The Smartest Giants
For now, the party distanced themselves. Facing the giants who had taken up positions above was reckless. Each giant warrior had to be treated and hunted as a semi-boss monster. However, their hardships were not yet over. With a thunderous roar, other giant warriors appeared from below.
The giants of the Black One-Eye Tribe have spotted you.
"You, who are you?!"
"Hmph! Move and we strike!"
"Ugh..."
"Should we fight?" Kim Tae-san asked, scanning the giant warriors.
There were five of them. It would be a tough fight, but if everyone here gave it their all, it wasn't an unwinnable battle. However, Cain waved his hands frantically.
"No! If we fight now, all the surrounding giants will swarm us."
"Then what do you plan to do?"
"We trick them. Just watch!"
This makes me anxious...
Kim Tae-san thought of what had just happened and looked at Cain with uneasy eyes.
Well, seeing how the others are staying quiet, he must be trustworthy, right? Tae-hyun keeps him around, after all...
Kim Tae-san thought as he shifted his gaze.
"?!"
But the rest of the party also had expressions that screamed, Is this really going to be okay?!
"We are explorers! We have no intention of fighting you!" Cain shouted.
"Explo... explorers? Don't believe it. Suspicious. Human race is cunning. Lies often."
"But I'm an Orc?"
"Orc... Orc is less cunning. But you are with humans, so cannot believe."
The one-eyed giant pointing his massive club said, "You, you all! Which god do you believe in?!"
"Well..."
"We..."
Everyone here believed in Archisus. Even Kim Tae-san and the Orc Ahjussis! Kim Tae-san and the Orc Ahjussis didn't care much about the church itself, but running a territory in the Uruk Region left them with no choice.
The most widely spread faith in the Uruk Region is the Archisus Church.
You do not believe in Archisus. Penalties are applied to your territorial management.
Discontent increases 20% faster.
The probability of rebellion increases.
......
"What should we do, Hyung-nim?"
"What do you mean what? Just believe in him!"
Sigh... But Archisus was certainly not a god that caused great losses by believing in him. Especially in terms of territorial management. He was a god that fit perfectly with the Orcs, who made up the majority of the territory's population!
"Chwik, the big boss with the large head told us to farm here."
"Chwiik, do we just scatter these seeds? Do we have to scatter all of them?"
"Chwik, you idiot. It's faster if you clump them together and throw them all at once."
"Chwiik! You are so smart!"
"Stop it, you crazy bastards!"
The Orcs of your territory have extremely low farming skills.
Penalties are applied to farming.
Crop yield is reduced by 50%.
The quality of harvested crops decreases.
If the territory's food supply is insufficient, discontent will rise rapidly.
Orcs who forgot one thing the moment they were taught two! Especially since most of them were warriors, the results when tasked with farming or construction were disastrous. The Archisus Church was what mitigated that damage to some extent.
The Blessing of Archisus descends upon the fields. The crops are transforming.
The scattered wheat seeds transform into giant, Advanced-grade apple trees!
"......?"
"We... we scattered wheat, so why are there apple trees...?"
"Well... if we left it alone, it would have been a total failure anyway, so isn't this actually better?"
The Blessing of Archisus descends upon the buildings. The structures are transforming.
Houses that the Orcs had haphazardly hammered and nailed together, looking ready to collapse at any moment, transformed into reasonably sturdy homes! Of course, it didn't take responsibility for their appearance.
"Aaaah! Wh-what is this house?!"
"It's not just one or two! It's so hideous!"
"Is this a work of art depicting a demon's mouth?!"
You have witnessed utterly horrific structures.
Morale temporarily decreases.
Fear Resistance temporarily increases.
In the area where the Orc tribes resided, there wasn't just one or two of these buildings. Buildings that were structurally sound but bizarre in appearance! They were truly hideous, but from the perspective of running a territory, it was a relief that even such buildings could be built.
"Ar— mph!"
Cain quickly covered the mouth of an Orc Ahjussi who was about to say "Archisus."
"Ar... Ar... What is that?"
"No! We believe in Sadiq!"
"!?!"
The party all stared at Cain. Why tell such a lie?
"Sadiq, Sadiq! You believe in Sadiq!"
"Yes!"
"Good, good. Since you believe in Sadiq, you are our friends! Follow us!"
Cain clenched his fist. He had wondered if this might be the case since the Holy Knight Commander of the Sadiq Church had arrived here first, and his hunch was correct.
Thump, thump—
The giants of the Black One-Eye Tribe slowly guided them. As they followed, the party praised Cain.
"Wow, impressive. How did you know?"
"I figured the Holy Knight Commander might have spread the faith of Sadiq when he came here."
"Truly amazing! I'm impressed!"
"Fufu..."
"Here, you did well, so have a drink! I'm giving you this, which I've been specially saving!"
"......"
Cain's face contorted.
"Arrived, arrived. Here."
It was a cave so massive that the interior was completely shrouded in darkness. Since it was a dwelling for giants, its scale was colossal.
"Go in. Go in."
"Why are you rushing us so much..."
Thud!
"?!"
As soon as the party entered, the giants outside quickly blocked the entrance with a massive boulder.
"Wh-what?"
"Why aren't you guys coming in..."
"Hmph, humans are cunning. But we are smarter! We were warned beforehand. Even if those from the outside claim to believe in Sadiq, do not believe them!"
"The Great Warrior said so. He said someone used that trick before!"
The party exchanged glances. It was painfully obvious who that "someone" who used such a trick was.
"We are smart, we are smart! Trapped them. We go call the Great Warrior!"
"......"
"......"
"N-no! This really isn't my fault!"
Cain felt incredibly wronged. His calculations were perfect! It was just that Tae-hyun had already pulled this stunt once, so the enemy was prepared!
"Now is not the time to argue over who's at fault. If we're unlucky, we could get surrounded here. Let's find a way out."
"The inside of the cave must be blocked, right? Unless the giants are fools... Yes, it's blocked."
Choi Sang-yun quickly checked the interior and returned. It was deep and wide, but completely sealed without a single crevice.
"We'll have to break the boulder."
"I'll use a skill."
"Choose one with high damage... and let's swap gear."
"What gear do we have that deals high raw damage?"
Watching the Orc Ahjussis busily prepare, Cain was surprised. They were incredibly systematic and organized!
When I was traveling with Kim Tae-hyun, it felt so haphazard and improvised...
At that moment, Tae-hyun's voice came through a whisper.
-Hey. Where are you guys?
-?!?!?!
"What on earth..."
Tae-hyun was dumbfounded. It wasn't like he had been gone for a week. In that short time, they had taken the party—even Kim Tae-san's group—all the way to the Zaion Mountains... and got trapped!
What a bunch of troublemakers.
-I-I was just trying to do well... and a quest popped up too...
-Yeah, yeah. I get it, you punk.
Tae-hyun nodded half-heartedly. Then, he summoned Yong-yong, Heuk-heuk, and Golgol-i.
"Golgol-i, get on top of Heuk-heuk. Yong-yong, you're with me. We're leaving right now."
The Sadiq Church had fallen, and its remaining members had been absorbed into the Archisus Church... The quest Cain received had popped up for Tae-hyun as well. Tae-hyun sighed.
-So, what's the situation?
-We're trapped, but it's fine! We can escape! A boulder is blocking the cave entrance, but...
-Hmm. I'll just ask Lee Da-bi.
-Hey! Hey! Why?!
Tae-hyun ignored Cain and sent a whisper to Lee Da-bi. He should have just done this from the start!
-How's the situation?
-I'm a bit worried. If the giants blocked the entrance, it must be an incredibly sturdy boulder, right?
-Probably.
Lee Da-bi's worries hit the mark exactly.
"It's not breaking...?"
"Crazy. What kind of rock is this hard?"
"Step aside. I've got something good."
"?"
One of the Orc Ahjussis grinned and pulled something from his chest pocket. Seeing it, the other Ahjussis gasped in horror.
"Th-th-that guy!"
"He still hasn't learned his lesson after causing that accident last time! Grab him!"
"Why, why?! Bombs are great if you use them right! That's why you guys get called 'Ahjussis'! All the young kids use these nowadays!"
The Orc Ahjussi who pulled out the bomb was immediately subdued by the others. The remaining Ahjussis quickly backed away.
"Stop talking absolute nonsense! Did you forget you almost team-killed us last time?!"
The fussing Orc Ahjussis were puzzled to see Tae-hyun's party remaining so calm in his absence.
"Aren't you guys going to run?"
"No... well... at this point..."
"It's not really that scary..."
Having traveled with Tae-hyun, a weak bomb like that didn't even register as a threat!
If it looks like it's going to explode, we'll just dodge.
If it explodes, we'll just tank it.
We have armor, so it should be fine, right?
Senior Tae-hyun did say to hide behind Cain if a bomb goes off.
"Hey, hey. Now is not the time to waste. Just use it. Even if we blow ourselves up, we have to break it."
KABOOM!
"Whew. It exploded properly this time."
"I was going to hit you if that hit us."
The unidentified black boulder absorbs the impact.
"......!"
However, even after the explosion, the boulder didn't budge. It was truly no ordinary rock. The party exchanged glances and nodded.
"...Let's try pushing it with raw strength!"
"Everyone, push!"
You have flown for too long without resting. Yong-yong is exhausted.
You have flown for too long without resting. Heuk-heuk is exhausted.
If you continue to fly, your Health may deplete.
"Yong-yong, Heuk-heuk. Are you tired?"
-Tired.
-A little tired.
"Hmm, I have some of that energizing food Stau left for me. Want some?"
-...Come to think of it, I'm not tired at all!
-I am not tired in the slightest either!
The violent reactions of Yong-yong and Heuk-heuk! They knew all too well what kind of goblin chef Stau was.
Tae-hyun wore a pleased expression at the loyalty of his two divine beasts.
"Indeed. I only have you guys."
Whoosh—
For some reason, their speed seemed even faster than before!
-Master. Enemies ahead!
Golgol-i said urgently, pointing downward. Colossal giant warriors were lumbering along. Given their size, it wouldn't take long for them to notice Tae-hyun.
"Let's go."
-Pardon?
"Golgol-i and Heuk-heuk, stay up here. Only Yong-yong is coming down with me."
Tae-hyun checked the faces of the giant warriors. Seeing that they were one-eyed, they seemed to be the ones who had captured his party.
Swoosh— Thud!
-?
"Human from the sky! A human came down from the sky!"
The giant warriors panicked and tried to raise their weapons. But Tae-hyun was faster.
"You fools!!"
-???
"I heard you captured some human scoundrels who dared to deceive you in the name of Sadiq. Lead the way."
The giants blinked their single eyes and looked at each other.
"You, who are you?"
"Hmph! Did the Great Warrior not even tell you who I am? I heard you giants were smart, but it seems it was all a baseless rumor."
"No, no! We are smart!"
"Hmm. How can you claim to be smart when you don't even remember who I am..."
As he spoke, Tae-hyun subtly activated a skill. Sadiq's Flame flared up from his weapon.
-!