Chapter 108: The Great Northern War (4)
Crockta was currently lying down on a bed in the infirmary. His wounds were healing quickly thanks to his Pinnacle-tier skill, Indomitable Restoration.
Earlier, he had removed the arrow that was stuck in his shoulder, and his flesh had swiftly patched itself up.
Shocked by the sight of Crockta’s regenerative abilities, Tiyo said, “I already knew this, but your regenerative powers are insane.”
Crockta smirked.
Even for him, it hadn’t been an easy task to face a large group of soldiers alone. It had been impossible to avoid the sheer number of weapons that had attacked him, so he had injuries all over his body. Crockta had managed to avoid any critical injuries by adeptly dodging them, but it would take some time for him to fully recover.
It had been thanks to him that the civilian dark elves in Ameranyan had sustained no serious damage. If the chiefdom orcs had charged through the gate and successfully rushed into the city, there would have been a bloodbath, resulting in piles of corpses. All the dark elves in Ameranyan would likely have been killed or made into slaves.
However, Crockta had provoked the chiefdom orcs and endured their attacks. No, rather than endured, it was more accurate to say he had overwhelmed and crushed the orcs. Crockta had received the support of the dark elves’ arrows, but his power and force were at a level far above that of his enemies.
With his Pinnacle-tier skills nearing completion and the added effect of his skill Introduction to Magic, Crockta’s senses had become as sharp as a blade. During the battle, he could feel swords swinging at him from his back, hear all the shouts of the orcs, and feel every single drop of the orcs’ blood on his skin. It felt like he was slowly becoming a monster.
As long as players continued to think that Elder Lord was just a game, Crockta was confident that there was likely no player who could beat him.
“Hey, is the orc here?” a dark elf asked as she pulled back the door flap of the infirmary tent.
She was carrying arrows on her back, and her strong, flexible muscles allowed her to move with great power. The way she strolled toward him reminded him of a black panther.
The female dark elf turned her head toward Crockta. She was beautiful and had graceful facial features. Her face and body were dirty from the long battle, but there was still a bright glint in her blue eyes, which sparkled like sapphire on her brown skin.
Tiyo murmured, “Wow, Crockta. Not bad.”
Anor tilted his head. “What do you mean by not bad?”
“Can’t you tell from a glance? Look at her eyes, body language, and footsteps.”
“She seems angry. Do you think Crockta has wronged her somehow?”
“Geez! You’re such an amateur. Quantes’ greatest dating expert, Tiyo, has never been wrong in matters of love,” Tiyo whispered. “If you watch for a bit longer, you’ll get what I mean.”
At the next moment, the female dark elf immediately approached Crockta.
She appeared to have a high rank in the garrison; the combat medics in the infirmary stood up from their seats and respectfully greeted her. She replied to their greetings with a light nod.
Her figure cast a shadow over Crockta, and he looked up at her with a questioning gaze. Then she extended one of her slender fingers toward him. Crockta watched dumbfoundedly as her hand approached his neck.
Tiyo and Arno, who were observing this whole situation unfold from nearby, gulped.
Anor asked, “What is she doing?”
Tiyo replied, “Things are getting interesting.”
The dark elf lady grabbed Crockta’s collar
“...!”
“T-That’s!”
By reflex, Tiyo and Anor clutched the bag of popcorn that was beside them and began gobbling the popcorn down. The family of the patient in the bed next to where they were standing had prepared the snack for their injured family member.
Anor quickly realized his mistake and looked at the patient beside him. Nevertheless, the patient was also immersed in the drama unfolding before them and was stuffing popcorn into his mouth. Everyone was united as they watched the scene play out.
Crockta asked, “What are you doing?”
He looked at the dark elf lady who was grabbing his collar and frowned.
“You’re Crockta, right?” said the dark elf lady.
“Yes, that’s right. But before that...”
“My name is Caska.”
“Rather than your name, I would prefer it if you would let go of your hand first.”
Crockta pointed at Caska’s hand that was holding onto his collar. However, Caska merely smiled and moved closer to him.
Then she said, “You were cool earlier.”
Anor put one hand on his mouth and hit Tiyo’s arm with his other hand.
He exclaimed excitedly, “Oh, my goodness. What’s happening?!”
Tiyo replied, “It’s only natural that a man who made great achievements in battle and saved a city would pull a woman's heartstrings.”
“As expected, Captain Caska is bold,” the dark elf patient beside them whispered with a nod.
Yet, Crockta, who was directly involved in the affair, was calm.
“You’re too close. It’s uncomfortable,” he stated.
“It’s uncomfortable?” Caska replied, smirking. Then she said, “Crockta.”
“Why are you calling out my name?”
“I almost fell for you right then and there.”
“It’s an honor.”
Caska lightly tapped Crockta’s forehead with hers and asked, “Shall we kiss?”
The whole infirmary fell dead silent because of the bombshell she had just dropped. Anor slapped Tiyo’s arm even more fiercely.
Tiyo cried out, “It hurts!”
“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh. This is seriously crazy!”
“It’s very brazen, but as expected of Captain Caska.”
The audience members were so immersed in the show that they even forgot to chew the popcorn in their mouths. However, the main characters of the romantic scene that the audience was watching didn’t share their passion for romance.
Crockta replied, “I don’t want to.”
“What?” Caska uttered in surprise as her eyes widened. Confused, she let go of Crockta’s collar and then put her hands on the sides of her face. “I’m really pretty though...?”
“...”
Caska pointed at her plump lips again. They looked like a blossoming scarlet flower. Despite the many years she’d spent in battle, her lips were moist and without any cracks. The color of her lips was even more alluring with her dark skin.
“You really don’t like me?” she asked.
Crockta was completely disgusted by her type because he was a pragmatist.
He propped up his injured body with one arm and pointed at her with the other.
He stated, “Beauty is fleeting! All flowers wilt! You are certainly beautiful, but you did not earn that beauty. You just happened to inherit a beautiful face from your parents. It’s not a result earned from putting in effort. A beautiful face does not represent the value of your existence by any means!”
“...!”
All of the men inside the infirmary were dumbfounded.
This orc was... big. He was a big, bold man. He was a large man who had the courage of a one-man army. What other man could reject such a beautiful woman based on their principles and beliefs?
Caska’s face stiffened.
Crockta continued, “Of course, I love beautiful things.
“T-Then, why?” asked Caska.
“The kind of beauty I speak of is not physical beauty,” declared Crockta as he pointed at himself with his thumb. “I see more beauty in the hard work of a worker bee endlessly flapping its wings and gathering honey and pollen than the beautiful colors of a flower.”
“...!”
“Keep in mind that a person’s value is based on their character, not beauty.”
This orc acted on what everyone knew but didn’t genuinely understand. By rejecting this beautiful elf woman, he had practiced what he preached.
Jung Yi-An used to be a regular guy who only held such beliefs in his head and didn’t practice them. However, his world was later turned upside down after meeting her—the woman who was well-matched with assault rifles and rocket launchers—on the battlefield.
Crockta almost teared up while thinking about his past love. To everyone else in the infirmary, it appeared as if he was pitying Caska’s ignorance.
Right then, everyone realized that Crockta wasn’t just an exceptional warrior; he was a wise man.
The silence was broken by Caska’s rapid footsteps. She turned around and hurriedly left the infirmary the way she had come in.
Tiyo calmly placed his bag of popcorn aside and walked toward Crockta.
He placed a hand on Crockta’s shoulder and muttered, “Crockta.”
“What?”
“As expected of a man I have acknowledged.” Tiyo had an expression of admiration on his face.
Anor was impressed as well. “Amazing, Crockta. My opinion of you has changed.”
Tiyo sighed. “That elf was truly beautiful... I wouldn’t have been able to reject her unless I was impotent. That is the way of a man...”
He was being completely honest.
Right then, Crockta responded by reflex. He still had trauma from his locked love mode.
“What is wrong with being impotent?” he asked.
“...”
Crockta made a slip of the tongue!
By the time he realized his mistake, it was too late. Everyone in the infirmary had realized the truth.
“C-Crockta... could it be...!”
All of the men’s expressions turned from respect to awe. It was a deeper and much more resonant emotion than what they’d felt earlier. They now knew that Crockta wasn’t just a wise man. He was a sage.
***
As soon as Caska exited the infirmary, she ran.
She was an exceptional hunter and the third commander of Ameranyan’s garrison. No one could catch up to her when she ran. She sprinted toward the city walls like she was flying.
This was where she had just battled the chiefdom orcs earlier. Dark elves were transporting orc corpses for incineration while uninjured soldiers protected the city walls and inspected their equipment for the next battle.
“How are you?!” greeted a soldier heartily.
“I’m fine,” Caska replied.
She then sought out Renier, who was the second commander as well as her mentor and friend. Renier was supervising the dark elves who were collecting arrows from orc corpses and fixing them. They sanitized the blood-covered arrowheads by heating them over a fire.
Renier, who was cleaning the shaft of an arrow, saw Caska and raised his head. “Caska.”
Caska called out, “Renier, come over here.”
“I’m busy.”
“Come over here for a sec. It’s an emergency.”
Caska led Renier outside. They stood below the city walls.
“What’s wrong? Tell me,” said Renier.
“So...” Caska put her forehead against the city walls. “I went to meet Crockta.”
“Wow, you really went?”
“So, I was really going to do it.”
“Kiss? Really?”
“But I was rejected.”
“That’s possible. That was your first time meeting each other.”
“That’s the problem.”
Caska raised her head and looked at Renier. He flinched upon seeing Caska’s expression. Caska’s beautiful blue eyes were blazing with passion. Renier knew something big was going on.
“To be honest, I was half-joking earlier when I said I would give him my first kiss,” Caska expressed.
“I assumed so...”
“But... that guy... is cool,” muttered Caska.
“So, what... Now, you’re really...”
“Yeah.” Caska nodded. “It’s not a joke anymore. It’s the real thing now.”
“Yeah.” Renier sighed. “It is an emergency...”
***
“The army that was sent to Ameranyan has been annihilated.”
“Hahaha, how foolish.”
“That sorcerer was really dumb.”
The Great Warrior Akhoo smiled as he wiped the blade of his halberd. Akhoo’s army was slowly advancing under the chieftain’s command. They didn’t rush. Akhoo knew that the orcs would ultimately win if they slowly pushed forward with their large-scale forces. Their victory was inevitable. After all, they had the chieftain, and powerful warriors were birthed constantly.
“It won’t be a bad idea to obtain a fortress before the main forces arrive,” Akhoo remarked and got up.
Akhoo and his army were standing across from Juolaideh, a dark elf city situated west of Ameranyan.
“It will make the chieftain happy.”
“The dark elves are a formidable force. Perhaps we should wait a bit.”
“Are you doubting me? I’m the Great Warrior Akhoo. There just wasn’t anyone decent in Ameranyan.”
“But I think it would be better to wait, sir.”
“You are so boring,” muttered Akhoo.
He looked at Juolaideh spread out in front of them.
The dark elves were still hiding timidly behind the walls and shooting arrows from there. Nevertheless, any army would have to be prepared to endure significant losses when besieging a dark elf territory.
Akhoo stuck his finger in his ear.
“I’m gonna go have some fun anyway. Just cast a blessing spell on me,” he ordered the sorcerer.
The sorcerer looked at Akhoo calmly and nodded. Then Akhoo felt a surge of strength in his body. Great warriors of the chiefdom could produce as much power as a hundred people with the support of sorcery. Akhoo was filled with confidence as he relished the feeling of power that flooded his body to the brim. He felt like he could slay anyone.
Akhoo walked to Juolaideh on his own and shouted at the city walls, “I'm the Great Warrior Akhoo who leads the Dragon Teeth troops!”
His shout resounded through the city.
“You dark elves are cowardly and weak! All you can do is shoot arrows while in hiding! All you do is just run away and pull tricks! You are trash who don’t know what real fighting is!” he taunted them with a smirk.
Then Akhoo peed at the fortress. The orcs of the Dragon Teeth troops under his command raised their weapons above their heads and cheered.
“Anyone brave enough should come forward! I know you guys are crying behind the walls like the pussies you are, but I will give you guys a chance!” Akhoo yelled, raising his halberd. “Is there really no one? Are all dark elves cowards?”
Akhoo signaled to the troops behind him. Then an orc handed him a spear. Akhoo threw it immediately. The spear flew over and struck the entrance. The door trembled from the astonishing force.
“As expected, you are a species that should be enslaved! You will all soon kneel at our feet and beg!” Akhoo erupted in laughter.
The method of lowering his enemy’s morale was his preferred battle tactic. He liked to take initiative and provoke his enemy and then kill them in one-on-one combat. Even if no one came out, he would still succeed in lowering their morale to the ground. It was a habit that was common among chiefdom warriors.
Right then, the door opened.
“Ohh!” exclaimed Akhoo as a dark elf began walking toward him. “So, there was someone with backbone!”
Akhoo cheered and twirled his halberd. He hadn’t expected anyone to come forward. The dark elves hadn’t responded at all up to this point. Were they finally exploding with rage?
The dark elf had a solemn expression, and his weapons were a bit odd.
“Hey, trash! My name is Akhoo! What’s yours?” shouted Akhoo excitedly.
He wanted to immediately chop up this dark elf into pieces and then throw them at the fortress. Fear was the best way to crush an enemy. The joy of slaughter was just an added plus.
Nonetheless, the dark elf didn’t respond. Akhoo raised his halberd. The dark elf would eventually give in and tell him everything in tears after being struck by his halberd a few times.
Akhoo took a step forward. He vowed to cruelly make that cocky face grovel at his feet.
His halberd twirled in his hands. A gust of wind scattered the strands of his white hair, revealing a calm pair of purple eyes.
Then the dark elf raised his weapons. The gently curved pair of scimitars glowed faintly.
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