"Earn an achievement that will be recognized by the entire Blackrock Clan?" Lux scratched his head. "Isn't the hurdle too high?"

Baronar laughed as he patted the Half-Elf's back, which almost made Lux spit blood due to how strong the Great Orc Shaman was.

"Do you think Transcendent Flames are cabbages that you can just pick up anywhere?" Baronar asked back. "Besides, the second option is much more realistic than fighting against Barca. Or do you think you have the chance of beating him, hmm?"

The Half-Elf had no comeback for the Great Orc Shaman's question.

Empyreans were considered to be Pseudo-Saints.

Clearly, it was impossible for the current Lux to even withstand a single blow from an opponent of such magnitude, let alone beat it. Even if he had the help of Eiko, his Undead Army, the Elemental Heart, and the Dragon Token, beating Barca seemed like an impossible task.

You see, Monsters, especially those of the Empyrean Ranks, had the power to destroy well-fortified cities single-handedly.

Their abilities were so great that Lux was certain that even if he used the skill, Duel [EX], repeatedly, the damage they could give Barca would only be at most, superficial wounds.

The only way he could beat Barca was if Alexander and Maximilian were there to tie him up and allow the Half-Elf to whack the Orc Chieftain silly until Barca forgot his own name.

Of course, that wouldn't be happening anytime soon, so the Half-Elf could only sigh in his heart and scratch his head.

Baronar was about to make fun of the depressed Half-Elf when suddenly, a loud knock was heard on the door.

"Great Orc Shaman, the Great Chieftain calls for an emergency meeting," an anxious voice said from behind the door. "Our Scouts have passed along a message and set fire to the Torch of War. The Haca Dynasty has finally made their move."

Baronar hurriedly stood up and almost ran towards the door.

"Sorry, but let's talk another time, Lux," Baronar stated. "All of you behave and stay here. I'll tell my subordinates to not make things difficult for you and your comrades."

Lux knew that if he just listened to what Baronar was saying, he and his friends would have to stay in the Stronghold for an immeasurable number of days. Because of this, a plan entered his mind, as he ran after the Great Orc Shaman, who had been laughing at him a moment ago.

"Your Excellency, how about you take us with you?" Lux asked. "You've already seen what we're capable of back in the Dungeon. Perhaps we can be of assistance to you?"

Baronar momentarily stopped walking and turned around to look at the Half-Elf with a conflicted expression on his face.

It seemed that he was having an internal battle inside his head, but in the end, he reluctantly nodded his head and agreed to Lux's proposal.

"Gather your comrades now," Baronar ordered. "Don't blame me if I leave you behind due to how slow you guys are."

The Great Orc Shaman no longer said anything and hurried away. Lux, on the other hand, immediately informed everyone, except for Cethus through the Guild Chat about the latest development in the Blackrock Clan.

Five minutes later, all of them gathered at the North Gate of the Stronghold.

There, a teleportation gate stood.

The inscribed runes on the structure were all glowing. This meant that the Teleportation Gate was active, and ready to transport anyone or anything that passed through it.

"March!" Baronar declared. "To Ludrar Bragh!"

The Orc Shamans, as well as the Orc Warriors all raised their weapons to acknowledge their Commander's order, and walked behind him as Baronar entered the Teleportation Gate first.

Lux and his comrades were at the very back of the formation because they didn't want to get in the way of the Orcs, who had been mobilized for war.

"It seems that being with you will not give me any time to rest," Gerhart said in a teasing tone. "I didn't know that you lived a very fast-paced life."

Cethus, who was standing beside the green-haired Half-Elf, agreed to what Gerhart had said. Although he had already expected that something big would happen once they entered the Orc Encampment, he didn't expect that he would witness the beginning of a war.

'Bring it on!' Cethus thought as he gazed at the red-headed teenager who was his temporary leader. 'I want to see what other interesting rewards I will get by following you on this mission.'

The Dragon Born couldn't stop himself from smirking. Not only did he get free stats points, gold coins, and other rewards, but he also managed to get a Pseudo-Legendary Weapon, which complimented his abilities perfectly.

For Cethus, this trip to the Wanid Kingdom had given him more rewards compared to the five years he had spent as one of the Royal Guards in the Capital City of Karshvar Draconis.

Although his Grandma spoiled him, he had many other siblings, who were more talented than him. Because of this, most of their family's resources were given to those people, leaving only scraps for Cethus.

Being assigned as one of the Royal Guards due to his Grandma's connections was the only silver lining in his life.

Now that a perfect opportunity had presented itself in front of him to gain powers and riches that he never thought possible, the Dragon Born no longer had any hesitation in following the Half-Elf until he became a Ranker.

If Lux could only read people's minds, he would have certainly laughed at Cethus for his "simple-mindedness".

For the Dragon Born, becoming a Ranker was a necessity.

For Lux, becoming a Ranker was on par with his journey in Elysium.

Being a Ranker wasn't the end game for him. He was tasked to find a way to save Solais from destruction.

In order for him to do that, he would need to search high and low, perhaps even going to the most dangerous places in the world, with the hope that he would find a clue that would ultimately lead him to the goal he had in mind.

"Let's move out," Lux ordered as he lightly patted Jed's back. "Stay close, everyone. We don't know what we will find after we cross through the gate."

Everyone nodded their heads in acknowledgement of Lux's orders and followed behind him as they entered the gate that would take them to the capital city of the Orcs, Ludrar Bragh.

The place where the Half-Orc whom he had met inside a Dungeon many months ago was stationed.

Baronar had hinted that Barca wasn't the current Orc Chieftain, which perplexed the red-headed teenager. If Barca wasn't the one true leader of the Orcs, then who could it possibly be?

----------

In the City of Ludrar Bragh

While the Orcs were preparing for war, Barca was busy writing letters to inform the other Pillars of the Wanid Kingdom that the Haca Dynasty had finally broken their thirty-year silence.

As the sound of the war drums grew in volume and intensity in the background, the second in command of the Orc Stronghold, Barca, finished writing his letters.

War was knocking once more on their door, and the Blackrock Clan, who was one of the Pillars of the Wanid Kingdom, must stand their ground until their reinforcements arrived.

"I just hope that those bastards come early," Barca muttered as he summoned several Spirit Hawks to deliver his letters to the people who needed to read them. "Fly my friends, fly swiftly and inform everyone that war is coming."

The Spirit Hawks screeched in acknowledgment before flying high in the sky and turning into rays of light. It would take them an hour to reach their destination and, by that time, Baronar's troops and Lux's party would also arrive in the Capital City of the Orcs, to answer the call of their Chieftain.