"Ah, Just Get Lost. Seriously."

"Ah, just get lost. Seriously."

With the anxiety of potentially turning into a human bomb weighing heavily on him, having fuel added to the fire only made Jang Ssu-an more irritated. Alcott grumbled and backed away, leaving behind a parting shot.

What a cheap bastard!

In truth, the one with more worries than Jang Ssu-an right now was Tae-hyun. The players trapped inside the fortress were mostly clueless about the gravity of the situation, cheering, "Whoa! Kim Tae-hyun is here too! Awesome!" Although they had dealt a blow to the enemy, they were still completely surrounded by a massive Orc army.

"Can't we just escape through the air... Whoa, holy crap." Tae-hyun muttered, looking up at the sky.

Screeeech!

Orc Wyvern Riders! Orc warriors mounted on wyverns had begun circling the fortress.

"Shoot! Shoot them down!"

Thwip-thwip-thwip!

The archers among the players stood atop the fortress walls and loosed their arrows, but the wyverns swiftly retreated to dodge the volley.

—Master. The air seems out of the question.

That was Heuk-heuk's cold assessment. Of course, he had only one reason for speaking up right now: So don't send me out there!

"My boy. Why do you always try to limit your own potential?"

—...

Shiver! Heuk-heuk felt a chill run down his spine for the first time in a while.

—Master, you hate me too much! Sob!

"No, you punk. If I hated you, I would've butchered you and used you as cooking ingredients by now."

—...

Tae-hyun was completely immune to the crocodile tears. Heuk-heuk thought to himself: Is this guy really not Sadiq's Avatar?

"What to do... Is there a way... A way to make these Orcs turn back...?"

Tae-hyun fell into deep thought. Meanwhile, the attack was already beginning.

Rumbleeee!

Crude but massive siege engines led the charge, with Orc warriors rushing in behind them. To support them, Orc shamans and archers cast various buff spells and rained down long-range attacks.

"Fire! Fire!"

"Wait, why are there so many of them?!"

"The more, the merrier! I'm hitting level 120 today!"

Flinch!

Hearing the players' voices in the distance, Tae-hyun smacked his lips.

I do need to level up, but...

His level-up depended entirely on how he concluded this quest.

I have to proselytize for the Archisus Church, and at the same time, deal with the Orc tribes... Ugh. What a headache.

Boom! Crash!

"Destroy those catapults! They'll be a pain if we leave them alone!"

"I-I will go and destroy them!"

"Ah! Master Jang Ssu-an!"

"What self-sacrificing spirit...!"

"Hey, Jang Ssu-an! What's wrong with you! You're not that kind of guy!"

Ignoring the noise behind him, Tae-hyun pondered his options. There was only one answer.

"I have come to see the chieftains."

—Chwek! Mage. What are you doing here? We are busy right now. Even if you are Monroso's deputy...

"Let me see them this instant!"

—Chweek... Fine!

Tae-hyun was granted permission to meet the Orc chieftains. It was only natural, given his position as deputy and his high-level speech skills. Upon seeing Tae-hyun, the Orc chieftains wore dissatisfied expressions. They clearly treated him as an outsider!

—Chwek, what is it?

"Chieftains! I have come here today, guided by my righteous mind and burning heart, to accuse Monroso!"

—???

—Master????

—O Lord????

A statement so shocking that both Heuk-heuk and Yong-yong were utterly dumbfounded! They had been working hand-in-glove with Monroso, so what on earth was he talking about?

—Chwek! What is the meaning of this?!

—Chweek. Let us hear him out first, Bone Tribe Chieftain!

The chieftains present looked bewildered by Tae-hyun's accusation. A few of them, wearing "I knew it!" expressions, urged him to continue. Tae-hyun spoke with the most earnest and solemn ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠face he could muster.

"Sob... I was blackmailed by Monroso and forced to work under him. But seeing you Orcs fighting so honorably, I could no longer stand by and watch! That bastard Monroso deceived the Great Chieftain, corrupted him, and now holds him in his grasp, using him as he pleases!"

—...!

—!!!!!

The impact of Tae-hyun's words was immense. The Orc chieftains leaped to their feet in sheer fury.

—Chwek! Is that true?!

—Chweeeek! Monroso, that son of a bitch! I knew there was something fishy about him!

—Chwek! Wait, how do we know this human's words are true?

"Please believe me! Though I am a mere human, I have always deeply respected the great leader of the Orc tribes, Great Chieftain Karag. To think that Great Chieftain Karag has suffered such an insult!"

This was rich coming from Tae-hyun, who had personally roasted Karag with Sadiq's Flame so badly that the chieftain couldn't even stand. Nevertheless, the Orc chieftains were deeply moved by Tae-hyun's passionate eloquence.

"The Orc chieftains who are not present here today have likewise fallen into Monroso's trap!"

—Chwek! We return immediately! We must tear Monroso limb from limb!

—Chwek! That is right! Let us rip Monroso apart!!

The Orc chieftains were absolutely furious! Watching them, Tae-hyun let out a quiet sigh. Clearing a quest was always so damn hard.

Damn it, I wanted to stay on good terms with Monroso for a bit longer. I guess there's no helping it... I'll kill Monroso first, and then find a way to drive a wedge between the Orc tribes.

Tae-hyun was already planning how to sow discord among them.

"The Orcs are scaling the walls!"

"Stab them and push them off!"

"It's impossible! There are too many of them!"

The players, who had previously enjoyed using zerg-rush tactics ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠themselves, were now experiencing what a true zerg-rush felt like. No matter how many they killed, the massive Orc army kept pouring in! It felt ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like playing a tower defense game. Even as they tried to push the Orcs off the fortress walls, hundreds of siege projectiles and arrows rained down on them. Though each individual attack was weak, the sheer volume of the onslaught made it impossible to withstand.

"We're breached! The east wall is breached!"

"Go block them! Priests! Support over there!"

"It's impossible! They're climbing up here too!"

"Master Jang Ssu-an! What do we do?!"

"Hold the line! Just hold!"

"What did he say?"

"He said to hold!"

"Wait, just hold in this situation? Seriously? Shouldn't we be retreating?"

"He must have a plan!"

"Well, if it's Jang Ssu-an... Huh! The Orcs are retreating!"

The players were astounded. Like an ebbing tide, the Orcs suddenly began to withdraw in droves.

"Should we pursue and attack?"

"Are you crazy? Just stay still. What if they attack again?"

Jang Ssu-an let out a sigh of relief as he watched the retreating Orcs. We somehow survived!

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

"Our hero! Jang Ssu-an!"

"...S-Stop! Stop it!"

Jang Ssu-an couldn't bear to receive any more praise due to his guilty conscience. However, his humble attitude only added fuel to the players' admiration.

"He's even humble!"

"We totally misunderstood him! We thought he was just an arrogant jerk!"

Clap, clap, clap.

Watching this, Alcott spoke from beside him.

"Were you always this kind of guy? That's actually amazing."

"..."

—Chwek! Monroso! Kill him!

—Chweek! Monroso! He must die!

The Orc army marched toward the innermost chamber like a raging wave. The chieftains of each Orc tribe led the way, and Tae-hyun stood right beside ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠them.

"Actually, the Great Chieftain getting injured last time was also planned by that bastard Monroso."

—Chweeeek! Such an evil wretch!!

"Otherwise, how could the Great Chieftain have been injured? The bastards who were there at the time must have been Monroso's subordinates as well."

—Chwek! That piece of garbage!

"And that guy named Cain, who killed the Great Chieftain's son, is also one of Monroso's lackeys."

—Chwek!!!!

—Chwek, now that you mention it, I heard that Cain fellow was captured?!

"Monroso took him away. He probably did it to look after his own subordinate."

Huh?

Tae-hyun was bewildered. Sure, they were about to go kill Monroso, but wasn't this making them a bit too strong? He knew Orcs were a hot-tempered, easily angered race, and that they received various buffs when enraged. But he hadn't expected a buff of this magnitude.

Uh, did I make them too angry?

If one side became too powerful, it wouldn't do Tae-hyun any good. If the Orc tribes ever found out the truth, who would that rage be directed at?

Crack! Snap!

Tae-hyun gasped in horror as he saw the weapons the Orcs were holding literally shatter in their hands. What a terrifying rage buff effect!

"What is this? Why are you returning? Deputy! Did you lose the fortress again? No, even so, with this many forces..."

Monroso greeted them warmly as he saw the chieftains and Tae-hyun approaching from a distance. But what greeted him in return was an axe.

Splat!

—Chwek! Die, mage!

"Urgh!"

A refreshing Orc-style greeting, starting with a direct strike to the head! Monroso stumbled backward.

"W-What is... Are you mad?! Can you not see this necklace?!"

—Chwek! We know you deceived the Great Chieftain and stole that necklace! How dare you shamelessly wear it!

—Chweek! That necklace belongs to the Orcs. It is not for a lowlife like you to possess! Kill him!

"Have you all lost your minds?! Deputy! Stop them!"

"..."

However, Tae-hyun simply looked away. The Orc chieftains shouted in excitement.

—Chwek! This man exposed your evil deeds! This man, who possesses the heart of an Orc, revealed how shamelessly wicked you have been!

"W-What? That's impossible! We worked together..."

"Monroso! It is time to pay for your crimes!"

"..."

Monroso looked as if he had been struck on the back of the head. Originally, Tae-hyun had planned to just stand in the back, watch the show, and reap the rewards. But looking at the conversation now, if he didn't intervene, Monroso would drag him down like a drowning man grabbing a straw. It was time to cut him off!

"The crime of trapping and killing the Great Chieftain's son!"

"...?"

"And if that wasn't enough, the crime of trapping the Great Chieftain in fire to kill him!"

"...???"

"The crime of feeding demon blood to the injured Great Chieftain to turn him into your slave!"

"Wait, I did do that, but..."

"Look! Look at that! Look at how evil he is!"

"What kind of nonsense is the rest of—"

"And the crime of trying to sacrifice the Orcs to summon a demon!"

Tae-hyun cleverly mixed his own deeds at the beginning and placed Monroso's actual deeds at the end, making it incredibly difficult to refute! He planned to completely wipe his slate clean with the Orcs once and for all.

—Chwek, Monroso. There is no need for excuses. Die like a man.

—Chweek, I will tear you apart and scatter your limbs.

Monroso finally understood the situation. He glared at Tae-hyun. Unsurprisingly, the most detestable bastard in this situation was Tae-hyun!

"I knew I should have never associated with anyone from the Magic Tower...!"

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Fine, I will make sure to kill you, at the very least!"

"Hey, the Orcs are the ones trying to kill you, so why are you mad at me?"

Despite Tae-hyun's protests, Monroso seemed to have made up his mind. Tae-hyun quickly shouted.

"We must kill that evil bastard before he does something! Right now!"

—Chwek, understood! Charge!

The Orc chieftains rushed forward. Monroso pulled something from his breast pocket and drank it. At that moment...

Crack! Crunch!

—Chwek! Our attacks?!

The Orcs' weapons bounced off Monroso's body. Monroso's body flushed a deep crimson and began to swell in size.

"..."

Tae-hyun tried to quietly slip away to the back. However, the warriors brought by the Orc chieftains were already blocking his retreat.

—Chwek, what is wrong?

"Nothing. It's nothing."

Monroso, his body writhing, spoke in a bizarre, distorted voice.

—Try and kill me if you can. Come forth, my slaves! Your master is in danger!

Boom!

At those words, the Great Chieftain's tent flapped violently.