Chapter 32: Wildness (2)
Chapter 32: Wildness (2)
Orcs.
Of the seven races on the continent, they are the closest to monsters. They are a nomadic people, scattered across various regions. Uniquely, rather than settling down to farm and live stable lives, Orcs revel in endless struggle.
They never settle for comfort; they find joy in fighting to seize what they desire. There is even a proverb that says an Orc’s blood is always boiling.
Born with immense muscle, sturdy bones, and massive frames, they trade blows from the moment they can crawl. By the time they reach adulthood, every single one of them has been reborn as a master of combat.
To an Orc, battle is nothing more than a game.
Of course, due to their fanatical love for violence, there was once a movement to classify Orcs as monsters and exterminate them, but the proposal failed to pass.
Orcs were clearly intelligent beings. More importantly, while they loved battle, they were not a cruel race that found pleasure in trampling others, destroying property, or inflicting violence upon the weak.
They were a race with their own convictions: they did not tolerate cowardice, they always kept their oaths, and they never took the life of a weakling who admitted defeat. That was the Orc race.
Well...
"Human! Dare! Come! To our! Mountain! Chwik!"
The problem was that, due to their beast-like temperament, they reacted very, very sensitively to "territorial infringement."
"That guy! Head! Pull off! For dinner! Must eat!"
"Fuck."
Dammit.
Nothing ever goes easy for me.
"You! Weapon! Take up! Since you entered! Our territory! Must fight! Or else! I kill you!"
I really do have the worst luck.
Rotten luck.
「This should be entertaining, young descendant. Back when I had some free time, I used to fight these battle-loving Orcs from dawn until dusk. It is truly a joy to clash with those who love combat so purely...」
"Please, just shut up."
Sigh.
I let out a long breath and drew my sword.
"Fine, let's go. You green lumps."
* * *
With thundering footsteps, an Orc wielding an axe drew near. It was the characteristic gait of an Orc—a walk designed to intimidate the opponent and flaunt one's presence. These battle-born people do not fear ambushes; they welcome a fight, and so they walk with such bravado.
"Ready! Are you! Chwik!"
The Orcish language, which had sounded foreign at first, actually took the form of a clumsy version of the Continental Common Language if I listened closely. The pronunciation was just unrefined; it wasn't a language I didn't know.
"If I'm not ready, will you wait for me?"
"Of course! Orcs! Always wait! Until opponent! Is fully ready! Fighting an enemy! Not ready! Is cowardly!"
For someone who had just threatened to rip my head off, his attitude was surprisingly noble. Well, if he was willing to wait, I was grateful. Fighting that hulking green monster with my stamina depleted would have been dangerous.
"Then, just a moment."
I regulated my ragged breathing and quickly filled my body with mana. The Heart of Steel possessed by a Caravan is not only sturdy, but its recovery speed defies comparison with other Mana Hearts. In an instant, my vigor returned, and strength surged through me.
Furthermore, the stamina I had built up by running through the estate every day hadn't gone anywhere. Constant exercise hadn't just improved my running; my endurance, physical strength, and even the rate at which my depleted stamina recovered had increased. I had always run until I was exhausted, collapsed on the spot, and then started running again the moment I was able. The results of that training were shining in this very moment.
Once my stamina had recovered sufficiently, I spoke to the Orc.
"I'm ready. So, how do we do this? Do I fight every Orc here?"
"No! You! Look weak! So! One-on-one! Fairly!"
The Orc shouted in a booming voice.
I felt like my eardrums were going to burst.
"Is this a duel to the death?"
"No! You look weak! So! Your life! I will not take! But! If you lose! That good-looking weapon! Give it to us! And leave this mountain!"
A duel with a weapon on the line.
I heard the conditions clearly.
I nodded and asked, "Then what if I win?"
"My weapon! I give to you!"
Hearing the Orc's confident declaration, I looked at the weapon he held. It was an axe that looked completely worn out and was caked in blood. I wouldn't want that axe even if he gave it to me for free.
"...You don't have to give me that."
"Son of a bitch! I kill you!"
"That guy! Insulted! Kedrak's! Mother's! Carefully made! Fourth axe!"
"Kill him! Kill him!"
Ah.
I had unintentionally done something offensive.
「That was a bit much, young descendant.」
Whatever.
"So what? Let's just fight."
It wasn't my problem.
"Die!"
With a Chwik!, the Orc raised his old axe and charged with ferocious momentum. Just as the Orc breathed with his characteristic nasal snorts, I breathed at my own tempo. With a soft exhale, my second heart began to throb. Immediately, The Path extended through my body, and superhuman strength took root.
After drawing out that superhuman power in an instant, I unsheathed Twilight. The Orc's feet got caught in the various Paths I had laid out around me. Simultaneously, I could read how his muscles would move and the shifting of his joints; a glimpse of the immediate future flashed before my eyes. This is one of the many reasons why one should never carelessly step into a Sword Walker's Path.
It is impossible for someone who is not a Sword Walker to defeat one within The Path.
My Twilight moved fluidly, piercing through the middle of the axe's trajectory.
Clang!
The axe was deflected. With a metallic ring, the Orc's body shuddered. I could see his pupils shaking violently.
He must have been surprised.
He had kept shouting about how weak I looked, but he had just been met with a sword far sturdier than he expected.
Maintaining the posture from parrying the axe, I braced my front foot against the ground and kicked the Orc square in the stomach.
Thwack!
That kick carried the full weight of the superhuman strength granted by the Sword Walker realm. However, the sensation against my toes wasn't satisfying.
It didn't feel like kicking flesh; it felt like kicking a block of iron.
「That is the body of an Orc. Insanely tough green skin.」
"..."
「It is also the reason Orcs do not wear armor. Strong Orcs possess skin so thick and leathery that they have no need for it. Much like the Ogres of the Sky Mountain Range.」
An unexpected trait.
However, it wasn't something that would significantly affect the outcome of the match.
"Gah... cough..."
The Orc before me was at a pathetic level, unable to even perceive The Path.
"Wha—what was that? Just now, something flashed—"
...Or rather.
「You are no longer at a level where you'll get beaten up just anywhere, young descendant.」
It was that I had finally reached a fairly respectable level.
"S-stop..."
Naturally, the duel ended in my victory.
"Ugh... sniff. Chwik! You won, so take it! My precious axe!"
"I told you, I don't want it."
Along with the useless, old axe.
* * *
Further north than the northern part of the Iron Kingdom Chervil lay a mountain range. This high-altitude region, unknown even to the northern residents, was the home of the Orcs.
「Orcs have lived here since ancient times. Normally, Orcs do not establish permanent homes, yet there have always been Orcs here.」
"Is there a special reason?"
「Because all Orcs inhabiting this vicinity perform their Coming-of-Age Ceremony here.」
The Coming-of-Age Ceremony.
A tradition among Orcs, a ritual through which they are reborn as true warriors.
「There is a vast difference in level between Orcs who have completed the ceremony and those who have not.」
"Why is that?"
「Orcs who pass the ceremony receive 'Ancestor Succession.' Much like how you devour swords.」
This was the first I'd heard of it.
Well, Orcs weren't exactly a race whose information was widely known among the seven races. They didn't interact much with others, and because they were so incredibly ignorant, they were treated almost like beasts.
「An Orc who passes the ceremony carves a fragment of an ancestor's soul into their body. By doing so, they gain a portion of the experience and power that had vanished into history.」
"...That's a fascinating tradition."
「Indeed. That is why Orcs always recover the bodies of their comrades, and they consider the desecration of a corpse to be a horrific insult. To them, death is not a complete end.」
I watched the Orcs waddling ahead of me. It was the Orc who had challenged me earlier, along with his group.
「Furthermore, the Orc Shamans who can perform 'Ancestor Succession' can only conduct the ritual in places close to the heavens. Therefore, if you go to a remote place on a very high mountain, there is a high probability you will find Orcs. You would likely encounter them even if you went to the Sky Mountain Range in the Empire.」
"..."
「Orcs generally take such high places as their Holy Lands.」
Then that meant I was a member of another race who had trespassed into their Holy Land.
Thinking of it that way, I could understand why the Orcs had been so furious.
I pushed them around without even knowing that.
I had asked the Orc who lost the duel to guide me to the path leading to the summit. The Orc was flustered, but I pushed hard, insisting that a loser must naturally grant the winner's request.
I feel like I've tricked an innocent fool who's strong but dim-witted.
The Orc navigated the treacherous path with ease. I followed behind the group, listening to their conversation.
"O-ordinarily, we shouldn't guide other races! But since I lost the duel! I will guide you faithfully! W-what if the Shaman cuts off my head! I'm scared! But a proper Orc must not fear death!"
"You are brave!"
"But if you had won the duel, you wouldn't have needed this kind of courage!"
"Shut up! Show some empathy!"
The conversation was a bit lacking.
I watched the bickering Orcs for a moment before asking Liam.
"But Master, why did you tell me to go to the summit?"
Liam had told me to go higher, even higher than this. He told me to climb to the very peak of this insanely high mountain. So, I did.
But I couldn't help but have doubts.
And the answer to my question came shortly.
「Because that is the true Holy Land of the Orcs.」
"...Excuse me?"
For a moment, I thought I had misheard him.
「At the center of the Holy Land lies the sword you must devour this time. A blade that will not only fill your deficiencies but will also become a great source of strength for you in the future.」
"...If it's at the center of a Holy Land, isn't it an important object?"
「It is highly likely a Sacred Relic.」
Liam spoke with a perfectly shameless face, his expression unchanging.
"Won't there be countless Orcs? Not to mention Orc Shamans who handle mysteries, and many powerful Orc warriors guarding them..."
「They will be swarming like ants. It is a sacred Holy Land to them, so is that not natural?」
Natural.
Yes, I suppose it is.
"No, how am I supposed to break through a swarm of Orcs and seize a Sacred Relic? In the first place, won't they kill me if I, a member of another race, devour their relic?"
「Do not worry.」
Liam said, his expression still unmoving.
「If you win like you did just now, you will not die. Did I not tell you? Orcs decide everything through duels. As long as you win, they will not care whether you take the relic or burn the Holy Land to the ground.」
"...What happens if I lose?"
「You will likely be killed or have your limbs severed before being kicked out.」
Seeing Liam speak so matter-of-factly, I was momentarily speechless.
"Fuck."
I really can't help but swear when I'm with my Master.
Amidst my venting, the Orc walking ahead shouted.
"We have arrived! That way is the summit!"
In the direction the Orc pointed, there were massive boulders and numerous statues. And like green paint spilled across the ground, countless Orcs were gathered like a tide. There were truly, truly many Orcs.
...Once again, my goddamn Master had not lied.
""Human! Why! Have you! Entered here!""
The roar of the massive crowd of Orcs hit me all at once, feeling as if my eardrums would burst.
I squeezed my eyes shut and muttered to myself.
Seriously, fuck.