Tak─
Not long after, I returned to the shelter with Yeon-hee.
“Wow— our home.”
Even though there wouldn’t have been any significant changes to the shelter in such a short time, Yeon-hee’s spontaneous exclamation was due to the stark contrast between the atmosphere of our shelter and that of the other areas we had visited.
It seemed the orcs were also taking a break, having pulled back from the front line, so people gathered in small groups, chatting or falling into deep slumber.
– “Hahaha, I think I’ve eaten more meat here than I have in my entire life!”
– “Oh come on, that’s not true!”
Two old men, clad in ragged clothes, were placing pieces of finely chopped Big Boar meat on a palm-sized stone grill they had somehow acquired.
They looked familiar; they were probably seniors who had been around since I first arrived, and they clearly had the appearance of homeless people.
‘They must have distributed training suits, right?’
I wonder why they’re not wearing them.
Anyway, our shelter is a place where even unproductive people like them can live comfortably, so in a way, it could be said to be going against the world’s flow.
‘But is there even a place around our home where a homeless person could be? I wonder how they ended up here.’
In fact, these folks were one of the seeds of the many small disputes brewing within the shelter.
I recalled what happened yesterday evening.
Thanks to my [Listening Ear], I could effortlessly pick up various conversations happening in the shelter, including a rather peculiar exchange between a woman with a distinctive personality and a middle-aged man.
“Isn’t it ridiculous to even take in a homeless person? It’s a huge blemish on our shelter.”
The woman had a face that screamed mischief at first glance.
She wore a diamond ring on her finger and a pearl necklace, making for an impressive sight.
“What does it matter if they’re homeless when we’re trying to help people? Should we only take in people with registered jobs?”
“It’s not just about hygiene and aesthetics! Honestly, most people here are from the upper class. The gap is just too much, right? At least wipe yourself down with a tissue or something! It’s disgusting!”
“It doesn’t matter if they are upper or lower class; everyone owes what they have to Hunter Lee Yeon-hee. Besides, there aren’t even any proper places to wash up other than for drinking water, and you’re the ones who used up all the wet wipes!”
“This isn’t elitism; this is a reasonable request. Otherwise, why don’t you give us a section of the shelter? We could make more space over there.”
The spot she pointed to was next to the temporary bathroom.
I can guarantee that due to the shelter’s amazing ability to use waste as fuel, that bathroom is as clean as a conference room, but the woman’s expression, gestures, and her disdainful nuances managed to provoke even those who were staying quiet.
Eventually, a big argument broke out, and as a result, a peculiar faction distinguishing between the upper class and the lower-middle class was formed based on the standards they shared.
‘The fact that there are people who support that senseless woman was shocking… Maybe they need to be harassed by orcs one more time to stop spouting nonsense.’
Even though a large number of orcs invaded, the initial party was far from a significant threat to our shelter.
However, if the main forces led by the Orc Legion Commander appear, the situation will change 180 degrees.
After reminiscing, I took a moment to rest, and Yeon-hee and I launched back into battle.
The orc bastards were slowly pushing toward us.
They were no longer a threat. The prerequisite for that judgment is that Yeon-hee must be diligently fighting.
People in our shelter need to realize that they should not cause any discord for the sake of Yeon-hee’s mental health.
‘I need to caution them just once.’
“Dragon Sword! Gomo Gomo!!”
As Yeon-hee prepared the Alpha-Rank summoned creatures and solidified her battle stance, all my attention was drawn to a newly appeared monster within the orc ranks.
I was even holding back on engaging in other battles just to be able to block that monster if it decided to come out.
Buuuuuuuuum—
Fwooooo—
It was a creature wielding a gigantic club that appeared to be twice its size like a flyswatter.
‘I wonder when that guy will make his move?’
The creature I was keeping an eye on was the Orc Battle Commander who had newly joined the orc ranks two days ago.
I had seen this general-level orc when it crossed over from China to Korea through the Gate.
‘Stronger than Krabe… if Yeon-su and I combined our strength, we could probably take him down.’
The problem, however, was the risk of the remaining forces sweeping through our base while we were engaged with it.
While the strange standoff kept placing the side that takes the first offensive at a significant disadvantage, it seemed this wouldn’t last long either.
– Kkhuhuh…
The Orc Battle Commander, keeping a keen eye on me up high, signaled that the end was near.
* * *
A day and a half had passed since attempting the fusion with Dragon Sword.
Fighting, big and small, with the orc bastards had caused their losses to inflate like a snowball.
On the other hand, the casualties on our side were dwindling day by day, infusing the shelter’s atmosphere with vibrant energy.
As we began to think that just holding out could be seen as a success, Yeon-su seized upon a fitting moment to make her move.
“Let’s strike first.”
“………”
Yeon-su shook the die of first strike, and our worries didn’t last long.
There was a strong belief she would roll a six, so we decided to follow her.
“There’s only one Orc Battle Commander. Hunter Cha Mu-yeol and I will take him down, along with Yeon-hee’s summoned creatures, Il-wol and White Dragon.”
Yeon-su proposed to concentrate our strongest forces to ‘hunt’ the Orc Battle Commander.
As it was a one-on-one duel that the orcs would relish, they couldn’t care less about honor.
‘That’s right. Honestly, this time I can’t expect much help from Irmana either. We need to handle this proactively together.’
Ever since receiving assistance taking down Krabe, Irmana’s presence had become hazy again.
However, this time, with Yeon-su around, things should go more smoothly.
“Jung Tae-hyung and the summoned creature… you said Gomo, right, Yeon-hee?”
“Yes!”
“Tae-hyung, you and the summoned creature Gomo will be in charge of containing the chimera that’s likely to ambush us. I’ll assign two sense ability users to you, so tracking shouldn’t be difficult.”
“Got it…”
Tae-hyung didn’t seem happy about not joining in on the hunt for the Battle Commander, but working with the Alpha Ogre would offer him a new experience.
“The four Orc Fighters and two Ogres surrounding the Battle Commander will be dealt with by the K-Barrier Mages.”
Pointing at the barrier mages while biting her lip, Yeon-su couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Then dozens of barrier mages turned red-faced and expressed their dissatisfaction.
“Ah— stop with that K crap! We’re not some idols! How long are you going to keep teasing us with this?”
“Haha, isn’t it funny? The best barrier mages in the world, not just Korea! We are K-Barrier Mages, the first to shut down a Gate in the world!!”
“Stop joking around and tell us, is this actually possible? We have our limits in holding them off.”
Kim Jung-min, the leader of the barrier mages, nervously tapped the laptop screen showing a diagram of the orc ranks.
“Don’t worry. We have Yeon-hee with us.”
“Hehe…”
Shyly scratching her cheek, Yeon-hee pushed me to the front.
As I took a step forward, the barrier mages still tilted their heads in confusion.
Even with Cha Mu-yeol by my side, could B-Rank summon creatures genuinely team up with a Transcendent Hunter?
The barrier mages, who hadn’t seen me showcase my abilities properly, seemed puzzled, but as Yeon-su wished, they displayed acceptance.
“We’ll go in at one a.m.”
It’s known that orcs have excellent night vision.
Perhaps that’s why, at times when the evening air settles in, they often launch guerrilla night raids.
Today, we planned to reverse that.
After finishing preparations, the operation commenced immediately.
(They’re coming…)
The orcs launching a night raid were elite agents from their ranks, mostly agile and high-sense class fighters.
They were exceptionally keen, and during the day would form a circle around the Orc Battle Commander for protection, only to cross over to our side at night, attacking the sanctum or fighting hunters before retreating as necessary.
For me, they were the most troublesome of nuisances.
After burying skeleton bombs or ambushing them with [Stealth] for a few hits, they began splitting their units to attack from multiple directions, even carrying high-quality scrolls that allowed for teleportation back to their ranks, making every time we took down a double-digit number feel like a monumental feat.
No matter how formidable they were, a body can’t be split into multiple pieces.
Even by increasing the number of Orc Skeletons deployed, it was still challenging to deal with the ones skilled in hit-and-run tactics.
“………”
Sss.. Sss…
Surprisingly enough, those guys brushed right by us, standing still next to the trees without a second thought.
The K-Barrier Mages had various abilities, casting colors and scents over our area to physically camouflage us.
‘Remarkable how much better this is than my Stealth. I wonder if there’s anyone among our party members who wouldn’t fall for this.’
While observing the talents of the barrier mages, I instead began contemplating whether our team members were sufficiently prepared.
Moreover, the orcs had clearly entered our lines as an elite force scattered in various directions, yet before long, they merged into one path, showing signs of significant confusion.
It was a large-scale maze-like illusion.
They had essentially jumped into their own prison.
Hundreds of high-rank fighters were trapped in one space.
‘Wow~ The barrier mages really do have incredible abilities. I wonder when they laid this formation out.’
Now, only our prey remained in the center of the orc ranks.
(Let’s go.)
With Yeon-su’s signal, I dashed forward like an arrow.
There was no need to use the sky route; moving across the ground was meant to leave ‘traces’ behind.
“We have to make them realize they too can be ambushed at night.”
Even if we destroy the orc leadership with this attack, we anticipate the continuous influx of orcs.
‘Maybe rumors spread about our base being easy pickings. They keep coming.’
I wondered if it was because of me, just as in that dungeon, but that was a secret I could never share with anyone.
Anyway, Yeon-su said that by leaving traces on the ground, we would instill fear into them.
– Krrrk?
‘Looks like they caught on. You monstrous creatures.’
The Orc Battle Commander, chewing on what seemed to be unidentifiable meat, turned its head towards Yeon-su’s direction.
Naturally, the surrounding orc fighters and ogres also stood up and looked around.
“K-Barrier Mages!!”
Now, Yeon-su would shorten names her own way.
Regardless, our good barrier mages completed their pre-prepared formations and dropped them to the ground.
“Krrk?!”
Oh my goodness, barrier magic falling from the sky?
This was an unexpected transformation that neither the orcs nor anyone could have anticipated.
Swooshhh───
The barrier spell dropped, binding both the orc fighters and the Thunder Warrior Ogres.
[You have five minutes! You must take them out within that time frame! Or else—]
The hidden content in the departing voices of the barrier mages was related to the spell’s side effects.
After five minutes, the trapped orcs and ogres would receive buffs as a reward for escape from the barrier, which meant we needed a quick victory.
Kwa-Kwa-Kwa-Zhang!!
The first to make a move were Yeon-su and Cha Mu-yeol.
The attacks exchanged with the orcs were so intense that they became hard to follow.
In a flash, a 2v1 situation was created.
Even though it was the Orc Battle Commander, he surprisingly seemed flustered, being pushed back.
However, it wasn’t as though Yeon-su and Cha Mu-yeol were overpowering him.
In fact, the orcs were the ones hiding their strength.
[Chain of Flame]
Swoosh──!
Approaching while cloaked in stealth, I would cast restraints whenever it took a moment of vulnerability or to aid Cha Mu-yeol if he found himself in danger.
The Orc Battle Commander’s glare filled with malice aimed directly at me.
– That’s the same guy from last time…
It seemed he had remembered me.
Could it be that he sensed me during that distant moment when I first came over to our country?
‘That can’t be… Unless he’s also a sense ability user, that wouldn’t be possible.’
Although it didn’t seem believable, it was wise to treat him as if he had the same abilities as me while fighting.
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