Did I fail?Why the hell did it show a black ring, then?
Grey's jaw tightened. He had never used his Art of Wood on a living being before, so he couldn't even be sure if the same rules applied. Perhaps the colors held a different meaning here.
He gripped his axe and raised it again—then froze.
A low creak came from the handle. When he glanced down, he saw a thin split running through the wood, right where the head met the shaft. The weapon had already been dull and overused, but now the handle itself was starting to give way.
Of course, this was because he hadn't accounted for this kind of scenario, where an Orc Chieftain that had never appeared before would appear.
He ran his thumb along the surface; it was rough, chipped, and loose where the head met the shaft.
Please, hold together a little longer.
He tightened his grip anyway. There was no other weapon nearby, and his hands still worked. The axe would have to last a little longer.
Before he could swing again, though, the Chieftain stopped moving.
Grey hesitated. The massive body remained upright for a moment before settling into stillness.
Then something small and red emerged from the wound on its shoulder—a crystal, translucent and pulsing faintly, like blood turned to glass. It floated for a second, then drifted down, losing its color as it hit the ground. When it landed, it was pure white.
Grey blinked. What… is that?
Then, all across the Chieftain's body, glowing rings began to form. They spread over every part of the creature like veins of light. The neck and heart glowed black, the belly gray, and its remaining eye faintly white.
The rings looked exactly like the ones he saw on trees—patterns of weakness on something that no longer moved.
He didn't wait to think about it.
Grey stepped forward and swung his axe into the Chieftain's neck the same way he'd cut a tree. The sound was thick and wet. He jumped back instantly, expecting the creature to move, but it didn't.
A slow line of green blood trickled from the wound.
He struck again. The Chieftain didn't react.
Grey kept going. Each hit landed in the exact same place, clean and measured. The crack in the axe's handle deepened with every swing, but he didn't stop until the final one split the sound of the forest apart.
The Chieftain's head fell forward, thudding into the soil.
[Art of Source has leveled up!]
A glowing panel appeared in front of him, but he ignored it. Instead, he stood there, panting, the broken handle trembling in his hand. The axe head wobbled loose—and then the handle snapped completely in two. The upper half fell into the grass beside the Chieftain's corpse.
Grey looked down at the remains of the weapon. Figures.
He didn't have time to mourn it.
Behind him, a familiar voice broke through the quiet. "G-Grey!"
Elaine came running out from the treeline, her face pale and wet with tears. She threw herself at him before he could even speak, her arms wrapping tightly around his waist.
"Waaah! I was so scared!" she sobbed.
"It's okay now," Grey said, voice low and steady. "He's dead."
But she didn't stop crying. The sound came out in sharp breaths against his chest.
"Elaine," he said, gently pushing her shoulders back. "Why did you come? I told you to run. Go—there are still others who need help."
She looked up, startled. "A-are you going back into the forest?" Her eyes widened. "No! I'll come with you!"
Grey frowned. "Elaine—"
"No way! I'm coming with—"
"Elaine." His tone snapped firm enough to stop her mid-sentence. He took a breath and softened it again. "Thank you. You saved me back there. But if you come with me now, I'll have to protect you too."
She froze.
He continued, calm and deliberate. "The Chieftain's dead, so the other Orcs won't leave the forest. There will be wounded villagers. Go back, bring help, and come with carriages. That's what we need now."
Elaine's lip trembled. She didn't want to agree, but she understood. Slowly, she nodded. "Promise me you won't die."
"I have no intention of dying," he said. "I'll come back in one piece."
Her shoulders eased slightly at the quiet certainty in his voice. After one last glance at him, she turned and ran through the clearing, heading back toward the village.
Grey watched her vanish into the darkness. Then he glanced at his broken axe. The head was still usable, but only as a lump of dull metal.
I'll need another weapon.
He put the crystal-like object in his pocket before moving.
---
Grey started toward Taek's last position. Not because he wanted to save him more than the others—though he did—but because Taek was closest.
He moved quickly, his boots cutting through wet leaves. The forest felt heavier now. The smell of blood and ash lingered under the cool night air. Each step sank into damp soil, each breath came with a metallic taste.
Even though Taek could take on a single Orc alone, since he hadn't come toward where Grey was before, he had either encountered another Orc or gone back into the forest to help the others.
Well, unless he is dead...
Grey didn't think Taek could die that easily. Even though he was a bit aloof, he wasn't weak. He was the one who taught Grey how to use a sword.
He's strong. He should still be alive.
And, not surprisingly, when he reached the area, an Orc's corpse lay sprawled on the ground, chest split open. Definitely Taek's work.
But the branches nearby were broken, the dirt torn up. There had been another fight here.
Grey crouched low, listening. In the distance, he heard the dull rhythm of heavy blows.
He ran toward the sound.
A small clearing opened ahead. Taek was there, half-kneeling, sweat dripping down his face as another Orc bore down on him.
"Taek!" Grey shouted.
Taek's head snapped toward him. "Grey? What are you doing here? Why didn't you run?"
"We don't have time for that," Grey said, stepping beside him. "The Chieftain's dead. I'm here to help."
"What? Who—"
"Later." Grey's eyes were already fixed on the Orc.
Taek's breathing was heavy, his arms shaking from fatigue. His sword hand faltered slightly.
When Grey focused on the Orc, the rings appeared once again. A faint gray band shimmered around the Orc's neck among other black and white rings.
Is it because the Orc is weaker? he thought. But something else drew his attention. The color of the ring was gray.
While the Orc Chieftain's neck was black, meaning easy to kill if he hit there, the Orc's was gray.
While the Orc Chieftain was supposed to be stronger and his body harder, the rings showed the other way around.
What is the difference between then and now? Maybe it's because of that leveling thing. But I don't feel stronger.
He hadn't even checked the panel, but he saw it said something about leveling up and Art of Source, which he had no idea about.
Anyway, I can learn about it later.
Instead, he ran toward the Orc.
He glanced at the cracked haft of the axe still in his belt and then at Taek's sword. "Lend me that," he said.
Taek blinked. "What?"
"Your sword."
Without hesitation, Taek tossed it over. "Make it count."
Grey caught it and stepped forward. The balance was different—lighter than the axe, but precise. He adjusted his grip, feet firm on the ground. He was already used to the weight of Taek's sword.
The Orc roared and charged toward Grey, seeing he was the one with a weapon.
The first swing came wide and high. Grey ducked under it and cut across the wrist. The blade met the black ring that appeared before, severing the hand cleanly.
The creature screamed and swung again with the other arm, so the second strike came from the opposite side, aimed low. Grey shifted his stance and slashed behind the Orc's knee. The tendon snapped, and the creature dropped.
The third blow took advantage of its fall. Grey brought the sword down across its shoulder, carving deep through muscle. The fourth hit came fast, slicing the throat halfway through.
The fifth was the finisher—a clean, heavy thrust into the same wound. The neck split open, and the Orc went still.
The entire fight had lasted less than thirty seconds thanks to the rings that were guiding Grey's attacks.
Grey exhaled slowly, lowering the sword. His heart pounded, but his breathing stayed steady.
The sword dripped red blood, unlike with the Orc Chieftain.
Taek stared at him, speechless. 'That was… fast.' It had ended in just five moves.
He wiped the blood from the blade and handed it back. "You'll need this more than I do."
Taek accepted it, still staring at the dead Orc. "You really shouldn't have come back."
He probably wouldn't have made it back if Grey hadn't returned, but still, Taek couldn't say it. Grey's life would be in danger here.
"I didn't plan to run," Grey said, turning to him. "We need to move. There are others."
Grey glanced once more toward the forest. "Let's go," he said.
And without waiting for a reply, he started walking back into the darkness of the forest.