Chapter 95
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: Orc Lord Hargone (6)
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Having escaped the Quiet Plains, Hargone realized he had been defeated.
His entire body felt heavy.
It wasn't just because of the Quiet Plains' environment, devoid of mana.
"Gorta. You've met your end as well."
The final vessel had been destroyed.
At this point, even anger failed to rise within Hargone.
Instead, cold rationality took its place.
Why had he been defeated?
The reason was clear.
He knew nothing of his enemy, while the enemy knew his weaknesses inside and out.
That disparity was where it all began.
No matter his title of "Conqueror King," overcoming the disadvantage of inferior information was no easy feat.
What if he had regained his original power?
He didn't entertain such hypotheticals.
The outcome had already occurred, and it was better to think of something else than dwell on useless what-ifs.
"Hoo..."
With this, the path to his full resurrection was shattered.
To achieve it now would require an immense amount of time.
'If that's the case, they won't sit idle either.'
The biggest issue was mobility.
He lacked the means to strike the enemy, while they could bomb him at will and escape repeatedly.
As a result, his army's numbers would gradually dwindle.
'So, the only path left for me is...'
There was just one.
He had to grow stronger himself.
"I like it."
Hargone turned to Bandal and Dakuda.
"The entire army, about-face."
"Where to, my lord?"
"Ugly Gorge. We'll begin our counterattack from there."
If the enemy moved with a small elite force...
Then he needed to match that with growth of his own.
"...No movement."
"What do you mean?"
After slaying Gorta, Jun and Maya had set up camp not far from the ruined temple where he died and taken a moment to regroup.
"The Orc Lord. He's gone still."
By now, Hargone should have arrived here.
He must be burning to take them out.
But Jun quickly realized his own arrogance.
Until now, he'd only ever toyed with Hargone without ever truly facing defeat, leading to this miscalculation.
"He changed his strategy? Then what now?"
From here, even Jun couldn't judge easily.
In the game, he'd always fought Hargone after securing at least three vessels.
The reason Jun could predict Hargone's patterns so far was thanks to those vessels.
But now that they were completely gone...
He had no way to grasp Hargone's options.
"For now... since things have turned out like this, it might be best to regroup with the others."
"Movement?"
"Yeah."
"Onward we go. Like the gale."
Krrrng.
Maya mounted her wolf, and the two set off.
It took four days before they reunited with the group again.
"Sunbae!"
"Haha, Aiden. You holding up?"
The first joyful face to greet them upon arrival belonged to him.
"Whoa, you're alive? Thank goodness, really."
Elenoa welcomed Jun and Maya from behind.
Everyone looked ragged, having pushed on without a single day of rest.
"The prisoner count..."
"It's dropped quite a bit."
Only eleven prisoners remained.
Unlike before, they exuded a much sharper aura—Leon must have lifted the restrictions as per Jun's plan.
"Mage. You're alive."
"You too. Looks like you made the right call."
"Hmph."
Their exchange ended there.
Leon radiated a far keener edge than before.
Having unleashed the power he'd suppressed to control the prisoners.
"Jun! Hahaha! Good work out there!"
Meanwhile, Schneider from the Issus Academy seemed to have shaken off much of his grief over Breit's death.
"Schneider. You've been through a lot."
"Nonsense. You've had it worse... though you look pretty clean for it. Hahaha!"
As he said.
Jun and Maya had taken ample rest on the way.
They'd even bathed in streams they passed.
The group, unaware of the situation, had no choice but to rush blindly.
"By the way, Schneider, did you run into any other users on the field?"
"Hmm... A few times. But..."
Schneider's gaze shifted to the prisoners.
"They didn't look too kindly on us."
"I see. That's a shame."
Those trapped in the field would be on maximum alert by now.
When problems arose like this, monsters were one thing, but humans posed the greatest threat.
Traveling with prisoners wouldn't inspire goodwill.
Especially from those skilled enough to reach the fourth layer—they'd have confidence in surviving solo.
"Force augmentation's a failure, then."
"Can't be helped."
He'd half-expected it, but facing reality left a bitter taste.
"We succeeded in destroying another vessel on our end. But we don't know where the orc army went."
"Slipped away?"
"Yes."
"Hmm... Don't sweat it too much. It's not like we have zero leads."
"What do you mean?"
"Haha, after you left, I took a crack at deciphering this alone."
Schneider pulled out the book—the first vessel they'd encountered, belonging to the orc shaman Barabata.
"You have the [Ancient Tongue] skill?"
"No, but ancient tongue follows patterns. With time, it's decipherable. My two assistants worked hard too."
"I see..."
Jun read the page Schneider indicated.
"Soul Absorption...?"
"Exactly."
Barabata, the orc shaman, had prepared various contingencies in case Hargone, the orc hero, failed to recover the vessels.
One was soul absorption.
Not as good as reclaiming vessels, but absorbing other souls could restore a significant portion.
"Hmm..."
Jun's mind raced.
A way to recover souls beyond vessels.
This was a pattern he'd never seen in the game.
"Hold on, let me see the map."
"Go ahead."
Staring at Schneider's map, Jun recalled the field's various monsters.
He dismissed the small fry.
Hargone wouldn't bother with monsters the field orcs could hunt.
'He'd target the big ones.'
Limited options there.
The first that came to Jun's mind was that guy on the Quiet Plains.
'But at the Orc Lord's current level, taking him down right away would be too much.'
With three or more vessels, maybe, but not now—he'd be too tough.
So he'd absorb enough souls first, then go for it.
'Then the nearest named monster from the Quiet Plains?'
Arachne in Ugly Gorge.
A monster with a spider lower body and human upper, an eight-legged solo operator with impressive power.
'We passed through there on the way to the great temple.'
But it was cautious, avoiding groups of humans.
'Perfect prey for the Orc Lord.'
She was probably already devoured by now.
Next moves?
"No need to overthink that far."
That underground cave dweller on the Quiet Plains would be last.
Jun turned to Schneider, map in hand.
"I think I know his route."
A snake over thirty meters long let out a monstrous roar.
The named monster of the rocky terrain, Stone Boa.
Unlike its name, it spewed acidic venom that melted rock.
As it lunged with bared fangs, dripping poison...
Kwaduk—!
Keyaaaaaah—!!
A glaive plunged down from above, piercing its head.
The glaive swung, perfectly cleaving the head in two.
"Krr."
The wielder shook off the blood with a low growl.
The Stone Boa dissolved into particles, leaving a massive magic stone that he picked up.
Kaduk—! Kaduk, kaduduk!
"My lord."
"The third one."
Orc Lord Hargone.
Two weeks had passed since leaving the Quiet Plains.
In that time, he'd slain and absorbed three named monsters in the field.
"What's left?"
"The nearby Hobgoblin village."
"Weaklings. No other variables?"
"None so far."
"Stay vigilant regardless."
"Of course."
Still, Hargone felt his plan was working perfectly.
The enemy had lost track of him.
Otherwise, they wouldn't let his growing orc army roam free.
'But no complacency.'
The enemy might be preparing a trump card.
Don't ignore them entirely, but don't obsess either.
"I've recovered a fair amount."
Devouring the Hobgoblin Great Chieftain would bring him to the level of three absorbed vessels.
'Better than expected.'
Not long ago.
Hargone had encountered a human group.
Five strong ones. They fled upon spotting the orcs but were all slain.
An unexpected harvest—he absorbed their souls immediately.
Powerful souls, but...
'Is this the extent of their elites?'
Strong enough, but none matched his generals individually.
Not even close to him.
If he restored just a bit more power and absorbed that guy from the Quiet Plains...
'Victory is mine.'
With conviction, Hargone rose.
"Move out."
But three days later, his certainty began to crumble.
"What did you say?"
"The Hobgoblins' numbers... are abnormally high."
Over 1,400 in total.
Far from normal.
Hobgoblin society had its own hierarchy.
Under the Great Chieftain, numerous villages waged territorial wars independently.
'They have the field's largest population thanks to their breeding...'
But they rarely united, too busy fighting each other.
Jun knew their principles well.
'They move only out of fear.'
Over the past few days, he'd razed villages with Aiden and ordered Maya to assassinate chieftains elsewhere.
The result unfolded before them.
Over a thousand had gathered under the Great Chieftain.
This wasn't Jun's first time using this tactic.
'Disrupting the Orc Lord's army with current forces alone was impossible.'
A famous strategy from the game.
But it required conditions.
'First, avoid being marked as a threat by Hobgoblins.'
Second, use a top-tier assassin NPC to kill subordinate chieftains, instilling terror.
Then, mistaking it for the Orc Lord, they'd mass troops against him.
'The best scenario I can paint.'
Now, it was up to the Orc Lord.
"What will you do?"
"...Break through."
It might be a trap.
Hobgoblins were selfish by nature, rarely gathering like this.
But Hargone knew this was his last chance.
'Time isn't on my side.'
Absorbed souls dissipated quickly. Targeting another named would waste what he'd gathered.
'Break through, take the Great Chieftain's head.'
He had the forces for it.
"Break through."
"Understood."
"Charge! Kill them all! Take their heads and quench your thirst with their blood!"
Kuoooooh—!!
Orkutas! Orkutas!
Hargone! Hargone!
Hargone was both a brilliant commander and a formidable warrior.
As he charged at the forefront, his two generals and a hundred elite orc warriors followed.
Kerka—!!
The tall Hobgoblins raised spears in response.
Numerical disparity was overwhelming.
But qualitative was even more so.
Elite orc warriors were one-man armies; berserk orcs matched ten foes.
And above all.
"Kuoooooh—!!"
Orc Lord Hargone shone brightest.
Each glaive swing spilled Hobgoblin guts, clearing the path.
From above, it looked like a massive awl piercing their lines.
Kyaaaah—!
But Hobgoblins fought back.
Abandoning flanks, they swarmed the center.
Their long limbs thrust spears like arrow barrages.
"Not today—!"
Dakuda's shield blocked them all.
The Shield Warrior lived up to his name, revealing no gaps with his massive shield.
Bandal's prowess on the other side was equally dazzling.
His sword felled even the largest Hobgoblins effortlessly.
Army.
War.
In the chaos, Hargone felt a grin escape.
Long ago.
Before the outer god, his army.
One hundred thousand orcs.
He was their grand marshal and king.
Wherever he tread, blood flowed; ruins burned before his domineering path.
Slay the Hobgoblin Great Chieftain, that Quiet Plains beast, the meddlesome foe.
Raise his buried hundred thousand underground—
And march out.
Ignite war's flames, etch his life upon the world.
Hargone's eyes shifted from past glory to future conquest.
If not for the voices behind.
"Charge—!"
"Uwaaaah! You pig bastards!"
"Missed you fuckers!"
"Kill you all and we're done, right? Right?!"
With crude curses, humans struck the orcs' rear.
"Luke, you okay?"
"Yeah, fine!"
Lucy eyed her twin brother with worry.
During the second vessel.
Luke had nearly died from his wounds.
A White Whale senior priest healed him just in time—otherwise, he'd be gone.
But after brushing death, Luke moved even more nimbly.
Handling three or four orcs alone, unleashing aura on tough foes.
Their speech seal lifted.
"Light on your feet."
Joseph beside him was the same.
A level 5 user and ex-soldier, thriving in chaos.
"You idiots, don't charge wild—follow me! Wanna die?!"
"Y-Yes, captain!"
"Captain's word is law!"
The surviving prisoners obeyed Joseph to the letter.
Learned that following cut death risk sharply.
But the standouts were.
"Hm! Been a while since I stretched like this!"
"Indeed?"
The two level 6s rampaged freely.
Schneider's gauntlets shattered orc skulls with each glow.
Leon's triple blades punched holes in orc heads every second.
Frontal assault on 300 orcs was tough, but rear strike? No issue.
As Schneider and the untamed pioneers wreaked havoc, the battlefield shifted.
The awl now pierced by another awl.
The moment of choice.
Hargone realized this was it.
"Bandal, Dakuda."
"Command us."
"Listening."
His loyal generals awaited.
In the chaotic center, Hargone spoke lowly.
"Clear the path ahead."
Neither missed it.
"Yes!"
"As you command!"
The moment of choice.
Hargone committed to breakthrough.
Unknown foes?
Irrelevant now.
He was the Conqueror King of a hundred thousand.
Nothing could bar his way.
As his generals carved ahead, the Hobgoblin Great Chieftain appeared afar.
Sneer.
Hargone loaded explosive power into his legs.
Kwaaaang—!
Like erupting lava.
His form rocketed skyward then forward.
A massive crater marked his start; he'd reached the chieftain.
The chieftain swung his huge spear.
Kwajik!
The sturdy steel spear snapped like a toothpick.
"Submit. Despair."
The Conqueror King's intense pressure erupted lowly; the frozen chieftain's head fell.
Its soul absorbed into Hargone.
Kuoooooh—!!!
The orcs roared at their king's enemy-slaying bellow.
But the fight wasn't over.
Hargone approached his generals still clearing.
"Now, we hunt the Black Whale whelp."
"The remaining forces?"
"Abandon them."
He'd slain the chieftain, but survivors wouldn't flee.
They knew retreat meant death.
Battle would drag; sorting rear attackers would take time.
His power wasn't fully back.
At minimum, kill that growing whale cub in the Quiet Plains.
At his command, the generals braced.
"Now."