My Lord Who Is Being Prudent! [EN]: Chapter 23

§ 23 – Mana Stone Mine (3)

Lucas wondered if what he was seeing was real.

His eyes were wide open.

KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWANG!!!

KWAAAAANG!!!

The entire forest was being utterly devastated.

“W-W-What on earth…!”

Lucas couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Even though he was seeing it with his own eyes, it was hard to believe.

No, believing it was strange.

Was that… was that really possible?

“Squee, squee?!”

“Squee??”

The sudden bombardment and roar caused the Orcs to panic greatly.

There were as many as 3,000 Orcs in this Orc village.

Although the area had been devastated,

Not all 3,000 Orcs were annihilated.

Of course, one Orc village was destroyed in an instant.

“Squeeee?!”

“Squee!?!”

The Orcs were furious at the sight of their village being destroyed.

And then, as if looking for the cause of this.

The Orcs looked around.

Soon they found Ruben’s soldiers.

“Squeeee!!”

“Squee!!”

They began to charge forward aggressively, snorting roughly.

The flashing red light had a clear outline,

And the sight became a terrifying monster again.

Thousands of monsters charged.

Madness intensified, and the forest shook with a rumbling sound.

The approaching wave of death.

It was like a black wave of the night sea crashing in.

Fear began to appear on the faces of the soldiers watching the wave, one by one.

Just then.

“Fire!”

Cyan’s loud shout was heard from somewhere.

SHOOSH-SHOOSH-SHOOSH-SHOOSH-SHOOSH!

At the same time, hundreds of bundles of arrows covered the sky.

And.

KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWANG!!!

KWAR-R-R-R-R-RUNG!!

The horde of Orcs that were charging…

That is, the area where the Orcs were, was utterly devastated.

The sight had the power to send shivers down the spine of those who saw it.

“W-What… what is that?”

Amelia’s question, filled with astonishment, was heard.

Normally, he would have given some kind of answer.

“H-H-How…?”

Lucas was not in the right state of mind at the moment.

Lucas’s gaze turned to Cyan.

Cyan was standing at the very front.

He could have stayed in the back and been safe, but Cyan didn’t.

It was as if he was saying that he would step forward first in the most urgent situation.

Soon, Lucas’s gaze turned to something Cyan was operating.

Singijeon (神機箭) [a type of Korean rocket arrow launcher].

Lucas had never seen this thing, which looked like a large cart.

I heard it was a strategic weapon…

To be honest, Lucas thought, ‘So what?’

3,000 Orcs in the Orc village.

That was not a force that could be dealt with by just one weapon.

But the Singijeon, once experienced, was not just a strategic weapon.

“Fire!”

A decisive weapon that could change the tide of war itself.

KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWANG!!!

KWAAAAANG!!!!

“Squeeee!!”

“Kweeek!”

Not at all… they were no match at all.

The Orc hordes couldn’t even get close and were swept away and exploded on the spot.

Asymmetric Power.

A force that ignores compatibility and causes asymmetry just by its existence.

That was truly the strongest force.

There were almost no casualties on Ruben’s side.

No, not almost, but none at all.

‘…Was this a battle won from the start?’

The stupid one wasn’t Cyan,

It was Lucas himself, who didn’t know anything.

There were now less than 1,000 Orcs alive.

In that fleeting moment, most of the Orcs had exploded.

“……”

Lucas was speechless.

At that very moment.

KOO-OONG…!

A vibration rang out not far away.

He flinched.

At the same time, Lucas’s senses caught something vague.

Lucas quietly closed his eyes and expanded his senses.

‘Orc…?’

It’s different to say that.

The power that Lucas’s senses felt now felt like a completely different being from ordinary Orcs.

I can feel a powerful force without seeing it.

KWEO-EO-EO-EO-EO-EO!!!

The sound is recognized only after it is felt on the skin.

Soon, the sound of something huge moving is heard.

WOOD-DEUK…! KWANG!

The objects in the forest are unconditionally smashed.

Lucas swallowed his surprise and looked at the Orc that had appeared.

Should I really call that an Orc?

“T-T-T-That’s…!”

“G-Good heavens…!”

Ruben’s soldiers began to stir.

The Orc that appeared was a terrifying monster.

The appearance was undoubtedly that of an Orc.

However, a huge body reaching 5m.

Skin as black as the night’s rest.

The muscles wriggling between them as if they were about to explode seemed to crush everything.

Therefore, it would not be strange to call it an Ogre.

Just then.

“Reload arrows!!”

Cyan’s sharp shout was heard.

Did Cyan also recognize the existence of the black Orc?

The direction of the Singijeon was already facing the black Orc.

“Fire!”

SHOOSH-SHOOSH-SHOOSH-SHOOSH-SHOOSH!

With Cyan’s continued shout, the sky was covered with hundreds of bundles of arrows.

KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWANG!!!

KWAAAAANG!!!!

A thick fog of dust rose, and the area where the black Orc was located was devastated.

And I could tell what happened to the black Orc without seeing it.

Just then.

“Reload arrows!!”

Cyan’s sharp shout was heard once again.

“Fire!”

SHOOSH-SHOOSH-SHOOSH-SHOOSH-SHOOSH!

And again, with Cyan’s continued shout, the sky was covered with hundreds of bundles of arrows.

KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA-KWANG!!!

KWAAAAANG!!!!

KWAR-R-R-R-R-RUNG!!!

The earth shook and the area was completely turned upside down.

It seemed like no one could survive that much.

“Reload arrows!!”

Cyan’s sharp shout did not stop.

Cyan’s expression, when looked at, was somehow stiff.

SHOOSH-SHOOSH-SHOOSH-SHOOSH-SHOOSH!

KWA-KWA-KWANG!!!

KWAR-R-R-R-R-RUNG!!!

Cyan fired the Singijeon’s arrows at the same spot several times.

The forest was so heavy that it was hard to even stand, as if there had been a huge earthquake.

After about three times, the Singijeon’s fire died down.

And at the same time.

TA-DAK.

Lucas broke through the previous vision and rushed forward.

There was no room to think or worry.

He grabbed his sword and pulled up the tension.

His vision was obscured by the thick dust fog, but Lucas could tell.

“KWEO-EO-EO-EO-EO-EO-EO!!!”

The black Orc was not dead.

The terrifying roar erupting from the dust fog makes my mind dizzy.

The terrible madness contained in that roar echoed throughout the forest.

And the black Orc that was seen.

The Orc’s condition did not look good at first glance.

It would be strange if it was okay after that terrible firepower.

However, a mutant beast residing in the dark forest.

The black Orc, which has undergone OverDrive, has dramatically amplified physical abilities.

The amplified physical abilities also included regenerative power,

And the Singijeon’s wide-ranging firepower was not enough to end the black Orc’s life.

To be exact, the black Orc would have died if it had continued to pour firepower.

Now there were not many arrows left.

KWEO-EO-EO-EO-EO-EO-EO!!!

With a roar, a thick black madness erupted around the black Orc.

At the same time, the crushed wounds began to heal one by one.

“H-H-He survived even that firepower…?”

“U-Unbelievable!!”

“H-How is that an Orc….”

“M-Monster…!”

The soldiers’ morale is crushed.

The soldiers trembled in fear as their minds were contaminated by the violent madness.

Asymmetric Power.

It wasn’t just on Ruben’s side.

Lucas gritted his teeth and threw himself.

The black Orc withstood the Singijeon’s firepower.

That could no longer be called an Orc.

Ogre.

The most ferocious monster among the monsters that stand on two feet.

That black Orc was comparable to an Ogre.

So he had to do it.

He was the only one who could handle that black Orc here.

‘Deal with it as quickly as possible.’

Lucas drew out the power of Aura.

WOO-WOO-WOONG…!

Lucas’s sword turned bright blue and vibrated the surrounding air.

The realm of an Expert who freely controls the power of Aura.

Lucas swung his sword into the dust fog that had not yet completely subsided.

KWAAAAANG!

A chilling explosion erupted.

The wind pressure caused by the explosion quickly scattered the dust fog.

And Lucas could see.

Heh heh.

The black Orc blocked his sword with a huge blunt weapon.

“……!”

Lucas’s eyes widened.

The sword strike Lucas had just unleashed clearly contained the power of Aura.

And Lucas is a knight who has reached the realm of Expert.

The Aura that Lucas emits contained bizarre power.

So, normally, the black Orc should have been swept away by that power and collapsed.

But how could a mere beast…?

Lucas’s gaze slowly turned downward.

And the huge blunt weapon that the black Orc was holding, or rather, blocking his sword with, had a black aura swirling around it.

A power that was all too familiar to Lucas.

“Aura…?”

That was definitely the power of Aura.

“How!”

Lucas’s expression twisted in astonishment.

That’s because Aura was not a power that could be easily obtained.

Innate talent and bone-crushing effort.

It was a power that could only be obtained by honing all of those things.

How many people would give up without even reaching the realm of Beginner?

How could a beast have such power…!

At that moment.

Lucas’s senses caught an alien energy.

A gaze that looked down slightly.

‘Mana Stone?’

A large Mana Stone was embedded in one side of the black Orc’s chest.

And even the chilling magic power felt from within.

Only then could Lucas know the truth.

‘Is it using the power of magic dwelling in the Mana Stone?’

The highest grade Mana Stone condensed for thousands of years.

For some reason, that power seemed to have flowed into that black Orc.

Moreover, the size of the Mana Stone embedded in the black Orc was huge.

If a normal Mana Stone is the size of a fist,

The one embedded in the black Orc was comparable to a watermelon.

And the magic power felt from within was beyond terrible.

It seemed that this was the reason why he survived the explosive Singijeon’s firepower.

It was also because of this that he blocked Lucas’s attack.

KWANG!

Lucas’s body flew into the air after being pushed by the bizarre force.

Lucas hurriedly regained his balance and landed on the floor.

Anyway, the truth was that the Orc was not using the power of Aura.

But the fact that he was using a power similar to Aura remained unchanged.

Even if Lucas was a knight who had reached the Expert level, he was not an easy opponent.

‘No.’

He is not an easy opponent even if he fights with all his might.

Lucas clenched his sword tightly.

And then he drew out all the Aura he had.

But.

“Squee!”

“Squeeee!”

For a moment, the sound of rough snorting was heard around him.

A vision that turned around in a hurry.

There, numerous Orcs were surrounding Lucas.

‘When did they…!’

Lucas cut down the Orcs that were attacking.

But because there were so many, it was not easy to get out of the spot.

It seemed that all the surviving Orcs had gathered.

If the Singijeon’s firepower was poured out, it would be possible to wipe them out all at once.

However, the Singijeon had no eyes to distinguish between friend and foe.

If the Singijeon was fired in this state, it was obvious that not only the Orcs but also Lucas would be caught up in it.

Lucas was not confident that he would be okay in that firepower.

Therefore, the Singijeon was unable to fire because of Lucas’s presence.

Heh heh.

The black Orc grinned grotesquely.

“KWEO-EO-EO-EO-EO-EO-EO!!”

Soon, with a rough roar, the black Orc charged fiercely.

And that direction was not where Lucas was, but towards Ruben’s camp where the Singijeon was located.

‘I’ve been had!’

Lucas’s heart sank.

From the beginning… that guy was planning to target the Singijeon.

A strategic weapon that devastates Orc hordes.

If that Singijeon was gone, their victory would be taken for granted.

So, from the beginning, the black Orc was planning to target the Singijeon.

But Lucas was the only one who could stop that black Orc.

So, he had to stop the black Orc quickly…!

“Squee!”

“Squeeee!”

He couldn’t move because of the Orcs surrounding him.

SWISH! KWAA-JIK!

KWAAK!

“Kkeueuk…!”

Lucas ignored the wounds and frantically cut down the Orcs.

However, he could not easily move forward due to the endless stream of Orcs.

“KWEO-EO-EO-EO-EO-EO!!”

And even at this moment, the black Orc was running towards the Singijeon.

If the Singijeon is destroyed, everyone here will….

“Stop him!”

“Protect the Singijeon at all costs!”

A sharp shout erupted.

The soldiers were prepared to die and blocked the path to the Singijeon.

KWEO-EO-EO-EO-EO-EO!!!

However, the black Orc’s roar erupts.

The madness contained within crushes the soldiers’ fighting spirit.

An emotion called fear appeared on the soldiers’ faces.

Nevertheless, they did not run away, but they knew what would happen.

“No way….”

It’s over.

Because of his mistake, like this….

Just then.

TA-DAK.

Someone ran out as if brushing past the soldiers.

It was Lucas who saw his face.

Lucas’s broken heart did not return.

He can’t handle it.

He could tell because he had faced the sword directly.

He cannot confront that black Orc.

That’s just an act of bringing death forward.

Lucas.

“Everyone, fall back!!”

He shook his head at the impossibility.

#

Not much thought was needed.

Not much action was needed either.

To be exact, he was not an opponent to argue about such things.

KWAAAAANG!

A dull explosion erupted and stopped the momentum of the charging black Orc.

Just one exchange.

Cyan could tell.

‘It’s different.’

And it’s dangerous.

Cyan clenched his tingling fists several times.

The black Orc was using the power of the Mana Stone for some reason.

To be exact, he was using the power of magic (魔氣) [demonic energy] dwelling in the Mana Stone.

It was similar to the power of Aura,

Therefore, Cyan could not cut down the black Orc even with an S-grade sword.

No, rather, Cyan was able to endure because it was an S-grade sword.

“Keureureureuk…!”

The black Orc stared at Cyan silently.

There was a cool anger in the black Orc’s gaze.

Anger that a mere prey dared to block his path.

“KWEO-EO-EO-EO-EO!!”

Black magic (魔氣) [demonic energy] rises like dark clouds.

Containing terrible murderous intent, it became a heavy violence.

Cyan clenched his sword tightly.

The black Orc in front of him is on a different level than the Hobgoblin.

A madness that aims only at killing.

That madness contained a bizarre destructive power that gnawed only at the target.

The S-grade armor would block the impact several times.

But only once or twice at most.

If he allows more than that.

His bones will definitely be shattered and his internal organs will burst and die.

Can I do it?

Questions kept popping up in my head.

Unknowingly, fear arose and a deep hesitation grabbed my ankle.

But… why on earth?

Strangely, my head was calm.

My heart was pounding as if it would explode with fear.

The reason, which was consumed by fear, could not think and judge properly.

But my body didn’t tremble.

Rather, my senses awaken to the guy’s blind and electrifying murderous intent towards Cyan.

Soon, when Cyan swallowed his breath.

All of those things disappear at once.

“KWEO-EO-EO-EO-EO!!”

A roar filled with terrible madness consumes the space.

The black Orc rushed at Cyan, raising a terrible murderous intent.

Cyan captured that sight in his eyes and was seeing something else at the same time.

None other than the silver-haired handsome man he saw on his smartphone.

The strongest Arnaise, the being presumed to be Kyle.

When the man first showed Cyan the Demon Soul Asura Sword.

Cyan didn’t understand the sword.

Even though he was seeing it with his eyes and feeling it with his skin.

Cyan couldn’t understand the man’s sword at all.

But by doing the assignments one by one.

Even with his meager talent, he tried to follow in his footsteps.

From what point was it?

The man’s sword began to be seen faintly.

It was something very weak.

It was something that was not enough to be called weak.

But Cyan could see something certain.

The man’s sword was connected and continued like a single flow.

At what moment is it cutting, and at what moment is it stabbing.

The man’s sword was so natural that he couldn’t tell the difference.

The sword itself was a flow like water.

A thick ringing is heard in my ears.

No noise is heard.

I don’t smell anything.

I can’t see anything in my vision.

When I suddenly came to my senses.

TA-DAK!

Only the sight of himself rushing towards the black Orc was reflected.

SSAEEK, the scream of air grinding in the air is heard.

From top to bottom, from bottom to side, from side to top again.

It is connected and continues.

Thoughts recognize actions half a beat late.

Cyan’s sword was swung as if it were a single motion, and Cyan’s body moved as if it were a single dance.

At some point.

He stopped moving abruptly. Why? I don’t know.

I just felt like I had to.

A huge guy rushes in. At the same time, a sensation that time seems to stretch out long occurs.

I can see it. The guy’s movements.

I can feel it. The actions I will take.

And when Cyan swallowed a feverish breath once.

CUT (斬) [a cutting technique].

Seo-Geok.

This sound was heard.

Cyan didn’t stop there.

He connects.

From top to bottom, from bottom to side.

From side to top again. It is connected and continues.

My feet move naturally.

My waist is twisted and my shoulders are swung.

A series of actions are continued simply because they are natural.

The sword that Cyan wielded blurred his vision.

Cyan didn’t know what he was doing.

Beyond the unconscious that cannot be recognized.

The sword is unleashed through that.

And that is.

What Cyan has unfolded so far.

KWAA-JIK!

The most perfect and accurate ‘cut (斬) [a cutting technique] and stab (衝) [a thrusting technique]’.

“……!!!”

“……!!!”

“……!!!”

People’s astonished gazes all turned to Cyan.

Everyone watched Cyan’s appearance with their mouths wide open.

Only then did Cyan come to his senses.

“Haa…! Haa…!”

Rising breath.

And.

DDING!

[Demon Soul Asura Sword (魔魂修羅劍) [a powerful and mysterious sword] Initiation Progress Rate 27.3% (+26.5%)]

Along with the cheerful notification sound coming from inside his chest.

KOO-OO-OO-OO-OONG!

The black Orc collapsed to the floor in front of Cyan.