I didn’t necessarily need the system to tell me, I could feel my growth myself.
‘My body… it reacts instantly. I see…’
Gaining a bit more confidence, I looked at the hulking Orc charging at us with an even more self-assured expression.
At first, he didn’t recognize us, but now he was definitely coming for us with clear intent.
‘…No matter how I look at it, this seems tough.’
If even I couldn’t handle that monster, could the ‘White Dragon’ really defeat it?
‘It’s not impossible, but…’
The Orc Battle Commander had now approached to within 600 meters.
He was definitely of a lower rank than the Battle Commander I had seen before.
The White Dragon started to pay attention to him, gathering magic power.
Wobble-wobble—
His neck bones curved as if riding a wave.
Even though the habits of the living had disappeared, it seemed he didn’t forget what to do.
[Karix’s Rage]
‘Hmm?!’
Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-!
The hair-raising energy of lightning sliced through the air and shot up the White Dragon’s neck into the sky.
That tremendous energy opened a dimension and vanished without a trace.
‘What the…? Did he shoot it into the sky?’
This was a whole different skill compared to the magic cannon that was aimed at me earlier. It even involved teleportation. The target of the vanished breath was obvious.
“Graak?!”
A dimensional crack opened above the head of the Orc Battle Commander, who was bouncing around like a ‘Tarantula’, and the breath that the ‘White Dragon’ had unleashed poured down like a waterfall, engulfing him.
“Graaaargh!!”
Kwah-kwah-kwah-kwah-kwah!!
The Orc Battle Commander, unable to respond at all, was slammed deep into the ground before the breath of the White Dragon faded.
‘Crazy… I can’t stop that, can I?’
A deafening silence filled the area.
Hunters were aghast at the sight of what could only be called divine punishment.
‘Wow… Are you insane? That’s really something else!’
A transcendent-level Orc had been struck directly without even being able to lift a finger, falling victim to a supreme skill.
It wasn’t a linear movement like an ordinary breath, instead, it had momentarily disappeared into another dimension before dropping directly onto its target.
‘That’s hard to dodge.’
[Grurrr…]
I couldn’t help but give a thumbs up to the ‘White Dragon,’ who was glancing at me sideways.
‘You’re really strong, huh?’
[Surprised by this breath? If it were my previous self…]
If the ‘White Dragon’ was talking about his past before he became a dragon, what would it even matter? There wouldn’t have been anything he could do against this attack.
‘That must mean he’s comparable to the first dragon that terrified early awakeners during the first wave, right?’
Even reduced to a bonded dragon state, he still showed that level of power.
Kugugugugu—
The Orc, who had momentarily paused his breath, shook off the dirt and stood up without any issue.
‘That pesky Orc didn’t stay down for long. A counterattack will come soon… But the Orc did take some damage…’
The Orc Battle Commander’s defenses were shattered, dealing damage to his health.
That meant the ‘White Dragon’s’ offensive power had already reached a transcendent level.
‘White Dragon! Can you use that technique one more time?’
[That depends on whether you permit it, master.]
‘Ah, that’s right.’
I flew over to Yeon-hee, who was collapsed in the front yard, and handed her the ‘Death-Touched Alchemist’s Potion.’
I had prepared this whenever I had the chance, and the side effects were minimal based on some verification, so it was worth using in a situation like this.
However, it wouldn’t have an immediate effect since its chilling properties were very strong, so I should have bullied Hyeon Il-hwan into getting a bunch of Healing Tinctures instead.
“What’s this?”
As I offered Yeon-hee the potion, she obediently accepted it.
*Tap, Tap, Tap.*
“Got it… I’ll give it a try.”
At that moment, Ah-rin suddenly seemed to remember something and started rummaging through her space.
“Oh, if she’s eating that, take this too.”
Ah-rin handed Yeon-hee a Healing Tincture.
When did she get that?
She even handed me a note with the recipe for the Healing Tincture.
“Representative Kang Yeon-su gave it to me. Il-wol, you need this, right?”
The development of potions had faced some delays unexpectedly, but Yeon-su had been making sure everything was in place.
I handed Ah-rin a few of the Alchemist’s potions.
She smiled brightly and started distributing one to each of her companions.
‘Wait, but where did this Representative Kang Yeon-su come from? Did they vote out Jo Gi-man?’
It seemed like a lot had happened while I was away.
Jo Gi-man wouldn’t just give up the guild leader position like that. Had there been an urgent situation that distracted him from his role as guild leader?
For now, he seemed to be holed up in the ‘Giant’s Dungeon,’ based on the location information that popped up.
‘There must be a reason to go to the ‘Giant’s Dungeon’ when the Orc Legion Commander appears.’
I wanted to go and cause some chaos, but for now, managing this situation was my priority.
*Tap, Tap, Tap.*
The recipe for the Healing Tincture.
With this alone, developing an improved potion would not be difficult.
Wobble-wobble—
‘Yikes… Is the White Dragon going to use it again as soon as Yeon-hee recovers?’
I activated the [Barrier Sanctuary] centered around the house.
Thanks to my diligent investments, the sanctuary had grown large enough to encompass the house and hundreds of injured hunters.
Whooooosh—
A thick, dome-shaped protective barrier began to form around our house.
I had a gut feeling this area could become an essential stronghold for the upcoming battle against the Orcs.
– Ooooh? What is this?
– Is this some sort of magical barrier?
– I can’t see the durability stat, but it definitely looks solid!
As the hunters recognized the existence of the sanctuary, their confusion turned into brighter expressions, without questioning its purpose of protecting them.
*Rattle—*
“Whoa!!”
I pulled out a ton of food and water from the space, and the hunters erupted into cheers.
While it was only a fraction of the supplies Yeon-hee and I had stored, it was more than enough to fuel the energy of all the people around.
In addition, with Big Boar and Hanjaring meat, it was only natural that the eyes of the hunters, who were already in such a miserable state, would light up.
Like a Christmas Santa, having unwrapped a gift, I soared back into the sky and began gathering magic power in preparation for the incoming Orcs.
‘Hoo… After this attack, I’ll have to face the transcendent…’
The ‘White Dragon’ would surely find it difficult to maintain his form after using this breath.
Using a skill with that much energy consecutively would put a load on both him and Yeon-hee.
I inherently understood that since we were both summoned creatures.
In the end, it was up to me to stop that damn Orc.
*Kwah-jijijiji—!!*
The Orc Battle Commander rose from the ground again.
[Chain of Flame]
“Hmm?!”
As soon as it emerged, it was bound but easily broke free. Yet in that fleeting moment, the fury of the White Dragon had already struck down.
The Orc likely anticipated the White Dragon’s attack and attempted to dodge to the side. However, the breath curved sharply and hit him squarely.
*Kwaa——!*
The breath sent the Orc Battle Commander flying over 500 meters.
Having taken big hits in succession, he was definitely not to be underestimated. It was merely that the ‘White Dragon’ had the power of the heavens on his side.
‘Ugh… Was that breath a guaranteed skill?’
Dodge was off the table.
So, I either had to deflect it or take it head-on… But it definitely wasn’t a force I could just absorb.
‘Yeon-hee did a fantastic job summoning such a guy. It must have come from the summoning ticket we received as a reward for completing a quest? I wonder if there’s a summoned creature even stronger than him.’
If there was a summoning creature with an even higher rank than the White Dragon, it would likely be a fully-fledged dragon or a great beast of Necrosquall level.
‘But that woman behind Yeon-hee… Is she also a summoned creature?’
The beautiful woman behind Yeon-hee was clasping her eyes closed and praying.
When our eyes met, the third eye on her forehead blinked slowly.
Was she trying to greet me?
‘She exudes an aura of significant power. While not quite at the level of a full dragon, she seems to be on par with one.’
She seemed to be a support-type, but she had closed her eyes again and was focusing on calming her spirit.
– Kwoooor!!!
Even after being hit by two breaths, the Orc stood back up.
The enraged roar of the Battle Commander pierced through to my core.
Even though he roared from afar, I felt an electric shock running down my bones.
‘Orcs… Truly an impressive race. Two breaths and he still endures.’
Thousands of Orcs were surging in behind him.
But the Orc Battle Commander stretched out his charred arm, signaling them not to approach.
He had to be quite furious.
– Anyone who interferes will have their eyes gouged out, stuffed in their rear, and hanged by their neck!!
Seeing him trembling in anger as he shouted at me made me shudder.
‘Eww… even when he speaks…’
His taunts fit his troublesome appearance, yet I felt a deeper discomfort, knowing he might actually act on them.
Regardless, it was fortunate that he was vowing to face us alone.
‘In the current situation… I can’t expect support.’
While it was a nightmare for me to handle him alone, I could be grateful he hadn’t charged at Yeon-hee and the others at the slightest misstep.
– Eeeehhh…
– Even after downing the Healing Tincture, it’s still freezing…
Yeon-hee and her companions, who consumed the ‘Death-Touched Alchemist’s Potion,’ were busy adapting to the sudden physical change.
Even among the reinforcements from the White Knight Guild and Vision Guild, there were no high-level personnel capable of handling the Orc Battle Commander, let alone the Orc Warriors.
They were mainly mid-high-level Hunters, specialized in fending off barely adequate monsters.
And as for the other Hunters who rushed in for survival… There were plenty of F-rank and E-rank Hunters.
Well… If someone had the strength to take on a transcendent-level monster, they wouldn’t have fled to our house in the first place.
‘If similar monsters appeared near Cha Jin-hyuk, that would worry me…’
I suddenly remembered that there was a transcendent lurking in that area.
He wouldn’t want his homeland to be devastated either, so I could only hope he would support Cha Jin-hyuk.
*Boom—!*
My worries vanished the instant I spotted the approaching Orc.
– Where has the Dragon gone!!
As the ‘White Dragon’ unleashed his breath, he was dispelled from existence, which made the Orc even more furious.
Covered in blood, the Orc Battle Commander, coughing out blood, let out an enraged roar.
I soared to the spot where the White Dragon used to be, waggled my fingers at the Orc, and provoked him.
*Tap, Tap, Tap!*
“Grrrr… You’re that punk who controlled flames earlier!”
With a flick of my finger, I conjured the Chain of Flame, spinning it around, which made him lose his temper and charge toward me.
‘Got it.’
I feared he might change direction toward Yeon-hee, but he moved exactly as I intended.
‘My magic power has now recovered to about 3,000. Although I’m recovering rapidly, it still feels a bit lacking.’
Nonetheless, the ‘White Dragon’s’ attack had significantly damaged the defenses of the Orc Battle Commander.
– Skug Krabe Maranabat!
Once more, the Orc let out a fearsome roar, flexing his bulging muscles even further.
The Orc soldiers continuously joining from the back all shouted in unison.
– Skug Poru Maranabaruka!
– Poru Rashida!
– Skug Krabe Maranabat!
The Orcs repeated the same phrases.
‘Poru… Krabe. Is that his name?’
It was a battle cry to stir the blood, but I chose not to respond.
Letting time flow was a good situation for both my companions’ recovery and the restoration of my magic.
But before even a minute had passed, a message popped up.
– The Orc Battle Commander ‘Krabe’ challenges you to a noble one-on-one duel!
‘Again, again. Here comes the honor talk.’
[Disproportionate Rage]
– Your attack power increases proportionally to the gap in rank with the enemy.
– Damage dealt to the Orc Battle Commander ‘Krabe’ increases by 3.7 times.
That achievement had been triggered as expected.
‘3.7 times… Does that mean the gap in ranks is greater than even with Hyeon Woo-seok? How can that be… Back then, Hyeon Woo-seok was at least several ranks above me.’
The gap in ranks back then was unfathomable, but now it was said to be even greater.
It was clear there was more to him than I had anticipated.
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