Chapter 11: Second Floor, Orc Warlord Karaksh (3)

[Tower of Ordeal Second Floor, Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has discovered the hidden mission ‘Orc Warlord Karaksh’s Forgotten Tomb.’ This will be reflected in his achievement points.]

The wall slid open, revealing a chamber containing a glowing object. Drawn in like a moth to a flame, I walked toward it, captivated.

There—In the center of the chamber—was a golden mace embedded in the ground. But it wasn’t just gold—it was electrified. Sparks crackled around the mace, illuminating the space.

[Orc Warlord Karaksh’s Thunder Mace]

- A relic of exceptional quality, despite its age.

- Lightning crackles fiercely around the mace.

- The lightning is harmless to the wielder.

I couldn’t help but be impressed. This had to be the hidden piece on the second floor. It seemed that as a goblin saint, Doppy truly had a knack for finding secrets.

Thanks, kiddo.

I slowly approached the mace.

Bang!

A thunderous crash snapped me out of my reverie. Turning my attention beyond the mace, I noticed a massive stone coffin standing against the wall. With how focused I was on the glowing weapon, I hadn’t noticed the coffin until now.

“

Kraaaaaah!

”

Another deafening crash echoed as the stone coffin shattered, sending dust billowing into the air. Through the cloud of debris, a towering figure emerged, standing over two meters tall.

[Orc Warlord Karaksh]

The notification window displayed only its name, with no further explanation. It had an ominous aura, different from anything I’d encountered before. Was it because this guy was genuinely strong—stronger than even the goblin paladin?

Orc Warlord Karaksh stared at me intensely, locking its blood-red eyes on me.

Damn it, nothing comes easy in this tower.

I quickly adjusted my grip on my sword and prepared for the worst.

“

Grrr

.”

The massive orc sported two enormous tusks that jutted out from its lips. Drool dripped from between Karaksh’s tusks as it exhaled, its bloodshot eyes lifeless and strangely unfocused.

“

Skrieeee!

”

I heard Doppy’s panicked gasp from behind me. Angling my head sharply, I signaled Doppy to back away. It understood and quickly retreated out of the chamber.

I need to focus.

Karaksh’s aura was anything but ordinary, causing every nerve in my body to go on edge. My heart pounded harder and faster with each passing second. With my left hand, I tightened my grip on the shield, raising it just below my chin. Tensed, I held my sword in the other, ready to strike at any moment.

The Thunder Mace lay between the two of us, although unfortunately, it was slightly closer to Karaksh. If I tried to rush for it, that monster would undoubtedly reach it first. It stood still this entire time, eyes blazing as it stared me down. Neither of us moved, caught in a tense standoff.

Should I make the first move?

“

Grrr!

”

While I hesitated, Karaksh exhaled sharply and launched itself forward. Mid-air, its hand shot out, grabbing the mace. With practiced ease, it spun the mace and raised it above its head, all the while closing the distance between us.

“

Kraaaaah!

”

Roaring, Karaksh swung the mace horizontally. Lightning crackled around it as it thundered through the air. There was no way I could block that—not with the electricity coursing through it. I didn’t know how powerful that lightning was, but I didn’t plan on finding out. Dodging out of the way, I rolled diagonally to the right.

Whoosh—

The mace flew just above me. I quickly regained my footing and assessed the situation.

Damn it.

Karaksh deftly flicked its wrist to redirect the missed swing, bringing the mace crashing down from above. With no time left to dodge, I raised my shield and braced for impact.

Crash!

The force from the Thunder Mace sent a shockwave through my arm. It numbed my left hand thoroughly, making my fingers feel paralyzed. I barely had time to react as Karaksh swung the mace down again, forcing me to roll sideways to avoid the crushing blow.

Crash!

The mace struck the ground, sending a cloud of dust billowing into the air.

This won’t work.

My left hand was still gripping the shield, and it tingled painfully. I needed to attack. This wasn’t a fight I could win by staying on the defensive. A prolonged battle would only put me at a greater disadvantage.

Gritting my teeth, I narrowly dodged another incoming swing and looked for an opportunity to strike. Seeing a brief opening, I aimed my sword at Karaksh, but I was too slow.

Forced to abandon the attack, I quickly brought up my shield to block the incoming mace. The impact sent me flying, and I found myself soaring through the air. I landed roughly two meters away.

Ugh...

I felt dizzy. The back of my head throbbed from the impact.

Fuck, I don’t have time to rest.

“

Kraaaaah!

”

I scrambled to my feet just in time to see the mace hurtling toward me once more. Instinctively, I raised my shield overhead to block the blow.

Crash!

The heavy impact reverberated through my arm. My arm made a sharp cracking noise as a jolt of pain shot through it.

“

Aaargh!

"

I could tell from the agony that something was definitely wrong with the bone.

Could Doppy cast a healing spell on me right now?

I didn’t have time to worry about that. I quickly retreated as I recalled the shield's abilities—healing magic.

“Heal Wounds!"

A faint glow emerged from the shield and absorbed into my left arm. The pain rapidly subsided, and the numbness in my hand faded away. The glow startled Karaksh, who had been charging at me, as it hesitated and stepped back.

I needed to think.

How could I defeat this monster?

Karaksh was stronger and faster than me. I would lose if I fought it like I fought the goblins on the first floor. However, I noticed its attacks were simple, probably because it had lost its intelligence, and I was starting to get used to its pattern.

I have no choice but to take a risk.

The shield’s healing spell wouldn’t be available again for another twenty-four hours. Even with Doppy’s support, I would die if I continued going blow for blow with Karaksh. It was now or never.

“Damn it! Come on!"

“

Kraaaah!

"

Karaksh charged at me again.

Focus, Kwon Su-Hyeok. Focus.

This time, the mace came at me from a high angle on my left. Instead of dodging diagonally, I rolled directly forward, feeling the mace barely miss my back.

Rising, I swung my sword horizontally, slashing across Karaksh’s abdomen. Black blood spattered from the shallow wound.

Fuck, it’s too shallow.

I could tell from the lack of resistance that my sword hadn’t cut deeply. Whether it was Karaksh’s thick hide or dense muscles, the strike wasn’t as effective as I had hoped.

“

Kraaaah!

"

I quickly rolled to the side again as the enraged Karaksh brought its mace crashing down. I swung my sword in a quick, short motion, slashing its forearm. Unfortunately, once again, the cut was too shallow.

“

Kraaaaaawr!

"

Whoosh—

I leaned back, narrowly avoiding another horizontal swing. Karaksh spun the mace above its head, preparing to bring it down devastatingly.

Now’s the chance.

I took a large step back, timing it perfectly with the mace's swing, while tensing the muscles in my right leg.

Boom—

The mace crashed into the ground. Leaping toward the mace, I landed on it with my left foot. I sprang off it, feeling my foot tingle from the lightning coursing through the mace.

With my aerial advantage, I had a full view of Karaksh's thick neck.

This is it.

I pulled my right arm as far back as it could go, then twisted my body, thrusting forward with all my strength.

Shunk—

The sword pierced through the right side of Karaksh's neck, coming out the other side in a spurt of blood.

“

Guhh

..."

Black blood glistened as it coated the silver blade. Losing its balance, Karaksh let out a wheezing sound and collapsed.

Phew, that was a perfect counterattack. If I had mistimed it, I would have been the one falling, mortally wounded.

[Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has defeated the demon-possessed 'Orc Warlord Karaksh.' This will be reflected in his achievement points.]

A wave of relief washed over me as the exhaustion hit me. The battle had ended much more quickly than I had expected, mostly due to the risk I took. This fight reminded me of the true unpredictability of combat.

I should always stay humble.

Being strong and fast did not guarantee victory. I felt like my mindset had grown from this encounter with Karaksh.

“

Krieee!

Human! Are you okay?" Doppy came running over, a bit too late.

Useless little thing. Any priest worth their salt should have known to cast healing spells during the battle, not after it was over.

“

Kriieeee!

Human is amazing!"

Unfazed by its compliment, I decided it was time to give it a proper lesson. Priests should have cooldowns on their spells, but the shield’s healing spell should be reserved as a last resort.

“Doppy, why didn’t you use a healing spell during the fight?"

***

[Eliminate all enemies. Time remaining: 6 hours 45 minutes.]

After giving Doppy a thorough lesson on when to use healing spells in battle, we retraced our steps. According to Doppy, Karaksh had already been dead.

Doppy said it was possessed by the specter of the tower or something like that, causing it to be consumed by madness. Interestingly, the black blood it bled was a side effect of that. Although the battle was tough, it was worth it for the valuable reward. The Thunder Mace was now in my hands.

[Orc Warlord Karaksh’s Thunder Mace]

- A relic of exceptional quality, despite its age.

- Lightning crackles fiercely around the mace.

- Harmless to the wielder.

The way the electricity crackled around the mace was awe-inspiring. It felt like it satisfied the yearning for magic I had almost forgotten.

After swinging the mace around a few times, I found it felt even more comfortable to wield than my sword. If I had known how great this weapon was while I was in the waiting room, I definitely would have chosen it then.

Well, I had it now, and that was what mattered.

Now that I would be using the mace, I gave the goblin paladin’s sword to Doppy. It seemed too wasteful to leave it behind, and besides, Doppy was on my side. Even a goblin like Doppy should have at least one weapon for self-defense.

Of course, I’m not sure how well it’ll be able to use it.

In truth, the goblin paladin’s sword was too big for Doppy to handle. I could see it already struggling to carry the weapon, but I couldn’t spend all of my time helping it. However, Doppy was still a growing goblin, and I figured it would be a good exercise for it.

***

We continued walking for a while, encountering a group of four orc warriors at a fork, which I easily dealt with. About thirty minutes later we reached a second fork, and I noticed another six orc warriors standing guard at the crossroads

[Orc Warrior]

- Brave.

- Smells terrible.

- Kills enemies gruesomely.

The orc warriors had a similar build to humans but were more muscular.

Although there were two more orc warriors than before, I didn’t feel particularly tense about it. Just thirty minutes ago, dealing with four had been no problem.

I was nervous the first time, but not now.

Right after facing Karaksh, I was terrified, thinking all orcs were as formidable as it was. I quickly realized that wasn’t the case.

The orc warriors were certainly stronger than goblins. Each one was on par with the goblin paladin from the first floor’s boss room.

If I hadn’t faced Karaksh, this might have been a real struggle.

Defeating both the goblin paladin and Karaksh allowed me to realize I had grown significantly, making the battles with the orcs relatively easy.

Using the experience I gained from saving Doppy on the first floor, I decided to communicate with the orc warriors before fighting.

“Do you want to live?”

Sadly, I received no response. It seemed that the Thunder Mace was the hidden piece of the second floor. Not giving my enemies more time, I entered combat with the same strategy I had used against the four orc warriors—quickly closing the distance, blocking with my shield, and striking with the mace.

Seeing me approach, they charged noisily at me, weapons raised.

“Human! Goblin! Die!"

However, less than two minutes later all six orc warriors were collapsed on the floor. Looking at their equipment, I couldn’t help but notice a set of leather armor on one.

“Oh! Doppy, doesn’t this armor look better?"

“

Krieee!

It smells less bad!”

I had taken a set from an orc warrior earlier. Unfortunately, this new one was slightly bloodstained, but so was the one I was already wearing. I quickly swapped into the new armor.

They smell the same, though.

Contrary to Doppy’s words, the stench was still strong. Doppy itself didn’t smell much... Perhaps orcs were even less hygienic than goblins. Filthy creatures.

“Which way should we go?” I asked.

“

Kriee,

Right! Let’s go right!”

“Alright, let’s go.”

After Doppy discovered the hidden room earlier, I decided to fully trust it. The goblin saint was indeed reliable. If I just followed it, everything would fall into place.

***

We encountered four more battles along the way. In the final encounter, there had been eight orcs guarding the crossroads, but it still wasn’t too difficult. I did receive a minor injury to my shoulder, which Doppy quickly healed. After about two hours of marching, we finally reached the second floor’s boss room.

[Eliminate all enemies. Time remaining: 4 hours 57 minutes.]

[Would you like to enter the boss room?]

Honestly, I wasn’t nervous. I doubted that whatever was in the boss room could be stronger than the Orc Warlord Karaksh. The hidden room felt like it was designed purely to kill climbers.

[Would you like to enter the boss room?]

“Yes,” I replied without hesitation.

***

「Invisible Message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has defeated the soulless Orc Warlord Karaksh! Strength, Agility, and Stamina increased by 4.」

「Invisible Message: Hidden mission completed! All stats increased by 2.」

「Invisible Message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has gained the skill Electricity Resistance lvl 2.」

「Invisible Message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok’s skills have leveled up. Pain Resistance is now lvl 3. Natural Healing is now lvl 3.」

「Invisible Message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok’s skills have leveled up. Indomitability is now lvl 5. Combat Focus is now lvl 6.」