NOVEL NEXT
Chapter 29
[Translator – Pr?ks]
[Proofreader – Pr?ks]
Chapter 29: Resistance Army (1)
– Hey! They’re from the Dekum tribe!
The tightly packed village looked just like the one before.
As about a hundred Orcs approached confidently, their counterparts from the opposing side came out to meet them.
‘Looks like there’s about a hundred and fifty of them.’
It seemed that the population of the Orc village was roughly similar to that of their opponents.
A burly Orc stepped forward and asked.
– Chwiik! Why have you come here?
“Are you the chief here?”
– Charge? A human?
The orc eyed Kim Minwoo, who was approaching, with suspicion.
Soon, the Orc nodded.
“…That’s right. I’m Dekum, the chief!”
“You, join our Resistance Army.”
– Resistance Army? What’s that?
“It’s a group that hunts witches.”
The Orcs’ eyes widened in astonishment.
Hunting witches?
To the Orcs, who had been persecuted for ages, the name “witch” was synonymous with fear. It was inevitable for them to be confused when a human, out of nowhere, spoke of it.
At that moment, Urkan stepped forward.
– This human here defeated me, Urkan, a true warrior! And he’s my brother!
– Charge? How can a human be your brother?
– He said the weaker one will be the younger brother!!
“Chwiik! I only believe what I see!”
Dekum raised his axe.
‘As expected.’
When subjugating Orcs, it was best to prove one’s strength rather than engage in dialogue.
It didn’t seem like he was the boss like Urkan.
“Come on.”
He needed to finish this quickly.
Crack!
Soon, the sound of beads rattling echoed through the air.
* * *
The Dekum Tribe, the Twin Axe Tribe, the Stonehead Tribe…
He had subdued all the orc tribes in the vicinity.
It wasn’t particularly challenging.
Kim Minwoo would engage in one-on-one combat with the village’s top warrior, the chief, in front of all the Orcs after mingling with their group, and once he defeated them, they would pledge their loyalty.
Thanks to that, he already had a dozen or so brothers.
The sight of over a thousand Orcs swarming around him like baby chicks following their mother was quite something.
‘…It looks like things are going to get really busy from now on.’
These guys alone would consume an enormous amount of food each day, so it was already dizzying to think about.
He checked the faction status:
[Current Status of the Resistance Army]
[Leader: Kim Minwoo]
[Members: 1 Human, 1,322 Orcs]
[Level: Primitive]
[Average Level: 118]
[Food Supply: Very Poor]
[Morale: Not Bad, but leaning heavily on a strong leader]
[Enemy Alertness: 0 (They are unaware of the Resistance Army’s existence)]
In just one day, the number of Orcs had multiplied to over a thousand. Moreover, their numbers continued to increase even at this moment. Orcs from all over flocked together upon hearing the news of the formation of a large Orc tribe.
“Urkan, gather all your brothers.”
– Chwiik! Understood!
Soon, all twelve Orc chiefs gathered in one place.
– Chwiik! Big brother! What’s the matter?
“I heard there’s a flock of Cockatrices nearby. Does anyone know their location?”
In response to his question, Maktoon, ranked twelfth among the twelve Orcs, raised his hand.
– Chwiik! I know, it’s me, Maktoon!
“Oh, okay, little brother. Guide us.”
– Got it!
The Orc horde surged forward.
– Chwiik! Meat! Big brother said he’ll feed us meat!
– Chwiik! Cockatrice meat is delicious! I’ve had it before!
– I want some too! I’m hungry!
A troop full of savage savagery without discipline or order!
Despite this, they were eager to hunt down Cockatrices, creatures with levels over a hundred higher than theirs.
Before long, on the snow-covered ground, a horde of monsters came into view.
They had chicken-like heads, towering over three meters in height.
Their sharp beaks and pointed claws glistened in the sunlight.
Even at a glance, those Cockatrices numbered over a hundred.
‘Many of us will die today.’
These monsters couldn’t be hunted without sacrifices. Even if he were to join in, the same would apply.
“Survival of the fittest.”
Only the strong would survive.
That’s how it always goes.
“Let’s take the meat! Charge!”
– Hoo! Hoo!
The orcs, who were nothing but corpses without courage, rushed forward with their axes raised.
[Summon Cedric!]
[Skeletons…]
The skeleton army also mingled among the orcs and charged towards the cockatrices.
The Cockatrices, who had been watching the Orcs warily, turned ferocious.
– Kkokkio!
– Skkraaah!
The monsters were as ferocious in battle as the Orcs.
As they clashed, Orcs began to fall in heaps.
With each jab of their sharp beaks, bodies were pierced, and with each kick from their massive legs, Orcs were sent flying tens of meters.
However, the Orcs were not passive either.
Urkan’s axe descended upon the Cockatrice’s blood-stained head.
With its neck snapped, the glowing Cockatrice was swarmed by the Orc horde from all sides.
Screaming fiercely, the monsters vanished under the wave of Orcs.
Kim Minwoo was also attacking a cockatrice.
The orcs would tank.
‘I’ll deal the damage.’
The sight of the monsters dying with joy every time he stabbed them in the butt was quite something.
‘I have to suck up this much honey.’
That’s how you build a worthwhile army. After thirty minutes of intense battle, they hunted down the Cockatrice flock.
[Your level rises by 2.]
[The average level of the skeleton army rises to 20!]
[The combat experience of the skeleton army has greatly increased!]
[The concentrated combat experience has created a new skill!]
[Skeletons can now use melee weapon skills (F)!]
[The combat experience of the skeleton mage army…]
‘Huh?’
He blinked.
It wasn’t surprising that combat experience had accumulated. After all, there were the effects of the Death Lord and Cedric titles.
But…
‘Skeletons have created skills?’
This was a capability he hadn’t even imagined.
After all, Skeletons were low-level summons that could only be summoned at level 1 at best.
While their levels might increase through hunting, they were still just Skeletons.
With no learning ability, their combat sense was still a mess.
That’s why they were usually used as meat shields, would charge in and take hits, and that was about it.
But, for them to create skills?
This was a feat usually reserved for high-level awakened beings.
“Master Death Lord…”
Just how far does your ability reach?
Kim Minwoo decided. From today onwards, he would become one with the Death Lord.
He checked the Skeleton Summon skill.
[Skeleton Summon (F) +9]
[A skill that has been enhanced to its limits.]
[Consumes 10 mana to summon 2 (1 + 1) LV20 skeletons.]
[ Possesses Melee Weapon Skill (F).]
[Melee Weapon Skill (F): Increases the damage of all melee weapons by 10%.]
‘Whoa!’
Unbelievable.
It felt rewarding to have given them various weapons.
However…
“While it’s nice to be happy…”
As a gamer, he didn’t just rejoice at times like this; he analyzed the main cause.
The reason why the skill was created.
‘Is it because of the mass summoning?’
Collective intelligence was always a formidable force.
Even if the Skeletons’ learning ability was only at the level of an ordinary person, it would become more efficient when hundreds of them overlapped.
If hundreds of them wielded weapons and stabbed, then the accumulated experience could easily become skillful.
‘Wait a minute.’
A terrifying possibility came to his mind.
“Does this learning ability necessarily have to be limited to combat?”
Learning ability, as the name suggests, is the ability to learn.
Just because Skeletons were associated with the image of meat shields didn’t mean they had to be utilized only for combat purposes.
‘What if they learn production skills?’
Whether it’s blacksmithing or alchemy, anything would work.
If they learned those through collective intelligence, related skills might be created rapidly.
‘It’s worth a try.’
Right now, that seemed to be the case.
He really regretted the orcs’ lack of equipment.
He had hastily distributed the leftover equipment in his inventory.
However, equipping over a thousand Orcs with gear was quite a challenge.
Most of them had nothing more than an axe and maybe a loincloth.
The more privileged ones had a bit of hide wrapped around them.
Given their assessment as primitive beings, this wasn’t surprising.
Orcs in their underwear.
If even one skeleton had a crafting skill, they would have been spared such a miserable fate.
With the materials obtained now – leather, bones, feathers, and such – they could have crafted something.
But for now?
‘There’s no one in the production field.’
The only thing they could make with leather was poorly made equipment with no effects.
At best, it would provide a little defense and modest warmth.
‘It’s regrettable, but we have to make do with that.’
He looked at the Orcs.
“Strip the leather, bones, and feathers and collect them!”
– Chwiik!
The Orcs began to strip the Cockatrices’ hides with their axes.
With thoughts of devouring the meat, even though nearly two hundred of their kin had been swept away in battle, their determination remained unchanged.
“All the chiefs gather around!”
– Chwiik! Urkan is here!
– Dekum is here!
Rapidly approaching chiefs.
“What about the youngest?”
– Chwik. Maktun’s dead! Now I, Palkun, am the youngest!
“…Ah, I see.”
– Chwik! Chief, don’t be sad. Dying in battle is a blessing. Sadness is a disgrace to us!
He nodded in agreement.
For Orcs, dying in battle was indeed a blessing.
They were a race that feared growing old and weak more than anything else.
“Half of it should be cooked, and the other half wrapped in leather for preservation.”
– Chwik! I’m hungry! That won’t fill my belly!
“Tsk. Don’t talk back to your elder?”
– …Alright. I’ll store half of it!
The second Urkan immediately shifted into a squatting position, followed by the chiefs one after another, like dominoes falling.
Although he wanted to feed them as much as possible, doing so would lead to destruction.
The number of monsters was limited.
If they stuffed themselves every day, they would soon suffer from hunger.
‘I’ll need to raise their average level to at least 150…’
And the number should be at least in the thousands.
To even attempt anything against the fortress’s monsters, they needed to reach at least that level.
He glanced at the power diagram.
The level had risen from 118 to 122 after this battle.
‘We still have a long way to go.’
It was then, amidst the tantalizing aroma of cooking meat, that he noticed small figures in the distance.
‘Huh?’
He squinted his eyes and focused.
‘Dwarves?’
A small group of dwarves was approaching them.
Whether they were friendly or not, the Orcs’ gaze became vigilant.
– Chwiik! They’re dwarves!
Some of the more hot-headed ones even tightened their grip on their axes.
“Stop!”
– …
He stood up.
“I’ll go talk to them. Keep eating your meat.”
He approached the dwarves until they were face to face.
“Humans! We wish to speak!”
“Reveal your identity and purpose.”
“I am Thuron, the chief of the Black Rock Tribe! There was a conflict between you and the corpse collectors, correct?”
“That’s correct.”
The dwarves murmured among themselves for a moment, but it was brief.
Thuron walked forward.
“I’ve been observing the movements of Orcs. I heard from the scouts. Not only did a human annihilate the corpse collectors, but you’re also rallying the Orcs.”
“…How did you know?”
Thuron chuckled and pulled out a telescope from his pocket.
“I see things from afar. I’ve been monitoring the Orcs’ movements. The scouts told me. They said that a human was resisting the witches and rallying the Orcs.”
“…I see.”
It was customary for the one with the lesser grievance to speak first. In this case, it was the dwarves who came first.
Then Thuron’s expression turned serious.
“The witch has begun her disposal. The refugees say that three tribes have already disappeared. They also said that our forces will be sought after soon.”
“I’m aware. The Orcs were nearly headed in that direction too.”
Thuron nodded.
“The matter is simple. If you’re truly resisting the witch… we want to stand with you.”
“We’re not particularly close with the Orcs. Is that okay?”
At his words, Thuron smiled wryly. “There’s no race that would hesitate before hunger. It’s true that we’ve clashed over food issues. But that’s not important now. We’re willing to cooperate fully.”
“And by cooperation?”
“To be honest, I’m not confident in battle. But I can craft one hell of a piece of equipment. We’ll supply weapons. All we want is defense and food.”
“That doesn’t sound bad at all.”
He grinned.
Orcs were brave but lacked proper equipment.
Dwarves were gem-cutters in battle but specialists in weapon crafting.
It was a symbiotic relationship where they could complement each other’s weaknesses.
Their goals aligned.
There was no reason not to join hands.
‘And…might as well have the Skeletons learn production skills while we’re at it. Especially from the dwarves, the masters of the craft.’
He shook hands with Thuron, and they both smiled.
[Translator – Pr?ks]
[Proofreader – Pr?ks]
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