Chapter 229
Chapter 229
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 229
Chapter Title: The Jarvan Plains Stir
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Jarvan Plains began to stir.
The first to notice were a team consisting of one A-rank hero and five B- and C-rank heroes.
They were subjugating Ancient Orcs according to plan.
With all but one being low-rank heroes, they had been hunting in small packs.
But recently, they hadn't spotted any Ancient Orcs.
They had followed the map's markings exactly.
Even after scouring the predicted paths thoroughly, they found nothing.
Their predictions could have been off.
But not seeing even a single one after sweeping the entire area—wasn't that too strange?
So they decided to pause the subjugation and investigate the cause.
About ten hours after they began their search, even using skills...
They finally uncovered why the Ancient Orcs had vanished.
"...This is insane."
How should they describe it?
Majestic?
Grand?
If the scene before them were from a movie, they might have said that.
But this was reality.
So the heroes' emotions were a bit different.
"We need to run."
Someone said it.
The other heroes nodded.
Fear came crashing over them.
One A-rank, two B-ranks, three C-ranks.
Enough power to dismantle even a decent-sized Ancient Orc pack.
But this went beyond that.
"20,000? No, maybe 30,000."
He couldn't tell the exact number.
There were just too many to grasp the scale at once.
"Guerrilla ops end here."
The satisfying piecemeal takedowns were over.
The surviving Ancient Orcs had begun to gather.
"We have to go back and report this now."
To face that many, the heroes needed to band together too.
They turned and started fleeing.
* * *
"Are you sure?"
Yoo Hong-seol asked.
Ancient Orcs?
That much dust meant way more than a hundred or two.
At least thousands.
Maybe even tens of thousands.
With hero teams still out picking them off one by one, she couldn't believe so many had assembled.
"It's Ancient Orcs, alright. Too many to even count."
Gye Su-ji answered Yoo Hong-seol's question.
She scowled, glaring at the dust cloud.
"Looks like things have gone wrong. Whether they've caught on and gathered, or for some other reason."
Lee Ji-ah had confirmed the Ancient Orcs too, her face darkening as she spoke.
Yoo Hong-seol looked at Jin Tae-seong.
He nodded.
"...Guess it's true."
As a B-rank, she couldn't see that far, so she'd asked multiple times, but everyone said the same.
Ancient Orcs were massing and heading their way.
"What do we do?"
"Retreat for now."
When Gye Su-ji asked, Goo Dong-hwan replied.
This team alone couldn't stop that horde.
They could try hit-and-run, but it wouldn't make much difference.
There were just too many.
"Just us? What about the other teams?"
Lee Ji-ah shot her hand up.
"They'll probably get out of the way on their own. No one would stick around after seeing that."
Even they—one of the top three teams out of twenty—had decided to retreat immediately.
The others wouldn't be any different.
But Lee Ji-ah shook her head.
"We should still warn the nearby teams, just in case. That way they can pull back fast and regroup."
Surprise flashed in Goo Dong-hwan's eyes.
He hadn't expected Lee Ji-ah to speak so logically and coherently.
"Ji-ah's right. We can't just run off alone."
Gye Su-ji backed her up, and Goo Dong-hwan nodded.
"Then we'll split up. Warn the nearby teams and get everyone back to base camp ASAP."
"I'll head toward Woo-jin's team."
Seo Woo-jin's team had gone farther from here.
Off the Ancient Orcs' path too, so they probably hadn't noticed yet.
Seo Woo-jin was the strongest hero.
To block that many without losses, they absolutely needed him.
"You sure you'll be okay?"
Goo Dong-hwan asked worriedly.
He knew Gye Su-ji was strong, but the plains were full of dangers now.
Even she could get caught off guard.
"I'm fine. I can take care of myself."
Goo Dong-hwan's concern was unnecessary.
No matter how many Ancient Orcs, they couldn't catch her.
She could handle plenty solo, and bail if outnumbered.
More than enough for her skill level.
"Alright. Su-ji, you go to Woo-jin. We'll head other ways."
"Unni, be careful!"
"See you at base camp."
They bowed to Gye Su-ji and turned away.
Time was short.
To rally as many heroes as possible, they couldn't waste a second.
"Let's go."
Goo Dong-hwan took off first.
Lee Ji-ah, Yoo Hong-seol, and Jin Tae-seong followed.
Gye Su-ji watched them go, then scratched her head.
"I wonder if that guy can explain it properly."
She worried if Jin Tae-seong, the king of timidity, could relay the situation to other heroes.
"Eh, he'll manage. He's not a kid."
She chuckled softly and pulled out her map to check positions.
"Pretty far."
Seo Woo-jin's team was quite a distance away.
'About an hour?'
At full speed, probably.
Assuming no interruptions.
Running into an Ancient Orc pack could delay her.
"Hurry."
Gye Su-ji didn't hesitate and started moving.
Kwaaaang—!
With all her power in speed, the ground exploded under her feet.
Shuwaaaaak—!
The air whistled as her figure vanished instantly.
Silence fell.
Only the distant dust cloud and thick tension remained.
* * *
"Hm?"
Seo Woo-jin tilted his head.
He felt something off.
'What is it?'
Something kept prickling his senses.
"...Killing intent."
Killing intent and hostility.
"Far away."
Not nearby, at least.
Somewhere distant.
Around the center of the Jarvan Plains, it seemed.
"Crude, so Ancient Orcs."
The intent was too rough.
But the scale was the issue.
For him to sense it from here...
"Did they catch on?"
A horde.
An enormous one, no doubt.
"10,000? 20,000?"
Too far to pinpoint numbers.
But they were definitely massing.
Not certain yet, though.
Seo Woo-jin scratched his head and turned.
Kwaaaang—!
Puhuk—!
His teammates were hunting an Ancient Orc pack.
Just fifty or so.
Some from the ones that had fled earlier, probably.
They were melting away under the attacks.
'Plan ends here?'
Looked like they'd finish these and head back.
"Let's wrap it up."
At Seo Woo-jin's words, Kim Da-hye beside him nodded.
She '[summoned]' a drawing from her sketchbook.
The 'minigun' he'd seen before.
Perfect for crowds of weak foes.
"Clear a path."
At his order, the frontline teammates parted to the sides.
And...
Drdrdrdrdrdr—!
Thousands of mana bullets poured out.
Puhbuhbuhbuhk—!
The remaining Ancient Orcs became hives and collapsed.
"Whew, that thing scares me every time."
Kang Byung-gyu approached, shuddering dramatically.
Mana bullets shredding flesh was horrifying, sure.
"This area's clear. North next?"
Kang Byung-gyu unfolded his map and asked.
But Seo Woo-jin shook his head.
"First, try a skill."
"Which one?"
Kang Byung-gyu looked puzzled at the sudden request.
"'Scan.' Check how many Ancient Orcs are around."
Kang Byung-gyu activated the skill casually at Seo Woo-jin's request.
"Scattered around here. Probably the escapees from before. Packs from five to about a hundred."
"Can you widen the scan range?"
"Costs more mana, but yeah. Why?"
"I'll explain later. Just check as far as you can."
Kang Byung-gyu tilted his head.
Seo Woo-jin had never asked this before, so it felt odd.
Still, figuring there was a reason, he expanded the 'scan.'
1 kilometer, 5, 10...
Per Seo Woo-jin's request, he poured all his remaining mana into sweeping the area.
His face hardened.
Not just from mana drain.
"How is it?"
Seo Woo-jin asked.
Kang Byung-gyu spoke gravely.
"Nothing. Plenty nearby, but beyond that—not a single one."
It was weird.
By the map, there should have been tons more packs...
"We need to head back."
"What? Head back suddenly?"
"They've started grouping up."
Kang Byung-gyu's words turned Seo Woo-jin's suspicion to certainty.
If even the outskirts were empty, most packs had merged.
"You mean they figured out our plan and assembled?"
"Yeah. No other way to explain killing intent this strong."
Kang Byung-gyu focused but couldn't sense it.
He trusted Seo Woo-jin, though.
"Then we move now."
Kang Byung-gyu got it.
"You guys too. Rest till mana recovers a bit, then we go."
The team was worn from repeated fights.
Better to recover slightly before moving than rush exhausted.
They nodded and settled into rests.
Seo Woo-jin watched them, then looked toward the killing intent.
'Hope no one's gotten involved.'
An uneasy feeling stirred.