The Miracle Charge

Fortunately, however, no such thing happened. This was because the players who had been logged out after taking the brunt of the initial onslaught from the Orc fortress were no longer here! Dead men tell no tales. If anyone had stopped to think about it, Jang Ssu-an's strategy was incredibly bizarre, but everyone simply let it slide without pointing it out.

"Jang Ssu-an! Jang Ssu-an!"

"If Jang Ssu-an commands ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠us next time, we'll win in a heartbeat!"

"Exactly!"

You guys...!

Jang Ssu-an felt a lump in his throat. He had lived his entire life as an arrogant man. Receiving such unexpected praise touched him deeply.

"A ranker is still a ranker, after all!"

"I thought he was just a pushover because of how Kim Tae-hyun played him, but he's actually pretty amazing!"

"Who said that?!" Jang Ssu-an snapped, suddenly flustered. How dare they ruin this beautiful moment of praise!

"Let's keep this momentum going and push forward!"

"Yeah! Seeing those Orcs, they're really nothing special!"

The atmosphere among the gathered players was electric. This wasn't led by a giant guild; the players had banded together on their own and successfully captured two fortresses in record time. It was impossible not to be in high spirits! No one was worried about losing. Jang Ssu-an found himself swept up in the infectious mood. Ah, I guess things are finally going my way!

"That's right! Let's not just stand around celebrating—let's prepare for the next attack!"

"Yeahhhhh!"

Watching this unfold, Lee Da-bi muttered, "I have a bad feeling about this..."

"Why is that?" asked one of her guild members.

"That victory wasn't normal, but look at how they're acting."

"Should we stop them?"

"They're in no mood to listen to us... I just hope things keep going well. If things go sideways..."

"If they go sideways?"

"Jang Ssu-an will probably be the first one they string up."

"...Then we should be fine, right?"

"I suppose so. As long as we keep our distance."

Slowly, Lee Da-bi and the members of the Power Warrior Guild began to back away from Jang Ssu-an, who was happily chatting with the excited players.

I came to help, but they're doing just fine on their own. What's with Jang Ssu-an? Is he actually smarter than I thought?

Tae-hyun had come to disrupt the Orcs inside the fortress, but now that the players were handling things perfectly well, he found himself with nothing to do.

"Huh?"

At that moment, he spotted a writhing green mass on the southern hill.

Those things look exactly like Orcs... Wait, they are Orcs!

A massive horde of Orc warriors was charging toward them with terrifying momentum! Judging by the sheer scale, it looked like an entire local tribe had mobilized. Their numbers easily rivaled the players currently occupying the fortress!

Still, the players have the fortress, so they should have the advantage, right?

When players and monsters of the same level clashed, the players usually had the upper hand unless they had incredibly terrible control. Their gear, skills, and stats were simply superior. Most of the players in the fortress were high-level players who had easily surpassed Level 100. They were bound to be stronger than ordinary Orc warriors!

—Squeeeal! Beat the drums! Death to the intruders!

"???!"

Orcs were coming from the southern hill, so why were there Orcish battle cries echoing from the eastern mountains as well?! Tae-hyun whipped his head around in shock. This was...

—Squeal! The adventurers are in the fortress! Go kill them!

—Squeeeal! The Bone Armor Tribe has arrived!

—Squeal! The Green Blood Tribe is here!

—Squeal! Death to the intruders!

Orc reinforcements were pouring in from all directions. It wasn't just a single tribe. Now that the players had breached two fortresses and advanced right to the threshold of the deepest region, every Orc tribe in the vicinity had mobilized.

Holy crap...!

The sheer volume of enemies was incomparable to the number of players! There were so many Orcs that the area surrounding the fortress was literally half-shrubbery, half-Orc.

"W-What...?"

"What is this? What's going on?!"

Tae-hyun had spotted them first, but the players inside the fortress quickly caught on as well. The archers with high perception stats were the first to notice and spread the word.

"W-We're surrounded..."

"N-No, not yet! There's still a path behind us..."

—Squeal! Our tribe has arrived!

"Okay, now we're surrounded."

"I-It's fine! We have the fortress!"

"And we have Jang Ssu-an... Jang Ssu-an? Jang Ssu-an?"

"U-Uh, yes?"

Jang Ssu-an looked completely dazed before shaking his head. Seeing this, the players began to whisper among themselves.

"Didn't he look incredibly panicked just now?"

"N-No way. He must have anticipated this, right? We're doing a quest in the Uruk Region, so there's no way he didn't..."

"Exactly. There's no way Jang Ssu-an wouldn't know..."

"Of course! I naturally predicted this!"

"I knew it!"

"That's our Jang Ssu-an!"

"So what should we do now?"

"W-Well, first..."

Jang Ssu-an felt his mind go completely blank. Dozens of thoughts raced through his head at once, and a single word slipped out of his mouth unconsciously.

"Charge?"

"...Charge?"

"Seriously?"

"Well, if Jang Ssu-an said so..."

The players were bewildered, but they still trusted Jang Ssu-an for now.

Creeeeak—

"Why on earth are those crazy bastards opening the fortress gates?!" Tae-hyun gasped in horror.

Tae-hyun had been trying to figure out how to help the players in the fortress. If nothing else, if the players here were wiped out, the Uruk Region quest would be as good as dead. Other players would flee in terror, and even those who resurrected wouldn't gather here again; they would just go somewhere else. He needed to preserve this force as much as possible to pit them against the Orcs... no, to get their help when fighting the Orcs.

"Let's go! Charge!"

Mounted players took the lead and attempted to charge. Attacking while mounted granted various combat bonuses.

—Squeal? What are those guys doing?

—Squeal, those adventurers have no fear!

"Hey, there are way too many of them. Are we really going to be okay?"

"Uh, this is a bit..."

The charging players flinched as they finally saw the sheer number of Orcs with their own eyes. There were simply too many of them!

Thud!

"Move it, pal."

"Huh?!"

Tae-hyun suddenly leaped out from the side! Before the mounted player could even process what was happening, his mount was snatched away.

"Don't stop! We can break through that many Orcs if we charge all at once!"

"Huh? That's..."

"Kim Tae-hyun! It's Kim Tae-hyun!!!"

Tae-hyun shed his disguise and revealed himself. The charging players gasped in shock at his sudden appearance. Even the player who had just had his horse stolen and was left tumbling behind was stunned.

"Kim Tae-hyun?!"

"Ugh, shut up. Keep your voice down."

"Ah, yes, sorry!"

Despite having his horse stolen, the player didn't utter a single word of complaint. His eyes were filled with pure respect and adoration!

As expected of Kim Tae-hyun! So bold!

Why does my back suddenly feel so itchy?

"It's Kim Tae-hyun!!! Kim Tae-hyun!!!"

The moment a star player appeared, the entire atmosphere of the battlefield shifted. This was something a mere high-level ranker could never achieve. It was a feat only possible for someone who had earned legendary fame by accomplishing the impossible in countless quests and tournaments.

"Follow me! Let's go!"

"Waaahhhhhhh!"

—Wrath of the Earth Spirit!

—Curse of the Surging Spirit!

Rumbleeee!

The spells of the Orc shamans began to rain down upon the charging players. While they weren't destructive offensive magic, the Orc shamans were highly skilled in casting all kinds of debuffs. Getting hit with those debuffs right before clashing would put the players at a massive disadvantage.

Tae-hyun reacted instantly.

"Whoaaaa! Kim Tae-hyun! Kim Tae-hyun!"

The players went wild when they saw the debuffs instantly vanish. They chased frantically after Tae-hyun's back as he rode like a madman at the very front of the vanguard.

Three ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠seconds before colliding head-on with the Orc tribes, Tae-hyun raised his hand and activated his skill.

It was a charge nothing short of a miracle. Despite opening the gates and charging headfirst into a swarming horde of Orcs, not a single player was injured, and they all returned safely. What's more, they had completely pulverized the Orc warriors who dared to stand in their way!

The players, who had joined the charge without much thought and experienced a wild roller coaster of emotions—from Wait, what? There are way too many of them! to Huh? Why is Kim Tae-hyun suddenly here? and finally Wait, is this actually working?!—were absolutely ecstatic. Unexpected rewards were pouring in.

"Wow, he actually got them out of that alive."

"Is he even human?"

The members of the Power Warrior Guild muttered in sheer disbelief at the spectacle they had just witnessed from afar. They had seen videos of Tae-hyun running wild before, but seeing it in person was on a completely different level of shock. To alter the course of a battle single-handedly on a battlefield with thousands of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠enemies... Leaping onto a charging cavalryman's horse, hijacking it, taking command, and masterfully weaving through the Orc horde... It was an utterly mind-blowing scene!

"If I upload this, it's definitely going to make the Hall of Fame."

"Hey! I was planning on uploading it too!"

Listening to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her guild members' chatter, Lee Da-bi quietly chimed in.

"Guys?"

"Yes, Guild Master?"

"I'm the one uploading it."

"..."

S-So unfair!

"As expected of Jang Ssu-an! You told us to charge because you knew Tae-hyun was there!"

"When you suddenly told us to charge, I honestly thought you'd lost your mind!"

The players crowded around, showering Jang Ssu-an with praise. Even Alcott was staring at him from the side with an impressed look.

"I didn't know you had this kind of talent."

"..."

Jang Ssu-an didn't even have the luxury to get angry. He was currently receiving a massive, ear-blistering tongue-lashing from Tae-hyun via whispers.

It was a threat delivered with one hundred percent sincerity! Jang Ssu-an had seen Tae-hyun use Cain as a human bomb before. To think he would suffer the same fate!

No way... absolutely not...!

"Alright! Alright! Now that we've dealt them a heavy blow, it's time to defend! Everyone, prepare to defend the fortress!"

"Yes, Lord Jang Ssu-an!"

Thanks to the satisfying victory they had just tasted, the players didn't doubt Jang Ssu-an's words for a second. They began preparing the fortress defenses in perfect order. Even though the surrounding Orcs were tightly closing their siege ring, none of the players looked afraid.

"Hey, Jang Ssu-an."

"...?"

Alcott nudged Jang Ssu-an's ribs with a sly look.

"By the way, where did Kim Tae-hyun go? I have some things to discuss with him..."

"...I don't know, you jerk."

"Look at you, snapping at me when I'm being perfectly nice!"