Guardian: Derek Walker 24

Rita and I headed straight for the village hall. My goal was to protect Bianca, the most important asset in this village, alongside Rita. Bianca might have a sharp personality, but she was a knockout beauty on par with Rita.

With her ego as high as it was, the sight of her moaning beneath me would be something truly special. No way in hell was I passing up a chance at sister rice bowl.

Fortunately, Bianca was in the village hall with the other villagers. The place had been turned into a makeshift infirmary, and several wounded folks had already been carried in.

"Sis! Mr. Walker!"

Bianca spotted us. At the sound of her voice, all eyes in the hall turned my way. Rita stepped up and delivered the urgent news on my behalf.

"Orcs have broken in! They ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠must've come through a side path, not the main gate!"

"W-what?!"

A man with a thick mustache waved his splinted arm as he shouted. The other villagers jumped in shock too.

"Is that true?!"

"Yes! For now, Lord Pallax and the reinforcements are fighting them off."

"Phew! That's a relief, then. Trash like orcs can't beat a proper army. Wait, is that why the reinforcements haven't shown up?"

"I hope they wrap it up quick and get here. Lady Luna and Lady Kelly are holding the line, but there are just too many."

"Our vigilantes are dropping one by one. At this rate..."

Dark shadows clouded every villager's face. Even with Luna and Kelly doing their best, it was impossible to plug every gap where orcs slipped through the sides.

Petty damages were piling up as a result. Petty to me, anyway—not so much to the villagers.

"H-hold on! Those guys coming from behind—aren't those orcs?!"

A young man's sharp cry echoed from outside the hall. Looked like that Pallax punk had lost.

Useless fucking retard.

He'd better not be dead yet. His end needed to be as pathetic as possible.

That big one up front—definitely the Orc Leader.

An Orc Leader—one of the boss monsters—was on a whole other level from regular orcs. Overwhelming physical stats, sharp intelligence.

Plus, it had a bunch of auxiliary skills for commanding troops. A real pain in the ass in the early-to-mid game. Of course, to me now, it was nothing.

"No way... Did the reinforcements lose?"

Rita spoke up, her face uneasy. Seeing the approaching orc horde made it an easy guess.

"Probably."

As I said it, Rita's clasped hands trembled, a whimper escaping her lips.

"N-no...!"

I stepped outside to size up the incoming orcs. Not quite a hundred, but way more than thirty. Fifty, maybe?

Leading the pack was a hulking Orc Leader towering over three meters, a gleaming longsword at its waist.

That was definitely Pallax's sword. So this orc had beaten him and looted it?

Regular orcs swung clubs around the leader as they charged. The villagers froze in terror.

The vigilantes assigned to guard the hall barely held their ground against the approaching orcs, trembling like they'd topple at a touch.

Luna was busy with the small fry, and Kelly too. Guess it was my turn this time.

I took one step forward. Rita and Bianca reached out to stop me.

""Mr. Walker!""

I turned and flashed the sisters a smile.

Was it pretty cool? Hard to tell with this ugly mug of mine. Had to fix this face ASAP. That's what this trip was for.

I bullshitted something to the sisters.

"Don't worry."

I'd been sealing my skills so far for the side quest.

But shit had hit the fan, so I had to ditch one side quest. Sticking to it could've tanked the whole thing. With village damage at 20 already, priorities shifted.

I turned to the orcs. The hulking leader locked eyes with me and strode over, tilting its head.

"One of us?"

Fuck.

What a shitty bastard. I raised my arm like I was answering a question.

"Holy Missile."

Whummm!

I fired a barrage of light projectiles at the left flank of orcs. The holy bullets streaked into the clustered filth, exploding and wiping them out.

BOOM!

""Kreeeek!""

Five orcs turned to charred husks in an instant.

"A mage! Tch!"

The Orc Leader swung its red club as it closed in. Red Bloom wood, no doubt.

Anti-mana weapon. Great cost-performance early game.

It didn't just block mana-infused blades—it could swat spells too. No wonder Pallax lost with that in play.

Pallax looked like low-tier Sword Expert. Tough enough to go toe-to-toe with the leader, but that weapon tipped the scales hard.

Even tricky for mages. But my power wasn't just elemental magic.

"Time Pause."

I halted time. At the cost of 99% of my stamina and mana, everything froze for a full minute.

Popped a recovery potion, closed in, and jammed a lightsaber into the bastard's back. No orc could touch me.

"Time Pause release."

"!?"

Time resumed. The Orc Leader dropped to its knees, lightsaber buried in its back.

"Slow even in falling."

"Grk!"

I could've finished it, but for show in front of Rita and Bianca, I let it live.

"Mr. Walker! Amazing!"

Bianca's eyes went wide as she bounced in excitement.

"W-what just...?"

Rita stared, mix of confusion and awe. The villagers gawked too.

"What? He's not just a merchant?"

"My god! What was that? Stronger than Lady Luna?!"

"Damn, I knew it!"

The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠villagers' cheers washed over me. Never got tired of those admiring stares.

I turned back to the Orc Leader. It shuddered, heaving itself up with the saber still lodged in its back.

I'd aimed just off the heart—barely clinging to life. A human would've died from shock, but orc vitality and regen were no joke.

"Stronger than that Pallax punk. Tch! Thought I played it smart, but why do I keep running into freaks like you...?"

"Fuck with humans, and you get fucked."

"Kreeek! Boss! We'll save you!"

"Kreeek! Ugly human! Die!"

I blasted a Fire Blast into the orc that called me ugly. The fireball roasted it well-done.

"Fucking shits."

Getting called ugly by an orc? My looks were legendary. Time to fix 'em.

"Nngh! Still got moves!"

The Orc Leader rose, but its movements were sluggish from the mortal wound. Still faster than any normie.

"Wind Arrow."

A wind arrow pierced its left arm. It didn't stop—pushing through pain to close in.

"Time Acceleration."

Chubby or not, my agility was top-tier. Double it with Time Acceleration, and even a fresh Orc Leader couldn't catch me.

I dodged its swing easy. The Red Bloom club cleaved empty air.

"Grk!"

Blood poured from the wound, faster with every thrash. The leader was dying bit by bit.

I toyed with it, flexing my power, while sniping stragglers with ranged skills.

"Kreeek! Hot!"

"I'm freezing! My feet are iced!"

"Kreeek! Hurts! My arm!"

Fire, water, wind, earth, light, darkness.

I wielded all six elements freely, soloing the horde. Could've wiped them in seconds, but I went full flashy style. Bianca's eyes sparkled brighter with every move.

Material girl deep ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠down. Falls for the show.

Made sense for a country girl—either dream of the city or settle in forever. Bianca was the former; Rita the latter.

Bianca would fold with a nudge. Worst case, take her by force. I wanted to see her tearfully apologize for her rudeness while moaning.

Rita was the holdout. Her thing for Drobin was solid. Needed a big push to flip her.

What would it be? A spark hit my brain.

I closed on the Orc Leader. Its right forearm bulged with wormy veins as it swung a desperate fist.

Trajectory clear as day. After Han Kangwoo's brutal training, this shit wouldn't land.

I kicked its groin. The three-meter beast crumpled. I grabbed its neck with my right, whispering in its ear.

"Hey. Shut up and listen. Wanna live?"

"Guhk! What...?"

"Shut up. Nod if you wanna live."

I whispered low so others couldn't hear, while putting wind holes in two sneaking orcs behind me with clubs raised. No regen could fix that.

I eased my grip; it nodded faintly.

"Good. Do what I say. Follow me, and I'll spare you and your minions."

"Nngh! How can I trust—"

"Fuck. Hate dealing with thinkers. You got no choice. Wanna die here?"

"N-no."

"Then shut up and obey. Try anything funny, head flies. You felt the gap, right?"

"Gh! G-got it!"