The voice that scraped against their eardrums was filled with a metallic rasp. Could Orcs originally speak human language? The question surfaced, and Sihyeon dug through his memory. He’d never heard anything like this in theory class. At most, he thought they just made snorting, chittering noises.
“Chwiik—!”
At the metallic screech that rang out again, the students stiffened all at once, as if by unspoken agreement. Sihyeon ran his tongue over his dry lips and narrowed his brows.
Thud! Thud!
The footsteps boomed like explosions. In the barren wasteland, with only a single massive rock as cover, Sihyeon and the others hunched down. As if worried her foot might stick out from behind the rock, Yesol shifted one step to the side.
“Chwiik—!”
As if it had noticed her, a threatening sound rang out. It was a disgusting, reverberating noise, as though there were a cavern inside its throat. The heavy, pounding footsteps drawing closer proved that this wasn’t an ordinary Orc.
The Lord was coming.
Damn it.
Biting his lip, Sihyeon turned his head and met Hamin’s eyes. Their gazes crossed, and Hamin, who had been squinting, jerked his chin over his shoulder.
“…When I give the signal, run and take your positions.”
After confirming Hamin’s gesture, Sihyeon spoke in a whisper. There was no way the Lord, heading straight toward them without even turning its head, would simply pass by.
“On three, run. Don’t all rush in one direction like idiots. Kang Haeun, you’re in charge—take Ha Yeon and Hajin and get out of the way. The support point is far, so the air’s probably better—but the question is whether Ha Yeon can snipe from midair.”
Speaking rapidly, Sihyeon looked at Ha Yeon, who was clutching her gun. The distance to the support point from here was far. Even if Ha Yeon, as a Sniper class, could attack, Hajin—who had to throw potions—and Haeun—who needed to apply buffs—couldn’t stray too far from the battlefield. Thud— the Orc stepped closer. It was imminent now. Seeing that Sihyeon was silently watching only her, Ha Yeon tightened her grip on the gun and lifted her head, as if she’d made up her mind.
“…I’ll go to the support point.”
“Will you be okay on your own?”
“Yeah. You said the support point’s high up, so other Orcs won’t be able to attack easily. And there’s the Barrier you put around me, Sihyeon. If you just give me a Flight buff, I’ll make it there myself.”
Her voice grew firmer toward the end. Nodding at her determined expression, Sihyeon confirmed that the distance between them and the Orc was now less than five steps before speaking.
“One.”
Thud!
“Two.”
“Chwiik—!”
“Three!”
Tap! The students kicked off the ground all at once. At the same time, Sihyeon reached out toward Hamin and wrapped an arm around the back of his neck. It wasn’t according to plan, but there was no time to climb onto his back. Whether carried or clinging, Hamin would still have to support him with one hand anyway.
“Chwiik, human!”
The moment the Lord spotted Sihyeon’s group, it roared in fury, and the Orcs inside the settlement poured out all at once. The students scattered rapidly toward their respective positions, their paths inevitably splitting the enemy’s attention.
Given the situation, Hamin frowned, wrapped one arm around Sihyeon’s waist, and adjusted his grip on his sword.
“You sure you’ll be okay with one hand?”
It was something he had asked over and over during training, and now he asked again. Hamin scoffed.
“Just make sure you don’t fall.”
The rude bastard said something rude in the rudest way possible. Sihyeon didn’t have the luxury to snap back—he only narrowed his eyes and tightened his hold around Hamin.
Having given up his shield to carry Sihyeon, Hamin stomped forward with only a sword in hand. The Lord, who had been watching the students scatter in perfect coordination, lowered its gaze.
The one who signaled the start of the battle was Hamin.
Kicking off the ground, he leapt up and swung his sword toward the Lord’s jaw. It was a swift strike, but something seemed off—he let out a short groan and landed a distance away from the Lord. Clicking his tongue, Hamin readjusted his grip on the sword.
“What the hell is it so hard for?”
The place Hamin struck bore only a shallow scratch—nothing that could be called a serious wound. At the remark that it would be useless without using skills, the students nodded.
“Uoooorgh!”
As if Hamin’s opening attack had merely tickled it, the Lord wiped its jaw and raised its club, letting out a deafening roar. It was a sound none of them had ever heard before. Sihyeon clenched his teeth—he almost forgot he was clinging to Hamin and nearly covered his ears.
Rumble— the sky trembled, and the ground shook at the Lord’s roar. It felt as though the entire area quaked from that single cry.
And then—
“Chwiiiiik—!”
“Chwiik!”
At least thirty ordinary Orcs charged toward Sihyeon. Watching the wave of Orcs rushing in like a tide, Sihyeon swung his staff.
“What are you looking at? Attack!”
His sharp shout reached the students along with Continuous Heal. Only then did the students, frozen at the sight of the Orc horde, snap out of it and move. Haeun applied an attack buff to them, then slammed his staff down to inflict a debuff on the charging Orcs. Just as their movements slowed—
Boom!
Something exploded.
“Krrgh!”
The Orcs screamed in unison as they were sent rolling.
“I’ll support you properly, so focus on the Lord!”
Hajin shouted from the air. The first to respond to that reassuring call was Shin Yijae.
“I’ll go first!”
Grinning brightly like a boy who’d just received a Christmas gift, he shot upward and spun his body. His sword, raised as if to pierce the sky, came crashing down.
Slash— the sharp blade dug into the Orc’s shoulder.
“Chwiiik!”
With a shriek, the creature swung its club. Letting out a groan, Shin Yijae gripped the greatsword with both hands and nimbly retreated. As he yanked the blade free—
Whoosh!
The tip of the club grazed right in front of his face.
“Yeah, cutting it down in one go is impossible! Can we even kill this thing?!”
After that near-death moment, Shin Yijae spoke as if fed up. Gritting her teeth, Yesol shouted back as she charged the Lord.
“Just do something first!”
Though she looked timid, she raised her sword and struck down hard on the Orc’s foot.
“Krrgh!”
Writhing in unfamiliar pain, the Lord lifted one foot and began hopping. It might sound like hopping, but each step thundered like an explosion. Every time it leapt on one foot, the ground shook. Stagger— Yesol wobbled from the tremors, and a massive shadow of a foot loomed over her.
“Ah….”
Yesol’s eyes widened. Sihyeon urgently swung his staff.
Boom!
The Lord raised its leg up to its abdomen and slammed it down.
“Yesol!”
From afar, Ha Yeon—who had been sniping down regular Orcs—shot to her feet. Even as Haeun stood there, mouth agape in shock, Hamin and Sihyeon seized the opening in the Lord’s distraction.
From the opposite side, Haru emerged from Stealth and slashed at a vital weak point that any living creature would have. Drip, drip— thick blood poured from the Lord’s eyes. Screeching, it clutched its face and staggered back, kicking up clouds of dust.
“Yesol!”
At Ha Yeon’s voice calling again, Sihyeon frowned and turned his head.
“She’ll be fine, so focus on support!”
At his shout—almost like a scolding—Ha Yeon flinched. As if proving his words, Yesol emerged from the settling dust completely unharmed.
Crack— the Barrier surrounding her shattered a beat late with a dry sound. Trembling, Yesol stared at Sihyeon with wide eyes. Tap— Sihyeon poked Hamin’s back with his staff.
“Pull aggro properly. The others are getting targeted.”
“Like I wouldn’t do that without you saying it?”
Never one to lose an argument, he snapped back and swung his sword. Perhaps because he was used to wielding two swords, he unconsciously let go of the arm that had been holding Sihyeon around the waist. The sudden drop made Sihyeon’s heart lurch, and he clung tightly to Hamin.
“Are you crazy?”
Startled, he snapped—and only then did Hamin realize, quickly grabbing his waist again.
“Sorry.”
It was a flat apology that didn’t suit the situation at all.
Firmly securing his hold on Sihyeon, Hamin launched another attack, landed lightly, and glared at the Lord. His violet eyes gleamed ominously. Despite taking successive hits from four attackers, the Lord still looked as solid as ever.
“…This is going to take a while.”
Shaking the blood off his sword, Hamin muttered. Nodding, Sihyeon scanned their surroundings. Thanks to Hajin and Ha Yeon’s steady support, the regular Orcs weren’t interfering while they focused on the Lord. Orcs lay scattered everywhere, only to be struck by potions and roll again. As Sihyeon took in the scene, he felt his arms—wrapped tightly around Hamin—begin to tremble. Glancing at him, he loosened his strength slightly. Even when he subtly slackened, Hamin’s arm still held him firmly.
“And yet you’re not saying we can’t do it.”
“Yeah.”
“Then provoke it.”
At the commanding tone, a short laugh escaped. Thud, thud— stomping forward, Hamin provoked the Lord again. Lowering the hand that had been covering its eyes, the Lord paused mid-swing and glared down at Hamin.
“Chwiik! You—chwik—you are the strongest—chwiik! human!”
Speaking in broken, halting words, the Lord bared a vicious expression.
“I’m pretty strong.”
Hamin smirked. Sihyeon, about to say it wasn’t about him, shut his mouth as he saw the club rising overhead.
Boom!
The massive club slammed down right in front of Hamin’s feet. If he hadn’t retreated in time, both of them would have been crushed. Feeling the danger, Sihyeon activated an armor-type Barrier.
“Shin Yijae!”
As he dodged the Lord’s relentless attacks, he called out. The small boy leapt up with his greatsword. For a fleeting moment, a red light flashed in his eyes.
KWA-GA-KANG!
A thunderous crash rang out. Responding to Sihyeon’s signal, Shin Yijae unleashed a fierce assault at the cost of 50% of his stamina, then spun and hurled his greatsword straight at the Lord.
The massive blade embedded itself in the Lord’s abdomen. Sihyeon quickly cast Heal on the staggering Shin Yijae.
That became the trigger—three attackers rushed the Lord simultaneously. When Yesol struck, Haru targeted its weak points; when Haru finished, Hamin charged in. Even under the relentless assault, the Lord never took its eyes off them.
“Uoooorgh!”
Shaking its head wildly as if it had lost its senses, it charged at Hamin and Sihyeon.
Boom!
The ground shook repeatedly.
Bang!
Gunshots rang out.
Boom!
Potions exploded loudly.
And the final sound that marked the end was the Lord’s scream, after more than thirty minutes of battle.
“Chwiiiiik….”
The Lord’s movements slowed, its steps growing sluggish—then it stopped entirely, standing still. It didn’t fall. It simply stood there, head lowered, motionless. A death befitting something called a Lord.
Thud— the students collapsed onto the ground. Even now, Sihyeon unwound his arms from Hamin, who refused to sit as if maintaining the dignity of a male lead straight out of a novel. Covering for Shin Yijae, who had gone berserk toward the end, had left his fingertips trembling. If the battle had lasted any longer, his mana would’ve run out first.
“…It’s over.”
Shin Yijae muttered in a dazed voice. Just as Sihyeon was about to nod—
Rumble— the ground began to shake.
“Wh-what is this?”
Caught off guard after the fight, the students hurriedly got to their feet. And in that moment, the ground beneath Sihyeon and Hamin collapsed.
“Sihyeon!”
“Hamin!”
As their bodies dropped, the others’ urgent voices called out to them. Haeun swung his staff to cast Flight, but Sihyeon and Hamin were already far out of range, falling too fast.
Boom!
As if things weren’t bad enough, the Lord’s massive body toppled over the hole. Its heavy frame blocked the opening, stopping the collapse.
The light vanished from Sihyeon’s view.
