The Orc Fort's Decisive Assault
Orcs were generally portrayed as stupid, impulsive, and simple-minded creatures. Horizon's orcs had always adhered to that stereotype.
But these ones were different.
They were the elite force that had built the fort and repeatedly turned back raiding armies.
If I had entered thinking they were ordinary orcs, I would have been badly hurt.
“I almost fell into that trap.”
On the mountain peak opposite the fort, Fafnir’s gaze sharpened.
‘Orcs are swarming everywhere, all of them heavily armored.’
Unlike the orcs I had fought while climbing, these were regular troops under the commander’s orders.
More than a thousand orcs had seized the advantageous terrain on the mountain, making an assault difficult.
‘There are several methods, but first I should hear what these fellows have to say.’
Fafnir summoned his skeleton soldiers, Penelope, Bell, and Louis all at once.
“We need to capture this orc fort. I would like to hear your opinions.”
“Siege tactics, huh… that doesn’t sound simple at all.”
Penelope spoke up.
“I will lead the soldiers to provoke them and draw the orcs out. After that, we just have to take them all down.”
Her appearance was filled with unyielding justice and rigid principles!
“……You are incompetent and your thinking is too rigid.”
Bell, legs crossed, replied.
“I suggest infiltrating the fort, spreading the plague among the water supply and orcs inside. After ten days, the orcs will naturally abandon the fort on their own.”
“That is abandoning the knightly code—a filthy act. Are you saying you, a homunculus, have no human soul?!”
“Be careful with your words, Penelope. I am a part of my master. Disrespecting me is also disrespectful to Fafnir-nim.”
The sharp exchanges between Bell and Penelope, who both pursued only maximum efficiency.
Louis, the skeleton knight scratching his skull, jumped in.
“H-Hey, why not just let the kids handle it? If the skeleton soldiers get pierced and collapse…”
“Do not interrupt, you incompetent.”
“You damn skeleton! You died and came back, but you’ve lost even the knight’s pride!”
The merciless replies caused the skeleton knight’s tail to droop immediately.
The elite skeleton soldiers, including No. 1, had already backed off to avoid being hit by stray flames.
“After all, a homunculus that hasn’t even lived a day can’t understand. How heavy the weight of honor is.”
“At the very least, I know that winning is the right thing to do. Unlike you.”
“Hah? You think you can beat me?”
“It’s not impossible.”
The argument escalated further.
Fafnir clicked his tongue.
‘Coordinating subordinates is also work.’
If they were all made into robots, this wouldn’t happen.
Everyone had values and reason, so conflict was inevitable.
‘Either way is fine….’
A drop of rain fell on Fafnir’s hand while he was lost in thought.
‘Rain…’
The droplets quickly turned into a downpour, and sheets of rain began to hammer the entire mountain.
Clatter! The skeleton soldiers hurriedly set up tents and drainage channels.
“Dak! (Why do I have to do this?)”
“Dak… (It’s raining, so there’s nothing we can do. Master, move quickly so I don’t get wet.)”
“Dak! (No. 1, you do it too.)”
“Dak! Dak! (You must be performing well!)”
That was when Fafnir turned his head and spoke to his subordinates.
“I’ve decided on the strategy. Everyone, gather here.”
“A strategy? Dark sorcerer, think carefully. Even if you wield the power of darkness, you must still preserve a minimum amount of honor.”
“I will follow my master’s orders. However, this knight’s method…”
Bell and Penelope each offered one line from either side of Fafnir.
But Fafnir’s thoughts were neither of theirs.
“Since everyone has their own ideas, I will simply give the orders.”
“……Understood.”
“Yes, Master.”
“All of you, come down.”
“……”
The skeleton soldiers who had been working on drainage and tents stood with their mouths agape like a dog chasing a chicken.
***
When Fafnir returned to Byron City, nearly two hundred users had gathered.
Thanks to the emergency quest spreading like wildfire, users from surrounding villages had abandoned their hunts and rushed over.
“From now on, I will explain the strategy.”
Fafnir said.
“Form groups of three. Head to the designated location for each group and hunt the orcs.”
For a successful assault, one had to know the enemy’s information and also assess one’s own forces objectively.
‘Three against one orc. More than that and the tables turn.’
Fafnir had already planned exactly how to assign the users.
“Three against one orc. If additional orc forces descend, immediately retreat.”
“It seems like we could handle more…”
“If you don’t retreat, I won’t be responsible for the aftermath.”
The orders came down like a hammer.
Of course, the rewards were not forgotten.
“In addition to the existing quest reward, I will pay each of you fifty silver every time you kill ten orcs.”
“Oh ho!”
“That’s not bad… Ten orcs would be ten thousand silver.”
“Exactly.”
The users’ blood was boiling.
Fafnir continued.
“There’s no point in waiting, so we start right now. We could begin tomorrow, but as you all know, the sooner and more you hunt, the faster you receive the rewards.”
That meant anyone confident could start the quest tomorrow.
But among the gathered users, no one would have thought that.
“Let’s go!”
“Ooh!”
The users rushed forward together.
‘As expected, when money is on the line, they move quickly.’
Of course, the budget for those rewards would be covered by Baron Pendragon.
“Hello, everyone. Right now I am leading the Byron City orc fort assault. It is the lord’s urgent rare quest.”
As the hunt began, Ludius turned on his broadcast.
“I’m a bit taken aback to suddenly receive a large-scale extermination quest, but of course it’s because Fafnir-nim is doing it.”
GT__soju135 : Ruka~ .
GT__Shinsejin : Ruka~er, Byron City?
GT__Jethal : Those people over there are all beginners. Buffing and hunting orcs… They still haven’t reached level 100?
“Ah, the beginner area is nearby, so there are quite a few beginners here. That’s why they’re handling the orcs in groups of three.”
He was busy explaining while also applying buffs to the users!
“Here they come! Here they come!”
“Take them down!”
The participating users hunted with no idling, too.
If even one idled, all three would be wiped out, so they had no time for rest.
“Kiyeeek! Human scum!”
“Kiyiiiii!”
Whenever users defeated the raging orcs, their HP, MP, and stamina hit rock bottom.
‘I’m really going to die.’
‘It feels like I’ve been doing squats for hours…’
‘I should run. This is insane!’
They would defeat one orc, decide to quit, then another would descend and they’d be forced to fight again.
The reason? Simple.
“Uaaaaaaa!”
“Just a little more! Just a little more!”
It was because of the bond with their teammates.
If one fell, all three would die, so they poured out every last ounce of strength to avoid taking responsibility.
After they reported having killed ten orcs, Ludius raised his voice and announced the hunt count.
“Ah, second batch. Right now the person who came the most is fourth—forty orcs.”
They had pushed themselves to the limit to kill twenty, yet somehow felt behind!
Even if they wanted to rest, they felt like they would be the only one at a loss.
‘Someone, say something already…’
‘If I keep going like this, I might actually die… but I can’t just say I’m resting.’
If one left, the other two would be forced to rest too, so the structure was even more ruthless.
Moreover, every time their experience accumulated while hunting orcs, they felt a sense of achievement separate from the levels.
‘It’s like the gym.’
Fafnir, watching the battlefield, thought.
‘Actually, it’s most efficient to keep training until you’re on the verge of death and then take one more step.’
Of course Fafnir wasn’t slacking.
No, he was shouldering the hardest role.
“As you can see, these users have low levels. They can barely defeat a single green orc. So for now, we’re sealing off the fort this way.”
Ludius explained.
The levels of the supporting users weren’t high.
If they encountered veteran orc warriors or shamans inside the fort, they would be devastated.
“Here they come right on cue.”
GT__Jeilroad : Eh? Over there!
GT__GoldRodgers : Elite orc unit!
In fact, the orc warriors prepared inside the fort had been eyeing the users.
But that plan was repeatedly crushed by the skeleton soldiers Fafnir had deployed, along with Penelope and Louis.
Of course Fafnir himself had stepped in to kill them.
“Kiyeeek! These bastards… Kiyik!”
“Die!”
General orcs were left to the users for blockade, while elite orcs or special forces that emerged were taken down directly to reduce numbers.
-Ludius : But Fafnir-nim, is this okay?
While the battle raged, Ludius sent a whisper.
-Ludius : No matter how I look, there’s a section that’s about a quarter empty. If orcs slip out through there and flank us…
-Fafnir : It’s fine.
It really was fine.
-Fafnir : I am handling that entire section.
The wave of orc forces descending through the gap!
Every wave contained over a hundred orcs, mixed with elites, yet they could not defeat the blood-maddened Fafnir wielding his blood sword.
“Kiy, Kiyeeek!”
“Kiyiii! Monster!”
The hundreds of orc casualties eventually gave up on breaking through and retreated back to the mountain top.
‘This is definitely a real item.’
Fafnir smiled while watching the blood sword.
Thanks to the additional vampire absorption effect that stacked with the Vampiric Aura skill, his HP never decreased no matter how much he fought.
‘I didn’t know the absorption effect was this good.’
When I played as Kim Ganghan in the real world, I hadn’t particularly focused on vampiric absorption.
I could cut off an enemy’s breath with a powerful strike or support wounds to prevent regeneration.
But now, after trying it myself…
‘The absorption option is better than I thought.’
An involuntary laugh escaped him.
It felt like discovering a diamond on the ground that had been there all along.
‘That diamond is now mine.’
Fafnir kept eliminating the orcs separately and sent his skeleton soldiers, Bell, and Penelope to support the users who were out of reach.
Even if summoning a large number of summons, there were still things only he could do alone.
Thanks to that, the energized users kept pressing the orcs without pause.
“I heard there’s an emergency quest here?”
“Fafnir-nim is actually paying out silver. Since I’m here, let’s hunt a bit more.”
As time passed, other users who had heard the broadcast filled in the gaps.
When the elite orcs moved, Fafnir would rush over and block them immediately.
Several days passed like that.
“Fafnir-nim, the enemies aren’t coming out anymore?”
Ludius said while looking at the fort.
After being hunted continuously, the orcs had become like a turtle trapped inside its shell.
“Do we have to do a siege…?”
GT__SunminHye : Wow, so it’s finally a large-scale fort siege?
GT__Hidra973 : Space defense dog shit… “Rejected”
GT__Ewin : If it’s a siege, then… I’m out.
Fafnir poured cold water on the expectant viewers’ reactions.
“No siege is necessary.”
“What? Then how…?”
“Don’t worry. I have everything figured out.”
Fafnir said calmly.
“Right now, focus on maintaining the encirclement. I will tell you when the time comes.”
“Then what… just give us a heads-up before we start!”
Ludius left without saying much else, trusting Fafnir completely.
Even as users and Baron Pendragon urged action, Fafnir remained steadfast.
“Can you even stay still like this?”
“I’m going to die for real… when is this going to end?”
The users hunting broke into excited chatter.
“This isn’t training with a dog… I’m suffocating every day from killing orcs over and over.”
“Thinking about it, it does feel like training. We have to grow to attack that fort, right?”
“This isn’t training, it’s pet training. Aigugu… I’m going to die.”
“Still, I’m getting used to it lately. It’s better than at the beginning.”
Amid the fighting, a few users started wondering.
“But lately Fafnir-nim isn’t hunting himself. What is he doing instead?”
“He does seem to be in the area, but I can’t quite tell.”
From some point onward, Fafnir would vanish and reappear somewhere.
However, the users didn’t think much of it.
After all, the hunting was so grueling, and Fafnir could log out or do other things.
“Maybe he’s doing other quests or tasks?”
“That could be.”
The users facing the oncoming orcs.
Several days passed like that.
Fafnir called Ludius.
“Ludius-nim.”
“Yes?”
“Prepare yourself.”
Ludius’s eyes widened.
“Prepare…? No way!”
“Yes. Tomorrow I will wipe out every orc in the fort.”
“Understood. Then what should I do?”
“……Please do it like this.”
Fafnir cautiously sent a whisper chat to Ludius.
***
“Hey! You pig-headed monsters!”
“Come out already! We don’t have any pork belly meat!”
The next day.
A group of dozens of users had gathered at the entrance to the mountain orc fort and were shouting at the top of their lungs.