Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: The Hunt Begins
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◈ Chapter 32
Great Chieftain of the Red Orcs, Kuiga.
A revered hero who had united thirteen tribes in a foreign land.
He was also a brilliant strategist who had forged unity among the bickering tribes through the war against the Death Ents.
"Chwik, chwik. By the god's will, we have won a great victory."
Kuiga knelt, closed his eyes, and offered a prayer to the heavens.
Even in the middle of a battlefield, he never skipped his prayers.
It had been a habit, his very reason for being, ever since he first heard the voice of his god.
Prayer was the most vital means by which he shared his entire life with his god, expressed his daily gratitude, and sought aid for the future.
"Chwik, chwik. Grant me your guidance."
In a single day, Kuiga's thousands of Red Orc warriors had decimated the Death Ent colony.
Though they had the advantage of numbers, the system he had devised proved remarkably effective in leading them to victory.
A chain of command.
He had felt the need for a structured line of command to govern all the Red Orcs efficiently, and so he created a vertical command structure.
This allowed them to employ tactics, such as rotating exhausted warriors to the rear and deploying fresh ones to the front, rather than simply letting warriors under berserker magic fight until they died.
It was all thanks to the mana that filled them and the intelligence that grew with each prayer.
"Chwik, chwik! Oh, my god!"
Kuiga raised his arms and cried out.
An eerie voice echoed in his mind.
[My faithful servant.]
"Chwik, chwik!"
Hearing the voice, an excited Kuiga snorted, hot air puffing from his nostrils.
[The humans are coming.]
"Chwik?"
[Kill them. Kill the humans and offer them to me.]
"Chwik, chwik! Chwik, chwik! It shall be done!"
Hearing his god's command, Kuiga's eyes flew open.
The god desired humans.
What was the reason for warring with the Death Ents in the first place?
Was it not to eliminate any hindrances before the inevitable battle with the humans?
Now that the god had ordered him to kill the humans, there was no retreat.
They would march straight to where the humans were gathered.
"Chwik, chwik! Sound the drums! Summon the chieftains!"
Kuiga shouted as he emerged from his hut.
A Red Orc waiting outside his hut immediately ran off and began to beat a drum.
*Dung-dung-dung-dung-!*
***
Do-jae moved quickly and arrived at his designated area.
He climbed a tree to survey the situation. The battle was nearly over, and the Red Orcs were taking a rest.
Just then.
*Dung-dung-dung-dung-.*
‘What’s that sound?’
A powerful drumbeat echoed from the north.
Judging by the direction, it wasn't coming from our side.
‘Are they getting up?’
The creatures rose to their feet at the sound of the drums.
One by one, they gathered their weapons and began to move.
*Ksshk-.*
- Begin.
The order to start the suppression came through the radio just in time.
Do-jae leaped out, his first target a group of seven Red Orcs who were roasting and eating a Death Ent.
"Chwik?"
"Chwik!"
One Red Orc snorted upon seeing Do-jae charge.
The other Red Orcs assumed combat stances.
*Swoosh-.*
*Slice-.*
The Harpy Queen's Plumage swept past the waist of the Red Orc at the front.
The creature’s tough hide was sliced like paper, and with its spine severed, the Red Orc lost its balance and folded in half as it collapsed.
"Chwik! Kill! Kill!"
"Chwik! Human! Die!"
Do-jae plunged into the horde of Red Orcs, ending their lives one by one.
Unlike his previous hunt where he had prioritized the shamans, this time was different.
The plan was to subjugate all the Red Orcs, so his goal was to kill as many as he could before his stamina ran out.
‘Slow.’
The Red Orcs’ movements seemed incredibly slow to Do-jae’s eyes.
It was only natural. Do-jae was now level 59.
Considering he was only level 30 when he had slaughtered Graydon, it would be strange if he struggled against mere Red Orcs.
*Pew-.* *Swish-.*
However, he wasn't accustomed to such chaotic battles, so despite the ease of his opponents, he allowed a single, light arrow to get past his guard.
Fortunately, he twisted his body with animal-like reflexes and managed to dodge it.
‘I’ve gotten too used to the Golem Armor.’
If there was a flaw in Do-jae's combat style, it was that it was far too one-sided.
It was a fighting style born from relying on the sturdy Golem Armor, taking most attacks without dodging and focusing solely on cramming in his own offense.
‘Since I’ve sealed the Golem Armor, I should probably pay more attention to evasion.’
The accumulation of such small experiences is what truly makes one stronger.
He had seen countless Awakeners who met a bad end by relying solely on their abilities.
Thinking of this as good training, Do-jae systematically cut down the Red Orcs.
***
At the same time, the other squad leaders and Kim Hwan-soo had also begun their hunt.
A battle fought alone, dropped in the middle of enemy territory.
In a way, it could be described as every man for himself.
But that was a saying for those simply trying to survive.
And who were these people?
Were they not C-rank or higher Awakeners, known as superhumans?
In particular, the Squad 1 Leader, Kang Young-chan, looked no different from a demon.
"Ptooey. Red Orcs taste awful, as expected."
Kang Young-chan spat a reddish-brown lump from his mouth.
Across from him, a Red Orc clutched its neck, from which blood spurted like a fountain, and collapsed.
"Kekeke. Stay still. I'll kill you before you even know you're dead."
Only one Red Orc remained.
A Red Orc, born a warrior, craving only battle.
Such a creature, beyond understanding Kang Young-chan's words, was instinctively frozen.
No, its thoughts had stopped.
It felt no terror, no fear.
It was simply overwhelmed by Kang Young-chan's presence, unable to do anything.
*Swish-!*
With the sound of something brushing past, the immense presence vanished, and the Red Orc's brain began to function again.
The first thing it registered was its own body.
*Thud-.*
"Whew. That's the end of…?"
Dozens of Red Orc corpses were piled up nearby.
But before Kang Young-chan could even finish his sentence, dozens more Red Orcs swarmed in.
"Well, well, there's no end to this!"
Kang Young-chan dug his feet into the ground.
He had been barefoot since the start of the battle, so they sank deep into the earth.
He then crouched into a pouncing stance.
His long, sharp teeth and nails, the bulging muscles on his arms where veins popped, and the thick thighs visible through his torn pants.
He looked like a ferocious beast.
"Kekek. Alright, let's play some more!"
Kang Young-chan shot forward with explosive speed, scattering the blood that coated him, and charged toward the Red Orc horde.
And in stark contrast to him…
Kim Hwan-soo, who appeared remarkably clean.
*Shing-.*
Kim Hwan-soo's flexible sword, normally coiled up.
Now, its long blade was unfurled and stretched out.
With a fluid motion, Kim Hwan-soo swung his arm.
*Chwa-rak-!*
*Crack-!*
The sword blade, following his fingertips, whipped through the air, creating a sound like a gunshot.
The arc it traced was a three-meter radius around him.
This meant that no Red Orc could enter within three meters of Kim Hwan-soo.
*Chwa-reuk-.*
However, he was here to fight, not to defend.
Twirling the blade like a rhythmic gymnast with a ribbon, he swung his sword once more.
*Chwa-reuk-!*
*Thwack-!*
His flexible sword, like a living snake, flew in a curve and precisely pierced a Red Orc's heart.
"Chwiiiek!"
*Thwack- Thwack-!*
This time, the sword bent.
Two bends.
In the process, two Red Orcs were impaled.
Despite the blade bending, its destructive power didn't diminish; instead, it created an even larger hole than before.
*Step, step-.*
*Thwack-!*
*Step, step-.*
*Thwack-!*
Kim Hwan-soo advanced as if parting water.
He walked serenely through the Red Orcs without a single speck of dirt on him.
"Vice Commander, report the situation."
Kim Hwan-soo displayed the composure to use his radio even while in combat.
A reply soon came.
*Ksshk-.*
- This is the Vice Commander. It's too quiet here. Not a single Red Orc in sight.
A smile touched Kim Hwan-soo's lips at Song Deok-hoon's report.
His prediction that stirring things up from the south would naturally cause the Red Orcs to retreat northward had been correct.
However, Song Deok-hoon's report was a little concerning.
There was no way a mere six officers could draw the attention of this many Red Orcs.
Unless they were mages, there was a clear physical limit to how many Red Orcs one person could handle.
So, what were the rest of the orcs doing?
After a moment of thought, Kim Hwan-soo gave an order.
"Advance to the Bravo line."
- Yes, sir.
The Bravo line.
Kim Hwan-soo had divided Areas 3 and 5 into a total of five stages.
Alfa, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, and Echo.
Area 3 was divided into three parts from top to bottom: Alfa, Bravo, and Charlie.
Area 5 was divided into two: Delta and Echo.
In other words, he was ordering the unit to advance from their current waiting position at the Charlie line to the Bravo line.
"It seems our time in Kaesong will soon be over."
Kim Hwan-soo felt a sense of satisfaction.
The biggest obstacle in the Kaesong suppression had been the Death Ents.
Regardless of their strength, their ability to move freely underground made them exceptionally tricky.
But the Red Orcs had taken care of them.
He planned to use this opportunity to wipe out all the Red Orcs, subjugate the Ash Humans, and then return to South Korea.
"We should start preparing to return to headquarters soon."
***
*Thump- Thump- Thump- Thump-.*
The sound of footsteps echoed in a steady rhythm.
The source of the sound, without even a second's deviation, was the movement of 51 golems.
"Hey, I heard from that spitfire from Squad 3, you see that one over there? The one that looks a bit dumb. She said she saw it fight herself."
"Really? What did she say?"
"Said it was strong. Unlike its clumsy appearance, it was unbelievably fast."
"Ha, if that cranky lady said so, that's all you need to know."
The unit members followed behind them, whispering amongst themselves.
Just then, Song Ji-yoon craned her neck and shot them a glare.
"Excuse me, you guys. You're talking about me, aren't you!"
"Uh… Huh? No, no. We weren't talking about that."
"Yeah, we were just talking amongst ourselves."
"Really? I thought I heard something about a spitfire and being cranky."
"Nope. You must have misheard."
"That's right."
"Hmm… Really? Are you sure… Oof!"
Just as Song Ji-yoon was about to give them a piece of her mind with a skeptical look, Son Jeong-gyu grabbed her arm and pulled her away.
"Hey! Those guys were badmouthing me."
"We're on a mission. Don't break formation."
"Tch."
Song Ji-yoon returned to her original position, following Son Jeong-gyu.
He handed her a small, round pellet.
"The squad leader gave this to you. It's a highest-grade potion refined into solid form. Keep it in your mouth and bite down in an emergency."
"Whoa, awesome. Our squad leader is so sweet, huh?"
"Don't be an idiot and bite it carelessly."
"Yeah, yeah. I got it!"
Song Ji-yoon popped the pellet into her mouth and used her tongue to move it into the space between her molar and cheek.
It felt a little strange, but she also felt a sense of reassurance.
"All units, halt!"
They had finally arrived at the Bravo line.
The sight of numerous Red Orc and Death Ent corpses strewn about became clearly visible.