Chapter 43: Obongsan
“That’s Obongsan over there.”
“It really lives up to its name.”
Obongsan had five mountain peaks formed like a crown, with a basin-shaped valley at its center.
“Kuuii!”
Even in the forests near the mountain, encounters with orcs weren’t rare—most were poorly armed.
Exiled from their group and now wandering aimlessly.
After persistently using the 'Scout' skill on several, results finally appeared.
“Chwaaa!”
“Huh, they’re worth fighting.”
“Nice work, Jintae!”
Jintae had previously brawled with orc lumberjacks too. Back then, Cheoldu had disarmed them by snatching their axes, so the danger was minimal—but now things were different.
Though weapons were drawn against each other, Jintae was gradually adapting to bladed combat.
“Ugh, this stamina drain is no joke.”
“Hmm. If you get something like an ogre skin drop, you should equip it.”
Unlike Cheoldu, who remained unscathed by most attacks, even the orcs’ clumsy strikes posed serious threats to Jintae. A mere graze could wound him, forcing him to fight with utmost caution as battle fatigue rapidly piled up.
“Maybe I’ll stick to archery practice.”
“Good call. Let’s skip the trash mobs.”
Their true target was the boss monsters atop the mountain peaks. Each of Obongsan’s five peaks hosted a boss, granting five chances—randomly spawning either an orc warrior or shaman.
Cheoldu reached a peak resembling a lumberjack camp and grinned as an orc emerged from a hut.
“A shaman!”
“Be careful.”
After warning his friend, Cheoldu drew a hand axe from his waist and hurled it.
Whooosh! Crack!
The orc shaman swung its staff, summoning a barrier that blocked the axe but left an opening.
Whooosh!
Cheoldu closed the gap in an instant, swinging his iron mace. With an axe, he’d have cleaved it in one strike—but no axe-wielders lingered here.
Crack!
Even before his stat upgrades, Cheoldu had felled orc warriors. The shaman fell in two blows, and he yanked throwing axes from his waist to launch in all directions.
Thud! Crack!
Orcs charging with raised weapons collapsed, axes embedded in their skulls.
“Whoa, see that, Cheoldu?”
One corpse had three arrows protruding—clearly Jintae’s doing.
“That’s wild. I even unlocked an archery skill.”
“Heh. Found your calling.”
Cheoldu himself was no slouch with a bow. A single shot now would earn him a skill rating beyond ‘proficiency’—but only because he’d mastered archery on Earth, loosing thousands of arrows.
Jintae, however, had handled a bow for barely a day. Generating a skill already? Pure talent.
“Ah, crap.”
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“Wait, isn’t this an item?”
Cheoldu picked up the staff dropped by the dead shaman.
Though blunt, it felt solid and weighty.
<Guardian’s Staff>
A staff once wielded by an orc shaman.
Imbued with a guardian’s power.
Creates a barrier using minimal mana.
The shield that blocked Cheoldu’s axe hadn’t been the shaman’s skill—it belonged to the staff itself.
“Whoa. A magic item?”
“Heh. Lucky us.”
Curious, Cheoldu channeled mana into the staff.
Paf!
An alien energy coalesced ahead, rippling like heat haze to form a visible barrier. Cheoldu grinned.
“Feels like I’m a shaman now.”
Would Mother laugh if she saw this? A spellcasting barbarian warrior.
Would Father have scolded me?
“Heh.”
He’d already vowed: No limits on the path to strength. He’d do everything possible.
If so…
‘Someday…’
Just as he’d helped Giyongsu’s mother seek vengeance…
Maybe he could avenge his own parents too—
If a dimensional portal to Valhalla existed in this Nova.
“Let’s go, Jintae.”
“Hold on. Loot first.”
Jintae scavenged the hut for iron scraps. Cheoldu wiped blood off his throwing axes and reattached them to his belt.
Six throwing axes total.
They’d been crafted by a skilled blacksmith enslaved in the mountains—gifted willingly as thanks for avenging his family and freeing him.
Perfect timing, as Cheoldu had needed throwables.
Five more throwing daggers hung from a bandolier-strap across his shoulders. A longsword at his waist, a steel mace in hand, and a spear in inventory slot #1 completed his loadout—a far cry from his first visit to New Seoul.
“Heh.”
At least he no longer looked like a rookie.
“All set. Let’s move.”
“Right!”
Without rest, Cheoldu and Jintae descended and scaled peak after peak.
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The second and third peaks yielded only coins from orc warriors. The fourth peak’s shaman finally let them achieve their goal—a full day after arriving at Obongsan.
“Whoa! A mana orb!”
“Heh. Activate it.”
Jintae’s face flushed with awe—and slight awkwardness—as the orb glowed.
“So this is mana…”
His status screen now showed activated mana, allowing him to infuse arrows or craft with it.
“Last try, right?”
“Why even ask?”
Having claimed four peaks, abandoning the fifth made no sense. After a nap to recover stamina, they headed for the final peak.
The fights were quick, but the hike ate more time. While poor for coin farming, the abundant iron in each hut made it decent for material gathering.
Whooosh!
Luckily, the final boss was another orc shaman. Cheoldu charged through the fireball it hurled, deploying his barrier.
Fwoom!
Flames splashed against the shield, igniting the surroundings. Against ranged attackers, the barrier was perfect for closing the deadly gap.
Crack!
The shaman, pulverized by the mace, dissolved into light, leaving loot.
“Huh? Two in a row?”
“Heh. Luck’s on our side.”
Cheoldu grabbed the mana orb. Though sellable, they had enough coins. He absorbed it without hesitation.
Paf.
His mana capacity doubled.
[HP: 99%]
[MP: 51%]
The larger pool didn’t instantly double his current mana—it would refill gradually, like how strength orbs required days to adapt.
“Training’ll speed this up, right?”
“Probably.”
“Heh.”
Since nearly all skills used mana, cycling expenditure and recovery would quickly max it out.
As Cheoldu practiced barriers, Jintae finished looting.
“Heading back?”
“Guess so.”
Cheoldu’s tone carried lingering dissatisfaction. Jintae tilted his head.
“What’s wrong?”
“Doesn’t this feel off?”
“How?”
“If these are the real bosses… why five?”
“Huh? Well…”
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Jintae had no answer.
“Exactly. Why five bosses?”
“They don’t even work together.”
“Right. Maybe the real boss is elsewhere?”
“Heh. My gut says yes.”
Jintae trusted Cheoldu’s instincts. Even compared to Choi Junseop—a top-ranked player who’d maxed perception orbs—Cheoldu’s intuition was sharper.
“Where would the real boss be?”
“…The center?”
“Let’s check.”
“But wouldn’t others have investigated already?”
“Probably.”
“Wouldn’t Captain Choi have told us if they found anything?”
“Junseop wouldn’t know either.”
“Hmm.”
“Follow me. Doesn’t matter if others tried—I need to see for myself.”
“Alright.”
They advanced to Obongsan’s central basin, which resembled a sunken volcanic caldera. Jintae frowned as they descended.
“Weird. This terrain should collect water, but there’s none.”
“True.”
Cheoldu nodded.
Rain wasn’t the issue—multiple streams from the five peaks all flowed here. Yet the basin held no lake, just dense forests. They’d have to explore to learn why.
Surprisingly, no rogue orcs appeared in the woods—only wild animals roamed, with no signs of orcs.
“Suspicious.”
“Very.”
Following a stream-like waterway, their doubts grew.
“An orc holy site?”
“Makes sense. Plenty outside the peaks.”
“If they’re exiles… where’d they come from?”
“Huh. Never thought about it.”
Cheoldu’s blunt reply made Jintae sigh.
“This world feels game-like but isn’t. No respawn points.”
“Never considered that either.”
“Guess I’ll do the thinking.”
“Jintae. We’re here.”
Reaching the basin’s heart, they understood the missing lake.
“A sinkhole?!”
“Smooth.”
Cheoldu examined the gaping black pit. The polished walls offered no handholds.
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The hole stretched about 20 meters at its longest, 8 meters at the shortest—a jagged, vertical cave where waterfalls cascaded into darkness.
A breathtaking sight unseen on Earth.
Swoooosh!
The water-slicked walls frustrated exploration. Circling the perimeter revealed no paths down.
Jintae tossed a rock to gauge depth, but the waterfall drowned out the splash.
“Move.”
Cheoldu heaved a boulder twice his size and hurled it in.
Whooosh!
They strained to hear the impact. Only Cheoldu caught the faintest plop moments later.
“Heard it?”
“Nope.”
“Hmm.”
“Deep. And the bottom’s likely water.”
“Probably.”
Cheoldu pondered while Jintae realized why no intel existed—this required flight magic.
“Let’s head back.”
“Wait. Decided.”
“Huh?”
“Leaving this to me.”
“Why?!”
Cheoldu emptied an inventory slot by removing a loot bag, bundled all his weapons, and stored them.
“You’re nuts—!”
Whooosh!
“You lunatic!”
Jintae gaped as the naked barbarian plunged into the abyss.
