Chapter 217
Chapter 217
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 217
Chapter Title: Guerrilla Warfare
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"Right flank!"
At Gye Soo-ji's shout, a massive sledgehammer came crashing down.
Kwaaaang—!
A huge explosion erupted from Goo Dong-hwan's magic wand, and the Ancient Orcs caught in it were turned into bloody pulp, flying through the air.
That created a massive gap on the right side.
The melee dealers slipped through it.
"Deadly Bullet!"
Lee Ji-ah's fist shot forward like a bullet.
Puk—!
The sound wasn't loud.
But the Ancient Orc struck by that tiny fist met its end with a massive hole punched through it.
"Falling Petals Sword Dance."
Twin swords wove beautiful patterns through the air.
It was a flashy sword dance that resembled falling petals, just like its name.
Chwaaaak—!
Every time Yoo Hong-seol's sword moved, the Ancient Orcs' bodies were sliced into pieces.
"Blood Fang!"
In the meantime, Kim Woo-ram's shout rang out.
His spear traced a massive arc, tearing through the enemies' throats.
Wounds like those from a huge beast's bite appeared, blood gushing forth.
The other heroes didn't sit idle either.
Park Min-seong hurled his status ailment potions into key spots, while Jin Tae-seong unleashed a barrage of polished spells, steadily thinning the Ancient Orc numbers.
Kang Byung-gyu, the non-combat class, continuously briefed the surroundings, relaying info to his comrades without rest.
But the biggest standout was, surprisingly, Kim Da-hye.
She was carrying out a straight-up massacre.
She didn't even "summon" rifles like the K-2.
She only used weapons built for mass slaughter.
Tomahawks, Claymores, Napalm, and more.
Thanks to that, the Ancient Orc rear lines resembled a vision of hell.
"'Summon.'"
She summoned one of the weapons she'd prepped.
This time, it was a drone.
An attack drone equipped with a minigun underneath.
Kim Da-hye used her mana to lift the drone into the sky.
Then she aimed its barrel at the endlessly surging Ancient Orcs.
"Du-du-du-du."
As Kim Da-hye mimicked gunfire with her mouth, the minigun's six barrels began to spin.
Drrrrrrrrruk—!
Mana bullets poured down like rain at a rate of 4,000 per minute.
There were no screams.
Just bodies shattering under the relentless barrage of mana bullets, ending their lives.
Like that, Kim Da-hye unleashed tens of thousands of mana bullets over ten minutes before collapsing onto the spot with a thud.
"Da-hye!"
Kang Byung-gyu, who'd been watching the situation, rushed over in shock.
"I-I'm fine."
Kim Da-hye shook her head, making a face like it was no big deal.
But Kang Byung-gyu didn't buy it.
Sweat was pouring like rain, and her hands were trembling.
"You used too much mana."
Her level had risen from training with Seo Woo-jin, and her mana had surged massively.
But since the battle started, she'd used too many weapons.
That caused mana exhaustion.
"Don't push yourself anymore. Just sit and rest. It's not super dangerous right now anyway."
The number of Ancient Orcs right in front of them exceeded 5,000.
It seemed like surrounding orcs had started gathering after days of being hunted by the heroes.
Way too many for just 97 people.
But as Kang Byung-gyu said, no dangerous situation unfolded.
Because these 97 weren't ordinary knights or soldiers—they were heroes.
"I can do more."
Kim Da-hye stubbornly insisted on fighting, but Kang Byung-gyu firmly shook his head.
"If you overdo it and actually collapse, that's even more trouble. So shut up and rest."
"But..."
Kim Da-hye didn't want to rest.
She knew full well the heroes weren't in danger right now.
The reason she pushed herself anyway was to raise her level even a little more.
So that when the Great Descent War broke out later, she could save even more lives.
"Do what Byung-gyu says. I've told you a million times that rest matters too."
Right then, a familiar voice came from behind Kim Da-hye.
"...Woo-jin!"
Kang Byung-gyu shouted.
Startled, Kim Da-hye whipped around to see Seo Woo-jin standing there in his black coat.
"You guys working hard?"
Seo Woo-jin smiled and greeted them.
"So where'd you go?"
"I told you. Sir Rudain asked me to scout, so I went there."
Seo Woo-jin answered Lee Ji-ah's question with a casual expression.
"So what scouting mission? Don't tell me you went to check on the Iair army's movements?"
Lee Ji-ah's eyes widened as she asked.
Gye Soo-ji furrowed her brow.
"I heard deploying heroes in other wars is illegal."
She shot Seo Woo-jin a look like, 'Is she right?'
'She's different from Ji-ah.'
It carried a totally different pressure than when Lee Ji-ah asked.
Seo Woo-jin scratched his head and gave a straightforward answer.
Of course, it was a lie, not the truth.
"Nah. Why would I do that even if asked? He just wanted me to get a read on the Ancient Orcs' movements and positions."
With that, Seo Woo-jin pulled a large sheet of paper from his pocket.
"What's this?"
Kang Byung-gyu took it and unfolded it.
"A map."
"More precisely, a map marking the Ancient Orc positions."
Seo Woo-jin smiled as he replied.
It was an excuse he'd prepped, anticipating such questions.
"This many?"
Goo Dong-hwan peeked over from the side and looked shocked.
"The Empire figured 20,000 to 25,000 initially, but their breeding rate's way better than thought. Looks like at least 30,000 more left."
Including today, the heroes had taken down just shy of 10,000 Ancient Orcs.
They thought they'd cleared half, but this many more...
"The problem is they're all massing in one spot."
Seo Woo-jin pointed at the map with his finger.
"They're all heading this way."
The spot he indicated wasn't far from where the heroes were camped.
"At least 20,000 will gather there."
20,000.
Too many.
Even today's 5,000 had been a bit tough.
Ancient Orcs were just too good at group fights.
Luckily, the heroes' skills had improved leaps and bounds, so they'd held without casualties, but 20,000 was another story.
"The more numbers they have, the stronger they get."
Gye Soo-ji said.
If they all massed up and fought as one group like Seo Woo-jin said?
Winning without losses like today seemed impossible.
"Two options."
Seo Woo-jin held up one finger and continued.
"First: Don't charge head-on recklessly. Fortify defenses and focus on holding."
So far, the heroes had fought without real tactics.
Like Seo Woo-jin's crew, small groups split off to fight separately.
It'd been enough until now, but that had to change.
"If all the heroes combine forces and use proper strategy, we can hold easy."
Everyone agreed with Seo Woo-jin.
If they became one unit like the Ancient Orcs, they could beat any number easily.
But that was the problem.
"Is that possible?"
The heroes had no experience with group battles like this.
Just the past few days of fights—that was it.
Suddenly trying to unite them would cause tons of friction, obviously.
"Lots of bad blood too. Like..."
Gye Soo-ji glanced at Seo Woo-jin.
"Yeah, fair point."
Seo Woo-jin shrugged.
'At least linking up with the elites' friends is tough.'
Seo Woo-jin had killed their pal Sung Yu-ra.
Reasons aside, blood's thicker than water, right?
Emotions would trump the why.
Teaming up with them was near impossible.
'And the heroes closer to them will refuse too.'
Not just him—plenty of heroes with bad vibes between them.
Uniting them looked hard.
"Then we go with option two."
Seo Woo-jin had this in mind from the start.
"What's that?"
Lee Ji-ah's eyes sparkled as she asked.
Her face lit up with excitement at planning tactics.
"Divide and conquer."
The answer didn't come from Seo Woo-jin, but someone else.
Seo Woo-jin smiled.
"She nailed it."
It was Kang Byung-gyu who'd spoken.
"No other way, right?"
No need to team with assholes you hate, no facing 20,000 at once.
"Split into teams for guerrilla warfare. Best way for few against many."
History proves it.
Especially when guerrillas are hero-level—failure's impossible.
"Then let's spread the word to the others."
No one'd object.
They wouldn't want 20,000 Ancient Orcs at once either.
Seo Woo-jin turned first and headed toward Rudain.
'Phew, dodged a bullet.'
He sighed inwardly in relief.
'This worked.'
The moment he pulled out the map,
Suspicion about his absence shifted to the orc subjugation.
No sweating over other excuses.
Seo Woo-jin praised his own smarts as he walked, then felt a gaze from the side and turned.
It was Kim Da-hye.
She walked beside him, staring blankly at Seo Woo-jin.
He couldn't read her thoughts from her face, but somehow he knew.
"Don't rush."
Seo Woo-jin said.
"You're too slow."
Kim Da-hye replied like she'd been waiting.
But Seo Woo-jin shook his head and patted her shoulder.
"Not slow. Plenty of time till the Great Descent War, so grow steadily."
Rushing like this could backfire.
Haste makes waste, after all.
"Just follow me and trust. I'll help with everything I've got."
Seo Woo-jin said with serious eyes.
Plenty of ways.
Summon Stones, or tote the Demon Realm around for bus rides.
So no need to panic.
"...Thanks."
Kim Da-hye bowed her head in thanks.
"No need for thanks."
Seo Woo-jin felt awkward, averted his eyes, and scratched his cheek.