About an hour ago, on the hill overlooking the cave.
In the deep darkness of the forest, the silhouettes of two men wavered in the moonlight.
Below them, the wind lightly rustled the leaves.
"Pungpyo, were the hostages… rescued safely?"
U-am leaned against a tree and spoke quietly.
His voice was low, but his eyes still shone with alertness.
Pungpyo slowly looked around without a word before replying.
"If it's them, regular slave hunters wouldn't be a match.
…You've experienced it yourself."
U-am's lips curled into a slight smile.
There was no joke or exaggeration in his words.
The two men, the Guryeo tribe's elite warriors U-am and Pungpyo.
They were lying in ambush on this high ground, as per Min-chan's instructions.
They were there to watch for any potential slave hunter reinforcements or suspicious movements.
U-am spoke quietly.
"True… Young-ho, that person is no ordinary man either.
To be honest, when he fights, he felt like a monster."
Pungpyo nodded.
U-am continued.
"Even that Young-ho—
in front of a person like Min-chan, his speech and actions were clearly flustered."
"…Just how strong is he?"
Pungpyo muttered quietly.
"But you know—"
[Flump.]
As U-am was casually continuing his sentence, he suddenly froze.
A cold shiver ran up his spine.
A gust of wind blew from below the hill.
Mixed in with it was a stench and a heavy, sticky murderous intent that dug into his skin.
Without a word, at the same time,
the two of them turned their heads and looked down the hill.
[Hiss—]
A figure was approaching, cutting through the bushes.
It looked like a mix between a human and a wild boar.
Its massive body was like that of two adult men combined,
and its bulging muscles twitched beneath its green skin.
"…Orc."
Along with U-am's low murmur,
in the darkness, its yellow, bloodshot eyes met theirs.
The moment U-am spoke, Pungpyo turned and shouted.
"Run!"
[Thump-thump]
The ragged breathing of the two men, who were sprinting through the forest, shook the darkness.
"Did you see that? That wasn't… a person."
Pungpyo said, gritting his teeth.
"It's an Orc. I'm sure of it. We need to warn them quickly."
U-am replied in a low voice.
"But why would those things… appear here at this time?"
[Hiss! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!]
"Questions later! It's picking up speed, faster!!"
[Snap…!]
Following closely, the thick sound of branches breaking was heard from beyond the bushes.
They lowered their bodies and slid through the forest.
[Tud-uk, tat-ak]
They didn't stop even when branches scraped their faces or rocks brushed against their feet.
"We're almost there. Just a little more…!"
"We've arrived!"
Both said, breathing heavily.
Soon, the torchlight at the cave entrance, two men peeking their heads out from the cart, and the figures of Tae-geon and Dam-bi were revealed.
"Watch out—!"
Something massive cut through the darkness, drawing a curve.
[Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!]
The wind passed first.
The next moment—
[CRACK!]
The head of the injured man, who was peeking out from the cart, was shattered.
Drops of blood flew through the air,
and with a 'thunk'—sound, a hatchet was heavily embedded in a tree.
Only then did they realize what the thing had thrown.
"Dam-bi-nim!"
"Tae-geon-nim!"
Pungpyo and U-am ran up, panting.
Their foreheads and shoulders were scraped by branches, and their clothes were stained with dirt.
"Pungpyo! U-am!"
As Dam-bi greeted them with wide eyes, U-am shouted first.
"It's an Orc!"
Pungpyo, breathing raggedly, continued.
"We need to get out of here right now. Orcs travel in groups. There are definitely more nearby!"
Dam-bi's eyes wavered greatly.
"…An Orc?"
"Yes.
They are monsters that can tear an adult man apart with their bare hands.
They eat people.
If a village is exposed to a group of Orcs—
it just disappears."
[Rustle.]
The sound of dry leaves crumbling.
Everyone's gaze simultaneously turned towards the source of the sound.
"Everyone, fall back!"
Tae-geon said in a low voice.
His gaze was fixed on the path where U-am and Pungpyo had come from.
There,
cutting through the darkness,
an Orc revealed itself.
[Sniff… hiss… grunt.]
The Orc flared its nostrils and inhaled the air.
Its gleaming yellow eyes slowly scanned the group.
Like a beast choosing its prey.
[Twitch.]
Dam-bi's breath caught in her throat.
The moment she made eye contact with the Orc—
the corners of its mouth went up.
It was laughing.
Definitely.
It was a deliberately unpleasant 'laugh.'
Dam-bi knew.
That the thing now considered her prey.
Her body trembled uncontrollably.
When the Orc took half a step forward—
"Dam-bi, get back."
A low, calm voice.
It was Tae-geon.
He had already stepped in front of Dam-bi.
He had no weapon, only a coiled rope in his hands.
"Tae-geon oppa..."
Dam-bi held her breath.
Tae-geon's back was solid.
She could feel his unwavering center, like a rock.
[Grrr…]
The Orc let out a low growl.
It slowly raised its thick arms.
"U-am, Pungpyo, protect Dam-bi."
Tae-geon said curtly,
and lowered his body.
The next moment—
[Slam! Thump-thump!]
As Tae-geon pushed off the ground and lunged forward, the Orc instinctively charged back. Its appearance was like a charging bull.
[Thump! Thump!]
The ground shook.
The charge of the gigantic monster was a wall itself.
[Whoosh!]
A fist the size of a child's head flew, as if to smash Tae-geon's head.
[Tug.]
Tae-geon held the rope taut,
and slightly twisted and lowered his upper body,
and plunged inside just a half-beat earlier.
The rope accurately passed the Orc's elbow and wrapped around its shoulder.
[Hup!]
In the instant Tae-geon and the Orc crossed paths—
[Thump.]
Tae-geon's heel lightly kicked the Orc's heel.
Its balance was slightly disrupted.
At that moment,
the two hands holding the rope were swung forward like a flash of lightning.
[Whooosh!]
As the weight, speed, and direction all intertwined—
the huge monster was sent flying into the air.
Like a rock being overturned,
the Orc's body drew an arc in the air.
[CRASH!]
The back of its head hit the ground first.
Dirt and stones flew up,
and the impact created a deep, clear mark on the ground.
[Tremble, tremble…]
If it had been a human,
it would have been a strike that would have broken its neck and caused instant death.
But—
The Orc's limbs twitched and
it flailed, trying to get back on its feet.
Thick muscles along its back twitched as if in a seizure.
"As expected. It won't go down easily."
Tae-geon, catching his breath, looked down at the rising Orc.
[SQUEAL! …GRAAAH!!]
The Orc threw back its head and roared.
It was not the cry of a beast, but the roar of an enraged warrior.
The air in the forest was crushed by its roar.
[Thud. Thud. Thud.]
The massive body slowly approached.
Covered in rock dust and dirt, it stood tall in front of Tae-geon.
Their eyes met.
It was not the gaze of a predator looking at its prey.
It was the look of a warrior facing an equal opponent, fueled by a competitive spirit.
Tae-geon also raised his head.
He was motionless.
The tension in his shoulders released, and the rope in his hands swayed softly.
"Alright. You want to fight."
[WHAM!]
Both of them lunged simultaneously.
The Orc pushed off the ground and swung a massive fist,
and Tae-geon, lifting his body a half-step back, swung the rope with one hand.
[WHOOSH!]
The rope wrapped around the Orc's forearm.
But this time—
[GRAB.]
The Orc grabbed it.
Before Tae-geon could pull, the Orc applied force first.
[PING!]
The rope was pulled taut.
Tae-geon's body swayed in the air, being pulled towards it.
[BAM!]
The Orc's fist struck Tae-geon's side.
But Tae-geon bent his elbow to block his side,
and flowed with the recoil of the impact,
circling around the Orc's body.
[BAM!!]
Spinning in the air, he brought both feet together and accurately struck the Orc's chest.
A dropkick.
[THUNK!]
The Orc was pushed back a couple of steps.
And it laughed.
Its wide, torn lips curved up in a strange way.
"You've got spirit."
Tae-geon also stood up and took his stance.
The auras of the two beings clung to each other thickly.
It was not a beast versus a human, but a warrior versus a warrior.
[Grunt. Hiss.]
The Orc shrugged its shoulders and took a step forward.
"Let's finish this before the kids come out."
Tae-geon said, narrowing his eyes.
There was no emotion in his voice.
It was just a calm declaration, like the end of a sentence.
The Orc paused for a moment upon hearing those words.
[…SWISH.]
It moved its hand to its waist.
And—
pulled out a weighty hatchet,
the size of an adult male's head.
[Slide.]
Tae-geon unraveled his rope.
The rope slid from his fingertips and hit the floor.
At the same time—his eyes changed.
A murderous intent without hesitation.
One step.
And another step.
The two warriors faced each other, closing the gap.
[WHOOSH!]
The hatchet, soaring into the sky, arced like a pickaxe and
came down directly towards Tae-geon's head.
[BLOCK!]
But Tae-geon took one more step forward.
He raised one arm overhead, drawing a semicircle,
and the hatchet handle slid off his forearm.
[CLANG!]
The massive blade dug deep into the ground right next to Tae-geon, kicking up dirt.
[SWISH!]
The rope wrapped around the Orc's neck as it bent down.
And just like that,
Tae-geon rolled over its back, grabbing the rope and pulling it tight.
[CHOKE—!]
"Guh… Grrr—"
The Orc's head was pulled back.
The rope dug into its thick neck.
Veins popped out on Tae-geon's arms, and his teeth were clenched.
[CRUNCH.]
The Orc's heels began to lift.
Then—both feet were off the ground.
[Flail… flail…]
Hanging from Tae-geon's back, its two feet flailed in the air.
Its muscular legs writhed as if searching for solid ground.
[Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.]
As its feet couldn't find the ground,
its hands were reflexively raised.
Its fingers desperately scratched at its neck, trying to find a gap in the rope.
[Gasp… choke… gurgle…]
But the tightly pulled rope was already buried deep inside its flesh.
A moment later—
[THUD.]
The flailing, trembling hands stopped, and its massive body went completely limp.
Tae-geon felt the heartbeat behind him completely stop.
[THUMP.]
He released the rope,
and the Orc's corpse slumped to the ground.
Dirt rose up again.
"That's an Orc?"
Tae-geon looked at Pungpyo and U-am with eyes that seemed to demand an answer to Dam-bi's question.
"..."
The Orc lay dead with its tongue hanging out.
Pungpyo and U-am, with wide eyes and open mouths in shock, were momentarily silent,
wondering if an Orc was a monster that could be defeated with just a rope.
"Yes! An Orc!"
The corpse was certainly breathless,
but a sense of intimidation still emanated from its bared fangs and massive muscles.
Dam-bi turned to Pungpyo and U-am and asked.
"…Is this really an Orc?"
"Yes. It is. But…"
Pungpyo frowned.
"There couldn't have been just one. These things live in groups."
U-am added in a low voice.
"Which means, they might be moving towards this area right now."
A brief silence fell.
The silence was broken by a low voice.
"Then we'll frame them for it."
It was Min-chan.
He had led the others out of the cave and, as if having already assessed the situation,
was looking down at the Orc corpse with a calm expression.
Behind Min-chan, Young-ho, Young-beom, the freed Do-yoon, and the exhausted Guryeo men were following.
"Hyung, noona… did you miss me?"
Do-yoon, with his eyes bruised purple and his lips split open, winked at Tae-geon and Dam-bi.
Tae-geon stared at Do-yoon in disbelief,
and Dam-bi shook her head as if to say he was incorrigible.
"Do-yoon still hasn't come to his senses yet."
"This weak little youngest brother made the hyung-nims and noona's feet all sweaty from running.
We're gonna have to start with sparring when we get back."
As Young-ho and Young-beom grimaced and made a gesture of slitting their throats with their hands,
Do-yoon hastily made an excuse.
"Ah, no… If I were alone, I would have gone 'papak!' and won it all—"
Min-chan cut him off curtly.
"There's no time for reunions now.
If the Orcs come here, we have no choice but to pin our tracks on them and get out."
He looked at Dam-bi and asked.
"Is it possible?"
Dam-bi closed her eyes for a moment, then nodded.
"If I use the talisman and a spell, I can make the Orcs stay in this area for a while.
But whether it will work well on Orcs… we need to watch from a little farther away first."
"Good. Only Dam-bi and I will stay behind, everyone else move out."
Min-chan gave the order quickly,
and the others disappeared into the forest following Pungpyo and U-am's lead.
Min-chan looked down at the Orc's corpse again.
"A cannibalistic monster… Heaven has helped us."
Min-chan and Dam-bi dug a small hole near the cave entrance and buried the talisman.
They concealed the traces with branches and dirt,
and hid behind the hill according to the wind's direction.
Not long after—
[Grunt. Hiss.]
Rough breathing and the sound of branches breaking were heard simultaneously from the other side of the forest.
Beyond the darkness, dozens of yellow eyes were approaching the cave.
[Sniff, sniff, sniff.]
As soon as the Orc pack arrived, they began to search the area.
As if looking for something, they flared their nostrils and poked at the area mixed with blood and dirt,
and some went inside the cave.
[Hiss. Hiss. Squeal.]
Soon, one of them's eyes flashed,
and it discovered the corpse in front of the cart.
The Orc dragged out the fallen slave hunter's body.
[Chomp!]
It bit directly into the corpse's neck.
Blood spattered, and torn flesh fell dully to the ground.
Soon, the other Orcs rushed over.
[Slurp… gulp… cough.]
Not only the corpses but even the packhorses were dismantled in an instant.
The scene, mixed with the smell of blood and torn flesh, was a beast's dinner table itself.
"That's strange… when he was fighting Tae-geon hyung, he seemed to have some intelligence.
But even with a corpse of his own kind right there, they're eating right away?"
Min-chan muttered in a low voice and looked at Dam-bi.
"Dam-bi. What did you… put in that talisman?"
Dam-bi closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them cautiously.
"I put in the aura of a 'Hungry Ghost'."
"…A Hungry Ghost?"
"A ghost that starved to death.
Its grudge of not being able to eat is so deep that it's still hungry even after death.
When I imbue that energy, they feel hunger nearby.
Just like those guys."
Min-chan nodded briefly.
"…Good. Well done."
He slightly curled the corner of his mouth.
"We pinned all of our tracks on those things."
The smile soon disappeared,
and Min-chan's eyes became focused again.
"Now, let's return to the village."
---
At that time, in the Sodador Territory...
"Melverton, your soldiers went to capture some of that incompetent tribe.
And they haven't returned yet?"
A man with a sharp face slammed his hand on the table.
On the table, the area around the abandoned quarry was marked on a large map.
A man in armor said,
"My apologies, Your Grace. I will go with two scouting parties and find out where their hidden stronghold is."
They immediately sent forty soldiers and two riders,
who arrived at the slave hunters' temporary dwelling the next day.
However, there…
Instead of humans,
a pack of Orcs was guarding their trading spot.