The Villain Appears (1)
“There you are. Finally, we meet, Yu Jihun.”
Ram says with delight.
“Kang Hae-il’s rival, and a premium supporting character, right?”
“Exactly.”
Yu Jihun is a character Ram has invested quite a bit of effort into. He starts off at odds with Kang Hae-il but gradually acknowledges him and joins the team.
“Here, he dismisses Kang Hae-il at first, but eventually begins to be swayed by him. That’s where it all starts.”
From this point on, Kang Hae-il begins gathering companions one by one.
“Once he gets strong, capable allies, that porter Julian will be cut loose in no time. Kiriri.”
Companions were crucial for the protagonist. A story couldn’t be carried by one person forever. Right now Kang Hae-il only had the porter to rely on, but if he gained proper teammates?
They would quickly notice something was off about the porter.
Meanwhile, Junil stares straight at Yu Jihun and asks,
“Orcs are dumber than goblins?”
“Of course. They’re orcs.”
“That can’t be right. You’ve never even met one, have you?”
“Huh? What would you know, F-rank? Why do you keep talking to me?”
‘There’s no world where orcs are dumber than goblins.’
Junil is a little thrown off because that had been true in all seven of his previous lives.
‘Maybe he’s just mistaken?’
It was possible Yu Jihun simply underestimated orc intelligence, but that seemed extremely unlikely.
Because—
“You shall not pass this point! Humans!”
Grrr!
Look at the orcs that just appeared.
[Orc Warrior Lv.20]
They’re clearly different from goblins, aren’t they?
“······Th-they can talk?”
Even Kang Hae-il, who rarely loses his composure thanks to his pride, looks startled.
That’s right. Orcs can speak.
In his first life, veteran knights had told him something like this:
‘Goblins know how to hunt humans, but orcs know how to wage war against them.’
Orcs possess the intelligence and social structure to conduct siege warfare against humans. How could anyone compare them to goblins, who hole up in mountain valleys like raccoons digging burrows?
Especially when the only things goblins can say are “Kieeeek! Kieeeek!”
“······O-oppa, you never mentioned anything like this.”
“Hyung, did you know orcs could talk?”
“You said they were dumber than goblins?”
So Yu Jihun’s lie had been exposed in an instant.
Yu Jihun’s Constellations quietly turn their eyes toward the porter they had questioned earlier.
A few Constellations flow into Junil’s channel.
‘Nice.’
He simply enjoys it inwardly and doesn’t add anything more. He just watches to see how Yu Jihun tries to explain himself.
“They’re dumber than goblins. They just happen to be able to talk. Humans can talk too, but there are humans dumber than dolphins. It’s the same thing.”
Yu Jihun spouts sophistry.
“Look over there. There’s even an F-rank Awakened.”
“?”
The arrow suddenly turns toward Junil.
“That’s true.”
“Besides······ even an F-rank is still an Awakened. Just because an orc can talk doesn’t mean it’s smart······.”
Countless attacks fly toward Junil, but
‘I have no emotions······ I am a machine that kills the Demon King······.’
Junil remains unshaken and continues observing his surroundings. After all, he and the others were playing entirely different games.
‘Anyway, what’s Yu Jihun’s role supposed to be?’
Junil tries to infer based on the premise that this stage was set for Kang Hae-il. What kind of performance was he originally meant to give? Junil needs to steal that spotlight.
‘Yu Jihun is acting strange.’
There are already several strange things about him. The strangest of all:
‘He ignored Kang Hae-il earlier.’
In this world, that’s almost impossible. He truly went out of his way to disregard Kang Hae-il. It feels like forced setup, forced buildup. Why insert that kind of setting?
‘That guy’s going to show off, get into trouble, and Kang Hae-il will save him and resolve the situation.’
It looks like the story is heading in that direction.
‘And then he becomes a companion later? Their abilities are too incompatible for that······.’
After considering various possibilities,
‘A rival.’
Yu Jihun feels like a rival-type supporting character for Kang Hae-il. Like Vegeta beside Kakarot?
‘Huh? Wait, that overlaps with Sagosul.’
Yu Jihun’s abilities, the specs of the party members gathered around him—everything points to him being a fairly important supporting character. Kang Hae-il won’t stay solo forever. Ram must have intended certain companions for him. It would be better for Junil to fill the spots around Kang Hae-il with the companions he wants instead.
‘Should I just get rid of him?’
Yu Jihun, completely unaware of such a ruthless thought, steps forward and shouts.
“Everyone! Prepare for battle!”
“Yes!!”
Click!
All the party members line up beside him.
“Warning! Humans. Come any closer and it will be war!”
The orcs also take their stances.
Junil speaks up from behind, almost as if siding with the orcs.
“Mr. Yu Jihun, unless you have a solid strategy, I recommend not advancing any further. We don’t know how many more orcs are inside. We should reinforce our numbers first.”
He means it. The exact number of orcs hasn’t been confirmed. They’re turning the ruins into barricades and building a settlement, and more orcs might still be pouring in through the Gate. If even a few strong “elite warriors” are mixed in among them, this party will be wiped out.
But—
“Shut up, porter.”
‘Of course he won’t listen.’
Yu Jihun would never listen to an F-rank. Junil had said it precisely because he knew that.
Thud—
Yu Jihun, growing agitated, steps even farther forward.
“They waltz into our land as they please and still have the nerve to warn us? You think I can just turn back after seeing that!? I’d rather die than do that!”
‘Oh. Then die.’
Die, and the supporting role is mine.
While Junil is thinking that, Kang Hae-il asks from beside him,
“We shouldn’t go out there?”
“No. It’s dangerous.”
“Those orcs don’t look that strong.”
Level 20 orcs are one thing. But the ones that have appeared so far are probably not all of them.
“Just stay back for now, hyung. I have a plan.”
“······Fine. Got it.”
Yu Jihun sneers, just like Kang Hae-il’s Constellations.
“Right. You just stay back there.”
He strides forward without a hint of fear, then
Shrrring!
Draws his signature sword wrapped in freezing mana and finally crosses the boundary.
“Everyone! Chaaarge!”
“Waaaaah!”
Given the orcs’ nature, there’s no turning back now.
‘He crossed the line.’
Junil lightly grips the wind spirit pendant around his neck and says,
“Hyung, you have that long-range fire skill, right? Use that to attack.”
Kang Hae-il follows the instruction for now.
“Got it.”
He’s never lost out by listening to the porter before. That’s what Kang Hae-il is thinking.
‘He did go to a top university, after all.’
News helicopters hover in the sky above.
Thudududududu—
“Right now the Awakened are facing off against the orcs!”
“This party includes S-rank Kang Hae-il and A+-rank Yu Jihun! Viewers are hoping for a different outcome than before······.”
With the tension between the Awakened and the orcs rising, the helicopters are trying to get the best camera angles possible. Because the cameras are shooting from above, they can see everything.
“The orcs are establishing their territory near Gangnam Station and taking control. If left unchecked, this could become a much bigger problem.”
The orcs are using the ruins as barricades to build their settlement. If they start breeding right here in the middle of Seoul’s Gangnam district, nothing could be more troublesome.
Other experts inside the helicopter add their commentary.
“Yes. The orcs are establishing territory. That’s why everyone has high expectations for the Awakened gathered here. They’re a bit different from the goblins we dealt with before.”
They are a military veteran turned war analyst and an animal ecology researcher.
“What’s the difference? Didn’t the goblins also form settlements?”
The ecology researcher answers.
“Goblins were more like the Paleolithic era—they dug into caves. It’s different from coming out and trying to build a village. The orcs’ current behavior looks like they’re attempting to form a village······ or even a city. That suggests they’re significantly more intelligent.”
It’s a fairly accurate analysis.
The war analyst adds,
“The middle of Gangnam Station is an extremely difficult area for us to respond to. Too much infrastructure is concentrated there. I don’t want to think the orcs······ understand that, but it’s possible they’ve noticed and are using it. It’s like taking hostages.”
“So these orcs are basically barricading themselves here and holding out?”
“That appears to be the case. However, they probably don’t understand the value of Gangnam Station—unless they stopped by a real estate agency on the way here.”
“The problem is that we recognize the value of this place. We can’t make any large movements easily. A small elite team of Awakened will have to go in and break through the siege.”
“Ah, I see. Our response will have to be more passive.”
“That’s why the appearance of this S-rank Awakened is so significant. Being able to output maximum firepower with the smallest number is crucial. I hear he’s the highest-ranked Awakened······ His name······.”
“Kang Hae-il.”
“Yes. Mr. Kang Hae-il. He’s appeared at just the right time. He’s currently considered our strongest force, isn’t he?”
“That’s right.”
“Then he should be able to break through that siege. No, I believe he will.”
“Come to think of it, this might be the first time we’re getting a clear broadcast of Mr. Kang Hae-il’s battle.”
“Indeed. This footage will continue to be used as a manual for countermeasures······ Huh!? The battle has started—”
The expert who had been speaking suddenly ducks back inside the helicopter in shock.
——Kwaaaang!
Someone had been hurled right past the helicopter. An orc had grabbed and thrown them.
“!?”
“D-did they······ th-throw a person!?”
It was overwhelming power.
“Wh-who got thrown!?”
“We have no idea! For now······!”
The camera turns downward again.
Kwagwang!
Flames shoot out wildly.
It’s Kang Hae-il.
“Th-that looks like Mr. Kang Hae-il’s skill!”
Kang Hae-il is firing flames at the orcs from a distance, but something strange is happening······
“Is there wind!? The flames seem to be blowing toward the Awakened too!”
Hwarururuk!
The flames slam into the area behind the Awakened who are fighting in front.
‘You rude bastard.’
Junil grins and fiddles with the pendant.
‘Let me warm your back a little.’
It is the work of the higher wind spirit visible only to him.
“Ugh, aaaagh! You crazy bastard! Don’t shoot this way!”
“The wind······.”
“You’re blaming the wind!? You could kill someone if you hit them!”
Yu Jihun swings his sword in frustration when
Hwarururuk!
The flames spread toward him again. This time Kang Hae-il hadn’t even done anything.
“Crazy!?”
Yu Jihun’s ice sword melts away.
“Krrr!”
An orc’s axe swings through the now-empty space.
Kwang!
Yu Jihun’s ice armor shatters.
‘This shouldn’t have broken from an attack like that!’
He is shocked. Even if it was because of the flames, this ice isn’t ordinary ice.
But Kang Hae-il’s flames aren’t ordinary flames either. They aren’t even regular magic.
‘How does power borrowed from authority feel?’
Junil knows this is power borrowed from authority. A+-rank ice magic can’t withstand it.
‘The spot beside Kang Hae-il is mine, you bastard.’
Junil’s Constellations can see the wind spirit because they share the same perspective. But Kang Hae-il’s Constellations, Yu Jihun’s Constellations, and especially the news channel viewers?
Public opinion is turning very sour. And—
People are starting to look for Sagosul.