Chapter 25: Orc Subjugation (3)
They were resting when it happened.
Boom!
“Damn, that one’s stubborn.”
Kim Suho rose from where he was sitting near the barracks and drew his black sword. An Orc Rider, standing confidently with a sneer, pulled the curved blade from his belt.
“Charming, go jump on the prettiest noona.”
–Maa!
Boom!
Just as Charming launched himself from Suho’s shoulder toward the woman he found most beautiful, Kim Suho charged at the Orc Rider.
The Orc Rider bolted forward with just as much force.
Clang!
Suho’s black sword collided with the orc’s curved blade—both infused with mana. A huge blast rang out, blue human mana and red orc mana blending into a swirling mist of energy.
The mana mist swallowed them both whole.
The swirling mana fog clouded vision and disrupted mana perception.
Whff!
As the sound of slicing wind pierced his ears, Suho instinctively dropped low.
Boom! Smash!
The orc’s massive fist whooshed above his head.
From that low stance, Suho looked up at the beast towering over him. In a flash, he drew a dagger from the pouch at his belt, reversed his grip, and slashed upward.
He aimed for the gut—but the orc anticipated it, lifting a mana-coated leg to guard.
Clang!
“Tch.”
His dagger didn’t even pierce the muscle. Even reinforced with mana, Suho hadn’t expected it to just bounce off.
Grinning viciously, the orc lashed out with a powerful kick aimed at Suho’s chest.
Too close to swing his longsword. Gritting his teeth, Suho thrust his left shoulder forward, reinforced with mana like the orc’s.
Crash! Thud!
“Damn, that hurts.”
The difference in level, physical stats, and mana capacity between them was massive.
Suho got to his feet, slammed his sword into the ground, and twisted his dislocated shoulder back into place with a grunt. The pain was sharp, but he gritted through it.
“Charming, potion.”
Swoosh! Clink!
It wasn’t Charming who responded, but the female Hunter Charming had chosen. She tossed him a potion.
Gulp, gulp. Smash.
What kind of potion was it? Didn’t matter. Suho downed it immediately, dropped the bottle, and gripped his sword again.
Huff.
He’d had plenty of chances to strike, but the Orc Rider hadn’t followed through on any of them.
Suho grinned when he noticed the orc’s right leg trembling.
Back when the orc had lifted his leg to guard, Suho had forced his attack path off-center and aimed not for the shin, but the knee.
Crack.
Suho cracked his neck, bent his knees slightly.
Huff.
The Orc Rider, having steadied the tremor in his leg, shook it out a few times and rested his curved sword on his shoulder.
A moment of silence—and then both warriors charged.
BOOM!
–Maa!
Something was wrong.
The summoned sword-spirit warrior Soma sensed danger had come for his summoner.
Had the others noticed too?
After a brief moment of indecision, Soma sprang high off the fortress rampart.
From the watchtower, Sarang—another of Suho’s summons—was fending off orcs climbing the outer walls. Her eyes met Soma’s in midair.
She understood immediately. The summoner was in trouble.
–Maa!
Letting out a short cry, Soma twisted his body in the air, looking for the gunner summon, Gunma.
He found him perched atop the head of a very tall Hunter, scanning the field. Just then, Gunma turned—he’d felt Soma’s gaze and realized what was happening.
–Maa! Maa!
Soma shouted, and both Sarang and Gunma nodded once before turning back to the Poison Orcs assaulting the outer defenses.
But Soma was different. He landed and leapt down the fortress wall without hesitation.
Suho had hoped to avoid it, but the Orc Rider—clearly a squad leader—was a skilled and formidable warrior.
Orcs fought like humans, using mana and tactics. But unlike human swordplay refined through discipline and tradition, orcs fought with instinct and brute strength—fierce, primal, and brutally effective.
Whoosh!
Dodging the blade, Suho raised his left arm to block the orc’s punch.
Crash!
The difference in level was stark. Suho was pushed back across the ground.
“This is nuts.”
He wasn’t dodging anymore—he was defending. And that meant accumulating damage.
Cough! Spit.
Suho spat blood, pulled herbs from his pouch, chewed them fiercely, and focused all his attention on the charging orc.
Clang!
He parried a strike, countered.
Thud!
He absorbed a blow and stabilized his mana.
He didn’t risk it all for a critical strike. He endured, tenaciously.
“They're here!”
The orc didn’t understand human speech. Suho yelled anyway, gripping his sword in both hands and swinging with all his strength.
Clang!
The orc’s blade was knocked away.
Suho’s eyes locked on the now-exposed chest of the orc. He surged his mana.
The Orc Rider also poured mana into his body, readying himself for a blow—but that was his fatal mistake.
Shunk!
Too late.
He felt it just in time to flinch, twisting slightly. A sharp pain flared in his chest.
Green energy erupted from his sternum—he gritted his teeth.
But instead of seeking the attacker from behind, the orc turned and slashed at Suho before him.
Too late. The damage was done. And Suho’s eyes had changed.
Crash!
The orc sent Suho flying with a heavy blow, then slowly turned around.
Huff.
No one was behind him. Whoever struck had already vanished.
As he prepared to sense for enemies, a strange cry rose from below.
–Maa!
A plant-like humanoid wielding a wooden sword stood there.
The Orc Rider blinked at the strange creature—but the moment green energy flared around the wooden blade, he dove to the side.
For the first time in the entire fight, the Orc Rider rolled across the ground.
Huff.
It didn’t look like much, but the power behind it was massive.
The orc squinted, locking eyes with Soma.
Huuuh...
A breath behind him.
The Orc Rider turned to see Kim Suho walking toward him.
“Round two’s going to be different.”
Kim Suho had no other skills beyond summoning. Not when he awakened, not at level 10, not even at level 20. Only summons.
Was he disappointed?
Clang!
Not in the slightest.
If his summons were weak, maybe he would have been. But they weren’t.
Slash!
“Chhh!”
Though Suho’s sword was deflected, Soma’s blade wasn’t. The Orc Rider staggered back.
Under normal circumstances, even together, they couldn’t defeat the Orc Rider. But now, the orc was wounded, bleeding from a critical hit.
Huff.
It was a sacred duel—and now a third had joined. Yet the orc didn’t rage.
He’d noticed something: every time Soma used sword aura, it was Suho’s mana he sensed transferring.
The Orc Rider looked down at the gash across his body, then at his own hands, clenching and releasing his fists.
He reset his stance and faced Suho again.
Huff.
Suho was still dodging, still blocking. Even with Soma now beside him, he didn’t change tactics. One lapse in focus could still mean death.
If I didn’t have this sword, this armor, or if Soma hadn’t jumped in at the right time…
I’d be dead. No question.
Huff.
The Orc Rider bent his knees.
Suho mirrored the motion.
Snap!
As the orc lunged—
“Ogong! Wall!”
Just like in Ghost Town.
Suho had hidden one summon, just as his Association instructors had once advised.
“It’s only a theory,” the instructor had said, “but if you gain one summon every 10 levels, always keep one hidden.”
“One?”
“Yes. A hidden ace. Something to flip the script. Hide it well—it might just save your life.”
Rumble!
A steel wall burst from the earth, blocking the orc’s charge.
The Orc Rider faltered, thrown off. He couldn’t dodge. Destroying it with his blade would take too long. So he braced, reinforced his body, and slammed into it.
Boom!
He stumbled, then swung his blade.
CLANG!
Two swords descended from above—Suho and Soma in perfect sync.
The orc’s knees buckled. His blade slipped.
As Suho shouted inwardly—
Gunma.
Bang!
A faint gunshot.
The Orc Rider sensed danger, eyes widening.
Too wounded to move, he froze.
The mana-infused bullet pierced his heart.
[You have defeated a monster more than 10 levels above you.]
[Level up.]
[Skill rank has increased.]
Apparently, it was a mid-boss. Along with the level-up, he even gained a skill upgrade.
Check his skills?
Not now.
Suho retrieved his sword, pulled another herb from his pouch, and chewed.
Huff.
He was dead.
The squad leader—and one of the king’s five elite guards—had fallen.
The other Orc Riders froze, staring up at the wall, realizing what had happened.
RAAAAGH!
The orc commander howled, pouring mana into his cry.
The orcs climbing their own dead froze.
The Riders on the ground turned their heads. So did the warriors and mages.
ROOOOOAR!
The orc commander drew his blade and bellowed.
The orcs charged—bloodlust and mana surging, eyes locked on the Hunters.
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