Chapter 10
Chapter 10
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Skills and Items
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Crushing the flint into fine powder required quite a bit of patience.
Hitting it with a hammer would make sparks fly everywhere.
The stone itself was soft enough that it didn't need much force, but it demanded careful handling.
The tedious process continued: focusing intently and gently tapping it to split it apart.
If my Dexterity stat were higher, this would be a breeze, but with these bear paws of mine...
"Phew... finally done."
For some reason, half a flint seemed like it would be enough for the orc.
But I steeled my resolve.
If half wasn't enough to kill it, the aftermath didn't even bear thinking about.
Next up was the glowstone.
"This one's got its uses too."
If flint was for Molotov cocktails, glowstone served as a flashbang.
Orcs had pretty good eyesight, so a flash right in front of them caused serious pain.
At least several dozen seconds of incapacitation was guaranteed.
"I've pulled off some crazy stunts with this..."
Crazy stunts meaning tormenting monsters.
Occasionally on trolls too.
"I remember the last one."
Right before the server shut down, running wild with my veteran buddies, tearing through the server like maniacs.
Looking back, it was our last hurrah.
We burned out our final passion in a blaze of white-hot glory and all returned to reality.
Just me, waiting for the next update.
Come to think of it, why did they dump all those updates right at the end?
It was a chapter full of bizarre monsters totally unlike the zombies or fantasy creatures before—completely alien things.
Even a hardcore vet like me thought, Are they seriously telling us to hunt that? when I first saw a brute.
"...Whatever."
I successfully ground the glowstone into powder too.
Now for the explosives... no, flame cans.
Explosives makes me sound like a terrorist.
Well, from the government's perspective, anyone messing with unlicensed explosives is a dangerous element.
"The rain will wash away any traces."
The forecast said more rain was coming.
No one in their right mind would climb Jirisan in this downpour.
I mixed gasoline and organic solvent from Seomyeon, along with sugar, into an empty can.
Then I blended in the flint powder, resin, and hardener, and let it set.
"Stick a wick in here and..."
Flame can complete.
With only one, I couldn't test its power.
So I made a small one from the bits I'd set aside.
"Doing this at home would cause a scene."
I placed the flame can in a clearing outside the cave and lit the wick.
Crackle, crackle.
The flame crept along the wick.
I quickly ducked behind a rock.
As I waited for it to blow, flames suddenly erupted.
"Oh."
As expected, the fire shot up high, scattering embers with loud pops before gradually dying down.
With all that sugar mixed in, the flames had a sticky, gooey feel.
It'd torment the orc right up to the end.
"This'll do."
If it starts a fire, I trust you, downpour.
Extinguisher, stand by too.
Preparations complete.
I loaded the gear from the delivery into the cave and replayed the orc strategy videos several times.
In my prime, I could've smashed an orc barehanded with just a dagger...
"Hmm..."
My eyes were boring holes into the orc on the monitor.
Yeah, it moved just like that.
Arms so long the attack range was wide, but the inside was wide open.
Almost never went for leg attacks.
The orc's movements played out in my head.
After looping dozens of videos for hours, I finally gained certainty.
The certainty that I could take it down.
I flexed my arm experimentally—only a faint ache.
"That healing ointment really works wonders."
I loaded my rented SUV with the prepared items and set off.
I didn't use the Tamás because it felt like it might break down on the way.
Dragging that junker up Jirisan at night? No thanks.
A few hours later, I arrived at the campsite.
The forecast of heavy rain tomorrow meant not a single car in sight.
"Flame cans... okay, flash cans... okay."
With the jungle dew and flare ready too, all that was left was finding the thing.
I folded down the SUV's back seats, laid out a mat, and crashed.
Starlight and sleep poured down together.
.
.
.
The next day.
I was up at dawn, wandering the woods.
Luckily, the raindrops hadn't picked up yet.
Dark as the night path was, nothing scared me.
Because ghosts fear advanced smartphone cameras.
"The quality's so good these days..."
Plus, wandering the woods alone had toughened my nerves.
I circled the campsite, returning to the SUV for breaks, repeating the loop endlessly.
"Nothing."
I knew an orc had appeared, that it was killed near the campsite, but not the exact day or details.
Might miss it if I'm not careful.
And then the rain really started pouring.
Whoosh—
Fierce mist rose from the ground.
An orc's roar would get drowned out by the rain noise.
"Damn it."
I suited up in rain gear and started patrolling the campsite.
No telling when it'd show, so I had to carry items in my backpack.
This... is... exhausting!
Trekking through a forest in a torrential downpour was no joke.
The mist made it hard to see ahead.
And then.
Something howled nearby.
Kroooargh!
Could I ever forget that sound?
I dropped my pack, grabbed the flare gun.
Unscrewed the cap, ignited it—red flames and smoke billowed in the rain.
"Hey!"
The intense flare and smoke lured it in.
No way it'd ignore this, right?
Orcs were aggressive; provoke them openly like this, and they'd charge without fail.
Goblins might run if they thought they were outnumbered, but orcs always barreled in.
That's why we called them real men.
Sure enough, a green-skinned monster drawn by the flare and smoke appeared.
"It's been forever, huh?"
About 220 cm tall.
A massive muscular gorilla stared me down, drool dripping.
In a straight-up brawl 1v1, it'd rip my head off in under five seconds.
Where's my gear?
I quickly scanned its weapon and primitive jewelry.
Doesn't look itemized yet.
Please not a stone axe.
"Catch."
I flung the flare gun to grab its attention.
As expected, the orc took interest for a moment.
But realizing it was nothing, it smashed it with its stone axe.
"Good job, orc!"
By then, I was already in sunglasses, flash can at the ready.
Kroooaaargh!
It roared loudly.
If it'd charged while roaring, I'd have panicked.
I stepped back and hurled the flash can with all my might.
A blinding flash swallowed the space between us.
Even with shades and eyes shut, my eyes burned.
I finally opened them, removed the glasses—the orc clutched its face in agony.
Grrraaagh!
The flash can's effect was tremendous!
I lit the flame can's wick and charged.
Could throw it here, but ideally place it at its feet.
Sensing me, it flailed limbs wildly, thrashing.
"Time for some orc meat!"
Kidding, of course.
I tossed the flame can lightly; it landed perfectly between its legs.
The instant I leaped away, massive flames erupted.
Kroo...
The orc screamed midway, engulfed in fire.
That was it.
Embers burst like a mini volcano.
Intense heat vaporized surrounding rain.
Even then, the orc flailed arms madly before slowly dropping to its knees.
I nocked an arrow.
Orcs had a knack for springing up when you thought they were done.
Insane vitality.
No letting guard down till points came in.
"Bye."
The arrow flew true, embedding in its face.
Enveloped in flames, it slowly toppled.
Even the downpour couldn't extinguish it; had to use the extinguisher.
All that remained was the charred orc corpse.
And in my vision, the status window and messages appeared.
"Phew..."
I let out a sigh of relief only after confirming the status window had updated.
What about the item drop?
In Survival Life, killing a monster didn't drop items directly.
One nearby object transformed into an item instead.
Just me and the orc here, so one of my things would become it.
Not every monster gave items, of course.
"Please not the stone axe..."
Could use whatever, but a stone axe? Meh.
Waiting a bit, my watch turned into an item.
Light gathered, then spread out.
Yes!
The perception item I'd longed for!
I clenched my fist in silent cheer.
Before checking the new skill and item, something else first.
I opened the dimension gate and tied a prepared rope to the orc's ankle.
Then dragged it into the forest with all my might.
"So damn... heavy!"
Hauling a 220 cm muscle mass was brutally tough.
My one good arm made it worse.
After ten minutes of grunting, I finally got the corpse through the gate into the forest.
"Finally over..."
This wasn't near the cave, obviously.
Before starting, I'd fixed the gate 1 km from the cave.
Bury it near the cave, and you'd deal with swarming bugs and stench.
Kobolds that dig up rotting corpses to eat might swarm too.
I started digging the pre-dug pit deeper.
Despite the chill, heat from exertion warmed me up.
"Phew..."
Done digging, I half-collapsed as I dragged the orc into the pit.
Heave-ho.
The corpse finally dropped in; more shoveling.
"Huff, huff..."
Panting hard, a message appeared in my vision.
Survival Thirst skill activated due to exhaustion.
Combat Will, Stamina Regen, HP Regen, and Perception greatly increased.
Damn it.
Pain everywhere, yet overflowing energy—a bizarre state.
Adrenaline rush? My head filled with the urge to shovel faster.
If a monster approached now, I'd sense it way quicker than usual.
Luckily, none around.
Finally, I buried the orc completely.
What a monumental digging job...
Camouflaged with bushes and rocks, then back to Jirisan.
Checked the burn marks.
"This much? No big deal."
Rain had washed away most of the ash.
Even if the caretaker or hikers found it, not worth calling the cops.
Good.
Shouldered my pack and trudged back to the SUV.
Couldn't drive like this, but had to.
Parked in a nearby village lot, and Survival Thirst deactivated.
"Ughhh..."
My body went limp like tofu.
Already hurt, soaked in rain, tense heavy labor on top.
"Tomorrow's gonna suck..."
Leave that to tomorrow's me.
With the rain as a lullaby, I fell into deep sleep.
End of [Skills and Items]