Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Spendthrift Necromancer (29)

Resistance Army (1)―Gruk! There's the Dekum Tribe!

A village packed with huts came into view, much like the one he'd seen before.

As a hundred Orcs carrying their tools approached imposingly, the Orcs on the other side came out to meet them.‘Looks like around a hundred and fifty.’It seemed the populations of Orc villages were all roughly similar.

A large Orc stepped forward and asked.―Gruk! Why have you come here?

“You the chief here?”―Gruk? Human?

The Orc stared curiously at Kim Minwoo as he stepped forward.

Then it nodded.―……

Correct. I Dekum, chief!

“You guys, join our Resistance Army.”―Resistance Army? What that?

“A group that kills the Witch.”

Murmur!

The Orcs' eyes widened.

Kill the Witch?

To Orcs who had suffered oppression for ages, the name Witch was synonymous with terror. And now, out of nowhere, not even another Orc but a human was saying something like that.

Naturally, they were bewildered.

Then.

Urkan stepped forward.―This human is true warrior who defeated Urkan! Also my big brother!―Gruk? How human big brother?―He said weak one becomes little brother!―Gruk! I only believe what I see!

Dekum raised his axe.‘As expected.’When subjugating Orcs, proving strength worked better than talking.

And judging by the look of him, Dekum didn't even seem to be a boss like Urkan.

“Come at me.”

Let's finish this quickly.

Kweeegh!

A mournful squeal like a pig being slaughtered soon echoed out.* * *Dekum Tribe, Twin Axe Tribe, Stonehead Tribe..

He subjugated every Orc tribe in the surrounding area.

There was nothing particularly difficult about it.

He simply marched in with the Orcs, challenged each village's chief—the strongest warrior there—to a duel, then defeated them in front of everyone.

After that, they usually swore loyalty.

Thanks to that, he already had twelve little brothers.

Swarm!

The sight of more than a thousand Orcs following behind him like baby chicks!‘.……

Things are really going to get busy from here.’Just imagining how much these bastards ate in a single day was enough to make him dizzy.

He checked the faction status.[Current Resistance Army Strength][Leader: Kim Minwoo][Members: Human 1, Orcs 1,322][Level: Clumsy Primitives][Average Level: 118][Food Situation: Very Poor][Morale: Not Bad. Strongly devoted to their powerful leader.][Enemy Alert Level: 0 (They do not yet know the Resistance Army exists)]

In a single day, the number of Orcs had increased by more than a thousand.

And even at this very moment, their numbers continued to grow.

Nearby wanderers were flocking over after hearing that a great tribe had formed by uniting the Orcs.

“Urkan. Gather all my little brothers.”―Gruk! Understood!

Before long, twelve Orc chiefs had gathered in one place.―Gruk! Big Brother! What is it?

“I heard there's a flock of Cockatrices around here. Anyone know where?”

At those words, Maktoon, ranked twelfth among the twelve Orcs, raised his hand.―Gruk! Maktoon knows!

“Yeah, good. Youngest, lead the way.”―Understood!

The Orc horde moved out in a great mass.―Gruk! Meat! Big Brother said he'll feed us meat!―Gruk! Cockatrice meat delicious! I ate before!―I eat too! Hungry!

An army utterly devoid of discipline or order, but overflowing with savage ferocity!

Thanks to that, their morale was soaring even though they were going to hunt Cockatrices nearly a hundred levels above them.

Before long, across the snow-covered ground.

A herd of monsters could be seen moving together.

Heads resembling chickens.

Bodies towering well over 3M tall.

Sharp beaks and pointed claws gleamed beneath the sunlight.

There were clearly more than a hundred Cockatrices.‘A lot of them are going to die today.’These weren't monsters that could be hunted without casualties in the first place.

That remained true even with Minwoo participating.‘Survival of the fittest.’Only the strong would survive.

They would be filtered down again and again.

“Let's eat some meat! Charge!”―Orc! Orc!

Orcs who might as well have been corpses without their courage charged forward with axes raised.[Summoning Cedric!][Summoning Skeletons…….]

The Skeleton Unit mixed into the Orc ranks and rushed toward the Cockatrices.

The Cockatrices, which had been watching the Orcs warily, turned vicious.―Cock-a-doodle-doo!―Kieeeek!

These things were just as battle-crazed as the Orcs.

The instant both sides collided.―Kweck!

Crunch!

Bam!

Orcs began dying in droves.

Every stab from a pointed beak punched a hole through a body, and every kick from those massive legs sent an Orc flying dozens of meters.

The Orcs didn't stay passive either.

Urkan's axe smashed down on the head of a Cockatrice whose beak was stained with blood.

The Cockatrice thrashed with its neck bent at an unnatural angle.

Orcs swarmed it from every direction.―Kooooo!

The monster vanished beneath a wave of Orcs while letting out a mournful cry.

Kim Minwoo was also working on one Cockatrice.

The Orcs tanked.‘I deal the damage.’Every time he stabbed his sword into its ass, the monster looked like it was having the time of its life.‘This much free farming is only fair.’What was the point of raising an army otherwise?

After thirty minutes of fierce battle, the Cockatrice flock was wiped out.[Your level increases by 2.][Skeleton Unit's average level rises to 20!][Skeleton Unit's combat experience greatly increases!][Concentrated combat experience creates a new skill!][Skeletons can now use Melee Weapon Mastery(F)

!][Skeleton Mage Unit's combat experience…….]‘Huh?’He rubbed his eyes.

The fact that their combat experience had accumulated wasn't particularly strange.

They had the effects of Death Lord and Cedric's title.

But…….‘The Skeletons created a skill?’That was an effect he'd never even imagined.

After all, Skeletons were the lowest-tier summons, available from Level 1.

They might rise in level through hunting, but they were still Skeletons.

With basically no learning ability, their combat sense remained terrible.

That was why they were normally used as meat shields.

Swarm the enemy and beat the hell out of it.

Eventually something will land.

That was roughly their purpose.

But these guys had actually created a skill?

That was a feat normally seen only from high-level Awakened.

“Professor Death Lord…….”

Just how far do your abilities go?

Kim Minwoo made a decision.

From today onward, he and Death Lord would become one.

He examined Summon Skeleton.[Summon Skeleton(F)+9][This skill has been enhanced to its limit.][Consumes 10 mana to summon 2(1+1)

LV20 Skeletons.][* Possesses Melee Weapon Mastery(F).][Melee Weapon Mastery(F): Damage from all melee weapons increases by 10%.]‘Damn!’Insane.

Giving them all sorts of different weapons had paid off.

However…….‘Being happy is one thing.’A gamer couldn't simply celebrate at a time like this.

They had to analyze the root cause.

Why had the skill formed?‘Because I summoned them in huge numbers?’Collective intelligence was terrifying.

Even if each Skeleton's learning ability was only around that of an average person, stacking hundreds of them together would multiply the efficiency.

Hundreds swung weapons.

Hundreds stabbed with weapons.

If those experiences had been concentrated together and transformed into a skill all at once, that was entirely plausible.‘Wait.’A terrifying possibility suddenly occurred to him.

“This learning ability…… does it really have to be limited to combat?”

Learning ability.

Literally, the ability to learn.

Skeletons simply had the image of meat shields, so he'd thrown them into combat.

There was no reason they had to be used only that way.‘What if they learned production skills?’Blacksmithing, alchemy, whatever.

Anything would do.

If they learned through collective intelligence, couldn't they rapidly generate related skills?‘Definitely worth trying.’Even right now.

The Orcs' equipment was painfully inadequate.

He'd handed out leftover equipment from his inventory as an emergency measure.

But equipping more than a thousand Orcs was impossible.

Most had one axe and one pair of leather underwear.

Those with some rank at least had their bodies wrapped in whole hides.

No wonder the faction status called them clumsy primitives.

Orcs running around in nothing but underwear.

If the Skeletons had even one crafting-related skill, the Orcs wouldn't be in such a miserable state.

They could have used the hides, feathers, and other materials gained today to make something.

But right now?

There wasn't a single production-class worker among them.

The only things they could make from hides were ragged pieces of equipment with no effects at all.

At best, they'd provide a little defense and crude insulation from the cold.‘And we're desperate enough that even that would help…….’Minwoo looked at the Orcs.

“Strip off the hides, bones, and feathers and gather them!”―Orc!

The Orcs began skinning the Cockatrices with their axes.

They drooled at the thought of meat.

Despite nearly two hundred of their kin being wiped out in a single battle, their fighting spirit remained undiminished.

“All chiefs, gather up!”―Gruk! Urkan here!―Dekum here!

The chiefs hurried over.

“Where's the youngest?”―Gruk. Maktoon died! Now I, Palkun, youngest!

“……

Uh, right.”―Gruk! Big Brother, don't be sad. Dying in battle is blessing. Sorrow is insult to us!

Minwoo nodded.

Just as he said, dying in battle was a blessing to Orcs.

They were a race that feared growing weak and dying of old age far more.

“Cook half the meat. Wrap the other half in hides and store it.”―Gruk! Hungry! That won't fill us up!

“Tsk. Talking back to your brother?”―……

Understood. Half will be stored!

Second Brother Urkan instantly shrank.

The other chiefs lowered their heads one after another like dominoes.

Minwoo would've liked to let them eat their fill.

But doing that was a shortcut to ruin.

The number of monsters was finite.

If they stuffed themselves every single day, they'd soon run out and start starving.‘I need to get their average level to at least 150…….’And he'd probably need at least ten thousand of them.

That was the minimum required to make any kind of attempt against the monsters inside the fortress.

He checked the faction's average level.

This battle had raised it from 118 to 122.‘……

Still a long way to go.’The smell of roasting meat began filling the air.

Then small figures appeared in the distance.‘Hm?’Minwoo narrowed his eyes and focused.

“……

Dwarves?”

A small group of Dwarves was approaching.

Perhaps the two races weren't on friendly terms.

Wariness appeared in the Orcs' eyes.―Gruk! Dwarves!

Several hot-tempered Orcs were already gripping their axes tightly.

“Stop!”―…….

“I'll go talk to them. Keep eating.”

Minwoo stood.

Before long, the distance closed enough for him to see the Dwarves' faces clearly.

“Human! I wish to speak with you!”

“State your identity and purpose.”

“I am Turon, chief of the Black Rock Tribe! I heard there was a clash between you and the Corpse Collectors. Is that true?”

“It is.”

The Dwarves stirred briefly.

Only for a moment.

Turon walked forward.

“I heard there's a mad human resisting the Witch. So that was you?”

“How did you know?”

Turon grinned and pulled a telescope from inside his clothes.

“A device for seeing far away. We've been keeping an eye on the Orcs. A scout told me. Apparently one human not only smashed the Corpse Collectors, but has begun uniting the Orcs as well.”

“…….”

Minwoo kept quiet.

The desperate party was supposed to state their business first.

And right now, the Dwarves who had come looking for him were the desperate ones.

Then.

Turon's expression turned serious.

“The Witch has begun her purge. Refugees told us. Three tribes have already vanished. They also said troops will soon be coming for us.”

“I know. The Orcs almost suffered the same fate.”

Turon nodded.

“My business is simple. If you truly intend to resist the Witch…… then we wish to join you.”

“You don't seem very friendly with the Orcs. Is that okay?”

Turon smiled bitterly.

“What race can afford to be picky when hunger is involved? It's true we've clashed over food until now. But that no longer matters. We are willing to cooperate fully.”

“What kind of cooperation?”

“Honestly, we're no good at fighting. But when it comes to making equipment, we're damn good. We'll supply weapons and armor. What we want is protection and food.”

“That doesn't sound bad.”

Minwoo smiled.

Orcs were brave, but poorly equipped.

Dwarves were terrible at combat, but specialists in manufacturing weapons and armor.

A symbiotic relationship where each could compensate for the other's weakness.

They even shared the same enemy.

There was no reason not to join hands.‘And…….’This might also be a chance to teach his Skeletons some production skills.

With Dwarves as the greatest teachers imaginable.

Minwoo shook Turon's hand.

Both of them grinned.