Charge of the Orcs
The ground shook as if an earthquake had struck.
Roars like gunfire in a battlefield battered their eardrums relentlessly.
"They're really coming at us, right?"
Over a hundred orcs—visible to the naked eye alone—were charging straight toward them.
"No way these orcs actually have camaraderie?"
Back when he'd just awakened and cleared the Tutorial Tower.
The orcs he'd encountered in gates back then had no such thing.
He remembered them trampling their own comrades' corpses as they advanced on him.
But were the orcs here different?
It felt like thick killing intent was directed at him, the one who'd slain their kin.
Well, it could just be his imagination.
Anyway.
"No escaping now, huh?"
"...Probably not."
Escape was already off the table.
He nodded to Gini, who looked on the verge of tears.
"Gini. Fall back and support us from there."
"Yes!"
"Omen. You know what to do without me saying it."
—I'll protect Gini.
Tadak!
Gini nodded vigorously and retreated in a hurry.
Once she was a good distance away, he took a deep breath and clenched his fist.
"Elpinire. You and I take the front—mow down the orcs."
"I already knew that much."
Elpinire kicked off the ground into position.
He pulled his fist back beside her.
"I'll go first."
"Do it."
Taang!
With a gunshot-like crack, Elpinire shot forward.
Enveloped in greenery, she streaked straight toward the orcs.
"Kuaaaah!"
An orc reached out to grab her.
As if anticipating it, Elpinire spun in midair.
Lord El - Secundo
A crescent slash of greenery hurtled toward the orc.
The razor-sharp blade cleaved the outstretched arm in two.
Unhindered, Elpinire whipped her foot up, smashing the orc's face.
"Master!"
"Nice one!"
The headless orc crumpled lifelessly.
Even after losing arms or half its torso, it had kept going—until its head was gone.
The weak point was the head.
Understanding Elpinire's unspoken point instantly, he kicked off the ground after her.
Smoke - Musangbi (Fog Flight)
Cleaving the air, he soared forward and clamped his right hand onto the head of an orc fixated on Elpinire.
"Ku-eh?"
The orc let out a bewildered cry.
No wonder—it was startled by prey much smaller than itself suddenly grabbing its head.
He smirked faintly at it and muttered.
"You're the prey here."
Pajik.
The orc's tough skull crumpled like tofu in his grip.
Blood sprayed as it staggered.
Landing, he seized its thick ankle with his right hand and swung.
"Hup!"
The massive body whipped around helplessly.
It bowled into the oncoming orcs like a wrecking ball.
Those closing in were sent flying.
Elpinire lightly stepped on a tumbling orc's gut and leaped skyward.
"Master!"
Upside down at 180 degrees, she called to him.
He nodded and extended his right hand toward her.
Mist flowed from his hand, gathering beneath her airborne feet.
He clenched his fist hard—the mist solidified.
Elpinire kicked off it like a platform and rocketed downward.
Lord El - Terzo
Her body shot toward the ground like an arrow.
She carved through several orcs mid-descent, then upon landing, trampled corpses to press on to the next.
He gaped at Elpinire darting through the orcs like a green bolt of lightning.
"Was she always this strong?"
"Kkung kkung kkung."
She was mercilessly slaughtering them.
She was executing her role to perfection.
Time for him to do his part.
Cracking his neck lightly, he addressed the orcs now swarming from all sides.
"You guys wouldn't happen to be open to talk, would you?"
"Kuaaaah...!"
"Nope."
Good enough.
Nodding casually, he spread his right hand wide.
Smoke - Muin (Mist Blade)
Dark energy coated his five sharp claws.
He swung his arm in a wide arc.
Then, brushing off his hand lightly, he walked toward an orc raising its fist at him.
"Hoo."
Hududuk.
Orcs bisected by the mist blades plummeted to the ground in seconds.
Try blocking that, if you can.
Mist blades that pierced even Ma Gi.
Having cleared the nearby orcs in a flash, he extended his left hand toward a close one.
Cheonbyeonmanhwa (Thousand Changes)
Dark threads shot from his left hand, striking the orc's nape.
'Cheonbyeonmanhwa, huh.'
'Cheonbyeonmanhwa' wasn't easy to use casually.
Not because it was hard—but because it drained mental energy each time.
That made it unusable often, but like this.
"Simple stuff doesn't cost much."
Creating a basic thread without form was a breeze.
Yanking the thread connected to its nape, he launched toward the orc.
The orc noticed too late and tried to block.
"Where?"
His right hand's claws still gleamed with dark blades.
The blocking arm split futilely.
Unslowed, he decapitated the orc.
Whiric, tak!
Stepping on the headless corpse, he spun and extended his left hand toward the next orc.
Then.
"All set!"
—Now all these orcs will see illusions!
Shadows erupted from the ground, ensnaring the orcs.
Shadows binding feet.
Darkness clouding eyes.
Like puppets with cut strings, every orc froze in unison.
Chuckling wryly, he landed and scanned them all.
"They're all stopped."
The moment the shadows descended, every orc halted.
He tapped the nearest orc's leg lightly with his knuckles.
"Not even budging."
Turning, he looked at Gini.
She was hugging Omen, jumping for joy at her success.
"Impressive."
Elpinire and Gini both.
They called him Master and followed him, so he'd momentarily forgotten.
But they were still disasters capable of ending the world.
"Can't waste the chance Gini made."
He didn't expect the binding to last forever.
Sharpening his claws, he raised his hand to methodically dispatch them starting with the closest—
"...!"
Piiiing—
A colossal roar that briefly deafened him.
A shout so immense it made him stagger, shaking the space itself.
"Ku."
"Kuuu."
Thud, thud.
As the roar echoed, orcs began snapping out of the illusion one by one.
Once free, they no longer bared fangs at him or Elpinire.
As if it were the most natural thing, they simply marched in one direction.
"Master. Chase them?"
"No."
He shook his head at Elpinire's suggestion.
No reason to pursue.
Kill Orcs
Achieved
Moving to the next floor
The original goal was already met.
"We'd die if we did."
"..."
If they chased those orcs.
The source of that roar would kill them.
Elpinire, whose arms had trembled at the shout, clamped her mouth shut.
She knew it too.
"Sorry, Master. Because I'm weak..."
"Has nothing to do with you being weak."
Instinct.
That was pure instinct territory.
A creature's automatic warning upon facing an overwhelming presence.
Not about strength.
"A shout without even mana in it, that overwhelming."
The roar that hammered his eardrums was pure—no mana mixed in.
Yet more potent and dangerous than any mana-fueled attack.
Brushing down his bristling hairs, he clicked his tongue and eyed the system.
3rd Floor
???? ????
What the hell was this?
Not even a single letter revealed—everything censored.
He opened his mouth to gripe at the system, but.
※ Hidden letters will unlock as time passes.
As if reading his mind, the system popped up an addendum.
First time for this.
Scratching his head, he turned to Elpinire and Gini.
"Let's rest a bit first."
With everything hidden, any action was pointless now.
Nothing to do but kill time until enough letters unlocked for inference.
So he reached for his bag...
"Huh."
No bag on his shoulder.
Cold sweat beaded as he patted again.
Nothing.
"Gone?"
Still nothing.
He frantically scanned around.
Just orc corpses—no sign of the bag.
Panicking.
Not here.
"Don't tell me it fell off during the drop?"
When they first arrived at the Wilderness Tower and plummeted into the canyon.
Lost it then, probably.
Despair washed over him; he rubbed his face.
"Screwed. Can't even leave."
Food, clothes.
Lost everything—survive this barren wasteland bare.
He exhaled heavily.
* * *
At least it wasn't lonely.
A bit away from the orc corpses.
Under the shade of a massive boulder, he slumped and stared blankly at the sky.
"Man... it's brutal out here."
The withered earth had its reasons—the sun blazed mercilessly.
Felt like last summer slaving away at the site.
Temps over 30°C then—what was it now?
Anyway, heat haze rising; even a short stay parched his throat.
Dry and scorching.
An hour in, now.
Couldn't remember craving water this badly in ages.
"..."
"..."
Not just him.
Gini crouched beside him, Elpinire on watch—thirst etched on their faces.
"Wanna head back?"
"No."
"I'm fine."
His screw-up.
He'd been telling them it was okay to return to the tower.
But both just said they were fine.
"Can't leave when Master could be ambushed anytime."
"I agree with Lady Elpinire."
"...Feels heavy."
Nice they trusted him, but their faith weighed on him.
Meant he had to step up from here.
Smacking his lips, he rose from the shade, stretching long.
"Gini. Spirits still no word on water?"
"...Yeah. No contact yet."
She'd asked them long ago to find water.
Hour past—no reply.
Might as well push to the next floor.
But not easy.
???? ???gi
Hour gone—only the last letter unlocked.
And it's crap; no clue how much longer.
"Let's just move."
Even worms squirm when stepped on.
Stay put, they'd dry up and die.
Couldn't sit forever.
Elpinire countered.
"Move where?"
"Where else? Only one option."
He turned, gazing one way.
Direction with deep orc footprints.
"Something's gotta be that way."
In this wasteland, only where orcs headed made sense.
Shrugging, he stepped into the blazing sun.
"Hahk, hahk."
"Hng...!"
And so, the march through hell began.