“Eve, you know where we need to go, right?”
“Of course. We have to head into the Orc-dense area, right?”
“That’s right.”
Eve set her direction to the northwest, and we quickly dashed into the dark forest.
“Karls?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Since only Eve knew our true identities at the moment, Karls naturally spoke to me directly.
Unlike when he spoke casually, now his demeanor was very relaxed.
“How’s the durability of the shield right now?”
“I think it’s above 85%.”
“Good.”
Karls was currently equipped with the Shield of Balance, and Eve was carrying the same shield.
It was the very shield we had snatched from the black market in Aurax Back Alley.
[Armor] A shield designed for the Judicator of the Lawless Arena. It is small enough to be used with a sword but surprisingly sturdy and heavy.
It has a bound skill called ‘Strike and Roll’.
I was moving through the forest late at night to ‘awaken’ this Shield of Balance.
The ‘awakening’ of an item.
It meant an item placed under specific conditions would be reborn with new appearances and functions.
Of course, not every item could awaken!
And awakening didn’t turn an item into something completely new.
The item’s grade stayed the same, even though its appearance changed.
‘Just one or two new features added?’
A minor upgrade.
‘Or a side-grade, if you will?’
That was the awakening function.
But now I planned to use this minor process to solve this quest.
Because the Shield of Balance we painstakingly got from the black market was made for just such a purpose.
I asked the small light flickering in the darkness.
“Eve, you’re going to fetch the Rock Crystal, right?”
I saw her flinch while running.
“…How did you know?”
I chuckled.
“Just a guess. You’re the kind of person who cares about those things terribly, so I figured you’d invest in defense somehow.”
“You’re kind of unpleasant. I wish you’d get out of my head.”
“Simple deduction.”
The Shield of Balance combined with the Rock Crystal transforms into the Awakened Shield of Stone.
With that, you gain absolute defense on Stone Hill.
“You originally planned to combine the Grass Crystal to protect the squad, right?”
“…Get out of my head before I kill you.”
Eve grimaced as I read her thoughts again in succession.
I chuckled at her reaction.
She glanced back at me and said, “You’re obviously going for the Flame Crystal, right? Because you’re going to use the Surge Strategy?”
“Of course.”
“Do you need help? I could give up the Rock Crystal and come with you.”
“…”
Eve’s words gave me a strange feeling.
Help.
Help, huh…
Of course, I had received a lot of assistance from Karls and Tirvaen along the way.
But hearing that word from someone who understood the game as well as I did echoed strangely in me.
Suddenly, I felt like I wasn’t alone.
But I shook my head.
“No need. How about you?”
“Same here.”
We both clearly knew what we had to do.
Compared to the coming Ultra Wave, fetching what we needed from the Orc Village was an easy task.
So we didn’t need help from each other.
“Be careful.”
“You too.”
As we entered the Orc-dense area, Eve disappeared in an instant.
“Let’s go, Karls.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
I started running toward where the Flame Crystal was.
I pictured the strategies and tactics I could use in my head and set my goal.
“Finish within 30 minutes.”
No need to drag it out.
I planned to get the Flame Crystal and get out in exactly half an hour.
Ah, but…
“Now that I think about it, there was one more thing I had to get.”
“The Soulstone of the Orc Warrior to give to Shark Robren?”
“Right, that. You remember?”
“I kind of like that guy.”
“Oh, really? Then you should handle it!”
“Why am I the one doing that?”
I chatted alongside Karls as we plunged into the black forest.
A moment later, a village teeming with orcs appeared.
It was the village of the Flame Orc Tribe.
This was the place where the items I needed were.
In the northwest part of the hunting grounds where Gilroshan and Eve had entered, there were five small Orc villages.
Fire, Water, Grass, Stone, and Iron.
Each village was home to green Orcs who bore different emblems on their chests.
But there were also Orcs who lived alone, belonging to no village.
Those were the Orc Shamans.
“…Ssskk.”
The Orc Shaman, with long fangs peeking between his white beard, was asleep deep inside a cave.
His aged nostrils twitched busily as he breathed in and out.
At that moment, a low voice ordered from the cave entrance.
“Subdue him.”
“Sssk! Who goes there!”
The Orc Shaman’s eyes snapped open at once.
A flash began at his wrinkled fingertips.
[Attack Magic: Axe Fury]
Two gleaming white axes tore through space and sprang out.
Though summoned by magic, these axes had substance, not mere illusions.
“…!”
The eyes of the two masked men charging at the orc with swords flickered wildly.
Surprisingly, the axes were cast precisely targeting them, and they were moments away from their heads being split open.
But the axes shattered easily.
[Counter Magic: Deceitful Toss]
A pale light poured in from outside the cave, erasing the axes instantly.
“Cheh, damn!”
The flustered Orc Shaman began chanting another spell.
But it was too late.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
Shing, shing.
The two masked men rushed in, and the Orc’s wrists were already gone.
“Ssskiiikk!”
The Orc Shaman collapsed on the ground, blood spraying.
“We’ve subdued him, Chief Priest!”
They sheathed their swords and bowed side by side toward the cave entrance.
Then the Chief Priest slowly appeared.
Clack, clack.
He was the one who had used holy magic from outside the cave to easily nullify the Orc Shaman’s attack magic.
“Good work.”
The displeased gaze belonged to Ervia Watts, the second-in-command of the Crimson Priesthood of the Kishiris Grand Cathedral.
Ervia swept her short chestnut hair back with a sigh.
“What a nasty cave. Just like this mission.”
The two bowed men removed their masks and smiled faintly.
“Can’t be helped.”
“We’re doing this for the glory of Kishiris, after all.”
But Ervia shook her head.
And thought to herself:
‘Glory my foot. We’re the ones trying to earn glory, not the Celestial God.’
Originally, this mission wasn’t hers.
It was supposed to be performed by Vanessa, the former Chief Priest who had directly planned the operation…
‘But she suddenly retired and disappeared without a word.’
Considering Vanessa’s quick-tempered, aggressive personality, it was strange.
Anyway, the Chief Priest position had suddenly fallen to Ervia, and along with it, this mission.
‘I don’t like it, but what can I do?’
…When told to do something, you just do it.
“Give me that.”
Ervia held out her hand, and the escort priests handed over a heavy object.
It was the Iron Collar.
Though it was made like handcuffs, it was large enough to fit around the neck.
Ervia slowly approached the Orc Shaman.
The orc seemed resigned to his fate, not moving.
“So we put this on like this…”
Click.
“If I just infuse my divine power into it, the Monster Flood will begin, right?”
Since she hadn’t made the item herself, Ervia wasn’t certain.
She was only following instructions from her predecessor.
“You said to start at midnight, so there’s still some time.”
Ervia scratched her head.
“Yes, we arrived too early.”
“Ah! That’s why the shaman was half-asleep and resisting?”
“…I guess I’m just too diligent.”
Ignoring the resentful looks from the junior priests, Ervia glanced outside the cave.
The moon was full and clouds drifted across the night sky.
‘Somewhere out there, tonight, there are people asleep who don’t know their fate.’
She frowned at the creeping unease.
Chief Priest Ervia Watts.
A faint voice entered her mind.
It was a remote communication spell, from someone she knew well.
“Oh, Grace High Priestess?”
It was the voice of the Grand Priest watching over this hunting ground from the northern fortress.
Yes. I urgently have something to discuss, so I’m using the communication spell.
“…?”
How urgent could it be?
Unscheduled remote communication spells consume more mana than imagined.
Especially over such a long distance.
So the fact that Grace High Priestess was speaking now meant it was important and urgent.
Do not cause a flood tonight. Absolutely not!
Ervia’s expression soured.
‘What now?’
She just wanted to finish quickly and leave.
But when told to do something, she did it.
“So what should I do? Wait until tomorrow night?”
But the Grand Priest’s answer was quite irresponsible.
You decide.
“What? What does that mean…”
- Send the escort priests toward the children’s side to assess the situation. Then you’ll understand what I mean. That’s all.
“Ah, no, Grand Priest!”
The communication abruptly ended.
“…Hmph.”
This damn order is disgusting. I should quit this cult life.
Click!
Ervia irritably removed the shackles from the Orc Shaman’s neck and stood up.
“You two, immediately go to Stone Hill to assess the situation and report.”
“Understood!”
The escort priests picked up on the gravity in her low voice and immediately moved.
Ervia began casting a healing spell on the Orc Shaman’s wrists.
His palms didn’t regrow, but the bleeding stopped quickly.
“Sssk, what are you doing?”
The startled orc asked.
But the Chief Priest scratched the side of her head and sighed deeply.
“That’s what I want to know, you bastard.”
“…?”
“What the hell is going on?”
Because she couldn’t figure it out.
And at that moment,
Gilroshan and Karls stealthily infiltrated the center of the Orc village.
I held the Swift Arrow and moved slowly with Karls.
‘About 50 orcs, roughly.
That’s how many were wandering around this Flame Orc Tribe village.
Since it was midnight, not all were awake, but many guards were prowling around, hissing.
We were filming an espionage action movie in the middle of it all.
“…”
To fool those with sensitive noses,
Karls and I wore the Orc Leather Armor we had stolen and moved only through places where moonlight couldn’t reach.
“Your Highness, I feel like throwing up.”
“I think I already am.”
Whatever leather it was made from, the Orc armor gave off a terrible stench.
[Unexpected Event: Costume Without Measure has occurred!]
[Charm increased by 1.]
I don’t know why my charm went up.
Anyway, it smelled like hugging a homeless man tightly.
But it was unavoidable.
“…Don’t you smell like a human? Sssk!”
“Sssk! You greedy pig, do you want to eat even after eating?”
Since these guys treated humans like food,
if we just wandered around, they’d smell us and track us instantly.
‘If I had come with Tirvaen or the mages, this wouldn’t be necessary.’
We could have just launched a surprise magical attack and slaughtered the rest.
But now, we had to save magic resources.
‘We need to prepare for the defense battle at dawn.’
So I snuck in with just Karls.
We already knew the locations of the things we needed.
We reached the barracks deep inside the Orc village.
“There!”
I gestured to Karls.
“Open the crates gathered there.”
While I kept watch, Karls approached the large stacked boxes in a corner.
“Ugh.”
Plugging his nose against the even stronger disgusting smell, Karls began rifling through the crates.
“Your Highness, I found it!”
He soon found it and shook it excitedly.
It was the Soulstone of the Orc Warrior to give to Shark.
“Okay! Next is the Flame Crystal, and it’s located…”
Just as I started whispering to Karls,
“Sssk?”
Behind the excited Karls,
“What are you guys?”
“Oh, what a delicious smell!”
“Sssk! Humans!”
Three orcs suddenly appeared.
It wasn’t a completely unexpected situation.
So I had already loaded Swift Arrow with an arrow and had the bowstring half drawn.
But someone moved before my arrow did.
[Attack Skill: Triple Cut]
Without even turning around, Karls drew his sword and moved like a gust of wind.