Orc Chieftain Assassination and the Dimensional Pouch
Gate 36. After exiting the gate, Hyunmu Guild Team 2, Team 3, and Investigation Team 3 moved frantically outside. Kang Homin pounded the ground with his clenched fist, head bowed low, while Jung Dayun and Baek Sorin wiped away tears, unable to speak. Oh Jaehoon and Kang Doyun stood before the Hyunmu Team 2 leader with hardened expressions, and Yoo Mira walked straight over to join them. Her face was set like stone, and when she spoke, her voice carried clear authority.
“Team Leader. You need to explain the situation. The last report said the dungeon boss had been dealt with. You mentioned only a few dozen orcs remained. But now hundreds have poured out. Was the report wrong?”
The Hyunmu Team 2 leader shook his head awkwardly. “All we cleared were two hundred orcs from one tribe and two trolls. We thought that was the boss… but it seems there was another tribe and a higher-ranking boss. We’re still confirming the details.”
“Confirming? One of our investigators is missing inside. At this point, shouldn’t we be considering an immediate re-entry?”
Oh Jaehoon suddenly stepped forward, his voice bursting with barely contained fury. “Team Leaders, does this make any sense? The only reason we made it out alive is because Jihoon stayed behind to block the path. If he hadn’t sealed the retreat, we’d all be dead!”
He gripped his terminal tightly and raised his voice further. “Jihoon is still in there holding them off alone! And you’re wasting time with confirmations? We need to reorganize and go back in right now. If you’re human… have some conscience!”
Kang Doyun also took a step forward. “I agree. Jihoon can only run and hold out for so long. If we delay… it’ll be dangerous.”
But the Team 2 leader shook his head again. “With our current forces, entry is impossible. We need at least two days for reinforcements and to reassess the interior—”
“Two days…?”
Yoo Mira’s voice dropped to a dangerously quiet level. Everyone in Investigation Team 3 held their breath.
“And if Investigator Jihoon dies during those two days, who will take responsibility?”
The Team 2 leader was at a loss for words. A moment later, Yoo Mira called the Dungeon Investigation Bureau headquarters. Han Seo-yeon’s cold, dry voice came through the line.
[“Support request confirmed. We have no combat personnel available right now. Combat Team 2 can move in three days.”]
“Director, one of our investigators is missing. The dungeon interior was nothing like the report. We need immediate combat support.”
[“The only support we can provide is twenty mana-stone bombs. You’ll have to handle the rest, Team Leader.”]
Click— The call ended. Veins stood out on the back of Yoo Mira’s hand as she gripped the phone so tightly it creaked.
Jung Dayun asked cautiously, “…Team Leader. Is the Bureau really sending no one?”
“Combat Team 2… will arrive in three days. They said a deployment within one day, as we requested, is impossible.”
Oh Jaehoon kicked the ground hard and spat. “So they’re just telling us to hold out. Damn it… Jihoon’s fighting alone in there right now!”
At that moment, the Hyunmu Team 2 leader approached. “Yoo Mira Team Leader. Our guild’s reinforcement team will arrive tomorrow morning. We’ll re-enter as soon as they’re ready. We understand the risks fully.”
Yoo Mira remained silent for a moment, head lowered. That brief silence pressed down on everyone’s nerves.
“…The guild in two days. The Bureau in three.”
Kang Homin spoke through gritted teeth. “Team Leader, Jihoon will still be alive. But if we drag this out… it’ll really become dangerous.”
Jung Dayun lifted her head, voice trembling. “Team Leader… we have to choose. The only people we can trust right now… are right here.”
All eyes turned to Yoo Mira. She slowly raised her head. Her gaze sharpened, locking onto each team member in turn.
“…Very well. Tomorrow morning. We’ll re-enter with the Hyunmu Guild team. If the Bureau is only sending mana-stone bombs… we’ll use those to break through as best we can.”
The Hyunmu Team 2 leader bowed and withdrew. The waiting Hyunmu Guild members gradually dispersed. Jang Tae-wook and Park Jung-ho kicked the ground in frustration, while the rest silently began organizing the area. In the distance, the supply team was setting up control lines and securing movement routes.
Investigation Team 3 stood before the gate for a while. They gazed at it with lingering regret before slowly turning toward the vehicles. The sound of doors closing echoed briefly, and the cars quietly pulled away from the scene.
“…Investigator Byun Jihoon. Please… hold on. We’ll definitely come for you.”
— At the same time, inside the dungeon.
“Jihoon! Jihoon, wake up!”
“Huh… Arin, you’re here? Where’s Elly?”
“Elly used up all her energy and went back to the spirit realm.”
“Ah, I see… I must’ve fallen asleep while circulating the Harmony Heart Method. Still, my body feels pretty refreshed. Just a bit of muscle soreness.”
“That’s a relief! Then let’s get moving. We can’t stay here forever!”
“Yeah. Let’s head out. But… which way should we go? Straight out? Or should we check the core location while we’re here?”
“Let’s find the core first! Who knows when we’ll get another chance to enter a B-rank dungeon alone?”
“True. Then let’s look for the core. Ah, wait! Let’s eat first. There should be combat rations in the backpack. We’ll eat and then move.”
“I’m fine! You eat, Jihoon. We don’t have much food anyway. Hurry up and eat so we can go!”
We quickly prepared a simple breakfast and began descending the canyon. Along the way, we dealt with small monsters that appeared, practicing swordsmanship with Arin as we advanced.
As we headed toward the center—
A massive wooden palisade stood on the grassland. For a moment, I felt a spark of hope, thinking there might be people, but when I saw the orcs standing around it, I immediately dropped flat to the ground.
“Arin… can you scout inside that palisade?”
“Yeah! I can do it!”
“Good. Go take a look around. I probably took out quite a few when I collapsed the canyon… I wonder how many are left? If there aren’t many… I might get some revenge.”
“Kekeke, Jihoon, you’ve got a pretty vicious side, huh? I’ll be back! If things go south, since this is grassland… I’ll set the whole palisade on fire and burn everything inside!”
“Got it. I’ll hide here and practice my swordsmanship. Let me know when you’re done scouting!”
“Okay! Just wait a bit!”
After sending Arin off, I moved into the forest away from the palisade and found a wide clearing to practice the Flash Sword Art and the footwork technique I’d recently named Flash Step. The combination of footwork and swordsmanship still felt awkward—I tripped and crashed into trees several times—but as I unleashed all the power I’d been holding back, I felt something like a lock deep inside my body come undone. A sense of liberation washed over me.
While I was training with that momentum—
“Jihoon! I’m back!”
Arin flew into the forest clearing in a hurry.
“Huh… Arin, you’re back? Did you scout?”
“Yeah! I did. There are about a hundred regular orcs inside, and two hundred more lying injured. Kekeke, they must’ve taken heavy losses when you collapsed the canyon. There are about five elite orcs? Plus one orc chieftain and one shaman! The chieftain was carrying a pretty decent sword and some items… especially the dimensional pouch. That stood out the most!”
“A dimensional pouch? That’s insanely expensive! Even on Earth, only national-level guilds or SS-rank hunters use those, right? The orc chieftain has one? …Ah, now I’m tempted.”
“Hehehe, Jihoon. Should we sneak in at night and steal it?”
“Kekeke… Should we? Maybe I’ll fly in at night, slip into the chieftain’s tent, and ‘snip-snip’ him while I’m at it? Kekeke.”
“And another thing—the area around the palisade is all grassland. It’ll burn really well if we set it on fire! If we’re lucky, the two of us might be able to handle everything!”
“Sounds good. Let’s wait until night and give it a try. If it doesn’t work, we run right away! Kekeke.”
“I’ll stay here and refine my swordsmanship and footwork a bit more. You go back to the spirit realm, recover your spirit power, and come back. Today’s… going to be pretty busy.”
“Hehe, got it! By the way, Jihoon, have you noticed you’ve been getting bolder lately after absorbing dungeon cores?”
“Really? Maybe I’m just gaining confidence as my power grows. Don’t worry. I won’t start charging in recklessly.”
“Good! Call me later! I’ll come back with Elly!”
“Yeah.”
Arin returned to the spirit realm, and I resumed training my swordsmanship and cultivation method while waiting for darkness to fall. Once night had completely settled, I summoned the two spirits.
“Elly. Arin.”
A small spark appeared on my right, and a small water droplet on my left, each expanding into Arin and Elly’s forms. After summoning them, I quietly moved toward the grassland and lifted my body with telekinesis. As I slowly gained height, the structure of the encampment came into view. Scattered tents crisscrossed the area, with one particularly large tent in the center. Elly pointed at it with her finger.
“There. That’s the chieftain’s tent.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
I adjusted my telekinesis finely and glided silently over the encampment without making a sound. Even as I crossed the palisade, not a single trace of my presence escaped. After landing softly on the chieftain’s tent, I lifted the fabric slightly to check inside. The orc chieftain was sound asleep. I raised my sword, concentrated mana along the blade, and wrapped it once. In an instant, the shape solidified into a mana sword. I slowly leaned forward, approaching the chieftain’s head—
Then, in a single motion.
Swish—.
The mana sword sliced through like paper, and the chieftain’s head separated without any resistance.
“Clean.”
Arin whispered from outside.
I collected the chieftain’s sword, armor, and all the jewelry around his waist. Then I removed the palm-sized dimensional pouch from his belt. When I pressed the fabric lightly and channeled mana into it, I felt a ‘click’ as it opened. A thin blue light crack appeared and wavered. Though I couldn’t actually see inside, the moment the dimensional space opened, information about the items within—their positions and overall sizes—flowed naturally into my mind like a scan.
It looked like a small pouch, but the internal space I sensed was an independent rectangular area roughly the size of a twenty-pyeong room.
“Oh… this is the real deal.”
As I held the pouch in my hand and pictured the dimensional space, I felt the pouch and the internal space ‘mesh’ together. Once that brief connection was complete, the orc’s corpse and the chieftain’s belongings flowed naturally into the dimensional space regardless of the entrance size. It was as if the space opened along my touch and the items flowed inside. Once the body was fully transferred, the pouch became quiet again, as if nothing had happened.
After taking everything I needed, I moved toward the next target—the shaman.
“Arin, give me the location again.”
“Left tent. The orc shaman is inside.”
I quietly lifted my body with telekinesis and approached the tent like a shadow. Lowering my sword tip, I sliced the fabric as thin as paper to create a narrow gap. As the opening widened slightly, I lowered my body and slipped inside. The orc shaman lay motionless. I wrapped mana around my sword to form a short mana blade, then drove it straight into the shaman’s chest in one fluid motion.
Thud—.
As the blade sank deep, the shaman’s body convulsed once, eyes briefly opening before losing strength and sinking back down. Once the final movement ceased, the tent fell silent again.
I slowly scanned the surroundings and collected the necessary items one by one—the staff, necklace, talismans hanging from the waistband, and even the mana stones hidden under the bed. Then I moved through the elite orc and regular orc tents, quietly eliminating the sleeping orcs one by one.
Around the time I had dealt with roughly sixty of them—
Clank… clank…!
“Kurruk… urgh…!”
The sound of armor clashing echoed from beyond the barracks, mixed with the low communication sounds typical of orcs. The area around the tents suddenly became busy. Multiple figures were heading this way.
The infiltration ended here.