Chapter 299
Chapter 299
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 299
Chapter Title: 68. Den of Evil (4)
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“O-One more ten thousand brothers…?”
The eyes of Orc Lord Bangtu Bangtung wavered.
Chased away by Mara and forced into this otherworld, only to encounter yet another demon.
But at least this devil was offering a way to save his brothers.
Compared to Mara, who had stolen their homeland, it wasn’t even in the same league.
“50%... Do you think it’s possible? We don’t even know what you’ll face as payment.”
Bangtu Bangtung gazed at the gate with uneasy eyes, and Yeongwoo gripped his hand firmly, as if to say not to worry.
“We have to go to war with Mara on this planet anyway. So this is just dealing with the bastards we’d meet soon enough ahead of time.”
Yeongwoo’s gaze was resolute.
And why wouldn’t it be? If this business succeeded, the gains for Yeongwoo would be beyond imagination.
Open the portal at 50% risk and survive? That meant 300 million karma in cold hard cash right away.
‘And I’d get 15,000 elite troops to boot.’
Was that all?
No. The high risk meant something powerful would crawl out, guaranteeing at least one more legendary kill record, plus...
「Void Flesh」 - Void One-Handed Sword
【Absorbs other Void Flesh.】
【Illusion Dragon: 10% increased damage to living targets.】
‘I can reinforce the Void Flesh too. High risk, very high return!’
Blinded by the massive profits, Yeongwoo looked at Bangtu Bangtung—no, Great Hero Bang.
“Great Hero Bang! Make your decision. One lever pull gets you 15,000 brothers and 450 million karma. Of course, you hand over 300 million!”
“......”
Before the devil’s whisper, Great Hero Bang squeezed his eyes shut.
Then.
Drrrrrk!
He set the dimensional gate’s risk to 50%.
“We follow the greater good!”
The number displayed in the center of the gate changed from 10,000 to 15,000, then climbed even higher.
Whooooosh!
[0/15,000]
The portal was finally reactivating.
Whooooom...!
The metal gate installed in Darwin City in northern Australia hummed to life.
A massive vibration accompanied the device’s unique mechanical whir, and the space inside the slightly over 100-meter-diameter oval frame rippled visibly.
‘Portal!’
This city was reconnecting to the Redfoot Orcs’ home planet.
Kwachit!
Bluish flames sparked along the frame’s edge, and in an instant, the gate filled with a blue substance.
Shwaaah!
It was a breathtaking sight, like an ocean surface stood on end and rippling—but at 100 meters across, it felt downright terrifying.
And only then did Yeongwoo have a slightly different thought.
‘Wait, isn’t it way too big just for rescuing kin?’
Redfoot Orcs stood about 3 meters tall on average, with giant variants around 5 meters.
Even accounting for hauling massive war machines from their home planet, a 100-meter gateway seemed excessive.
‘30 meters would’ve been plenty.’
So what the hell was this massive gateway for?
“......”
Yeongwoo’s eyes naturally drifted to the deeper stages of the lever.
The 75% and 100% risk sections.
Then, soon enough.
Shwaaah!
The rippling portal surface calmed, revealing a dim landscape beyond.
“…What’s that? A fortress… or something?”
Yeongwoo squinted for a better look, and Great Hero Bang’s eyes widened.
“Aratubank!”
“…Pardon?”
“The Tomb of Warriors! Our brothers’ holy site!”
So, the place called Aratubank that had appeared beyond the portal was essentially a war memorial cemetery.
“Wait, so right now… your brothers are sending a distress signal from inside the cemetery?”
Chased even into the heart of their memorial? How desperate were things?
As Yeongwoo gaped, Great Hero Bang urgently gestured to the flag bearers.
“Guide the way!”
The flag bearers with yellow banners rushed to the portal’s front, while archers behind them tossed red pouches high and shot arrows into them.
Puffpuffboom!
Redfoot insignias bloomed in the sky one after another.
Then, light began flickering from the previously pitch-black portal interior.
Redfoot Orcs holding torches.
“......!”
“......”
But for some reason, they ran out without cheers or screams, not even breathing loudly.
“…What’s going on?”
As Yeongwoo wore a baffled expression, the lead brother finally crossed the portal onto Earth.
Thud!
[1/15,000]
The first brother to set foot on this otherworld planet called Earth whipped his head around in panic, searching for something.
Then.
“Bangtu Bangtung!”
Spotting Orc Lord Bangtu Bangtung, he finally relaxed.
‘What… is Great Hero Bang pretty famous back home too?’
As Yeongwoo blankly watched the reunion, the first escapee from the tomb grabbed Bangtu Bangtung’s arm.
“What happened? Why call for an escape route from the holy site?”
Great Hero Bang scolded him.
The escapee replied, sweating bullets.
“The Devourer found Aratubank.”
“What?”
At that moment, Yeongwoo saw it.
True terror soaking into Great Hero Bang’s eyes for real.
“What… what is it? What’s a Devourer?”
Curious, Yeongwoo asked, and Great Hero Bang answered with a defeated look.
“The Devourer sucks in everything. Life, souls...”
“Wait, so why...”
Mid-sentence, Yeongwoo realized something and shut his mouth.
‘Right. Aratubank is the cemetery.’
Meaning it was where the spirits of their nation’s heroes and guardians resided.
And now a soul-sucking monster had appeared in that holy place.
‘Talk about a total shitshow.’
Having grasped the situation, Yeongwoo looked back at the portal. In the dim stone chamber far off, a group of brothers carrying torches raced toward the center—hauling a massive coffin between them, no less.
Thousands more followed behind without torches.
At least several thousand.
“What’s that? They’re carrying a corpse or something?”
Yeongwoo pointed at the large coffin borne by the lead group, and Bangtu Bangtung lowered his hand.
“You show your ignorance easily, littlefoot. That is our ancient will, our sacred relic.”
“Sacred relic…?”
Well, it wasn’t odd for a holy site honoring patriotic spirits to house a relic.
But bringing it to Earth was another matter.
“Uh… Great Hero Bang.”
“Speak.”
“What exactly is that sacred relic your brothers are carrying? If it’s got some weird germs or...”
“Littlefoot! Don’t insult us!”
“No, stop bullshitting. If it’s dangerous or could harm this planet, I have a duty to block customs.”
That was true.
Extraterrestrial stuff was unpredictable, especially things that defied Earth common sense.
Even if they called it a “sacred relic,” it could be a thousand-year-old rotted orc corpse oozing toxins.
Or far worse.
“I approved you and your brothers staying on Earth. I didn’t okay smuggling otherworld materials onto the planet.”
“Littlefoot! That is our sacred relic, our spirit!”
“No, you Bang bastard! Just tell me exactly what it is!”
Yeongwoo’s patience finally snapped as he yanked off Bangtu Bangtung’s rank insignia by force.
—Kuuuoooong!
An ominous roar echoed from beyond the portal.
“...?”
“Ah.”
Bangtu Bangtung gulped.
Yeongwoo instantly knew.
That was the Devourer’s footstep.
“Devourer, right? That thing?”
Yeongwoo pointed again, and Bangtu Bangtung nodded.
“It smelled the sacred relic. The Devourer craves will and souls.”
And indeed.
—Shuuuuaak!
A wind howled inside the stone chamber where the relic carriers moved. From the rear of the thousands of torchless orcs, the back ranks began collapsing silently, one by one.
Dozens of brothers dying per second.
“What…?”
Stunned, Yeongwoo looked at Bangtu Bangtung, who spoke gravely.
“The Devourer has reached the chamber.”
“What? Just being nearby kills them like that?”
“It devours life too.”
“Crazy.”
Yeongwoo stared in disbelief at the scene beyond the portal.
Even as brothers right behind them crumpled, drained of life, no one except the lead relic carriers held torches or broke formation.
Making noise or bright lights would give away their position to the Devourer, it seemed.
‘Damn, orcs are orcs, but even so, that’s...’
It showcased their signature blind loyalty and unity, but it wouldn’t last.
—Kuuuoooong!
The footstep sounded again, and a massive silhouette appeared at the edge of the torchless shadows in the stone chamber.
“...Eh!”
Bangtu Bangtung paled in fear at the sight.
“That the Devourer? You’ve met it before?”
Bangtu Bangtung could only nod, speechless.
His face was pure despair.
He glanced back at his brothers on Earth, gauging their numbers.
Then he said the unbelievable.
“Maybe closing the gate is the wise choice. For our brothers and this planet.”
“What? What’re you talking about? What about our money?”
Hundreds of millions in profit only existed if he rescued those 15,000 brothers beyond.
Plus, he’d already sunk 100 million karma into activating the portal.
Some of it taxpayer money.
“You saying that relic’s really some deadly poison? Enough to threaten the whole planet?”
Yeongwoo pressed aggressively, and even Earth’s strongest orc shook his head.
“Our sacred relic is our ancient will, the myth of the Redfoots itself.”
“What?”
“But the Devourer has already sensed its location. By the time it arrives here, we won’t stop it from crossing over.”
Close the gate after the relic crossed? Too late. For survival, abandon both relic and brothers.
An enormous sacrifice for Redfoot Orcs.
But amid this, the Absolute Demon of the Korean Peninsula, Jeong Yeongwoo, fixated on something else.
“What’d you say earlier? The relic is what itself?”
“...?”
“The myth, right? You said it, didn’t you?”
“Y-Yes. Of course the relic is our...”
“No way… Mythic gear?”
Yeongwoo grabbed Bangtu Bangtung’s shoulders with bloodshot eyes, and the surrounding orcs surged forward.
Littlefoot or not, they couldn’t tolerate repeated insults to their lord.
But Lord Bangtu Bangtung knew this mad Earthling could wipe out every brother here with a string of bizarre numbers.
“Calm down. More importantly, hurry and close the...”
Seeing the relic and its massive shadow approaching fast, Bangtu Bangtung lunged for the lever handle.
Pushing it up would seal the gate.
But.
Thwack!
Someone overwhelmingly faster than Earth’s strongest orc had already palmed the handle.
“Uhk?”
It was none other than Jeong Yeongwoo07.
“You haven’t answered. Is that relic equipment?”
Sweat poured down Bangtu Bangtung’s forehead.
“You could say so, but that thing is...”
Yeongwoo slashed Bastard Child through the air, cutting him off.
Whiiiiiish!
“Freeze, everyone! Anyone touching the lever dies on the spot.”
“Wh-What?”
The orcs’ minds couldn’t fathom such brutality. Bangtu Bangtung and all brothers in the room wore horrified expressions.
Yeongwoo glared at Bangtu Bangtung, gripping his sword threateningly.
“Great Hero Bang!”
“Y-You bastard… what now?”
“Sell me that relic.”
“What?”
“Price: free.”
“......!”
“Better me than Mara taking it. In return, I’ll kill the Devourer here and soothe your brothers’ souls.”
Great Hero Bang shot back, ready to die charging the lever.
“Insane! Littlefoot, the Devourer isn’t beaten by brute strength. Don’t doom this planet with your arrogance!”
But the outsider Great Hero Bang overlooked one fact.
Namely.
“Danger? Don’t get it twisted, Great Hero Bang. On this planet, I’m the bigger threat than the Devourer.”
He swept Sasang-a’s tip over the thousands of brothers, adding warmly.
“Get your brothers to safety. 30,000 karma per survivor, right?”
“...Ah.”
Great Hero Bang finally realized.
Paradise wasn’t waiting at the end of flight.