Chapter 15: Sacred Battle
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 15: Sacred Battle
[ Yes... Blood Dagger... his clan is certainly the only 'Green Skin' clan that employs tactics and even retreats. What? Are you suggesting they're cowardly bastards who don't know honor? That's laughable.
Even if the Blood Dagger Clan retreats, they are the ones who crave victory and cherish honor more than any other Green Skin. - Great Tribe Leader Goff ]
*
It was hard to suppress the surging fighting spirit. Even after returning here, the only thought swirling in my mind was, 'I want to fight.'
Even if it's just the Queen of the North from the Tutorial, I want to clash with her with everything I have. I want to gauge my current strength. Thoughts like these hammered into my mind.
"He wants to fight."
"The chieftain of the Blood Dagger Clan desires battle and blood."
"Our chieftain wants battle!"
These were the first words Goff, my subordinates, and other clan members uttered upon seeing my state when I returned. I had tried to calm my mind, intending to suppress my fighting spirit somewhat before entering, but it seemed I couldn't hide it.
Of course, it was natural for them to think that, seeing me appear with my entire body tensed and my eyes glowing red.
For a while, the settlement was abuzz with curiosity, trying to figure out who I so desperately wanted to fight. After all, during the seventy days I'd lived with them, I hadn't shown the same fighting spirit as other Orcs or Goblins, so I supposed their excitement was understandable.
At the 'gathering' – which couldn't really be called a meeting – for the next battle, the others started pestering me even more mischievously. Especially Goff, grinning at me with bared fangs, was truly striking. It was so unlike his usual self.
"You definitely saw someone... in the enemy's settlement... Who was it? Krruruk."
Most of the others seemed to think I simply craved blood and battle, but Goff had seen right through me. I had no choice but to answer his question.
"A human woman."
Laughter erupted the moment I spoke. The chieftains leading the other clans couldn't hold it in.
"Kilik! This is a masterpiece... The chieftain of the Blood Dagger Clan, showing his fighting spirit for the first time, and it's for a human woman..."
"A human... woman! Not even a Green Skin woman, but a human woman!"
"Kkirik... kkirik... Now that you mention it, you definitely brought a human woman along before. Are you confusing lust with fighting spirit?"
At this 'bombshell' remark, everyone subtly began to mock me. In a way, it was a natural reaction. From their perspective, it would look like an adult male wanting to fight a young woman. But Goff, at least, was looking at me with genuine interest.
"That's interesting. Is there something you want?"
At Goff's words, the others quieted down. As the one who commanded the strongest and largest tribe, his influence was immense.
I began to ponder what I truly wanted. Even in my past life, I hadn't really shown a fighting spirit towards anyone. To use the Green Skins' words, I was a 'bastard who knew no honor.' That was the Kim Taesung of the past.
From my very first battle in the Tutorial, I'd run rather than fight, and in other skirmishes or wars, if victory seemed unlikely, I'd immediately turn my back. It wasn't that I never wanted to fight anyone, but knowing the outcome, I'd always given up beforehand.
That's why I felt ashamed. I couldn't understand myself, uttering such words before a major battle. I even thought I might be insane. But the problem was, I felt I couldn't possibly endure without speaking these words that churned inside me. Just thinking of the Queen of the North made my breath quicken. I wanted to fight.
I want to fight, win, and claim victory.
In the end, I had no choice but to speak.
"I want to fight that woman, just the two of us. Without any interference."
At my words, Goff opened his mouth wide enough to bare his teeth and laughed.
"A Sacred Battle...."
It seemed they called the culture of clashing one-on-one a 'Sacred Battle.' I found myself murmuring Goff's words once more.
"A Sacred Battle..."
"Yes. A Sacred Battle. Blood Dagger, chieftain of the Blood Dagger Clan, has formally requested a Sacred Battle. His opponent is a human woman. We accept this and will assist."
"Even if the opponent is a human woman, if it's a Sacred Battle, we will assist."
"We have an obligation to support a Sacred Battle."
With Goff's single word, the atmosphere was set, and the chieftains of the other clans also nodded. Thus, the Sacred Battle was decided. I didn't know how or in what form we would fight, but I would face that woman in the next battle. While I fought the Queen of the North, no Green Skins would interfere with me, and the others would do their best to prevent other humans from intervening.
But the problem was how to fight. If it were a natural progression into battle, like knights throwing down gauntlets in the old medieval times, it would be very convenient for us. But humans know us as monsters who want to devour them. And that is also true.
Most likely, before I could even be pierced by the Queen of the North's sword, her followers would rush in and absolutely prevent me from reaching her.
Furthermore, breaking through their city walls was an even greater problem. Goff might be able to smash his way through somehow, but even if he breached the ice wall, the entrance would be too small. It would be far too narrow for many Goblins to enter.
If we charged the ice wall without any preparation, we would suffer devastating damage while trying to enter the village, then fall helplessly.
As I pondered if there was any way, something came to mind.
If Jung Hayeon set the range of the 'Entangle' spell she learned yesterday to the city walls, we could surely climb the vines and get over them. The 'ice wall,' which couldn't really be called a city wall, wasn't that high to begin with. It was only difficult to climb because it was slippery, not an insurmountable barrier like the Hangu Pass of ancient China. For me, having evolved into an Orc, or for Goff, we could even leap over it if we pushed ourselves.
"I have an idea."
I couldn't be certain if this plan would succeed or not, but it was an enemy we had to face regardless. I began to tell them what I had just thought of.
"It's decent..."
"No... it's very good..."
Though they seemed hesitant, from their perspective, it appeared to be an astonishing tactic. No, rather, they seemed to genuinely like it. It was probably because it offered an easier way to execute a 'manly' frontal assault.
And so,
From the next day, serious training and experiments began, along with the additional task of Jung Hayeon's powering up.
"Entangle!"
The first spell had a small range and couldn't even support a single Hobgoblin before collapsing.
"Entangle!"
The second spell could support Goblins, but its range was extremely short.
"Ch-Chieftain, the range is too..."
"Put a little more magic into it, then try again."
Wrapping non-human targets with tree roots was successful, but it wasn't as satisfying as expected, so we had no choice but to start capturing humans from the outskirts and throwing them to Jung Hayeon. Thanks to this, Jung Hayeon was able to grow stronger relatively quickly. While she might struggle to evolve into an Intermediate Magician due to a lack of proficiency and experience, the increased range of Entangle alone was a significant achievement.
Naturally, it wasn't enough to cover the entire wall, but it just barely met the minimum I had in mind. It would likely have been impossible for any other ordinary magician. It worked out reasonably well because a plant-type monster with strong magical affinity was using plant-based magic.
For the Goblins and Hobgoblins, who disliked moving their bodies without purpose, we introduced the concept of 'mock battles' to accelerate their training.
As expected, they were reluctant at first, but once they got into it, they seemed to find it fun and began training with immense enthusiasm.
Conflicts intensified, and fights occasionally broke out, but it was a relief that they didn't escalate into serious brawls, as they recognized each other as members of the same settlement.
Of course, there were injuries during the process, but just in time, the elderly Goblin, who everyone had forgotten about, evolved into a Shaman and began healing the wounded Goblins.
"Ugh... Chieftain Blood Dagger, is this 'mock battle' truly effective? Doesn't it seem like child's play...?"
"Only through such a process can more Green Skins fight with greater honor. It's a method similar to teaching young Green Skins how to fight. Krruruk."
I gave a rough answer to the old Shaman's words. At first, he looked displeased, but as time passed and he observed the growing efficiency, the old Shaman eventually fell silent.
"You were right.... You are correct. Kkirik... kkirik..."
And around this time,
Traces of humans began to be discovered near the village. Of course, they couldn't get too close for fear of being detected, but seeing the scouts, including Mev, finding traces everywhere, I couldn't shake the feeling that they were definitely keeping an eye on us.
"Krruruk... They know of our existence..."
"Since that woman and I even made eye contact, it's certainly not surprising. I tried my best to erase my tracks, but it seems they found out anyway..."
Thinking of the Queen of the North, my body naturally heated up. My eyes glowed red once more, and my entire body tensed. Goff, seeing me like this, muttered to himself.
"Looks like you miss her..."
"Yes... I miss her."
[The Tutorial period has exactly 10 days remaining. The Tutorial's objective is survival for 10 days.]
And so, another twenty days passed without the Queen of the North and us clashing.