Episode 27

[Weak, weak! Your attacks are too weak!]

“I don’t want to finish you off too soon! Don’t you get it? I want a challenge!”

In one moment, their weapons collided, and in the next, the fighters began to use their fists. The two traded blows back and forth, and it seemed that Jung Si-woo was able to land more hits. Even so, the orc’s hits were more powerful since he relied on only physical strength, whereas Jung Si-woo used both physical and magical power. This made the contest pretty even.

[I like this battle!]

“Same here! I’m finally fighting against a strong opponent!”

The orc and human exchanged fierce smiles. Although they were fighting to the death, they still had mutual respect for each other as warriors. They shared a desire for battle and destruction, and it clearly showed on their faces as they continued to fight. Every time their weapons collided, they pushed their bodies harder to taste the sheer joy of combat.

“Ha!”

[Hoh!]

The first time Jung Si-woo fought an orc, he hadn’t been this powerful, and there had been no room for error. But this time was different. Every time he attacked and was blocked, and every time he was attacked and had to block, he could tell he was growing stronger.

‘It’s refreshing.’

Jung Si-woo appreciated the levels he had gained from grinding in the easier dungeons. It gave him the strength to hold his own against this difficult opponent. He was dealing with an armored orc now, but what about later? As he grew stronger, he’d be able to fight even stronger opponents than this one. It was awesome thinking about meeting each new challenge and overcoming it. Jung Si-woo wanted to use his full strength without holding back. And now, with strong enemies and monsters that needed to die, he could go full out. At last, he could use the skills he learned in the past and truly develop them.

“Bang!”

[Kuhahak!]

And imagine the powers he might face! Power like he’d never imagined before! Finally, Jung Si-woo’s hammer landed a solid blow that crushed the orc’s armor. Weakened from the long fight, the orc fell to the ground and spat out blood.

“I won.”

This time, Jung Si-woo hadn’t needed to use the power of fire to win. He overwhelmed the enemy with pure mana and physical skills. His breathing was hard after such a vigorous match, but he wasn’t finished, and so he lifted his sledgehammer to crush the orc’s head.

[I lost.]

The armored orc admitted defeat. Again and again, he and Jung Si-woo had given it all they had. In the beginning, there was no way to tell who would win, but now, it was clearly Jung Si-woo’s victory.

[Warrior, you have gotten everything you can out of me. Your skills have been honed well. But whether you can use them in harmony with your mana is something you have to figure out.]

“I think so.”

Jung Si-woo wanted to learn more from the armored orcs, but since they were naturally strong, they focused on straight-forward combat skills to increase their power and strength rather than training any finesse or martial art techniques. Uncomfortable as the comparison was, Jung Si-woo had also been born with great natural strength and had trained to use it. So, it turned out there wasn’t much he could learn from them. In the end, he was able to refine his skills through real-life combat, when in the past, he was only able to practice. That alone was helpful enough, and he had improved.

[You would like to learn the true skill in the heart of an orc warrior? That is only for an orc to know when he has reached his limit on the battlefield. But you, human warrior, must learn your own potential, which you have just started to do.]

“Potential? …Ah.”

That was something he could only learn as he continued his journey as a player. It was certainly possible then that he would find powers much stronger than the armored orcs in the end. Jung Si-woo nodded and expressed his sincere gratitude to the orc, who was pleased with his growth, despite having met as enemies.

“Thanks for the advice. This was fun.”

[I enjoyed myself as well. But watch out, human warrior. Beyond here are hundreds of stronger orcs, and they’re waiting alongside their commander. It will be difficult to overcome them with your current power.]

“Don’t worry about that.”

Jung Si-woo smiled at the last words of the orc and struck the hammer home. The orc’s head was smashed, and his life was ended, the money and bead looting completed.

“Because duel and dungeon strategies are different.”

In the battle he just fought, Jung Si-woo only used physical skills and basic mana skills but no other abilities. He had been holding back and hadn’t used the full power of the sledgehammer. He wanted to see if he could defeat the enemy with just his strength, skills, and minimal magic. Of course, that wasn’t the only reason he spent so much time fighting the orc.

“I’ve got enough information now. I’ve tested their strength, and I know how they fight…and how to fight them.”

In the dungeons so far, there wasn’t much need to understand the monsters. He had been able to defeat those dungeons just by rushing to the end, and most of the enemies couldn’t even hurt him. However, it was a different story now in a dungeon full of enemies that matched his strength. That was the real reason why he held back at decisive moments in the fight. Even though he could have killed the orc many times, he wanted to grasp its strengths and limits fully.

“I only have half my mana left? It seems like I need to start being thrifty.”

He thought for a moment to wait until his mana was fully recovered, but Jung Si-woo shook his head. If it got too low, he could retreat with the Hearthstone, reorganize, and come back in. Even if he had killed the orc right away and saved mana, he’d still probably feel nervous about going on.

“Okay, now let’s try the next room.”

Fortunately, the corridor leading to the next room proved to be long and winding, so the monsters ahead probably hadn’t heard any of the racket their battle caused. Maybe that fight was meant to be a one-on-one duel that couldn’t have been interrupted. In some dungeons, there were unwritten rules, and players would only figure them out by going through them.

“Soo Ah-rin, follow me but hang back.”

“I’ll have my healing magic at the ready.”

As Soo Ah-rin watched the battle between him and the orc, she no longer wanted him to retreat. He was well-qualified to explore this dungeon, but still, she was nervous that he was running it solo.

“Well, at least he doesn’t take as much damage as he used to.”

It wasn’t only Jung Si-woo that had grown stronger. Soo Ah-rin was slowly regaining the power and magic she once had as she went through these dungeons with him. Supporters, after all, were beings that grew alongside their underground player. When the player’s level increases, so did the supporter’s. As he gained mana, so did she.

“Keep running!”

“Okay.”

Inwardly, Soo Ah-rin welcomed the situation. The dungeons they had been fighting were so easy for Jung Si-woo that there was no need for Soo Ah-rin to help much other than healing now and then, but not anymore. The time had come to prove that she wasn’t just a lump of luggage bumping into his side!

“We’re waiting, Mr. Yong Se-ha.”

“Awesome passion…but be careful…orcs are strong.”

Yong Se-ha was still speaking in broken sentences. The whole time during the battle, he had slowly begun shrinking. Soo Ah-rin nodded at his weak effort at support and followed Jung Si-woo. The only enemies in this dungeon were the armored orcs from the Socheon Battlefield, the Heavenly Castle’s 26th level. It was nice that they didn’t have to worry about any other enemies, but it still was a very difficult dungeon to challenge.

[Is it a human?]

[A human has invaded!]

When he finally reached the second room, Jung Si-woo had to pause to scan their surroundings. The corridor leading to this room was so long, he was already halfway through the dungeon. The first thing Jung Si-woo noticed about the room was its size. It was exceptionally large, and there was lush greenery everywhere. The whole thing reminded him of a mountainous region, to the point he almost forgot he was in a cave until he looked up and saw the rocky ceiling.

“Want to fight?”

[Haha, you’ll die!]

[I’ll deal with you!]

Of course, the most important thing about the room was the two orcs waiting inside. They were surprised to see Jung Si-woo and immediately went into an offensive stance. Jung Si-woo ran to the left and studied the orcs’ movements with his sledgehammer at the ready.

“You’re too slow, you slugs!”

[Slugs?! Human, we’ll show you the power of the orcs!]

Now, battling orcs was fun because their tactics were simple. Jung Si-woo noticed that they activated their passive skills as they rushed him and activated his Battle Sprint in response.

“Kh!”

Even though he was fighting two of them now, Jung Si-woo wasn’t worried because he knew what to expect. Beating the first orc showed him their weaknesses. Exploit those, and it would be an easy win!

[H-huh?]

The orc closest to Jung Si-woo raised his ax, and as soon as he did, Jung Si-woo swung his hammer right at their exposed joint.

[Kuaahahaaah!]

[Hey! You dare hurt him!?]

With his arm completely destroyed, the first orc collapsed in pain and quickly succumbed to the devastating injury. This angered the second orc even more, as he raised his ax to attack. Jung Si-woo just smiled.

“You guys…it’s great you’re so strong, and you have armor for protection, but thanks to that, you leave some nice deadly gaps open.”

[Stop your yapping! I’ll crush you!]

“That’s what I was hoping for.”

Jung Si-woo’s eye’s flashed. He lowered his stance and brandished his hammer. In response, the orc raised his ax, receiving a solid shoulder-tackle to the chest for his efforts.

[A-Ack!]

“Now, let’s see who’s stronger!”

Jung Si-woo’s power began to shine. He’d been holding back against the orcs.

His awakening had begun. Jung Si-woo was becoming a player all should fear.