Chapter 15
I finished off the remaining three orcs, then killed another group of four.
Then I crossed a ridge.
As expected, things in this world never went according to plan.
The Orc Shaman I had expected to encounter soon, judging from Yunes's directions, was nowhere to be seen.
The sun had set long ago. The night deepened past midnight and reached dawn.
But we had no time to establish a position and make camp.
That was because Yunes kept whispering that the Orc Shaman was truly right in front of us now.
If I fell asleep now, I would be willingly taking on the risk of death.
Fortunately, I wasn't tired.
If anything, my mind was exceptionally clear.
Like a bowstring kept stretched taut.
My body and mind were both under constant tension, which seemed to be why.
Fortunately, Risellin and the mercenary Rohan she had brought with her seemed to be in much the same condition as me.
“I should sleep after I finish everything.”
“…What?”
Of course, Mage Yunes, who was serving as our guide, looked stricken at my words.
As we advanced through the bushes, lights appeared in the distance.
Tents standing unexpectedly in the mountains were impossible to miss.
And bonfires burning around them.
Orcs standing guard with torches in hand. All of this confirmed that the Orc Shaman was right before us.
I spoke quietly.
“I'll handle the one who is obviously the enemy commander. Please take care of the rest.”
At my words, Risellin and Rohan, her subordinate and a Second-Circle mercenary, nodded.
Having seen them fight with my own eyes, I knew the two of them could each do the work of one and a half people.
“Yunes, all you have to do is keep listening to me.”
Yunes trembled her shoulders again and nodded.
“…I've heard that Orc Shamans are very powerful. In terms of their personal martial ability, they're about Third-Circle level, but I've heard that when they fight alongside their subordinate orcs, they can display even greater power.”
After committing Yunes's words to memory, I opened the Transcendent Gallery.
Title : I'm probably standing in front of an Orc Shaman
Author : ㅇㅇ*
-Tell me any tips you've been holding back until now, or share your experiences killing an Orc Shaman.
Comments came pouring in again.
└ Great Mage) Don't rush to kill the shaman. First, kill every approaching orc that might pose a threat, so there won't be any trouble later. Make good use of the mage you brought along.
Great Mage-senpai, who had hidden after being teased from all sides, naturally reappeared and commented again.
Ice Queen commented too, and as expected, it was much the same sort of advice.
└ㅇㅇ*) How did you guys kill an Orc Shaman?
The answers I got were far less useful to me than I could have imagined.
└ Great Mage) I just made the mana flow backward, and it clutched its throat, collapsed, and died.
└ Ice Queen) I said “Ice─!!” and it died! Frozen solid!
The solutions offered by this damn magical genius and bloodline genius were utterly useless to me.
But even the advice from the seniors who used swords like I did wasn't particularly useful.
└ Great Mage) Oh, the magic attribute that works most effectively against an Orc Shaman is fire. You said it's a Third-Circle mage, right? If a Third-Circle mage can properly demonstrate Third-Circle ability, it should be effective.
This was useful information, but whether it mattered depended on Yunes's abilities, not mine.
└ Light’s Sword) Slice it up.
└ Swamp Sword Saint) The thing to watch out for is that, even though it's a shaman, it's still an orc, so it can display strength approaching that of a Third-Circle Knight even in close combat. Dodge the magic, close in, and kill it.
The Swamp Sword Saint's comment was long, but in the end, it also just meant I should dodge the magic and kill it.
└ Absolute Sovereign) Didn't you say you brought short spears? Throw them to gauge the distance as you approach.
At least I got some sound advice.
└ ㅇㅇ*) I'm back after clearing Floor 2.
└ Don't announce things like that anymore. Just go and come back….
└ For realㅋㅋㅋ This climber bastard practically activates a death flag by habit.
└ Dragon Demon King) Beltui—I'm wishing you luckkk.
└ Shaman) May you return safely.
└ Mod) Go and come back.
With the mod's comment, I closed the Transcendent Gallery.
I saw about thirty orcs.
The one thing they had in common was the red glow in their eyes.
Behind the ranks of large orcs stood one even larger than they were.
Above the head of the one wearing gold-and-silver ornaments dangling around its neck, I saw familiar words.
[BOSS MONSTER]
Boss monster.
[Orc sorcerer]
Orc Shaman.
I felt it.
The immense killing intent emanating from the Orc Shaman.
Did Risellin and the mercenary Rohan standing on either side of me feel it, too? Their bodies stopped moving entirely for a moment.
Like mice standing before a cat.
[Focus Enhancement Lv.3 - Activating skill.]
“Pull yourselves together. I'll go in first, so follow me.”
Maybe because I opened my mouth and spoke, the Orc Shaman opened its own mouth wide.
Kwooooooooooooooooo─!
The shaman's roar rang in my ears.
Seeing that even the low mountain was shaking, it seemed like an attack meant to suppress us—something that served the role of ‘Fear.’
There was no time left to hesitate.
[Mana Body Enhancement Lv.2 - Activating skill.]
My Mana Heart throbbed.
Mana spread through my body.
I had already confirmed during my battle with the Orc Legion Commander that leveling up restored my body to its original condition.
I'll kill that bastard and go up to Floor 3.
I saw the Orc Shaman's enormous right foot rise.
Its massive foot came crashing down.
Boom!
It was obvious that this was a signal for its subordinates to charge.
I threw one of the three short spears I had left for throwing.
It was aimed at the Orc Shaman.
Ting!
The short spear was knocked away by a transparent barrier that suddenly appeared in front of the Orc Shaman.
As expected.
They weren't going to let me score an easy kill.
I hadn't risked my life on that move. Its sole purpose had been to buy me room to move.
I lowered my body and sprinted forward in an instant.
I swept my straight sword horizontally. The heads of two orcs shot into the air.
With the black javelin in my left hand, I tore into the abdomen of an approaching orc and pulled it free.
Green currents of energy flowed from the blunt staff in the Orc Shaman's hand.
“Yunes, cast a spell beside me to interfere with that bastard's magic. You have to tell me immediately once you identify the spell.”
I spoke faster than ever.
Well, I had to survive.
Yunes's reply came sooner than I expected.
“It's Wind Cutter! A wind-blade spell that mainly surges in from the side!”
I snatched the shield Rohan was clumsily holding in his left hand while he was still standing there blankly, then kicked off the ground.
Swoooooosh!
Two Wind Cutters surged toward me.
I pivoted hard to evade one and raised the shield to block the other.
Kwoaaaaargh!!
Three orcs in a frenzy charged at me simultaneously.
[Skill ‘Composure’ level increased. Lv.4]
Dragon-Slaying Sword, First Form, Þursahǫgg.
A crescent-shaped arc passed through the three orcs.
With the orcs toppling backward all at once behind me, I kicked off the ground and charged.
I dealt with every one that stood in my way.
I looked to the side.
Yunes's face was pale enough to make it seem as though she might collapse at any moment, but she was steadily keeping up.
“When I wound that shaman, cast a fire spell through the opening.”
I saw her nod frantically.
I charged forward again. When I killed three more, my vision was covered by navy-blue lightning.
Kwarrrrung!
Lightning spell.
The barrier spell Yunes hurriedly cast spread out in front of me, but lightning struck my left arm.
Crack-
My teeth ground together on their own.
Despite Pain Suppression having reached Level 4, a godawful pain welled up.
I glanced at my left arm, which was charred in a grotesquely unnatural way.
If Mana Body Enhancement hadn't been active and my stats hadn't risen this much, I could easily have died on the spot.
I saw a smile spread across the Orc Shaman's face.
You think you've won?
I brought my straight sword down across the neck of an orc approaching from the side.
[Level has increased.]
[Lv.9 → Lv.10]
[‘Strength’ stat increases by 6.]
[‘Agility’ stat increases by 5.]
[‘Vitality’ stat increases by 5.]
[‘Mana’ stat increases by 4.]
Crack-
My left arm returned to normal.
Aside from the stragglers Risellin and Rohan were fighting,
there was only one enemy left before me: the Orc Shaman.
Kwaaang!
Using the basic footwork of the Dragon-Slaying Sword—which barely qualified as footwork—I reached the shaman's very nose.
As everyone had told me, it responded at close range in a manner unbecoming of a shaman.
The enormous axe in its left hand came swinging at me.
I slipped past its trajectory like a loach. I repeatedly drove the black javelin in my restored left hand into the back of its left hand.
Kweeeek!
It dropped the axe with a squeal like a pig being slaughtered.
Dragon-Slaying Sword, Third Form.
Vertical Slash, Drakabani.
I hammered down on its right shoulder.
Its raised right arm finally dropped.
Pwoook!
My arm flashed.
Hjartagnyr.
I drove my straight sword into its abdomen with a thrust.
Krrrrraaaaaaak!
“Yunes, fire!”
Come on, fire shuttle.
Fwoosh─
The spear of flame Yunes conjured at point-blank range stabbed in beside my straight sword.
The pig's scream grew louder.
I twisted the sword I had stabbed in a full turn and continued straight into a horizontal slash.
The flames moved along the trajectory of my sword.
A fierce trail of flame was drawn across the dark mountain.
Fwoooosh!
The Orc Shaman's body, pouring endless blood from its abdomen, toppled to the ground.
[You have defeated the boss monster!]
[Level up!]
[Lv.10 → Lv.12]
[‘Strength’ increases by 12.]
[‘Agility’ increases by 10.]
[‘Vitality’ increases by 11.]
[‘Mana’ increases by 9.]
Another two-level increase, just like when I killed the Legion Commander.
I had no idea how long this steep growth would continue.
『Quest - ‘Kiblev Castle Wall Defense’ has been completed by defeating the boss monster - Orc Shaman.』
[You have cleared the Floor 2 stage.]
[The score for ‘Player - Han Yoo-seong’ on the Floor 2 stage is being calculated.]
Ah, right.
There was a score tally starting from Floor 2.
《 Floor 2 - Score Rankings 》
1st - Alliance Chief : 784 points
2nd - In Pursuit : 583 points
3rd - Sinclair : 575 points
4th - Argul : 572 points
5th - Rosetta : 564 points
⋮
Only first place was conspicuously high.
I didn't think I could surpass this guy.
[Score calculation complete.]
The next number that appeared before my eyes made me realize how short-sighted my thoughts had been.
[Floor 2 stage]
[Han Yoo-seong : 1,532 points]