Rooooar!!
First, I targeted the male orc who had spotted me as I descended the hill.
I deflected the blood-stained wooden club flying toward me, then swung my sword, separating his neck from his body.
Thud!
The orc’s massive frame collapsed.
Thinking how familiar the sensation was, I dashed deeper into the fray.
Hearing the commotion, orcs began crawling out from crudely constructed wooden huts.
Despite the stench they emitted, I felt a strange sense of nostalgia.
Even enemies can feel like old acquaintances. Memories of facing them endlessly in the Colosseum flooded back.
And, just like that—
Sshhhhk!
I was already adept at dealing with orcs.
Spinning my body, I sliced through the necks of two orcs with a single strike, then lowered my stance to evade a flying club.
Slash!
I retaliated by slashing the chest of the orc that had swung the club at me.
Blood poured out as the orc crumpled to the ground with a heavy groan.
Thud!
By now, the sharp scent of blood overpowered the orcs’ foul odor, reaching my nose.
Naturally, this smell was just as familiar to me.
I steadied myself and scanned the surroundings.
Behind me, mercenaries who had just arrived were clashing with orcs.
To my left, right, and ahead, orcs swarmed toward me.
Easily dozens of them.
But they were nothing more than fodder.
Among the charging orcs, one figure stood out in the distance. Taller than the rest, it wore a hood and carried a staff.
That must be the orc shaman.
I’d faced orc warriors before, but this was my first encounter with a shaman.
They weren’t often brought into the Colosseum—likely because their unpredictable spells didn’t suit the arena.
Still, was that the only upper-tier enemy here?
Whoosh!
Dodging an attack from a nearby orc, I leaped high into the air.
Gah?!
The orc’s face contorted in surprise as I planted my foot on its head and propelled myself even higher.
From that height, I surveyed the scene below.
The shoddy wooden huts were beneath me, but further ahead, something caught my eye— a cave that hadn’t been visible from the hill.
Could there be something in there?
Thud!
Landing back on the ground, I swung my sword wide toward the orcs surrounding me.
‘Rush.’
This time, I infused my aura into the blade.
Boom!!
With a loud explosion, the orcs closest to me were knocked back, suffering various injuries.
Slipping through the staggered enemies, I dashed straight toward the orc shaman, who was now raising its staff and chanting something.
As I ran—
Roooaar!!
An orc burst out of a nearby hut, breaking down its door. It was massive, wielding a worn but enormous greatsword.
An orc warrior, hiding until now?
Crash!
I twisted my body, narrowly avoiding the downward slash, then used the momentum to leap upward.
Even an orc warrior, standing just over two meters tall, was within reach with a slight jump.
Slash!
I slashed through a large portion of its neck as I passed.
Thud!
Hearing the sound of its massive body collapsing behind me, I continued my charge toward the shaman, who had its staff pointed at me.
Suddenly—
[ГАЗРЫН УУРЛАЛ-!!]
Strange, incomprehensible words echoed, and the shaman’s staff began to glow.
Immediately after—
The ground beneath the orc shaman shook, and shards of rock shot toward me.
Hmm, so that’s how it works.
The fragments flew swiftly and sharply, but they weren’t impossible to deflect.
Clatter.
I parried the larger pieces aimed at my vital points, letting the smaller fragments bounce harmlessly off the guard of my armor.
While the impact was noticeable, the thick leather of my buff coat held firm.
Now that I’d closed the distance—
I swung my sword in a wide arc.
But—
Clang!
The shaman raised its staff to block the strike.
Impressive. Even as an orc, it had some experience in close combat, likely due to its rank.
Its poise even surpassed that of the earlier orc warrior.
However—
‘Fleet.’
At the end of the day, an orc is still just an orc.
Shhhk!
In a flash, I maneuvered behind it and drove my sword through its heart.
Gurk! Thud!
Then the orc shaman fell down with a squeal of air.
“Whew.”
With a wheezing gasp, the orc shaman collapsed.
“Haah.”
That was simpler than expected. Considering the mission’s payout, this almost felt too easy.
I pulled my sword from the fallen shaman’s body and turned my attention to the other orcs, who were now charging at me with bloodshot eyes, likely enraged by their shaman’s death.
“Come on, then.”
Clearing out the rest of the orcs didn’t take long.
*
“Jevan, how’s it going over there?”
“Just minor injuries.”
After dealing with the orcs in my area, I regrouped with Jevan and the mercenary team.
Judging by the number of orc corpses scattered around, they’d handled themselves well.
As expected, taking down a group of orcs was manageable for them.
“Some of the bodies had limbs cleanly severed….”
“Yes, the rookie handled those.”
“Impressive.”
Considering how large orcs’ limbs are, cutting them cleanly must’ve taken considerable effort.
Glancing over at Hakuro, I noticed he seemed only slightly out of breath.
Was it his stamina or his efficiency?
Well, either way, it seemed like the cleanup was mostly done.
“Where did those screams come from earlier?”
“From that house in the center.”
“Go rescue them. The rest of you, grab the shaman’s staff and amulets.”
“Understood.”
I ordered the mercenaries to finish up the remaining tasks.
Since it was already evening, we’d wrap things up quickly and rest at the base camp before descending the mountain.
Not long after—
“Boss! Two people, a man and a woman, are here!”
“We’ve retrieved the amulets!”
Among the spoils were the unconscious, bloodied forms of a man and a woman—likely mercenaries—along with the mission’s target items.
“The staff?”
“Here it is.”
“Good.”
I also secured the staff. The progress in gathering materials was satisfying—faster than expected. With luck, I could commission the custom sword soon.
If even this rental blade performs so well, I can’t wait to see how a bespoke weapon turns out.
“Boss, about these two….”
“What about them?”
“They’re the Silver Wing Duo.”
“What? Really?”
At that, the surrounding mercenaries exchanged glances, their expressions turning curious.
“Do you know them?”
“Yes… They’re famous in the capital.”
“Why are they famous?”
“They’re a pair of Gold-ranked adventurers.”
“What? Gold rank? Seriously?”
Gold-ranked adventurers?
Intrigued, I examined the unconscious pair more closely.
A gold badge bearing a winged boot emblem was visible on each of their bodies.
“It’s true.”
How could Gold-ranked adventurers have been captured by orcs?
“Wake them up.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Pour water on them. They’re not missing any limbs, so they should be fine.”
There were a lot of orcs here, but these two must’ve been captured in the forest and dragged here. There had to be a reason. To find out, I took the water I had and splashed it on their faces.
“Gah! Ahem! Ahem!”
“Ugh! Ack!”
The pair jolted awake immediately.
With their silver hair glinting in the dim light, it became clear why they were called the “Silver Wing Duo.”
“Hey, uh… where are we?”
“Huh?”
The man and woman glanced around as they woke, taking in the scene of fallen orcs and our group standing nearby.
“Jevan the Combo?”
“Combo? That really is you!”
To my surprise, they recognized Jevan immediately.
“Famous as always, Jevan.”
“…It’s because we operate in overlapping areas.”
Whatever.
I gestured to the orc corpses around us and addressed the duo.
“They were just small fry. How’d you get captured by them?”
“You’re… No, wait…”
The man stood abruptly, scanning the surroundings with a tense expression.
“Thank you for saving us, but we need to leave. Right now.”
“Sure, we’re heading out soon, but first, tell me how you got caught.”
“There’s… something strange among the orcs.”
“Something strange?”
Nothing unusual had shown up here.
The man’s face grew increasingly pale as he elaborated.
“A monster… something entirely different from the other orcs….”
“Right.”
A mutated orc?
Or maybe the chieftain was the problem.
If so, that would explain why it hadn’t shown itself while its clan was being slaughtered.
My gaze shifted to the cave nestled between the hills.
Could it be hiding there?
Or maybe it had gone hunting.
Whatever the case—
“Let’s get moving. We have a base camp nearby.”
The duo looked like they were on the verge of panic, so I signaled the mercenaries to help them up.
“Move out.”
We began climbing the rocky hill, heading back to base camp.
Thud…!
Suddenly, the ground trembled.
“Eek!”
“It’s here! It’s here!”
At that moment, the adventurers nearly broke down in hysterics.
Are these two really Gold-ranked?
Their injuries must’ve messed with their heads.
“Take the injured ones and head up the hill.”
“Y-Yes!”
The mercenaries quickly escorted the pair to safety.
“As for the rest of you, stay here.”
“What?”
I instructed the remaining mercenaries to hold their ground.
Because—
Thud!
“There’s still one more.”
And it was likely the rarest of the bunch.
Emerging from the depths of the cave was a large silhouette, its footsteps echoing ominously.
Judging by the panic of the adventurers earlier, this must’ve been the “strange one” they’d mentioned.
How strong could it be to terrify Gold-ranked adventurers? I stood and waited, curiosity and anticipation simmering.
Then—
Grrroooar!
The creature forced its way out of the cave, its form gradually illuminated by the fading sunlight.
What emerged was grotesque.
A hulking figure clad in battered armor, its size far exceeding that of a typical orc.
“W-What is that?”
“It… it looks like an orc champion….”
But there was something far more terrifying about it.
Six arms. Three on each side, each holding a different weapon.
“A champion? Since when do champions grow extra arms?”
Even I didn’t get extra limbs when I was called a champion. What the hell is this thing?
It wasn’t just large—this orc was a monster in every sense of the word.
Almost double the size of an average orc, with six arms, it was beyond comprehension.
Why do I always encounter freaks like this on mountains?
First the alpha wolf, and now this.
Actually, didn’t Lowell warn me about the Kaine Mountain Range?
He mentioned increased reports of mercenary casualties due to orc attacks during training sessions.
With something like this around, no wonder the numbers were rising.
Then—
Groooar!!
The beast let out a deafening roar, seemingly enraged by the sight of its fallen kin, and charged straight at us.