After seeing their reaction back at the base, I realized how sweet this victory was to them.

The Orcs cheered with drinks in their hands and sang songs together.

Their laughter was so loud that it sounded like it could be heard outside of the base.

Since I contributed the most during the battle, I sat with all the clan leaders.

There was so much food on the table in front of me that my eyes wandered all over the place.

"All of this is for you. We have unlimited supply of alcohol and meat, so eat as much as you like."

"Thank you."

It couldn't really be called a dish since they roasted an entire animal of some sort and cut them into pieces.

The meat tasted similar to chicken and pork mixed together.

"After inspecting the corpse, it's been confirmed that it's Malus. His ice magic gave us a really hard time."

"Now our hands and feet won't freeze up. Ha ha ha."

They started talking about Malus for a while. They've already confirmed his reputation and power as a priest.

The clan leaders looked at me in admiration.

"Are there other humans here?"

I intercepted their conversation and asked a question while raising my hand.

The clan leaders hoped that someone would answer, but Master Kalax ended up speaking.

"There aren't any other humans here. You're the only human."

Master Kalax spoke very carefully.

I could tell that they were trying to read my emotions.

"It's fine. While I was pa.s.sing through the portal, I heard that most of the people volunteered to support their side."

"I do apologize. However, the Oracle told us that we couldn't decide who they wanted to support."

"By Oracle, do you mean?"

"It's the G.o.d that us Orcs wors.h.i.+p. We received the message through them."

I didn't express my opinion, but I felt that something was off.

It was regarding the part where a race believed so firmly in a G.o.d within a stage.

They weren't some random monsters that we humans needed to meet before clearing the stage.

I was able to come this far with that mindset.

"Did I say something odd?"

"No, it's nothing."

I drank the beer from the mug that I was holding.

The beer tasted so crisp that it made me forget the thoughts that I had before.

"I saw your sword skills and it's amazing!! You must've had a great teacher."

"I wished for one, but I couldn't find one, so I taught myself."

"No way! You taught yourself? Ha ha."

The clan leader with the blue chest, Lezzaro, placed his mug down and grabbed his axe.

"That power. Do you mind showing it to me?"

The other clan leaders looked so shocked that it seemed like they were walking on thin ice.

His red face and constant hiccupping made me realize that he was extremely drunk.

"That's inappropriate during a congratulatory feast. Put down that axe this instant Lezzaro."

Orkhar stood up and stopped him.

"How about it? I would like to learn from you."

"There's no need to accept it. Everyone can tell that Lezzaro is drunk."

Lezzaro started cracking his fingers and provoked him.

"Since I've been challenged, backing down isn't good manners either."

When I took out my sword, Lezzaro had a satisfied smile on his face.

"Don't worry. If something happens, I'll intercept and stop him."

Orkhar placed his hand on my shoulder and spoke.

However, unlike him, I wasn't a bit worried about something possibly happening during the fight.

I've trained myself enough to understand my opponent's level.

"How shall we decide the victor?"

"The first one to surrender will lose."

"Great, let's do that."

It seemed like Lezzaro was planning on using all of his power to bring me down in front of all the other clan leaders.

His cunning smile was proof that he had something up his sleeve.

I felt an overwhelming willpower, which I couldn't find before when he was drunk.

When I agreed to his challenge, the other clan leaders moved to the side and created more room for us.

Since the others didn't witness my fight with the priest, they watched excitedly.

Including Lezzaro, there were probably other leaders that didn't acknowledge my power just yet.

I thought this was a good chance.

Orcs were known to be obsessed with battles, but Lezzaro was calm.

I thought it would be good to follow his cautious stance.

Fwoos.h.!.+

The flame that suddenly shot up from outside of the base was the signal.

We both reacted to it, but I was a step faster.

Moving first in a battle between strong opponents made a huge difference.

Lezzaro thought he was late, so he tried to change his pose to defend my attack, but it was a mistake.

If he took the chance to attack me head on, we both might've gotten a minor injury.

Swoos.h.!.+

When my sword and his axe clashed, the strong friction created sparks.

Crack!!

A loud sound as if a metal broke filled the area.

Moments later, the head of the axe fell to the ground.

"It's over."

Since he lost his weapon and wasn't allowed to obtain a replacement, I was the victor.

Because of this match, he was no longer drunk and instead, a shocked looked appeared on his face.

He covered his face with hands because he was either embarra.s.sed or filled with fear.

"…I lost."

Through his covered mouth, he admitted defeat.

Someone should've stepped in after the battle was over, but everyone had their mouths wide open.

Just like the priest, the clan leaders were at their current position because of the experience they gained.

But after one fight with the courageous warrior, they were defeated.

It wouldn't be odd if their mind became blank.

"That was enough. No one will question your strength any longer. Lezzaro, you agree, right?"

"…Yes, sir. Please forgive me for the issue that I have caused."

Lezzaro came to his senses after the fight was over and he kept his head down due to being embarra.s.sed by the result, but apologized for his actions.

The result of a battle was important to the Orcs and this defeat was probably an embarra.s.sment, but he still acknowledged it.

I basically ruined his reputation.

I embarra.s.sed him.

But he sincerely apologized to me.

"I'm sorry. I got annoyed without knowing. I wasn't thinking straight."

Thankfully, the situation ended well.

On top of that, since I was able to really show my powers to the other clan leaders, there won't be another Lezzaro.

If the clan leaders acknowledge my power, then the underlings won't doubt me either.

Meaning, the power that I've obtained might have increased, but not a lot of people will oppose me.

"Ahem, the mood has been ruined. Come and sit down. It's too early to call it a night."

We drank for a long time.

After sleeping late into the night, I appeared in the conference hall during the afternoon.

Orkhar, who was keeping me company, informed me that this is the first time a human attended a meeting on the first day.

"Mr. popular has arrived. Ha ha ha. I've heard all about it."

Hacrim, who was part of the Silver Hair Clan, spoke as if he was an old friend.

"…I had a bit of a hard time."

Early in the morning, there were hundreds of Orcs lined up in front of the room that I was staying at.

Everyone had different reasons for lining up, but some asked me to autograph their gear and others asked for a handshake.

One Orc suddenly hugged me out of nowhere, which caused me to sweat.

Their chest was just as firm as a bodybuilder's and they were known for their build, so it felt different from a woman's body.

No, that wasn't an appropriate comparison.

It's because the only woman that I've ever hugged was my mother.

"You don't look so good, Jin Woo."

I introduced myself yesterday in front of all the clan leaders.

Everyone did their best to memorize my name and Orkhar was the first one to call me by my name.

"I just had a bad thought. It's a bit…revolting."

"After the meeting is over, I'll notify the surgeon to create a special medicine for your digestive system."

Other clan leaders arrived afterwards. The Master Kalax was the last one to enter.

The cheerful mood from yesterday disappeared and a stern expression could be seen on everyone's face.

Since this was my first time attending, I felt a bit lightheaded.

"Thanks to yesterday's victory, we have been given the chance to attack. If anyone has a good plan, please share."

A lot of different strategies were shared and I acted like I was listening, but I was starting at the map.

It was the enemy's base, but they even drew in the internal map of the base.

"The place we need to target next is Havelam, which was also our base. But they attacked it and now it's in their hands."

Orkhar informed me when he noticed me looking at the map.

Among them, I pointed to a pa.s.sageway that looked odd.

"What's this pa.s.sageway that's connected to the inside of the base?"

"Hm, it looks like an underground drain pipe. There are heavy showers in Havelam during the summer, so a drain pipe is necessary."

"What about using this to get inside?"

"We thought about doing that too, but it's so narrow that only two humans will be able to go through it. On top of that, only one human is able to climb the ladder that leads to the top. It's a different story if we create a diversion though. If not that, then it's a dangerous strategy."

Orkhar did his best to point out the dangerous parts in the plan that I thought of.

Despite of that, I couldn't keep my eyes off the small pa.s.sageway.

In that moment, I was sure that the pa.s.sageway was our key to victory.

I opened my mouth and spoke.

"I'll sneak into the enemy's base and attack them. I don't need back-up. Please let me go alone."

End.

Staff :

Jen (TL)

Kuhaku (PR)