Chapter 106: Glad to Meet You

Kwawangg!

The axe of Orc Leader Kite and Jinwoo’s sword clashed.

The collision of their immense powers made the air itself seem to vibrate with a tingling sensation.

“Hahaha! You’re amazing! This is the first time I’ve been pushed back in terms of pure strength!”

Kite swung his massive axe with the practiced ease of a chef wielding a kitchen knife.

Usually, a larger weapon meant slower speed.

But perhaps because of his sheer size and strength,

There was almost no difference in speed compared to a regular sword.

‘Such wasted skill.’

It wasn’t just brute force, either.

His attacks were rough but skillfully blended swordsmanship and tactics.

He must have undergone considerable training, not just relied on natural talent.

The more they fought…

Jinwoo couldn’t understand why such a skilled individual was serving under a Dark Elf.

‘I don’t think that Dark Elf is stronger than this guy.’

He’d taken a quick look around, but none of the other Orcs seemed stronger than their leader.

Among the Dark Elves, the woman who appeared to be the leader was the strongest, but

She wasn’t a match for the Orc standing before him.

Jinwoo could subdue him with just Telekinesis.

Yet, the hierarchy between them was clear.

The Dark Elf commanded the Orc as her subordinate.

‘Did they get leverage on him somehow?’

Or perhaps the Dark Elves vastly outnumbered the Orcs.

Maybe they were mercenaries hired for money.

He wondered if there was some other circumstance at play.

‘Well, that doesn’t excuse their actions, though.’

Kite swung his axe in a wide arc, seemingly intending to cleave the very space.

Jinwoo lightly dodged backward, thrusting his short sword in return.

The opponent narrowly avoided it as well, but

Kite momentarily lost his balance.

This time, Kite had no choice but to step back.

“Kugh! As expected, you’re incredible!”

“If it were my past self, I wouldn’t have stood a chance against you.”

“Kuhaha! Humility is a warrior’s virtue! Though we’re enemies, I find myself liking you more!”

Kuwung!!

Jinwoo and Kite’s fists collided mid-air.

Kite was pushed back slightly, but definitively.

“N-No way!”

“Our Leader is losing in strength…”

The surrounding Orcs gasped in disbelief.

Meanwhile, the women in Jinwoo’s party wore expressions that said, ‘We knew it.’

In fact, considering Jinwoo’s current strength,

The fact that the battle was even ongoing was a miracle in itself.

‘Heh, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you enjoy a fight this much.’

Hilde thought inwardly as she watched them.

Jinwoo was clearly dragging out the fight deliberately.

If he wanted, he could end it instantly with Skills like ‘Instant Acceleration’ or ‘Telekinesis’.

But Jinwoo was intentionally fighting using only pure physical prowess.

‘Is he gauging the enemy’s skill? Or perhaps confirming his own growth?’

Hilde and Shin Seom-hwa had also sparred with Jinwoo, helping him grow.

They had grown through those sessions too.

But a real fight was a different story altogether.

Jinwoo was continuously growing as he fought the Orc Leader in real-time.

‘If he goes all out now, we three might not even be a match for him combined…’

Jinwoo’s growth was monstrous to that extent.

The Orc before him was certainly a formidable opponent, but

He was still no match for Jinwoo.

• Ppeong!

At that moment, Jinwoo’s kick landed squarely on Kite’s chest.

The Orc’s massive body flew backward, crashing heavily onto the ground.

• Kudangtang!

“L-Leader!”

The Orcs rushed over to check on their leader.

The Dark Elf watched the scene, biting her lip tightly.

“Since we won, we can do as we please, right?”

Jinwoo shouted confidently.

He looked completely unharmed, which was hard to believe after such an intense battle.

Seeing this, the Dark Elf’s eyes narrowed sharply.

She never expected these peculiar individuals to possess such strength.

But she couldn’t just let them go.

‘That damn Orc screwed things up for nothing…’

What would happen to her reputation if she retreated in defeat now?

Her pride wouldn’t allow her to flee in fear while her subordinates were watching.

As the Dark Elf stood there, unable to act,

“Wait a moment.”

A woman wearing a deep hood emerged from behind.

She was of a slightly petite stature. Stepping forward, she stood beside the Dark Elf and spoke in an arrogant tone.

“They are outsiders. Letting them go like this is dangerous. We must kill them definitively, even if it means suffering casualties here.”

The one who reacted to her words was the fallen Orc Leader, Kite.

“What nonsense is that, Priestess! We already agreed to let them go if we lost the duel.”

“Hmph.”

Despite the Orc’s outcry, the woman merely looked down at him with disdain.

As if her decision was final.

“You are merely our tool. Does a master need to honor a promise made by a tool?”

“Kugh! We endured every humiliating thing you forced upon us.”

Even while bleeding from the mouth, Kite gritted his teeth.

“How much more must you insult the spirit of a warrior before you’re satisfied, Xiao Lin!”

“……What?”

At his words, everyone’s gaze shifted to the hooded woman.

The woman let out a deep sigh.

Then, she reached up and removed the hood covering her head.

“Ah.”

Black, straight hair and black eyes.

It was Xiao Lin, who had been their colleague.

“How… how is this possible…?”

The one muttering that was their Team Leader, Shin Seom-hwa.

She couldn’t help but be shocked.

Her former teammate had suddenly reappeared as a priestess for the Orcs and Elves.

She had thought Xiao Lin might possibly be alive, but

She never imagined they would meet like this.

“I’m glad you’re alive, Xiao Lin.”

Amidst the commotion, Jinwoo spoke.

Jinwoo felt the corners of his lips lift unconsciously.

He suppressed the urge to throw his dagger, Adol, right away.

It wasn’t because of the circumstances or reason.

It was because he worried Xiao Lin might ‘die too easily’.

‘I can’t let her die that easily.’

The one who framed him,

Who might have ruined his social standing.

He couldn’t end his grudge and desire for revenge with just that.

“I truly, genuinely wanted to see you, Xiao Lin.”

“……You wanted to see me?”

“Because on that uninhabited island, more than anyone else, I wanted to kill you myself.”

“……I don’t know what happened, but it seems you’ve gotten quite strong.”

Her gaze shifted to Han So-young and Shin Seom-hwa standing behind him.

Then, she let out a deep sigh.

“Besides, it looks like you’ve already figured everything out.”

Not only Shin Seom-hwa, but Han So-young, the person directly involved, was with Jinwoo.

Just seeing that should have been enough for her to grasp the situation.

She must have known there was no turning back.

“Maya, let’s take care of everything.”

Xiao Lin said to the Dark Elf leader beside her.

“Are you okay? They look like acquaintances.”

“They are merely a past entanglement that has now disappeared. Those people will also consider you and yours as enemies. There are no options left besides fighting now.”

Maya, the Dark Elf addressed, seemed to hesitate slightly.

But then she nodded.

“Everyone, prepare to attack!”

At her command, the Dark Elves, as well as the Orcs, gripped their weapons.

Only Orc Leader Kite wore an expression of utter dismay.

Unfortunately for him,

Jinwoo had no intention of holding back anymore either.

“Haaah, I thought this was a chance to build a harem. What a shame.”

“Are you insane?”

Jinwoo chuckled at Shin Seom-hwa’s words.

“It’s fine to kill them all. Ah, just not Xiao Lin.”

Hilde readjusted her spear, and light bloomed from Shin Seom-hwa’s hand.

Just as the two groups were about to clash,

“Now! Fire everything!”

A voice suddenly echoed through the forest.

Simultaneously, arrows rained down from various bushes.

“W-What?!”

The arrows bypassed Jinwoo’s party and struck precisely within the Elf encampment.

The Dark Elves panicked and scrambled in confusion at the sudden assault.

Just then, something else burst out from the bushes.

It was also an Elf.

However, unlike the ones present, its skin was white.

“This way!”

An Elf shouted towards Jinwoo’s party.

The women’s gazes turned to Jinwoo.

After a moment of consideration, Jinwoo quickly processed the situation.

He gave a slight nod.

At the same time, Jinwoo’s party began running after the Elves.

“No! Catch those bastards immediately!”

Xiao Lin’s shout could be heard from behind them.

She must be quite desperate.

It made sense, after all.

If they let Jinwoo escape now, they couldn’t even begin to imagine what kind of revenge he might exact.

‘That’s probably why she ordered them to attack us recklessly.’

Dragging unrelated races into this just to save herself.

Her actions were still utterly despicable.

‘By the way, I followed them, but… who is this elf?’

Jinwoo didn’t have a grand reason for following the suddenly appearing Elf.

Firstly, because there was no guarantee his party would escape unscathed if they fought immediately.

Secondly, he thought it might be easier to deal with the enemies this way.

‘If they’re willing to make the first move and help us… it’s safe to assume they’re hostile towards the Dark Elves.’

Using the enemy of his enemy would make things much simpler.

There was no need to take unnecessary risks.

‘Most importantly, there’s still too little information.’

How Xiao Lin ended up among that group.

Why the Orcs obeyed the Dark Elves.

And who exactly these new elves were.

He needed to act with certainty after gathering facts.

“Phew, we should be safe now that we’ve reached this point.”

After running for quite some time, the Elf who guided them spoke.

It was an Elf with striking pointed ears, white skin, and blonde hair.

The Elf still seemed somewhat young.

Perhaps because of that, her chest was slightly prominent.

‘…Or maybe not? Is it because I’ve only been seeing women with large breasts?’

Even Han So-young, who was relatively petite, had a considerable bust.

Perhaps this was just average.

“Why did you help us?”

Hilde asked. The Elf shrugged nonchalantly.

“Well, you looked like quite capable individuals. We figured it was better to fight alongside us than to die for nothing.”

So, they had their own calculations involved.

Though, Jinwoo’s party would likely have survived even without their help.

“Does that mean you are hostile towards the Elves we just fought? Why, when you’re the same race?”

At Jinwoo’s question, the Elf made a face like she was going to throw up.

“Blegh! You think we’re the same as those crazy bitches? Can’t you tell by the skin color?”

Hmm, so Dark Elves and regular Elves really didn’t get along.

Just like Orcs and Elves.

It seemed there was a complex web of relationships between the races.

“Anyway, let’s go. We’ll invite you to our village, as you seem to have nowhere else to go.”

The Elf said with a smile.