“Grarr! Po! Marsh!”
The Orc Captain shouted.
The pronunciation was clear and purposeful, audible even to my ears.
Unlike the pig-headed brutes I knew, this was language conveyed with definite intent.
“Graaa!!!”
A bearded Orc swung his axe and charged.
I deflected the blow with my shield, throwing him off balance, [Lv. 21 Orc Shock Trooper defeated.]
Thrusting my blade swiftly, I stabbed his neck to subdue him instantly.
‘Is this the density of their muscles?’
Far tougher than the Ratman I faced in the sewers.
If the blade sank in, it could have created an opening.
“Finishing move! Gobori Powder Property!”
Boom!
Gobori fired the newly acquired slingshot.
A bomb about three centimeters in diameter exploded loudly.
“Grrr…”
“Eh?”
Though it didn’t cut off the Orc’s breath, “Graaa!!!”
The enraged Orc lunged at Gobori.
“Eek! Brother! Brother!”
Gobori cried out in panic.
I quickly slipped between Gobori and the Orc.
Crack!
“Clack!”
I sliced the Orc’s leg, bringing him down.
[Lv. 21 Orc Shock Trooper defeated.]
Thrusting again, I ended it with a stab to the neck.
“Brother!”
Gobori’s eyes sparkled as he looked at me.
I patted his shoulder and continued the fight.
“Keep drawing their attention like this. You’re doing well.”
“Y-Yes? Drawing their attention? Yes! Leave it to me! Gobori Powder Property!”
Boom!
Gobori gleefully fired the slingshot again.
Its power was modest, but just stealing their focus was enough.
“Grarr! Po! Maka!”
The Orc Captain charged next.
He wielded a massive axe the size of his head, fiercely rushing in.
“Finishing move! Gobori Powder Property!”
Boom!
The powder exploded on the Captain’s head at just the right moment, providing cover.
I quickly slashed open the Captain’s belly.
Thunk!
“Grraak!”
Yet the Captain didn’t fall.
He staggered back a few steps and collapsed on the ground.
This level of attack wasn’t enough to take his life.
“Grarra!”
At the same time, another Orc charged in.
I knocked the attacking Orc’s arm up with my shield.
“Grrak!”
The Orc grunted, dropping his club.
‘Is it too close to swing a sword?’
Thunk!
“Click!”
I slammed the pommel into the Orc’s eye.
When swinging isn’t possible, this tactic works well.
[Lv. 21 Orc Shock Trooper defeated.]
Thunk!
I quickly slashed the retreating Orc.
Stepping on the fallen Orc, I leapt into the air.
“Grr… Orca!”
The Captain rose to his feet, growling.
I brought my sword high and struck down on the Captain’s head.
Crunch!
[Lv. 22 Orc Squad Leader defeated.]
Phew!
That took care of all the Orcs.
‘So his exact position was Squad Leader?’
He was quite a formidable foe, worthy of that title.
“Wow. As expected of our Dolsoe, huh? That was awesome!”
Rose flew over, smiling.
“Hehe! This time I pulled my weight! I owe you one… well, more like what I usually owe you! I did my part! Heng!”
Gobori puffed out his chest proudly.
“Heh. Good job.”
I wiped the blood off my blade with a small smile.
The slingshot itself wasn’t powerful, but it helped enough.
“They were tough opponents. It was interesting how they coordinated with each other. Definitely better than the Orcs in the world I used to live in.”
I said this on the way to the next location.
“Heh heh. That’s because, you see? These Orcs come from a world called ‘Orccraft,’ where Orcs worship battle. They love physical training and consider dying in combat an honor. That’s why they only attack you. In other words, they want to die at your hands. Like warriors who want to die in battle to get to Valhalla, you know?”
“Really? So they’re perfect warriors?”
“Exactly! That’s the kind of reputation they want! If they drop their weapons during battle, they’ll wait until they pick them up again. Such fascinating creatures, the Orcs of Valhalla.”
Gobori wiped his nose and replied.
No wonder they circled around and targeted only me.
They were somewhat interesting creatures.
“Mok! Marsh!”
“Kaa!”
Soon, we encountered more Orcs.
[Lv. 21 Orc Shock Trooper defeated.]
[Lv. 21 Orc Shock Trooper defeated.]
Of course, they weren’t difficult opponents.
Knowing they were targeting only me, I left Rose and Gobori behind and fought freely.
[Lv. 22 Orc Squad Leader defeated.]
When we took down the second Squad Leader, “Grr… Graaa!!!”
An Orc’s body turned bright red as it appeared.
‘What’s this?’
It looked like it had lost its mind.
I raised my shield and blocked its path.
“Fall back! Gobori! Cover me!”
“Brother! You can’t attack now! DPS Cut! DPS Cut!”
“DPS Cut? What do you mean?”
“You can’t hit it! Fall back!”
Gobori shouted from behind.
“Eek! Damage Reflection! Get away! Don’t hit it!”
Rose also recoiled in fear.
We didn’t know exactly what was going on, so we backed off and kept our distance.
“Grarr! Grushi!”
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The red Orc swung its greatsword, roaring fiercely.
The wind cutting through the air sounded terrifying.
“Why can’t we attack? It reflects damage?”
“It’s more than that! It reflects damage back to the entire party! If you hit it, our whole party will be wiped out, wiped out!”
Rose answered my question.
“Exactly! When its body turns red, if you attack, the damage reflects back! We need to run away for now, run run!”
“Is that so? Then what should we do?”
“They only reflect damage they can endure! That’s why they sometimes get one-shot with a DPS Check, but that’s impossible for us! We have to wait until the red disappears! About twenty or thirty seconds!”
Gobori ran alongside me, explaining hastily.
‘DPS Check? What’s that?’
For now, I just needed to wait until the curse disappeared.
“Guraa!!! Huff, huff…! Guraa!”
The Orc’s attack missed, and it panted heavily.
The red aura vanished from its body, and “Brother! Now’s the time! DPS Time!”
“Ugh!”
Listening to Gobori, I charged the Orc.
Swish! Slash!
“Graaaak!”
No damage reflection this time.
I cut freely, stacking up damage.
“Gkrrak!”
The furious Orc roared.
‘Is the red aura coming back?’
“Brother! DPS Cut! Damage Reflection!”
Sure enough, the curse was returning.
I quickly backed away, taunting the Orc.
“Graaa!!!”
***
After several rounds of attacking and retreating, [Lv. 22 Orc Champion defeated.]
Thunk!
We took down the troublesome Orc.
‘How should I describe this fight…?’
More of a strategy than a battle.
It reminded me of the giant Ratman from the sewers.
[★★ Wandering Swordsman leveled up!]
[★★ Wandering Swordsman Lv. 23]
[★★ Wandering Swordsman → Lv. 24]
[★★ Goblin Sentry leveled up…]
[★★ Goblin Sentry → Lv. 16]
[★★ Goblin Sentry Lv. 17]
[★★ Goblin Sentry → Lv. 18]
[★★ Goblin Sentry → Lv. 19]
[★★★★ Rose Fairy leveled…]
[★★★★ Rose Fairy → Lv. 19]
[★★★★ Rose Fairy Lv. 20]
[Mission Clear!]
[+400 Gold]
[Pet Bonus!] [+80 Gold]
[Pet Bonus!] [+40 Steel Shards]
[+1 Normal Card]
[Champion Monster Defeated] [+1 Normal Card]
And a message popped up.
So the Orc just now was apparently called a ‘Champion Monster.’
It seemed that defeating Champion Monsters rewarded cards.
“Oh! Hero! I trusted you, damn it!”
At that moment, the Village Elder appeared—someone I had forgotten about.
“Ah, you startled me!”
He hadn’t been there moments ago; I didn’t know where he came from.
“As expected of the Hero! Incredible skill!”
“You have defeated the Orcs! Thank you!”
“Wow! Long live the Hero!”
The villagers cheered.
Of course, they cheered into the empty air, not at us.
“Thank you so much for your help. As you can see… our village has been under attack by Orcs. The village is being destroyed, and the Potion Manufacturing Facility has been set on fire. The residents are trembling in fear because of those brutal Orcs!”
The Elder’s voice rose in emphasis.
Then he stretched his arms out toward the sky.
“I know it’s presumptuous, but may I ask a favor? Please save the village. Please take care of the Orcs threatening our home! I beg you!”
Veins bulged in the Elder’s neck.
I shrugged while looking at him.
“That. I don’t have to answer, right?”
“Of course not.”
“Ah, our Dolsoe is starting to adapt, huh?”
Gobori and Rose answered with smiles.
Thunk!
Back to the stage.
There was a satisfying sense of accomplishment for this dungeon.
The Orcs’ skill was notable, but facing a Champion Orc had its own thrill.
“Huh? What’s this?”
“What? These equipments? Where did they come from?”
Gobori and Rose looked amazed.
I checked what was going on, and “Huh?”
On the ground were the pieces Dulv had gathered.
The scimitar and tomahawk were perfectly assembled.
A staff that had been chipped into an unrecognizable shape was restored to its original form.
All were Dulv’s handiwork.
“Did you make these, Elder? From these fragments?”
I asked Dulv.
He bowed his head, looking embarrassed.
“Sorry if I caused offense. I was just bored…”
“No, not offense. I’m just amazed. Did you put it together just by looking at the shapes? In six minutes?”
“It’s nothing special. I just pieced together what was scattered. I’m embarrassed.”
Dulv answered, staring at the floor.
It was quite an impressive sight.
Especially that staff.
It must have been hard to identify the original shape after carving, yet the delicate curves were perfectly matched.
Rose and Gobori were also impressed.
“Wow. But where did these come from? Why are they in our waiting room?”
“Who threw trash in our waiting room? Who did this?”
Gobori and Rose said.
Ah, those were leftover equipment from the previous game, weren’t they?
I glossed over it, pretending not to know.
“So you’re… a blacksmith?”
“Hm?”
“I had a feeling. From your past life, what you used to do.”
While fighting, I’d guessed Dulv’s identity.
That’s probably why he introduced himself as ‘not a warrior.’
Dulv looked at my face for a moment.
Then he gave a bitter smile.
“Ha ha. Even so, what can I do? In Valhalla, the paradise of warriors… there is no place for me.”
Dulv laughed in a lonely voice.
He was right.
Who we were in Valhalla didn’t matter.
Like me, called a 2-star Wandering Swordsman, Dulv was only known as a 2-star Dwarf Shock Trooper.
All our lives and talents were evaluated by the label of two stars.
Dulv’s true life and talents couldn’t be known through the screen.
“So you were a blacksmith? Honestly, you can’t even show off skills like this. Even with a blacksmith’s workshop, I can’t get in! Only weird people go inside. Really.”
Gobori, who was listening, chimed in.
“Exactly. The number of stars has nothing to do with talent. But users think that if the stars are high, that’s all that matters.”
Rose snorted and grumbled.
“What? There’s a blacksmith’s workshop? Where?”
I showed interest in their words.
Dulv nodded and continued.
“There is one. But you can’t enter just because you want to. It’s like a dream.”
‘What?’
‘There really is a blacksmith’s workshop?’
I thought for a moment and checked the screen.
If it could help, I wanted to try anything.
“Ah. You don’t know? It’s right over there! Can you see it?”
“Where?”
“That black door! Inside is the workshop, where you repair equipment or send heroes to sharpen their skills! Oh, sharpening isn’t real; it just sends them to the square. Hehe.”
Gobori scratched his head and laughed.
‘Workshop?’
‘A room with a Crushing Machine?’
Looking closer, there was an arched entrance in the corner.
I confirmed on the screen, “Ah.”
It was there.
A workshop well hidden, blending with the background.
“There’s a blacksmith’s workshop in there? Really?”
I pressed the entrance on the screen and asked.
The Crushing Machine and Anvil appeared.
As Gobori said, it seemed possible to repair and dismantle equipment there.
“Yes! You can get repairs and crafting done in there! A hero must enter to start either process, and usually, any hero in the waiting room can be used. That’s why only certain people can’t enter. Most users only use 5-star heroes.”
“They actually complain about being assigned menial tasks. So funny.”
Gobori and Rose said.
“That’s right. If I could choose, I’d volunteer… but users won’t give me the chance. Since I’m 2-star, they see me as lacking in every way. I can’t even enter the blacksmith’s workshop where I’ve worked my whole life.”
Dulv muttered bitterly.
If he could choose, he’d volunteer.
I tapped the Anvil on the screen.
[Repair/Craft]
A message appeared.
‘Should I press ‘Repair’ here?’
[Equipment available for repair]
[★★★ Sage’s White Staff] [-1,080 Gold]
[★ Ragana Tomahawk] [-290 Gold]
[★ Goblin Scimitar] [-380 Gold]
[★ Odongnamu Shield] [-100 Gold]
[Total 1,850 Gold required]
At the same time, broken equipment flashed in my mind.
‘Hmm.’
A smile crept onto my face.
The opportunity Dulv longed for.
‘Maybe I could give it to him.’