The Ruler of the Lake

My mind was a mess. Had trusting that rabbit helper been a mistake after all?

Kugugugu—! I couldn't tell how many monsters had been lured in, but the sound of footsteps rushing toward us was more than enough to confirm I was in serious danger.

—Kraaaah!!!

—Queek! Wu! Wu!

Before I knew it, gray orcs weren't the only ones gathering. Red, blue, and all sorts of colorful orcs had begun assembling. They seemed to follow their own rules or code, as they didn't pick fights or attack one another even when encroaching on each other's territories.

"Damn it."

I pushed aside my suspicions about the rabbit who'd thrown me into this mess and pulled out a potion I'd bought from the shop recently.

Three thousand coins per bottle. I'd bought them thinking each one was worth a life, so using it just because I was tired and uninjured felt wasteful. But that hesitation didn't last long. There simply wasn't enough time to think of another way.

Glug glug glug!

"……!"

True to its red color, it smelled like cherries. There was a bitter aftertaste reminiscent of cold medicine, but its effect was so dramatic that comparing it to cold medicine felt almost insulting.

The response was clean and immediate. My depleted stamina recovered rapidly, and my body felt so normalized that the sweat still running down my skin felt out of place.

"Hoo…"

My racing heartbeat calmed, allowing me to observe my surroundings with a clearer head. The once-still lake churned violently from the monsters' footsteps, and boulders that had likely stood there for years trembled from the shockwaves.

But then—

"Huh? Why'd you drink that already? What a waste!"

The rabbit, having seen what I'd done, shrieked and smacked his lips in disappointment.

"What are you talking about all of a sudden?"

"You drank it way too fast! There was no need to rush like that!"

His absurd reaction to the crisis he'd created left me speechless, but moments later, as I looked at the rippling surface of the lake, I understood why he'd responded that way.

"What… is that?"

A massive shadow visible beneath the water. My heart turned cold. The fear of the unknown. A crushing sense of pressure I hadn't felt since learning Quick Understanding twisted my stomach.

My gaze naturally turned skyward. I wondered if an ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠airplane might be passing through the Tower, but of course that was impossible.

"Do you like stories like that? You know, those transcendent monsters that appear in nature."

As if he'd expected my reaction, the rabbit casually asked.

"……Like the Kraken from Norse mythology?"

"Well, the Kraken's in the sea, but this is a lake, so it'd be more fitting to call it something like the Loch Ness Monster, don't you think?"

Buuuuwoo—

Soon after, a spray of water erupted from the lake. A colossal shadow lurked beneath the surface. A creature the size of an airplane… no, something far more overwhelming than any machine humanity had ever built.

Even the orcs who'd been charging toward me from afar seemed to notice the change. They began slowing their advance.

—Queek! Stop! Something's wrong!!!

—Wuuu…! Danger! Fall back!!!

The gray orcs at the front panicked and collided with the red orcs coming from behind.

And shortly after—

As the shadow in the lake slowly revealed itself, my gaze was inevitably drawn back to the sky.

"What the hell…!"

It resembled an Eastern dragon. No whiskers, but the serpentine body and slightly tucked forelimbs made it clear this was the kind of dragon I knew.

「■■■■!!!!!」

The moment I laid eyes on it, countless status ailments surged forth. Thanks to Quick Understanding, I managed to shake most of them off, but the locals here weren't so fortunate.

—……

—……

The orcs, having met the monster's gaze, turned deathly pale and lost their voices. Despite their varied colors, they now looked like identical wild boars with no individuality to speak of.

The potion I'd drunk earlier took effect, and my breathing gradually steadied. Only then did I see the transformed landscape around me. Once the initial overwhelming pressure faded, the creature's appearance became clear.

Blue scales. A long snout and vertically slit, razor-sharp eyes. It was much larger than the orcs, but only slightly bigger than the Desert Lord King I'd seen on the third floor—not an insurmountable monster.

—K…uuu……

—I… want to go back…uuu…

Yet the orcs stood frozen like mice before a tiger, unable to move an inch. They had lost not only the will to fight, but even the will to move. On top of that, there was another problem—the dragon had been roused from its slumber by the orcs' commotion and was clearly enraged.

But then—

Crack…le.

"Huh? Just now, that thing's skin…"

As the monster stirred, its once-smooth skin began to split. More precisely, wings that had been tightly folded against its body were unfurling. Its vertically elongated frame began to widen horizontally, and the orcs' pupils quaked as if struck by an earthquake.

"Whoa… It had wings too? I don't think it had those when I climbed the fifth floor."

The rabbit's comment upon seeing it.

I turned to him and asked the most important question at the moment.

"……How did you deal with it back then?"

"Deal with it? I ran. It might not look like much, but that thing's insanely strong. Its Status is probably on par with a Helper, or maybe even higher?"

When the orcs had cowered at the dragon's appearance, I'd thought an opportunity had presented itself. After all, I needed to reach the Demon King's castle as quickly as possible, and wiping out the monsters while taking down the Demon King would have been the ideal outcome.

「Krrraaaak!!!」

Flap!!!

But watching the creature now, I wondered if I'd escaped the fox only to stumble into a tiger's den. After all, I too was an intruder trespassing on the monster's territory, just like the orcs.

Yet at that moment, something unexpected happened.

Tap. Tap. Tap tap tap.

The instant the monster spread its wings, something scattered in all directions from its body. Large and small objects rained down like a downpour.

But I soon realized what they were—countless sources of food that had been in the lake.

"Clams, crabs, crayfish… Is that a freshwater snail?"

From what I'd experienced over the past three days, every living being on the fifth floor—monster or otherwise—was desperate to defend its territory and seize others'. Everyone's range of movement was restricted, centered around the Demon King's castle. If they couldn't protect their home, their food supply would dwindle, their numbers would decrease, and eventually their species would face extinction.

Therefore—

—Ku, kuwooooorgh!!!

—Food…! It's food!!!!

To the orcs, the dragon known as the Ruler of the Lake now appeared as the key to solving all their food problems.

One of the orcs, who had regained its senses faster than the others, let out a roar. Awakened by that roar, another orc shouted, and another, its eyes bloodshot, let out a screech.

—Wu! Wu! Wu!

—Attack!!!

Thus began the large-scale battle. As ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠if I'd become irrelevant, the largest gray orc took the lead, and all the orcs grabbed their weapons.

"L-look! Just like I predicted, right?! I told you, as long as we reach the Demon King's castle, it'll be fine! Hahat!"

"……Good grief."

Even now, the rabbit was trying to take credit for the lucky turn of events. I let out a short sigh and drew my sword to carve a path forward.

***

The Orcs' Lake Dragon Raid.

The sight of hundreds of burly orcs charging with axes raised was nothing short of spectacular, no matter how many times I saw it.

—Food! Kwoooorgh! Crack!!!

—Orc! Survival! Future! Smash!!!

Orcs were sent flying by the tail and bounced off ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the wings. Despite their fierce momentum, they weren't achieving much. However, there was no tactic as simple yet destructive as the orcs' human-wave strategy, and as time passed, the monster grew weary.

When the smarter ones began throwing their weapons, the lake monster accumulated more and more wounds across its body. Contrary to my initial expectations, the creature now looked as though it might collapse at any moment.

"Quantity has a quality of its own, huh."

"This is happening a bit early……"

Before long, I saw orcs standing waist-deep in water, hurling spears, and a sense of unease crept over me. If that dragon fell, this place would become orc territory. While my goal was to enter the Demon King's castle and slay the Demon King, a change drastic enough to completely alter the environment wasn't something I welcomed.

'You ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠never know. One of them might turn out to be like the Demon King.'

Accomplishing great feats rapidly increases one's Status. What if one of those orcs succeeded in slaying the monster and gained a high Status? What if the one who landed the final blow solved the orcs' food shortage and brightened their uncertain future?

Even humans grow without much hindrance if they eat well, sleep well, and fight well. Moreover, these weren't some other race—they were orcs, a warrior race. It was entirely possible that a single orc who ate well, slept safely, and fought as much as it ate could grow into a monster that transcended its Status.

Step.

"Huh? Kim Siin, where are you going? The Demon King's castle is that way."

I turned and walked toward the lake where the orcs were conducting their raid. What I needed to do now was reduce the orcs' numbers, even if only slightly. And intense combat in water was one of the more familiar types of battles I'd experienced recently.