episode_0020

“Then let’s begin.”

Putting the last bit of magic into the communication device hanging on his ear, he spoke.

“-Be careful.”

“Got it.”

With the final contact fading away, he deactivated the communication device after cutting off the magic flow and surveyed the village.

Since none of the orcs handled magic properly, using it recklessly would inevitably lead to trouble as it could easily give them away.

Honestly, if it were up to me, I’d probably swing my glaive once while saying ‘Magic? What’s that!’ and be done with it, but since everyone opposed the idea, I let it slide for now.

Slowly moving his feet, he observed the various facilities around.

Orcs who seemed like blacksmiths.

“[Grunt! Axe maintenance! Please!]”

“[Dip it in the water next to you! Grunt!]”

“Got it!”

Orc chefs preparing ingredients.

“[We’re running low on ingredients, grunt! We need to make some broth!]”

“[Hmm! I brought the broth ingredients!]”

“[Where did you get this, grunt?]”

“[I found it by soaking a bloodied axe in water and brought it as is!]”

“[Grunt! You’re a genius!! Blood makes great broth!]”

“[Praise! I’m embarrassed, grunt!]”

Orcs tending to giant wolves.

-Creak

“[Grunt! Where did the meaty wolves’ food go? If we don’t feed them, they’ll get angry!]”

“[Grunt, the wolves ate it earlier, grunt.]”

“[Grunt? You asked for wolf food, why was it eaten?]”

“[Grunt, I know that! Must have been some kind of sacred offering or something!]”

“[Don’t use difficult words!]”

Sigh..

Surveying the orc facilities, he briefly pondered, ‘Have these guys really become more intelligent?’

If that’s what intelligence looked like for them now, I wondered what level they were at before..

Being orcs rarely seen in games, I chuckled softly as I examined the facilities and personnel, feeling a bit puzzled.

Although there were initial doubts from afar, after a thorough look around, I became certain.

These are dark sorcerers.

“They’re deceiving them?”

How dare they.

The dark sorcerers are deceiving the orcs.

There are several reasons for reaching this conclusion.

1. The orcs were too foolish not to notice the deception.

While the chieftains and shamans might be wise, the rest, being humans of dubious origins, wouldn’t have stood a chance against a group of dark sorcerers.

2. There were no dark sorcerers roaming outside.

If they were dark sorcerers, they should have cursed the axes or raised an army using dark magic, but there was no sign of such activities.

And finally, the third reason.

-Thud! Thud! Thud!

-ღI pray to God that I find the most perfect body, so please stay in this body.

This language felt like scratching one’s ears.

The demeanor of the orc shamans and dark sorcerers circling the massive tent where this language emanated from differed greatly.

The orc shamans dripped sweat profusely with each step, looking like they might collapse from exhaustion, whereas the dark sorcerers appeared remarkably composed.

Though occasionally grimacing, they seemed quite composed, and observing their smooth transitions, I was convinced.

‘These guys are holding back their power.’

The orc shamans will likely collapse or lose their lives once the ceremony ends.

But the dark sorcerers will probably stroll around quite comfortably.

What they plan to do in that state is roughly predictable.

However, that’s not important; what mattered to me right now was the situation at hand.

Ah, these filthy dark sorcerers planning to betray the orcs?

From the perspective of an orc turned human, I couldn’t forgive them.

Deciding to take matters into my own hands against these wicked dark sorcerers, I followed discreetly behind the dark sorcerer heading towards the corner of the tent.

Though other orcs briefly glanced at me since they rarely ventured close to the tent, they soon lost interest.

At this moment, no one paid any attention to me.

I entered the tent after the dark wizard and thought to myself.

“Oh, Lady Sol… Please make me a just dark wizard, Talgokgi..!”

Though I couldn’t hear Sol’s voice, it felt like her face was faintly shining through the clouds in the sky.

…

As I entered the tent, instead of resting, I saw the back of the dark wizard looking at the parchment on the desk.

If this were a game, I would have used Rush Cancel to smash his head, but now using that move would leave me vulnerable.

I casually walked towards the dark wizard.

“..Hm?”

The dark wizard seemed to notice my presence as he turned around, but it didn’t matter much.

“What’s going on? It’s quite unexpected for an orc to enter our tent.”

His eyes held not caution but a mix of curiosity and annoyance.

Ignoring his gaze, I continued towards him.

At this, the dark wizard frowned.

“Are you ignoring me? I thought I had shown enough power to those orc fellows…”

As he conjured black flames in his hand, I halted my steps.

He smirked, “Are you afraid?” but that wasn’t why I stopped.

At this distance, well…

“Pama-ya.”

[Pama’s power swings its tail to punish evil!]

-Zap

“..Hm?”

-Thud

Before he could react, my hand calling Pama grabbed his chin.

“…!!!!!!”

Caught by the massive orc’s hand, he couldn’t even scream, melting away without a sound.

After writhing for a moment, he soon lost strength and slumped, defeated.

One hand being too weak, I folded the dark wizard with both hands and placed him under his bed before sitting on it, gazing at the tent entrance.

Now, who’s next?

..By the way, Pama, do you have a tail..?

Wasn’t it just about power? Why a tail?

…

After dealing with three more dark wizards inside the tent, I rose.

Dealing with dark wizards was surprisingly easy, perhaps due to their lower rank.

Even if I had faced several Lodein-tier opponents, it might have been challenging, but these guys weren’t even mid-bosses in Act 3.

Having killed four in one tent, I casually exited.

-Thump Thump!

-სხეული, რომელზეც ჩამოხვალ,

Hmm, as expected.

No one pays attention to me.

The few dark wizards worth noting are preoccupied with their rituals.

Chuckling inwardly, I glared at the ritual tent emitting an even more nauseating aura than before.

Things seem to be progressing quite well.

I should move faster.

Afterward, I went tent by tent where the dark wizards were stationed, providing my on-site service.

“Orc? Why are orcs in the tent..”

“Pama-ya.”

[Pama’s power…]

-Grasp!

“Chelsea? It’s not time for shift change yet..”

“Pama-ya.”

[Pama’s power…]

-Thud!

“Hmm.. If I wait a bit, won’t it be time for the shift change.. Orc?”

“Pama”

[Pama’s power…]

“Damn, if only those damn smelly orcs weren’t here…”

“Crossed the line.”

[Pama’s power…]

“What..?!”

-Slap!

“Rehu.”

What’s gotten into these stubborn guys?

…

In any case, after dealing with several dark wizards, I reached the final tent.

These dark wizards either don’t guard against orcs at all, making it quite easy.

Whether putting the dark wizard lying on the bed to eternal sleep, dispatching the one looking at the parchment with ease, or handling the one who mentioned something about “Orc Skeletons,” I did it effortlessly.

And as I opened the last tent and entered.

“Why are there orcs here?”

Huh.

This guy was here?

“Not going to answer?”

For a dark wizard, he was quite bold.

A grotesque face with a strange tentacle in place of his left eye.

Carrying a massive greatsword on his back, this guy with a visual that screams “Is he a dark mage or a dark knight?”.

“[Sneer, Quirk of the Outer Eye.]”

“Alright, I’ve heard of you.”

Later in Elise’s story, he plays the role of a mid-boss in a side story, defeating Elise who came seeking revenge and declaring, “Not even worth my time.” Comparable to Rodain, who died with glass shards in his neck due to not using a friend shield.

With a demeanor so confident that he doesn’t even bother being cautious, I chuckled and spoke.

What needs to be said now is,

“[Sneer! You! I’ve heard you’re an exceptional warrior!]”

-Chuckle

“So?”

Upon an orc, a race inherently composed of warriors, hearing the keywords ‘exceptional’ and ‘warrior,’ his lips curled slightly upwards.

Observing this, I continued speaking.

Approaching him a step closer,

“[Sneer! What other words are needed? I challenge you to a duel! A duel with you, the exceptional warrior!]”

A perfect line.

The orc’s characteristic aggressiveness and tone.

For an orc, challenging an outstanding warrior right before their eyes is ‘common sense.’

To Quirk, a dark mage enveloping his sword with dark magic, my words would indeed be welcomed.

In the game, he occasionally comes out saying, “I’m different from your average dark mage!”

“..Fine!”

As expected.

Understanding my intentions, he rose with a hearty laugh.

As he looked at me with keen interest, I took another step towards him, locking eyes.

Without averting his gaze, he looked at me intriguingly, prompting me to shift my focus back with a serious expression.

“[…Sneer? But what’s that?]”

A perfect expression of genuine curiosity about what it could be.

It’s unheard of for an orc, not a shaman, to lie so cunningly.

One of his eyebrows raised slightly.

“Hmm?”

And as he turned his head back to look behind upon my words.

-Thud.

Grabbing his head,

“Pama, maximum power!”

[Pama’s power roars fiercely! ‘Master is the best!!’]

The moment his hand reached for his body due to his quick reflexes to draw his greatsword,

“What’s this!”

-Zap

I was faster.

“,…!!!!!!”

Ah.

Killing a dark mage.

So easy, isn’t it?

Honor of a duel? Righteousness?

What are those for?

Do they feed you?

Indeed, to these dark mages, the concept of a fair fight was nothing but a joke.

Gazing at Quirk, the outer eye devoid of light, even the remaining eye losing its spark, I thought,

‘Elise, I’ve taken down one of your story bosses!’

Slowly, I contemplated giving Elise gifts, one by one.