The Price of a Failed Leader
Han Jeongho, the leader of the prospective hero party, had spent the last week intoxicated by a surge of dopamine. This was an Isekai transition, the start of a Tutorial. Though he lacked any divine constellations or transmigration cheats, he had been able to display his knowledge to the fullest regarding the events that followed the goblin raid. Being the leader of 88 people—a position responsible for human lives—wasn't easy, but as someone who had managed a circle in an otaku mobile game, he had managed to lead the group in his own way. He placed those capable of killing orcs on the front lines, and for those who couldn't, he kept them in reserve while building rapport with the front-liners. The core of this strategy was Han Bitna. Her ability to freely use fire magic, granted as a sort of special perk, was enough to turn the orcs into roasted meat. The negotiations with the mercenary group he met in the village had been successful, and everyone praised him. There were complaints, of course, but at least no one dared to voice them or confront him to his face.
That was until two days ago. Starting with the death of Shin Yuhee in the Goblin Forest, the authority he had built as a leader over five days began to crumble before they even crossed from the arena to the orc colony. He didn't know what they had gone through, but those who had survived the Repechage were clearing out orcs with overwhelming skill. If someone asked him which party he would rather lead, it would obviously be the ones who had crawled out of the arena. Every single one of them was filled with the killing intent of someone who had already taken multiple lives, and they didn't hesitate to slaughter orcs. Even with the sub-quests, despite being summoned sequentially, they had cleared the quest to hunt 100 orcs per person faster than expected. They were particularly ruthless when swinging their weapons in the Breeding Farms or the Hatcheries. Even the village mercenaries—the NPCs—couldn't stop singing their praises.
It was a predicament. If things continued like this, he would lose his position as the leader of the group to Choi Yujin. No matter how well he commanded, without some special power or tactical edge, he wouldn't just fail to be a commander—he wouldn't even be a party leader. He would become no different from those he had secretly looked down upon: those who struggled to point a spear at an orc or those whose fighting spirit had been broken by the shock of seeing a breeding farm.
"AAAAHHH!!"
He couldn't be left behind. Determined not to be pushed aside, Han Jeongho grabbed a spear and stepped onto the battlefield among the other party members.
Kieeeek!
Every time the spearhead pierced a throat, the orc would collapse with a shriek. The sensation of driving the blade through flesh made his entire body shudder, but the hot blood splattered across his face instantly blew that chill away.
"Die!!"
He had to kill. If he didn't kill, he would be the one to die. That was true not just for him, but for all the other prospective heroes as well.
"Squad 1, fall back! Squad 2, thrust forward!"
Utilizing the knowledge he’d learned from games, he divided them into squads. The moment Squad 1 pulled back, Squad 2 stepped forward to pierce the orcs. It wasn't the flashy, protagonist-style combat seen in games or web novels, but if he kept thrusting his spear like this, he would eventually reach the end.
"Ugh!"
Han Jeongho’s spear pierced an orc’s heart. His chest sank as a monster twice his size raised a club high into the sky, but despite being drenched in blood, Han Jeongho shoved his spear forward.
Thud!
The orc collapsed. Catching his ragged breath, he scanned the battlefield.
Kieeeek!
"Ugh...!"
There was no end to them. They weren't just popping out of the ground; orcs were rushing toward the plaza like reinforcements from everywhere. Squeeeeeeal! It was because of that monster, the Orc Lord. The monster was screaming while raping women in a place decorated like a throne. That monster was signaling the orcs to save him, and the orcs scattered throughout the area were returning one by one.
"Damn it...!"
He didn't know how many orcs he had killed over the last five days. But what was this? This massive number. "Just how many orcs are there...!" Was it ten thousand? Even if it was easy to kill them by ganging up with a single spear, he had to kill all these monsters?
"Damn it...!"
Had he made the wrong choice? Perhaps he should have considered winning and surviving first, rather than worrying about hidden pieces.
Look at the state of the women captured by the Orc Lord. They were all staring blankly this way, pregnant, as if under some kind of magic spell.
"Everyone!! We have to break through the center somehow! We have to keep moving forward! We have to kill that Orc Lord to escape this place!!"
Every time that Orc Lord raped the women in the village, the number of orcs increased. The women here weren't ready to give birth to orcs yet, but in other villages they hadn't discovered yet, orcs were being born, becoming adults, and rushing here.
"If this goes on...!"
Screeeech!
"?!?"
Orcs rushed in from the left and right. It wasn't just one or two; a scale of hundreds suddenly descended upon them.
"This is insane—"
Did they need more preparation? Or should they have come to catch the Orc Lord as quickly as possible before their numbers swelled like this?
"J, Jeongho Hyung?! Enemies!"
"I know that!!"
A massive orc unit had suddenly appeared. Everyone saw it with their own eyes. So, now, 'how' were they going to deal with them?
"Han Bitna!!"
"W, wait a minute...!"
There was a way. The method that had kept them winning until now.
"Burn them! Firestorm, anything!"
"O, okay! Haa...! Oh flame, my... *cough*!!"
There had been a way, but it seemed to be gone.
"What...?"
Han Bitna, the mage, vomited blood and covered her mouth with her hand mid-incantation. As if something had reached its limit, red blood from her nose and mouth flowed down her white hand.
"Ah...!"
He was screwed. Without the mage's firepower, there was no way to kill them all—
Whoosh!
Arrows shot toward the orc horde appearing on the left and right. A golden flash grazed the air, piercing an orc between the eyes. Thwack! Simultaneously, a barrage of stones rained down. It wasn't enough to kill the orcs, and some even fell to the ground before reaching them, but the hail of stones was enough to stop the orcs in their tracks.
"Supporting the center! Chaerin! Take the left! We'll handle this side!"
"Yes, Unnie! Everyone, this way!!"
The arena party joined in like wings on the left and right. On the right, Choi Yujin stabbed and killed orcs with her spear in a single strike, and on the left, Kim Chaerin took the lead, decapitating orcs with her sword.
"Ugh...!"
They were strong. It was embarrassing to think they had boasted that they would be the ones to take down the Orc Lord. They were just that strong.
"Just how—"
"What are you doing!!"
Choi Yujin shouted, kicking an orc away. "You said you'd take him! Move forward! Now!"
"......!!"
A shout that awakened his spirit. "AAAAAAH!!" Han Jeongho charged forward with his spear. "Everyone, CHARGE!!"
Thanks to the reinforcements supporting the flanks, the center had thinned out. Only a single orc stood blocking the path to the Orc Lord. Grrr... He felt a dangerous vibe. While other orcs made pig-like squeals or greasy cooking sounds, there was one heteromorphic orc, grinding its teeth like a warrior who had lost all language and reason.
"Hyung! That thing...!"
"It's fine! There's only one enemy anyway!"
No matter how heteromorphic it was, there was no match for a gang-up. "Thrust as we practiced!" If this tactic didn't work, they couldn't beat that monster. That was true now, and it would be true forever. And if he showed off well in front like this, the people behind him would continue to look at him favorably. Especially the mage, Han Bitna...!
"AAAAAAH!"
Han Jeongho thrust his spear. Along with the colleagues who followed him, he thrust his spear with all his might.
Squelch!!
The spear had clearly embedded itself in the orc warrior. Only embedded.
"O, oh—"
Snap!
The orc warrior swung its hand and shattered the spear. The shaft broke in an instant, and Han Jeongho’s body tilted forward.
"!!"
The orc warrior’s hand loomed over him. The brutal grip looked like it was going to grab his head and crush it. "Ah—" Was he going to die like this—
Slash!
With a sound like something grazing past, the orc warrior’s arm slowly lowered. The hand that had been reaching out to grab his head descended toward Han Jeongho’s neck, but there was no strength in the grip. It was natural. The orc warrior’s wrist had been severed and flew toward Han Jeongho, and in front of him stood a man spinning his body with an axe in hand.
"Close your eyes."
It was too late. He couldn't close his eyes. Splaaash!! Whether it was the centrifugal force or not, the strike that swung the axe wide and severed the orc warrior’s neck in one go was too clean and beautiful. Because of that, even though his eyes stung from the blood splattered all over his face, Han Jeongho couldn't close them.
"Ah...."
"What are you doing? Keep running. The Orc Lord is over there."
He ran. Screeeech!
"The bastard is trying to use the woman as a shield. I'll send the woman over, so you guys kill the Orc Lord."
There was a powerful sense of trust in the voice speaking beside him, so Han Jeongho ran as that voice led him.
"Kill... me—"
"As you wish."
As soon as the woman captured by the Orc Lord groaned, the axe moved. Splaaash! A strike that accurately severed the neck. It looked as if the woman's head was rising to the sky, but Han Jeongho, having wiped the blood off his sleeve, could see it. Thank... you. Even though she had been murdered, the woman was grateful.
"...AAAAAAAH!!"
Without hesitation, he thrust his spear forward. Squelch! The first one. "Aaaaaack!" "You son of a bitch!!" Then the second, the third. "Die, you monster!!" Uttering raw words that didn't even come out properly, Han Jeongho and his colleagues thrust their spears with all their might.
Screeeeeeech!! A shriek. It felt like seven people had thrust their spears at the same time.
"Did we..."
Had they finished him? The moment he lifted his head in anticipation, Han Jeongho saw it. The Orc Lord throwing the woman's body. The bastard was already clutching one of the spears that had pierced his body.
"Ah."
A spear without a spearhead. Come to think of it, Han Jeongho’s spearhead had already been broken. And the Orc Lord was snatching the shaft with force and driving it down accurately toward Han Jeongho. He was going to die— Squelch!!
"......Oh?"
"Ha, fuck."
Right in front of his eyes. The stolen spear was piercing a young man's chest.
"Live."
And without even finishing his sentence, he collapsed to the side.
"Ah, aaaaah—"
Han Jeongho’s vision went dim.
"K, kill him!!"
"Kill the Orc Lord!!"
Behind him, others thrust their spears toward the Orc Lord—
"You son of a bitch! My senior, my senior!!"
He saw one woman swinging a knife directly at the Orc Lord’s head. And then.
BOOOOOOM!!
A massive light erupted from the Orc Lord, followed by a giant explosion.
"Ugh...?!"
A shockwave blew everyone backward. Han Jeongho rolled on the ground and barely managed to steady his body.
"What is this—"
Grrr, grrrr...!
The Orc Lord’s blood vessels boiled, and his green skin began to turn red.
"Berserk...?"
Kieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!!!
Spewing blood from the wounds all over his body, the Orc Lord began his final struggle. ...Already.
"Ah, aaaaah...!"
With the broken wooden spear shaft that Han Jeongho had been using embedded in a young man's heart.
"Aaaaaaaaaack!!"
Prospective Hero 'Han Jeongho' has been eliminated from the tutorial.
"Oh my, why are they screaming so loudly?"
"...Prospective Hero Yu Siwoo."
"Yeah, Angel Estiel. By any chance, do you have any popcorn?"
"Is that really the first thing you say right after someone is eliminated by death?"
"Why are you acting so surprised?"