Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 21: The Warrior's Exam

I had a rough idea of how to handle a greatsword. Although I’d gained some proficiency correction from my Gladiator class change, I also remembered hearing a warrior who used a greatsword talk about it long ago. There were three important things: first, utilize its reach; second, don’t swing recklessly; and third, don’t let it drag you around. I’d heard that because of its weight, not being pulled by it was the most crucial part.

I drew the weapon from my back and swung it at the first Long-Fanged Tiger that charged me.

“Swoosh!”

The sound of it cleaving the air whistled past my ears.

My first thought was, naturally,

‘It’s heavy.’

The feel in my hands was on a completely different level from that cheap steel sword.

“Thwack!”

With a dull thud, the Long-Fanged Tiger was sent tumbling to the ground. It wasn’t a bad first attack, but the problem was that I had hit it, not cut it. Of course, the beast was dead, but the thought that my lack of skill had prevented me from slicing it in two kept nagging at me.

I smashed the pommel of the greatsword into the next beast that rushed me from the side.

“You bear-like bastard!”

It wasn’t an inaccurate statement, since it actually had a body similar to a bear’s. The number of beasts swarming us was quite large, enough to make me think this battle was even more intense than the one in the northern forest. But we were stronger now, too. Every warrior in this settlement had completed the quest and evolved one step further. While they hadn’t undergone a species evolution, I myself was now an Orc Gladiator. The name of a gladiator who had to fight for survival would be wasted if I let myself get eaten by these things.

I swung the greatsword down from above once more.

“Smash!”

With a sickening crunch, the head of some nameless beast was crushed. Another creature leaped toward me, and I saw it in my periphery. I let go of the greatsword, drew the dagger from my waist, and plunged it into the beast’s neck.

‘Not bad.’

As another one charged, I swung the sword I originally had, then pulled the greatsword from the ground and swung it again.

“Kuaaaaaaaah!!”

A scream escaped my lips unconsciously.

‘Good.’

My body moved like flowing water. To be honest, there was still an unpleasant, disjointed feeling, but it wasn’t bad. This level of combat wasn’t just because of the Gladiator’s proficiency buff.

It was ten years of experience. The various things I’d dabbled in and picked up just to survive were finally bearing fruit. Of course, it was an embarrassing level compared to those freaks of nature. But still…

I was happy.

“Krrrrk!”

My vision turned red, and my breathing instantly grew ragged. My body did not betray that reaction. It moved with ruthless efficiency, methodically crushing the beasts.

I slowly began to look around. Everyone was holding their ground in their own way. Every Green Skin, except for the archers and mages, pushed forward as if to prove they could achieve more. Those who couldn't hunt a creature alone cooperated with their comrades. The Goblin Three Sisters, who had chosen the Advanced Goblin Warrior class, were holding off five beasts by themselves. The second and third siblings, now Orc Warriors, were also swinging their weapons with incredible bravery.

“Kuaaaaaaaah!! For Blood Dagger!”

“Kireek! For Blood Dagger!”

I had no idea what kind of impression I’d made on them to make them shout my name like this, but it didn’t feel bad. In fact, it was incredibly energizing.

I scanned my surroundings again.

The one who stood out, as expected, was Goff. That bastard was undeniably strong. The sight of him continuously smashing beasts’ heads with his two axes was like that of a berserker driven mad by blood. The ones who had joined his clan all revered bravery, so they were all large brutes. They stood at the very front, wielding axes and massive swords, clashing recklessly with the enemy. They took wounds but did not retreat.

It might sound funny to say this, but Goff’s clan and my clan had excellent synergy. It felt like watching a rogue hiding in the shadow of a warrior. Sure enough, I began to see Hobgoblins with daggers painted on their faces scattered throughout the fight. They, too, knew how to kill their enemies efficiently.

It wasn’t so much fighting with their heads as it was ‘instinct.’ I was the same—the Orc instinct to fight. My ten years of experience melted into that instinct, allowing me to fight with remarkable efficiency.

“Krrrrk!”

“Victory or death!”

“Thump!… Thump!… Thump!”

Not every Green Skin was unharmed, but we were definitely starting to push the beasts back. Soon, some of them began to scream and flee. But Jung Hayeon’s plants decisively blocked their path.

“Kuhahahaha!”

A nameless Orc, seeing this, laughed with glee. His eyes were already red. He was baring his fangs in a wide grin, filled with the desire to continue the battle.

Before long, the field began to clear. Once the fighting ended, some of the Green Skins, apparently hungry, could be seen tearing into the animal carcasses right where they lay.

Goff watched the scene with satisfaction before shouting at someone.

“Is this the end of the honorable Warrior’s Exam? How utterly anticlimactic!”

“Kuhahahahaha!!”

“You call this a test?!”

“Kireek!! Kireek!!”

He was clearly speaking to the ones who were hiding and watching us. At Goff’s words, the goblins and orcs present bared their teeth and began to laugh. In that moment, I felt quite refreshed myself. I knew that this number of beasts was not a level that ordinary monsters could handle. If we had been ordinary Green ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Skins, we probably would have been wiped out, or at least half of us would have been slaughtered.

Only then did I realize it. Why there were no ‘weaklings’ like me among the monsters… They had no intention of carrying along those who fell behind from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the very beginning.

“Incredible. You are strong warriors. The next test is to find your way to the Land of Glory, where the Great Tribe Leader resides. Warriors.”

The voice began to speak again. Despite the insults, there was no agitation in its tone. Was it truly impressed with us? Either that, or it was suppressing its anger.

Judging by the voice, it seemed to be the former. As Green Skins were unskilled at controlling their emotions, it was hard to believe that the pure admiration flowing from the unidentified monster’s mouth was a lie.

Instead, it was our side that was shaken.

“The Great… Tribe Leader…”

“It’s the Great Tribe Leader… Krrk…”

Apparently, the title ‘Great Tribe Leader’ held great significance for Green Skins and monsters. Because of this, Goff turned away, looking bored, and started walking toward his clan members.

“Krrrrk. The Land of Glory, where the Great Tribe Leader resides! We depart at once.”

He was likely excited by the mention of the Great Tribe Leader. But we couldn’t leave right away. I briefly stopped Goff and spoke.

“Krrk. We’re not leaving immediately, Goff. First, we clean up the beasts here and rest.”

“What are you talking about… This is the Great Tribe Leader’s exam! Blood Dagger…”

“We don’t know how far it is to the Great Tribe Leader’s location, Goff. We don’t even know where we are. It could be a long journey. You must let the tribe members rest, find water, and gather provisions before moving. That is what a wise chieftain does.”

There was nothing but trees as far as the eye could see. I had no way of knowing for sure where this place the voice mentioned was. If it was nearby, leaving now wouldn’t be a problem, but it had explicitly called the path to the Great Tribe Leader an ‘exam.’

There was a high probability that the place where this Great Tribe Leader fellow resided was quite far from here.

After I finished speaking, Goff quietly stared at me. He slowly bared his fangs and finally began to speak.

“I understand, Blood Dagger. There is certainly merit in what you say.”

“Thank you. And that remark you made to that guy earlier was truly satisfying, Goff.”

“Krrrrk. Thanks.”

Then Goff and the other chieftains began to shout.

“Krrrrrrk. We will sleep here for one night and then move out.”

“The Blood Dagger Clan will find water.”

“Kireek! Kireek! Understood.”

“Understood. Krrk…”

Rest is essential after a harsh battle. No matter how strong a Green Skin is, accumulated fatigue cannot be easily recovered.

“Strong warriors! Are you not moving?!”

The voice that kept piercing through the trees was annoying, but there was no reason for us to act hastily. The Green Skins began to chop down trees with their axes and use the leaves to build a simple settlement. Without anyone giving orders, each of them found their own task.

Even the members of the Blood Dagger Clan, who preferred comfort, did not shy away from this labor. They quickly moved through the forest to find a water source and began skinning the beasts we had just hunted to make waterskins. The meat was butchered and stored separately. The remaining food was distributed precisely according to the number of members in each tribe. The old goblin shaman was in charge of this task.

Fires were lit, and some began to roast meat. While they enjoyed eating it raw, it seemed they also liked it cooked. I figured if goblins ever had to do a group project like in college, they’d probably never get into a fight.

At some point, the voice that had been taunting us fell silent. Seeing that, I knew our thinking had been correct.

This, too, was part of the exam. Monsters are simple, but they are by no means stupid. The thought that they had sent edible beasts for the first test as a gift for the long journey ahead made me start to like these guys ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠even more.

Once things had settled down to some extent, the clan chieftains gathered for a meeting. There was me, the chieftain of the Blood Dagger Clan; Goff, the chieftain of the Goff Clan; Dark Moon, the chieftain of the Dark Moon Clan; and a few other chieftains whose names I hadn’t yet memorized.

“Krrk… A Great Tribe Leader, of all things… It seems there’s one here, too…”

Honestly, when that Orc had suddenly told us to come find the Great Tribe Leader, I had thought, What kind of bullshit is this? I had questioned why we even needed to seek out someone with that title.

But in their culture, the name ‘Great Tribe Leader’ was apparently not taken lightly. From the information I’d gathered by asking Mev, the Great Tribe Leader was an object of awe and respect for all Green Skins.

In the end, the command to find the Great Tribe Leader was something they would have wanted to accomplish anyway, even if he hadn’t suggested it.

“We might not be the first Green Skins to come here. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠If you think about it that way, it’s only natural that a Great Tribe Leader exists. I want to meet the Great Tribe Leader of this place soon. Krrk…”

“Kireek. But how do we know where the Great Tribe Leader is?”

As Goff and Dark Moon spoke, I quietly opened my mouth.

“I think the one who has been watching us will guide us. I can’t sense him precisely, but he is still here. It’s possible his job is to guide fellow Green Skins. If not… I think it would be best to get out of this forest first.”

“Good.”

After discussing our future course of action a bit more, the brief meeting came to a close.