Praise the Orc

Chapter 130: COME BACK

Crockta was deep in thought.

“A warrior...does not give up on the faithful...!”

“Ahh! Chieftain! So cool!”

“A warrior does not persecute the weak...!”

“I pledge my loyalty to you, chieftain!”

‘...Should I kill them?’ wondered Crockta.

“I shall prove my honor!”

“You are the true chieftain!”

“Amazing. Bul’tat!”

“It’s bul’tar!”

Crockta turned around and looked at them. Tiyo and Anor didn’t falter at his frightening gaze and giggled uproariously.

“Anor! The chieftain is glaring at us! We should be quiet!”

“Ahh, how scary. We should be quiet.”

They were teasing Crockta after what happened at Spinora. Crockta closed his eyes and tried to suppress his anger, but they were just a pitiful gnome and a dark elf who couldn’t understand the charm and truth of orcs. “Of course you guys can’t understand the emotions I and my million orc brothers shared...”

Crockta recalled the thrilling moment when Shireuga became the new chieftain and acknowledged Crockta as his leader. It was a historic moment when the law of the orcs in the continent was passed down to the northern orcs. The orcs of the north thumped their chests as they looked at him with reverence in their eyes. That day would go down in history.

“A million orc brothers...he’s ill,” said Anor.

“Try to be understanding.”

“He’s gonna later claim that Calmahart was ten times taller than him.”

“That’s totally possible. Anor has good foresight.”

Crockta felt sad. Although it hadn’t exactly been a million, wasn’t it fine to use an idiomatic expression?

During that moment, it seemed as if there were more than a million orcs in his eyes. The dark elves had truly been in awe of that sight, but Tiyo and Anor had been trembling as they tried to suppress their laughter during his speech. Crockta almost tripped over his tongue announcing the warrior’s commandments because of them, but he managed to hold onto his composure.

“I would say it again, but...” began Crockta.

“We get it. We get it,” replied Anor.

“Anyway, let’s go!”

“...”

They finally departed Spinora. A lot had happened. They had traveled the north and fought against orcs, and Crockta had even fought against chieftain Calmahart, who was entranced by a demon lord. In the end, they successfully killed Calmahart and established new laws in the north. Crockta was confident that Shireuga would do a good job leading the orcs according to the warrior’s commandments until the north and the continent were united.

“It feels like it’s been a while even though not a lot of time has passed!” remarked Tiyo.

They were heading to the Black Forest to meet Xantimur, the Black Dragon and hermit of the Black Forest, to keep the promise they had made when they bid farewell. They planned to compete against the monsters who had helped them grow stronger and ask Xantimur about the whereabouts of Hedor, Tiyo’s father. They would decide on their next plans from there.

“It has been fun up to this point. I’m glad we came to the north,” said Tiyo as he patted the head of the karuk he was riding on. The karuk gave him a dirty look and cried out.

Crockta agreed with Tiyo. They had learned about the Temple of the Fallen God in the north from Gordon. Gordon was the one who had told them to find the truth there, and Crockta had learned that Elder Lord wasn’t just a game, but another dimension. However, that wasn’t enough. He had more questions.

‘What is Gordon’s true identity? What is Elder Lord’s system, the Ashen God, plotting behind the scenes after telling him the truth and bestowing him with powers?’

He didn’t know whether that was his share to take on, but he decided to see things through to the end. Somehow, it felt like something he had to do.

He would eventually discover the truth if he ventured to wherever fate took him in the world of Elder Lord. He also expected to run into that annoying Choi Han-Sung guy at least once. Choi Han-Sung was running wild and stirring up things in the continent.

But most importantly, Crockta had changed his car recently after receiving the sponsorship payment for high-rankers.

‘Riding a karuk isn’t as comfortable as riding my car.’

The payment was beyond his imagination. He decided not to let Yi-Yoo, or the people close to him, know that he bought a new car. He just enjoyed going on rides by himself. And yet, since the sports car he bought was so expensive the people passing by always turned around to look.

‘Cheers to Elder Lord.’

“Let’s go!” Crockta sped up his karuk. Tiyo followed after him. Anor, who was still new to riding a karuk, clumsily followed after them. They quickly headed toward the Black Forest.

***

As soon as they entered the Black Forest, an arrow came flying at them. They recognized the source of the arrow. Although it was just a single arrow, it was charged with astounding force. It was the great archer goblin Kiao! Tiyo, excited to see his match once again, immediately raised his General. Iridescent lights spewed out from its muzzle and clashed with the arrow’s energy.

“Is that all you got?” shouted Tiyo.

Their two auras repeatedly clashed against each other and created an explosion. Crockta and Anor were swept up in the shockwave and tumbled across the ground.

“What the heck is going on?!” exclaimed Anor.

“Who would have thought that the collision between an arrow and a magic bullet would lead to this?” said Crockta.

They hid behind the trees to dodge the debris of the explosion. The karuks cried out and burrowed into them. Crockta tried to calm them down.

“Ahhhhhhhhhh!” Tiyo focused all of his strength and transformed the General to its Vulcan form. The Vulcan then unleashed a salvo of magic bullets with terrifying force. In the end, the two forces clashed in the air and emitted light as they radiated.

Although the artifact General’s prowess was impressive, they couldn’t help but be in awe of Kiao, who could unleash such force with a single arrow.

Tiyo puffed his chest. “Hahaha! Kiao! Were you planning to stop me with just this?!”

“Of course not kyak!”

“...!” Tiyo suddenly felt the chill of the arrowhead at the back of his neck.

“Although you put all of your focus and strength into blocking my single arrow, I was able to move freely to carry out my mission.”

Indeed, Tiyo continued to fire magic bullets with the General while Kiao put down his bow and watched him calmly. Tiyo had been completely overpowered in terms of how much power could be contained in a single strike. Although the Vulcan was an excellent rapid fire weapon, Kiao’s single strike was stronger. Kiao had moved leisurely behind Tiyo while he was blocking the storm caused by his arrow. Then, he waited until he used up all of his strength.

Tiyo thought he had grown strong, but he had lost again.

Kiao grinned. “I heard the news! Congratulations, but we’ve also been busy kyak!”

“Ugh...”

The monsters of the Black Forest had been working hard on their training.

Crockta and Anor approached Tiyo, who was filled with anguish. Crockta placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Crockta...” ‘Such warm hands! My friend and comrade Crockta is trying to console me.’ Tiyo forced himself to smile and was about to say that he was okay when Crockta pointed at his lips and smirked.

“Pfft.”

Crockta was laughing at him!

Then, Crockta went past him and led the karuks into the Black Forest.

“...!” Tiyo was shocked by Crockta’s payback. Just because he had teased him a little! Tiyo trembled with anger and then looked at Anor. He was certain that Anor, who always teased Crockta with him, would console him.

Anor’s face was filled with pity as he extended a hand toward Tiyo. Tiyo perked up and was about to grab his hand when Anor clenched his fist and extended his index finger. Then, he waved it from side to side. “You lost. You are a loser.”

“...!”

“Hehehe.”

He followed Crockta’s lead.

Tiyo despaired. Only Kiao, the one who had defeated him, remained by his side and shook his head. “There’s a saying that what goes around comes around, kyak! You have to be kind to build good karma, kyak!”

“Shut up!”

“Why are you getting mad when I’m giving you advice, kyak?!”

“I will win next time!”

“Haha, in your dreams, kyak!”

“This filthy wooooorld!”

The two walked into the Black Forest as they bickered back and forth into Xantimur’s lair.

***

Xantimur’s lair hadn’t changed at all from the past. There was a beautiful castle surrounded by training grounds where monsters were practicing their skills. Xantimur, the beautiful young man who had a cold air to him, greeted them with a longsword in his hand.

“It’s been a while,” he said.

“We have returned.”

“It’s been a while!” exclaimed Tiyo.

Xantimur nodded. Then, he looked at Crockta up and down with a glint in his eyes. He seemed to have detected the change in Crockta with just a few glances.

“Crockta, amazing.”

“It’s thanks to you.”

Crockta now gave off the aura of a Hero. It was strong enough that someone at Xantimur’s level could easily sense it. After reaching a higher state, Crockta had also come to better understand Xantimur’s powers. He had an astonishing presence to him.

To Crockta, who had surpassed the Pinnacle and now stood in the realm of Heroes, where the laws of causality didn’t apply, Xantimur seemed to be more than what meets the eye. He could sense that the gap between them had narrowed as Crockta was now able to see Xantimur’s true self as a dragon.

“We still have a lot of time until it gets dark,” said Crockta with a grin.

Xantimur nodded. “Understood. Let’s have a duel after you unpack.”

The lich grabbed hold of Anor, who tried to escape. He was soon surrounded by the skeletons controlled by the lich. His face turned pale. There was a long road ahead until he could overcome his phobia.

***

Crockta and Xantimur released their emotions as they clashed swords with one another. Although Crockta had reached Hero Tier, he wasn’t used to harnessing its powers. Each time their swords clashed, Crockta looked at his Ogre Slayer with a frustrated expression.

He didn’t feel the same sensation as when he had slashed Calmahart.

“Strength comes from willpower, Crockta,” said Xantimur.

“It would be bizarre if you could wield the same strength here when the situation is completely different. The power to overturn the laws of cause and effect is usually beyond the level of ordinary willpower.”

But Xantimur himself was able to display the powers of a hero to Crockta despite his words. Black Dragon Xantimur, hermit of the Black Forest, had reached the level of a Hero a long time ago. “It’s because I’ve been at this state for a while now.”

The moment Crockta’s greatsword was about to block his longsword, Xantimur’s longsword breached past the greatsword and pointed at Crockta’s throat. Xantimur’s powers were similar to magic.

Crockta surrendered. Although he had returned after becoming the chieftain of the north, defeating Xantimur still seemed like an unattainable goal. “What state do I have to reach to defeat you?”

He couldn’t imagine a state beyond that of a Hero. Was such a thing possible?

Xantimur smiled. “A regular swordsman reaching a state beyond the Hero only happens in legends.”

“So it’s not possible.”

As Crockta shook his head, Xantimur swung his longsword. Crockta instinctively raised his Ogre Slayer. But his longsword changed direction and struck Crockta’s side.

“Ugh...!”

“What do you mean it’s not possible? I just told you.”

“What...”

Crockta’s eyes grew wide as he tilted his head curiously. “Could that state be...”

“That’s right. The power that became a legend because only a few among Heroes reach it could be referred to as Legend in a way.”

[You have obtained information about Legend-Tier for the first time. You have gained achievement points.]

The message window popped up.

[It’s absurd that you are already trying to reach for Legendary-Tier with a body that has barely reached Hero-Tier. Train your Hero-Tier powers first!]

[I’m rooting for you!]

The message windows always left a bad taste in Crockta’s mouth. He felt like the woman was continuously watching him.

“What kind of strength is it?”

If Crockta hadn’t heard about Hero-Tier from Xantimur, he would have lost to Calmahart. But after hearing about Hero-Tier from Xantimur, he was able to achieve it during the duel for the position of a chieftain.

Crockta looked at him with expectant eyes, but Xantimur shook his head. “I also don’t know anything about it since I haven’t reached the state.”

Crockta nodded. “Haha, then I will become a legend and tell you about the state. A warrior repays favors.”

He smiled smugly and acted all cocky. Xantimur erupted in laughter. Xantimur didn’t smile easily, but his face was always bright in front of Crockta.

“I will be looking forward to it.”

Tiyo began approaching them from afar. They seemed to have fought another round because Tiyo’s body was in tatters. But he seemed to have succeeded in his retaliation as Kiao was limping as well this time.

“Brute gnome...” muttered Kiao.

“Shut up.”

“He started punching me because he can’t fight with a bow, kyak! He’s a cowardly and violent gnome, kyak!”

“Quit complaining. You are nothing without your bow. I could knock you down with one punch.”

“But I have a bow, kyak! I will blow you away beyond the space-time continuum, kyak!”

“Try it!”

It was still unclear whether their relationship was good or bad. Tiyo went up to Xantimur and said, “Xantimur, now that we’ve done enough, teach us something important.”

Xantimur nodded. Tiyo asked, “Where did my father Hedor go?”

“Brave adventurer Hedor...”

Before he knew it, Anor had approached them with his arm wrapped around a skeleton. Crockta eagerly waited for Xantimur’s answer. Their trajectory would change according to his answer, but the response they received was unexpected.