Actually, this is strange. I'm trapped inside the tower and can't return until I defeat the Orc Champion Karokan.
Because of that, I decided to stay in this city for now while gathering information, but with no clear identity, it's difficult. To go to the hunters' guild, I need identification; to ask around, I'm just a stranger.
The only place where I can get information is the bar.
Of course, this isn't easy, considering the personalities of the people here.
"Ahem… at the very least, I have to get some information, no matter how small," I muttered.
I walked toward the bar to ask the people there.
...
"This is ridiculous…," I muttered as I let out a long sigh. "So many people in this city don't even know anything. Is this quest deliberately messing with me, or is the Tower just being mischievous?"
I had already spent quite a lot of time.
Chatting at the bar, listening to the conversations of mercenaries, even greeting a few new acquaintances at the market and around the gate. But the results were nil. There were no reports of sightings of the Orc Champion, no emergency subjugation requests, not even small rumors pointing toward a major threat.
The information I got was actually the opposite.
"This area is safe."
"It's been like that for years."
"An orc camp? Don't joke around."
According to the hunters and fortress soldiers, the surrounding region had long been cleared of orc tribes. If there really had been large-scale orc movement, they should have carried out a large-scale subjugation—sending troops, hiring high-rank hunters, or at the very least activating an alert system.
But there was nothing.
That was what made me increasingly uneasy.
"The problem is…," I muttered softly while walking along the fortress wall, "this tower never gives a quest without a reason."
I stopped and looked out beyond the fortress.
"Considering how often things like this happen…" I thought, my tone hardening. "Sudden sieges because people are too relaxed."
My chest felt a little heavy.
Then, an understanding surfaced—slow but clear.
"…Ah."
My footsteps stopped.
"Could it be… this isn't about searching for Karokan out there," I whispered. "But about waiting for him to come here."
My heart beat a little faster.
If this floor had a human settlement, then it wasn't a coincidence. The Tower rarely—almost never—places NPCs without a function. And if the quest target is an Orc Champion, a creature that usually appears as a war leader…
"…Then the answer is simple."
I slowly clenched my fist.
"A siege."
More precisely, a large-scale attack on this fortress city.
And my task isn't just to kill Karokan.
"But to protect this city… until he shows himself."
The irritation in my chest gradually turned into clarity.
"No wonder the quest is ambiguous," I muttered. "If I'd known from the start, I might've acted recklessly."
I took a deep breath, then slowly let it out.
"All right," I said firmly.
I turned away from the fortress wall, my steps more purposeful than before.
Now I know what I have to do.
Prepare.
Because if my guess is right, then this won't be a one-on-one fight—.
...
And sure enough.
It all happened in the middle of the night, when the fortress city was at its most vulnerable—when the settlement's torches had dimmed, the guards stood half-awake, and most of the residents slept soundly in a sense of safety that hadn't been disturbed for years.
Atop the watchtower by the eastern gate, a guard who was yawning widely froze mid-motion.
"What is that…?"
In the distance, beyond the forest line, points of light began to appear.
One.
Two.
Dozens.
Then hundreds.
Torches.
A long line of torches moving slowly, undulating like a sea of fire crawling out of the darkness of the forest.
The guard's blood froze instantly.
"—Enemies!!"
He spun around, grabbing the alarm bell's rope with trembling hands—
DOOOOM!!
A terrifying impact shook the fortress.
Before the bell could ring, a giant axe slammed into the watchtower wall from outside with brutal force. Stone and metal shattered together. The watchtower cracked, then partially collapsed.
The alarm bell shattered into pieces.
The guards nearby didn't even have time to scream—their bodies were hurled away by the shockwave, vanishing amid dust and debris.
A split second of silence.
Then—
Chaos.
Screams erupted from every corner of the city. Residents awoke in panic, doors were forced open, children cried, and soldiers ran without formation.
"Orcs!!"
"A siege!!"
"Wake everyone up!!"
Without the warning bell, information spread in the worst possible way—desperate shouting.
From beyond the night fog, massive shadows began to approach. Huge, green-skinned bodies with tusks and bulging muscles, carrying crude weapons stained with blood. The orc formation wasn't orderly, but their numbers were far too many to ignore.
Worse still—
They moved far too coordinated.
This wasn't a wild mob.
This was a war army.
"What's going on!?" shouted a fortress officer as he tried to rally the soldiers. "Where did they come from!?"
No one could answer.
According to all reports, the nearest orc camps were hundreds of kilometers away from the fortress. There were no signs of migration. No large movements. No warnings from hunters or scouts.
And yet—
They were here.
As if the army had appeared straight out of the darkness.
Behind the ranks of orcs, a gigantic figure advanced. Far larger than the others. Each step made the ground tremble.
The massive axe in his hand was still coated with stone dust from the fortress wall.
Orc Champion.
Without anyone realizing it, the worst-case scenario—one that the city's leaders hadn't even considered—had become reality.
And somewhere within the city—
someone who had sensed the anomaly from the very beginning…
was already prepared.
...
"Hm…"
I stood atop one of the still-intact stone towers, my body concealed by the shadows of the night. From this height, the scene below was laid bare—thousands of orcs surrounding the fortress city like a dark green tide ready to swallow everything.
Their torches flickered wildly, reflecting off raised crude weapons. War cries echoed, mingling with panicked screams from within the city. The smell of smoke, sweat, and blood began to fill the air.
"So fast… and without a single warning," I muttered softly.
That was the strangest part.
An army this large should have been impossible to move without detection. Hunters, scouts, even farmers in the outermost villages should have noticed the signs. Yet in reality—there were no reports, no rumors, no preparedness.
As if they had… appeared out of nowhere.
I narrowed my eyes, expanding my perception.
And that was when I saw it.
Far beyond the forest line, hidden among the dark trees, a deep crimson portal pulsed faintly. Its surface churned like liquid blood, spewing forth a coarse, savage aura that felt all too familiar.
"…I see," I whispered. "So this is the answer."
That portal was clearly not natural magic. It was a large-scale transfer gate, directly connected to orc territory that should have been hundreds of kilometers away—or even farther.
Someone had opened the path for them.
"Which means it's not just Karokan," I thought coldly. "There's a mastermind behind this."
My hand clenched.
Below, the fortress soldiers struggled to hold the line, forming makeshift formations. But they were clearly unprepared to face attacks from all directions, especially with such an absurd number of enemies.
If I waited any longer—
the casualties would only keep rising.
"No," I muttered. "I can't let this drag on."
I took a deep breath.
"Maw."
On my shoulder, the small slime trembled. As if understanding my intent, it slid into my hand, its body stretching and hardening. In an instant, its soft form transformed into a sword—a jet-black blade with faint red lines pulsing like veins.
A cold aura enveloped my arm.
I felt our synchronization stabilize once more. Calm. Focused. Lethal.
I looked once more at the sea of orcs.
"All right," I said softly, my voice flat and emotionless. "If you've come for war…"
My eyes darkened, the reflection of torchlight swallowed by pitch-black void.
"…then it starts now."
I stepped forward, my body leaning into motion.
And in the next instant—
I vanished from the tower, diving straight into the battlefield below, carrying a will with only one purpose:
to end this siege, with blood.
//--//
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