chapter 74

Fortunately, there were some spider legs remaining for me to eat. These guys still had some sense of loyalty. I was glad they left some to me despite being so hungry.

“Um, melt the cobwebs here…”

I applied a thick sauce made from melting cobwebs. The blue sauce didn’t look appetizing but it smelled good.

“Let’s eat now.” I tore at a roasted leg like a wild tiger that had been starved for a few days.

“It’s okay.”

I was recharging the cobwebs. More than 100 were filled up at once.

[The first apostle, ‘Prometheus,’ says that he wants to eat.]

I had taken only one bite of the food…

Still, what could be done? I had to feed my family member.

“Sol…”

“Master! Give me some!”

Ever since that day, it seemed like Solar would just suddenly show up…

I looked up at the sky and called out, “Hey, Prometheus.”

[The first apostle, ‘Prometheus,’ is blinking in a puzzled manner.]

“You gave me your memories the other day. Is that why Solar has been showing up all the time?”

[The first apostle, ‘Prometheus,’ says yes.]

Certainly, a lot has changed since that day. The way I looked at the game, my perspective, and my attitude. Everything was different. Prometheus’ memories of his life had affected me and I set new goals. The only thing I was worried about was if I could do what this guy wanted. I had no confidence. It wasn’t pleasant when thinking about the hardships I would have to go through in the future.

Just then, Gorba approached me from behind while eating meat. “Chwik. Thank you, Brother. You showed us how to enjoy food.”

Gorba chewed on the meat as he spoke.

“Well, it is something new. By the way, what about the other orcs?”

“They’re coming soon. They want to eat the roasted food first before coming. Kulalala!” Gorba laughed and shook his head. “Brother, there is something I want to give you.”

“What do you want to give…?”

I looked up and saw Gorba pulling something out. It was a small piece of bone with blue teeth. At first glance, it looked like an unusual object. Gorba handed it to me. “What is this?”

“My orcram.”

“Orcram…?”

[The Blue Tooth Orcram has been acquired.]

“Chwik. Since ancient times, orcs have been divided by strength. If you fight and win, you can take away your opponent’s orcram and gain a higher status. In particular, the orcram of a tribe chieftain is more special. It is made from the blood and bones of Mudur, the first orc.”

The blue tooth drawn on the orcram shone brightly.

“Why are you giving this to me?”

“It is a reward for saving my life. It is also my sincerity to thank you for letting our tribe know about cooking. Chwiik.”

[The first apostle, ‘Prometheus,’ is nodding at Gorba’s loyalty.]

I touched the orcram that he handed over. I turned it upside down, looked at it from the side, and illuminated it in the sunlight. “Don’t you need this? What if you are kicked from your chieftain position?”

“Kulalala! Don’t worry about that. In fact,the tradition of fighting for the orcram has long been lost in our tribe. I just don’t know about the other tribes. Chwiik. My father, the previous chief, banned it, saying that it was a bad habit that fostered a rift between the orcs.”

His father? Gorba’s father must’ve been a wise leader. In the old Joseon Dynasty of literature and martial arts, he would have a great longevity. As expected, it was true that excellent children appeared due to good parents. I wondered if I was a good father to my children and a good grandfather to my grandchildren.

“Thank you, Gorba. However, where can I use this?”

“Guruk. A strong human like you will probably wander the world and meet other orc tribes one day.

“Maybe that will be the case.”

“Chwik. The orcram is an expression of identity. It might be gone in our tribe but there are still other tribes who use the orcram system. If you meet them one day and show them this, you will be treated as a chieftain.”

“Doesn’t this mean you won’t be treated as a chieftain?”

“It doesn’t matter. We only meet once a year in the north. There is Mudur’s tomb there and I don’t think the orcram is needed. In fact, I think the orcram system should be abolished.”

He was more far-sighted than I thought. There was a sense of depth and planning. I thought for a moment that it would’ve been great if this guy was an NPC. [1] If so, I would’ve made him work hard. Oh, it was a shame.

I clicked my tongue and thanked him. Then I heard the footsteps of the orcs rushing from behind.

“They’re already here.”

They quickly gathered around the burning bonfire. Then they started roasting the meat according to the recipe I taught them. They knocked on their chest when they saw something they liked and I laughed as well. “Gorba, I have a question.”

“Guruk. Tell me, Brother.”

“Aren’t you stronger than the spiders? Then why did you say that they are your nemesis?”

Gorba snorted and replied, “It is because of the poison.”

“Poison?”

“We are vulnerable to poison. 500 years ago, Mudur was killed by the poison of spiders. We who are born of his blood are naturally weak to poison. In addition, the spider population is large and the cobwebs are annoying.”

Indeed, it was true. There were many spiders. It was at least ten times the number of orcs I had seen. The spider king’s cave might’ve been cleared but there would still be other caves. Maybe the spider queen had a cave. For the orcs who couldn’t use fire, the cobwebs were likely to be fatal. Indeed, spiders were the natural enemies of the orcs. Then something suddenly struck me. “Wait, nemesis? Nemesis…”

I looked up at the sky.

“Prometheus.”

[The first apostle, ‘Prometheus,’ is asking why you are calling.]

“If my memories are correct, Aldebaran had a natural enemy. Isn’t that right?”

[The first apostle, ‘Prometheus,’ is nodding and saying that you’re right.]

“Then wouldn’t his son, Minotaur, have one?”

[The first apostle, ‘Prometheus,’ says it is probably the case.]

“Then I’m going to see them.”

My next destination was decided.

* * *

The next day, Kerenos was wielding his spear while training alone. He felt the wind blowing and the wind splitting. Then he took off his top and reviewed the concepts behind the Storm Spear.

‘The third style is still incomplete.’

His teacher had been concerned that the Storm Spear would die out and had taught Kerenos the third style. Unlike his master, Kerenos was unable to fully unleash the Storm Spear. He wanted to ask his master the reason but his master didn’t give him the time. He left only a vague will for Keronos.

‘Don’t try to make the wind. You have to fully accept it.’

His master died, leaving only these words behind. 10 years later, Kerenos was still unable to find the answer and he was impatient.

‘What if I can’t figure it out until I die?’

The Storm Spear was a wind-based spear technique but his master’s words about not making the wind confused his mind. He was just going to swing his spear again when his deputy Becker came running over. “Captain!”

“What’s going on?”

“He has come!”

“He?”

“Jackson! He brought the orcs!”

‘The old man came?’

Kerenos looked surprised. In fact, when the old man took them back to the Loch Mountains yesterday, he thought the orcs would never come again. He thought they would stay in the Loch Mountains while distrusting humans. Yet that didn’t happen. It was very touching that the old man brought them here.

Kerenos put on his armor again. “Let’s go, Becker.”

“Yes, Captain!”

The two of them headed to the east gate.

* * *

Gorba and I brought the orcs down to the east gate of Windia. We went up to the orc mountains through the Loch Mountains but came down from the front door in order to ensure the soldiers weren’t surprised. As we got closer to the familiar east gate, we saw people making a fuss. It seemed like they still weren’t used to the orcs.

“The orcs are back!”

“What happened? Didn’t they go back?”

“Call the captain! Hurry!”

They were working on the construction? 80% of the east gate area had been restored but 20% still remained. Perhaps they thought that the orcs would never come back and started work on the construction.

“It hasn’t even been 1%.”

A day had passed. I checked the quest window and it was still at 80%. This reminded me once again of how useful the orcs were. The orcs definitely did a good job. Their strength was great.

We reached the east gate and I completely descended from Gorba’s shoulder. I could see a familiar person running in the distance. Kerenos arrived in an instant using the wind and spoke to me, “I don’t know how you persuaded them to come.”

“I just gave some food to these hungry guys.”

“Huh? That is all you did to change their mind?”

“Yes.”

“…I had forgotten that you are a chef. You are so good at fighting that I completely forgot.”

“A boring guy.” I smiled and turned my head toward Gorba. “Gorba, you aren’t going to do something stupid again, right?”

“Chwik. Don’t worry, Brother! We will completely restore Windia today!”

Gorba turned around and raised his hand. “For our brother!”

“Ohhh!”

The orcs struck their chests with their fists and moved. Kerenos was wide-eyed by the sight. “What type of dish did you cook to make them follow so well?”

“It wasn’t a big deal. I just taught them a few sauces and how to cook the meat. They have been living without these ordinary things.”

“…I see.” Kerenos stared at my face with a meaningful expression.

I asked him with a sullen expression, “Are you dissatisfied?”

“That’s not it.”

“Tsk tsk. Follow me.” I passed him and headed toward the lord’s palace.

Kerenos followed me. “Where are you going?”

“To see the lord.”

“Do you have something to say to him?”

“Yes, it is about that calf in the Temple of the Wind.”

“Huh? How did you…?”

“I heard about it. You sacrifice a virgin to that guy every month?”

“…I’m ashamed.”

It was Sujeong who told me about this. She told me about the boy called Daniel, who we had seen at the cave the other day. It turned out that the boy’s sister, Dorothy, was going to be given to Minotaur as a sacrifice, but Sujeong didn’t know the details.

“Kerenos.”

“Yes.”

“There is a way to catch that calf.”

Let the barbarians fight among themselves. A nemesis—it didn’t just apply to the relationship between humans and monsters. It was the same for the constellations. Even their bloodline couldn’t avoid it.

“What is it?” Kerenos’ eyes were wide with disbelief as I sent him a knowing smile.

“Wolves like beef.”

[1] Remember, he is technically classified as a monster