NOVEL NEXT Chapter 117
Chapter 117
That was no ordinary Orc.
Its physique was completely different from the rest.
It was incredibly large, with thick, sturdy limbs that screamed strength.
If not for its appearance, one could hardly believe it was an Orc at all.
The nearby giant Orcs looked small in comparison.
Si-hyun instinctively felt that this Monster Orc was the leader of the others.
That led to an unavoidable question.
Who on earth was this unidentified man commanding such a Monster Orc?
Surely, he wasn’t human.
It was impossible to think of him as human given the aura he radiated.
Then what was he?
Curiosity surged, but there was no way to find out.
No, that wasn’t what mattered right now.
The priority was how to deal with the towering Monster Orc right in front of him.
He had to find a way to defeat it and survive.
Fortunately, the other Orcs didn’t seem interested in joining the fight.
If they had, things would have been a lot tougher.
“…What kind of Orc is that huge?”
Dong-il muttered in disbelief.
It looked completely different from what he saw from a distance.
As it approached, an overwhelming pressure pressed down around him.
Swallowing nervously, Dong-il tightened his grip on his shield.
“It’s a monster.”
Mujik spoke briefly.
“Chief.”
Cheol-hyung called out to Si-hyun.
It was a request for orders.
“Let’s surround it.”
Si-hyun said.
This was no monster he could take on alone.
They had no choice but to regroup.
An awkward formation could hinder them, but thankfully, most here were seasoned Hunters.
“And Dong-il, come to my side.”
Si-hyun, with his C-level defense and evasion, really needed someone to complement his weaknesses.
So he planned to use Dong-il, a B-rank Tank, as a shield.
“Yes!”
Dong-il responded eagerly and rushed to Si-hyun’s side.
“Focus on defense, no attacking.”
“Understood.”
As Si-hyun and Dong-il communicated, the other inmates also began to move, circling Trital from a distance.
They couldn’t dare to get too close.
Getting nearer felt like they might get smashed to bits by that Iron Club at any moment.
Trital, however, paid no mind to the humans’ movements and began to march straight toward Si-hyun.
Thud! Thud!
Each step of its massive body sent tremors through the ground.
Si-hyun activated the Executioner’s Cold-bloodedness.
As the distance to Trital closed, an unbearable intensity made his body feel unnaturally shrunk.
Once he activated Cold-bloodedness, he finally regained his composure, and his tense muscles began to relax.
“Please…”
A whisper came from behind the others, who had pulled back slightly.
They desperately longed for Si-hyun’s party to triumph.
Whether they could survive here depended on Si-hyun and the inmates.
“C-Chief…”
Dong-il called out to Si-hyun with a trembling voice.
Trital was heading directly toward them.
He wanted to dodge, yet Si-hyun remained still, leaving him no choice but to grip his shield tightly with a strained face.
Si-hyun focused his Executioner’s gaze on Trital’s eyes.
But unlike before, Trital showed no change in expression.
With sharp eyes, it glared back at Si-hyun.
‘What a pity.’
Si-hyun mused inwardly.
It was suggestive that some humanoid monsters don’t react to intimidation, meaning Trital was likely one of them.
He withdrew the Executioner’s gaze.
Thud.
Trital came to a stop.
It halted just within range to smash him with its Iron Club.
Si-hyun gripped Po-ahim’s Guard Baton tightly as well.
He hadn’t drawn Acureruts yet.
There were too many eyes on him.
Of course, that wasn’t the only reason.
He wanted to save it for a potential encounter with the mysterious man in the back.
The etched Hellfire had a cooldown of 24 hours, making it a precious resource to be used wisely.
“Trital.”
The man spoke.
“Yes, my king.”
What Trital said sounded like a bizarre Orc’s wail to the others.
“Start the entertainment.”
“Understood.”
Trital stretched out its body.
Then it let out a massive roar.
“Kraaaah!”
The deafening noise made everyone cover their ears and grimace.
Si-hyun and the inmates shared equally pained expressions.
The volume they were close to, combined with holding weapons, made it impossible to cover their ears properly.
And just as the echo of the roar faded, Trital started moving once more.
This movement was far quicker than when it had approached earlier.
The Iron Club swung down towards Si-hyun’s head with the intent to crush it.
“Haah…!”
Dong-il gasped in shock and hurriedly raised his shield to block the attack.
Fearing his shield would break from the impact, he even used a skill to enhance its strength.
Bam!
“Ugh…!”
The tremendous sound of collision echoed all around.
Unintentionally, Dong-il let out a yelp.
It was a terrifyingly strong strike.
Though he barely blocked it, his whole body screamed in protest.
“Just focus on defense,” Si-hyun had instructed, yet even with both hands clutching his shield, it felt like his arms might fall off.
What sheer monstrous strength!
Unlike Dong-il, Si-hyun didn’t blink even once in such a situation.
Thanks to the effect of Cold-bloodedness.
Otherwise, his heart would have lurched in fear.
In any case, to the onlookers, Si-hyun’s composed demeanor inevitably stood out.
Not just to them.
Trital also seemed to regard Si-hyun with a look that said ‘not bad for a weak human.’
“Ice Spear!”
Suddenly, a Wizard’s incantation rang out, and a sharp ice spear shot toward Trital.
It was an opportune moment while Trital was focused on attacking Si-hyun.
Swoosh!
The Ice Spear swiftly connected directly with Trital’s torso.
The Wizard clenched their fists.
But.
Trital bore no pain on its face.
There were no signs of injury on its skin.
The Wizard’s eyes widened.
Swoosh!
Meanwhile, an archer’s arrow zipped through the air toward Trital’s neck.
Thud.
“Uh…?”
The archer muttered blankly.
The arrow that hit his neck simply bounced off.
“Fall back, Archer! Wizard, prepare only defensive magic, no attacks!”
Si-hyun called out, quickly grasping the situation.
The Monster Orc’s hide was incredibly tough. Ordinary attacks felt utterly futile.
In such circumstances, lukewarm attacks would only hinder them.
They needed a decisive strike.
“Mujik, brother!”
“I got it.”
As Cheol-hyung yelled, Mujik nodded.
Together, two inmates who had reached the highest tier of Sword Expert began their assault.
Both understood how tough Trital’s skin was, so they infused their weapons with Qi.
“Take that!”
Mujik thrust forward with a spear charged with energy.
This time, Trital didn’t attempt to take it barehanded.
It angled its Iron Club vertically to block the oncoming spear.
Clang!
Mujik’s spear collided with the Iron Club.
Such a massive weapon could easily cover a vast area even when held vertically.
In the meantime, Cheol-hyung closed the gap to Trital.
Striking at Trital’s ankles, Cheol-hyung’s longsword moved.
Rather than recklessly attempt a single blow to a vital spot, he aimed to gradually weaken its combat capability.
However, that swift strike was effortlessly evaded.
Trital jumped forward, avoiding the attack.
It was a surprising agility for something of such massive size.
Trital didn’t stop there; it swung its Iron Club in an assault toward Mujik.
It struck with the speed of swinging a mere twig.
Mujik tried to retreat swiftly, yet he had already entered Trital’s range.
With Trital possessing incredibly long arms and wielding a gigantic weapon, its attack range was beyond imagination.
Before long, the Iron Club lunged sharply toward Mujik.
“Ugh.”
Mujik gritted his teeth and raised his spear.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The metallic clashes echoed in succession.
Trital swung its club as if it were wielding a toothpick, continuously striking at Mujik.
With each blow, Mujik barely managed to hold it off with his Qi-infused spear.
Even though he was an A-rank Hunter, each of Trital’s attacks made him stagger.
Mujik seemed to be in jeopardy when suddenly, Trital’s assault paused.
That was because Cheol-hyung launched a new attack from behind.
Perhaps caught up in the excitement of the battle, Trital couldn’t fully evade Cheol-hyung’s strike this time.
The longsword grazed across Trital’s right shoulder.
Its hide tore, allowing dark red blood to flow out.
This was the first time a human inflicted a wound upon Trital.
But it was merely a superficial cut.
Trital showed no sign of pain. Rather, it clutched its Iron Club and turned its attention to Cheol-hyung.
Clang! Clang!
They exchanged blows only twice, but Cheol-hyung lost balance from the force.
The difference in strength was too overwhelming.
Mujik quickly engaged Trital again.
He had felt first-hand through the previous exchanges that he couldn’t handle it alone.
Cheol-hyung quickly regained his stance and attacked Trital again.
“Creak.”
Although it was the combined effort of two A-rank Hunters, Trital appeared relaxed.
Soon, the battle turned into a chaotic blurring of motion, harder than the eye could track, with one Orc and two Hunters clashing.
Both Cheol-hyung and Mujik were pouring everything they had into their strikes.
Yet, Trital remained an impenetrable fortress.
There wasn’t the slightest gap in its defenses against their attacks.
In fact, it was Cheol-hyung and Mujik who narrowly escaped several dangerous situations.
‘…This isn’t good.’
Si-hyun muttered inwardly.
He had held back from joining the fray to avoid disrupting the efforts of the high-level Hunters.
But things were not looking favorable.
At this rate, the moment their stamina ran out, Cheol-hyung and Mujik might lose their lives.
It was time to stop holding back.
There was no more reason to hesitate.
“We’re going too!”
Si-hyun finally shouted.
Upon hearing that, the inmates who could use Qi wrapped energy around their weapons.
Though not as pronounced as Cheol-hyung and Mujik’s, even this infused energy heightened their weapon’s strength and sharpness drastically.
“Uwaaah!”
“Let’s go!”
“Let’s crush them!”
They charged toward Trital, shouting to dispel their fears.
Si-hyun moved alongside Dong-il.
“Creak.”
Trital looked at the swarm of humans rushing toward it, wearing a dismissive expression.
The gray-haired man watching the scene seemed amused.
“Yes, yes. Keep playing like that, it’s entertaining.”
The man smiled slyly, as if looking forward to what would unfold next.