Orc (5): Echoes of the Past
Beyond the dense forest, heavy and rough breathing echoed in turns. It was an ambush by demonic beasts bursting out from the woods.
“Four hounds on the left.”
The rapid footsteps of beasts trampling earth and snapped branches. From the sound and presence alone I identified their type and number, muttering shortly.
“Everyone, prepare.”
Garan issued the order the moment he heard my report. The veterans moved with practiced ease, forming ranks and gripping their weapons. They too sensed the demonic beasts drawing closer.
The prepared seniors swung their weapons at the oncoming threats, yet never withdrew the senses that remained tuned to the entire battlefield. “…Orcs. Two of them. Incoming.”
Right after, two massive figures charged fiercely from behind. One veteran who heard me stabbed his sword into a hound’s skull and shouted.
“Maknae! Fall back!”
I didn’t bother answering. The instant the words left his mouth I retreated, and the veterans closed the gap on their own, reforming the line.
“Block them now! Watch the flanks!”
The two orcs revealed themselves from the rear. Garan stuck close to my side as I rushed forward. We joined the veterans guarding the wounded and faced the orcs head-on.
The orcs closed the distance in just a few strides. Their burly forearms moved. The enormous axe in one’s grip swung like a club, shattering a tree trunk to splinters.
I twisted my ankle, driving in low as I raised my sword. Hoshin-ganggi cloaks the entire skin with mana, converting its nature to the metal attribute to boost durability and defense. Not only that—the muscles and bones within the body are strengthened by the same effect.
Even though an orc’s strength uses mana to surpass human limits, with my current self reinforced by Hoshin-ganggi… I can stand against it.
Even so, meeting an orc’s axe blade head-on was impossible. I recalled how my sword had shattered the first time I tried it.
Then…
Not the blade itself, but the fixed haft.
“I’ll take the lead.”
The shadow of the axe descending diagonally to carve into my shoulder appeared. If it landed true, I would be ripped apart and split in two. I pictured that fate, forcibly erased it, and drove deeper inside.
Crack!
My raised blade severed the haft of the axe the orc swung. The head couldn’t overcome its own momentum and flew away. Garan’s sword followed a beat later, piercing the orc’s throat.
Hiss!
The disarmed orc unleashed rough snorts and roars. It rampaged, swinging its fists wildly.
“Keuk…!”
A heavy impact slammed into my shoulder. Without Hoshin-ganggi reinforcing my body, that blow might have shattered bone.
The moment one orc went down, I turned my gaze to the second that had appeared alongside it.
“Fire!”
At Kalant’s command, magic bullets erupted from rifle barrels and punched through the other orc’s torso.
“What the hell kind of defense is that!”
If they had been low-threat lesser beasts like goblins or kobolds, the impact would have blown them apart on contact. Yet even after the magic struck, the orc only suffered penetrating wounds while keeping its bodily shape. It was thanks to the tough hide and innate durability orcs possessed. Effective attacks were possible, but fatal ones were not. As expected, the only option was to cut the head or neck directly.
Hiss!
Whether from the pain of the magical shots, the orc frowned and attacked the nearest soldiers.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes.”
Garan asked briefly from beside me. While scanning my body to check my condition, his eyes settled on the shoulder the orc’s fist had struck.
“I can move.”
“…Understood. Let’s go.”
We ran to end the second orc’s life.
The clash with the hounds that charged from the side and the two orcs that followed from the rear had ended. There were no fatalities, but three more soldiers were injured badly enough to hinder fighting.
“…Not good.”
“No, it isn’t.”
Kalant agreed with a rare solemn expression. He wasn’t talking about the steady stream of wounded on the way back to the unit. At this pace, moving without rest would let us reach the outpost before dawn tomorrow. Minimizing casualties and returning the soldiers safely was the greatest priority. That was fortunate, yet the problem Garan mentioned was the orcs that had pursued us all the way here.
“I never imagined the orcs would follow us this far. Persistent bastards.”
Kalant frowned, clearly fed up. After linking up with the 2nd Subjugation Unit they had fought many battles, including three against orcs. That meant orcs were appearing within a day or two of the outpost. It was clearly an abnormal situation.
“Could something like this happen overnight?”
“It didn’t happen overnight. We simply didn’t notice.”
In this western region teeming with demonic beasts, there was no way to know what was truly unfolding.
“The appearance of variant beasts, the discovery of weapons that appear to possess intelligence—we’ve only witnessed the tiniest fragment of the changes occurring in the west.”
It was impossible to grasp the whole from seeing only a part. Kalant scratched his head roughly, unable to hide his frustration. The current situation was too dire to conceal.
“Even after we return, we won’t be able to rest easy.”
“Indeed.”
Even upon returning to the unit, thoughts of the coming storm meant they could never truly relax.
“……”
“……”
I rested while listening closely to the conversation between Garan and Kalant.
“Jungwoo.”
While inspecting my weapon, I looked up at the voice calling me. Seo Hayun sat down carefully beside me and touched my shoulder. She was worried about the blow from the orc’s fist.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. You healed me just now.”
“Still…”
There was still some throbbing, but it wasn’t enough to keep me from fighting.
“If getting punched by an orc only leaves a bruise, that’s a huge relief.”
“Right.”
It was exactly what I thought too.
Two soldiers approached me. Lee Sunho and Serdin.
“Thank you, truly. I survived because of you.”
“I owe you a debt.”
“…It’s nothing.”
I shook my head. I didn’t believe I deserved such gratitude from Lee Sunho and Serdin. The decision to rescue the 2nd Subjugation Unit, including them, had been Garan’s. I had simply followed his orders.
“No. If you hadn’t come then and fought those orcs, our losses would have been far worse. The reason even half of us survived is because you arrived in time.”
Serdin shook his head again and repeated himself. With him insisting like this, it became awkward to refuse.
“…Yes.”
I could only nod slightly and accept their thanks.
“This guy especially needs to thank you. He got angry when you first took his jeyuk-bokkeum-bap, and now he owes his life to that same person.”
“Aish, Vice-captain. I’m already feeling awkward enough…”
Lee Sunho scratched his head sheepishly at Serdin’s pointed words.
“…Sorry for cursing at you back then. But that really was too much.”
Even so, he showed no sign of changing his opinion that my actions at the time had been wrong. I felt the same way.
“I’ll eat in moderation from now on.”
After exchanging thanks, the two returned to the rest of the subjugation unit soldiers.
As he walked away, Lee Sunho glanced back and spoke to me.
“Once we reach the outpost, can you spare me a little time?”
“That’s fine. What is it about?”
“It’s nothing bad… Ha, it feels awkward saying this after receiving help, but it won’t be bad news for you.”
He fumbled his words, embarrassed to say it outright. His attitude was a bit strange, yet from his tone and bearing I didn’t think it would be anything harmful.
“Understood.”
“Good. Thanks.”
Lee Sunho thanked me once more and followed Serdin away.
“……”
“……”
With just the two of us left, silence settled again.
“Will it really be all right?”
Seo Hayun carefully broke the quiet. I knew exactly what she feared. The reappearance of intermediate demonic beasts after two years. She must have recalled fragments of those memories from two years ago. The horrific recollection of countless people being tragically swept away.
“It will be fine. It’s different from back then.”
The situation had changed. Though they were the same intermediate rank, danger levels varied wildly even within that grade. Orcs were considered the weakest specimens in that category, so when weighing overall military strength, the odds were not overwhelmingly against us compared to before.
And there was one more difference.
“I know what you’re worried about.”
“……”
I took the hand of the anxious Seo Hayun. The trembling in her fingers stopped.
“It won’t end so futilely this time.”
Having experienced death once and returned, I had grown stronger. I still didn’t fully understand the nature of the Heavenly Fate that served as its source, but the current me—who could wield it—was strong. Seo Hayun, who knew the old me, understood that fact better than anyone. That was why her trembling ceased and relief washed over her.
With so many people around, I couldn’t say outright that I had died. But Seo Hayun understood the meaning behind my words.
“You promised.”
“Yeah.”
Seo Hayun smiled.
The moment we returned to the outpost, Garan headed straight for the command office. The reconnaissance unit’s mission report—returning far earlier than scheduled—was so shocking that Arisha’s face hardened.
“…Is this true?”
“Yes.”
“Ha.”
Arisha exhaled as if dumbfounded. The appearance of an orc pack, nearly half the 2nd Subjugation Unit becoming casualties, and the reckless atrocities committed by Baren, the unit’s squad leader. Along with the rest of the news. After receiving the complex report, Arisha organized the priorities in her mind.
“…The deserters’ punishment will have to wait. Disciplinary action against Baren as well.”
The highest priority was the fact that intermediate demonic beasts had begun appearing in the western region right beside the current outpost.
“We will organize a large-scale subjugation force immediately. Departure in forty-eight hours. Inform the soldiers and have them prepare.”
For now only orcs had appeared, but if they left the western demonic beasts unchecked, no one could say whether the nightmare from two years ago would repeat itself.
Arisha had not participated in that frontline two years ago. She had still been a student at the military academy then. Though she had no direct experience, she could imagine what the situation must have been like.
“Garan.”
“Yes, Captain.”
“In your view, how does it look?”
Arisha asked directly. Garan had also not taken part in the Beltar Plain subjugation two years earlier. Yet the experience he had accumulated over long years on the battlefield had helped both him and his superior Arisha survive until now. Moreover, both Arisha and Garan held similar thoughts regarding the Beltar Plain operation from two years ago. They shared the common pain of having lost precious people in that campaign.
Therefore the question carried both objective analysis of military strength and personal emotion.
“Can we win?”
It was not something that could be guaranteed. The only time Arisha could voice such weakness unbecoming of a unit commander was in front of Garan alone.
Garan answered calmly.
“…I do not know. We simply must survive. My son… could not do even that.”
Though his expression remained calm, the words that left his mouth were painfully dry. From his tightly restrained speech and bearing, as if he were suppressing his emotions, she understood the weight behind them.
“I’m sorry.”
Arisha bowed her head slightly in apology. As a commander, and as someone who shared the same wound, it was a question she should never have asked. She realized once again that she still had far to go.
“…We will survive.”
“Yes.”
To his superior’s voice reaffirming her resolve, Garan answered.