The Bandit Leader's Bold Move Against the Orcs
The moment Jin Chen flashed his grin, Kakanku shook all over.
*To a human like him!*
Kakanku roared, yanking at the broken sword caught in Jin Chen’s hand.
“Grrrraaaaah! I’m Kakanku, the lord of the orcs!”
Jin Chen casually dropped the axe he was holding and kicked Kakanku’s belly as the big green bastard tried to scramble backward.
**Kwaaak!**
An earth-shattering impact rang out. Kakanku’s body shot backward like a cannonball.
“Uwaaaaaaah!”
After rolling across the ground for what felt like forever, Kakanku curled up, clutching his gut and dry-heaving violently.
Jin Chen lowered the double-headed axe resting on his shoulder and muttered.
“You little shits, you’re too damn loud.”
He clicked his tongue, scanning the bewildered orcs staring back at him.
“Since you don’t plan to drag this out, come at me already.”
***
Barkan watched the entire spectacle from beyond the makeshift fence, eyes wide with disbelief.
“Is it possible he’s actually going to face all these orcs alone?”
“Probably.”
“What do you mean ‘probably’? We should’ve stopped him!”
“Why are you asking *me*?!”
“Only Gannon here can talk to them, right?”
“Just because we can talk doesn’t mean I’m hostage too!”
When they first arrived, Jin Chen had said exactly that.
‘I don’t normally keep hostages, but you lot should probably stay put.’
With that one casual remark, the surviving caravan members’ statuses had been decided.
They’d been dragged here against their will.
“Even now we have to stop him! No matter how strong a Sword Master he is, taking on that many single-handedly is impossible!”
The title “Transcendent” belonged to Sword Masters.
But even they were still humans—limits were limits.
Of course the exact limits varied by individual, but endless stamina and mana? That was nonsense.
“I know that too. But if they’re all just watching, what can I do?”
Gannon’s words made Barkan glance at the black-haired men surrounding them.
Every single one of them wore the same calm, “just a fire in the next village” expression.
Barkan’s teeth ground together as he erupted.
“What the hell are you people doing?! Your boss is in danger and you’re all—!”
**Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash!**
**Kwaaaaak!**
“If even pooling all our strength isn’t enough and we’re just sitting here—!”
**Shuaaaaak! Clunk! Clunk! Clunk!**
**Kiyiiiiiik!**
Explosions and the wet slap of meat being hacked apart echoed without pause.
*Yeah, Sword Masters make that noise. Totally fine.* *But the problem is the future! The future!*
As he raged, his subordinate’s voice cut in.
“Captain!”
“What?”
“Look over there.”
Barkan’s gaze snapped toward the orc camp.
And he saw it.
Hundreds—maybe thousands—of blood-red blades hovering in the sky like deadly constellations.
“Magic?”
“Not magic. I’ve never heard or seen anything like this!”
Gannon, startled, dropped the polite tone.
“Then what is it?”
“The mana flow is completely absent. That means…”
“Could it… actually be all that Sword Qi?”
As Barkan spoke, the blood-red blades dropped.
**Shuaaaaak!**
**Kwaaaaaaaaang!**
The entire orc settlement shuddered as if struck by divine judgment.
At the same time, dust exploded upward from the ground in a perfect storm.
Was it spectacle? Was it terror?
Everyone stood frozen, trembling from the goosebumps crawling over their skin.
How many circles of magic could create something like this?
Gannon swallowed hard and stared at the thick layer of dust now covering the camp.
This wasn’t the soot left behind by the 5th-circle Fire Explosion he’d cast to save his life.
What level of mastery did it take to create this?
Right then Barkan’s voice came, hushed.
“Grand… Sword Master.”
Gannon clenched his fists until his knuckles cracked.
*Young as he is, he shouldn’t be this strong.*
*No genius from the heavens could possibly pull this off.*
But it was impossible to deny what his eyes had witnessed.
The scene before them was far beyond any Sword Master’s reach.
*How could someone so young already be at that level…?*
Shock turned to awe, awe turned to dread.
*No way…?*
Gannon’s eyes widened as the dust settled.
The ground—flipped by the blast—revealed countless orc corpses.
And Jin Chen strolled forward, double-headed axe still casually slung over his shoulder.
“Exactly as they say—killing orcs is best done with the Three Sages’ martial arts.”
“Thank you for your hard work, Chief!”
“Hard work? I didn’t even work hard. Plenty of them still got away.”
The guards knew.
If Jin Chen had truly decided to exterminate every single orc, not one would have escaped.
“Clearly Samsaek-i picked a good spot. There’s even a decent-sized lake right under the cliff.”
“No more drinking worries. Should we smash everything and rebuild?”
“Yeah. Oh—and among the pig-headed guys, some were wearing armor. We’ll collect those weapons and armor separately. We’ll need them for the formation. Jang Old Man, can you handle it?”
Jang Old Man stepped forward without hesitation.
“Leave the repairs to me. You don’t have to worry.”
“You’re a young one—do the heavy lifting. Don’t get lazy just because someone’s not happy.”
“Hahaha, young hands are so rough, I don’t know if we can manage.”
The legendary blacksmith of a famous martial family.
Even past seventy, Jang Old Man remained incredibly skilled and ran the fortress forge.
“Careful now. Take it easy.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Jeombaki, you too.”
“Ha, ha. I’ll try my best as well…”
“If you add any more weird formations like last time, we’ll actually end up burying everything.”
“I’ll remember, Chief.”
Jin Chen gave a satisfied nod.
“Alright. Everyone start working!”
“Yes, Chief!”
The sturdy male guards rushed into the camp.
The only ones left were the old men, the women, and a few children.
But none of them stayed idle.
They gathered firewood, lit fires, and began crafting the kitchenware they’d need immediately.
Jin Chen stood blankly watching the caravan members.
“You’re not paying for the meal?”
“N-not right now!”
Gannon struck a rigid salute like a recruit.
The caravan members scattered in every direction.
Mercenaries scanned their surroundings.
The caravan master and laborers joined the old men and women.
Not a single person complained.
After seeing something this enormous, who would dare grumble?
Besides, helping the bandits was nothing new—they’d been doing it since the first step into the forest.
As everyone found their tasks, a single person relaxed in perfect peace.
Jin Chen sat beneath a massive tree, holding a fine wine bottle, savoring the cool breeze.
Beside him stood Jeombaki, fresh from reporting on the progress.
“The stockade will be ready in about a month. Temporary shelter in three to four days. We’re planning to use the larger ones later as meeting halls and storage, so I told them to build big.”
“It doesn’t have to be fast—make them as sturdy and spacious as possible. No one should be uncomfortable.”
“We already told them that.”
“How long until everything is finished?”
“With the formations included, maybe a week and a half.”
“Already?”
“Yes, Chief.”
Jeombaki’s report earned a nod from Jin Chen as he gulped down the wine.
**Glug. Glug.**
After draining it like water, his expression soured.
“Tsk. This world’s drinks have zero romance.”
“Romance in alcohol?”
“The burning throat, the reckless bravery of pouring and drinking while knowing tomorrow’s head will split, that deep resolve of ‘I’ll definitely drink again even if I die today.’ It’s overflowing with romance!”
“Only the Chief would think of it that way.”
“That’s what I was talking about!”
Jeombaki’s eyes twitched.
“When did you ever get drunk?”
“I admit I messed up a few times…”
“Don’t talk. Not a few times—every single time you drink.”
Jeombaki cleared his throat and tried to change the subject.
“Anyway, shouldn’t we go see what those pig-headed orcs gathered?”
“At least most of it should be out by now.”
“We should check. Who knows what’s still hidden.”
“Join me. I was heading that way anyway.”
Following Jeombaki’s lead, they headed toward the lake at the base of the cliff.
There stood a single house that had never been touched.
It was unmistakably the chieftain’s residence.
Jin Chen’s eyes sparkled as he surveyed the items piled at the door.
“These guys were rich?”