Chapter 70
Chapter 70
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: Infiltrating Vulcan Orc Fortress
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‘Someday... I’ll come to know everything.’
That’s how I organized my thoughts. Truth be told, it didn’t even matter if that day never came.
I’m not the kind of person brimming with curiosity who’d slice open a goose just to see how it lays golden eggs.
“Humanity won’t be wiped out by monsters.”
“Why?”
“Because.”
I rise from the bed.
As I swap gear and arm myself, I continue.
“I’ll slaughter every last one of them and conquer the continent.”
“......”
When I consumed the footholds, they became a sort of territory within me, assisting my chakra.
If that’s the case... then what about hotspots? Even on the Ardania continent, the value of ley lines and dragon veins is worlds apart, isn’t it?
‘Maybe... my realm could advance.’
Even though I’ve grown completely accustomed to handling chakra, my realm is still just the 1st Layer.
If training alone won’t make it grow, I’ll have to find another way.
“......Han. No, Jaeyeon.”
“Why?”
But then Hayes said something unexpected.
“I’m horny.”
“......”
It was so absurd that I stared at Hayes for a moment before bursting into laughter.
“Later.”
Now fully geared up, I head to the balcony. I manipulate the interface to summon Kasim.
Boom!
A heavy thud echoes as the massive white beast descends. The soldiers seem fairly used to it now—no screams break out among them.
“Grr!”
I climb into the saddle on its back, and Kasim lets out a light snort. Hayes leaps down behind me and hugs me tightly from the rear.
“You. Later.”
She’s armed to the teeth now, whispering in my ear. Her tone carries an inexplicable growl.
“You won’t even get any sleep.”
“Big talk.”
I reply nonchalantly and take control. Kasim crouches low, coiling its body.
Then—
Kwang!
It kicks off the ground and soars into the air.
‘I need to hurry.’
I have to arrive ahead of my forces and establish the castle first.
* * *
The army of 30,000 is marching south at a rapid pace.
The food supplies are divided among the 10,000 players’ inventories, while the rest—items that won’t fit—is carried on the backs of humans and animals.
‘Good. The pets are pulling their weight.’
Not just the sole Common-grade mount pet, the donkey Mongchi (Common), but even the larger buff pets—like the Great Dane-sized Dungdali (Common)—are hauling loads in leather packs strapped to their hides.
Even among Common-grade pets, prices at the central exchange vary wildly because of their real-world utility.
Cats or mice obviously couldn’t carry cargo, after all.
“Wow, the marching speed is insane.”
I nod at Hayes’s words.
“We’re prioritizing stamina above all. The scouts should reach the Orc Fortress by tomorrow afternoon at the earliest.”
Flutter!
Kasim beats its wings powerfully, and the troops visible far below shrink into the distance in an instant.
And after flying like that for a good while?
A pillar of light stretching from the sky to the ground comes into view.
The dungeon: Vulcan Orc Fortress.
“An insane number.”
Thousands of Ice Elementals surround the light pillar. Hundreds of elite monsters—Yeti, Ice Golems, Snow Women, and the like—are mixed in among them.
I have Kasim glide as I peer down at the ground. The monsters look smaller than ants from this height, but my superhuman physique lets me survey the situation without issue.
Pop! Pop!
Ice Elementals are leaping into the light pillar.
‘They’ve been completely overrun.’
Yet the dungeon remains Vulcan Orc Fortress, which means they’re holding the line inside somehow.
‘Entering the dungeon would be perfect for scattering them and picking them off one by one.’
But if forces keep pouring in like this, at some point, the ice monsters will outnumber the orcs inside.
“At this rate, it’s a wonder how the orcs are even holding out.”
They’re at a disadvantage in basic affinities, and now in numbers too.
From the sky, I can see ice-attribute monsters marching in lines toward the fortress’s west and south sides. So many have traversed those paths that the two trails glisten with white frost, visible even from up here.
“Ugh, so cold. I really hate these things. Even in summer, it’s like this......”
As Hayes speaks, I think to myself.
‘Another difference from the game.’
In the game, the presence of ice monsters doesn’t alter the surrounding environment. Sure, the areas they spawn in tie into their theme, but it’s all just flavor.
But when monsters spewing endless cold gather in units of tens of thousands, the temperature naturally plummets.
Especially for something like an Ice Elemental, composed of cold itself—what happens when one dies?
The cold it was containing bursts free, flooding in all directions.
‘In an open area, it might disperse everywhere, but if not... it’s dangerous. The dungeon interior might be near Arctic conditions by now.’
That’s when it happens.
Pop!
An orc bursts out of the light pillar and swings its sword.
It’s clearly prepared—the sword aura blazes fiercely.
Slash!
The circular sword strike sweeps away the ice monsters lined up to enter the dungeon.
Most perish helplessly, but a few endure.
“Kraaa!”
A Yeti howls in rage, bleeding profusely. It’s taken heavy damage, yet its eyes bulge red as its momentum surges.
And it’s not alone.
“Die————!”
A Snow Woman surges from the pile of tumbling monsters, charging at the enemy with lightning speed—like she’d been waiting for this!
But the Sword Master orc, Khan Slasher, shakes the frost off his blade with a clack and dives straight back into the dungeon without a second glance.
The Snow Woman’s attack slices empty air, and the Yeti arrives too late, bellowing impotently.
“......Fights efficiently.”
“Khan Slasher.”
I turn at the chilly voice. Hayes explains in a low murmur.
“A sword-obsessed maniac who slew Khan, king of the orc race. He’s reached Sword Master... but he’s never once been beaten.”
“Well, he’s a boss monster.”
Even among Rare-grade monsters, elites outclass normals, and bosses vastly surpass elites.
Bosses are balanced for parties, raid bosses for guilds, so they get massive buffs to skills, HP, MP, and more.
Of course, the entity with the greatest buffs is something else entirely.
‘Special monsters.’
If the Ice Queen were here, the fight would already be over.
Back in Revenge.
‘This Ice Queen’s ours—Iron Blood Guild’s taking her.’
‘No way, I am.’
‘Like hell. She’s ours!’
‘Then it’s war!’
A prize guilds bickered over... but things are different here.
Almost everyone besides me might as well be free-to-play users.
“Looks like the Ice Queen has no plans to show. Makes sense—for her, the monsters inside are the real problem.”
She might be fending off high-level monsters swarming from the central plains herself.
Special bosses wield immense power, but hordes from higher tiers aren’t something they can brush off easily.
Boom!
I land Kasim at a safe distance.
“I’m going to raid the dungeon and come back out. Wait here, then head to the north gate once the castle’s up.”
“You’ll be fine alone?”
“Unnecessary worry.”
I flash a smirk and switch classes.
★☆Job Change Complete☆★
Sword King => Variant Ranger
I walk calmly through the forest. The air grows steadily colder.
“Came in summer for the best. If it were winter, the elites might’ve managed, but the regulars would’ve struggled.”
[Intermediate Stealth (Passive) activates!]
My body turns semi-transparent at some point. I summon a new pet.
[Shadow Cat Remi (Hero) is summoned!]
[Remi’s shadow expands the domain! Stealth is enhanced, and a one-time ambush effect is applied.]
I move slowly toward the light pillar, weaving through the densely packed monsters before entering the dungeon.
It would’ve been impossible if they’d been bunched up tight like before, but Khan Slasher had just cleared them out, leaving gaps.
Pop!
[Vulcan Orc Fortress]
The moment I enter the light pillar, a biting chill hits me. Easily below -15°C by feel.
It’s no issue for me, though. I have the [Ring of Cold Protection (Rare) +9].
I forged it to +9 through countless failures for the fight with the Ice Queen—I can’t let this level of cold affect me.
‘But the orcs can’t say the same.’
The dungeon, once a forest, now lies wide open. Every tree has been felled.
Looking toward the fortress, I spot bonfires blazing here and there.
They’re so desperate against the cold that they’re dismantling parts of the wooden palisade to feed the flames.
Slip.
Maintaining stealth, I slip through the thinned palisade. A glimpse of the light pillar at the fortress center.
“Ugh! Cold! Too cold! Time! Hasn’t it come yet!?”
“Almost there. Three twenty-one, three twenty, three nineteen......”
The orcs murmur among themselves. Up close, they seem to be waiting for something.
What they’re waiting for is obvious.
‘Waiting for respawn?’
Different from what I expected, I hide nearby and wait a bit. Once they finish counting down.
Pop!
An orc clutching a staff materializes right beside them.
Vulcan Orc Shaman (Rare).
Zeke.
He stands there blankly for a moment before shaking his head.
“Damn, did I die again? What day is it?”
The orcs who’d been awaiting his revival answer.
“It’s Crimson Moon Blue Chest Day.”
The shaman frowns at his words.
“Couldn’t last three days, huh... We had to break through somehow. Did anyone see me die?”
“Only the Grand General! More importantly, shaman! It’s cold! Warm us up!”
“Such a waste of mana.”
The shaman grumbles but casts his spell regardless.
I watch the whole scene from the sidelines.
‘As expected, they lose their memories upon death. But staying inside the dungeon preserves them. Maybe it’s like a save point—memories update every time they return.’
I slip past them and head deeper into the fortress. No one notices me. It’s not that they’re oblivious... but every one of them is in absolutely wretched condition.
“Cold...... Freezing......”
“Not even hungry in this mystical space...... Why’s there cold?”
“Cold...... Why can’t we leave the hill?”
The fortress’s atmosphere is grim—no trace of the boisterous energy from my first glimpse. Endless combat and freezing cold have morale scraping the bottom.
And at the fortress’s heart.
Khan Slasher sits in meditation.
‘Exhausted.’
Even in meditation, he’s far from normal. His gaunt face and diminished aura reveal he’s been fighting nonstop without proper rest.
‘Even in this state, no retreat. He knows... losing this dungeon isn’t an option.’
When one monster faction drives out another from a foothold and seizes the dungeon, it doesn’t spawn subordinates of the victors—it respawns monsters of the conqueror’s same type.
Losing the dungeon isn’t just losing territory; it’s species extinction.
That’s why even in this dire situation, retreat or escape is impossible.
‘Part of me wants to take him down myself... but now’s not the time. It’d be pointless. I’ll let Hellnan handle dungeon fights later.’
With that thought, I dismiss Shadow Cat Remi and summon the roaring Drake Kasim.
Stealth shatters, and the orcs spot me.
“What!?”
“Enemy! It’s an enemy!”
“Everyone up! It’s a drake!”
They leap up in a panic, but their movements are sluggish beyond belief. Even Sword Master Khan Slasher hesitates instead of charging. Already worn down and weary, they’re unnerved by Kasim’s sheer power.
And then the situation.
“Roar, Kasim.”
Ends there.
[Kasim roars!]