Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Spendthrift Necromancer (27)

Winter Kingdom (2)

The Orcs radiated hostility.

There were already well over a hundred of them.

And more Orcs kept pouring out from the huts scattered throughout the village.

Since this was a D-rank Gate, their average level had to be at least above 100.‘Hard from the very start?’Minwoo clicked his tongue and prepared to summon his undead.

The instant the Orcs moved.

The battle would begin immediately.

Then.―Gruk! Wait!

An old Orc suddenly raised one hand.

An Orc carrying an oak staff with several leather pouches hanging from it.

Judging by his appearance, he seemed to be a Shaman.―Bektar! What is it?―That human carries the aura of a brave warrior. The ancestors told me. Look closely!

The Orcs' gazes immediately poured over Minwoo.―……

Gruk. Ugly human, but looking closer, somehow likable.―I sense the aura of a warrior. His face matches his strength. Bektar was right.

The Orcs continued evaluating him.

Perhaps because Orcs had the opposite sense of beauty from humans, they poured out merciless criticism.‘For some reason, I don't think we're going to fight…….’Normally, something like this shouldn't have happened.

Orcs and humans were mortal enemies who fought to the death.‘Because of the title?’One Acknowledged by Mutakta.

Its effects granted intense goodwill from Orcs and a possibility of unlocking special routes.

Maybe this was that.‘A special route. Then…….’Talk first.

If nothing came of it, he could deal with them afterward.

Kim Minwoo decided.

“I am a man acknowledged by Orc Hero Mutakta!”―Gruk. Mutakta?―Never heard that name.

Then.

The Shaman Orc's eyes widened dramatically.―Gruuk! D-Don't tell me! You mean that Mutakta!―Who's Mutakta, gruk?―Gruk! You fools! How can you forget the name of the one who underwent the Ascension Ritual!―A-Ascension Ritual?―Was he a great Orc?

The Orcs' murmuring grew louder.

Kim Minwoo's curiosity increased just as much.

A fragment carved from another world.

That was what existed inside a Gate.

Just because the Gate interior had a fantasy setting didn't mean all fantasy Gates belonged to the same fantasy world.

Fantasy World A.

Fantasy World B.

There could be many separate branches even within fantasy.

So it wouldn't have been strange if the Orcs here had never heard of Mutakta.

Minwoo had only mentioned him to seize the initiative.

Basically.

Someone important-looking acknowledged me.

That was the impression he wanted to give.‘But they actually know him?’He looked at the Shaman called Bektar.

“Yeah. That Mutakta.”―……

Gruk. A distinguished guest has arrived! A great warrior!

Bektar began speaking in obvious excitement.

Boom!

Heavy footsteps sounded as an enormous Orc appeared.[Boss of the Ice Forest, ‘Chief Urkan,’ appears!]

The Orc lifted an axe in an arm bulging with veins.―Gruk. Urkan not know difficult words. Warrior. Fights well. Human only talks.―Gruk! Chief smart!―Gruk! As expected of village's greatest warrior!

The Orcs cheered enthusiastically at their chief's words.

Bektar didn't stop him either.

If anything, his eyes sparkled as he alternated between looking at Minwoo and the chief.

Truly behavior befitting battle-crazed Orcs.‘A boss, huh.’Originally, the pattern probably involved wiping out the Orc horde and then proceeding onward.

“So you want to fight?”

Nod.

The chief nodded.

“Fine. Anytime.”

Minwoo drew his sword.

The Orc looked considerably stronger than the others, but an Orc was still an Orc.

Minwoo was sickeningly experienced in combat.

An Orc from a D-rank Gate wasn't even enough for one bite.

Boss or not.

“Come on.”―Gruk!

The chief charged like a buffalo.

Kim Minwoo's sword and Urkan's axe collided violently.* * *―Gruk. Chief getting beaten!―Gruk! Ugly human too strong!

The Orcs murmured.

The human's skill was far beyond anything they'd imagined.

He redirected the enormous axe swung by the village's greatest warrior as smoothly as flowing water, then repeatedly stabbed his tiny sword into the chief's thighs.

One or two stabs could be endured through sheer spirit.

But ten or twenty were another story.

Urkan let out a mournful cry and collapsed to the ground.

What followed was a festival of one-sided violence.

Smack!

Smack!

Every time the flat of the sword whipped down like a lash, Urkan's flesh flushed red.

“Hey. Look at your big brother.”

―Gruk. Human! Not my brother!

Even after all that, his eyes still burned fiercely with fighting spirit.

As expected of the Orc race.

“Whoever's weaker becomes the little brother.”

―Urkan! Not weak! Chief!

“You lost to me.”

―Not lost yet! Urkan fine!

“Want to fight again?”

―Gruk! Fight! Stand up!

Urkan tried to rise on legs covered in wounds.

It was a rather pitiful sight.

“Drink this and pour some on your legs.”

Minwoo tossed him several intermediate-grade potions.―Gruk? Red. What this?

“Ah, that's called a potion. It heals wounds.”

―Gruuk! Urkan drinks potion!

Urkan dumped the potion into his mouth with savage gusto.

The wounds on his legs immediately began healing.

The Orcs stared in amazement.―Gruk! Chief all better!―Gruk! Faster than Bektar's shamanism! Potion amazing!

They reacted like cavemen discovering fire.

Nothing strange about that.

Orcs living in collapsing huts would have enormous difficulty manufacturing potions.

At best, they'd smear some herbs over wounds.

“Come at me.”

―Gruuk!

Beat him.

Give potion.

Beat him.

Give potion.

The infinite cycle began.

Perhaps because Orcs were so large, Urkan didn't show overload symptoms easily even after gulping potion after potion.

After Minwoo wrecked his legs around twenty times.

“Drink.”

―……

Gruk. Urkan understands. Human true brave warrior. Stronger than Urkan.

“Ah, did you finally get smarter?”

But this wasn't enough.

Verification had to be thorough.

“Who's the big brother?”

―G-Gruk……!

“Want another drink? I've got plenty left.”

―……

Urkan has big brother. Human is my big brother now!

He bowed deeply.

An Orc standing proudly everywhere bowed his head?

A perfect sign of submission.[You have become Urkan's brother!][The Ice Forest Orcs are deeply impressed by you!][The Orcs now regard you as one of their own brothers!][You have acquired the title, ‘Brother of the Ice Forest Orcs’!]―Gruk! Chief lost!―Human, village's greatest warrior!―Gruk! Must hold festival!

A festival soon broke out in the middle of the village.‘Done.’Normally, even if he'd beaten Urkan like this, the chief probably wouldn't have acknowledged him.

They would've killed each other first.

But things were different now.

He had created an entirely new route branching from the original.

What he needed to do next was simple.

Figure out what exactly becoming brothers with these Orcs could accomplish.‘I need information.’Among these Orcs, the closest thing to an intelligent being was…….

“You said Bektar, right?”―Gruk! Great warrior! Honor that you remember my name!

This old Orc.

“It's a festival, but there doesn't seem to be much food.”

The only things roasting over the fire were several small animals.

Nowhere near enough to feed more than a hundred Orcs.

And this was supposed to be a festival.

Their food situation looked disastrous at a glance……

Bektar's expression sank.―Gruk! I read in books! Wasn't always like this! Warm sunlight, gentle earth! Every Orc ate until full! Many children!

“……

It wasn't always like this?”―Correct! The Continent of Kaisar was truly blessed land! Under great leader Mutakta, we Orcs even founded a kingdom![You have acquired the keyword, ‘Orc Kingdom’.]‘Information.’Inside Gates, you could learn information by talking with objects or living beings.

If it was meaningful, it was sometimes stored as a keyword.

“Then why did things end up like this?”―Gruk! Mutakta was too great a warrior. Eventually received call from heavens. Afterward, Orcs slowly lost strength.

Minwoo nodded.‘They called it an Ascension Ritual.’When a capable ruler vanished, the rise and fall of a nation often changed with them.

It seemed the kingdom had collapsed over time after Mutakta left.

“So you were pushed all the way into this frozen place and built a village?”―Gruk! Human! You misunderstand!

“Misunderstand?”

―The entire continent is cold.

“……

All of it? You said it used to be warm and gentle.”

―……

Gruk. Cold Ice Dragon, wicked Witch. Two monsters joined hands. Continent froze solid, gruk.[You have acquired the keyword ‘Ice Dragon’.][You have acquired the keyword ‘Witch’.]‘Oh.’The scale was getting bigger and bigger.

Each keyword alone felt terrifying.‘This definitely continues.’Of course, probably not immediately.

If it did, this Gate would've been S-rank instead of D.

Minwoo looked at Bektar.

“Why did the Dragon and Witch join forces?”―Cold Dragon wants cold land. Wicked Witch wants fresh corpses. Ice Dragon freezes. Witch gets corpses.

“So that's why.”

Minwoo nodded.

Living creatures naturally decomposed after death.

But if frozen?

They could be delivered fresh.

The Ice Dragon expanded its territory.

The Witch acquired large quantities of frozen corpses.

Their interests aligned perfectly.

“You never tried resisting?”

―……

Gruk. Many ancestors fought. All died. Now only workers like us remain.

“Workers?”

―……

When village Orc dies, carry corpse. When other corpses found, carry those too. That's why we survive.

Bektar gulped down the liquid inside a wooden cup.―……

Gruk. But we won't live much longer either. Cold grows worse. I no longer remember sound of children crying.

Bektar's pupils turned distant, as though recalling the far past.

Then.

The faces of the Orcs dancing around the fire stiffened.―G-Gruk!―Wicked aura!

As though conditioned fear had been injected into them, even Chief Urkan began trembling.

“Hey, Bektar! What's happening?”

―G-Gruk! This aura is…… C-Corpse Collectors! Not supposed to come yet, why……![You have acquired the keyword, ‘Corpse Collector’!]

Then…….

A dark shadow began spreading beyond the village.

A massive figure appeared.

Eight spider legs.

A werewolf torso attached on top.

A head resembling a lion.

Enormous pincers hanging from its arms.

A monster stitched together from countless creatures like a patchwork golem.

Only one thing came to mind.‘Chimera?’A signature creation of Black Mages.

A Chimera.

And there were five of them.‘This isn't D-rank level.’Chimeras were monsters normally found in B-rank Gates.

Five of them should've pushed this Gate to at least C-rank.

The Chimera group entered the village with grotesque smiles.

Bektar hurried forward and bowed his head.―G-Gruk! We already finished transporting last month's quota. Why have you come all the way here?―The cold intensifies. Living beings disappear, and the efficiency of you workers will soon become inadequate. Therefore, the Witch has made a decision. Dispose of the workers.―G-Gruk……!

Bektar froze in shock.

The other Orcs trembled too.

Kim Minwoo stepped forward.

“You guys servants of the Witch?”―Hmm. You…… your aura tells me. A Necromancer?

“Yeah. That's right.”―Excellent. The Witch requires many talented servants. Necromancer, come to us. Your abilities will be valued greatly.

The Chimeras beckoned.

Only then did Kim Minwoo understand why the Gate had originally been rated D-rank.‘So the structure was to survive against the Orcs?’Hold out long enough and the Chimeras would arrive to wipe the Orcs out.

Then you'd join their side.

Of course, surviving against the Orc horde itself would've been difficult.‘But not hellish.’At that moment.

Everything inside the Gate froze and messages appeared.[You have reached a branching point in the Gate!][A special route has been unlocked!][You may choose!][The ‘Witch’ and ‘Ice Dragon’ are evil beings staining this continent with death. Joining hands with them may grant you several benefits.][The ‘Orcs’ are a race that has endlessly declined since their past golden age. They are gripped by fear, and their forces are exceedingly weak. Joining hands with them may force you onto an extremely difficult journey.][Whose hand will you take?]

Kim Minwoo grinned at the messages.

Things had felt a little dull.

Now they finally seemed about to get interesting.

He looked at the Chimeras.

“What should I do? There's one problem.”―……

Problem?

“These Orcs are my brothers.”―A strange human. Do you form bonds even with insects?

The Chimeras tilted their heads.[Warning! If you choose the Orcs, unimaginable trials may descend upon you! Are you certain this is the choice you wish to make?]

Yep.

This is the one.

Shing!

He drew his sword.

Then pointed it toward them.

“I don't abandon my brothers.”[You have chosen the Orcs!][Favorability of all Orcs across the Continent of Kaisar greatly increases!][You have acquired the title, ‘One Who Walks the Hero's Path’!][You are now hostile toward the Witch and Ice Dragon!][Gate difficulty changes greatly!]

The dice had been cast.