Chapter 20
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: The Gurkan Orcs Are Too Strong
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‘They’re definitely strong. And persistent!’
Johann broke into a troubled smile, cold sweat trickling down his face.
Ordinary people would have died several times over from the voltage he unleashed, yet these guys didn’t even flinch.
The green hides of Gurkan Orcs were tough and resilient by nature.
They absorbed impacts, resisted blades, and boasted high resistance to heat, cold, electricity, and moisture—making them impervious to all but the most extraordinary attacks.
‘They’ve grown up traversing the rugged Gurkan Mountains like their own backyard, with monstrous stamina honed from daily life-or-death battles against deadly monsters. It’d be weirder if they weren’t this strong.’
The law of the jungle.
That was the absolute survival principle of the Gurkan Orcs.
“Charge!”
‘No choice, then.’
Crackle!
The moment the orcs lunged, Johann judged that he couldn’t escape the iron grip of those restraining him with ordinary means. He drew up his mana.
In that instant, he detonated the compressed Lightning Mana in all directions.
Boom!
“Wh-what the hell?”
“Grraaagh!”
“My eyes...!”
The powerful pulse unleashed an electromagnetic storm, sending shockwaves laced with blinding light that hurled the orcs away.
Its force was so immense that even the orcs clinging to him were swept off, and the charging ones scattered like autumn leaves in a gale.
But that wasn’t the end of it.
Crackle, zap!
“Urrrghhh...!”
The orcs closest to Johann frothed at the mouth, their bodies convulsing.
They had taken the brunt of the pulse’s effects.
The charging ones weren’t faring much better, even if to a lesser degree.
“I-I can’t see!”
“Damn it! Why won’t this cursed body move?!”
The orc warriors panicked, temporarily blinded by the intense light or paralyzed by the electromagnetism.
With their stamina and fighting spirit intact but their bodies unresponsive, it must have driven them mad.
Whoosh!
Johann scanned the cleared surroundings and bolted inward.
‘The pulse is reliable in power and effect, but the mana drain is its fatal flaw.’
Spamming it like this would exhaust his mana before he reached his goal, leaving him collapsed en route.
After that, Johann focused his senses to the max, slipping through gaps and blind spots in their encirclement as he pressed forward swiftly.
Finding spots where Gurkan Orcs had deliberately hidden would be nearly impossible for anyone else, but they stood out clearly to his eyes.
Even so, the Gurkan Orcs were strong and tenacious.
“Over there!”
“Pursue!”
They maximized the forest’s terrain advantages, using their stamina and unity to compensate for any individual shortcomings as they chased him down.
‘They’ve already blocked this far ahead?’
If they couldn’t keep up with speed, they preempted key paths.
If solo prowess fell short, they covered with coordinated assaults.
This led to several more unexpected clashes as his path was obstructed.
Each time, Johann barely escaped, but seeing the orcs swarm the spot right after he fled made his heart race.
“Quit chasing me already, you persistent bastards!”
Crackle! Zap!
Johann streaked through the mountains, trailing electric sparks, for three full hours.
Finally, his destination loomed into view.
‘It’s been a while.’
Perched atop a tall tree, Johann overlooked the massive Gurkan Orc settlement, a smile playing on his lips.
But arriving didn’t mean he could relax. If anything, this was just the beginning.
Descending the tree, he incredulously raised his hands slightly and strode straight toward the village entrance.
“Intruder!”
“Probably that human the scouts reported!”
“Surround him! And don’t approach carelessly—he wields strange powers!”
The guard orcs swiftly encircled him, leveling their glaives.
The jagged, razor-sharp blades glinted menacingly at Johann.
And that wasn’t all.
Orcs hidden here and there nocked arrows or readied javelins...
In moments, a net so tight not even an ant could slip through formed.
With their viscous killing intent converging, even the boldest soul would feel their legs buckle.
Yet Johann, beneath his mask, let out a scoff.
‘Who’d have thought that nightmare of a war would prove more useful here than anywhere else? Experience really is everything, huh?’
He gauged the encirclement’s gazes, then slowly reached for his mask.
The orcs growled low, tightening their formation.
No words needed—it was a clear warning against rash moves.
But!
“Don’t worry. I’m just taking off the mask. I’ve got no interest in chatting with cowards who won’t even show their faces. You’re Gurkan warriors, right? Isn’t that so?”
“O-Orcish?”
“Did that human just speak our Orcish?”
“Yeah... incredible.”
Murmurs rippled through the orcs.
Just as humans scorned subraces like orcs, orcs dismissed humans as frail weaklings—interactions were rare.
Thus, orcs fluent in human tongues or vice versa were few and far between.
Especially Gurkan Orcish, developed in isolation within the Gurkan Mountains.
Johann’s rough but communicative grasp of it left them stunned.
Was it because a powerful human sought dialogue in their tongue?
Or because he knew their custom of rejecting communication with the unidentified?
Either way—or both—their hostility eased somewhat.
Thanks to that, Johann removed his mask without issue.
He had two main reasons for baring his face so casually.
One was the Gurkan warriors’ custom he’d just invoked; the other, the Empire’s disdain for subraces made it unlikely they’d planted a Shadow here.
‘To them, subraces aren’t subjects to rule—they’re for extermination and exploitation. Hiding a Shadow out of fear for these guys would wound the Empire’s pride. Besides, no place for a human infiltrator anyway.’
Unmasked, Johann bellowed to the orcs.
“I am Alpha! I’ve come to befriend the ruler of the Gurkan Mountains—the mightiest warrior!”
His bold declaration sparked uproar among the orcs.
“Friends? This human came to befriend our Great Chieftain?”
“Nonsense! How can we trust a vile human’s words?”
“But his strength is real. Our warriors fell chasing him. Even a human’s words merit hearing if from the strong.”
“Only our warriors’ words hold value! Haven’t you heard the strongest humans are the greediest and most wicked?”
“Many warriors fell to him, but none died. If he’d willed it, they’d be dead already.”
“That’s the human ploy, I tell you! You idiots...”
The orcs split into factions: drive him off, or at least hear him out—locked in stalemate.
Word reached the Great Chieftain’s ears, and soon his emissary arrived for Johann.
The orcs swallowed dryly, tense for the verdict.
“The Great Chieftain summons you. Follow.”
“Th-the Great Chieftain?”
“Impossible...”
Reactions varied—some accepting, others not—but all shared one trait.
No one questioned the Great Chieftain’s will.
Under the warriors’ watchful eyes, Johann followed the emissary into the village.
Curious young orcs sparkled with excitement, straining for a closer look.
Mothers scolded them while staying vigilant toward Johann.
‘Kids seeing a human for the first time must find me fascinating.’
Johann grinned, waving lightly to the young ones before the warriors checked him.
They arrived at the Great Chieftain’s hut.
Its grand, ornate scale marked it as both home and shrine.
For the Gurkan Orcs’ Great Chieftain was both supreme warrior and high priest.
“Great War Orc of Orck, Garukan! As commanded, I bring the human.”
The orc emerging at the emissary’s call filled Johann’s eyes with bitterness, nostalgia, and embarrassment.
‘He looks exactly the same. Well, same guy, so of course.’
A 2-meter behemoth towering over other warriors, shoulders broad as mountain ridges, muscles like boulders, tattoos and scars galore.
The very embodiment of battle incarnate.
‘The only difference from back then is more black hair than white?’
He’d met this Garukan two decades in the future, pre-regression—so this was natural.
“You’re the human who dared trek here spouting fearless nonsense about friendship?”
Johann winced and rubbed his ears at Garukan’s booming voice, resonant even in calm speech.
“Not like you swallowed thunder. Speak softer— I can hear you fine.”
“That cheek proves you seek enmity, not friendship. If you wish, I’ll kill you now.”
“Fighting Orck’s Great War Orc, guardian of warriors and god of battle? An honor. But I’m no pushover. Starting something here might raze the whole place... Think you can handle that?”
Garukan’s grim scowl cracked into a grin at Johann’s sly retort.
He sat on a chair his subordinate fetched, appraising Johann.
“You’re unusual. Respecting our ancestor gods you call petty spirits, and bold enough to jest before me. Fearless? Or just confident?”
“Curious? Test me yourself.”
Crack, crack!
Johann rolled his shoulders with a grin; Garukan burst into laughter.
“Kahahaha! Fine! Pass our rite, and I’ll personally befriend you.”
“Rite?”
“No worries. Every Gurkan male endures it to become a warrior. Dahon!”
“Yes, Great Chieftain!”
The called orc stepped forward, facing Johann.
‘Not Garukan’s level, but far stronger than the rest. And... familiar somehow...’
Garukan bellowed as Dahon squared up.
“Dahon is my direct disciple, a warrior I pride myself on. Dahon! Teach this human the warrior’s rite.”
“Dominant hand?”
“Right-handed.”
Dahon extended his left; Johann answered.
“Extend your left and grip mine. Then alternate punches with your free hand. First to fall, yield, or release loses.”
“Simple and good.”
Johann chuckled, clasping firmly.
“Use aura if unsure. A human’s weak fist will only hurt you against our trained faces.”
“And if I drop you in one? Embarrassing.”
“Won’t happen—don’t worry, strike first. Guest courtesy yields initiative.”
“No take-backs later.”
Johann’s fist snapped forward instantly.
Snap!
Dahon’s eyes widened at the rubbery stretch of muscle and ominous creak.
‘No aura surge. Just a human punch! Survive this, and...!’
Clang!
Onlookers gaped, jaws slack.
No bare fist met flesh—that was metal striking stone.
“My tu—...”
Splat!
Thud!
Dahon nosebled profusely, collapsing like felled timber—out cold.
Johann scratched his head awkwardly, eyeing the fallen orc.
“Told you not to say embarrassing crap...”
How the Regressed Young Master Lives