Chapter 81: Orcs and a Female Knight 1
TL/Editor: Raei
Schedule: 5/Week Wed-Sun
Illustrations: Posted in discord.
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Rebecca had burst from the forest, snatched someone for her amusement, and then vanished back into the woods.
Her antics were straight out of a ghost story.
Using Han Se-ah's stream, I joined them near the safe zone.
I was met with an odd silence.
[S*xOnStream donated 1,000 Won!]
Our party member got kidnapped and had a tough time but let's reset and follow
"Why would you choose to pay for a ban? No matter how much you guys ask, I'll never show it."
-You've okay with Grace, but not Rebecca?
-WantToSeeASweetDateNotAKidnapAndAssaultHanSeAh
-If we can't watch kidnappings and assault, how are we supposed to live?
-This chat is crazy
-You already messed up the quest progression, why not reset to the morning?
A man was abruptly dragged off by a woman he knew.
This absurd situation left only Han Se-ah and the viewers able to speak.
Even the usually talkative Charlotte was quietly scanning her surroundings.
Without a word, she searched the forest to the point where an orc hunter's trap would be a welcome sight.
"There's one, up ahead."
"Right, behind that rock, an orc hunter wearing moss wolf skin is watching us."
The only one maintaining a poker face, Maid Mari, discovered a pitfall trap.
At the same time, Grace, just like the last time, spotted an orc hunter.
Finding the trap and spotting the orc hunter who was likely hiding behind it, the two seemed to make quite a good team.
Intending to openly intimidate the Orc, Grace gestured towards the rock where it was hiding.
She headed in the direction she had indicated and effortlessly leapt over the pit.
A cruel trap intended to sprain an ankle and inject plant poison into the wound.
Naturally, if you knew its location and avoided stepping on it, it was not as threatening as even a swinging tree branch.
Seeing me, clad in armor, strongly advancing, the orc hunter began to hastily retreat.
"At least it's not a quest that fails because one orc hunter died. The quest isn't about following a specific orc hunter, but tracking any orc hunter. If you keep spamming reset, reset, I'm banning the word."
-Justice is dead
-Why can't we see the forced abduction by the beast woman?
-Is this a game or an adult film?
-It's quiet in the game these days.
Maintaining a steady pace, I enjoyed the stream while trailing the orc hunter.
My party naturally followed Grace's lead, as if Rebecca's intrusion had never occurred.
Charlotte and Mari also seemed to be keeping pace quite well, no longer seeming like novice adventurers.
Compared to the composed party, the orc hunter was frantic, making a great commotion in its attempt to escape.
It did not even bother to conceal its tracks, instead running noisily and without any attempt at subtlety.
However, this time, there was no Rebecca to decapitate the orc hunter.
Thanks to the orc's naturally robust body, it continued to run, undeterred by obstacles such as branches or vines.
"But, this orc hunter, is really... really fast...?"
-Out of breath just from talking lololol
-Shut up and run
-Is it hard even with the stat correction?
-Even with corrections, she's a mage, so it must be tough
On the stream, Han Se-ah was nearly out of breath, and Charlotte, also a mage, was starting to pale.
Kyeeek-
Kwek, Kwak!
The orc hunter, having run so hard, almost stumbled into the orc settlement.
It appeared to have been established some time ago as the wooden walls were already completed.
The orc hunter, rolling on the ground, glanced back at us and laughed triumphantly.
Of course, the sight of a single orc posturing and relying on a wooden wall was far from intimidating.
Nevertheless, while waiting for the rest of my party to catch up, I casually checked the stream.
[Uncover the mystery of the Orc Shamans and the tribes that have started to appear on the 20th floor]
[Investigate the suspicious movements of the Orc Hunters]
[There is a base where the Orc Hunters relay information. Find the shaman here]
The quest window updated again as soon as we discovered the orc tribe.
Han Se-ah, who nearly tripped over a tree root and was supported by Kaiden, also belatedly noticed and began rushing over.
"Hmm, as expected. So, the Orc Hunters are also under the command of a shaman. Did the Orc Hunters appear together, or did the Orc Shaman send a signal to the surrounding monsters? I really want to see..."
One by one, the party members began to arrive in front of the bustling settlement, disturbed by the intrusion of the orc hunter.
Grace was the first to poke her head through the bushes, followed by the other party members, one by one, checking out the wooden wall.
Compared to the hole-ridden fence we had seen earlier, this was a solid wooden wall.
The Orc Hunter, having slipped through the slightly open gate, glared at us.
Warriors clambered overtop it to look at us, and beyond, a clamor ensued as they prepared for battle.
"The enemy has come right up to the wall, and even though the hunter has been chased in, the warriors remain composed. Something is clearly different."
"Indeed. There seems to be a very clear command structure. No, seeing them not rushing in even when excited, there might be something more than a commander."
Kaiden, who had experience with orcs, was the first to notice the anomaly and shared her observations with the group.
All the orcs we had encountered so far had behaved like single-celled organisms, charging at me, their immediate target, as soon as eye contact was made.
The orcs atop the wall seemed more like disciplined soldiers rather than the unruly savages we'd encountered before, observing us calmly and without visible agitation.
To make a comparison in gaming terms, there appeared to be three tiers.
If we take the ordinary orc as the baseline, the weaker monsters would be the wandering orcs, and the enhanced monsters are these unnamed beings before us.
"There are more of them than I thought. I'll go in first and handle them."
"Will you be alright on your own?"
"As long as they don't scatter in all directions."
Given their disciplined, military-like morale, it was unlikely they'd flee out of sheer terror.
With this in mind, I left my party hidden in the forest and moved towards the fortification.
I had no intention of going on a destructive rampage this time around.
If everything was destroyed, Charlotte, who had joined our party in search of research material (and even paid for the privilege), would have nothing to research.
I, too, had something I wished to test.
Han Se-ah had given me a skill quite nonchalantly: 'Shield Master'.
A tank-specific skill that counterattacks any attack blocked with a shield, I had yet to use it.
Naturally, since there had been few monsters capable of launching ranged attacks.
Grrr, Grrr!
Kyeeek-!
As I boldly approached, the orcs were clearly startled.
A wooden gate rapidly descended to block the entrance between the walls, and hunters adorned in moss wolf skins took their positions above, aiming their bows at me.
If they shoot, it'll be good for me.
I raised my shield, licked my lips, and murmured softly.
Han Se-ah would always loudly chant "magic missile" or "spark" when she cast magic, maybe I also needed to do the same for my skills.
Do other NPCs also yell out their skill names?
Or was it just Han Se-ah and I who had to say it out loud due to the system?
"Oh, his shield is glowing. That must be the 'Shield Master' skill I chose for Roland before. He hasn't used it until now. I guess the orc hunters are the first to attack from a distance. Honestly, seeing a 6 retaliate to a goblin stone thrower with this skill would be kind of funny."
-But the Full Moon Wolf shoots a breath attack
-The wolf boss doesn't follow a specific pattern, you know that, right?
-His body is flashing, is that an aura?
-Bold move, shooting at a heavily armored warrior whose entire body is glowing
-But the glowing does make him an obvious target, if I were in their place, I would shoot too.
With my shield raised and advancing, I caught a glimpse of Han Se-ah's live stream at the corner of my vision.
When I began actively using my mana and skills, my armor and shield shone brightly, impossible to conceal.
Naturally, it drew the attention of the camera drone, which began filming.
With my glowing shield held high and arrows streaking towards me, a brief exchange took place between Han Se-ah and her viewers.
An arrow, cutting through the wind, vanished in a flash, turning into a radiant burst of light just before striking the shield.
The orc hunters atop the wooden fortifications tumble to the ground, turning into mana stones.
It happened too quickly for the viewers watching through the live stream to fully understand.
'It returns magic?'
The skill Han Se-ah had chosen was a counter to 'all' forms of attacks.
It seemed to involve more than just a simple reflection of the incoming projectiles.
Han Se-ah and her viewers might not have noticed, but my enhanced vision saw it clearly.
The arrows that disintegrated upon contact with the magical barrier layered over my shield, were replaced by magical bullets that retraced back the trajectory of those arrows.
I'm not sure how to explain this, so I might just gloss over it.
When Grace gained her passive skill, her body briefly became sensitive before adapting, right?
She wasn't aware she'd gained a skill, she just felt like her abilities improved.
If I say that this skill is just a variation of my many shield techniques, Han Se-ah, as a player and a mage, won't be able to refute it.
'Somehow, it feels like the only thing increasing are the lies...?'
With a bit of a self-deprecating thought, I crushed the gate and charged into the orc base.
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