Chapter 210
Chapter 210
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 210
Chapter Title: Karus VS Rokan (2)
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“Karus…….”
Swaeeek…… Jeong!
As Rokan murmured his name in a low voice, another arrow came flying. It was Karus again.
“Kekeke, it’s no good casually calling an elder by name like that.”
It was a plain shot again. And even though Karus had openly drawn his bowstring, Rokan felt it wasn’t easy to block.
What if he got serious and unleashed a barrage, or showered skills?
Rokan felt cold sweat beading as he gripped his battle axe tightly.
“Whatever.”
Crunch.
But he wasn’t giving up.
If he backed down just because the opponent was strong or victory seemed impossible, Rokan never could have reached that position in his previous life.
He abandoned his initial plan of sneaking into the crowd to slaughter the enemy masters and high masters.
He straightened his posture, standing tall and proud. No more running or hiding—he stepped forward as Karus’s direct opponent.
“Throwing.”
Whoooosh!
And not just that—he even pulled out a hand axe and hurled it. Just like Karus had done.
“Hmph.”
Karus twisted his body slightly to dodge it.
But Rokan hadn’t thrown it to hit in the first place, so he wasn’t disappointed.
Their gazes locked in the air once more.
“You ever seen someone go easy on a mangy mutt just ‘cause he’s old, gramps?”
Rokan spat the words roughly.
There was no reason to speak politely to someone from the enemy camp, especially an NPC who wasn’t even a player.
But instead of getting angry, Karus laughed. He knew Rokan’s crude words and actions were just a way to steady his own shaking resolve.
That made it all the more amusing.
A guy like that should understand Karus’s strength to some degree. Yet he was still baring his teeth. It was admirable. Intriguing. It made Karus want to clash.
“Kraaaaaah! You small fries stay out of it!”
Rokan was the first to unleash his power. He bellowed at the enemies lined up behind Karus, his voice infused with mad fury.
It was sheer arrogance for a mere master-level to shout at them—a group that included not just masters but several high masters. But the chilling energy in that roar silenced everyone.
Moreover, Rokan hadn’t even used Berserk, the true power of a berserker.
“Did you hear that? Unless you plan to grab that coltish punk and make him kneel right now, stay out of it.”
Amid the eerie silence from the Black Dragon Legion ranks, Karus cackled.
“This isn’t worth Your Excellency Karus stepping in. I’ll go. I’ll make that bastard kneel and bring you his head.”
At that moment, a massive orc stepped forward. Clearly a high master. Even master-levels were cowed by Rokan’s presence, their stats dropping and movements shrinking.
His pride wounded, the orc volunteered to face Rokan instead of Karus, and Karus accepted with amusement.
“Fine, have at it.”
Thud. Thud.
As the orc approached Rokan, the path cleared automatically. Players shrank back from his aura, slinking aside.
That bought time before the players got massacred, so Rokan stepped forward too.
To face a high master, he’d need master skills himself, but fortunately, he still had Time Regression.
That made it worth a shot.
If he played it right, he might even drag this out quite a bit.
“I’m Bakukan, Orc High Master.”
The orc stood proudly before Rokan, slamming his massive greatsword into the ground and glaring down with utter arrogance.
“You know my name?”
In contrast, Rokan provoked him with a bored expression.
Knowing each other’s names before a fight was a sign of respecting the opponent’s honor.
Of course, he knew it but wouldn’t say it outright—that a mere master-level, not even a high master, would……
Sparks flew from Bakukan’s eyes instantly. His muscles twitched, as if ready to yank up the greatsword and split Rokan’s skull, murderous intent spreading around him.
“Eek!”
Nearby human players recoiled in terror. Just the killing intent shaved their stats and made their legs tremble.
But Rokan wasn’t affected at all. Various title effects shielded him firmly.
“Shall we start?”
“Why, you gonna let me have first strike?”
Heh.
Provoking the trembling Bakukan again brought an immediate reaction. The orc yanked up his greatsword and swung it horizontally.
Piyuuung!
The air wailed in agony.
Swinging it like a hammer or mace rather than a sword produced a flute-like whoosh.
“There, I yielded the first move.”
But as expected, it didn’t reach Rokan.
Rokan backstepped lightly as if he’d anticipated it, then mocked him with a sneer.
It was a strike born of frustration, but it ended up looking like he’d yielded the first attack, just as Rokan said.
“Let’s see how long you can keep yapping!”
Bakukan’s face flushed red.
Looking like a red orc, his face alone burned as he wildly swung the greatsword like a longsword.
‘This strong-ass pig bastard…….’
Rokan had baited it, but the orc’s reckless aggression made him tense up a bit. In this one-on-one, several titles were locked.
To release that pseudo-seal, he needed a little trick.
“Quest activate.”
Dodging the orc’s attacks with difficulty, Rokan triggered another quest.
[Defense of Horollom Castle] [Quest]
Defend Horollom Castle against the Black Dragon Legion’s assault.
-Success Condition: Defend Horollom Castle
-Success Reward: 1 Gold
Simple content: Defend the Horollom Castle they had at their backs.
But the success reward was odd.
Entrusting a task this big for just 1 gold? Even with tons of players, it was too stingy.
But that was just a way to activate the quest as fast as possible.
The moment [Defense Battle] was recognized, he could trigger a very powerful title.
[Title ‘First Knight’ effect: ‘Chivalry’ activated. All stats +10% during defense battles.]
[Title ‘First Occupier’ effect: All stats +20% during defense battles.]
[Title ‘First Occupier’ effect: Attack and defense increase proportional to enemy numerical disadvantage.]
The titles activated with the quest.
Powerful strength seeped into his muscles, confidence surging. Right now, he could probably arm-wrestle that monstrous orc.
“Strike!”
Amid the sword strikes that looked like a flurry, Rokan thrust his battle axe heavily.
Jeong!
With a heavy impact, Bakukan’s greatsword stopped for the first time. Confusion and dismay crossed his face.
“What the— Nonsense!”
“Kh, Weapon Guard!”
Now it was Rokan’s turn. Confirming no difference in strength, he pressed the attack aggressively.
A blow Bakukan couldn’t easily block without a defense skill, even as a high master.
But he wasn’t pushed back that easily.
“Aura Boom!”
He exploded aura through his weapon, striking and repelling Rokan.
“Kh!”
In such cases, Rokan’s lack of defense skills put him at a disadvantage. So he made a choice against Bakukan’s expectations.
Instead of offsetting the damage and retreating, he trusted his defense and HP to push forward.
“Counter!”
Rokan’s body seemed to slide back, then accelerated sharply, charging at the orc.
He took the Aura Boom damage head-on, trading blows.
But Rokan’s included inflated critical damage.
Before Bakukan could deploy a defense skill and just raised his sword, Rokan buried his battle axe into the orc’s side like a lumberjack.
“Krk!”
Boom!
That single hit sent Bakukan’s massive body flying. He rolled unsightly on the ground, clutching his side with one hand and propping his greatsword with the other to scramble up.
The shock lingered, but lying there would mean losing his head.
“What, even an ant deserves a chat?”
But Rokan didn’t charge. He stood mocking, talking to the tense orc bracing for the next attack.
“You damn human scum!”
“What’re you blabbering, you pig bastard!”
Kwagwagwang!
Rokan and Bakukan clashed again. Humiliated at being pushed by a mere master and showing such ugliness, the orc put full power into every strike.
But toppling Rokan was impossible. Even if he’d brought a select elite few, it was enough for Rokan’s titles to max out.
‘A shame.’
Still, Rokan couldn’t hide his regret. If everyone wasn’t just ‘spectating,’ he could get even stronger.
It wasn’t recognized as combat, so he wasn’t getting Man-Slayer’s effect.
Even so, the fight stayed neck-and-neck.
Bakukan snorted hot breaths with a grin, but rage alone couldn’t fell Rokan.
“Try blocking this!”
Frustrated at no gains from the prolonged exchange, Bakukan pulled back. He gathered mana throughout his body and unleashed a master skill.
“Giant’s Strike!”
In an instant, his greatsword transformed into a massive pillar crashing down on Rokan.
“……!”
Kwagwagwagwang!
Devastation!
Everything the sword touched was destroyed.
Players crushed flat like under collapsed buildings vanished without a scream.
Rokan hadn’t escaped the range either.
“Huff, huff!”
Staring at the flattened, empty ground, Bakukan panted roughly.
No dodging this. Without greater power to block, it was impossible.
Especially from this close range!
His eyes swept over where Rokan’s body had vanished without a trace, and he finally smirked in victory.
“Idiot!”
“……!”
Then Karus clicked his tongue at the orc.
A chilling aura pierced his back like goosebumps.
“Herculean Strength. Strike of Ruin.”
Kwaaaang!
He twisted his waist in a hurry to turn, but too late. A pot-lid-sized fist wrapped in chains struck first.
The outrageous blow ignored defense, amplified by the high orc’s superhuman strength.
“H-How…….”
That one hit pierced Bakukan’s shoulder. Clean through. A fist-sized hole in his shoulder area. He barely clung to life, but his combat power was effectively gone.
His gaze turned to Rokan—to below where he’d appeared.
“……Tunnel.”
There, Digdog clacked its claws, basking in victory in its master’s stead.