Chapter 72: Vanguard Battle 2
TL/Editor: Raei
Schedule: 5/Week Wed-Sun
Illustrations: Posted in discord.
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I charged straight through the orc village enclosed in wooden stakes.
Anything directly in my way, be it stakes, huts, trivial decorations, orc warriors, or orc shamans, is swept aside by my shield.
A haze fills the air as uprooted trees scatter in all directions, and the orcs I hit are reduced to a green puddle of blood or a heap of meat, catapulting around before becoming mana stones.
Of course, one run isn't enough.
After smashing my way through the village and back into the forest, I tweak my course slightly by pushing off the ground, sending myself back in.
I hear the orcs cry painfully once again.
-Why not let Roland carry you up to the 40th floor?
-What a show-off shaman, turning into a mana stone like that
-Even in the middle of this, he's efficiently picking up items.
-When he went back in, I was wondering why, but it turns out it was for the loot, lol
My eyes are locked on the central hut in the village, the one the orc shaman came out of.
As I dash back into the village, slower than my initial charge, I scan the ground through the dust for loot.
A rather large magic stone and a necklace adorned with what appear to be feathers.
The loot from the orc hunter is a beast's fang, from the orc warrior a small animal bone, and from the orc shaman perhaps this necklace of feathers.
Carrying the loot, filled with shamanic significance, I run through the fence once more and bolt out.
I can hear the mournful cries of the now homeless pigs behind me, but none of them gives chase.
The fence is down, homes are flattened, and even the leader of the village, who should've been leading the charge, is gone.
All due to one running and screaming man.
They must be completely in disbelief.
With no intention of leveling the entire forest, I gradually slow down and pull out a lantern from my pocket.
"It looks like the orc warriors were on patrol under the shaman's command. Given that the shaman was taken down in one hit, their health seems to be similar to the warriors or hunters... Right? Wouldn't the 30th-floor boss also fall to that charge? It's too strong, I can't get a feel for it."
As the dust settles, I spot the silhouettes of my comrades trekking along the forest path.
The camera seems to have returned to them after I picked up the shaman's loot.
As Han Se-ah murmurs softly, the viewers agree with her, siding with her for the first time in a while.
The sight of orcs being launched into the sky by a shield is indeed a rare spectacle.
Just like when I catapulted goblins like a fastball across the plains.
The faces of our team, captured by Han Se-ah's camera, look quite at ease.
They must have heard all the racket I made while demolishing the village.
No doubt they believed I wouldn't be taken down by mere orcs.
"Roland, what happened? The forest was quite loud."
"I paid a visit to the central hut in the village."
As I leisurely jog towards the group near the lower-floor passage, Grace, the first to notice me, throws a question my way.
To satisfy her curiosity, I show her the loot I gathered from the orc shaman.
I hand over a vibrant necklace adorned with an array of feathers.
The party fiddle with the necklace, intrigued, before Han Se-ah stashes it in her inventory.
"It's a piece of loot I haven't seen before. What was in the hut?"
"An orc shaman. Looks like a shaman is commanding the warriors."
Han Se-ah feigns ignorance, asking as though her camera hadn't captured everything.
I explained about the shaman, and describe the scene inside the hut prior to my destruction of it.
When I rammed into the orc shaman with my shield and smashed the hut's entrance, there were objects like a large pot and animal bones.
Of course, by now, they're likely pulverized and mixed with the dirt.
"An orc shaman... a rare one has appeared. Is it only in this place?"
"It could be appearing all over the 20th floor."
"Roland, what are orc shamans like?"
Kaiden, with her broad experience as a mercenary, seems to know about shamans.
Unlike Grace, who seems completely clueless.
Noting that Grace, Irene, and even Han Se-ah seem unfamiliar with orc shamans, I start explaining.
"First off, as Kaiden mentioned, orc shamans are quite rare."
"Why?"
"They need to be intelligent."
Hunters require exceptional skills, and shamans need both skills and high intellect, as well as the ability to manipulate mana.
Only the top 0.1% of the orcs, who normally are physically strong but lacking in intelligence, can undertake the role.
For this reason, just as human mages are scarce, orc shamans are even rarer.
Of course, if it's within the tower, there should be some sort of one-shaman-per-village rule.
"Ah"
"Indeed, expecting intelligence from those orcs is a stretch."
The team, having experienced first-hand how dim-witted and rowdy the patrolling orc warriors can be, let out a small sigh of awe.
It's funny seeing five of them charge at me in a straight line, only to end up flat on the ground together.
The intelligence of the ones we've encountered is so low they just rush headlong at me, to the extent that Kaiden, who's at the back, can safely observe without drawing her weapon.
The level design was intended for average players, not someone who has somehow gone against the gacha system like Han Se-ah.
Because of that, the 20th floor's quest monsters seemed rather weak for our group.
"And of course, as shamans, they cast various spells. They can induce frenzy in orc warriors with dyes and drugs, or unleash curses with tainted totems. Irene's protective shield can block these."
"The grace of the Goddess won't fall against the dirty tricks of monsters."
"And well, surprisingly, they are quite sturdy. It's not the weaker ones among the orc warriors that become shamans, it's the smart ones."
When one pictures shamans and mages, the stereotype of frail nerds cooped up in a room springs to mindbe it in our world or a fantasy setting.
In fact, if novice adventurers often fall victim to goblins, intermediate adventurers can frequently end up on the wrong side of an orc shaman's staff.
Once they've dealt with the warriors and approach the shaman, complacency sets in.
They think they've won, only to be blindsided by a heavy swing.
Just as a baseball bat can be lethal, a muscular brute swinging a meter-long wooden club can be equally fatal.
While it might not crack a skull in one blow, it can still inflict a concussion.
And if you suffer a concussion in the midst of an orc tribe... well, the outcome is obvious.
"So, in summary, orc warriors nearby can suddenly grow stronger. Curses might be hurled our way, but Irene can block them with her shield. They possess the might of orc warriors, so don't lower your guard merely because they're shamans. Is that it?"
"That's correct."
Han Se-ah sums up each point for our party and the viewers after hearing my explanation.
Despite the shaman's tricks, it's still an orc.
With a priest in our group, they're merely pigs who can't retaliate once countered.
What concerns me slightly is the sheer number of these dim-witted creatures.
There were dozens of orcs in a village led by a single shaman, but the shaman isn't the boss monster.
Han Se-ah mentioned the quest name was 'Orc Kingdom', but what if an orc king or lord, the actual boss monster, appears accompanied by an orc horde?
Do we need to storm in and crush them like we did with the full moon wolf previously?
If so, I'm not sure if it would be fun to watch.
"We've collected enough evidence for the report, so let's move out. Given the circumstances in the tower, I think we continue without breaking for camp. It will be tough, but I hope you can bear with it."
"Yes, given the situation."
"Yes, understood."
We've pushed through from the 10th to the 20th floor, hunting orcs and surveying the terrain.
Outside the tower, the sun must have set and Han Se-ah's stream is drawing to a close.
But the current situation doesn't permit us the luxury of setting up camp leisurely.
Two species of monsters that shouldn't be present in the tower have appeared, and they're not just wanderingthey're setting up fences and expanding their territory.
Any adventurer's first step should be reporting this.
Seeing Irene's vigorous nod, Han Se-ah also gives her affirmation.
"So, we'll conclude today's stream here and resume tomorrow. I'd rather not run through the forest and ruin my condition with an overnight journey. Honestly, I doubt we'll encounter anything exciting while descending the tower."
-Are you leaving your teammates behind? Leaving your precious party?
-Selfishly enjoying a comfortable journey on her own
-While Irene and the others are struggling, she's taking it easy
-Tune in tomorrow, something could happen on the way down
Before she can even roll her eyes at the chat, the world turns a dull gray again.
This fleeting moment of grayness dissipates in less than a second, but Han Se-ah has already spent a full day outside the tower.
As if to verify that a day has indeed passed outside, Han Se-ah suddenly speaks to me.
"Roland, why don't we attempt to locate the safe zone on the 20th floor instead? You mentioned there's a base camp for dispatching supply carts to the front line."
She appears to have browsed through a forum post during her break.
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