“…Different. This one is different.”
A strike that cleanly severed Karak’s neck.
The trace of having cut through the carotid artery in a single motion was visible.
On the dead Karak’s face was the expression of surprise from the ambush, frozen in place.
In other words, despite recognizing the attack, he hadn’t been able to counter at all and had fallen neatly.
“At least, it seems they weren’t just random fools.”
“Chieftain, Chieftain! There… there are traces here!”
At the shout from one of the tribesmen, Urk tore his eyes away from Karak’s corpse and slowly stepped forward.
As the tribesman reported, Urk’s gaze fell upon the scattered footprints, strewn haphazardly.
Each footprint, differing in size, led in a single direction.
“…Heh. Heading to the Valley of Rest, huh.”
“Kuhhuhuhuhuh! Humans, so foolish! They think us to be idiots!”
At Urk’s words, the laughter of the orcs following him echoed through the air.
So many humans had tried to lure the Red Fang Tribe, who roamed freely in the Fire Mountain, into the Valley of Rest.
They set up such blatantly obvious plans, only to soon be flustered by the cliffs’ stubborn strength,
and then lost their lives in futility.
For that reason, the Red Fang Tribe named the valley the Valley of Rest.
A place of hearty rest for the tribe that ruled the Fire Mountain,
and eternal rest for their foolish enemies.
They could confidently say no name could be more fitting.
KRAK!
Urk tightened his grip on the axe slung across his shoulder.
These insolent ones had dared to create chaos at the very moment a ‘guest’ had arrived.
For them, nothing short of a special death would suffice to vent his fury.
“…Even better. I shall make them offerings to the reborn Red Fang Tribe. I’ll skin them alive and throw them into a boiling cauldron.”
A murderous gleam began to stir in Chieftain Urk’s eyes.
The forest of the Fire Mountain, as viewed from the cliff, was so lush that it made one forget it was the treacherous land of Daushae.
But the few humans standing atop the cliff could not simply enjoy the view.
No, they gazed downward with eyes that betrayed an unmistakable fear.
RUMBLE!
Orcs were breaking through the dense forest, entering the valley, their presence suffocating the humans with pressure.
“…Damn it. We should’ve just handled the sentries and returned. Captain, do we really have a plan?”
Though Helena’s healing magic had repaired their physical wounds, the fear in their hearts remained.
Ralph groaned repeatedly.
Silia, who had arrived at the valley ahead with Ian and Dane to set up certain preparations, looked at Ralph with a disdainful gaze.
“…Coward.”
“Ugh, what a jerk…!”
As the two started to clash again, Ian intervened.
“Both of you, stop. They’re coming.”
Whether they knew Ian’s team was observing from the cliff or not, a massive orc from the Red Fang Tribe approached slowly.
Larger than the others by a head, Chieftain Urk inhaled deeply.
Huuuuuh!
The deep breath erupted into a thunderous roar, shaking the valley to its core.
“COME OUT!!!!”
Come out—come out—come out—
Urk’s voice echoed through the valley.
“I know you are here already!!”
As the echo faded, Urk continued.
“No matter, hiding will only get you atop the cliff! Reveal yourselves now, or I will crush both sides and tear you apart personally!”
The team members shut their eyes tightly.
They had miscalculated.
The Red Fang orcs were already intimately familiar with the valley’s terrain and had completely anticipated the captain’s plan.
‘Damn it. Are we going to become orc food without a chance…?!’
Their resentful gazes fell on Ian.
This mission was indeed impossible.
Not goblins, but nearly a hundred orcs, including the chieftain—how could a mere six handle them?
‘Because of Lee Gongja’s reckless bravery, I’m going to die here.’
Whether the team panicked or not, Ian stood calmly, unfazed, and rose.
“Dane, don’t worry. Just move according to my instructions.”
“…Believe it or not, we have no choice. I hope it works as you planned, Captain.”
Satisfied with Dane’s response, Ian’s lips curled into a slight smile.
Whoosh!
Ian leapt down the cliff.
Using the cliff walls and branches, he descended silently, landing on the muddy ground below.
Urk’s gaze followed him, lethal and intense.
“Found you, you damn rat.”
“…Interesting. To think an orc would speak the continental common tongue so clearly, without grunting.”
“Hmph! For those under Geumcheon’s command, the continental common tongue is natural. Now, do you realize the magnitude of your actions?”
CLACK!
Urk stepped forward, lowering his axe from his shoulder.
“You dare… to meddle with one of the powers of Daushae that our tribe belongs to. You pitiful humans. Shall I take that as a declaration that you’re ready for all-out war with Geumcheon?”
It had happened at the worst possible moment, with the ‘guest’ present.
Urk had no intention of letting the intruders, including Ian, hide and die quietly before the guest.
A threatening aura streamed from him.
Ian exhaled.
“…Huh. This won’t be as easy as expected. Looks like I’ll have to silence them properly.”
That sigh wasn’t out of fear, merely the annoyance of things turning unexpectedly troublesome.
Perhaps he would have to deploy a trick already.
Urk had no intention of humoring Ian’s muttered words.
Ssshhh!
Pointing his axe forward, Urk gave a low command to his orcs.
“Do not kill them. Keep them alive. Cut off their limbs, scorch their wounds, and in front of the ‘guest,’ I will personally boil them.”
They would show the humans exactly what happens when one dares to provoke the Red Fang orcs of the Fire Mountain.
“UUUUUUH!”
At Urk’s command, the orcs roared and charged toward Ian.
Though they couldn’t grunt freely, it didn’t matter.
It was something humans had to endure if they wished to serve under Geumcheon.
Instead, they could claim the intruders and the sentries however they wished—hardly a loss.
Over a hundred red-fanged orcs charged in unison, terrifying enough to make the skin crawl.
Ian simply raised both hands calmly.
“First, let’s clear out the small fries.”
Clap!
The small sound of his hands meeting, easily lost amid the orcs’ roars and the thundering of their steps, was heard clearly by Dane waiting on the cliff.
‘Signal!’
Whoooooosh!
Dane formed the hand sign, mana swirling through his hands, forming a compressed shockwave.
An energy bolt.
A simple 1st-class spell, basic enough for any magic beginner.
As the class level increased, one could compress mana further to expand the shockwave, a versatile spell favored by many mages.
Dane poured all his strength into it, aiming at the magic circle set on the cliff.
For his age, it was impressive, though its destructive power did not exceed that of a 3rd-class mage.
Even so, when combined with Silia’s previously installed device, part of the cliff crumbled, producing a result far beyond expectations.
Though a great achievement for his skill, the orcs merely snorted.
“Chiiik! Humans, you’re fools!”
The orcs, releasing grunts they had been suppressing under Urk’s command, laughed at Ian’s group.
Indeed.
Only a ‘part’ of the cliff had crumbled.
The Red Fang orcs had long survived countless rockfall attacks using the valley’s cliffs.
The results were always the same.
The valley’s hard rock never broke as humans imagined, at most dislodging a few stones.
And there were no fools among the Red Fang orcs who would fall for such weak rockfalls.
So this time, the result would surely be the same.
Just as the valley was called the Valley of Rest.
They would deliver the final rest to the arrogant humans who thought orcs were foolish, mindless pigs.
Orcs approached Ian leisurely, avoiding the falling rocks.
They thought they were about to sever every limb of the arrogant human.
But unlike the orcs’ expectations, this rockfall’s result was far different.
From the start, Ian’s target was not the orcs, but the ground beneath the valley.
KRAAAAAANG!
The deafening crash rang in the orcs’ ears.
“?!”
“Ch-chiiik?!”
The startled orcs froze in place.
It was inevitable.
Once the ground collapsed, no creature standing on it could remain free.
Unlike the cliff, the valley floor had softened over years due to weathering and constant moisture.
The weight of over a hundred massive orcs, plus the falling rocks from the cliff,
was enough to shatter the loosely compacted ground.
‘Of course, that alone isn’t enough to fully break it.’
Thus, Ian had one more trick prepared.
Silia’s device, which helped collapse part of the cliff,
and the special bomb from the Klornen family installed on the ground.
The Blue Bomb.
A specialty bomb from the Klornen family, famed for poisons and explosives.
Its explosion wasn’t about raw power, but it dispersed tremendous vibrations to collapse terrain.
Its lethality was low, so handling restrictions were minimal, allowing Silia to carry several.
And at this moment,
it was the Blue Bomb that opened the gates of hell for the orcs.
“Ugh… you cowardly humans. I will not forgive this!”
CRASH, CRACK!
The orcs trapped under rubble clawed their way out, gnashing their teeth.
But Ian’s special gift to the orcs was not yet finished.
“Coward? You fools, a hundred of you charging at me alone, and yet you chatter away.”
Sssslip, sssslip!
From the collapsed ground, a violet mist began to spread slowly.
“Ch-chiiik?”
Some orcs inhaled it, perhaps out of excitement, the mist streaming deep into their nasal passages.
…Snap!
“K-kaaahhh!”
“Urrghhh!”
The orcs soon screamed in pain as the mist consumed their bodies.
Red and purple!
Veins protruded wildly across their skin.
Moments later, seeing their foaming kin, the remaining orcs struggled to climb to the surface.
“D-don’t breathe! That powder is dangerous, chiiik!”
“Idiot! If we don’t breathe, we die! Chiiik!”
“Chiiik! Even if we breathe, it will kill us, you fool!”
“What the hell are we supposed to do, chiiik?!”
“F-first, get up quickly! Hurry!”
A scene of chaos erupted in the valley below.
The brave orcs of the Red Fang Tribe, who had always delivered rest to their enemies below the valley,
were now themselves receiving rest.
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