was an encounter with the unknown enemy. Records were essential for reviewing later.
As I recorded, Hyunwoo reached the fortress. The orcs' fortress, built around the gate. Stone buildings decorated with untraceable bones and animal hides. Red flags flying high made an impression. The destination: some unknown room guarded by the Orc King, location unknown.
Arriving right above the fortress, Hyunwoo unleashed swords in all directions, sending them burrowing into the interior.
"...Won't that drain your mana?"
"I have emergency mana potions for times like this."
Hyunwoo seemed like the type who didn't skimp on consumables. Definitely right to use rare items on a boss. We were on the same page there.
Twitch!! Hyunwoo suddenly sensed something. He rode his sword straight inside.
Blasting through the fortress interior at insane speed. Any orcs blocking the path? Mere nuisances, sliced apart.
He soon reached a wide plaza. First thing catching the eye: a blue gate smack in the center. I'd only seen gates in videos or photos before—this was my first in person. Seeing orcs marching out in real time filled me with a bitter feeling.
"Grurrrk?!!!"
Then the orcs spotted Hyunwoo. But hovering in the air on his sword, he struck first. Swords flew out in all directions, shredding the orcs. Some elite ones blocked them, sure. But send two or three swords their way, and they were done.
"Whoa."
An exclamation slipped out unbidden. Wasn't he even stronger than when he'd fought the vampire?
After clearing the surrounding orcs, Hyunwoo flew his sword toward the largest building. He smashed through the door with a sword and found stairs leading underground.
"Underground?"
"Yes. The swords I sent that way never returned."
Swords not returning. Tension gripped me involuntarily. Hyunwoo seemed the same; he took a deep breath, then dove underground on his sword.
A dark corridor without a single light. Crunch—Hyunwoo chomped a carrot stick and advanced without issue.
At the end of the long corridor, light shone mercifully.
"...Monster spotted."
At the corridor's end lay a massive room. Was this the one the Ark mentioned, guarded by the Orc King? But in front weren't regular orcs—ones that looked totally different from any we'd seen at Haven. Covered in scars, they gave off a "hero from a turnaround story" vibe. Four orcs that looked even tougher than the Orc King.
"Can you handle this?"
"...I'll confirm what's inside and escape—that's priority."
Not knowing the exact enemy strength, that stance made sense. But for some reason, I couldn't imagine Hyunwoo Park losing.
Crunch—Hyunwoo grabbed a french fry from the darkness. Considering the potato recovery had a slight delay, eating ahead was smart.
Hyunwoo unleashed a barrage of swords at once. But the comeback orcs reacted to the dark-launched swords, blocking or dodging. Tough opponents, as expected.
Hyunwoo charged forward on his sword, ignoring the comeback orcs. His swords blasted through the giant room's entrance.
"Grurrrk!?!!"
"Gruk?!!"
The panicked orcs tried to block, but stopping Hyunwoo at full acceleration was impossible.
Crack—He burst through the shattering door. Controlling the rebound, he landed on the floor. Dusting off the massive cloud from the broken door, he scanned around.
An eerily pure white space. Totally at odds with the red-and-yellow orc fortress. What could be in here that the comeback orcs and Orc King obsessed over guarding?
The mystery resolved when Hyunwoo's head swiveled nearly 180 degrees to look behind him.
"...Ah."
A massive green blob of flesh writhed. Not a slime. It looked like orc flesh pieces gathered into one form. Countless orc arms protruded from the edges at random lengths. No facial features. But I instantly knew it was staring straight at me and Hyunwoo.
"Attack it!!!!"
Convinced that thing was what the orcs valued most, I shouted quickly. Hearing me, Hyunwoo snapped to and unleashed every sword at the blob.
Squish—squish—Swords stabbed in, slicing off chunks. Red blood sprayed. At least the blood was red—small mercies.
Then the blob shuddered. It split wide horizontally, revealing a massive maw.
Groooooaaaaahhh…!!!!!
A low-frequency roar echoed. The ground shook from the sheer volume. Enough to rattle the french fries inside my turtle shell. No way the nearby Orc King missed that.
"Damn…!!!"
The Orc King suddenly tried to break away.
"Hold it!!!!"
"Stop that one!!!"
But the Orc King had lost interest in Haven's survivors. Its sole goal: protect that blob. Transforming its body into countless bone spikes, it charged forward, smashing the earth.
"Hyunwoo? The Orc King's heading your way right now!!"
I urgently explained to Hyunwoo. But things weren't easy there either.
First off, the blob wasn't something Hyunwoo's snap attack could take down. The sword punctures regenerated instantly, no trace left. And the comeback orcs swarmed, attacking Hyunwoo.
"Escape for now!!!!"
"...Got it."
Then the blob eyed Hyunwoo. It gaped wide again. Something poured from inside: an enormous horde of orcs. The blob was birthing orcs from its mouth like some orc mommy.
"No wonder the orcs multiplied without giving us a chance…!!"
"Pulling out."
Hyunwoo fled on his sword. He burst from the room into the dark corridor, but orcs were already flooding in from the far end. Answering the blob's call, they surged like a tidal wave. Breaking through that mass head-on wouldn't be easy.
After a brief hesitation, Hyunwoo pulled something from his pocket. Bomb Flower fruits. He loaded them onto swords and scattered them down the corridor. Massive explosions rocked it, collapsing sections and opening a path to the plaza.
Hyunwoo soared into the sky on his sword. Dodging combat as much as possible, he escaped the fortress. Past the plaza, through the walls, higher still. Just as it seemed he'd break free.
The Orc King appeared before Hyunwoo.
"Already?!!"
Meeting in midair—supremely dangerous. As if anticipating it, something snatched Hyunwoo fast.
"...Good thing I wasn't late. Falconer."
"Mae!!"
Invisible to the world, Mae grabbed Hyunwoo and swiftly fled the fortress.
The orcs hearing that blob's voice all pulled back, granting Haven a brief peace. But it wouldn't last. Giving the orcs more time meant facing an endless horde for real.
Sure, sending the people who'd just fought straight back into battle might be too much. But showing them the footage of that blob would convince them.
"Haven's leaders are heading here, nyang!!"
"Guide them well."
"Leave it to me, nyang!!"
As the White Tiger departed, I started prepping a table with Penguin for the meeting. Attendees: Haven's leader Kanghyuk Choi, Seola Han, and Sergeant Hyunwoo Park. Been a while since I'd see Seola—kinda exciting.
Then the three entered the shell. Kanghyuk, in the lead, froze upon seeing me.
"...Y-You're even younger than I thought."
"I-I'm an adult, you know."
"...?"
"...?"
The trio exchanged glances at my words. The awkward vibe made me cut to the chase.
"Alright, no time for chit-chat, so everyone watch this video."