Chapter 64
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: Jo Yong-ho
-----------------------------------------------------------------
On the way to Min Ju-ri.
"Hrrk! Hrrk!"
A group of orcs appeared, like bandits demanding a toll.
But that was only for a moment.
Shh-thunk-!
Bodies collapsed one by one as their heads flew into the air.
[You have defeated an Orc!]
[EXP +0.41%]
[Gold +40]
[Current Kill Count: 303/100]
[All stats increase by 100% due to the effect of the Rune of Slaughter.]
[Attack speed increases by 25% due to the effect of the Skull Bone Necklace.]
Ryu Min, having disposed of the three orcs as easily as swatting flies, furrowed his brow at the experience points gained.
'Perhaps because there's no EXP buff, the gains feel pretty pathetic.'
Ryu Min was currently level 31.
Even after killing 303 of them, he had only gained a single level.
'It must be because my level is too high.'
Of course, while it was a small amount of experience for Ryu Min, it wasn't for other players.
'Most of them will probably hit level 20 just by completing the 300-orc quest.'
For Ryu Min, however, the goal was level 40.
'I have plenty of time to level up after helping Min Ju-ri. Nothing to worry about.'
When Min Ju-ri grew stronger, Ryu Min stood to gain as well.
He didn't consider helping her a loss.
Besides, they were classmates.
'I just feel bad for not looking out for her in the last regression.'
This time would be different.
They would be moving together starting from the fifth round.
Ryu Min rummaged through his inventory.
The experience might not have been much, but he had earned quite a bit of gold.
'Including the gold I already had, I've gathered 14,000 gold.'
At this rate, he could probably collect over 100,000 gold in this round alone.
He would be able to learn every single common skill available in the shop.
'Alright. Now I just need to head to where Min Ju-ri is and subtly orchestrate a meeting, but…'
There was something to do before that.
He had to defeat this round's mid-boss, the Orc Warrior.
'It's on the way, so it's better to take care of it first.'
Ryu Min quickened his pace.
* * *
"Kill 300 orcs?"
When the main quest was first revealed.
The party thought it wouldn't be too difficult.
The time limit seemed longer than expected.
"300 orcs in 10 hours means we just need to kill 30 an hour, right?"
Honestly, they even thought it was a cakewalk.
Orcs didn't have a particularly strong image.
But facing them directly shattered their confidence.
"Pant, pant. Boss. Are you okay?"
"Hoo… Fuck. That was a close call."
They had partied together since the first round, members of the Young Mountaineers' Association.
They had supported each other and struggled all the way to the fifth round, never dreaming such a challenge awaited them.
"Phew, what kind of orc is this strong?"
"I know, right? They look just like walking pigs…"
"We can't underestimate them."
Even without saying it, no one was underestimating them anymore.
The moment they clashed with the orcs, they had a reality check.
Going solo was impossible.
"Mangi. How many have we killed so far?"
"We must've gotten about 50, boss."
"Fifty in an hour… That's not good."
To an outsider, it might have seemed like a decent hunting pace, but there were five of them in the party.
Considering the kills were split five ways, it averaged out to only ten per person.
"At this rate, we won't even make 300 in 10 hours. We're going to fall behind…"
"‘Falling behind’ isn't the right word. If you fall behind, you can try again. If we fail this time, it's straight-up annihilation."
"Hooooo…"
A heavy sigh escaped the lips of the five members.
At this rate, they were headed for annihilation.
They needed a plan.
"Guys. I think we need to attack a bigger village."
"Boss, wouldn't that be too risky?"
"He's right. We're struggling against just three. You want to go to a bigger village?"
"I think it would be better to keep hunting safely in small villages like we've been doing."
Faced with his party's opposition, the eldest, [Jo Yong-ho], simply nodded.
"Yeah, you're right. You're not wrong, so I won't argue. I won't force you either. But know this one thing."
A low,沉 voice came from Jo Yong-ho's lips.
"There's no future on a sinking ship."
"…"
"If we keep this up, none of us will reach 300 kills, and we'll all die. It'll be tough, but we have no choice but to take the risk."
"But boss, with our skills, taking on more of them is…"
"No, our skills are enough. It's because we've been picking them off and resting. If we push ourselves a little, we can kill a lot more."
He wasn't wrong.
Five of them would kill three orcs and rest for five minutes, then kill five more and rest for another five.
The truth was, they spent more time resting than hunting.
"We need to kill at least 150 per hour. We don't have to fight a large number at once. We just need to take down groups of three to five, just like we've been doing, but three times faster."
"Hmm…"
Jo Yong-ho's argument left the party deep in thought.
But they didn't really have a choice.
"Alright. We'll follow your lead, boss."
"There's no point in staying on a sinking ship."
"Thanks for trusting me."
Jo Yong-ho grinned and rose to his feet.
"We've rested enough. Shall we get started for real?"
"I saw a big village that way when we passed by earlier. Should we go there?"
"Yeah, let's head there."
The five members of the mountaineering club shouldered their weapons and moved out.
They remained vigilant, scanning their surroundings as they walked.
There was no harm in preparing for unexpected situations.
"Oh, I see it. It's that village we saw before."
The party slowed their pace upon spotting the orc settlement.
They carefully observed the village's state from a distance.
"The palisade is high, so we can't see what's inside very well."
"I think we need to get closer."
"Let's get closer then."
The party cautiously approached.
Jo Yong-ho, who was in the lead, suddenly stopped.
"Wait, I think there's a watchtower at the entrance. Let's go around."
The party immediately changed direction.
Given its size, they weren't foolish enough to attempt a frontal assault.
"Look over there. There's a gap in the palisade."
It was just wide enough for one person to slip through.
They peered through the opening to survey the interior.
Inside the settlement, at least twenty thatched huts were scattered about.
It was definitely larger than the places they had previously attacked.
"Doesn't look like any of them are walking around."
"Does that mean they're all inside the houses?"
"A place this size must have at least five in each house."
"Hmm, that's more than I thought…"
"We have no choice but to go into each hut and ambush them."
Sneaking in and clearing out the huts one by one was their best option, rather than drawing aggro at the main gate.
"Alright. Since we've decided to raid it, shall we go in?"
"Yeah. If we use the element of surprise, we should be able to handle five of them easily."
Having made their decision, the party squeezed through the gap.
Once safely inside, they decided to start with the nearest thatched hut.
"This is the one, right? Go in on my signal."
Jo Yong-ho spoke quietly, then gave a hand signal before storming the hut.
Creeak-!
As the door opened, ten resting orcs turned to look at them, their eyes gleaming.
"Uh, oh?"
"T-Ten of them?"
They were momentarily stunned by the unexpectedly large number.
"Hrrrk!"
"Hrrk, hrrk!"
Startled by the sudden intrusion, the orcs grabbed the axes at their waists and stood up.
But before they could.
"The left side first!"
Thud, thud, thud-!
The five of them launched a preemptive strike, taking down one orc.
However, nine orcs still remained.
"Hrrrrrrrrk!"
"Krrk! Hrrrrk!"
Enraged by their comrade's death, the orcs furiously swung their axes.
Their attack speed was slow, so dodging wasn't difficult.
But the story changed when there were many of them.
Crack-!
"Aaargh!"
"Mangi!"
Seeing an axe embed itself in his friend's shoulder, Jo Yong-ho's eyes blazed.
"That bastard got Mangi!"
"You pig bastards! Die!"
The rest of the party charged in for revenge and finally succeeded in ending the orc's life.
But there were still eight orcs left.
It was not a number that one injured and four already exhausted members could handle.
"Boss! This isn't working! We have to retreat!"
"I was just thinking the same thing!"
The party gradually fell back while trading blows with the orcs.
If they could quickly escape through the gap in the palisade they'd used to enter, they might be able to shake off the bulky orcs.
But there are always variables.
Things didn't go according to plan.
Orcs, drawn by the commotion, were blocking their escape route.
"H-How many are there?"
"Looks like at least ten…"
The number of orcs they had to face had doubled.
'Five of us have to fight eighteen of them?'
There was no need to weigh their options.
It was absolutely impossible.
Right now, running was the best choice.
If they could run, that is.
Beads of cold sweat formed on the party members' foreheads.
Not only was there nowhere to run, but the sheer number of enemies crushed their will to even try.
"It's over… It's all over."
"Ah… To end so pointlessly…"
The party members lowered their weapons as if giving up.
All except for Jo Yong-ho.
"Pick up your weapons."
"Boss…"
"It's over now."
"It was fun while it lasted."
Unlike Jo Yong-ho, the other members had lost their will to fight.
They knew death was imminent.
The standoff with the orcs continued for a while.
"Guys. Why do you think they haven't killed us yet?"
"Huh?"
"I don't know."
"If you want to know, take a look at the orcs' faces."
"Their faces…?"
At Jo Yong-ho's unexpected words, the party studied the orcs' expressions.
The corners of their mouths were twitching, as if they found something amusing.
"These bastards are laughing at us."
"…"
"They think it's funny because we're trembling like scared rats. And we've lowered our weapons as if we have no will to fight."
"…"
"Doesn't it piss you off? Being laughed at by mere orcs? Being made a spectacle of, like monkeys in a zoo?"
Did his words stir something in them?
"Don't give up until the very end. Pick up your weapons now and kill at least one of them. That way, you won't be ashamed even in death."
Each of the party members felt something stir within their chests.
"Understood, boss."
"We're sorry for showing such a shameful side."
"We'll be with you until the end, boss."
With those words, the party members raised their weapons once more.
At the same time, the mocking expressions on the orcs' faces twisted into ugly scowls.
"Hrrk!"
"Hrrk!"
There was no longer any trace of amusement on the orcs' faces.
Only rage, as if they were displeased with the rats that dared to resist.
"Go on my signal. We'll gang up on them one by one. Got it?"
"Yes!"
"Yes, boss."
"Alright, here we go."
Just as Jo Yong-ho was about to give the signal to attack.
Bwoooooo—
An unexpected horn blast echoed through the air.
The party didn't know it, but it was a signal blown from the watchtower during an emergency.
"Hrrk! Hrrk!"
"Hrrk! Krrk!"
Ten of the orcs hurriedly ran toward the source of the sound.
More than half were gone, leaving only eight orcs behind.
"Wh-What's going on?"
"Why did the orcs suddenly…"
They didn't know what was happening, but their chances of survival had just increased.
If they could just deal with the eight remaining orcs, they could make it out alive.
"Guys. Let's do this."
"Yes! Boss!"
Their fighting spirit renewed, the party charged at the orcs.
Thud-thud-!
One orc, caught off guard, was stabbed and killed.
"Hrr-yaaargh!"
"Die!"
Soon, a fierce battle between orcs and humans erupted.
Clang- Clang-!
The sound of clashing blades rang out.
Shnk- Shnk-!
Thud- Thud-!
The gruesome sounds of flesh being cut and pierced echoed between the orcs and humans.
At the end of a desperate battle where a moment's lapse could mean life or death.
"Pant. Pant."
Five humans stood with triumphant looks on their faces.
"W-We did it…"
"To think we won against eight of them…"
The joy of accomplishment was greater than the joy of survival.
"Boss! We did it! No, you did it!"
"This is all thanks to you, boss. If it weren't for you, we would have given up long ago and been wiped out."
The party showered him with praise, but Jo Yong-ho shook his head.
"Don't say that. We were able to do it because you all steeled your resolve and fought for your lives. If not, I would have been a goner here too."
"Haha, you're too modest, boss."
He shared a brief laugh with his party.
Jo Yong-ho's expression turned serious as he checked on his injured friend.
"That aside, Mangi. How's your injury?"
"Ugh… It's… tough, but I can bear it. I'm fine."
He said he was fine, but his shoulder was soaked in blood.
It was a serious injury at a single glance.
"For now, you get some rest. Don't move at all. Got it?"
"Yeees…"
"The rest of you, hide here for a bit. I'll go scout for an escape route."
"Won't that be dangerous?"
"Don't worry about me. Just wait here quietly."
Jo Yong-ho had the party wait in a thatched hut, then moved out, scanning his surroundings.
'This place is dangerous. I need to secure an escape route out of the village.'
He moved cautiously, wary of any orcs that might jump out, but the village was rather quiet.
Strangely, not a single orc was in sight.
It was quiet to the point of being unsettling.
'Why is it so quiet? Where did all those orcs disappear to?'
After hearing the horn, they had run off somewhere and hadn't been seen since.
Just then, a foul stench pricked Jo Yong-ho's nostrils.
'Sniff, sniff, what is that smell?'
He walked on with a frown, then spotted something in the distance.
'What is that?'
As he got closer, Jo Yong-ho unconsciously let out an "Oh?" before quickly covering his mouth.
'Wh-What in the world…'
An unbelievable sight unfolded before his eyes.
The corpses of what looked to be at least 200 orcs covered the village grounds.
'Wh-Who could have done something so incredible…'
Then, a single person came into his view.
A person standing alone amidst the corpses.
Above his head was the nickname, Black Scythe.