Building A Human Empire By Creating A Clan [EN]: Chapter 32

“Whoa… the temperature difference is intense.”

“Should have dressed warmer.”

“Like I knew this would happen.”

I chuckled, listening to Griff and Gerhard bicker as I breathed out a puff of air.

The temperature plummeted as soon as we crossed the Gray Mountains.

A dry, cold wind blew incessantly.

While the Oroko Plains were thawing with the arrival of spring, this place felt like winter was setting in, with a biting chill in the air.

“Cough!”

The wind carried dust and dirt, making it hard to open my eyes.

Griff coughed, waving his hand in front of his face.

“The land is completely dried up.”

Beside him, Gerhard muttered, looking at the cracked earth.

“It doesn’t rain often here. It gets a little better if you go further east, but even the barrenness of northern Wallachia is fertile compared to this place.”

“Yes. At least grass grows in the north. This is practically a desert.”

“Indeed, when it doesn’t rain, it is as you say.”

However, the official name of this area is the Nerup Plains.

As the name ‘Plains’ suggests, the average annual rainfall should be high.

The problem was that the rainfall was concentrated in a short period.

“It’s drought for 11 months of the year, then it pours the entire year’s worth of rain in one month. After that period, a long drought follows again.”

“A whole month? Hmm… even a lake could form.”

Gerhard let out a laugh of disbelief.

I recalled my first time in the Nerup Plains.

When we defeated Ugdash’s forces in the Great Plains and set out in pursuit.

‘I realized the power of nature here.’

Unfortunately, it coincided with the rainy season.

I thought the rain would stop soon, but it turned into a lake.

I couldn’t forget the sight of the road we had come on turning into a giant lake.

“Why does that Orc live in a place like this? What a weirdo.”

Griff grumbled, brushing off sand.

“Isn’t it because it’s the only gateway to advance into the Great Plains?”

Just as the Great Plains were the gateway between human and other races’ civilizations, the Nerup Plains were also the gateway for Orcs to advance into the Great Plains.

By occupying the Nerup Plains, Ugdash could easily advance into the Great Plains and prevent other tribes from coming and going.

“He settled here from the time when advancing into the Great Plains was prohibited under the High Priest’s agreement. He waited and waited for the agreement to be lifted.”

“And the reason he targeted the Great Plains is because of humans?”

“Yes.”

Griff chuckled.

“He really likes humans.”

Ugdash was an odd Orc.

While other Orcs were blinded by the splendid civilizations of Elves and Dwarves, he alone turned his eyes to the human civilization beyond the Great Plains.

“Unlike other Orcs, he’s cunning. He knows that hunting insignificant monkeys is easier and safer than risking his life fighting pointy-ears [Elves] or dwarves.”

So, even before access to the Great Plains was permitted, he secretly sent scouts to prepare a foothold, unbeknownst to the High Priest.

He must have met Pinto around that time, and that’s probably when he discovered the gold mine.

‘His judgment was correct. Because he was the first to actively target human civilization, he became the largest Orc group at the start of the game.’

But now is long before the start of the game.

He hasn’t even migrated to the Great Plains yet.

And I stole his gold mine.

‘If he just endures in the Nerup Plains like this, he’ll only self-destruct. When it rains, he moves east to avoid it, and he endures by plundering resources from surrounding tribes, but it won’t last long.’

Ugdash couldn’t be unaware of this.

‘So, he ignored the High Priest’s eviction order and endured. Now that he knows Baguku, who was managing the gold mine, is dead, he’ll try to strike me.’

I examined the familiars accompanying me.

27 familiars were following me.

All were mounted on horses and equipped with the gear from when they were summoned.

The gear ranged from cloth to heavy armor.

But the lowest level among them was 36.

Considering that Count John Doryn was 29, that’s a significant difference.

‘It’s not just the time reduction that’s improved as the grade has risen.’

[The probability of generating low-grade familiars has decreased.]

[The probability of generating high-grade familiars has increased.]

Most of them were generated after Gerhard was created.

They were familiars created after the Familiar Creation skill reached 2 stars.

There were no low-level F-grade familiars that were occasionally summoned at 1 star.

‘It’s no good if there are just a lot of them. Considering the future, the minimum grade must be higher.’

What will be the minimum grade of familiars when the skill reaches the highest grade?

Also, what will the skill cooldown be?

As my thoughts reached that point, a smile naturally formed.

“Oh…”

Griff squinted slightly.

Beyond the hill, we could see a sandstorm swirling in the distance.

Dark brown sand was blowing strongly in an oval shape.

And we could see a group running towards it.

“Are those… riding wolves?”

“Wolf cavalry. Think of it as humans riding horses.”

The group riding wolves entered the sandstorm and came out on the other side.

Some of them were caught in the storm, thrown into the sky, and then crushed as they fell to the ground.

“——!”

The Orcs’ excited shouts reached us.

They have no entertainment and an overabundance of manpower.

A life-threatening game is more enjoyable than anything else.

“Hoo…”

Griff, with a dumbfounded expression, Gerhard, scratching his chin with interest, and Calliope, with no change in expression, were in stark contrast.

‘As expected, the gathering is quick.’

I took my eyes off the cavalry and looked at the village a little further away.

The roughly built huts were densely packed, and even at a glance, it was on a scale that couldn’t be compared to Ollimus or Turan.

“It looks like there are over 7,000 of them. They gathered quickly.”

“They must have gathered as soon as they learned that Baguku was dead.”

They are nomadic.

Each one is a warrior, and pillaging is a daily occurrence.

A race that waits eagerly for when they can go out and plunder.

They must have gathered as soon as the summons was issued.

‘And that’s not all of them yet.’

“Wow… how can they breed so much in this wretched land?”

“Wouldn’t that be Pinto’s achievement?”

“Selling out his own kind this much is a talent, if you ask me.”

I sighed at Griff’s joke.

Even that number had stopped growing due to the barrenness of Nerup and the fact that the gold mine hadn’t been fully operational.

It was a drop in the bucket compared to Ugdash’s forces in my memory.

“Edar-nim [Sir Edar].”

Calliope called me, looking straight ahead.

Boo————!

A horn sounded.

“They’re coming.”

Someone in the group must have spotted us.

The sand stirred in the village, and the wolf cavalry’s movements changed.

The group that had been rushing back into the sandstorm turned towards us.

We stopped our horses and watched the group.

“What shall we do?”

Gerhard gripped his spear, baring his teeth and laughing.

Griff dusted off his palms and loosened his neck.

Hilde and the rest of the familiars prepared their weapons.

A sense of excitement arose before the battle.

The familiars gripped their reins, ready to charge at any moment.

“Calliope.”

At my call, Calliope dismounted and walked forward.

She walked out ten steps alone, placed her left hand on the hilt of her sword at her waist, and lowered her right hand. She stood still for a moment, waiting for the hundreds of cavalry to get closer.

She grabbed her sword when she began to see the lead Orc’s bloodshot eyes,

Flash— A light burst and disappeared in an instant.

A long, horizontal line was drawn on the cracked ground between Calliope and the cavalry.

As if the ground had really been cut, not just dried up.

The wolves in the lead were startled, dug their front paws in, stopped, and then collapsed.

The wolves that followed collided with the lead, and chaos soon unfolded.

The Orcs rolled on the ground and quickly regained their senses, but stopped without crossing the line drawn right in front of them.

Silence fell.

“Griff, amplify my voice. So that the rabble can hear.”

Magic surged at Griff’s gesture.

My throat felt cool as it was enveloped in magic.

“Where is the most outstanding among you?”

The Orcs looked at each other and cautiously looked behind them.

They opened a gap as they looked back.

An Orc walked through it.

【Lv. 83】

“Human. Who are you?”

‘As expected, his level is still quite low.’

In the main story, his level is 92.

His appearance should also have more scars and wrinkles than now.

But now is long before the main story, so he is young and weak.

The Steel Mist tribe was only a moderately powerful tribe.

‘Still, he’s middle-aged for a short pig’s life.’

I raised the corners of my mouth and nodded.

“Don’t you know?”

The Orc’s already hardened expression became even more rigid.

“…The human who deceived the High Priest.”

“And you are Ugdash of the Steel Mist.”

Ugdash stopped walking.

“Human. This is my land. Why have you come?”

“You ask even though you already know.”

“……”

I looked at the cloudy sky and said.

“The monsoon is about to start again. I don’t think there’s a need to drag things out, what do you say?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I have my great warrior here.”

I pointed to Calliope with my outstretched hand.

“Let you and I bet what we have on each other and compete, let’s finish this before it rains.”

The Orcs’ habit of deciding everything by force.

The tradition created by that habit was the duel.

A duel where the winner takes everything from the loser.

Ugdash frowned as he looked at me and Calliope.

“You are human. Humans are not people. You are not even qualified to fight me.”

“Is that really the case? Or are you scared?”

Ugdash bared his fangs and growled.

“I am not afraid of anything!”

“I’m sure you’re not.”

I snorted and chuckled softly.

“But not anymore. You will come to fear humans.”

I clenched my outstretched hand into a fist and lowered it, as if striking down.

Then the familiars spurred their horses and charged forward.