Slashing the Orc Warrior
The world was dyed gray in an instant.
It wasn't just the background color that had changed.
The blood from the orc throwers splattering through the air had frozen mid-flight.
The thrown weapons tumbling to the ground had also halted in place.
It seemed like time had stopped.
This was different from the phenomenon when he'd first met Seira.
'This thing has all sorts of tricks.'
He'd never seen a case like this reported on the site before.
What had triggered it this time?
But just as he started to ponder that—
Swaaa—
Images began to flow in, just like before.
This time, too, it was from someone's first-person perspective.
A forest thick with blue grass and towering trees.
The viewpoint's owner was pushing forward rapidly, climbing over vines and parting the underbrush.
'The field of view is ridiculously low.'
They must have been extremely short.
Probably similar in height to the gnome Konu he'd seen upon entering.
He couldn't tell their appearance, but for now, he decided to assume it was another gnome, given the compact build.
After running for what felt like ages, the gnome rummaged in their pouch.
Fling!
Without even glancing at what it was, the little rascal hurled it away.
And moments later—
Boom!!
An enormous explosion roared from behind.
"Puhahaha!"
A voice that grated on the nerves burrowed into his ears.
It was eerily similar to that elementary school punk who'd scammed him out of game money back in high school and laughed about it.
Fling, fling, fling, fling!
The throws continued afterward.
The deranged gnome lobbed bombs in every direction.
The dense forest was obliterated in a flash, engulfed in flames.
The final bomb seemed to be a misthrow, landing not far off.
Kwaaaang!!
With a massive boom, the pint-sized body shot into the air.
It was a height that would have anyone else panicking about survival.
"Hehehehehe!!"
But the gnome just cackled in delight, as if it were the thrill of a lifetime.
Thud!
The memory cut off around there.
The gray-tinted background returned to its original colors.
The weapons suspended in the air plummeted down, and the orc's blood sprayed toward the wall in its previous arc.
The second hand began to tick again.
He lifted his head.
The wall where he'd just stabbed his sword to destroy the rune.
There was an ancient-looking mural painted on it.
A hideously annoying, pint-sized gnome hurling something with wild swings.
'That's the bastard.'
Cold sweat trickled down his back.
That insane bomb-crazed gnome.
He had no idea why such a memory had seeped in, but he fervently hoped for one thing.
That he'd never cross paths with that unhinged little freak anywhere.
Snapping back to reality, he hurried out of the burrow.
In the brief daze, Seira had already gotten far ahead.
To avoid falling further behind, he bustled around the burrows, smashing the runes.
Slash!
Seira turned back after felling the last orc shaman.
By chance, only one burrow remained.
Jinhyuk slipped inside and drew in a sharp breath.
He'd figured it'd be another thrower like before.
But instead, a hulking orc warrior, easily three meters tall, loomed there.
Screeech!
Jinhyuk slammed on the brakes.
This orc warrior was leagues above the throwers he'd just killed in terms of sheer bulk.
This one was still terrifying.
Time for a tactical retreat.
Shweeeek!!
But the orc warrior had no intention of letting him go.
An axe hurtled toward Jinhyuk's retreating form.
He sucked in a deep breath.
The sheer force behind it was obvious at a glance.
Unclear if even his breastplate could withstand it.
He had to dodge.
He dropped low and rolled across the ground.
That brought him even closer than before.
"Seiraaaaa! Help!!!"
With a shout, he swung his sword, slicing into the orc warrior's leg.
"Kararararak!!"
The enraged orc bellowed as it brought its axe crashing down.
This time, he couldn't fully evade it, so he blocked with his sword.
Clang!!
It reverberated through his entire body, heavy as could be, but he didn't let go of the blade.
After all, Seira's wooden sword from just yesterday had been far weightier.
If anything, the orc warrior—having poured all its strength into the blow with its injured leg—staggered instead.
—The orc warrior's skin is tough and resilient overall. Except for one spot: the back of its neck!
He recalled the strategy guide he'd read yesterday.
But the height difference was so vast that simply reaching out fell far short.
'Amen. Guanyin Bodhisattva.'
After a quick prayer, he followed his instincts: he stepped on the axe as it was pulled back and leaped.
The orc warrior swung its other hand wide.
It meant to grab the airborne Jinhyuk and crush him.
But Jinhyuk's speed was a cut above.
Before the approaching hand could clench, he used it as a foothold to flip behind the orc's back.
The orc twisted its body to shake him off.
Jinhyuk teetered for a moment, losing his balance, but he didn't miss the nape now right before his eyes.
Gripping the sword with both hands, he plunged it into the orc warrior's neck.
Spurt!!
Blood gushed into his vision, and the orc's body toppled without even a scream.
Jinhyuk backed away without relaxing, then prodded the fallen orc with his sword tip.
"Haaaaah!!"
Confirming it was truly dead, he collapsed onto the ground with a flop.
'I almost died.'
His whole body was drenched in cold sweat.
He patted himself down, checking for injuries.
Completely unscathed.
Another sigh of relief escaped him.
And in that time, at the burrow's entrance, Seira had been watching the scene.
In fact, she'd been watching ever since the fight began.
Ready to jump in at any moment.
'As expected, she doesn't waver.'
On the day he'd first handed over the goblin to Jinhyuk.
Seira hadn't taken her eyes off him, absorbing every instant.
Objectively speaking, Jinhyuk's combat prowess was several times that of the goblin.
Yet she hadn't let her guard down.
The first living foe he'd ever faced.
Most people instinctively recoiled at taking a life.
Even the knights of the Black Knight Order that Seira had led were the same.
Regardless of their skill or talent, everyone had struggled at first with ending an enemy's life.
In particular, hesitation in those critical moments often turned overwhelming advantages into peril.
She'd kept watch to guard against that very thing.
But in Jinhyuk's eyes as he cleaved the goblin, there wasn't a trace of doubt.
And it had been the same ever since.
Jinhyuk never hesitated to cut down his foes.
No hesitation meant swift judgment, and swift judgment meant fluid, unburdened movement.
This wasn't something you could teach.
You had to be born with it.
The resolve to cut down an enemy without a second thought, even knowing it was a living being.
Only those innately gifted could apply such unshakeable conviction in the heat of battle.
'And gutsy, too.'
Staring down the whistling axe until the perfect moment, then stepping on it to circle around.
It was a performance no one could believe came from someone mere days into real combat.
A faint smile tugged at the corners of Seira's mouth, which rarely curved that way.
It had been a long time.
Since she'd felt anticipation for something—for someone.
"Huh?"
Spotting Seira, Jinhyuk's unflinching eyes suddenly quivered wildly.
It had been terrifying as hell, he'd really been on the verge of wetting himself but held on and preserved his human dignity somehow—he wanted to brag about it all.
But with his pride as the master at stake, he clamped his mouth shut.
Instead, he dashed over casually and handed her a sports towel he'd grabbed from outside.
"Wipe off quick. If you go out like this, the room's gonna be a mess again."
Jinhyuk pulled out another towel and vigorously scrubbed the blood from his sword and breastplate.
Last time, they'd left as-is and the room had turned into a disaster.
So afterward, they'd switched to entering via the villa rooftop or remote construction sites, but he'd blanked and come in through the room again.
"Can't you just store it in the inventory or something?"
"You saw what happened last time when we just tossed it in."
Seira made a face like urrgh.
It was the day she'd first realized rust could produce such a foul stench.
While the two wiped down their gear with the sports towels—
[You've cleared the 11th floor of the Tower of Despair!]
[Player Eugene Jinhyeok's level has risen to 12! Stats have increased!]
[Clear time: 37 seconds. SSS+ rank achieved! Achievement gauge has risen!]
[You've swept your first orc horde with flair! Acquired Orc Ranger Boots!]
Orc Ranger BootsTower-exclusive item.Rare grade.Level restriction: 10.Movement speed +40.
They were boots—one of the armor pieces—but offered zero defense.
Fitting for a ranger, it seemed they'd gone all-in on speed.
"Seira, want to wear them?"
Seira shot him a look that said, You offering out of politeness?
"It was just courtesy. Obviously, I need them more since I'm the slow one."
Jinhyuk slipped on the new boots and bounced lightly on his toes.
Even a +40 boost made his body feel this light.
No wonder Tower-exclusive items fetched such high prices.
[Exiting the Tower of Despair.]
While devouring the piping-hot fried chicken Seira had just ordered—
Jinhyuk, logged into the site, nodded.
"Yeah, it's blown up again. People sure are diligent."
The 11th-floor clear record he'd just set had sparked another frenzy.
The posts and comments were probably all the same, so he didn't bother clicking.
Instead, he opened the 12th-floor strategy guide.
"Seira. Starting next floor, there's an escort mission added. The kind where you have to protect someone while clearing the path?"
"As long as the escort target stays alive, that's fine, right? So we could blaze the trail until they're on the brink of death, then circle back to guard them."
'Sometimes she's chillingly pragmatic.'
Jinhyuk swallowed dryly and shook his head.
"Seira clears, I guard. How's that?"
"Negative. Too high a risk of the master facing danger. You must stick with me, no exceptions."
"Hmm."
He rubbed his chin.
She had a point.
His confidence had grown after dispatching goblins and orcs without much trouble lately.
But that didn't mean he could get complacent.
The escort target could die and you'd just retry, but if the player died, it was game over.
Incheon Songdo resident office worker A has gone missing. Last internet access was to the 'Everything About the Tower' site, suggesting death while climbing the Tower.
No matter how awakened and player-status you were, you only had one life.
Seira's speed was impressive, but she couldn't teleport.
If they split roles and fought far apart, a crisis could hit before aid arrived.
'I need to think this over more.'
If clearing was the only goal, her plan would work fine.
But Jinhyuk wanted SSS+ ranks.
That was the only way to fill the achievement gauge and claim the perks.
Crunch!
Stretching, Jinhyuk glanced back.
Seira had already demolished a whole chicken, and was now separating the general waste from the food scraps for recycling.
For a split second, he wondered if it was okay to have the Black Knight Order's captain doing chores like that.
But it was convenient, so he decided to look the other way.
With cleanup done, Jinhyuk stood.
Belly full, it was time to wrap up the day.
[Entering Mythical Tower floors 1-2.]
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