Ch.158Chapter 158. Hero Jin Se-hee

When a man shows interest in another man, it’s natural to feel uncomfortable.

For that reason, when I urgently asked for an explanation, Cheska handed me a file and replied.

“I want to write evaluation reports on the expedition members.”

“Evaluation reports?”

“I thought it might help with future planning, so I’m compiling data on each expedition member’s specs and abilities.”

Looking through it, I could see profiles of the current expedition members along with approximate stats like those from a status window, as well as detailed notes on their specialties, strengths, and weaknesses.

She must have analyzed them fighting monsters on our journey here, or collected information by talking with members during rest periods.

“…So you want to add mine to this data?”

“Since you haven’t had to take action directly, I haven’t had a chance to write yours. So if you’re going on reconnaissance, I’d like to observe and document it, but…”

Her attitude was closer to a polite request than a demand.

I could refuse if I found it suspicious, but looking at the meticulously organized data, I couldn’t deny it would be helpful for the expedition.

And who knows? Perhaps through her analysis, I could objectively assess my own capabilities and seize an opportunity to reach even greater heights.

“I understand your reason, but you know I can’t constantly protect you in the forest, right?”

“In other words, you want to confirm if I can protect myself.”

Cheska immediately understood my meaning and picked up a nearby pebble.

She then tossed it above her head and swung her hand through the air. The pebble made a slicing sound as it fell downward.

As the surrounding soldiers stirred in surprise, Cheska nonchalantly ignored them, picked up the cut piece, and handed it to me.

“Is this sufficient?”

“…Yes, I don’t need to see more.”

“Then let’s go right away. I think we should search over there first…”

Saying this, Cheska took the lead and walked into the forest.

Taking my eyes off her composed demeanor, I looked down at the pebble piece she had given me and held my breath.

The stone had been split in half without being touched.

And the cross-section was so perfectly straight it looked like it had been cut by a machine.

“Was that magic just now?”

“Wasn’t it more like she channeled aura into her hand?”

“No, it split without her touching it.”

The surrounding soldiers also seemed to realize Cheska’s skill was no joke, but they didn’t appear to understand how the stone had been split.

That was natural.

Without transcendent senses like mine, it would be difficult to spot the “single thread” that shot out from her sleeve in that brief moment when she swung her hand.

“…Aura in a thread?”

But having perceived it, I couldn’t shake the thought that her skill level was absurd.

Even I, with my precision control abilities using spirits, still find this level difficult, yet this young noble clan head used it so casually?

“Hero Hyoseong Woo. Aren’t you coming?”

“Ah, yes. I’ll be right there.”

Whether it was luck or genuine skill, she’s not someone to take lightly.

Putting the cleanly cut stone in my pocket and following after her, a vague tension began to grow in my heart.

*****

The ravine area where we believed the orcs had occupied was beyond the Empire’s jurisdiction.

With rough mountains and rock faces alongside dense trees and undergrowth, it wasn’t easy to survey the surroundings.

The one fortunate thing was that orcs as a species aren’t accustomed to stealth activities, making their traces quite easy to spot.

“Seems they’ve occupied this place for quite some time.”

Footprints scattered haphazardly across the forest floor.

Not just their number, but the lack of consistent direction suggested they had gathered and stayed here for a considerable period.

Given that orcs rival goblins among the ain species in terms of reproduction, it wouldn’t be wrong to assume the entire ravine had become their lair.

“…The village must be that way.”

But no matter how their numbers grow, as social creatures, they ultimately operate from a central location.

From the relatively recent footprints lined up in one direction, I could roughly estimate where the orcs had gathered.

And from the smaller footprints nearby, I could tell that “humans” had also been taken there.

“There are human footprints too.”

Seeming to have noticed the same thing, Cheska examined the footprints closely, adjusting her glasses.

“It seems the orcs took survivors from the previous expedition… Judging by the foot size and stride, they all appear to be female.”

“Well… that makes sense. Orcs have no use for men.”

They kill all the men and rape the women, turning them into sex slaves for breeding.

That’s common knowledge about orcs, but it’s really just a conclusion drawn from observing their habits.

To determine gender just from footprints—does she have a talent for deduction that matches her appearance?

“By the way, you seem quite skilled at this kind of investigation… Have you worked as a scout before?”

Cheska casually asked me this question, the file and pen in her hand indicating this was for her evaluation report.

“Yeah, something like that. Porters usually choose the scout class for safety.”

“So you chose scout during your porter days.”

-Scribble, scribble.

Cheska wrote in her evaluation report after hearing my words.

Her writing stopped, and her gaze shifted toward me.

“Then, what is your class now?”

My body twitched nervously.

When I remained silent and continued forward, Cheska finally looked up from her file and stared at me.

“…Hero Hyoseong Woo?”

“Do I really have to say that?”

“It’s necessary for the evaluation. Class does affect combat potential to some extent.”

Ah, yes. That’s certainly true.

But still feeling reluctant to say it directly, I turned my gaze away and answered in a quiet voice.

“…Spear holder.”

“Spear holder? As far as I know, there’s no class called spear holder…”

Her questioning voice cut off mid-sentence.

Then, as if having realized something, Cheska pushed up her glasses and spoke in a serious tone.

“I see. Hero Hyoseong Woo, you’re a male prostitute.”

“Do you really have to say that out loud?”

“I merely spoke the name of the class. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“…Just because something’s technically correct doesn’t mean you should say it.”

Facts can be violent, and stating facts can get you sued for defamation.

“Anyway, just continue the investigation. Don’t worry about my class.”

“If that’s what you want, I’ll do so.”

Cheska reluctantly continued tracking as I grumbled.

After some time passed, Cheska adjusted her glasses and spoke in a blunt voice.

“Again, I want to clarify that when I said ‘male prostitute,’ I was only referring to the class name, not implying anything else…”

“I said I get it, so please be quiet.”

This guy. Surprisingly holds onto things.

Why is this man so narrow-minded?

“Kyaaaah!!!”

As I was dwelling on my irritation, a scream came from the distance.

Both Cheska and I stopped tracking and turned our attention to where the scream had come from.

“…Hero Hyoseong Woo.”

“I know.”

We now knew where to search.

As we moved toward the source of the sound, the smell of blood grew stronger in my nostrils.

Whatever was happening ahead, it wouldn’t be surprising at all.

****

Orcs.

Though dull-witted by nature, they clearly possess social tendencies that lead them to live in groups, and their physical prowess exceeds that of normal humans, making them objects of fear for those who are unprepared.

Of course, they’re no match for someone with sufficient power, but that’s only when their numbers are few.

No matter how powerful and destructive a hero might be, it’s impossible to defeat an endless horde of orcs.

‘Damn, those cursed orcs.’

Overlooking this fact, the expedition team that had confidently charged into the orc horde suffered near-total annihilation, with only female survivors being bound and dragged away by the orcs.

Despite this, the hero representing the group, Seheui Jin, couldn’t bring herself to acknowledge that the current situation was her mistake.

‘What’s going on? Aren’t orcs supposed to run away in fear once you kill enough of them?’

Though their numbers might be overwhelming, as living beings, they still experience fear.

Their confident charges only happen when they have the upper hand; when their vanguard is mercilessly slaughtered, they typically scatter and flee in terror.

She had expected these orcs to behave the same way, but instead, when their front-line orcs died, the rest seemed to go berserk and charged even more fiercely.

‘That’s right, I didn’t do anything wrong. It’s just that the orcs in this ravine are strange…!’

Yes, this defeat was certainly not her fault.

Even if she had acted on rigid preconceptions about orcs without proper reconnaissance, even if she had killed orcs on sight without gauging their numbers, even if she hadn’t prepared for such a worst-case scenario resulting in near-total annihilation of the expedition with most men dead and surrendered women bound and dragged to the orc village.

None of that could possibly be the fault of her, the hero.

“H-hero, what’s going to happen to us now?”

“Hiiing, I don’t want to die like this…”

Nevertheless, the expedition members who had been dragged to the village and forced to sit down were expressing worry and resentment.

Feeling irritation rise within her, Seheui Jin began to glare at them venomously.

“All of you shut up and be quiet! You’re not going to die anyway, so why are you whining?”

Although the men had all died, being born female at least gave them a chance to preserve their lives.

As long as they stayed alive, there would be a chance to be rescued by future subjugation forces.

But they couldn’t even wait for that, instead cursing the very fact that they had survived.

“B-but if we stay here, the orcs will do those things to us.”

“I’d rather bite my tongue and die than be violated by an orc.”

“Ugh, I’ve never even done it before…”

Given the ain species’ ability to reproduce through interbreeding with different races, it was obvious what fate awaited the women who had been dragged to the village.

Even if rescue came eventually, by then their bodies and minds might be damaged beyond repair.

“Enough with the whining. Just think about enduring quietly.”

But she had been prepared for that as well.

Rather, she looked down on them for coming this far without such resolve, and spent time dwelling on her irritation alone.

‘Damn women, with all the hardships you’ll face in the future, you’re already whining over this much.’

Wasn’t it natural to think these people who had come to assist her in her mission to save the world were pathetic for being unable to endure this and resorting to wailing?

But such differences clearly separated her, the extraordinary one, from them.

‘I will never submit.’

As she contemplated the future and prepared for what was to come, Seheui Jin’s eyes caught sight of an orc approaching through the gathered orcs in the village.

A figure with a physique that seemed a class larger than the other orcs, wearing a feathered hat with religious overtones, facial tattoos, and carrying a pillar on his shoulder thick enough to be called a totem.

“Are you the leader of this human group, woman?”

While the expedition members trembled at the imposing presence, Seheui Jin alone smiled confidently at his appearance.

Although she had been restrained due to being outnumbered, an enemy like this would be no match for her if she were at full strength, regardless of his size or power.

“Do you know how many of our kind died by your hand?”

“Ha, are you going to tell me to birth as many as I killed or something like that?”

Whatever happened, as long as she survived, there would always be a chance to counterattack.

Soon, Seheui Jin raised her chin defiantly, as if challenging the orc chieftain.

“Go ahead and do whatever you want. But you should remember one thing. No matter what you do, I will never submit.”

“Very well, I respect your spirit and will grant you a painless death.”

The totem was raised with a whooshing sound.

As it blocked the sunlight and cast a shadow, Seheui Jin’s face turned pale as she realized something was going terribly wrong.

“W-what!? Wait…!”

“I will avenge our fallen kin with your blood! Glory to Hellcry!!!”

-KWANG!

A thunderous sound erupted as the totem’s mass was brought down with tremendous force.

“Kyaaaah!”

The expedition members, splattered with blood, screamed in unison.