Nam Gyuil's Bloody Battle with the Orc Champion
Nam Gyuil's fierce duel with the Orc Champion had begun.
Clang! Clang!
The sound of hammer clashing against blade rang out.
As expected of an Orc Champion.
Even after activating Berserk, the beast's strikes were incredibly heavy. Each block sent numbness shooting through his hands. The vibrations traveled up the blade right to his fingertips.
Nam Gyuil fell back.
Its power has multiplied several times from Berserk, but it has a weakness. I just need to exploit it.
He drew in a deep breath and unleashed the Arnia Empire swordsmanship he had honed all this time.
Fluid transitions between stances. Techniques that could attack or defend depending on the moment. He combined them endlessly.
He lightly deflected the Orc Champion's assaults with his sword tip, guiding them astray. He kept flowing the attacks aside.
But with each passing moment, the Orc Champion's onslaught grew fiercer. It was the power of Berserk.
As time wore on, its strikes sharpened relentlessly.
"Ngh!"
A groan finally escaped Nam Gyuil's lips.
Even with Arnia swordsmanship, he couldn't keep blocking the ever-intensifying barrage forever. Pain throbbed in his wrists like they were dislocated.
I have to endure. For 30 seconds!!
He gritted his teeth and held on, counting silently in his head.
The instant he reached thirty, he went on the offensive.
Ching!
The moment blade met hammer, he spun it aside, deflecting the assault.
The massive hammer grazed past his hair.
Nam Gyuil dove into the Orc Champion's guard.
"Tahap!!"
With a fierce shout, he drove a kick straight into its solar plexus.
Thud!!
The blow landed cleanly. Potent enough to send the Orc Champion staggering back.
It glared with bulging eyes as if unscathed—
Then, "Guhk—!!"
It suddenly spewed blood.
The corner of Nam Gyuil's mouth curled upward ever so slightly.
I hit the weakness of Berserk. This should make things easier now.
The Orc Champion's hands trembled uncontrollably.
Berserk forcibly pushed the body beyond its limits. More precisely, it burdened the heart to squeeze out mana, shattering the mana-regulating blood vessels to maximize destructive power.
In the process, the body took severe damage. Nothing visible on the outside, but internally, it was a wreck.
And after 30 seconds, the internal injuries peaked. Untreatable.
A shock to the heart in that state weakened it even after Berserk.
Nam Gyuil assumed his sword stance.
Berserk isn't a good ability to begin with.
It was essentially a last-ditch struggle. Not for survival in battle.
It's for those who know they're done for anyway—take the enemy with you.
That's why even a minor shock to the heart mid-fight aggravated the injuries catastrophically.
The best option would be to run without fighting.
But that was impossible. Escaping a Berserk Orc Champion? No chance.
Its speed was several times faster than normal. Running wouldn't avoid the fight.
Even if I fled, it'd catch me in a second and force the battle.
An unavoidable clash. Better to focus on enduring the 30 seconds head-on.
The Orc Champion charged at Nam Gyuil, gasping for breath.
But its speed was sluggish now. Movements far clumsier than before.
The mana cloaking its hammer was fading.
Nam Gyuil easily evaded the assault. The hammer struck the ground but lacked real destructive force.
Slash—!!
His blade sliced the Orc Champion's shoulder. A tiny cut.
But it exposed Berserk's critical flaw.
Splurt.
From that small wound, blood erupted like a pressurized spray.
A side effect of Berserk.
Nam Gyuil unleashed a relentless barrage.
His sharp blade carved minor wounds across its flesh.
The Orc Champion bellowed in agony—screams or roars, nonstop.
But its body couldn't keep up with its will.
Trembling hands dropped the hammer.
Life faded from its eyes, vision blurring as if its thread of life had snapped.
It vomited blood again.
"Cough!"
Crimson stained the ochre stone red.
It collapsed to its knees.
Its reddened skin reverted to green, and the emblem on its golden shield vanished.
The Orc Champion lay utterly still. A cold wind swept over the stone mountain, tousling its hair.
Nam Gyuil approached.
In just a minute, it had aged dramatically—hair turned white, face wrinkled like old parchment.
Slash—!!
He severed its head. It slid off the neck stump and rolled across the ground.
With that, every monster was slain.
Nam Gyuil pried the golden shield from its death grip.
"Berserk ability, huh…."
Watching its wretched end left a bad taste.
But without the side effects, it'd be an outstanding power for sure.
He pocketed the golden shield.
Now that he could wield a mana sword, he could access the second floor of the Akashic Records.
Time to tap into knowledge from dimensions above Arnia.
There might be a way to eliminate Berserk's drawbacks.
Without them, it'd be overpowered.
Well, that's for after I exit the gate.
Not now.
Nam Gyuil reached the peak of the stone mountain. The core was there.
Crackle.
He cleaved it in one stroke.
Dark clouds dispersed across the sky amid thunderous booms.
Proof I took down the boss monster, and that's that.
Evidence of closing the gate was needed to claim first place merit.
He quickly grabbed the Orc Champion's head and the shattered core.
Then he bolted for the exit.
Thus ended the orc crisis that had shaken South Korea.
The other guild executives stared at the sky and shouted.
"Who smashed the core?!"
"Closing the gate in such record time. Who the hell was it?"
"Damn it, we missed first place!!"
They were all furious.
Those who had inflated the incident for bigger government subsidies weren't celebrating the orcs' defeat—they were pissed about losing the rewards.
Nam Gyuil confirmed their reactions as he emerged from the gate. Utterly repulsive.
He clenched his jaw and balled his fists.
Out of the gate came Nam Gyuil.
"Bro, you okay?!"
"Those guild bastards didn't pull anything on you in there, right?"
"How's your condition?"
In the distance, 01 Team rushed toward him, faces full of worry.
As he opened his mouth to say he was fine, someone barged between them.
"Nam Gyuil, you bastard—!!"
The intruder bellowed loudly.
Nam Gyuil turned. It was the Cheongwol Guild executives who had entered the gate with him.
"What do you want?"
When Nam Gyuil asked, the Cheongwol Guild executive exploded.
"Did you smash the core? That's a core and boss monster corpse you're holding?"
"Yes."
"Hand it over."
"What nonsense is this?"
"Do as you're told—!!"
They coveted the top merit spot for the president's rewards. They even planned to steal someone else's achievement.
The Cheongwol Guild executive jabbed Nam Gyuil's chest with his finger, raising his voice.
"You cleared the orcs so fast coming out of the gate that we barely got any government aid. Take responsibility."
Utterly illogical. Pure robbery.
Nam Gyuil furrowed his brow. Rage boiled over their nonsense.
The executives, having lost the competition, still looked down on him. That's why they dared try to steal his merit.
Like a boss claiming a subordinate's project as his own.
They felt no shame in crushing the weak, mistaking immorality for skill, worshiping wickedness. The epitome of disgust.
As Nam Gyuil glared and refused outright, the executives bared their teeth.
A fight was brewing.
Hunter Agency commanders stood frozen, unable to intervene. Siding with Nam Gyuil risked backlash from major guilds, complicating future ops.
Just as the standoff between Nam Gyuil and the Cheongwol executives was about to ignite—
"What's going on here?"
An utterly unexpected figure appeared.
It was Han Ducheol, master of Kangcheol Guild.
The Cheongwol executives flinched.
"President Han Ducheol?! What brings you here…."
"Came to check on my son."
In truth, Han Ducheol had waited nearby in Suwon. Worried his son might fall to orcs, he couldn't stay away.
He'd watched Han Kangsu from afar, in secret.
Planning to leave quietly once it ended.
But he'd witnessed something ugly.
"Why are Cheongwol Guild executives picking a fight with national hunter Nam Gyuil?"
Han Kangsu explained everything to his father.
"Sergeant Nam smashed the core and closed the gate, but Cheongwol Guild is trying to steal all the credit—!!"
"Can't have that."
Han Ducheol immediately backed Nam Gyuil.
He strode up to the Cheongwol executive and clamped his shoulder hard.
"Urk!"
The man groaned.
Han Ducheol smiled warmly and offered advice.
"Competition's good. I like it. Proper rivalry breeds growth."
"……."
"But stealing achievements like this? That's what I hate most."
"If our master Song Taesu finds out, he won't let this slide."
Han Ducheol chuckled heartily. He gripped harder.
"Ngh!"
"You think I'm scared of Song Taesu? I'm Han Ducheol, kid."
"……."
The Cheongwol executive's mouth twisted. Sensing things wouldn't go his way, he backed off.
"Fine. Have it your way."
He declared they wouldn't steal Nam Gyuil's merit.
Han Ducheol released his shoulder.
Humiliated, the executives ground their teeth and left Suwon without a backward glance, clutching their aching shoulders.
Han Ducheol watched them go with a troubled expression.
Why does power end up with scum like that?
Saddening.
Then, as if the gloom had never been, he turned a pleased gaze to Nam Gyuil.
My hunch was right.
He'd suspected Nam Gyuil might reach his level someday. And he was growing at breakneck speed.
"Well, I'll be off then."
Han Ducheol waved and departed slowly.
Nam Gyuil bowed his head.
"Thank you for your help."
"Hahaha, call on me anytime you need."
As Han Ducheol left, the other guild executives fell silent.
No more merit squabbles—lest it escalate to guild wars.
Nam Gyuil smirked.
He'd secured his achievement. One thing left.
Just claim the president's reward.
Nam Gyuil exhaled deeply, gazing at the clear, cloudless sky.
A cool breeze ruffled his hair, as if patting him for his efforts.
He had no idea what the reward would be, but he was certain it'd be massive.