Chapter 45: The Chieftain's Banner
Crash, thud!
Every time Cheoldu's iron mace danced, the orc's armor crumpled under the impact.
The orc warriors had considerable endurance, making it difficult to kill them with a single blow from a blunt weapon.
A direct hit to the head was necessary to shatter both the helmet and the skull, but with so many orcs charging from all directions, it was no easy task.
"Charuta, ruta!"
Zap, zap, zap!
The magic spells cast by orc shamans flying in from all directions were also annoying.
The two shamans hurling fireballs were manageable, but one kept casting debuff spells, creating several dangerous moments.
Thud! Whack!
Cheoldu deflected a hammer swung by an orc warrior and struck the orc's leg with his iron mace, bringing it down.
Whack!
He kicked the orc away and swung his mace wildly at another charging foe.
Whoosh! Boom!
Feeling danger from behind, Cheoldu channeled mana into his left-hand staff to activate a protective barrier.
A fireball collided with the transparent shield, exploding and scattering flames in all directions.
Whoosh.
The orcs, now engulfed in flames, swung their weapons recklessly.
These bastards cast spells even with allies in the fray.
In aggression, they outdid barbarians.
Crash!
Cheoldu shattered one orc's skull and hurled a throwing axe to eliminate the debuff-casting shaman.
"Hoo."
Crash!
After smashing another orc's skull, Cheoldu noticed cracks on his steel mace's handle. A few more swings would break it.
"Tch."
The mace couldn't withstand his monstrous strength.
Crash!
Cheoldu swung once more before hurling the doomed weapon at a shaman.
Thud!
The bladeless mace struck true. Blood poured from the shaman's brow as it staggered up, roaring.
Cheoldu drew his waist sword and beheaded three orcs in a flash.
Six warriors and two shamans remained.
The observing orc chieftain finally stepped forward.
"Turu, tarak!"
At his command, warriors retreated to form a perimeter, mobilizing even workers until the village swarmed with spectators.
"Heh heh heh."
Cheoldu steadied his breathing.
The stamina orb synergized perfectly with his barbarian heart, restoring his grip strength.
'I'm getting stronger.'
This was his first real battle since the bandits. Hunting on Obong Mountain had involved more hiking than fighting. Though weak alone, these orcs honed his focus through numbers. How formidable would their chieftain be?
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How much stronger will I become after surpassing him?
Cheoldu grabbed an axe from disappearing corpses.
This crude weapon suited him better than slender blades.
Iron or steel mattered not—against the chieftain's plate armor, he needed heavy, edged weaponry.
"Turak kara!"
The chieftain wielded a massive greatsword that outweighed axes by sheer metal mass.
Axe-wielding barbarian faced greatsword-bearing chieftain.
"Kuooh!"
"Turuk tara!"
The encircling orcs cheered like bloodthirsty spectators.
Madness! Dozens of their kin had vanished, leaving only loot.
"Turu taktuwa."
"What's that, idiot?"
Neither understood the other.
Time for body language.
Cheoldu flipped the bird and grinned. "Bring it on."
"Turu atu!"
The chieftain charged.
Whooosh! Clang!
Their weapons collided, resonating through the cavern.
'Strong.'
Bandit leader Jang Ho-cheol had been a ranker, as were his three lieutenants. But this chieftain surpassed them—five Jang Ho-cheols might not secure victory here.
This dungeon would remain challenging even if intel spread.
Bang! Crash!
Cheoldu sidestepped the greatsword, reverse-gripped his blade, and stabbed through a gap in the chieftain's armor.
The cumbersome greatsword left fatal openings.
Dozens of countermeasures flashed through Cheoldu's mind. The old him would've died here, but stat stones from past loot had changed that.
"Twenty couldn't take me down!"
"Kuuuoh!"
A low kick crumpled the chieftain.
Crash!
His Nak Muay-trained kicks were lethal weapons, supplemented by Muay Thai practice.
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Except for a few armed disciplines, Cheoldu preferred unarmed combat.
The orc knelt under relentless kicks before Cheoldu raised his axe.
Whoosh!
"Turuk t—"
Crash!
The chieftain's head flew off in one explosive motion.
"Hoooooo."
Cheoldu inhaled deeply, vitality surging through him.
"I don't speak your tongue."
A quest window replaced last words. Cheoldu smirked—business first.
"Bring it on."
Remaining orcs charged, but workers fled screaming when warriors fell. None used Cheoldu's entry cave.
"Heh heh heh."
His muscles felt denser. Solo training paled against real combat.
"Woooooh!"
His victory cry echoed through the now-quiet village.
Pop. Pop.
Vanishing orcs left only loot.
"Oh, mana orbs."
He collected four more from shamans.
Pop.
Absorbing them without hesitation, his capacity increased despite current depletion.
"Looks like my limit's over six."
Humans capped at five, yet he felt no strain.
"Oh."
Among the chieftain's loot:
<Warrior's Greatsword>
Though dull, it could shatter anything through sheer weight.
Whoosh. Whoosh.
Too heavy for one-handed use.
"Useless."
Dual-wielding orc axes suited him better, despite being two-handed.
Pop.
The quest reward revealed a glowing banner on a pedestal.
<Chieftain's Banner Obtained>
The banner's designs vanished upon retrieval, leaving a white flag.
Inactive until planted at a stronghold to declare faction.
Memories flooded Cheoldu's mind—akin to receiving the Goblin Coin Pouch.
"Heh heh heh."
Nova's possibilities amazed him.
This banner could forge mercenaries, bandits, or a rootless faction. Planting it would claim the village as his territory.
"Heh heh."
He'd consult his self-declared tribe—benevolent leader that he was.
Two perk avenues existed: first clears, achievements, or ranker points.
"World map."
Inventory expansion tempted him, but selling excess loot rendered it unnecessary.
A planet-shaped tattoo appeared on his wrist, resembling a watch face over a circular backhand design.
"Ohho!"
Implanted knowledge guided him.
Pop.
A holographic map unfolded, charting his traveled paths.
"Hoho."
Visited areas showed terrain details—shrines, taverns—though not real-time. At least cartography studies were obsolete.
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Uncharted regions remained black. Still, an invaluable tool.
