Chapter 20: Forest of the Orcs (2)
The Forest of the Orcs is a fairly typical gate.
At its heart lies a large orc village deep in the woods, where the gate’s core is located. The orcs living within the village are vastly stronger than the ones that roam the forest outside.
This information came from a level 45 Hunter dispatched by the Hunter Association, who had explored the gate firsthand.
People didn’t pay much attention when Poison Orcs started wandering beyond the village and into the forest.
After all, these brown-skinned orcs—known as Poison Orcs—had never ventured close to the gate’s entrance or into the domain of the regular orcs.
Hunters simply assumed the Poison Orcs were expanding their hunting grounds.
It wasn’t unheard of. Some monsters naturally expand their territory by hunting others. So the change was ignored.
Gate Name: Forest of the Orcs Level Limit: 15–45 Party Size: Unlimited Time Until Break: 199 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes
This was the original assessment of the gate, determined using the sensory analysis system at the time of its appearance.
Team Leader Im Hakrae of the Gate Management Department, Seoul Team 2, glanced again at the current gate data.
Gate Name: Forest of the Orcs Level Limit: 15–45 Party Size: Unlimited Time Until Break: 175 days, 3 hours, 38 minutes
“No change.”
Despite a report suggesting unusual activity, the gate’s current state was identical to the initial scan.
“In other words, this is a naturally occurring problem.”
If the gate itself hadn’t changed, then the situation was likely due to territorial disputes among humanoid monsters—specifically, orcs.
Hundreds, maybe even thousands of orcs were mobilizing, fighting to conquer the forest. So what’s the right solution?
‘Abandon the gate.’
The rational response was to issue a retreat and evacuate all Hunters—avoiding direct conflict with the Poison Orcs that had launched their conquest.
‘Monsters can’t use the gate portal until a dungeon break occurs.’
Even if they discovered the gate, monsters couldn’t cross over to the outside world until the designated break time arrived. So, simply giving up on the gate might prevent short-term casualties.
“The problem comes after that…”
Once the Poison Orcs completed their conquest, they would begin expanding their tribe. They’d enslave beast-type monsters and regular orcs as subordinates. They’d reproduce rapidly, driven by their need to dominate the entire forest.
“When that time comes, it won’t be a battle. It’ll be a war.”
At the moment of dungeon break, thousands of orcs—Poison Orcs no less—would pour out, invading Earth… no, invading Korea.
Team Leader Im scratched his head in frustration. Giving up the gate would be easier now—but the consequences down the line could be catastrophic.
This wasn’t even a high-tier gate. A low-rank gate break wouldn’t be dangerous in itself. The real issue was what came afterward.
Thousands of monster corpses would need to be disposed of.
Their blood would seep into roads, requiring entire streets to be torn up and replaced.
The gate had appeared in a residential apartment zone. That meant evacuating residents before the break and managing the area until it was cleared.
Then, they’d have to purify the corrupted mana left behind by the monsters.
Even low-level monsters, when numbering in the thousands, required mobilizing mid- to high-tier Hunters.
Poison Orcs' blood was toxic. A single containment failure could lead to mass poisonings, and treating those infected would cost time and resources.
“Damn.”
The more you thought about the future, the less viable giving up seemed.
There was something else.
Orcs were humanoid monsters. That meant they could grow stronger—they could level up.
“What Hunter teams are available for deployment?”
“There’s a team averaging level 35 waiting on standby at the Association.”
“What about the level 40 and 45 teams?”
“They’ve already been dispatched to Busan to prevent another gate break.”
Of course—just days away from a break, another gate had taken priority.
“Seriously, this is a nightmare.”
Team Leader Im let out a long sigh, stared blankly at the ceiling, and then made his decision.
“Send in the standby team. Contact the other branches and request reinforcements. The guilds too.”
“Understood.”
The staff member rushed off to carry out the order, and Team Leader Im picked up the phone to begin making the calls himself.
Screeech! Clang!
Steel clashed with steel. Kim Suho was pushed back by the impact.
The difference in level meant a difference in physical strength, mana capacity, and above all—combat experience.
“I need to retreat…”
This wasn’t a game. This was real life. Even a powerful enemy could be brought down with a precise strike to a vital point—but blindly ignoring the level gap and pushing forward now would be suicide.
One Poison Orc slowly approached, while four others flanked Suho, cutting off every escape route.
Without even turning his head—just flicking his eyes—Suho confirmed the positions of the orcs surrounding him.
The hunting Poison Orc noticed the flicker in his gaze and lunged forward without hesitation.
Crash!
Unlike Suho, who stayed grounded, the Poison Orc charged with reckless speed and swung its greatsword.
Suho didn’t retreat this time. He stepped forward and thrust his black sword in a straight line.
Once again, he was blown back—slamming hard against the cave wall.
He grimaced in pain but quickly refocused his gaze on the Poison Orc directly ahead.
‘Escape is not an option.’
The moment he tried to run, the four blocking orcs would join the hunt.
So instead of running, he would play the prey—and then turn the tables, picking them off one by one.
With that shift in mindset, his fighting style changed too.
Suho, who had been entirely on the defensive, suddenly charged.
The Poison Orc smiled—then swung downward with its massive blade.
Suho had fought powerful opponents before—the Living Knight, a gate boss. He had trained with Soma, a master swordswoman, and Gunma, an expert in firearms.
As the blade came crashing down, Suho pulled mana into his limbs, dodging the slash by a hair’s breadth and slipping in close.
Thud!
His black sword pierced the orc’s left chest cleanly. But instead of celebrating, Suho yanked the blade out and rolled to the side.
Whoosh!
A giant fist flew past where he’d just stood.
Suho jumped to his feet.
“Damn it…”
Normal orcs had hearts on the left side—just like humans. But Poison Orcs were different.
Their hearts were on the right.
Grrr…
The Poison Orc’s grin vanished. It was bleeding, and it was angry.
It dipped its fingers in its own oozing black blood—and smeared it down the length of its greatsword.
“A venom blade.”
This just got worse.
Suho readied his stance again as the Poison Orc let out a furious roar and charged.
He couldn’t risk deflecting that sword—it would be suicide.
Instead, Suho kicked off the ground, dodging backward and twisting his torso midair.
Boom!
The orc’s punch scraped past his cheek and slammed into the cave wall.
Now, the Poison Orc had one hand pinned. Suho had both hands free—and they were face to face.
He swung.
The blade cut across the orc’s neck—and the monster, in turn, spat a mouthful of thick black blood in his face.
Disgusting. But there was nowhere to dodge.
Suho swung again, ending it.
He shut his eyes tightly to protect them.
The stench made his stomach churn.
A single drop on his lips sent a searing pain across his face.
Suho bit down on his lower lip—forcing his mouth shut.
His skin burned like it was scorched.
Slowly, he opened his eyes—just in time to see the Poison Orc collapse, its face twisted in a final, gruesome smile.
“Huff… Huff…”
Four orcs remained.
They weren’t charging in a line like soldiers anymore—they were spreading out, trying to surround him.
That was fine. The orcs far in the distance could be ignored for now.
“Huff…”
After some guttural exchange, three orcs moved in together, while the last one shifted to block any path of escape.
“Gunma.”
“Mamma.”
Unlike Soma and Charming, who usually rode on his shoulder or chest pocket, Gunma was tucked into Suho’s backpack.
Gunma passed a corn pancake to Soma, who stretched out her arm and placed it into Suho’s mouth.
The pain vanished.
Even the nauseating stench disappeared in an instant.
Still, Suho feigned staggering, biting his lip again to keep up the act.
‘Come at me.’
Fighting five orcs—even with summoned allies—was pushing it.
But three? That was manageable.
Because Suho had been holding back the true strength of Soma, Gunma, and Sarang the whole time.
Screeeee!
A Poison Orc howled and charged.
One in front. One on the left. One on the right.
“Isolate and eliminate.”
Fwoosh! Bang!
Sarang hurled a fireball at the orc to the left, while Gunma—popping out of the backpack—aimed his wooden gun at the one on the right.
Crash! Boom!
The left orc raised both arms to block the fireball, but the force pushed it back.
The right orc didn’t even see the mana bullet—it staggered, roaring in agony before collapsing.
“Soma—take the center!”
As Suho ran toward the downed orc, Soma leapt from his shoulder and dashed toward the middle one.
Thud!
Suho’s black sword pierced through the orc’s skull.
Clang!
Soma’s sword, imbued with aura, knocked aside the central orc’s massive blade.
An opening.
Gunma44 didn’t miss it. He pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The mana round slammed into the orc’s right chest—but missed the heart by inches.
“Maa!”
Close, but not enough.
Soma’s eyes narrowed. She slashed its leg, toppling it, and drove her blade deep.
Two down.
Suho and his summons turned to face the last Poison Orc—but it had already turned to flee, retreating with the other that had blocked the exit.
Escape?
Pursuit?
No hesitation.
Suho dashed forward, chasing after them.
Orcs weren’t as smart as humans—but they could think. If he let these survivors escape, the Poison Orcs’ war campaign could accelerate.
Using a massive burst of mana, Suho caught up, leapt, and drove his sword through one’s back.
Soma followed through, skewering the other through the head with her long wooden sword.
“Huff…”
Taking down three was easier than one—when you’ve got your summons.
“Summoners really are the strongest.”
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