Chapter 44: Smoke (1)

Higashi didn’t give Crockta time to think. He immediately charged at Crockta.

Crockta racked his brains while defending himself.

‘Think. You must think of something.’

He stumbled a bit after taking a hit from Higashi’s shield but quickly returned to his stance from before. Nevertheless, Higashi continued swinging his sword and shield without hesitation.

Crockta dodged Higashi’s attack and hung on while concentrating on one thought—

‘I must win this battle.’

He swung his greatsword, but it bounced off Higashi’s shield. Crockta thrust his greatsword toward Higashi again, but Higashi’s shield didn’t even budge. Instead, the force of Higashi’s kick sent Crockta rolling across the ground.

Crockta tried to pull himself together as he got up and assessed the situation. Blackmore and Jeremy were fighting fiercely, but they were being pressured by multiple players. They were at a disadvantage because it was a war that some clans had deliberately instigated. Their enemies would only increase in number as time went on.

There would be strong high-rankers like Higashi in other clans, so it was inadequate for Crockta, Jeremy, and Blackmore to protect Chesswood on their own.

Crockta retreated and glanced at Laney again. Even if he lost this battle, he had to win this war.

He returned to thinking like his past self, Raven, and speculated what the most efficient method was for winning this war. If his probability of winning was one percent, then he had to raise it to five percent with all of his might, and if it became five percent, then he would even crawl on the ground to bring his probability of success to ten percent. Nonetheless, Crockta’s probability of winning this battle was indeed close to zero.

Crockta saw more players gradually swarming into the village. Jeremy seemed ready to extract himself from the battle at any moment, and Blackmore also began to foresee the dismal aftermath of this battle. They were both about to retreat. Meanwhile, Crockta closed his eyes as he listened to the screams of the villagers.

“What, orc? Did you give up?” asked Higashi.

Instead of replying, Crockta smiled.

‘Fine. Watch me, Higashi. Watch me, Laney.’

If this truly were a losing battle, then he would draw it out to the very end.

‘Watch what I can do.’

***

After Laney uploaded the battle between the player killers and the orc, her popularity increased rapidly. Now, tens of thousands of people viewed her Youvids channel daily.

There wasn’t much of a reason as to why Laney did this job. She was sick of seeing bad guys succeed, and this job made her money. Laney liked that she could make money while screwing over people she disliked. That was all. She wanted to crush the faces of those who gleefully reaped profits through dirty means. They usually operated in the shadows, so she wanted to expose them. That was all, but things had worked out in her favor, so she had risen through the ranks to become a famous Youvidser.

With her new status, the number of reports she received from others about bad players also increased. Among them, there was one that stood out to her. The report said that the Haedong Balhae clan, which had recently risen to fame, and several other large clans were gathering in a district. Moreover, they were limiting other players’ entry to the district. Players who didn’t belong to one of the clans gathered there were threatened and forced to leave.

The district’s name was Chesswood.

It was well known that clans killed weak NPCs for their benefit. Although it was a subject that generated heated discussion in the

Elder Lord

community, this was the first time such a massacre had occurred. Additionally, it was exclusive only to the members of the clans involved.

Laney didn’t have a huge sense of duty to help the NPCs; she just wanted to expose those disgusting jerks. Moreover, she hated large clans. They took advantage of their size to nurture high-rankers, then they used the high-rankers to expand their clans.

In the past, high-rankers contributed to

Elder Lord’s

rich culture while enjoying their individual fantasy lives. However, the high-rankers that had appeared recently had been nurtured like machines to yield profits. Their shady ways left a bad taste in Laney’s mouth.

Laney decided to head toward Chesswood to find out what was going on. Her class was the secret class, Shadow Assassin. It was a class that specialized in stealth. This meant no one would be able to notice her.

When she first arrived in Chesswood, nothing was going on. It was a normal village. The only thing that stood out was that all of the villagers were simple-minded folks who enjoyed singing and didn’t know much about fighting. They welcomed travelers and trusted one another to the extent that their doors were never locked. Laney, who had been exposing the bad deeds of players, understood just how dangerous it was to be so trusting of others.

The clans had been planning to use the district as a place for their members to level up, then they would eradicate the whole area. Players disguised themselves as travelers and began infiltrating Chesswood. Laney managed to film them dividing Chesswood into zones and distributing sections among themselves.

Despite that, Laney couldn’t help but wonder inwardly,

‘Is this incriminating enough for me to use to expose and report these players?’

Clans gathering and killing NPCs threw off the balance in Elder Lord, but was it a crime? Was it enough to incite public outrage? To what extent should they respect the lives of NPCs?

Laney didn’t know. So, she decided to just continue filming with the intent of watching until the very end. Yet, when the clans’ attacks officially started, Laney was surprised to find a certain black bandana, which she had seen many times, in the village.

“Bul’taaaaaaaaaarrrrrrr!”

Although the orc had changed a lot since then, his bandana was still the same. It was a worn-out black bandana with a Blacksmith Company logo.

The orc had increased in stature and acquired tattoos all over his body, but he had the same frightening appearance. He joined the villagers and fought on their side. His presence changed the tide of battle in an instant.

It was as if he was the incarnation of battle itself. He ruthlessly swung his greatsword and chopped the players into pieces. Each time he swung his greatsword, a fountain of blood gushed out.

Nevertheless, it was only sweet for a short while.

The Yamato clan’s vice leader, the high-ranker Higashi, appeared soon after. He and some other high-ranking players had been sent over to help their clan members. They were the main forces of the Yamato clan.

Higashi marked the orc. The orc seemed to eagerly confront Higashi at first, but he was pushed back due to the difference in strength. Higashi continued handling the orc with ease.

The flow of battle was overturned due to Higashi’s presence. The villagers who had been holding their ground against the players began to crumble, and the two men who had been helping the village with the orc began to retreat.

Yet, the orc swung his greatsword until the end.

“Ahh!” screamed the orc.

However, Higashi used his arming sword to slash the orc’s thigh, and the orc fell to his knees.

“Shouldn’t you start running away like your friends?” asked Higashi.

The orc did not respond. Instead, he got up and raised his greatsword.

The two engaged in a face-off again. The orc’s greatsword was about to reach Higashi’s throat, but Higashi blocked it with his shield. The greatsword cut through the air instead, leaving Crockta’s abdomen exposed. Higashi’s blade pierced the orc, and blood gushed out of the wound. Crockta clutched his abdomen.

“I will give you a chance. If you run now, I won’t chase after you,” said Higashi.

He twirled his arming sword and approached Crockta.

“You are an orc. You don’t need to die for these humans,” said Higashi while shrugging his shoulders.

The battle was over now. The only thing left was slaughter. The helpless villagers could no longer resist, and they turned into experience points as they died at the hands of the players. Even the villagers who could fight met the same fate.

“All of your friends have run away,” continued Higashi.

Laney was filming all of this. She was curious about the response the orc would give.

Nonetheless, the orc refused to open his mouth and persisted in the meaningless battle. Crockta charged again. He accumulated more injuries and was now completely covered in blood. In his resistance against Higashi, Crockta barely managed to move his unobliging body.

“You’re starting to gross me out, you fucking orc!” screamed Higashi.

Crockta succeeded in slashing one of Higashi’s arms. It wasn’t a big injury, but a scowl immediately emerged on Higashi’s face. In a fit of rage, he bashed the orc with his shield, sending the orc flying in Laney’s direction.

Laney quickly got out of the way. The orc crashed into the wall that Laney had just been standing against and then rolled across the ground with his blood splattering onto the wall. He coughed and stuck his greatsword in the ground to prop himself back up. It seemed painful for him to even stand.

Seeing this scene, Laney was overwhelmed with strange emotions.

‘What’s motivating that orc to get back up each time?’

In her head, she could hear the lamenting voice of the orc from the video she had filmed in the past. He had asked,

“Where are those who know honor?”

While approaching the orc, Higashi said, “I gave you a chance to run away, but you chose death. Stupid orc shit.”

Higashi then raised his sword high in the air with the intent of putting an end to things. As Higashi’s blade gleamed under the sunlight, the orc, who had been silent up to this point, finally opened his mouth to speak.

“Is this how you do things?” asked Crockta.

“What?” murmured Higashi.

The orc raised his eyes, which had a fiery gaze.

“You,” continued Crockta.

The orc straightened his back and raised his greatsword.

He said, “You. When you see people being slaughtered for no reason, do you just turn your back on them and run away?”

Upon hearing that, Laney felt as if her head got hit with a hammer.

A scowl emerged on Higashi’s face. “What the fuck are you saying?”

“If you can’t even understand this...” the orc said while grinning widely with his bloody face, “then it’s not me who is stupid. It’s you.”

“Ha.” Higashi smirked and looked up at the sky.

Then he swung his sword furiously as he yelled, “You fucking piece of shit!”

The orc blocked Higashi’s attack with his greatsword and then slammed against Higashi. They got entangled and went rolling onto the ground.

Soon after, they got back up and continued their close-ranged fight. However, Higashi kicked Crockta and sent him falling backward toward the ground. Crockta ended up rolling on the ground again.

With a face reddened by rage, Higashi trudged toward Crockta. He was really going to end things this time.

Yet, Higashi couldn’t help but stop in his tracks as a woman was suddenly standing by the orc’s side. She wore a mask and form-fitting black clothing that accentuated the shape of her body. Laney had revealed her presence.

Sensing an abnormal level of strength from the woman, Higashi chose not to move forward and instead remained guarded.

“Who are you?” asked Higashi.

Laney did not respond.

Instead, she said to the orc, “Hey.”

The collapsed orc’s eyes looked at her. “You are...?”

“There’s no need to know who I am,” replied Laney.

The orc tried to get up, but he had accumulated too much damage. It was difficult for him to even raise his body. He ultimately dropped back to the ground.

Laney raised her hands to signal for Higashi to not come any closer.

Then she asked the orc, “Why are you fighting a battle you know you will lose? You will die a pointless death.”

Laney could not understand why the orc was doing this.

Nevertheless, Crockta just smiled. He once again squeezed out his strength and successfully stood back up this time.

[Your body is so damaged that it’s not weird even if you fall dead right now.]

[Despite that, you stood up again.]

[We salute your spirit.]

[Indomitable Will (Rare) has been upgraded to Combative Spirit (Essence).]

“That’s how you humans measure things,” replied Crockta.

He raised his greatsword. Then he raised his chin toward Laney, and she got out of the way.

This was truly the last time. Higashi was right in front of him.

Right before their last clash, Crockta whispered to Laney, “A warrior does not succumb to injustice.”

It was the oath of the warrior that Lenox had passed down to him. This was an oath he had to protect and live by.

Laney did not respond. There was no need for them to exchange any further words.

Crockta glared at Higashi. It was time to end this fight.

Crockta squeezed out the last of his strength and roared, “Instead of cowardly survival, I’d rather have honorable deeeeeeeeeeath!”

His battle cry shook the earth.

Crockta ran forward. Higashi, who had halted his attacks for a moment because of Laney’s appearance, resumed his battle stance and prepared for the last clash. They both charged at each other simultaneously.

Right then, Laney karate-chopped the back of Crockta’s neck. It was a clean hit! Crockta collapsed toward the ground, and Laney caught his huge body in her arms.

“What?” murmured Higashi.

He hesitated making a move though. Higashi could sense that Laney was a formidable opponent, so he kept his guard up.

Laney merely sighed in response and activated her Shadow Assassin’s vision skill.

[Shadow Escape (Essence) has been activated.]

[You cannot use it for 168 hours.]

Laney’s and Crockta’s figures faded and grew hazy. As if absorbed by their shadows, their forms became indistinct, and only their translucent presence remained and wavered in the empty space. Then, they completely disappeared from the scene.

Laney teleported from Dandelion village and landed with a fall somewhere far away.

“Ouch. Ah, why did I do that? What just happened?” Laney clasped her head.

She had acted impulsively.

While Laney groaned regretfully, Crockta, who had fallen face-down onto the ground, smiled contentedly to himself at an angle that wasn’t visible to Laney. He hadn’t actually fainted!

The Yamato clan’s vice leader, Higashi, had been quite strong, but his attacks hadn’t been enough to knock an orc unconscious. Crockta had merely pretended to faint. He hadn’t known that he possessed such a skill, but ultimately, he was able to achieve a better outcome than he had hoped for. He was certain Laney had filmed everything that had occurred.

Crockta grinned broadly and was about to glance over at Laney. However, he sensed her movements and quickly closed his eyes and once again pretended to be unconscious.

Laney’s lament continued.

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

‘A person’s heart is harder to attain the more you reach for it,’

Crockta thought to himself.

If he had just blatantly requested help, Laney would likely have ignored him. Instead, he had pushed through, so she ended up filming a determined orc warrior one couldn’t help but cheer on.

Even if she hadn’t helped him and he had died, Crockta had nothing to lose. He would have still exposed the evildoings that the players had committed in the village. Crockta could revive and play again, so he didn’t care about death.

In the first place, what he had intended to do wasn’t to save his life. It was for Laney to film the horrors at Chesswood as well as his fighting spirit. That was it.

In a war, one had to take advantage of everything to win.