The Orc Commander's Arrival
Despite their thorough underestimation, I had a feeling she would make that choice, so I prepared Contaminated Breath once more.
Contaminated Breath Lv.4 — Releases contaminated breath with poison and paralysis effects in a 39m radius centered on the caster.
- Upon poisoning, maximum health decreases by 0.02% per second.
- The longer the exposure, the greater the effect.
- You may choose to apply only poison or only paralysis.
The space was open, but after using it daily for Irma’s quests, I had gained some control over the direction it spread. Without hesitation, I gathered and released the breath toward the clustered orcs. The elf had blocked it earlier, but applying both poison and paralysis at once would surely have a noticeable effect on them.
Hmm… The other hunters had already shrunk to mere dots in the distance, yet the orcs made no move to chase them. They simply stood there, watching their comrades emerge from the gate.
“Kuh! Filthy humans.”
“Let’s skin them.”
“The females smell delicious.”
“No orders from the boss. We wait.”
The orcs spoke whatever came to mind without a second thought, their crude words directed at us. Some even exposed themselves and urinated toward our direction.
“Hey!! You bastards!!”
‘Whoa, that startled me. Almost threw a bomb.’
Fortunately, Helen quickly covered Yeonhee’s eyes. Thanks, Helen.
‘It’s infuriating that they treat us like complete idiots, but there’s a bigger problem.’
The fact that they were waiting for someone was a very bad sign.
‘Damn it… Same pattern as before. Then the one who walks out last is definitely higher than an Orc Warrior. This is really bad.’
Any orc with the authority to command Orc Warriors had to be one of the main forces that participated in the Seoul invasion under the Orc Legion Commander. Why did I have to encounter Orc Warriors in a D-grade dungeon of all places? What benefit did Blue Eye gain by summoning these creatures into this world? The sudden turn of events was so absurd that it almost felt amusing.
Poisoned the Orc Warrior and dealt damage.
Acquired a small amount of experience!
Poisoning Lizardmen during dungeon runs had never yielded experience, but these higher-ranked monsters apparently gave better rewards.
“Krrk? Poison… The humans used poison.”
“Cowards. As expected, humans are cowards. Just like elves. Kill them.”
“The poison is weak. We wait. Boss.”
“I did not duel him. He is not my boss.”
“Boss is stronger than me. You are weaker than me. Acknowledge the boss.”
“Let’s fight.”
Thud—! Thud thud!!
Watching two Orc Warriors suddenly start fighting each other, our party couldn’t hide our bewilderment.
‘What a mess, you idiots.’
Since I had seen this before, I simply accepted it and began preparing bombs. They were clearly looking down on us. Even one-on-one, we were weaker than them, and our numbers were fewer. It was only natural for them to underestimate us. Yet their inability to properly gauge our strength meant they were still immature. Even so, there was not a single positive factor in our current situation.
‘They’re different from the Tooth Monster. These ones have intelligence. A suicidal charge like last time won’t work.’
Orc Advanced Warrior. Now that it had become a commander leading a thousand-strong army, it should be called an Orc Thousand-Man Commander, but they were generally evaluated at the level of a Hundred-Man Commander. It was a monster belonging to the mid-tier ranks of the orc race, one that would clearly command lower warriors.
If it had been them, they wouldn’t have done something so pointless. They wouldn’t have given us time to prepare for battle while keeping an eye on me and No Hayun.
“Are you really going to fight?”
Seeing that we weren’t running, Helen, who had returned to our side, wore a troubled expression and looked at us with pitiful eyes.
‘Even if we run now, we’re already marked. Staying with us is your best chance of survival.’
“Uwooooooo—!!”
Their numbers had already exceeded five hundred. The idea of thinning them out beforehand was long gone.
‘Gather more. When you’re all bunched up, I’ll throw everything at you.’
Crack— Crack—
I diligently crafted Skeleton Bombs from Lizardman bones pulled from my inventory while watching the orcs engaged in their ranking duel.
‘……They look like they’re enjoying themselves.’
The orcs were genuinely enjoying themselves. Was it the excitement and joy of pioneering new land? Or were they anticipating killing, tormenting, and violating the humans they so despised? These were emotions I hadn’t properly felt when I was human. Was this also an ability gained by becoming a monster? Quite fascinating.
“Kneel.”
“You are strong. I lost. I submit.”
The orcs who had just been fighting quickly settled the match, apparently due to a significant skill gap. It would have been nice if at least one of them had broken something during the fight, but orcs did not use mana during ranking duels. Therefore, they did not sustain injuries severe enough to render them unable to fight.
Standing two meters tall with solid muscles. Though slightly smaller than Lizardmen, they possessed immense power and speed that belied their massive frames. Their only skill was Warrior’s Howl, but the strength buff synergized incredibly with their racial traits, turning them into peerlessly powerful warriors. A racial trait that granted additional effects once strength exceeded a certain threshold. It could be defense, agility, or some other special ability. In terms of physical capabilities alone, they ranked among the upper tier of D-grade monsters.
‘Even hitting them with two bombs at once won’t be enough to kill them. They’re incredibly sturdy.’
They might even withstand a direct hit to the head. Those filthy muscle-heads probably had brains made of muscle too.
The orc count had surpassed seven hundred. It was time to bring out the bombs. Now, only our party, No Hayun’s party, and the summons remained.
My plan was to throw every bomb I had the moment the Orc Advanced Warrior appeared, then flee. That would definitely draw aggro to me, after which I would maintain distance and buy time while running. Securing our safety for as long as possible. If possible, using stealth to take the commander’s head would be ideal, but…
‘It’ll be difficult. Its physical abilities are on par with the Tooth Monster. First, let’s throw one Tooth Bomb and see how much damage it takes.’
There was no grand plan to speak of. The power gap made planning meaningless.
‘It’s a shame to use the bomb made from the Tooth Monster’s bones… but finding it funny that I still want to save it even now.’
Tap tap tap—
The surviving Blue Eye cultists had circled around and begun chasing the hunters who had escaped through another route.
‘What a waste. Those guys looked delicious…’
Now we could only watch as the cultists fled. There was no helping it. The orcs were slowly preparing themselves.
Nine hundred… Overwhelmed by the growing momentum of the orcs, we backed away, then turned and increased our distance.
“Get ready. The atmosphere has changed. Something’s about to come out, isn’t it?”
“They seem to be waiting for someone. The commander?”
“Tch… This is insane.”
“The skeleton’s bombs… What? Where did all those come from?”
“The problem is, even with those, it doesn’t seem like the issue will be solved at all.”
No Hayun spoke to us with a tense expression I had never seen before.
“After the bombs explode, I’ll deploy my Ice Field at maximum power, so don’t be too surprised!”
“Please make it spectacular enough to be surprising.”
“At this point, honestly, it’s reassuring. Tch.”
No Hayun flashed a slight smile as she prepared her wide-area magic, while Yeonhee instructed the summons to guard the rear.
Nine hundred fifty… It was time to take to the air. After ordering Number One to brace itself, I stepped back a few paces and began my approach run.
Stealth
Using Number One’s rock-like hands as a platform, I leaped high into the sky.
Whoosh—!
Having jumped at least fifteen meters, I glanced downward for a moment.
Thud—!
Then, from the gate emerged a figure distinctly different from the other Orc Warriors. A monster with a green body mixed with red hues, a more solid appearance, and a massive axe slung over one shoulder—larger even than Yeonhee. From a distance, orcs were hard to differentiate by appearance, but this one stood out overwhelmingly even among the thousand-plus orcs.
‘No doubt about it. It’s an Orc Advanced Warrior.’
Orcs’ bodies grew redder as their rank increased. Therefore, that mottled creature was one of the higher-ranking orcs. But there was no doubt it was an opponent we couldn’t handle right now.
I hurled nearly all the bombs I had prepared, focusing on the Orc Advanced Warrior emerging from the gate. Of course, I carefully aimed and threw the single bomb made from the “Tooth” bones.
Whooooosh—
Nearly fifty bombs I had released from my inventory descended all at once.
‘Eat this. And please die.’
A thousand orcs densely packed together. Just as the Orc Advanced Warrior emerged and the Orc Warriors bowed their heads toward him, the tremendous firepower of the bombs detonated.
KABOOOOOM———!
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM———!!
Kweeeeee———!!
Hundreds of orcs screamed in agony simultaneously, the sound eerily grotesque. The moment the bombs exploded, I changed direction with the Cloak of Gliding, and at that instant, my eyes met the Orc Advanced Warrior’s.
Chills—
‘Damn it… That ridiculously sturdy bastard. If you’re pissed, come chase me!’
“……Kuh- Grgrgrgrk……”
I could almost hear the sound of him grinding his teeth in rage. According to the waves of my senses, the bombs had definitely affected him. Especially the final secret weapon, the Tooth Bomb, displayed more than five times the destructive power of a regular Lizardman bomb. The creature that had barely taken damage from Lizardman bombs staggered and even dropped to one knee from the Tooth Bomb.
‘Of course there’s damage. It’s a skill and bombs I raised with such effort.’
The orc that had instinctively covered its head with its arms upon seeing the falling bombs wasn’t missing any limbs, but it stumbled visibly battered.
Defeated an Orc Warrior!
Defeated an Orc Warrior!
Defeated an Orc Warrior……
Level has increased!
The orcs had gathered tightly to welcome their commander and were struck by lightning from above. Thanks to that, quite a few were instantly obliterated by my Skeleton Bombs.
‘Thanks to the Tooth Bomb, we reduced their numbers by about a hundred. The power is incredible, but the range is a bit disappointing.’
Clearing away the kill messages that rapidly filled my mind, I landed swiftly on the ground.
“Capture them alive! Filthy humans—I’ll skin them myself!!”
KWOOOOOOOO——!!
As the Orc Advanced Warrior let out a thunderous roar and gave the order, the orcs’ eyes gleamed as they charged toward us all at once.
Rumble rumble rumble rumble—
The ground shook violently as if an earthquake had struck, and at the sound of their skill activation and war cries, the birds in the forest startled and took to the sky.
“Wow… That’s amazing…”
‘What are you doing? Run already.’
After signaling the people whose feet had frozen from the overwhelming power of the Skeleton Bombs and the orcs’ roars, I urged them to move.
“Clack clack clack clack!!!”