Chapter 40

Chapter 40

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

Chapter 40: Unfamiliar World (4)

-Whhhaaoowwww!

With a thunderous roar, Yeongwoo could only wear a blank expression as the orcs charged towards them.

‘Didn’t they just say it was an all-out attack...?’

He wondered if he had misheard, but soon the orc commander’s words struck like a hammer.

-Vanguard! Raise your shields!

-Execute the infantry and secure the tanks and remaining humans!

It was astonishing enough that orcs were speaking human language, but the meaning behind their words was even more unusual.

‘Infantry... Are they referring to us?’

Following the recent orders, Yeongwoo saw two orcs at the forefront of the formation raising their shields.

Clang!

The term ‘tank’ likely referred to the SUV behind them, so the ‘infantry’ marked for execution seemed to be...

‘They must be talking about us, the ones who came to protect the tank. The plan seems to be to kill the infantry and capture the people inside the tank.’

But why were they trying to capture some and not kill all of the enemy?

While puzzled, the immediate crisis demanded attention.

-Kraaah!

-He’s dead!

The orc vanguard had already overwhelmed Yoonho.

“Ik...!”

Yoonho, whose spirit had long been broken, stood still as his shield, only to be pushed back by the powerful force.

‘Geez, he’s already lost his fighting spirit.’

Having experienced similar situations through training, Yeongwoo knew which lines would be effective.

He immediately put them into action.

“Jeong Yoonho! If you die, your mother will...!”

However, Yeongwoo himself was also a target for immediate execution by the orcs.

“Grraaah!”

Before Yeongwoo could finish his lines, an orc rushed towards him with a menacing shadow.

「Sensory values have temporarily increased from the original 100 to 134.」

「Sensory values have temporarily increased from 134 to 168.」

Golden flashes of sensory enhancement messages appeared consecutively, accompanied by the holographic guide of Gyeongbuk Sword Law.

—Break

—Break

—Kill

‘This is insane.’

Due to the large number of opponents, finding the optimal sword technique was complicated, but with the rising sensory values, Yeongwoo’s guide execution ability was close to miraculous.

Shirirrit!

Swiftly dodging between the creepy iron spikes, he skillfully targeted the orcs’ necks.

His movements were clearly that of a sword genius to anyone watching.

Perhaps because of that, when Yeongwoo pierced the neck of the fourth orc, someone from behind screamed for help.

“Yeongwoo, help!”

“...?”

Turning his head at the spine-chilling plea, he saw Myeongae, who had jumped out of the car, with a horrified expression.

“Ah.”

As Yeongwoo turned away as if avoiding fire upon seeing Myeongae’s tear-stained face, he noticed something on the opposite side.

“Heuk, heuk...!”

There, struggling desperately between the legs of the orcs, was Yoonho, his face covered in blood and bruises, unable to compete with them.

Then, soon after.

“Grraah!”

One of the orcs surrounding Yoonho viciously swung a large axe.

Swish!

From top to bottom.

It was a motion similar to someone chopping up a fish, and indeed, the same thing happened in reality.

Thunk!

The sound of metal hitting the ground echoed as Yoonho’s head awkwardly fell at an unnatural angle.

“...Uh.”

Yeongwoo instinctively knew.

That Yoonho’s upper body and head had just been separated.

And soon after, Myeongae, who was near the vehicle, also learned of this as an orc kicked Yoonho’s torso.

“Ah... No... Yoonhooo!”

A scream so piercing that it felt unbearable emanated from her petite figure.

The high-pitched sound was miraculous considering her small stature.

Again, a very realistic reaction.

Instead of attempting to counterattack, the orc, with the blade stopped in front of its throat, looked at Yeongwoo with eyes filled with confusion and surprise.

-You... What...?

Too shocked to articulate words properly, the orc’s realistic response added to Yeongwoo’s confusion.

Yeongwoo asked while holding the sword to the orc’s neck.

“What are you? Why did you come here?”

Yeongwoo was quite confused because he had never imagined that the day would come when he would interrogate orcs in his life.

-We are...

Eventually, the last orc moved its large green jaw and opened its mouth.

-Pioneers.

“What?”

Yeongwoo was even more bewildered by the unexpected word that came out of the orc’s mouth.

It was astonishing that the orc had the intellect to define itself as a pioneer, but even before that...

‘Pioneer means they have a homeland they left.’

The orc’s homeland.

No, can creatures created by humans as fictional entities, like orcs, have a homeland in the first place?

“How did you go on a pioneering journey? You’re supposed to be imaginary, right? You’re orcs.”

While Yeongwoo was speaking, the orc reacted strongly to the word ‘imaginary.’

-You’re the ones...!

“...?”

-You are the beings from imagination. Aren’t you the ‘humans’ from the Carmolay mythology?

Though fleeting, a sense of pride seemed to flash in the orc’s eyes.

At least, it was sincere.

From the orc’s perspective, in this situation, the protagonist was the orc itself, in a similar position to Yeongwoo.

‘What is this...?’

At this point, Yeongwoo could only come up with a ridiculous hypothesis.

Perhaps...

Neither humans nor orcs were real races that existed.

Had they been imagining each other as fictional entities all along, and now they were actually encountering each other for the first time?

‘But there are clearly origins of monsters here. Tolkien created it, and the lore added by D&D and Warhammer series exists as actual history.’

Of course, this could be the same from the orcs’ perspective.

Didn’t their mythology include the appearance of humans?

‘What on earth is going on?’

A strange sensation crept up his neck.

Various questions flooded his mind, but it became increasingly difficult to keep the orc in check.

Tsutsuk.

The reason was soon apparent – Myeongae, who had been hiding behind the vehicle, discovered the orc in front of Yeongwoo and let out a scream.

“Aaaah!”

It was a loud scream, as if anticipating a third bombardment, and the orc seemed well aware that this was the signal to abbreviate its own fate.

-Wa-wait, just a moment.

With a very pitiful expression, the orc pleaded for mercy from Yeongwoo.

-Please spare me. We can communicate well. Let’s resolve this through conversation.

However, Yeongwoo’s blade had already cut through the air.

Swat!

Swiftly beheading the orc, Yeongwoo immediately shouted to Myeongho in the driver’s seat.

“Start the engine! If you don’t want to die here, step on it...!”

“Ah!”

Myeongho, who had been absent-mindedly listening to the peculiar conversation between the two races, regained his senses only after Yeongwoo’s command.

Clunk!

As he shifted the gear back to drive and stepped on the accelerator with all his might, the rear passenger door swung open, and Yeongwoo’s mother seemed to be thrown about.

“...”

For a moment, Yeongwoo felt his chest tighten, but he couldn’t protest to Myeongho.

All he could now do....

‘Sigh.’

All he could do now was press the accelerator with all his might.

Kwak!

The SUV carrying the three of them passed over the orcs and Yoonho’s corpse, jolting roughly, as if a boat encountering waves.

Perhaps that’s why.

Even Myeongho’s hands gripping the steering wheel felt damp, as if soaked in water.

[TL/N: Rip Yoonho. 3 chaps.]

[PR/N: Okay but what IF myeongae is yeongwoo’s mother?? Then wasn’t yoonho his step-sibling? I have a feeling they might be related ngl.]

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]