Capturing an orc warrior for the third time.
“That tooth bastard is actually more annoying. Sneaking up and only picking off the weaklings.”
The chimera known as Improved Rough Tooth, with its stealth abilities and quick movements, has only been caught once so far.
It was far more intelligent than the other chimeras I had encountered. It wasn’t the type to shy away from a fight.
Half a day had passed since I returned to Yeon-hee’s side.
Now the darkness was settling in around, making me, who predominantly uses flames, stand out even more.
“Il-wol! It’ll take about a week to merge with Sword Dragon!”
“Clap, Clap, Clap!!”
Yeon-hee was soaring through the sky on Sword Dragon.
A smile crept onto my face at the good news she shared.
“Me merging with Shadow Drake… it’s a bit scary and thrilling at the same time.”
With Yeon-hee’s new ability, she could merge summoned creatures of different entities.
This meant I would be reborn as a new summoned creature merged with ‘Sword Dragon’ in a week.
“Can I still be fully me? What would happen if Sword Dragon’s obnoxious personality merges with mine?”
I had my worries, but it was inefficient to stress over a future that hadn’t happened yet, so I shook off my concerns.
“I should be able to fly without using high-speed flight… It’s really fun being with Yeon-hee.”
Things I had never even dreamed of were becoming reality around her.
Of course, the ability to merge summoned creatures wasn’t limitless.
“To merge with the White Dragon, Yeon-hee needs to level up…”
Yeon-hee was still below level 100.
Once she surpasses that barrier, merging with the true dragon might become possible.
*Crash, crash, crash, crash, crash, crash, crash—!!*
The breath of Shadow Drake ignited a path ahead in black flames.
The orcs that were standing dumbly on that path disappeared without a trace.
*Whoosh—!*
“A chimera throwing a spear?! Ran!!”
As the breath activated, the spear flying towards Yeon-hee was deflected by Ran, changing its path with the wind.
Now, it even showed the use of tools, meaning it was time to deal with the chimera quickly.
[Spiritual Bond— Resonance of Life— Daughters of the Heart Harvesters plead for strength──]
The moment the spear was thrown at Yeon-hee, the twin cast of our twin hunters, Hae-min and Hae-ryeong, activated from the outer wall of my home.
A red-black energy wave shaped like a harpoon twisted and burrowed through the orcs, eventually devouring the upper body of the chimera, which had briefly dispelled its stealth, before vanishing.
“Wow… finally got one.”
The astonishing sight of two A-rank hunters taking down an S-rank monster in one shot.
However, it seemed I was the only one shocked by it.
“Other people must have seen this several times already.”
It was natural for Yeon-hee, Jung Tae-hyung, and the twins to withstand the S-rank monster.
“I can see the number of orcs starting to decrease. They probably are coming from another world, but no matter the scale of the dimension, there must be a limit to how many high-rank fighters there are.”
Orcs weren’t infinitely spawning.
In my past life’s memories, there had been multiple large-scale forces crashing in at intervals of a few weeks, exhausting us at the start.
“For now, we’ve cleared the back and right sides…”
We had already secured paths leading towards the river and the area where the major guilds were gathered.
As if in a fairy tale, civilians and low-rank hunters were quickly influxing along that path.
“They must be converging here because the shelter’s food supply has run dry.”
I had bought massive amounts of food, and while dungeon running, I caught edible monsters like Big Boar, Hanjaring, and Prosphidi whenever I had the chance.
“But that’s not enough… Support from a large guild is necessary.”
Now that we had somewhat cleared the way, it was time to take a cool-headed look at the situation.
“I’m not a volunteer. There’s no way we can keep feeding everyone with our own resources.”
Low-rank hunters were visibly loitering awkwardly at the outskirts of the main camp.
Going out to fight would probably end with heads rolling from the orcs…
And staying inside and only launching long-range skills wouldn’t do much damage against the orcs.
The only ones who had a reason to shine were supporting types or healers, leaving many melee-type warriors as a problem.
“······ What’s the use of just standing around? They’re just wasting food.”
As soon as the thought popped into my head, I flew to Yeon-hee to explain the situation.
“Should we have the low-rank hunters collect Big Boars? Right now? Well… the path is cleared, but I wonder if they might get attacked on the way to the dungeon.”
“Clap, Clap.”
I pointed to the squad of orc skeletons that would be responsible for the escort, assuring her that wouldn’t be a problem.
“Ah… With those kids around, it’s somewhat reassuring. But, Il-wol, can’t those kids enter the dungeon with the hunters?”
“Clap…”
Am I really sending the skeletons I’ve raised into the dungeon?
“Since it doesn’t mention how far I can distance myself… it should be possible, but the issues are whether they can withstand passing through the gate, if my abilities remain, and whether they can carry out their tasks properly.”
While I was lost in thought, Yeon-hee was holding meetings with companions and high-rank hunters like Yeom Tae-seok and Shin Hee-won.
The battle had entered a lull, and the orcs had pulled back momentarily to munch on chunks of meat that dripped blood from the space.
“I think it’s better to have the E-rank hunters just focus on food supply roles. They aren’t really able to fight right now, either.”
“True. The highest number are the orc high-rank warriors… Even D-rank hunters struggle. Hm…”
“Still, D-rank can manage some roles… Will they agree? They probably carry some pride as hunters.”
“I can give it a try. I’d likely be better than you guys, right?”
Yeom Tae-seok volunteered to mediate.
A request from a middle-aged C-rank hunter might get the low-rank hunters to cooperate willingly.
[F-rank and E-rank hunters, gather urgently in the plaza!!]
Before we knew it, our front yard was being referred to as a plaza, becoming a location for key announcements.
At Yeom Tae-seok’s shout, full of magic power, the low-rank hunters startled and rushed to our front yard.
And he calmly proceeded with his persuasion.
A few of the low-rank hunters flushed at our proposal, but since it was true they hadn’t done anything effective, many seemed to actively consider our importance.
Ultimately, over two hundred low-rank hunters began to move towards a nearby low-level dungeon with the task of food procurement.
Their escort duty would be taken on by several high-rank hunters and fifty or so orc skeletons.
“The most critical thing is the lives of the hunters you’re escorting, but it’s better to abandon anyone seriously injured. And if you encounter orc warriors or chimeras, don’t think of running—just fight. It’ll likely end badly anyway.”
[······.]
I explained the action guidelines to the high-rank orc skeletons I had that could at least understand language.
“And enter the dungeon with the hunters to bring back food. Given the current chaos, you should be able to enter a low-level dungeon. If there’s strong resistance while passing through the gate, just give up and wait for the hunters to come out.”
[Clap, Clap, Clap!]
With a powerful salute, the five orc skeletons leading the escort unit followed behind the hunters.
“If orcs can also enter the dungeon, food procurement will become significantly easier.”
It had already been confirmed that the orcs turned into skeletons retained their space functionalities.
Their average space capacity even appeared larger than the hunters’.
“I should be able to bring back a couple of Big Boars whole. Assuming, of course, dungeon access is a given.”
With 250 combined hunters and orcs.
Even if they simply returned safely, our food issue at the shelter would be resolved. Of course, for a dietary balance, long-term needs for vegetables and fruits would still exist.
“Maybe I should have asked them to bring back fruits too…”
In dungeon environments like that of Dire Wolves, there were indeed some food sources resembling common fruit from our world.
“If the system can be stabilized as I think, it could be worth considering.”
*Boom!* *Thud!*
At that moment, something drew closer, shaking the ground even from afar.
*Grrrrrrrrrrr—!!*
“A roar different from orcs… It finally arrived.”
Returning my gaze to the battlefield at the unfamiliar roar, the monster’s head I had anticipated popped up above the orc horde.
“Mmm… I’m really losing my mind.”
An enormous creature towering several heads above the orcs pushed through the orc ranks.
I couldn’t comprehend why that creature was with the orcs from the moment its aura was detected.
“Ogre… Seeing it for real confirms it.”
An ogre had joined the orc legion.
This was certainly a pattern that hadn’t existed in my past life. No, it was a combination I couldn’t even imagine.
– Oh no… Is this world truly doomed?
– What is happening in this world? At this rate, even giants might show up, damn it.
– Hey, Jang. Be careful, your words have weight.
– I just meant it as a figure of speech. Those ogres don’t die easily, it’s a serious matter.
– Hoo… I have to find a way to block it.
With the appearance of the ogre, the atmosphere among the hunters, which had been stabilizing, began to stir again.
It was the same for our companions.
“Damn, those freakishly huge things have shown up.”
“Don’t worry. Whatever comes, I’ll just freeze it all.”
“You know ogres don’t fall to status effects easily, right, Ha-yoon?”
“Ahohoho, I’ve transcended such trivialities, Joo-ah.”
“With Azraelon, I think we’ll be fine…”
Our companions’ confidence soared after hours of battle.
I had captured three orc warriors, led by Krabe and Jung Tae-hyung, thanks to the help of my companions, including Noh Ha-yoon.
(Just trust me!)
‘Azraelon…’
Ham Eun-young seemed to trust Azraelon wholeheartedly. Azraelon was thumping its chest with its fluffy front paws, telling everyone to rely solely on it.
‘Azrael, you shouldn’t let Eun-young depend on you too much.’
(Hmph! I know such things too! But look at the situation. I can’t just stand back.)
‘Well, that’s one way, I guess.’
(The more people there are, the faster Eun-young’s growth. It’s the advantage of area support. I’m also keeping an eye on situations so her growth doesn’t stagnate, so worry not.)
‘Really?’
Yeah, they’d figure it out themselves.
“Are your younger siblings okay? Shouldn’t we bring them?”
“Ugh… The phone’s been dead for a while now. But the non-response of the updates means they should be fine. They’re probably safer there than here since the White Knight Guild is watching over them.”
Ah-rin’s siblings were staying at the White Knight Guild’s base.
It appeared the decision had been made while I was away, which seemed to be the right choice—there was no reason to bring them here with so many strong fighters like Kang Yeon-su stationed there.
– Would you like to shape the doll of Baek Ah-rin?
As I glanced at Ah-rin, the message popped up as if it had been waiting for me.
It was due to the [Doll Shaping Art] I obtained upon job change.
“I should try using it at least once.”
But when I actually tried to invoke it, my hands hesitated. The skill didn’t seem like it would be highly efficient, and I didn’t want to see Ah-rin die for no reason.
“Tch… But I have to use it, right?”
I entered Yeon-hee’s room for a brief moment and activated the [Doll Shaping Art].
*Swish—*
As if tracing a spiral, a magical energy began to rise from the floor, smoothly forming legs, curvy hips, waist, and a face.
“Wow… wow…”
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
