Episode 197
“This is… a Hershion?”
In general, magical armor that could transform from a simple breastplate into a full plate armor was collectively known as Hershion.
Ordinary full plate armor was cumbersome to wear and remove, restricted movement, and had to be custom-made to fit the wearer perfectly, making it less practical.
The armor dropped by the goblin looked different, but its basic structure was unmistakably that of a magical Hershion.
“Unbelievable. Even in a hell mode with adjusted difficulty, getting a Hershion as a reward on the 11th floor?”
Zeke shook his head in disbelief as he examined the details of the Hershion.
―Armor Information―
Description: A light armor favored by elves.
Unique Ability: Lightweight
Special Features: Lightweight and durable, making it easy to carry.
“Elves favor this armor? Then why was a hobgoblin wearing it?”
Zeke inspected the armor thoroughly.
After donning the breastplate, he activated the Hershion.
The armor responded, transforming into its full form around him.
Zeke examined the armor now encasing his body.
It felt different from when the goblin had worn it.
“It’s not a full plate but a light armor. Must be because it’s used by elves.”
Upon inspecting the materials, it didn’t seem to be made of rare metals like mithril or orichalcum.
‘This seems like an early version of the Hershion, different from the Empire’s. Much simpler in structure.’
Zeke deactivated the Hershion and stored it in his inventory.
“I should show this to Lord Fainan when I get out. Maybe we can uncover the secrets of the Hershion that no one else has.”
Zeke’s curiosity about the true nature of this labyrinth grew.
Descending further, Zeke had to fend off a relentless onslaught of monsters.
Orc warriors, enhanced lizardmen, gnoll warriors, and even ancient kobolds—there was no shortage of variety.
As he descended, the monsters grew stronger, and Zeke gained more experience points.
With his healing factor and infinite stamina limited, he had to take breaks, making the battles time-consuming.
‘Reminds me of my Highlander days.’
Back then, he would stake out a spot for a week, waiting for his target beast.
Reviving his past instincts, Zeke calmly dealt with the monsters until he found himself at the entrance to the 30th-floor boss chamber.
Inside, a robed kobold was wildly casting spells at him.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Zeke dodged the incoming magic, rolling to the side.
‘The casting speed is fast. This one’s tricky.’
He used a health potion and equipped the Hershion.
Swish!
The moment he donned the Hershion, Zeke charged at the kobold mage.
“Kaaargh!”
Magic flew at Zeke with alarming speed.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The spells hit the Hershion but failed to activate, as the orichalcum nearly nullified the kobold mage’s magic.
Slash!
Zeke’s sword struck the kobold mage, reducing it to ashes in an instant.
Swish!
As the battle ended, Zeke deactivated the Hershion and caught his breath.
“Whew. Just wearing it drains my energy.”
After a brief rest, Zeke examined the artifact left by the kobold mage.
“The staff of an ancient kobold mage. Looks promising.”
With the artifact in hand, Zeke cautiously descended to the 31st floor after recovering his strength.
But something felt different on the 31st floor. The atmosphere had changed more drastically than when he moved from the 10th to the 11th floor. This time, there was an ominous feeling in the air.
Zeke frowned at the eerie sensation seeping into his body.
‘What is this?’
The air felt thick and unpleasant, like a sticky, unsettling presence.
He touched the wall, feeling a slimy substance.
‘Doesn’t seem toxic.’
Just then, he noticed something approaching from down the corridor.
Zeke hid himself and observed his surroundings.
Thud, thud, thud!
Several large figures in armor appeared.
The armor looked heavy and crude, unlike anything he had seen before.
‘Monsters? I’ve never seen monsters wearing such heavy gear.’
One of the figures approaching Zeke’s position lifted its helmet.
Its face was a mix of orc and human, a species he had never encountered.
The helmeted figure spoke to the others behind it.
”■■ ■■■!!”
Even Zeke, who understood most languages on the continent, couldn’t comprehend it.
‘System, translate that for me.’
[Detected the language of the ancient orc race.]
[Translating language.]
Zeke was startled by the system’s message.
‘Ancient orc race?’
Simultaneously, the orc language was translated into the common tongue of the continent.
[Ah, seriously, there’s nothing here, Captain!]
The helmeted orc smacked the head of the orc who had just spoken.
[Ugh!]
The superior orc stomped on the fallen orc.
[You little! Why don’t you become the captain then!]
[Argh!]
After venting his frustration, the superior orc stopped the beating and ordered the subordinate to do something.
The beaten orc got up, placed its head on the ground, and assumed a strange posture with its hands on its waist.
‘What are they doing?’
[Repeat after me. I am less than goblin dung.]
[Ugh. I am… less than… goblin… dung…]
[Listen to that voice. Do you want to die?]
The bizarre chant continued for a while.
Watching them, Zeke realized their behavior was similar to the hazing that occurred in mercenary bands.
‘The title “captain” is also used in mercenary bands. I wonder if it’s just a translation adjustment by the system or if it’s the actual term.’
In small mercenary bands, ranks were determined by the order of joining, except for the leader.
But in large bands with thousands of members, such a system was unmanageable.
So they divided the members into groups of ten, a hundred, or a thousand, assigning titles like captain, centurion, or commander to manage them. Most mercenary bands on the central continent operated this way.
It was puzzling why the ancient orcs had a mercenary-like structure.
As Zeke pondered, the captain ran the subordinate through a few more drills before leading the unit elsewhere.
Zeke, curious to learn more, followed them stealthily.
Trailing the orcs, Zeke witnessed something astonishing.
Slash!
The orc unit was eliminating monsters that appeared along their path.
The orc warriors, clad in heavy armor and wielding massive axes, exuded a formidable presence.
The monsters they defeated also turned to ash and vanished.
[Move out.]
Following the orc warrior called the squad leader, they moved to another location.
As Zeke continued to shadow them, he realized something important.
The monsters on the 31st floor weren’t orcs.
Upon closer inspection, mutated fungi roamed the area.
‘Why are these ancient orcs roaming around killing monsters?’
With growing curiosity, Zeke continued to follow the orcs and discovered the reason.
In a communal area on the 31st floor, the orcs had established a settlement.
‘What the…?’
Rex Turn had never mentioned anything about orcs settling in the labyrinth.
‘Is it because of the hell mode? This is so different from what I was told.’
Though surprised, Zeke knew he couldn’t linger here.
He needed to defeat the 31st-floor boss and move further down.
‘If I defeat the orcs, will they give experience points like monsters?’
After a moment of contemplation, Zeke decided not to engage them without certainty.
If he attacked and they swarmed him like bees, it would be a waste of energy if they didn’t yield experience points.
With his abilities limited, Zeke moved cautiously.
He opened the map to locate the boss chamber. It was on the opposite side of the orc settlement.
Unable to use stealth skills, he kept low and concealed his presence as he crossed the settlement to reach the boss chamber.
The orcs had constructed makeshift barracks, but they weren’t particularly vigilant, except near the boss chamber, where they had stationed some guards.
As Zeke quietly approached the boss chamber, one of the dozing orc guards spotted him at the entrance.
[Intruder! There’s an intruder!]
The shout, almost a battle cry, roused the orc warriors from their slumber, axes in hand.
‘Damn…’
Zeke quickly flung open the door to the boss chamber.
Thud!
Seeing the orc warriors charging with fierce eyes, he swiftly entered the stone chamber.
Boom!
He expected the door to close upon entering the boss chamber, but it remained wide open.
Rolling inside, Zeke found himself face-to-face with the boss monster.
―Fierce Mutated Fungus Level 35―
The mutated fungus, oozing crimson fluid, was three times the size of any other mutated fungus.
“Kaaargh!”
The ferocious creature opened its massive maw, spewing red liquid toward Zeke. At the same time, the battle cries of orcs echoed from behind.
“Uwooooh!”
With the boss monster in front and an orc battalion charging from behind, Zeke found himself caught in a pincer attack. He gripped Bahamut tightly and aimed at the boss monster first.
“Let’s start with you!”
A surge of energy erupted from Zeke’s sword, forming an aura blade.
Dragon Slayer Technique: True Dragon Sword Style
Chapter 3, Verse 2
Crescent Slash
The crescent-shaped energy sliced through the mutated fungus, splitting it in two.
“Keeeek!”
The boss monster shrieked, vomiting more of its red fluid. But from the severed parts, tentacles began to sprout, slowly regenerating.
“What the…?”
Zeke swung his sword again at the mutated fungus.
Boom!
The aura blade severed the tentacles, causing the boss monster to writhe in agony, spraying its fluid everywhere. Just as Zeke was about to deliver the finishing blow—
“Die!”
An orc warrior swung a massive axe from behind.
Clang!
Zeke parried the axe with his sword, then swiftly unleashed an aura blade, cutting through the orc’s heavy armor.
[You have gained 55 experience points.]
“Oh.”
The experience points were significantly higher than those from ordinary monsters.
“Maybe I should’ve lured them out one by one.”
He had avoided them, fearing a lack of experience points, but now he regretted it. Still, there was no time for regrets now.
The fallen orc warrior’s body disintegrated into ash, just like other monsters.
[The cursed soul of the ancient orc warrior departs from the realm of the gods.]
“Why this message…? Are orcs different from other monsters?”
Meanwhile, the regenerated mutated fungus charged at Zeke again.
“Keeeek!”
Its tentacles, bristling with sharp spikes, lashed out at him.
Whoosh!
Zeke dodged, gathering elemental energy to prepare his Elemental Sword.
“The Elemental Sword drains mana like crazy, so I need to keep the output low…”
He unleashed a field of fire.
Fwoooosh!
Pure flames erupted from his sword. As expected, without infinite stamina and a devouring skill, his mana was depleting rapidly.
“Chaah!”
Determined to end it quickly, Zeke unleashed a torrent of pure fire at the boss monster.
Boom!
The all-consuming flames incinerated the mutated fungus completely.
“Keeeek!”
The creature screamed as it turned to ash. Yet, no reward experience or random box appeared.
“Do I have to defeat it with direct hits to get rewards?”
The reward conditions were quite strict. Moreover, he realized a bigger problem with the Elemental Sword.
The mana consumption was far greater than anticipated.
“I should use the Elemental Sword sparingly. I might exhaust myself first.”
Just then, the orc battalion charged at Zeke.
He gripped Bahamut, sharpening his senses. It felt like his instincts from a past life were returning.
“Uwooooh!”
Clang!
Zeke deflected an axe with Bahamut and thrust it into the axe owner’s neck.
“Gah!”
The orc, with a faint smile, collapsed. Zeke continued to cut down the orcs charging at him.
Slash!
“Haaah!”
With a battle cry, he focused entirely on the fight, swinging his sword relentlessly.
In his past life, every day had been like this.
Recalling the intense combat of his past, Zeke felt a strange sense of calm. His body loosened, his movements with the sword becoming more fluid.
It was like wearing a perfectly fitting suit after a long time.
“Whew.”
When he finally came to his senses, the boss’s chamber was littered with fallen orcs.
The lifeless orcs all turned to ash and scattered.
Zeke approached one who was still breathing.
“Hey, orc. What exactly are you guys?”
The orc, leaning against the wall and gasping for breath, looked at Zeke with a startled expression. Then he spoke.
[The herald of blood and madness shall remember our glory.]