Chapter 83
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 083
Chapter Title: Midnight Battle
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After burning the Abomination's inner core, Woojin headed to the sleeping quarters set up around the barrier wall.
He took a quick look around the inside of the shelter.
'Not bad, pretty comfortable.'
A dugout made from earth and wood. The bed was piled with three or four layers of fur hides, making it nice and fluffy. Without hesitation, Woojin threw himself onto the bedding.
Drowsiness washed over him in no time. He'd been hunting day and night without rest, and fatigue had built up considerably. He planned to sleep soundly at least until noon tomorrow.
That plan only succeeded about thirty percent.
'...What the hell is that noise?'
Four hours later.
It was still the dead of night, but the commotion blaring repeatedly from outside jolted Woojin awake. Something had gone wrong.
He got up to assess the situation. Stepping out of his shelter, he saw orcs hurriedly climbing ropes to the top of the barrier wall.
The meaning behind the scene was clear.
'The enemy’s here.'
He needed to check the battlefield.
After splashing cold water on his face to chase away the last of his sleepiness, Woojin climbed up to the wall. The sight that greeted him was quite the spectacle.
In the distance, various types of Abominations were crawling out from the dense forest. To block their approach, orc warriors were busily hurling javelins.
"Grrk, geerrk—"
Several shrieks like wailing erupted.
The javelins, carved from beast bones, were lightweight and sturdy. Abominations pierced by them twisted in agony, letting out screams.
But the wounds weren't fatal enough to kill, so a good number of the enemy forces reached the wall without much trouble.
Thud, thoom!
Abominations repeatedly slammed their heads into the gate. But gates weren't something that broke easily. It looked shabby and rusted on the outside, but it was made of extremely thick steel.
Still, the situation was threatening. The Abominations clustered at the gate began stacking their bodies like a tower, gradually climbing up toward the top of the wall.
"Shamans! Stop them!"
Braknak shouted. In response, several orc shamans stepped forward. They hurled jars—baked from clay—down from the wall.
Splat, splat!
The jars shattered, showering the Abominations with heaps of black powder. Then the orc shamans took deep breaths and exhaled.
Whoosh—!
Flames spewed from the orc shamans. When they mixed with the black powder already scattered, the firepower intensified, turning the blaze green. Eerie flames like sulfur fire engulfed the Abominations' bodies.
The stench of burning squid assaulted his nose.
'The situation's under control.'
There didn't seem to be any need to help.
With the advantage of the wall's terrain and the orc tribe's accumulated know-how from constantly battling Abominations, they had it handled.
He considered heading back to his shelter to finish his interrupted sleep, but... since he'd come all this way, he might as well watch the battle to the end.
Woojin strolled leisurely toward the spot with the best view of the battlefield.
"You've arrived."
Braknak greeted him. The orc seemed concerned about waking Woojin, glancing at him cautiously.
"Please go back to sleep. The situation is stable—there's no need for the Guardian to step in."
"Nah... I'm wide awake now."
It felt wrong to sleep soundly like a lucky bastard while everyone else fought. Yawning, Woojin plopped down on a nearby chair.
Leaning back against the chair, he watched the chaos unfolding below the wall.
'Never been through a siege like this before.'
Something you'd only read about in history books. He'd never imagined actually experiencing one.
Historical tales often mentioned small forces holding off massive armies—like the Battle of Ansi Castle or Thermopylae...
These stories usually had one thing in common.
'The defenders have a huge advantage.'
He was feeling that truth firsthand right now.
Terrain advantage was the greatest weapon of all. The Abominations were risking their lives to climb, while the orcs on the wall struck unilaterally without worry.
They hurled bone spears, and whenever enemy forces clustered too densely, shamans breathed fire to suppress them. The cycle repeated endlessly, making it look almost like simple manual labor.
'...They've prepared the javelins well. But didn't you orcs hate using weapons like that?'
Woojin asked casually, as if the thought had just occurred to him.
Orc claws and fangs were far superior to metal weapons. That's why orcs didn't enjoy using javelins and such.
Braknak answered readily.
"It's a combat method devised to prevent being corrupted by Abominations. Turns out it's far more efficient and stable this way."
When pursuing better tactics, you inevitably arrive at similar conclusions. After much deliberation, the orcs had developed a fighting style akin to humans'.
After losing their homeland, the orc tribe chose practicality over warrior pride. More efficient tactics made dealing with enemies easier than before.
"Simpler than I expected."
As Woojin muttered, Braknak nodded in agreement.
"Today's enemies seem weaker than usual. Probably thanks to the Guardian."
Woojin had recently hunted several mutant Abominations—ones with powerful strength and command abilities. Eliminating them in advance allowed the orc tribe to defend more easily.
However, there had been a few monsters Woojin had passed by without hunting back then.
Thud, thud, thud!
A massive Abomination charged. It was the one Woojin had marked last time.
'Combat Rhino.'
A rhinoceros Abomination. Five mutant Abominations rode on its back.
They were strong enough to deal significant damage to the gate. Seeing them, Braknak urgently shouted to his subordinates.
"Take it down before it reaches the wall!"
In response, Jaka and about six other orcs whipped their tails. Black venom spines shot from their tails like hail toward the rhino Abomination. Followed by flying rocks and javelins.
The rhino was pummeled relentlessly. Yet it didn't stop, steadfastly advancing toward the wall.
Watching this, Woojin stood up.
Swish, swish.
His hands moved busily, like signing. Afterward, two crimson fireballs formed in his palms.
Woojin brought his palms together as if in prayer. The two fireballs slowly merged, visibly growing larger.
Fireball.
A spell he'd learned during private lessons with Claire last time. It wasn't supposed to be cast this way originally, but he'd adapted it using his ability to shape incendiary rounds.
Less efficient than the standard method, but its power wasn't far behind.
Boom!!
A deafening explosion. The rhino Abomination's head was engulfed in flames. It collapsed to the ground, thrashing wildly in convulsions. Soon, its struggles ceased.
The spell had succeeded.
Satisfied, Woojin smiled... then suddenly furrowed his brow. A needle-like pain stabbed his mind. Mana overload.
'...Ugh, was that a bad idea?'
He hadn't slept properly, and using a big spell in real combat for the first time—it gave him a splitting headache.
But to those around him, unaware of the details, it was a shocking sight. Braknak stared with eyes wide open.
"Hah... So the Guardian can wield such powerful sorcery too? Incredible."
'...Took a lot of practice.'
Woojin replied calmly, hiding his pain. His gaze then shifted to the rhino Abomination.
The five mutants on its back had abandoned their mount without hesitation and charged the wall. Despite their humanoid form, they ran on all fours like beasts.
Woojin found it odd.
'Why aren't those guys grabbing the rhino Abomination's inner core?'
The rhino Abomination surely had a valuable inner core. Yet the Abominations, mutants included, never bothered collecting their comrades' cores.
What was the reason?
He'd think about it later. Right now, mutants were charging. To block them, orc warriors hurled javelins with all their might.
But not a single one hit properly. The mutants twisted bizarrely to dodge the incoming javelins or used nearby Abominations as shields.
The mutants reached the wall. Like geckos, they scaled it in an instant. Braknak read their intent from the movement.
"Protect the shamans!"
To win a war, you had to dismantle the enemy's key tactics one by one.
Just as the orc vanguard had once ambushed the second expedition's priests to disrupt their lines, the mutants were targeting the orc shamans.
'Guess I should help.'
Letting them infiltrate could make things messy. As he thought that... Woojin noticed something strange and tilted his head.
'...Aren't those heading this way?'
Three of the mutants were coming toward him. Braknak commented.
"Looks like they're targeting the most threatening shaman."
The fireball he'd launched earlier must have impressed the mutants.
Woojin had expended most of his mana on that one spell, but the mutants didn't know that. To breach the wall, they needed to eliminate the biggest firepower threat.
"Funny guys."
Woojin chuckled and patted his waist. But something felt missing.
'...Did it again today.'
He'd left his machete behind in his sleep.
Lately, he'd been doing more idiotic things. Self-reproach hit him just as the mutant Abominations climbed over the wall.
"Geerrrk—!"
The mutants charged with full-throated roars. Braknak nearby grabbed one, while the remaining two rushed Woojin.
Bam!!
He punched one mutant square in the face. Its head crumpled like an empty can. The struck one flew far back, tumbling down the wall it had struggled to climb.
The other one that had charged alongside halted in place. It seemed flustered by its companion's sudden disappearance.
Woojin scanned its body with his Mind's Eye. He stepped forward. The mutant belatedly bared its fangs threateningly.
"Keeeaak— Kerrk!"
Woojin thrust his hand straight into the mutant's maw. It chomped wildly on the arm inside, but the human flesh before it was as tough as iron plate.
After a few maneuvers, his fingers grasped the target. He gripped it tight and yanked his arm out.
'Mutant Abomination's inner core.'
His hand, covered in gray scales, pulled out the mutant's inner core. At that moment, the mutant's body began crumbling.
'...Geerrrk...'
The mutant flailed futilely at the air as if pleading for it back. Soon, its body dissolved into unrecognizable liquid.
Woojin tucked the new inner core deep into his bosom and glanced at Braknak.
'No need to help there.'
Braknak had smashed his mutant with a bone hammer and was kicking the corpse off the wall. The two mutants that had gone for the shamans seemed quickly subdued by the warriors too.
Perhaps sensing the mutants' annihilation, the Abominations pounding the gate began retreating all at once.
The situation was wrapping up.
'...Time to head back and sleep.'
Woojin looked down at the inner core in his hand. An inner core from an Abomination that was once a dark cultist. What memories might it hold?
Tonight, he might finally have a dream after so long.