Orc Subjugation Battle (3)

The march continued for two full days. They pushed deeper into the western region while engaging in small-scale skirmishes along the way.

“...Hold.”

I raised my hand, signaling the column to stop. At that single, modest gesture from me, the massive subjugation force following behind came to an immediate halt.

“This is where it begins.”

The veterans instantly understood why I had ordered the march to stop. It wasn’t just them—the entire unit of soldiers could feel it too.

“...Gives me the chills.”

They instinctively sensed that the atmosphere of the forest had changed completely. There were no visible signs or traces of orcs. Yet the moment they stepped forward, a prickling sensation crawled across their skin, as if warning them that death awaited ahead.

They felt it in every fiber of their being: danger.

It was the metallic stench of demonic beasts, not humans. The thick, damp undergrowth carried the musky odor of monsters that stung their nostrils. Tension began to settle over the subjugation force like frost.

Arisha’s command rang out. The soldiers began checking their own condition.

“Ugh. I really don’t want to go in there.”

“Still, we don’t have a choice.”

Some tried to shake off the instinctive dread they felt on their skin and steel their resolve. Others double-checked their equipment, bracing themselves for the fight to come. The maintenance period was not rushed.

Arisha rattled off the six names for the reconnaissance party without hesitation. Among them were soldiers who did not originally belong to the Search and Reconnaissance Unit. There hadn’t been time for detailed explanation, but it was clearly her judgment of the optimal configuration. It also showed how well she had memorized the identities of the Ninth Defense Division’s troops.

The six soldiers whose names Arisha had called—including me—obeyed at once. We stepped forward and took our positions in the formation she had designated. From the Fourth Search and Reconnaissance Unit, both Garan and I had been selected. Garan moved up to stand beside me at the very front.

None of the soldiers questioned or reacted to the commander’s decision. They simply obeyed. Garan, now acting as the temporary squad leader of the reconnaissance team, took the lead.

“Move out.”

The soldiers followed silently behind Garan, holding their breath to avoid making even the slightest sound. About ten minutes after entering the forest—

“Two orcs.”

The moment the quiet murmur left my lips, my gaze had already pierced through the trees toward the shadowy area ahead. I pointed with my hand in the direction my expanded senses had detected the two orcs.

I felt everyone’s eyes shift toward where I was pointing. Soon, two massive silhouettes pushed through the underbrush and revealed themselves. Their skin was rough and cracked, their bodies covered in scars—a brutal appearance. They were orcs wielding enormous swords and axes.

“…….”

The soldiers held their breath. They instinctively understood the gap between themselves and the creatures. They were the weak standing before the strong, and the realization hit them hard.

Naturally, I rested my hand on the sword at my waist and glanced at Garan. I wasn’t the only one. Everyone was waiting for Garan’s order.

Garan stared intently at the two orcs slowly emerging from the darkness with faint rustling sounds, holding his breath. He was weighing the situation in his mind. Their mission was reconnaissance, not to eliminate the orcs they had spotted. The orcs had not yet noticed their presence. If they launched a surprise attack, could they take them down quickly without any damage or commotion?

But a hasty decision might draw other orcs from the vicinity, complicating the situation even further.

“Jungwoo.”

Garan called my name in a low voice. Instead of answering, I simply looked at him.

“Can you check if there are any other orc groups nearby?”

I expanded my senses to answer his question. I detected no other orc presences. I shook my head silently.

“I see.”

Garan nodded and stared at the two orcs once more. He had made his decision. Not retreat—combat.

Asking me whether other orcs were nearby had been to gauge the possibility of follow-up battles with any that might be drawn by the noise. Since that possibility was low, he judged that the benefits of engaging here outweighed the risks. The natural premise was a complete victory without the slightest loss.

“One of them. Can I leave it to you?”

“Yes.”

I answered without the slightest hesitation.

“Huh?”

Surprised gasps rose from those around us. From their perspective, Garan’s decision was incomprehensible. No matter how impressive my combat performance had been in the vanguard, those had been fights against low-risk, low-grade demonic beasts. An orc, which fell into the mid-grade category, was not something a single rookie soldier could handle.

Yet while they showed such reactions, none directly challenged Garan’s judgment. He had proposed it, and the person in question—me—had accepted.

I was already gripping the hilt of the sword at my waist. I synchronized my breathing and movement so I could draw and swing at any moment.

“I’ll go first.”

“Understood. I’m counting on you.”

Garan spoke to me as I stepped forward. Strangely, his words no longer ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠felt like a burden as they once might have. The fact that he expected something from me used to weigh heavily on my heart. But not anymore. Without realizing it, I even felt a flicker of joy. I deliberately ignored that feeling and steadied my breathing.

“…….”

With short, shallow breaths, I maintained the tension in my body. My sharpened senses etched every single movement of the approaching orcs into my nerves. I had already experienced combat with orcs several times. Even now, I couldn’t guarantee a complete victory. I simply recalled what Lee Sunho had told me.

‘Simply swinging a sword has no meaning.’

Just one day. Not even a full day—only a few hours. I had kept practicing. But would it work in real combat? Against monsters that were stronger than me, no less. I was curious how far the shallow swordsmanship I had only practiced for a few hours would take me.

Even in this situation where I absolutely had to think of victory, I felt the contradiction of setting aside thoughts of winning or losing and letting my curiosity take precedence. Nevertheless, when Garan asked, my answer had come out strangely confident. Had I somehow sensed that I would never lose? Or had the sense of crisis I had carried my entire life finally broken?

If so, that was arrogance. Therefore, to prove it was not arrogance but conviction and confidence, I had to make a vow.

‘I will definitely win.’

To turn that vow into action, I drew my sword and charged toward the orc. The tip of the blade flashed.

In that instant, I suppressed the instinct to swing wildly as I had always done before. It wasn’t about simply swinging in the direction my strength carried me.

‘It’s not just swinging the sword. Flow, stab, pierce. Engrave meaning into every single motion.’

Chik?

The orc snorted and turned its gaze toward me. It had finally sensed my presence. Orcs were demonic beasts with extremely keen senses. No matter how well I had hidden myself, detecting the presence of someone charging at them would not be difficult.

My eyes met the orc’s as it noticed me.

Chiiiik!

Confirming the existence of the one rushing furiously toward it, the orc charged. The moment the two beings running toward each other drew close—

A massive axe came crashing down from above. I did not simply block the orc’s axe. If I met it head-on, my sword would break. Raising the performance of Hoshin-ganggi by consuming more Heavenly Fate might allow me to compete in a contest of pure strength, but the consumption would be enormous. It was inefficient, and a simple power struggle was not the fight I wanted.

What I wanted was swordsmanship that I could use in real combat. A new means to help me grow.

I lowered my waist and twisted my shoulder to the side.

Kwaaaang!

Instead of the sound of clashing steel, the axe blade buried itself in the ground with a thunderous roar, missing me by a hair’s breadth. The shockwave from the explosion of sound was heavy.

Chiiiik!

The orc’s balance wavered for a moment. The impact of the axe blade buried in the ground had affected it as well.

‘So that’s…’

It was the result of the fighting style I had pursued until now—one that relied on physical ability and brute force. I felt as if I had glimpsed some of the drawbacks of that approach.

I thrust my sword into the opening created by the orc’s disrupted posture as if I had been waiting for it. A sharp trajectory pierced its flank. The blade tore through green skin and burst out red blood.

It wasn’t mere luck. The depth was clearly greater than what would have gone in before. The deeper penetration was the result of my deliberate intent. A single attack completed by seizing the flow and connecting the rhythm of movement.

Chiiiik!

The other orc that had been with it was just about to swing its sword at me when a heavy iron ball flew in a parabola and struck it squarely in the head.

Kwajik!

It was support fire from the rear. At the same time, Garan and the other soldiers closed the distance and attacked the second orc, forcibly creating space. The two orcs that had been together were now separated. I could leave that one to Garan and the soldiers.

I focused entirely on the orc before me.

“Hoo…”

I exhaled deeply, then took another measured breath to reset my stance. Faster. More precise. I corrected my posture and regained balance.

Until now, I had entrusted my body to the strength enhanced by Hoshin-ganggi and forced my power through. This time was different. A body reinforced by magic combined with the foundation of sharp swordsmanship. This was the new style of combat I needed to achieve.

Chiiiiik!

The orc with the pierced flank roared and counterattacked. As if the wound gushing blood on its side meant nothing, it swung its axe. Or rather—perhaps it wasn’t completely unaffected. The orc’s face was twisted as if embodying the emotion of rage.

I pulled out the sword I had driven in and recovered it. I hadn’t expected that single strike to kill it anyway. The tip of the blade flowed like water, tracing a trajectory that deflected the orc’s arm. Then I took up position behind the forward-leaning orc.

I swept my blade across its defenseless calf. The massive body staggered. As it lost balance and began to fall, its neck dropped downward. Without hesitation, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I drove my sword into its nape. Blood sprayed like a fountain.

Chi, iiik!

With a final snort that sounded almost like a scream, the orc’s enormous body collapsed powerlessly.

“…….”

I stared at the tip of the blade in my hand. Blood droplets that had formed while piercing the orc’s nape fell with soft plops.

‘I won.’

A sense of elation rose within me. Whether it was because of the victory or the joy of my own achievement, I wasn’t sure. Either way, I felt a satisfying sense of fulfillment, as if something had been completed.

I immediately shifted my gaze toward where Garan and the soldiers were still engaged in combat. Gripping my sword, I ran toward them.