Chapter 39: Jackpot

Karak seemed to still hold some loyalty to his old tribe. From what I could tell, he hadn't been in a high position there. Orcs usually had a strong warrior image, didn't they? But Karak was skilled at farming and animal husbandry. He was good at tanning hides and assisting with all sorts of tasks, which suggested that's what he'd done before. So, he wasn't someone important in his tribe, but he had a special affection for it.

That's why I said to him, "I respect your wishes. I didn't know you felt that way about your tribe. I just thought you'd like to have some subordinates... huh?"

Karak grabbed my arm and pointed in one direction, tugging me along. Kruk, kruk. It seemed like he was saying, "Hurry up and let's go." I hadn't expected such a strong reaction to the word "subordinates." Well, orcs couldn't stand not having lackeys under them.

Karak's face was smiling. It was hideous, but I could tell right away.

"So... that's your old tribe?"

Krak! Karak nodded vigorously.

I asked him cautiously, "Do you have any family, by chance?"

I hadn't thought much about it until now, but he could have family too, right? Orcs were classified as monsters sometimes, but also as another race. They formed societies, lived in communities, and had their own language. So, they could have families.

Krokrok. He shook his head in denial. Good, no family then.

"But it's smaller than I thought."

The orc village was much smaller than I'd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠imagined. Was I picturing the orcs from that hit game World of Orcs? There were massive orc cities in that one, but this place wasn't like that. It looked like a peaceful settlement with maybe thirty tribe members.

"Karak, lead the way."

Krak! Karak strode ahead proudly and kicked open the village gate with his foot.

Kwang! I'd been feeding him well and leveling him up, so Karak was in far better shape than when we'd first met. That must be where his confidence came from.

Tung tung tung! Tung tung tung! A sound like pounding metal echoed out. Probably a signal for outside intruders.

And soon after, orcs armed with crude weapons lined up in front of us. There were... only five of them.

Maybe Karak had been higher up than I thought. These guys clearly looked weaker in combat than him.

Karak chattered away at them for a while. The orcs recognized him and chattered back in surprise. Even I couldn't make out their krak-ing noises.

So I stood quietly, and Karak tossed a sack in front of the orc warriors. It was feed. They approached cautiously, grabbed a handful, and popped it in their mouths. Then they chewed.

Krak! Kuro! Kwak kwak! The kids went wild. They munched on the feed with expressions of pure bliss. It made me want to try some myself.

What they were eating was Baekya's feed—the stuff Baekya treated as snacks. He didn't mind since we had tons of it.

Krakrakrukoru! As the orcs chattered, more orcs who had been huddled inside houses started peeking out.

It was easy to tell them apart: the female orcs with their somewhat alluring postures, and the baby orcs that only came up to the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠others' thighs. This must be their whole family. So, it was more like an orc clan village.

The orc warriors approached Karak, slapped his shoulders, and talked excitedly. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Karak chattered back at length, and the one who seemed to be their leader—the chieftain—stepped forward to me. He dropped to one knee and shouted.

Krok!

I couldn't understand it anyway. But the system did.

So, the entire Gray Orc tribe was offering to become my territory residents.

"All of you want to become my territory residents?"

Krak! He nodded, confirming it.

No reason to refuse if the workers were coming willingly.

"I accept."

"Whoa..."

Just gaining more slaves—er, residents—was great, but rewards on top? What a fantastic system.

"Alright, pack up what you need and head to our territory. Get ready."

At my words, Kar-dok stood at attention and began issuing orders to the tribe members. But watching that, I started worrying about Karak. Did I need to put him above Kar-dok? Or not? Ignoring what Karak had done so far wouldn't be right.

So I gathered Karak and Kar-dok and said, "Karak is the chief overseer of our territory. So, Kar-dok, even if you're dissatisfied, follow Karak's orders."

Kar-dok pounded his chest with his fist. It seemed like an acknowledgment, not a challenge. Good, no conflict. Karak's mouth was grinning from ear to ear.

"Karak, get ready. We're heading back to the territory."

Krak!

We returned to Siho Territory. Well, what I called my base camp.

The chicken farm was thriving, and the cattle numbers had grown. From the original cows we'd brought, we'd gained about thirty calves. They'd mature soon and have their own calves. I was aiming for around two hundred in the cattle barn. That should be enough to feed the orcs without issues.

"Okay, everyone state your specialties. Those good at crafting, over here. Fighters, this way. Those with skills, that side. And..."

Thirty-five orcs plus Karak made thirty-six. Five were selected as warriors, including the former chieftain Kar-dok. Karak wasn't counted among them.

Five could do fieldwork, and surprisingly, ten female orcs could make clothes. No blacksmiths, but one with high Dexterity, so we'd train him.

The kids would handle odd jobs for now.

And there was one unusual orc.

"So, you're like an orc shaman?"

It was a female orc named Uwing, level 20—a solid level. Her Strength, Agility, Stamina, and Vitality were all 5, below average for orcs. But Intelligence and Spirit were in the 70s—a total glass cannon.

Her skill was Heal. Not basic Heal, but Intermediate Heal. Orc shamans were probably healers.

"You'll handle healing from now on. That's what you've been doing, right?"

Kook!

"Uwing is the healer, and Kar-dok is the guard captain. Take your four warriors and protect our territory. Got it?"

Krok! He pounded his chest again. That must be their salute. Hope he didn't give himself a heart attack.

"I'll make weapons and armor soon. Train hard."

Krok! Kar-dok led the warriors off to spar with their swords. Maybe I should tame some wolves for them. Orcs on wolves looked cooler than on horses.

Now, the ten female orcs with sewing skills. I called them by "person" instead of "head," since they were my tribe members now. Gotta treat my own right.

From what I could see, one feed party and their loyalty maxed out. Even at the forest edge, they were the weakest tribe, probably short on food. Raising weaklings into powerhouses felt rewarding.

"You lot, over here."

Korok. Their sounds were a bit different, being females.

"What do you need to make fabrics?"

Karak chattered to the females, and their leader stepped forward, pointing to the forest entrance.

"We need to go there?"

Nod.

"Let's go."

For fabrics, first you needed plants. Koreans knew about hemp cloth from history. Problem was, hemp came from marijuana plants. As a Korean, I had an instinctive aversion. But from their clothes, it wasn't hemp—more like cotton.

Leading the orcs to the forest edge, we luckily found cotton plants, not marijuana.

How did I know it was cotton? Observation told me.

Simple description. Nothing more important.

And nearby, familiar bugs crawled around—ones I'd seen before. The females eagerly picked them up.

"Silkworms."

Silkworms were the larvae of silkworm moths, used for silk. Mulberry trees—their food—were right there too.

I told Karak to uproot the mulberries with all the male orcs. The females looked touched by my actions; these bugs were a delicacy for them. We Koreans eat silkworm pupae too. People gag at "bugs as future food," but pupae are a popular drinking snack. I love them personally.

"Not raising them to eat. This is all money."

Their proficiency would rise with work. Meaning, we could produce massive natural silk later. Mulberry groves, silkworm breeding, spinning silk (and eating the leftovers). One stone, several birds.

And cotton fields. Fabric wasn't just for clothes—endless uses.

"Business is gonna boom. Heh heh heh."

That thought brought a touch of reality crashing down. Hiding the gate meant selling gate goods through Seon-woo carefully. Money wasn't for big spends, but I wanted to keep earning. Buy up the houses around mine for gate security.

Yeah, better discuss with Dad. As those thoughts swirled, I saw the orcs working diligently without orders, finding tasks themselves. Excellent slaves—no, territory residents.

Then, a few wolves slunk out from the forest.

"Yes!"

A day when wolves felt welcoming.