Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Orc Subjugation Squad (2)
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Squad Leader Hans couldn't comprehend what he was seeing.
‘What kind of weapon is an arrow?’
It was a weapon that was meant to lodge itself in an enemy.
It wasn't supposed to be a weapon that could send an orc flying four meters just by hitting it.
‘Just how…?’
Soon, Squad Leader Hans found his answer. The bow he was holding.
For an outsider participating in his first subjugation, it looked exceptionally well-made.
Realizing this outsider was no ordinary man, the orcs began to move.
“Chwiiik!”
“Chwiiik, kill that human first!”
All the nearby orcs charged toward the outsider.
There were no less than five of them!
“Quick, help that outsider!”
“Damn orc bastards!”
It was too late.
They had been mesmerized by the outsider's incredible archery, and that had been their undoing.
The outsider seemed frozen in place, perhaps out of fear.
‘Ah, are we to lose such a promising talent?’
An orc’s hand axe swung toward the man’s side. Hans expected to see his flank deeply gouged, blood spraying in an instant.
But then.
Twaaang-
The orc’s dull hand axe failed to cut into the man’s side.
The gleaming armor had protected its wearer from the hand axe. The orc that had attacked him suddenly reeled from a massive impact and let out a scream.
“Kwheeeek!”
Hans’s eyes trembled at the bizarre phenomenon.
He didn't know it, but the Armor of the Mad Lord worn by the outsider, Hyun-soo, had a special property.
(Damage Reflection)
Passive Skill
Mana Cost: None.
Description: Activates with a 4% chance upon taking damage from an enemy, reflecting 100% of the damage dealt.
Unaware of this, Hans could only be utterly astonished.
Before he knew it, five orcs had surrounded the outsider.
He could almost see the look of terror on the outsider's face.
After all, who wouldn't be afraid, surrounded by five orcs on their first subjugation…
Smirk-
Hans saw him give a small smile and realized.
“He lured them in!?”
The outsider muttered.
“Prime Swordsmanship, Third Form: Rampage.”
[Rampage]
[Unleashes an indiscriminate attack on all enemies recognized within a 10m radius.]
[Upon activation, Attack Speed increases by 70% and Physical Attack Power by 30%.]
He began to indiscriminately slash at one of the orcs.
Kwhagwagwagwagwak-!
The orc was torn to absolute shreds, its body scattering.
The other four orcs, caught within their own encirclement, gushed streams of green blood as he swung his sword wildly, as if performing a sword dance.
“Chwiiik!”
“Chwi, chwiiik!”
A few more foolish orcs stepped into the 10-meter radius.
They too began to spray blood from all over their bodies under his indiscriminate onslaught.
Hans’s jaw dropped.
He was the squad leader, level 48.
Even to his eyes, the swordsmanship this outsider displayed was so exceptional it defied common sense.
It was only natural.
No matter how much of a beginner's zone Lord Vance governed, he was still a named NPC who managed an entire territory.
Furthermore, the swordsmanship Hyun-soo had learned was one that only the direct lineage of the Prime family could master.
The outsider shouted to the dazed soldiers.
“Let’s all make it out of here without a single injury!”
“Waaaaaaah!”
“He’s a monster of an outsider!”
“What a magnificent man!”
Hans was filled with admiration.
Why had he shouted just now?
It was to boost the soldiers’ morale.
In that fleeting moment, he had read the gazes fixed upon him and smoothly navigated the situation.
Hans’s heart pounded as he watched him.
‘…He’s stronger than the soldiers.’
His soldiers were men who only participated in these subjugations.
They were much weaker than actual soldiers.
But they were still trained men.
And this outsider was far stronger than any of them!
‘Perhaps…’
Squeeze-
Hans clenched his fist tightly. There was something he desperately wanted to achieve.
He wanted to kill the Orc Warrior that had been harassing them, relying on its tough armor to repeatedly strike and retreat.
How many subordinates had he lost to that beast!
He felt as if he had gained a reliable ally at just the right time. Atop his horse, he raised his sword high.
“Today, we will hunt down the Orc Warrior, no matter what!”
“Waaaaaaah!”
***
[You have hunted an orc.]
[You have gained 79 experience points.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have achieved 28% contribution.]
This was the notification Hyun-soo received after hunting eight orcs with Rampage.
‘The contribution gain is smaller than I thought.’
He had heard that orcs were around level 10 on average.
But he was only getting about 3% per orc.
‘Can I even reach 70%?’
The difficulty seemed high.
Hyun-soo skillfully handled the soldiers’ gazes that were fixed on him.
“Let’s all make it out of here without a single injury!”
“Waaaaaaah!”
The soldiers cheered loudly.
[The soldiers' morale has increased.]
[Their Attack Power has increased by 3%, and their Defense by 2%.]
[Hidden Piece: The Battlefield Commander.]
[You have gained 10 Charisma.]
‘Oh?’
The Charisma stat.
He knew it as a special stat that commander-type users could obtain.
Possessing it made one’s words more persuasive to those recognized as allies, and at higher levels, it could even project an aura of dignity.
Just then, Squad Leader Hans, at the very front, shouted.
“Today, we will hunt down the Orc Warrior, no matter what!”
Tiring!
[You have hunted many orcs in a short amount of time.]
[A new episode, never seen before, is about to begin.]
[If you successfully complete the new episode, you will receive a special reward from Squad Leader Hans.]
A new episode?
Hyun-soo had heard of them. These rarely triggered episodes could be activated by performing exceptionally well within a set framework or through a user's special actions.
Tiring!
[Sudden Quest: Hunt the Orc Warrior]
Grade: S
Restriction: The one who triggered the new episode.
Reward: ???
Failure Penalty: Decrease in intimacy with Hans.
Description: Help Squad Leader Hans hunt the Orc Warrior!
‘Hunt the Orc Warrior?’
According to what Soldier Ben had told him about the Orc Subjugation, an Orc Warrior was supposed to appear with reinforcements during the fight.
He knew that the subjugation squad had repeatedly retreated because that Orc Warrior’s armor was incredibly tough and its level was high.
Hyun-soo looked around.
The nearly seventy orcs had been all but wiped out.
At the edge of his vision, he saw an Orc Warrior charging toward them from the distance.
“It’s the Orc Warrior!”
“The Orc Warrior is coming with reinforcements!”
The soldiers gripped their weapons, their expressions grim. Squad Leader Hans, at the forefront, did the same.
[A boss monster has appeared!]
[Orc Warrior Lv.51]
[The one who hunts the Orc Warrior will receive a reward!]
“Hey, rookie!”
Soldier Ben had approached Hyun-soo at some point.
“We’ll open a path for you, so please help Squad Leader Hans and hunt down that Orc Warrior, no matter what!”
Soldier Ben was looking at Hyun-soo with bloodshot eyes.
And the soldiers who had gathered around Hyun-soo all wore expressions that showed they were prepared to die.
“…”
Hyun-soo marveled at the advanced AI of the NPCs in Ares.
They felt no different from real people.
They were enraged over the comrades they had lost to the Orc Warrior.
And they were burning with the will to hunt that beast down in this battle, no matter the cost.
“…I understand.”
Soon, the Orc Warrior reached them and clashed with Squad Leader Hans.
Kwwaaaaang-!
The Orc Warrior stood 2.3 meters tall, clad in black plate armor and wielding a massive greatsword.
Its horned helmet, which revealed only its eyes and nose, also looked incredibly sturdy.
Hans, whose sword had clashed with the beast’s, was pushed back.
Before other orcs could attack Hans, the soldiers intercepted them.
The reinforcements led by the Orc Warrior numbered about thirty.
It wasn't a huge number, but the Orc Warrior itself was the problem.
Kaaaaang-!
The Orc Warrior was slow, but Hans was fast.
His sword strikes relentlessly hammered the Orc Warrior.
But they only managed to leave scratches on its tough armor.
‘Damn it, damn it, damn it!’
Hans’s face contorted.
The Orc Warrior’s armor was as impenetrable as ever. In that case, he had to aim for the head.
Thwip-
He leaped high into the air and struck the beast’s helmet.
Kaaaaang-!
But the helmet was just as tough as the armor.
No, it seemed even tougher.
Just then, Hans spotted the heavy greatsword swinging toward him.
The blade was coming down to cleave him in two.
In that moment.
Twaaaang-!
An arrow, flying from somewhere, knocked the greatsword aside.
“Grrr.”
Hans’s gaze shifted.
It was an arrow fired by that outsider, Hyun-soo.
Hyun-soo immediately fired another shot.
Twaaaang-
The arrow bounced off the armor upon impact.
Hans had witnessed the destructive power of the bow that had sent an orc flying four meters.
‘Is it truly impossible?’
Unfortunately, even that man Hyun-soo’s arrows couldn't pierce the Orc Warrior's thick, sturdy armor.
Just then, a notification appeared before Hyun-soo.
[A new story begins.]
[An additional Orc Warrior appears.]
“…!?”
Hyun-soo could see another Orc Warrior rapidly approaching.
Hans spotted it too, his face hardening.
He glanced around.
The soldiers were entangled with the orcs, making a retreat difficult.
They had pushed too deep.
If another Orc Warrior joined the fray in this state, they would be annihilated.
“Grrr…”
Hans gritted his teeth.
He had to pierce the armor.
He changed his strategy.
He would strike one spot relentlessly.
Twaaaang-!
Twaaaaaang-!
Twaaaaaaaaang-!
He persistently struck the Orc Warrior’s side.
The beast’s armor began to dent slightly.
‘Just a little more…’
Twaaaaaang-!
Just a little more.
Twaaaaaang-!
“Just a little moooore!”
The other Orc Warrior was drawing closer.
But Hans was utterly exhausted from his focused assault.
Kwajiiik-
Hans was sent tumbling by a punch from the Orc Warrior.
“Cough!”
He spat blood, his mind growing hazy.
“In the end, I couldn't break through…”
Would they all be wiped out like this?
Hans let out a hollow laugh.
Perhaps his own arrogance was leading his allies to their doom.
Just then.
“We can break through.”
A voice called out from a distance.
It was the outsider, Hyun-soo.
Hans had seen him. The outsider had suddenly run off somewhere.
He had actually thought the man was fleeing in fear.
But now, the outsider was holding something unfamiliar.
It was a piece of bamboo and some kind of strange arrowhead.
“One minute. Just hold on for one minute!”
With those words, the outsider began to swiftly shape the bamboo with a dagger.
“…”
Hans felt like he was grasping at straws.
The newly arrived Orc Warrior had already closed the distance to 500 meters.
There was only one thing he could do now.
“Uwoooooooh!”
He summoned every last bit of his strength and clashed with the Orc Warrior.
He was filled with doubt.
He could pierce the armor?
That was impossible.
What he was making looked like nothing more than an arrow.
An arrow was a weapon that could never pierce armor.
Arrows were meant to stick in an enemy, not to penetrate.
But right now, that was the only hope he could cling to.
Puh-uh-uh-ut-
Kicked by the Orc Warrior, Hans’s shoulder was struck by its greatsword.
Kwajik-!
“Kuaaaargh!”
Hans gritted his teeth. His arm was now useless, and he dropped his sword.
Tang-
In the end, there was only one thing he could do.
He grabbed the Orc Warrior’s throat with all his might.
“Please, just die!”
How many subordinates had he lost because of this beast!
How much grief had he heard from the bereaved families!
And now it was going to take his life and the lives of his soldiers too!
But regardless of his fury, the Orc Warrior’s giant hand also clamped around Hans’s neck.
Power surged into its hand as it prepared to snap his neck.
Just then.
“Done.”
The outsider’s voice rang out, followed by a harsh, tearing sound through the air.
Shweeeeeek-!
A single, strange arrow, its sound completely different from a normal one.
The moment that single arrow struck the Orc Warrior’s horned helmet.
Kwajaaaaak-
It pierced straight through the Orc Warrior’s head.