Jackpot Loot!
The Elite Orc Chieftain was distracted by the Blood Butterflies fluttering toward him carelessly.
They seemed to fly in irregular patterns here and there, but they were precisely aimed at his head and eyes.
Of course, he couldn't help but be bothered by them.
"Kuwaa!"
Thwack! Thud thud!
The Elite Orc swung his club, knocking away the Blood Butterflies one by one.
But even that didn't go smoothly.
Taeju fired off several more Flying Waterfall Flash needles.
Pew pew pew!
Ting ting ting ting ting!
Though they couldn't pierce the aura barrier, they were more than enough to keep him in check.
And a few more Blood Butterflies.
Flutter flutter.
"Kyak! Kyaak!"
Whenever the beast charged at him, Taeju blended Phantom Bewilderment Step and Leaping Gale Step to dodge leisurely, then hurled a mix of iron balls, curved needles, and various other hidden weapons.
He had to buy time.
Until Gu Junyoung recovered and returned to the battlefield.
The Elite Steel-Feathered Owl had already fallen, letting out its final feeble cry.
"Hoo... hoo... hooo..."
Beside it, Division Commander Gu Junyoung knelt on one knee, gripping his spear.
He had reclaimed his weapon—what was he doing?
Was the injury that severe?
Taeju had clearly seen him take a Taehong recovery potion just moments ago.
And right then!
Whoosh!
Gu Junyoung gripped the spear with both hands and sprang to his feet.
His eyes burned with fierce determination.
'He's recovered.'
Of course he has.
Who made that recovery potion, after all?
Screeech!
He charged swiftly toward the Elite Orc Chieftain.
Swoosh!
"You bastard!!!"
"Kruk?"
Clang! Clang clang!
The club and spear clashed.
The orc's club was no ordinary weapon, but Gu Junyoung's spear was an elite mana crystal weapon crafted by the imperial palace's master artisans.
Taeju caught his breath.
Now for the regular orcs.
Taeju leaped alone into the midst of the orc horde.
And at last, he unleashed Poison Aura Emission.
There was only one type of poison radiating outward.
The mutant three-striped mosquito venom.
All the soldiers had taken the antidote.
Only the orcs would be affected.
Hiss hiss hiss!
The colorless, odorless poison aura seeped from his poison core.
The mosquito venom that devoured mana permeated the air.
And the hidden weapons kept flying.
For orcs mixed in with the soldiers, a single Flying Waterfall Flash.
Tssip! Tssip!
Pfufuf!
For those charging in clumps, he dashed in with swift Leaping Gale Step.
Pudududuk!
Pabababak!
Flying Waterfall.
"Kueeek!"
"Kuik?"
"...Kwaek!"
The orcs were being massacred.
While others cut them down one by one with swords, Taeju took out ten at a time.
And as the poison core activated more fully, the mosquito venom spread faster, slowly infiltrating the orcs' bodies and beginning to take effect.
The Elite Orc Chieftain was no exception.
The moment the Elite Orc Chieftain appeared, the same thought flashed through every soldier's mind.
'We're fucked.'
More than half the unit would die here.
It was the first crisis the Sancheong Unit's elite special raid team faced during the Jirisan monster extermination operation.
Had firing the Hyper Divine Bow anti-tank missile been a mistake?
But they knew there was no other way to take down the Elite Steel-Feathered Owl.
And they had succeeded.
Division Commander Gu Junyoung's longspear had pierced the owl's chest, though its resistance made it a grueling struggle.
Then the orcs appeared.
Drawn by the explosion.
That was within expectations.
Truth be told, orcs weren't much of a threat in the jungle.
Not compared to those mutant bipedal boars.
But an Elite Orc Chieftain?
Why the hell was that thing here?
The Elite Orc had charged straight at Gu Junyoung the moment it appeared.
As if it knew who the strongest on the battlefield was.
In the end, Gu Junyoung's counterattack failed.
The Elite Steel-Feathered Owl was wounded but still alive.
How were they supposed to handle two elite monsters?
Gu Junyoung, Division Commander, was fully exposed to the massive club's attack.
The regular orcs went berserk too.
Buffed by the chieftain's roar.
Their physical abilities enhanced even further.
The awakened officers despaired.
They were going to be wiped out.
No, annihilation was certain.
In that desperate moment, that man appeared.
Taehong Bio Chairman Kim Taeju.
In his gray coat, unleashing a barrage of dozens of ranged weapons.
He blocked the Elite Orc Chieftain's attack and finished off the Elite Owl with a dagger through the gap left by the spear.
Then came the dazzling onslaught.
Small needles, large needles, pea-sized iron balls, nail-like projectiles...
They poured out endlessly, as if he had no idea where he was hiding them all.
And with terrifying accuracy.
Every throw hit its mark.
Not a single miss.
And so fast.
Sweeping the battlefield at speeds the eye couldn't follow.
The awakened officers gained strength.
"Kill them!!!"
Morale surged.
Injured officers in the rear took recovery potions and rushed back into the fray.
Taehong recovery potions.
Made by Kim Taeju as well.
What would they have done without them?
"I'm back, you pig bastards!"
"Push them!"
The awakened officers paired up in groups of three or five, protecting each other as they fought the orcs.
Whenever danger approached,
Tssip!
Projectiles from somewhere wiped out the orcs.
"It's the Chairman!!! The Chairman's protecting us!"
"Attack boldly! We won't die!!!"
"If we get hurt, just pop a recovery potion!"
But something was off.
As time passed, the orcs grew frantic and disoriented.
Their strength waned dramatically.
To the point they couldn't even counterattack.
Some even tripped while fleeing.
As if their mana had been drained by mutant three-striped mosquitoes.
Stab, and they pierced right through.
Slash, and they cleaved cleanly.
Dying without any real resistance.
Could it be?
'...Mosquito venom?'
Kim Taeju again?
It didn't affect them.
They had the antidote.
Division Commander Gu Junyoung fought fiercely as well.
Clashing intensely with the Elite Orc Chieftain using his mana blade longspear.
He wasn't fully recovered yet, but he had reclaimed his elite mana crystal longspear.
History had proven it.
The reason humans dominated nature.
The use of tools.
An overwhelming advantage over monsters.
No matter how unusual the club was, it was still wood in the end.
Clang!
Clang clang!
The club and spear exchanged blows.
Auras collided.
Each time, chunks were gouged from the club, splintering it.
Seizing the momentum, Gu Junyoung pressed relentlessly.
Tss tss tss, tsst!
A series of thrusting skill strikes.
Too powerful for the club to block.
Only the chieftain's full-body aura barrier prevented lethal hits.
Each exchange made the orc flinch and retreat.
Taeju saw it too, while checking on Gu Junyoung between dispatching orcs.
'Should I lend a hand?'
Taeju hurled a leaf-shaped dagger at the back of the Elite Orc Chieftain's head.
Tssipipit!
Ting!
"Kkyakak!"
A classic sneak attack from behind.
The orc's focus shattered.
Furious at the weapon from behind, it tried to charge at Taeju, but
"Pig bastard! Where do you think you're going?"
Clang! Clang clang!
Gu Junyoung thrust his mana blade spear, pulling aggro again.
Taeju's backstab was far from honorable.
Targeting the back of someone in the thick of battle.
But so what?
No one else's criticism fazed him one bit.
In the martial world, the Absolute Poison Demon Dang Gunak was synonymous with despicableness; using poison was inherently condemned—an unavoidable fate.
He'd heard "coward" countless times.
Even from so-called righteous faction allies.
Idiots, pretentious hypocrites.
In a war of kill or be killed, what justice or cause mattered?
Demonic cult bastards orphaned parents, killed sons, raped wives and daughters...
And they'd jerk off claiming righteousness?
Anyway, the tide had fully turned.
The orcs, crippled by the mosquito venom, were weak as rabbits.
Even the Elite Orc Chieftain's aura barrier had grown hazy.
'You're weakening too. ...This could work.'
Taeju prepared a leaf-shaped dagger infused with potent poison aura.
Gu Junyoung assaulted the barrier with continuous thrusts.
Pabababak!
Ching ching ching!
And in that instant!
Tssipit!
The leaf-shaped dagger flew.
Tang!
It bounced off.
Failure.
No rush.
Try again.
He handled regular orcs, then struck the broad back again when the moment arose.
Tang!
Again and again.
Until finally!
Squish!
The leaf-shaped dagger pierced the weakened aura barrier,
Pfuk!
And embedded deep in the Elite Orc's back.
"Kueeeek!"
The Elite Orc writhed, howling in agony from the blade in its back.
A fitting line came to mind.
You're already dead.
And it was true.
The Elite Orc, pierced by poison-laden leaf dagger, slowed down, gasping for breath.
Gu Junyoung's spear strikes grew fiercer, sensing victory.
It held out for a while, but eventually!
Pfuk!
"Krrrk..."
Gu Junyoung's longspear pierced its heart, ending it.
"Hah hah."
Gu Junyoung panted heavily.
Then looked at Taeju.
Thumbs up with right hand, thumbs up with left.
Followed by finger hearts.
Then both arms raised high overhead in a big heart.
"..."
No skill or anything,
Just a chain: thumbs up, double thumbs up, finger hearts, big heart...
Taeju simply nodded in acknowledgment.
But that was nothing.
The soldiers' cheers erupted as the battle ended.
"Kim Taeju! Kim Taeju! Kim Taeju!"
"Long live the Chairman!!!"
"Attention! Salute! Demon slayer!"
"Thank you!"
"From now on, only buying from Taehong Bio!"
It felt good, but
Embarrassing as hell.
The Elite Orc Chieftain was dead.
The effect rippled to the regular orcs.
They scattered in panic, fleeing.
The awakened officers chased relentlessly, stabbing them down.
The battlefield cleared in moments.
Fifth Imperial Prince Ryu Jincheol finally collapsed onto the ground.
Tension released.
When the massive orc horde appeared, followed by the Elite Orc Chieftain, his thought was
Am I dying here?
He could have fled alone, sure.
But he'd carry the stigma of abandoning imperial citizens forever.
He endured fiercely.
Slicing charging orcs, again and again.
But it wasn't enough.
Even Division Commander Gu Junyoung faced death.
Then the gray-coated man appeared out of nowhere.
'Who is that?'
He turned the tide in an instant and, with Gu Junyoung, felled even the Elite Orc Chieftain.
Once the elite fell, the rest were rabble.
After cleanup, the chanted name.
'...Kim Taeju? Oh!'
He knew who it was.
But wasn't he a pharmaceutical chairman?
Didn't seem awakened...
'At least say hi...'
Ryu Jincheol pulled a dagger from a fallen orc's head.
'Return this.'
A short, narrow, leaf-shaped weapon.
He approached Kim Taeju in the gray coat, chatting with Gu Junyoung.
Division Commander Gu Junyoung strode toward Taeju with heavy steps.
An intimidating aura.
Taeju tried to slip away quickly, but
Whoosh!
Gu Junyoung pulled him into a bear hug.
"Thank you, truly! It's frustrating that my poor words can't express it better."
"Ah, no. Message received loud and clear. So you can let go now..."
"You saved me—no, the whole team."
"What? I didn't take it down alone. We did it together, Commander Gu."
"What nonsense humility! Look at the soldiers. They're all grateful."
"Haha! Yes, yes."
Taeju laughed it off and subtly extricated himself from the embrace.
Time to leave.
He knew without him, it'd have been near-total annihilation.
But without Gu Junyoung, it'd have been tough too.
p>The Elite Owl had a hole from its wound, letting the dagger in, and the Elite Orc needed Gu Junyoung tanking and holding aggro.
Finally free, Taeju first yanked the leaf-shaped dagger from the Elite Orc Chieftain's corpse.
Recycle.
"Should I collect those?"
"Yeah."
"Hold on. I'll tell my men to gather every visible projectile weapon."
Next, Taeju approached the Elite Steel-Feathered Owl.
The death-bringing dagger in its chest.
'Pull this too... Hm?'
But the owl's feathers were no joke.
All metal.
Taeju already knew Steel-Feathered Owl feathers were valuable monster byproducts.
And these were elite ones.
As rare as elite mana crystals.
Maybe rarer.
He plucked one feather.
Smooth,
'Sharp. Tough.'
Gleaming luster.
Flexing the ends showed incredible elasticity.
But unbalanced for use as a hidden weapon as-is.
Melt and reshape them?
Alloy with elite mana crystals?
Tempting.
Even hidden weapons had luxury tiers.
The Absolute Poison Demon's were like that.
Dang Gunak only used those forged by the world's top blacksmiths from dark iron and phantom iron.
Gu Junyoung watched intently, having approached unnoticed.
"What? Want some?"
"A few would be nice."
"Hey now! What do you mean 'a few'?"
He turned.
"Hey, Colonel Jang."
"Yes, Division Commander."
"Butcher the Elite Owl, extract the elite mana crystal and every feather on its body, hand it all to Chairman Kim."
"Butchering now."
So much gratitude.
"And the Elite Orc Chieftain's mana crystal for you too..."
"No! Leave that for the SS team's record."
"Record? Life's worth more than that. Take it. Or I'll toss it."
"Well, if you insist."
All the soldiers swarmed the owl corpse.
Feathers piling up neatly.
What insane performance would weapons made from these have?
Jackpot loot.
Exciting.
Enlightened warriors scorned weapons, but that was bullshit.
Owning a masterpiece weapon was another joy for any martial artist.