Chapter 229
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 229.
An untimely commotion broke out in the mountain range.
—Chase them! Those bastards, they’re eating them!
—Damn sons of bitches!
Orcs chasing.
And orcs being chased.
The two groups were hastily moving through the mountain range. However, in terms of speed, the pursuing orcs were overwhelmingly faster.
Whoosh!
—Kyaaaaah!
The problem was that there were traps along the path, and they had caught the ankles of the pursuing orcs.
—…….
—…….
The fleeing orcs said nothing. They didn’t even look back, desperately running for their lives.
And so, a game of hide-and-seek ensued—where it seemed like they would be caught, yet they weren’t.
The pursuing orcs, their heads boiling with rage, chased them recklessly.
—They’re gone!
—Over there! It’s those bastards from the western cave!
Then, at some point.
The fleeing orcs disappeared. Literally vanished without a trace.
The pursuing orcs panicked and frantically searched everywhere. And then, in their sight, they spotted another group of orcs from the western cave who happened to be patrolling.
—Kill those bastards!
—How dare they attack our cave!
—W-what are you talking about?
—Where did you hide the orcs from earlier?! Cowards!
The orcs from the southern cave attacked without hesitation.
The western cave orcs, caught off guard by the sudden assault, fought back in confusion.
—W-why are you doing this?!
—Die!
The western cave orcs called for reinforcements, and the battle grew larger.
"Good, good. It’s going well."
Such battles were breaking out all over the Merbella Mountain Range.
Yoo Baek-jun had ambushed each orc group, turning them into undead.
And then, he skillfully manipulated them to make the enemies turn on each other.
The results were extremely successful.
—Damn sons of bitches! Bring out the slaves!
—Kyaaaaah!
As the battle intensified, the enraged orcs brought out their trump card.
Slaves.
Monsters of numerous races who had once dominated this mountain range.
—Guoooooh!
There were all kinds of monsters, but the most impressive among them was one:
The ogres.
‘Those insane bastards.’
The orcs had even enslaved ogres, a race stronger than themselves.
Even if the orcs had grown stronger, they were still weaker than ogres, but they overwhelmed them with sheer numbers and reproductive power.
And it wasn’t just one or two.
‘With that many slaves like ogres in the caves, taking them all on alone… would be too foolish.’
That was why Yoo Baek-jun chose stealth.
Even an S-rank hunter would struggle to face that many high-level monsters in a narrow cave alone.
Especially when outnumbered.
“…….”
Yoo Baek-jun observed the chaos he had ignited across the Merbella Mountain Range.
Then, he headed east.
‘Good, the guard at the entrance has weakened too.’
There were still orcs guarding the entrance, but this much was manageable.
Yoo Baek-jun activated his Shadow Form and slipped into the cave.
‘Disgustingly spacious.’
The interior of the cave was like a massive city.
Countless huts were clustered together, and there were shared spaces like prisons and warehouses—no different from a city.
—Enemies! Enemies!
—Kill them! Kin! Meat!
—Gruooooh!
Inside the cave, countless orcs roared as they marched out to battle.
Slaves followed behind them.
“…….”
After watching the orcs leave, Yoo Baek-jun began to move.
He swiftly navigated the cave, setting traps in various places.
‘Hmm, this should be enough.’
He checked just in case there were any human slaves, but fortunately, there were none.
They were probably in another cave.
‘Nothing I can do about that.’
Yoo Baek-jun headed deeper into the cave.
The interior was like a complex maze, but it wasn’t a big problem for him.
He already knew the way.
—What?! The western bastards attacked us?!
A rough voice reached Yoo Baek-jun’s ears after walking for a while.
He headed toward it.
—Y-yes! Boss! They came first and attacked us!
—Our comrades, dead!
The voice came from the deepest part.
There was a lavishly decorated, spacious cavern there. So extravagant that it could easily be mistaken for a room in a human mansion rather than an orc’s den.
—These damn brats…….
At the very back of the cavern, where numerous orcs were gathered, stood a massive orc.
An extraordinary size that made it hard to believe he was an orc, with two demon-like horns sprouting from his head.
His enormous frame was packed with inhuman muscles.
‘Orc Lord.’
The leader who commanded the orcs of this cave—and beyond, the entire mountain range.
An A+-rank monster, but one whose strength grew with the number of orcs around him.
Not to mention, he had skills that enhanced nearby orcs.
‘Considering the number of orcs in this cave, that’s a troublesome trait.’
Of course, Yoo Baek-jun planned to kill him before he could even activate that trait.
He observed the Orc Lord.
—And you just took that and ran back here?! You idiots!
—I-it’s not our fault!
—Kraaaah!
The Orc Lord lifted the subordinate who had reported to him.
Then, using only his hands, he literally folded the orc in half at the waist.
—Damn bastards! Who was it that raised them to this point?! Kraaaah!
—H-how should we handle this?
—No need to think! Kill them all!
—Y-yes! Understood!
The orcs in the cavern immediately rushed out at the command.
Though it looked more like they were fleeing in fear of the Orc Lord.
—Pathetic fools!
The Orc Lord turned his back.
Behind him was a small stone statue, and on the floor in front of it, a massive magic circle was drawn.
—Those bastards, they’ve been eyeing this for a while……. Keur, I knew it would come to this!
The magic circle Yoo Baek-jun had been searching for.
At the same time, the reason the orcs of the mountain range had gained transcendent power.
‘A magic circle that accelerates the mastery of stats—physical growth.’
Its range was also incredibly wide.
Because of this magic circle, the orcs had been able to dominate the Merbella Mountain Range.
Naturally.
‘Now it’s mine.’
Yoo Baek-jun surveyed the cave.
The Orc Lord in the deepest part. Hundreds of orc warriors guarding him, along with slaves.
‘And four ogres.’
Only one entrance to get in.
His mind spun rapidly. He quickly figured out how to proceed.
‘Gotta move fast.’
He found a blind spot in the cavern. Fortunately, there were plenty of hiding spots among the clutter.
Swoosh!
He deactivated Shadow Form where the orcs couldn’t see him.
It was a good skill, but its drawback—being unable to attack while using it—was regrettable.
‘Now, where to…’
He gripped his sword.
The number of enemies was large. And considering the orcs who would come as reinforcements from all directions, it was even worse.
‘Can’t give the Orc Lord any time. Ideally, take them all out at once.’
Fortunately, there were plenty of ways to do that.
"Let’s start with a big hit."
Yoo Baek-jun stood behind the orcs.
They still didn’t notice him.
He raised his sword high, and magic bloomed at its tip.
—Huh? What’s that…?
One orc happened to turn around and belatedly noticed Yoo Baek-jun.
But it was already too late.
Boom!
The sword slammed into the ground, causing an earthquake that toppled the orcs in front.
Even the Orc Lord at the back staggered from the tremor.
‘The ceiling’s too low for Meteor Shower.’
He assessed the situation.
In such a low-ceilinged space, Meteor Shower’s power would be limited.
In that case—
Crackle!
He clenched the Thunder spear in his left hand.
Thunder coiled around his entire body. Without hesitation, he pulled back his right arm.
The spear, wrapped in lightning, transformed into a roaring thunder dragon.
—Kyaaaaah!
It shot forward.
Multiple shockwaves erupted as the Thunder spear surged ahead, scattering bolts of lightning in its wake.
Orcs in its path were instantly set ablaze, screaming as they fell.
—Hurk!
The thunder dragon rampaged in an instant.
The Orc Lord reacted too late.
Dodge?
It was far too late for that.
What he chose instead was another method.
—P-protect me! Now!
—Gruoooh…
He used the nearby ogres as shields.
The ogres, fully tamed as slaves, stood before him without hesitation.
And then—collision.
—Kyaaaaaah!
—Gruoooh!
The thunder dragon engulfed the ogres.
The roaring dragon pierced through them in an instant, but its power inevitably weakened in the process.
—Krrgh!
The Orc Lord blocked the weakened thunder dragon with his two axes.
Crash!
The sound of impact reverberated.
The thunder dragon dispersed its remaining lightning in all directions, and the backlash momentarily paralyzed the Orc Lord’s body.
But it was still manageable.
—This much is nothing!
"Stupid bastard."
But Yoo Baek-jun never intended to kill the Orc Lord with the Thunder dragon.
The moment he fired it, he swung his sword toward the ceiling near the entrance.
Crash!
Countless sword slashes shredded the ceiling, and massive boulders collapsed, sealing the entrance.
—W-what’s happening?!
—The path is blocked! We need to break through!
Next, he gripped his sword and unleashed a Cold aura.
—Hiiii…!
—Cold, so cold!
A biting frost spread through the cavern, slowing the fallen orcs.
And then, Yoo Baek-jun immediately swung his sword, unleashing Plum Blossom Fragrance Across Ten Thousand miles.
Slash!
—Gyaaaaah!
Blades scattered like flower petals, mercilessly slaughtering the orcs.
Yoo Baek-jun, having activated both Cold aura and Plum Blossoms simultaneously, charged forward.
—S-stop him…!
—Grab him! Don’t let him pass!
The orcs tried to block him, but none could stop him properly.
Instead, they were torn apart by the petals.
—Gruooooh!
—H-he can’t get through here!
In an instant, Yoo Baek-jun broke through the orcs—only to be blocked by the ogres.
Their condition was dire.
Pierced by the Thunder dragon and paralyzed by lightning, they could barely move.
‘Then die.’
He unleashed Flying Sword Barrage.
A sword formation that bound the ogres.
Countless blades shredded them apart.
Yoo Baek-jun stepped past the ogres, who could no longer hinder him.
—Y-you damn, crazy human!
Now, nothing stood in his way.
He stood before the Orc Lord, who had blocked the Thunder spear and was brimming with arrogance.
‘Wait, this bastard—he’s unarmed!’
The Orc Lord was momentarily stunned but soon realized Yoo Baek-jun had no weapons in his hands.
His spear was lying on the ground, and his sword was busy attacking the ogres.
"They all think the same way."
Yoo Baek-jun smirked, seeing right through the Orc Lord’s thoughts.
He pulled both hands back.
—"T-this is…!"
"You only realize it after getting hit!"
Twin Dragons’ Clash.
Heavenly Destruction and Iron-Cutting Fist simultaneously slammed into the Orc Lord’s abdomen.
—"Kuh…"
Impact, followed by countless blades.
—Aaaaah!
That was the end.
The Orc Lord’s body was torn apart by the blades, and Heavenly Destruction consumed him.
His entire body was engulfed in flames.
Yoo Baek-jun reached out, recalling the Thunder spear. Then, spinning his body—
Slash!
He beheaded the Orc Lord.
The headless body collapsed.
—B-boss! The boss is dead!
—Human!
The moment the Orc Lord fell.
Orcs from outside broke through the collapsed entrance and rushed in.
They stared in horror at the dead Orc Lord. Yoo Baek-jun glanced at them, then pulled something from his pocket.
‘Let’s make this a speedrun.’
A device with a switch.
He pressed it.
KABOOM!
—Hiiiiik?!
With a deafening explosion, the traps Yoo Baek-jun had planted throughout the cave detonated.