Chapter 221
Chapter 221
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 221
Chapter Title: Orc Berserker Kroktu (3)
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‘Still just this much.’
It was still just this level. There was nothing else to say but that his understanding of Master skills was low.
He couldn’t know exactly how outstanding his base stats were, but the strong impression that he viewed Master skills merely as a ‘powerful single blow’ made it clear his comprehension of them wasn’t all that high.
‘Then you die.’
Kroktu’s eyes turned icy.
One of the enemy Masters was already crushed beneath his feet.
The dwarf who had made throwing his Master skill was left in tatters after a follow-up axe strike connected to the red meteor.
It seemed he’d built his character around strength and mana to boost his power. He went down flat like a frog hit by a rock after just a few hits.
“Krraaah!”
Kroktu let out the victor’s roar.
Was this what it felt like to make the mountains and rivers tremble?
The users from the Golden Lion faction, who had only ever fought by Rokan’s side until now and were experiencing such a mad cry for the first time, shivered uncontrollably.
They freaked out as their stats plummeted steeply depending on their levels and abilities.
Kroktu alone had turned the tide of battle in an instant.
“Kroktu! Kroktu! Kroktu!”
The dwarves were trampled mercilessly, and the gnomes’ small bodies were smashed into the ground.
The name of the new orc hero, Kroktu, echoed across the battlefield.
“Krhuung! Everyone fall back and regroup!”
But the battle wasn’t over yet.
The enemy’s vanguard was user-heavy, so their main force could come charging in at any moment.
Thanks to Kroktu’s command, the orcs quickly reformed their lines, and the dwarf-gnome alliance didn’t dare attempt another fight.
They’d taken down three dwarf Masters and still had strength to spare—this new orc Master user, Kroktu, would be hard to challenge without prior analysis.
‘This isn’t enough.’
But Rokan, disguised as Kroktu, wasn’t satisfied.
Even though he’d halted the Golden Lion faction’s relentless push, his eyes gleamed with greed as he scanned their camp.
Most of the dead were users. And they were beings who could respawn anytime.
No significant item drops meant their real losses were limited to experience penalties.
No. It wasn’t nothing at all.
The fear of the new powerful Master-level user, Kroktu—that alone was a gain implanted in them.
‘Guess I need to push one or two strongholds at least.’
But that alone wasn’t enough to relax.
They wouldn’t move carelessly chasing the shadow of Kroktu somewhere out there, but from the gnomes’ perspective, with a potential ancient city slumbering right in front of them, it was an irresistible temptation they couldn’t abandon.
So he needed to push hard. Only by driving them further away from here could he properly scout.
To that end, Rokan decided to keep up the Kroktu act for a while. The goblin shaman’s transformation ring’s polymorph effect only lasted three days anyway, but with the cooldown ending on the third day, he could maintain the guise indefinitely as long as he avoided scrutiny for a moment.
This was the moment the legend of the orc berserker Kroktu began.
-Kroktu: All unit members, assemble at the east gate.
After the battle ended and a brief peace settled in, Kroktu boldly left Hilros Fortress, rallied his 1,000 affiliated users, and began a wide detour through the east gate.
He aimed to shake them first, before the alliance could decide.
-Nipelroma: Where are we going?
-Kroktu: Follow me.
He didn’t specify the destination. With a unit full of users, spies were possible.
Even unintentionally, info could leak through chats with friends or guildmates, so Kroktu sealed their lips with charismatic command.
The unit members didn’t dare ask more and followed silently. Only after a long march did they grasp his intent.
-Siban: Flank attack, let’s go!
And they cheered. Kroktu’s target wasn’t Kitanro Fortress facing Hilros, but Nihilman Fortress further back.
Concentrating forces at the front was natural, so the rear had to be lightly defended.
Even so, expecting to capture it with just one Master-level user and 1,000 near-Class Expert users was a stretch, but Kroktu charged boldly.
“Krroong!”
If humans had heavenly bone horses, orcs had heavenly bone wolves.
Kroktu had spent a fortune—1,000 gold—to buy an orc mount, a wolf, for this moment.
That let him lead the charge toward the gates ahead of anyone.
“Bolt Storm!”
Kwaaang! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Even hurling his weapon mid-gallop didn’t disrupt the sturdy wolf’s balance.
Wolves lagged slightly behind heavenly bone horses in speed but surpassed them in agility, power, and combat prowess—that was the orc race’s mount.
And being a heavenly bone wolf—not a horse—enabled something else.
“Rider of Legends.”
He couldn’t use the famous Great Peng or Red Hare modes popular among users, but evolving a wolf was another realm.
Influenced by Rokan, users had created combo reinforcement skills for mounts, so Kroktu used one confidently.
[Fenrir]
The wolf’s body swelled. It turned pitch black, its feral savagery baring its fangs to the extreme.
The wolf became the shadow of Fenrir, the god-swallower, and charged even faster.
“Storm Incarnate. Rampaging Chariot.”
On top, Kroktu synced with Storm Incarnate.
With the skill boosting charge speed by 400%, they merged into an unstoppable projectile.
Kwaaang!
No need for fanfare.
The gate, weakened from multiple battles despite being frontline, shattered with one strike.
Plus, the [Lion’s Resolve] effect from the Lion King’s sealed gauntlets boosted the charge skill by another 50%.
One strike. Just one pulverized the gate, sending shards flying everywhere.
“Waaaaah!”
The Golden Lion users and NPCs were overwhelmed in morale. Seeing Kroktu rampage like a demon, they were lucky not to wet themselves.
He cleaved blockers, smashed them. Fleeing foes tumbled with hand axes dangling from their backs or napes.
Among the witnesses to this merciless slaughter were those freshly Master-level and full of themselves, but none dared even think of clashing with Kroktu.
Fearing his gaze if they activated a Master skill, they fled Nihilman Fortress as fast as they could.
To call for backup.
Or just any excuse to escape.
‘Come on, hurry up.’
Nihilman emptied quickly, while Kitanro buzzed with activity.
They’d gotten word of the raid late and were hastily assembling forces.
No matter how strong, isolation was dangerous.
The enemy wasn’t pushovers.
They issued quests to users in a pinch, but that wouldn’t fully work.
Some might be curious about the new orc hero Kroktu, but anyone who’d fought or even seen him up close wouldn’t volunteer.
‘They’re late.’
So the reinforcements heading to Nihilman were disappointingly few.
Unable to gather enough users, they filled over half with NPC soldiers and knights, leaving Kitanro’s defenses shaky.
User or NPC, raw power was similar, but users carried huge risks.
Namely, desertion.
Unlike NPCs with nowhere to run in crises, users fled or logged out after death.
Hadn’t Nihilman fallen too easily for that reason?
The uneasy battle began.
-Siban: Block them all!
Normally, they should’ve abandoned it.
At least 5,000 to 10,000 users were coming from Kitanro—1,000 couldn’t hold; it’d be suicide.
Yet Kroktu and his 1,000 suicide squad resolved to endure.
Simple reason.
[Last Stand Defense][Quest]
Hold Nihilman Fortress until Kitanro is captured!
-Success Condition: Defend Nihilman until Kitanro is captured
-Failure Condition: Kitanro capture fails, Nihilman falls
-Success Reward: +1 Level, Massive Fame, Huge Experience
A +1 level quest had appeared for them.
A rare +1 level reward outside frontline assaults and defenses. For high-level players, the temptation was irresistible.
-Chorugi: Please hold. I finish this quest and I get my Master quest!
-Jenis: One more level and I’m 298. With luck, the EXP reward shoots me to 299! Help us once, guys!
-Siban: Both of you shut up! Anyone wanna miss the level-up here? Quit yapping and hold your posts!
But that alone wasn’t enough.
Sealing windows and entry points, fighting in chokepoints—even then, blocking Master-level-packed foes was tough.
No telling how long Kitanro would take, and they had only one Master: Kroktu. It was impossible.
“Fire!”
But they had backups. Defensive upgrades and NPC soldiers bolstered right after Kroktu took lordship.
They manned the defenses, blocking the first wave.
“Bolt Storm!”
Siege weapons, mage NPCs’ AoE spells, and Kroktu’s Bolt Storm. Enemies couldn’t approach easily.
Get close first, and you die for sure.
That thought lodged in everyone’s minds, so no one stepped up eagerly.
That was what Kroktu and his 1,000 desired.
Unaware of their quest, the enemies knew they needed a quick retake but lacked intense pressure.
[Kitanro Fortress Recapture Battle has begun.]
Then, mid-standoff, a new alert appeared for all.
Kitanro recapture battle start. The real endurance began.
“Phew.”
Kroktu surmised this system alert wasn’t just for them.
Likely the dwarf-gnome alliance and their users got it too, forcing a choice.
Fight or retreat.
“Full charge! Shields up, block enemy attacks! Mages, counter their spells! Break through!”
“U, uwaaaah!”
The enemies chose to fight.