Chapter 164
Chapter 164.
"Why are you reacting like that?"
"That earring proved she's an Orc."
"Huh. The earring?"
"Yeah. It's an Orc-exclusive earring, and my stats increased."
At Lee Ganghan's words, Kim Juyeong was startled and whispered.
"Hey, she was really an Orc? Not an Elf?"
"The equipment worked on her? But this forest is also a territory that only Elves can build."
"What, then. She can be both Orc and Elf?"
"Based on the results so far, yes."
"Chiik. I can hear everything. Just talk openly."
While watching Kim Juyeong whispering.
Karana told them to just speak openly.
"She has good hearing too. She really is an Elf!"
Kim Juyeong spoke in an even lower voice, but.
"I can still hear you. And I'm an Orc."
Karana frowned and said she could hear them.
"Ah. Haha. I understand! Then Lady Karana, let's just proceed with the earring on!"
"Alright."
Kim Juyeong, who learned what meaning the earring held for her.
Had her wear it while filming the casting video.
"Can you introduce yourself?"
"My name is Karana, race is Orc, profession is Shaman. Age is... hmm. I don't know."
"Age doesn't matter anyway!"
Kim Juyeong filmed the video while accommodating Karana as much as possible.
"Ah. And... if it's okay with you..."
"The earring won't work."
"Ah. The earring is fine. Other than that, could you reveal your body a little?"
"My body...?"
"Yes. Right now you're in robe attire so your whole body is covered. Could you just roll up your arms and legs?"
"That's fine with me."
Swoosh.
Then Karana rolled up her arms and legs.
"Huh?"
She looked at her arms several times with a surprised face.
"What's wrong?"
"The tattoos disappeared... they were definitely there until yesterday."
"Didn't you say they disappear when you use shamanic arts?"
"Chiik. Right. But I haven't used any shamanic arts?"
Karana looked at her arms and legs several times.
Kim Juyeong said to her.
"From a filming perspective, it's good that they're gone!"
"Is it good for advertising when there are no tattoos?"
"Well... I suppose? Though it won't make much difference thanks to the Elf presence."
"Chiik. The Orcs pointed out that they didn't like seeing my bare skin, but humans definitely have a different perspective."
Did the green-skinned Orcs not like that skin tone?
"If it's better without them, I'll keep it this way."
As Karana finished showing her arms and legs once each and completed filming the casting video.
"Haah... This works. This is amazing."
"What are you looking at?"
"Wow... You've been watching Lady Karana's face for so long, why is your attitude like that?"
"...What's wrong with my attitude?"
"No, you've been watching for so long but you're not moved? You witnessed a goddess of beauty right in front of you, why are you so lukewarm?"
Lee Ganghan looked at Kim Juyeong, who was confronting him, as if he found it absurd.
She was pretty, sure.
But wasn't talk of being moved or a goddess of beauty a bit over the top?
'Elven appearance really seems to have magic that enchants humans.'
As Lee Ganghan thought this anew while watching his excited friend.
"Heavenly Demon, do humans... really like this kind of appearance?"
Karana looked toward Lee Ganghan and asked.
"Yeah. It seems to perfectly match human taste. Everyone loses their minds when they see Elves."
"...Then you too?"
"Me?"
She asked if it matched human taste.
Then Karana asked Lee Ganghan once more.
"Right? Even objectively, it's a beautiful appearance."
"...I, I see."
When Lee Ganghan answered that way.
Swoosh.
Karana actually averted her gaze.
"Huh? Huh?"
Then watching these two, Kim Juyeong grinned and.
Shouted to Karana again.
"Lady Karana! You need to look this way!"
"Ah, I understand."
Then she turned her head again.
But unlike before.
With a flushed face, whenever Karana's eyes met Lee Ganghan's, she would slightly avert her gaze.
"That expression is good!"
"Is it good? She seems to keep avoiding eye contact."
"...Sigh. Never mind you. Let's not talk about it."
Tsk, tsk at Lee Ganghan's observation.
Kim Juyeong was busy filming Karana.
"Hey, time's almost up now."
When Lee Ganghan said the hour was almost over.
Kim Juyeong lowered his camera with a regretful expression.
"Already? One hour is too short."
"We spent quite a bit of time at the Black Market with the R'lyeh matter too."
"What a waste, such a waste. But this should be enough. I got footage that could convince any client!"
The video he just shot is that good?
Lee Ganghan was puzzled, but.
"Hey, then could you send just me back? You two should spend some time together."
"The two of us?"
"Yeah. I've been a nuisance for too long, haven't I?"
"A nuisance? You came to film a casting video today, what nuisance is that?"
"...Sigh. Let's not talk about it."
Kim Juyeong shook his head at Lee Ganghan's answer.
"Fine. Then at least talk about work. Like, how are the Orcs doing, that kind of thing you can discuss, right?"
Even if they talked about Orc evolution.
It would probably just be hearing about another failure.
Still.
"I'm going first! Send me back!"
Kim Juyeong grinned and insisted he would go first.
"Alright. Go ahead."
When Lee Ganghan opened a return portal.
"Then I'll be going~ You two have a good time!"
Kim Juyeong, who had been grinning at Lee Ganghan and Karana.
Entered the portal first and disappeared.
"Chiik. Why is your friend acting like that? He's smiling strangely at the end."
"You're right."
Without understanding, the two looked at each other.
Swoosh.
Karana averted her gaze first.
Then she.
"Ah. About that Orc evolution..."
Changed the topic and began talking about Orc evolution.
Would this be another story about failure?
As Lee Ganghan was internally predicting the answer.
"It's almost successful. Shall we go see?"
From her mouth.
Unexpected words came out.
***
"What? You succeeded?"
"Chiik. It's still 'almost' for now."
Even 'almost' was unexpected.
Despite capturing(?) so many Orcs until now.
Didn't they all end in miserable failures?
So he had thought this would never succeed in his lifetime...
'Did meeting Gershu and gaining enlightenment help?'
Karana had developed in her own way too.
Lee Ganghan thought so while.
"Alright. Let's go see."
He went to the Shaman's Altar with Karana.
Then.
"Chiik?"
The 10 Red Orcs sitting near the Shaman's Altar.
Seeing Lee Ganghan and Karana, all stood up at once.
Then.
"Heavenly Demon Eternal! Ten Thousand Demons Prostrate!"
The Orcs all bowed in unison without being told.
Then.
[Red Orc#1 offers sincere worship from the heart.]
[Red Orc#2 offers sincere worship from the heart.]
.
.
.
The Orcs that should have appeared as 'Gershu Empire Orc'.
Had their names changed to 'Red Orc' while messages of sincere worship appeared in succession.
[The Sacred Fire's power slightly strengthens.]
['Orc Territory' is established.]
Along with that, the Sacred Fire strengthened while.
The Orc area that had been in settlement state changed to 'Orc Territory'.
'A settlement evolved into territory...'
This.
This was the first time since seeing it change to territory after giving horns to the Goblin Chief in the early days.
Did Orcs require sincere worship to enable territory conversion?
Lee Ganghan looked at the system messages and said to Karana.
"The Orcs have definitely changed?"
"Chiik. Right?"
"Yeah. They used to be absent-minded but now they seem sharp and alert, and the system messages show them as Red Orcs, not Gershu Empire."
"My evolution experiments had a blind spot until now."
A blind spot?
"Evolution shamanic circles basically aim toward 'That Person' as their purpose."
"That Person means... Gershu?"
"Right. So the ritual includes shamanic arts that bind to the Empire. That takes up about 1/3 of the ritual."
Even after evolution, they're definitely bound to the Gershu Empire.
Both Orcs and Kobolds.
Other race Transcendents definitely have strong control.
"But there's no Gershu Empire here, and That Person's influence doesn't reach here at all. So the shamanic arts binding to the Empire were useless. They only hindered evolution."
"I see."
"Chiik. So I changed the target of Orc allegiance from the Empire to the 'Sacred Fire'."
"To the Sacred Fire?"
Lee Ganghan blinked when the Sacred Fire suddenly came up.
Could the shamanic circle's target be changed like that?
'She's been performing Divine Maiden duties, so she must have gained understanding about the Sacred Fire.'
As Lee Ganghan thought this was interesting.
"Then the Orcs regained their senses like that. I didn't know their designation would change to Red Orcs, but it's a good phenomenon. Chiik."
"Hmm... So this is why you said it was almost successful."
"Right. Now these Orcs will listen to you."
Unlike the Orcs who were forcibly brought before.
The Red Orcs showed bright eyes with an attitude of 'Please give us any command'.
Now these Red Orcs could be summoned.
'Well, they probably won't be much help in battle.'
Red Orcs themselves weren't a weak race.
But Lee Ganghan was currently too strong, so he didn't really need help from summons.
"Still, isn't this evolution successful then?"
"No. In the current state, their constitution is the same as the Gershu Empire Orcs... We need to create an Orc Warlord for completion."
"Ah. That two-headed Orc?"
"Right. However, I'm currently debating whether to use an aggressive method or a moderate method."
"What's the aggressive method?"
"Placing them on the Warlord evolution shamanic circle and forcibly fusing them. Success rate is 10~20%. If it fails, all Red Orcs placed on the shamanic circle die."
The success rate is too low?
"Chiiiik..."
"D-death?"
"The success rate is too low, Shaman..."
Then the Red Orcs became agitated instantly.
Well, 10~20% is basically telling them to die.
"What's the moderate method?"
"Growing the Red Orcs. In their current state, they can't withstand the power of the evolution shamanic circle, but after leveling up, the success rate increases."
"Ah. So leveling up makes it better."
"Chiik. So... could you allow me and the Red Orcs to enter the tower?"
Tower entry.
"You mean the tower near the Sacred Fire?"
"Right. If we grow by climbing towers there, the possibility of Warlord evolution should increase."
"Yeah. You can go anytime."
The tower only costs maintenance fees anyway.
There was no reason to oppose them volunteering to level up.
And.
'Since the Orc settlement changed to territory, shouldn't I be able to build a training ground too?'
Lee Ganghan opened Ten Thousand Demon Battle and pressed on the Orc Territory.
Then.
[Would you like to construct 'Orc Training Ground'?]
[100,000 TP will be used.]
A message asking if he wanted to build a training ground appeared immediately.
[Orc Training Ground]
During standby time in Ten Thousand Demon Battle, levels are raised through self-training.
Growth potential through training is proportional to the player's level.
The description was identical to the Goblin version - Orc Training Ground.
Lee Ganghan immediately constructed it.
Then.
Thud, thud, Thud, thud...
A campsite spread out next to the Shaman's Altar.
A training ground with various types of training dummies was created.
"What's this...?"
"Level up here in your spare time after tower runs. Construction became possible when the Orc settlement changed to territory this time."
"Good! We'll work hard!"
"Chiik! Thank you!"
"Heavenly Demon Eternal! Ten Thousand Demons Prostrate!"
When Lee Ganghan chose the moderate method instead of the aggressive one.
The Red Orcs seemed to have increased loyalty even more.
'Last time after territory conversion, I could even build a Black Market, but is there nothing for Orcs?'
He thought so and pressed the Orc Territory several more times.
Maybe because the Shaman's Altar was installed.
There were no additional facilities that appeared.
'The Shaman's Altar was also upgraded when capturing Gershu Empire Orcs last time... There's nothing more to touch in the Orc Territory.'
I'll have to leave it in its current state for now.
Lee Ganghan came to that conclusion and looked at Karana.
"Then it seems things here are wrapped up, so I'll go absorb the Sacred Fire. Contact me if you need anything else."
"Chiik. Understood. Good work."
After parting with Karana like that.
Lee Ganghan moved to the center where the Sacred Fire was located.
Then.
[Would you like to absorb the Sacred Fire that has changed to 'Clear Blaze'?]
A message appeared directly from the Sacred Fire.
"Yeah. I'll absorb it."
When Lee Ganghan answered immediately.
Paaaat...!
From inside the Sacred Fire.
The circular structure that had disappeared.
The 'Heavenly Fire Altar' revealed itself.
[The Heavenly Fire Altar will proceed with Sacred Fire absorption.]
The Heavenly Fire Altar situated within the blazing Sacred Fire.
To absorb it, I ultimately have to enter that fire pit.
'Let's go.'
Step, Step.
Lee Ganghan entered the Sacred Fire without hesitation.