Chapter 3: The Onslaught
As the shaman fell, the orcs hesitated for a moment.
They stared blankly at their commander, now dead with an axe embedded in his skull.
But only for a moment.
“They’re throwing axes! Orcs, charge! Charge!”
A massive orc warrior shouted in a clumsy accent.
Roar!
As if responding to his call, the entire horde of orcs roared, their fighting spirit ignited.
Thud, thud, thud—
Three hundred green giants shook the ground as they charged down the road, brandishing swords and axes with wild abandon.
Their bloodshot eyes were fixed on the lone warrior blocking their path.
At the center of their murderous gaze stood Dalen, who stopped at a point safely away from the wagons.
Shing—
He drew his sword, gripping it with both hands. It was a blade forged by Reberon, a mix of black and silver steel.
Like a sturdy tree rooted firmly in the earth, his feet stood unyielding against the ground.
Facing the oncoming green tide, Dalen took a short breath.
Huff—
A haze rose from his shoulders, reaching his fingertips in an instant.
Whoosh—
The horizontal slash of his sword seemed pitifully small against the green wave.
But in the next moment—
Crash—!
The weapons thrust by the orcs shattered, becoming a storm of metal that engulfed the front of the green wave.
Roar!
Bloodied orcs tumbled to the ground.
No matter how tough an orc’s body was, it couldn’t withstand a rain of arrows.
And this storm was far beyond any mere rain of arrows; it was the legendary Raphantella’s Crushing Blade, said to have been devised by one of the greatest warrior kings.
Even at its weakest, this technique could grind down the flesh of demons, and no orc could withstand it unscathed.
That was just the beginning.
Boom!
Dalen’s form shot forward like a lightning bolt, breaking through the stone pavement and diving into the disordered green wave.
Slash—
His sword cleaved through the waist of a massive orc in one swift motion.
Crash—!
A beat later, the storm swept through, grinding down the orcs behind the one whose waist had been severed.
Crack!
With a single strike, five orcs fell. The next blow took down seven.
The Crushing Blade, inherited from the fallen warlord, had been honed in battles against demons, becoming a technique Dalen could wield freely in combat.
Huff—
A short breath in.
The energy coursing through his arms made the already heavy sword feel ten times heavier.
The essence of the Crushing Blade was to channel that weight into a strike that could pierce any defense.
Even just parrying an opponent’s attack could shatter their weapon and crush the foe behind it.
The philosophy of the Crushing Blade was that defense was merely another form of attack.
Boom!
The stone pavement shattered under the force of the sword wind, turning into a storm of sharp debris that swept through more orcs.
Though Dalen’s mastery of swordsmanship wasn’t yet enough to incorporate the power of domains, the potential was evident.
Before the overwhelming power of his swordsmanship, nearly a hundred orcs had already become corpses.
Roar—!
Even as their kin fell before them, the orcs showed no sign of retreat.
For orcs, battle was one of life’s ultimate goals.
The sight of their comrades’ blood and flesh was not enough to break their spirit.
“Humans! Kill and eat!”
Unable to watch his subordinates fall any longer, a massive orc warrior who had been observing from the rear charged forward with a guttural cry.
Whoosh—!
A gigantic sword swung down from above.
The combination of the three-meter-tall orc’s bulk and the massive sword was a force to be reckoned with.
Even Dalen would be split in two if he took the blow head-on.
Dalen took a deep breath and raised his sword with both hands.
Crash!
The impact of the clash cracked the stone beneath his feet, and the sword of mixed silver and black steel quivered.
The result was clear.
The orc’s arm and sword were lifted high, exposing its muscular chest.
Despite the advantage of striking downward, the orc’s strength was no match for Dalen’s.
“You, human, giant’s strength…!”
“Silence.”
Slash—!
Dalen’s sword cut diagonally, and the orc’s upper body fell to the ground with a thud.
Groan…
With their commander dead in a single exchange, the orcs finally hesitated, their red eyes wide with shock.
Dalen grinned at them, his foot pressing down on the blood-soaked stone.
And then—
Boom!
The warrior’s form plunged once more into the wavering green tide.
The battle soon came to an end.
While Dalen annihilated the three hundred orcs, the mercenaries at the front of the caravan successfully held the line, driving back the orcs and goblins.
“That feeling of clarity and strength! Is that also a power of the holy knight’s tattoos?”
“No, that’s the power of a battle prayer. Every holy knight learns prayers to aid those around them with divine power granted by the god of war.”
Dalen turned his head from the orc corpses. Two figures emerged from between the wagons.
One was a young mercenary named Paren, and the other was Lucia.
The boy, who had been chattering excitedly beside Lucia, fell silent upon seeing Dalen.
Dalen chuckled at the sight.
So, the pretty holy knight is more appealing than the big mercenary uncle, huh?
As he mused, Lucia approached him.
“Did you handle all these orcs by yourself?”
“It was a good chance to stretch my muscles. Not bad at all.”
”…Hundreds of orcs as a warm-up. Dalen, you’re truly something else.”
Lucia muttered in disbelief. Dalen laughed softly.
“The mercenaries said you played a big role.”
“Defending the line is a holy knight’s specialty, after all.”
Her voice carried a rare note of confidence.
The battle at the front of the caravan was, in truth, largely thanks to Lucia’s efforts.
After enhancing herself with her holy tattoos, her battle prayers boosted the morale and abilities of the mercenaries.
Unlike the labyrinth, where she often found herself swept up in Dalen’s pace, facing powerful foes with just the two of them, this fight was the perfect setting for her battle prayers to shine.
‘The key advantage of battle prayers is their range.’
The basic effects of a battle prayer were limited to slight morale boosts and vitality recovery.
But despite being less potent than other skills, the overwhelming range of a holy knight’s battle prayer was enough to earn it a reputation as a game-changing skill.
From dozens to hundreds, even thousands, the range expanded with the holy knight’s ability.
Even a minor morale boost became exponentially more effective when it affected hundreds.
“Thank you, holy knight.”
“You saved us, holy knight.”
The mercenaries bowed deeply to Lucia whenever they crossed paths.
Lucia smiled gently, acknowledging their gratitude.
The boy, kicking at an orc corpse, asked, “Why are these creatures rampaging on the road?”
“Well, first of all, orcs aren’t monsters. Only the goblins they raise are.”
The boy’s eyes widened. Lucia patted his head gently and explained.
“Unlike monsters, orcs hail from the northeastern mountains of the continent, known as the Teeth of the World. Orcs aren’t inherently evil.”
“But they kill people! And they speak so clumsily.”
“Orcs naturally love to fight. These orcs have been away from their homeland for too long. That’s why they’ve regressed in many ways and attack people indiscriminately. The orcs in the Teeth of the World are not only more capable but also more intelligent. They even trade with the Eastern Starfa Kingdom.”
The gentle touch on his head and the soothing voice telling the story were a stark contrast to the foul-mouthed persona Dalen was used to. He couldn’t help but chuckle.
Lucia shot him a sharp look with her blue eyes, but Dalen met her gaze with a blank expression, as if to say, “What?”
After a moment, Lucia sighed and muttered.
“Still, it seems the activity of monsters is indeed expanding. For orcs to occupy the road in such numbers means they’ve been pushed out of their original territory.”
“Seems that way.”
Dalen nodded, scratching his chin in thought.
‘Something definitely feels off.’
In truth, the months following the end of the tutorial were a time when monsters stirred across the continent.
This period, often called the First Invasion, was when empires and kingdoms fortified their defenses against the impending monster threat.
Before long, the monsters vanished as if they had never been there.
“And just when the nations start to relax, they launch a massive second invasion that sweeps across the continent.”
It was like the small tremors that precede a major earthquake.
However, Dalen, with his hundreds of experiences, felt that this current unrest was more akin to a major quake than a minor one.
“Normally, these orcs should be holding their ground during the first invasion.”
Dalen knew these orcs well.
They were a tribe of about five hundred, led by an orc shaman and warriors.
Situated in the mountains southwest of the city alliance, this tribe had never been displaced until the second invasion.
In the early stages of the game, one of the mercenary guild’s quests was to raid this tribe, which often harassed merchants, and wipe them out completely.
“Plus, judging by the abilities of the two orc leaders, they’re no pushovers.”
Though they had fallen quickly to him now, in a typical playthrough, these orcs were formidable foes.
Even Dalen, a seasoned player, had lost his life to them once during a quest.
[Recovered the body of a clumsy mercenary. Inheriting abilities.]
[Inheritance Reward: Sense +1]
[Recovered the body of a lightning-calling wizard. Inheriting abilities.]
[Inheritance Reward: Intelligence +1, Magic +2, Lightning Strike (D)]
The inheritance rewards showed that the wizard had been quite a well-developed character.
The fact that such beings had lost their home and been driven out suggested that this monster activity was unlike any first invasion Dalen had known.
“More things are changing than I thought.”
Dalen stroked his chin thoughtfully.
It seemed that the Witch of Ashes wasn’t the only one who had started moving early.
Perhaps the ripple effect of his presence was spreading across the continent without him even realizing it.
“Dalen! We’re moving out again!”
Lucia called out, already climbing into the carriage.
Dalen shook his head slightly and headed towards the carriage.
Understanding the shifting dynamics of the continent could wait. For now, he had to focus on the tasks at hand.
The caravan continued south along the main road.
They reached Revivach a week after the orc attack.
From early morning, the area in front of the city gates was teeming with people.
Rumors about the mandrake had begun to spread, drawing merchants from all over the continent eager to seize the opportunity.
Clatter! Thud!
Hee-haw―
The clamor of carts and the braying of mules, along with the shouts of people, filled the air in front of the gates.
In the midst of this bustling market atmosphere, the guards seemed to have half-abandoned their inspections, letting people through without proper checks.
It was likely not their decision alone.
There must have been orders from above to prioritize smooth traffic flow over thorough inspections.
The mandrake rumors presented a lucrative opportunity not just for merchants but for the city as well.
The taxes collected from the gathered merchants promised to multiply the small city’s revenue several times over compared to last year.
The Galios caravan’s escort mission concluded at the tavern on the first floor of the city’s finest inn.
Seated with Lucia, Dalen ordered a meal and surveyed the tavern while sipping from a large mug of beer.
It was a bit early for the inn’s tavern to be crowded for lunch.
Yet the atmosphere was already lively and bustling.
Merchants from all over the continent exchanged potentially lucrative information over small glasses of liquor.
The mercenaries who had accompanied them spent their silver coins on drinks, getting merrily drunk in the middle of the day.
“Sorry for the delay. The settlement took longer than expected.”
Volkmar approached, wiping sweat from his brow, and took a seat.
He untied two pouches from his belt and placed them in front of Dalen and Lucia.
“Here’s your payment. Each of you gets 2 florins and 50 shillings. The original contract was for 2 florins, but since you both saved our lives during the orc battle, I added a little extra.”
“Thank you.”
Dalen peeked into the pouch, noting the pile of silver coins with two gold coins mixed in. He tied it securely and tucked it away. Lucia did the same with her pouch.
Meanwhile, Volkmar ordered a low-alcohol beer, took a sip, and with a slightly flushed face, asked, “So, where are you two headed next?”