The Fortress, the Orcs, and a Hidden Entrance
Rat-tat-tat-tat-
"Get in! Get in!"
They attacked to pin down his feet, but every single one came up as an evasion check.
Thrown into a panic, they couldn’t even use the remaining scrolls they’d been saving for Kim Tae-hyun.
They tried to push forward somehow, to at least block the path, but the skill displayed overwhelming power in a battle on this scale.
Every time they moved—curse!
"Aaaagh!"
"What the hell is this?!"
In the meantime, Tae-hyun’s party reached the castle gate in a flash and charged inside.
"Close the gate!"
Creeeeak—
KWA-KWA-KWANG!
"......"
"......"
The members of the Suning Guild stared blankly up at the shut castle gate, looking as if they’d just seen a ghost.
They’d stolen the castle by using not one, but two absurdly overpowered skills.
The result was a success.
If he’d tried some other method, there was no way he could have seized a castle from the Suning Guild.
Still, Tae-hyun clicked his tongue.
I’ve got an Orc army about to come crashing in, and I already burned two long-cooldown skills.
Their effects had been powerful, sure, but their cooldowns were just as brutal.
He wouldn’t be able to use them again for several days, and meanwhile the biggest enemy of all—the Orc army—was still out there completely intact.
Still, it couldn’t be helped.
Tae-hyun climbed up the castle wall and looked down below.
The result of chaining those skills back-to-back was definitely worth seeing.
"Hey, you XXXXXXXX!"
Suning Guild members were cursing at him in language so filthy it didn’t even translate.
"Kim Tae-hyun, you piece of shit! You think you’re getting out of this alive? You’ve trapped yourself with your own little scheme!"
Suning shouted, seething.
He’d been shocked when Kim Tae-hyun suddenly broke through the guild members and got inside the castle, but now that he thought about it, the situation wasn’t actually that bad.
"I trapped myself with my own scheme?"
"That’s right! You think the castle’s yours just because you’re inside?!"
"No. I know that much."
If you wanted to occupy a territory—whether through a siege or any other method—you had to drive out the enemies inside and then hold it for a set amount of time.
Time Remaining Until Castle Occupation — 23:59
It varied by territory, but Kadalta Castle required twenty-four hours.
Just because Tae-hyun had gotten inside and locked the gate didn’t mean he gained control of the castle right away.
"You’ve just grabbed an empty shell! Once the rest of my guild members arrive, you’ll just be surrounded! You dug your own grave!"
"Uh... right. Sure."
Seeing Suning puff himself up and yell like that, Tae-hyun felt a little sorry for him.
If he sees the Orcs in a minute, he might actually pass out.
"Suning, the thing is... you seem to think I did this because I wanted this castle, but that’s not it."
"Don’t talk bullshit!"
"I’m serious, idiot. I can barely manage my own territory as it is. Why would I pick up another territory in the middle of a war zone like this? I’d have to be insane."
Suning snorted.
His face made it perfectly clear he didn’t believe a word.
"Fine. Go ahead and run your mouth. This time, you can’t run away."
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud—
From far away came a sound that shook the very earth.
Suning slapped his knee when he heard it.
Only one group could be coming with a racket that loud.
"They’re coming! Kim Tae-hyun, hear that? It’s the Knight Guild! You’ve heard the name, right?"
"Doesn’t that sound a little weird for horse hooves?"
"What nonsense are you—... huh?"
Suning turned his head, then narrowed his eyes as he realized something was off.
The group charging from the distance.
For knights, they looked much too rough and savage.
"Chwiiiiik!"
"Avenge Lord Kazak! Chwiik!"
The answer was Orc Riders charging in on wolves.
And not ordinary Orc Riders, either.
These were the elite Orc Riders directly commanded by Karag.
Even the wolves they rode were mutant beasts, with thick hides and dark black manes.
KOOOAAANG!
The Mutant Black-Furred Wolf has activated Frost Howl.
Your movement speed decreases.
Your attack speed decreases.
KWA-BOOM! KWA-KWA-BOOM!
The Orc Riders hurled axes as they charged.
The blue-bladed axes spun as they flew straight into the midst of the Suning Guild members.
KWAJIK!
"Urgh!"
A tanker who blocked one with his shield let out a groan.
"What level are those things?!"
"They’ve gotta be well over 90..."
Players could usually hunt monsters only a little higher level than themselves.
But a whole pack of monsters rushing at them at levels like that was no small matter.
Kill one, and the next one was already on top of you—that was Orcs for you.
There weren’t many right now, but there was no telling when their numbers would swell.
"Form up! We have to hold them here!"
"If Orc Riders are here... doesn’t that mean the Orc army’s nearby too?"
"N-no way..."
The Suning Guild members hurried into position in front of the castle.
They had plenty of experience partying together, so their movements were fast and efficient.
Tankers in front, damage dealers behind them, healers and mages all the way in the back.
KWA-KWA-BOOM!
"Uuuurgh!"
The tankers screamed as they shoved shields and weapons forward.
When the Orc Riders slammed into them at full speed, the impact was unbelievable.
You have been stunned by the massive impact.
"N-no!"
BANG!
The stunned heavy-armored warrior was attacked without mercy.
But he didn’t go down.
KANG!
A player behind him instantly knocked away the Orc Rider’s attack.
It was beautiful teamwork.
"My friend...!"
"Heh. Don’t let your guard down."
"Haha. Right! Thanks—kuh-hk!"
The player wiping beneath his nose took an arrow to the back of the head and collapsed forward.
The enemies were clearly in front of them, so how had it come from behind?
The culprit was...
"Whew~"
A member of the Power Warrior Guild standing atop the wall.
He whistled and looked away, but with a bow in his hand, it was far too obvious who had fired.
Grinding his teeth, Suning shouted.
He desperately wanted to attack them first, but in the current situation, he had no choice.
"Y-you bastards, can’t you see those Orcs out there? If we fall, you won’t get out of this alive either!"
"Suning, I made you an offer earlier."
"......"
"If you’d just built me an Archisus temple and handed over some gold, this would’ve worked out nicely for both of us. This happened because you didn’t trust me. And now you want to join hands after all this? We’re past that. It’s over between us."
In other words—rejected.
"Go to hell!!!!"
"Wouldn’t be so bad. I could hunt demons there, and it’d be good for my Holy stat too."
"O-Orcs!"
The players screamed.
For the players dreaming of territory riches in the Auston Kingdom, it was a full-blown emergency.
Great Chieftain Karag had returned, leading a colossal army.
"The Orcs are swarming all around the base of the walls!!"
"Hey, don’t make eye contact! What if they come over here?!"
"Kim Tae-hyun scammed us! He said if we paid gold and built the temple, they wouldn’t come this way!"
"To be precise, he said he’d take Kane and leave..."
"Whose side are you on?"
"Sorry."
Karag turned his massive head and surveyed the surroundings.
"Chwiik. So they took fortresses while I was away? Humans are a diligent bunch."
"Chwiik! Our apologies."
"Make sure they can’t reclaim them this time—grind them all to dust! Jumarak. I’ll give you a force. Capture the castle."
"Chwiik! It is an honor!"
At the same time, a message window popped up before the players inside the castle.
Defend the Seized Fortress
Great Chieftain Karag has no intention of leaving the territories taken during his absence in enemy hands.
Fortunately, Karag has another matter to attend to and will not personally command this siege.
However, one of his loyal and capable subordinates will lead the Orc forces in his place.
Hold them off. If you fail, only death awaits.
🎁 Reward: ?, ???
"Aaaagh! We still haven’t even finished repairing the walls!"
"The gate! To the gate! Everyone get to the gate and group up!"
Screams erupted all across the Auston Kingdom.
These weren’t the Orcs directly led by Karag himself, but even so, their numbers were terrifying.
Guilds that hadn’t had time to prepare proper defenses suffered catastrophic losses, and several were forced, in tears, to abandon their territories or log out en masse.
"Hup!"
And here—
Aralta Castle.
Kim Tae-san swung his massive axe and cut down the Orcs climbing over the wall in a single sweep.
"Chwiik! That Orc is incredible!"
"He’s our enemy, but worthy of respect! Chwiik!"
Thanks to Kim Tae-san’s investments, Aralta Castle had a much higher defense rating than the other castles.
That made it easier to defend.
Chrrrrrak—!
The Orcs set up ladders and tossed grappling ropes, starting to climb the walls.
"Scrolls!"
"Yes, sir!"
They understood each other without words.
Kim Tae-san and the guild members had been moving together for over a decade at this point.
One glance was enough to know what the other wanted.
Slippery Frozen Ground!
Slippery Frozen Ground!
Slippery Frozen Ground!
It wasn’t a particularly difficult spell—just one that froze the ground and made it slick.
The only reason they were spamming it with scrolls was simple.
Covering the entire wall with it would have required an absurd amount of MP.
For Kim Tae-san and the Orc Uncles, it was easier to solve the problem with money.
KWA-DANG!
Orcs were slipping all over the place, failing to climb up properly.
"Kuhahaha! It’ll take you bastards another ten years before you can climb this wall!"
They’re incredible...!
Watching Kim Tae-san and the Orc Uncles from the back, the architect Gerald was full of admiration.
At first, he’d thought they were just a bunch of rich old guys with terrible naming sense.
But after seeing them fight, he realized they were no ordinary experts.
Pik!
"?"
Kim Tae-san tilted his head when an arrow with a white flag tied to it flew in and landed right in front of his feet.
"What’s this?"
"Who knows?"
Written in crooked handwriting, the letter contained a proposal.
The Orcs led by Karag have been deeply impressed by the remarkable strength shown by one of their own kind.
If you accept this offer, you will be granted the rank of general within the Orc army.
The territory you currently possess will remain untouched.
Reward: ?, ???
Deep lines formed on Kim Tae-san’s forehead.
Back when this continental quest had first appeared, plenty of Orc players had joined the Orc armies.
They were closer to an evil faction, sure, but very few people actually cared about that.
The reason Kim Tae-san hadn’t joined was simple: he’d figured he’d gain nothing and probably get screwed over instead.
But this offer was too good.
They were letting him keep his territory, and if he got the rank of general, that basically meant free Orc warriors too.
If I take the general position and then just eat-and-run from this castle, wouldn’t that be fine?
Like father, like son.
It was easy to see where Tae-hyun had inherited his tendency to cut and run after profiting.
"What do you think, Sung-gyu?"
"We just accept it and then wipe our mouths clean. Even Orcs won’t be able to do much about it."
"Right? Good! Let’s take it. And if we’re lucky..."
"We can catch Tae-hyun and beat the hell out of him too."
"Exactly!"
Their thoughts aligned perfectly.
"Aaaagh! Kraaagh! Kaaaagh!"
The screams of Suning Guild members echoed from outside.
But Tae-hyun ignored them and turned the castle upside down.
"Seriously, these bastards have this much money, so why is there nothing stocked in the warehouse?"
Tae-hyun shamelessly grumbled as he searched through the underground interior of the keep.
Since it looked like the Orcs would be coming to this castle too, he planned to make full use of whatever materials he could find with his Mechanical Engineering skill and set traps.
But the warehouses were truly empty.
Tae-hyun smacked his lips.
The materials he had on hand for bombs were running low.
I may have to use that here.
Tae-hyun checked the item.
◈ One of Kim Tae-hyun’s hidden aces.
A blast item so intense the name alone sounded dangerous.
One of Tae-hyun’s hidden trump cards.
Your high Luck has discovered a hidden entrance in the dungeon.
"Huh?"