Another World Reincarnation Chronicle

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As a result of running non-stop from Greenfall, I found myself near the Hill of Storms in about a week.

There were two ways to head toward the Valley of Storms. One was to pass through a city called Kaum, squeezing between cliffs, while the other was to scale the perilous and towering Twin Mountains to reach the valley directly.

However, the second option had a problem: the terrain of the Twin Mountains was so rugged that climbing was practically impossible.

I sighed at the sight of the towering mountains.

In fact, they looked less like mountains and more like pillars holding up the sky.

How on earth was I supposed to climb to a place that seemed to have no footholds?

Essentially, this meant there was only one realistic way to get to the Valley of Storms.

But bypassing Kaum was not possible either, as the guards at the entrance were not letting anyone through.

No matter how much I tried to bribe them, they wouldn’t take it, leaving me utterly helpless.

In the end, I could only sigh while gazing at the towering mountains.

There was only one option left.

To wait aimlessly until the entry restrictions to Kaum were lifted.

So, I set up a small campsite on a hill near Kaum and began my aimless wait.

*

Three days had passed since I started camping near Kaum.

Those three days provided some time to get friendly with the guards, who were not exactly communicative, but they still didn’t let me inside the city.

“Can’t you just let me in?”

“kha mo van cha.”

Again today, communication failed miserably.

After squatting there for a long while next to the guards, I returned to my campsite.

From observing the guards’ attitude, it seemed they weren’t a tribe that was particularly unfriendly to humans, so I was curious about the reason for their strict entry policy.

As time passed, one day an Orc guard showed interest in the sword hanging at my back.

“bo hai tucha.”

I initially thought he simply wanted to see my sword, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.

The Orc guard made a motion as if to swing his sword through the air. It looked awkward, but it resembled the movements I practiced during swordsmanship training.

It seemed he had seen me practicing swordsmanship in the evenings.

“You want me to show you my swordsmanship, right?”

If I built a good rapport with the Orc guards like this, they might finally let me into the city.

I decided to comply with his request and began displaying my sword techniques in front of the guards.

Starting lightly, my sword path blurred as it drew a total of seven stars.

Since I wasn’t using mana, there were no trails of starlight left in the air, but anyone trained in swordsmanship would surely notice the path my sword made.

The guards watching my swordplay had satisfied expressions and applauded loudly.

Apparently, the ancient swordsmanship of dwarves, whose names I didn’t even know, appealed to the guards’ tastes.

“Is it okay for me to come in now?”

Since communication was at a standstill, I had to make full use of body language.

I pointed into the city while retrieving my sword.

But the guards all shook their heads.

I crossed my arms, looking up at the Orc guards.

When on earth would I be able to get in?

According to the guidebook, humans used to be able to come and go freely here.

It had been a week since I started camping in front of Kaum.

The Orc guards even had a sparring match with me and shared the monster meat I had caught.

The guards also shared their food with me, and the identity-less smoked meat turned out to be surprisingly tasty.

The next thing the Orcs showed interest in, after my swordsmanship, was the Nightmare.

But was the Nightmare the kind of creature that easily warmed up to others?

Naturally, it refused to come near, shunning the Orcs’ advances.

Sometimes, it would sneak closer, looking for an opportunity, only to nip at my back and head back to the campsite.

It seemed the Orc guard’s closeness annoyed it.

As I was wasting time doing nothing meaningful, one day, a huge horde of Orcs started approaching Kaum from afar.

These arriving Orcs all looked similar to the others but showed a difference in skin color.

They had bright red skin, as if they’d been drenched in blood.

I lay down on a high hill, watching them approach.

Standing side by side with the gray-skinned Orcs, the difference was quite striking.

It appeared that one Orc, leading the group of Red Orcs, started talking to the guards.

The leader of the Red Orcs seemed to express a desire to enter the city of Kaum, yet the guards stationed at the entrance just shook their heads.

As the standoff continued between those wanting to enter and those preventing entry, the leader of the Red Orcs let out a furious roar.

“kuhaaa!!!”

The roar, which seemed to express his anger, prompted the guards to draw their weapons.

In response, the Red Orcs also drew their weapons, and the leader, noticing this, stepped back and roared again.

That was the signal for war. The Red Orcs began to charge toward the city, each wielding weapons, while the front gate, hitherto wide open, swiftly shut.

I recalled the words Agul had once said.

Didn’t he say that a war was likely to break out soon?

I think this was what he was referring to.

At that moment, the Nightmare, which had been lying on the ground, suddenly sprang up.

Startled by its movement, I turned around to see three Red Orcs charging toward me.

In their glaring eyes, there was intense hostility.

“Oh no…”

I slowly backed away while drawing my sword.

But I couldn’t move back any further; behind me was a cliff leading down.

The pressure from the approaching Orcs was tremendous.

I glanced around and hopped onto the back of the Nightmare.

At that moment, the Red Orcs let out a fierce roar and lunged at me.

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“kalse!!!”

At the same time, the Nightmare began to gallop.

The cold blades of swords and spears targeted the Nightmare’s legs and my chest, but I swung my sword to deflect all those attacks.

Since these were mana-infused attacks, trails of long crescent moon-like afterimages scattered across the space where my sword was swung.

Clang-!

With a bright flash, the sword and spear were knocked away, allowing the Nightmare to slip through the Orcs’ encirclement.

The Nightmare didn’t stop. Normally, it would have charged at those who attacked us with excitement, but this time was different.

The Nightmare dashed forward, leaping down the hill to avoid the Orcs.

However, more Red Orcs were positioned below the hill.

I pulled the bridle of the Nightmare, furrowing my brow. It appeared that there were those who had sneaked in from a different direction, having approached while the Orcs were focused on the ones at the city entrance.

The Nightmare let out a powerful roar, kicking at the approaching Orc with its legs.

Hiiing-!

With a fierce kick, it crushed the chest of the Red Orc.

The Orc that was hit tumbled backward, spewing bright red blood.

Naturally, attention began to shift. All the Orcs loitering around recognized me and the Nightmare and began to draw their weapons, even the others who were pressuring the guards at the city entrance glared at us.

Pu-ruk-!

Enemies were everywhere. The Nightmare crouched low, constantly breathing heavily.

Its rapidly moving eyes seemed to be calculating the optimal route to escape.

At that moment, one of the approaching Orcs charged at me.

Roaring loudly, a heavy axe came flying in.

“Gah!”

I readied my sword, preparing for the incoming attack.

Since I didn’t have much experience fighting while mounted, my grip on the sword felt awkward.

As the mana circle rapidly spun, starlight mana burst forth toward the sword.

The mana stone connected to my sword welcomed the mana and amplified its power simultaneously.

As seven bright stars appeared above the sword, the Nightmare made a short dash forward.

It moved as if it knew that I needed to strike from that exact spot for my attack to land properly.

I was slightly surprised by the Nightmare’s sudden movement, but it was the perfect timing to wield my sword. I swung the sword with all my might.

Although the sword was too short to reach the Orc, the starlight blade created from mana extended long enough to leave a significant wound on the Orc’s neck.

Swish-!

The Red Orc, whose neck had been severed, knelt to the ground, clutching at its throat.

As blood began to seep out thickly, the surrounding Orcs took a step back.

Seizing that moment, the Nightmare started to run.

With its sudden acceleration, the ground where the Nightmare pushed off dented and kicked up a cloud of red dust.

Thud-thud- thud-thud- thud-thud-!

The Nightmare dashed toward the outer wall of Kaum.

As if it had no other escape route but that place.

The Nightmare leapt over the wall, which looked to be about four meters high, using its powerful legs.

After a brief moment of suspension, the Nightmare landed inside the city.

Due to the weight of the Nightmare, a tremendous rumble erupted, sending dirt and dust flying, but it seemed unscathed.

The gray-skinned Orcs stared at me and the Nightmare with puzzled expressions.

However, their weapons were not aimed at me.

It seemed the time spent near the guards at the main gate paid off.

At that moment, one particularly well-built Orc approached me.

Seeing everyone show him respect, he appeared to be the leader governing this city.

Of course, he also couldn’t speak the human language.

“kalse ta chara.”

The leader Orc mumbled some incomprehensible words and continued speaking.

He glanced at me and then made a sweeping motion with his sword towards the main gate.

While I couldn’t understand his words, his actions seemed to invite me to fight alongside him.

Since a hostile relationship had already formed with the Red Orcs outside, how could I possibly refuse?

I clasped the hand of the leader Orc and shook it up and down.

At that moment, the tightly shut main gate began to rattle and the Orcs firing arrows from the top of the wall screamed as they tumbled out of the city.

Simultaneously, mana of mixed red and purple hues began to creep in from outside the city.

I frowned at the ominous mana. It had properties similar to that of the mana used by Dark Mages.