Volume 11, Chapter 11
261
It wasn’t a human city.
It wasn’t like the concrete jungle of Seoul or New York.
“That’s our city.”
But it was definitely a city.
“Black Bao.”
Though they resembled huts, these large structures were lined up, and between them were roads wide enough for wolves to pass through.
The place where mountains, forests, and lakes harmonized created a strange feeling just by looking at it.
And the orcs who were out on the streets enjoying their daily lives.
If this wasn’t a city, what was?
Thud.
The wolf slowed down as it moved forward.
“Black Bao….”
The Black Orc said this was their city, Black Bao.
Indeed, it looked like a city.
And it was….
“Wow, it’s like a fantasy city I’ve only ever imagined.”
Lee Shin-woo said, his face flushed with excitement.
So far, they had easily found villages, cities, and even royal castles inside the gates.
But what was certain was that none of them had ever functioned properly.
Ruins.
Destroyed, abandoned, and dilapidated.
Even though monsters existed inside the gates, they were just beings that watched, not using or enjoying cities.
However, the Black Bao that was now unfolding before their eyes was a city that the monsters called Black Orcs truly used and enjoyed.
“…….”
The shock wasn’t just for Lee Shin-woo.
Hase Min, who was as knowledgeable about monsters and gates as Lee Shin-woo, also stood up, looking at them with a shocked expression.
“Wow.”
Even Lee Yong-jin, who didn’t know much about monsters.
“…….”
Kang Han-cheol also seemed to be greatly shocked as he watched the scene.
The eyes of the group, who were looking at them from atop the advancing wolf, began to tremble.
“Wh….”
Goosebumps rose all over their bodies.
“What is this….”
Large huts and Black Orcs.
There were beings passing through them.
“Humans… ?”
HUMANS.
Clearly, humans of the same form as themselves were walking among the Black Orcs.
Glance.
Lee Shin-woo nervously observed the Black Orcs.
They showed no change in expression.
Lee Shin-woo’s eyes followed the humans among the Black Orcs again.
And the goosebumps didn’t go away.
He thought they were like slaves.
There must have been residents who originally lived here, and there must have been those who entered to reclaim Bohol, so he thought they were captured and used as slaves.
But it wasn’t.
“They’re not like slaves.”
You could tell by looking at their faces.
Peaceful faces, like they were living a leisurely daily life.
They were even seen talking and greeting the Black Orcs passing by.
“How can this be….”
At that sight, Lee Shin-woo and the others were beyond shocked.
“Friend.”
The Black Orc said.
“Teacher.”
Friend, teacher.
The moment they heard words that were unbelievable coming from a Black Orc to a human.
Guooo.
A powerful energy emanated from the front, enveloping the group.
Flinch.
A fierce and intense energy.
Arwoo! Arwoo!
The wolves howled as if announcing their arrival.
As if time in the city had stopped, everything paused and looked at this place.
Clang!
The foremost wolf carrying Lee Rowoon and a Black Orc raised their iron maces and shouted.
“War Chief Hashman has returned! The Chieftain must come out to greet me and our guest!”
Arwoo! Arwoo!
The Black Orcs stomped the ground and shouted.
* * *
Black Orcs dressed in attire stood before Lee Rowoon and Lee Shin-woo’s group.
The Black Orcs they had met before were also equipped as if they were about to enter a gate.
But considering that monsters inside the gate were armed, it wasn’t that strange.
“…….”
But the Black Orcs before them now were dressed in attire, not armor.
Clothes made by weaving fabrics and stitching leather.
They could be called barbaric, but they wore attire that gave off a more traditional feeling.
And the energy emanating from the more than ten of them.
Gulp.
It was at least at the Mystic Realm level.
“War Chief, Hashman.”
The leader orc who had led them to Black Bao spoke.
“I have completed my mission and brought the human king.”
“You have done well, Hashman.”
At the very front.
An orc with a few white hairs in his beard and hair, but whose muscles and size were bigger than anyone else, stepped forward.
Goooh.
Tension filled the faces of the group.
The energy this orc was emitting was beyond the Mystic Realm.
The thought that he might be close to the Grandmaster Realm, mixed with the unique pressure that monsters emitted, was enough to paralyze their senses.
“War Chief and warriors, step back.”
At his words, they stepped back.
A strange standoff, the group and the orcs stood facing each other.
“Thank you for coming all the way here.”
Unlike the previous orcs, the old orc spoke in fluent Central Plains language [a common language in many fantasy settings].
“I am the Chieftain and High Priest. I am Chilabao, the one who represents the will of the king.”
At that moment.
Clang.
Surprisingly, Chilabao performed a fist and palm salute [a traditional greeting in some Asian cultures].
Chilabao’s perfect use of the Silver Tongue [a skill that allows one to speak any language fluently] and the Silver etiquette made the group question everything once again.
Chilabao’s eyes scanned everyone and finally turned to Lee Rowoon.
“Are you….”
A polite and cautious voice.
“The human king?”
Lee Rowoon, with his languid eyes, looked at Chilabao.
He didn’t answer.
Nod.
But Chilabao nodded as if he understood.
“Indeed, I can feel the qualifications of a king from you.”
Chilabao felt something they didn’t even know.
By now, numerous Black Orcs were approaching.
Gulp.
The group couldn’t help but feel nervous.
They had come this far with numerous questions and unresolved doubts.
Even though they had followed Lee Rowoon, they couldn’t help but be nervous heading into a monster’s city.
Thud.
With every footstep and every movement, the group tensed up and sharpened their senses.
Chilabao spoke as if he didn’t care about any of that.
“I thank you for finding Black Bao.”
It was at that moment.
“Damn it.”
A curse word escaped Lee Yong-jin’s lips.
Whoosh!
The blood flowing from Kang Han-cheol’s fist turned into flames and soared.
Lee Shin-woo and Hase Min also quickly prepared for battle.
Thud!
The reason they suddenly took a battle stance.
It was because the Black Orcs had started to raise their fighting spirit and pick up their weapons.
But.
Swish.
Lee Rowoon raised his hand to stop them.
“……!”
Chilabao’s eyes twitched at the sight.
“Do you know the etiquette of the Black Orcs?”
His eyes even seemed to show a hint of emotion.
“A little.”
“Indeed….”
His eyes trembled.
The group was also looking at Lee Rowoon with puzzled expressions.
But there was nothing strange about it.
Swish.
Lee Rowoon turned around and looked at Lee Shin-woo and the others.
Now it was time to convince them.
It was something he would have found annoying before, but now it was different.
As his people, as those he wanted to protect, he had a reason to resolve their doubts.
“Hyung said this place was like a gate, right?”
Lee Rowoon said, addressing Lee Shin-woo.
-This place is like a gate.
The appearance of the monster called Black Orcs and the space isolated from the world.
The concentrated magic power and the natural environment different from the world.
It was like a gate, so Lee Shin-woo said this place was like a gate.
“Still….”
Lee Rowoon asked.
“Does this place still seem like a gate to you?”
Lee Rowoon’s question was piercing through the doubts of Lee Shin-woo and the others.
The answer to that.
“No.”
Lee Shin-woo said.
“This place is….”
Yes, this place was not a gate.
It was like.
“A dungeon.”
The difference between a gate and a dungeon.
The world classified the two doors connecting to another world into two types.
Gates where monsters to be hunted existed, and dungeons where intelligent beings to be understood and accepted existed.
Smirk.
Lee Rowoon smiled faintly.
“Black Orcs are not ordinary monsters.”
He didn’t know about the ones that appeared in the past because he hadn’t seen them, but Lee Rowoon knew for sure.
“To be precise, they are a race called Black Bao.”
Few people in the world would know this information.
“They are….”
Black Orcs, Black Bao.
They were.
“A race from Gehenna.”
Bohol.
That place was connected to Gehenna [a place of torment or hell in some mythologies].
* * *
-The numerous races that exist in Gehenna….
The voice of the demon king teacher, speaking seductively with a bewitching voice, echoed in his mind.
Lee Rowoon, who felt a brief dizzy spell just from recalling it, regained his senses and spoke.
“I know a little about the Black Orcs.”
That was why Lee Rowoon wasn’t flustered when he saw them standing with their weapons.
That was their etiquette.
“How do you know that….”
Chilabao said to Lee Rowoon with surprised eyes.
He didn’t need to explain to Chilabao, let alone his companions.
“So, you can start.”
Their etiquette.
It could also be said to be a way of treating guests.
The Black Orcs, who respected warriors, fought with those who came to their tribe.
Swish.
They checked if the guest was a warrior and showed what kind of power they possessed as a warrior.
That was their greeting.
It could be called barbaric.
But it was more pure than that.
They revealed everything.
The warrior’s heart resonated and was conveyed when swords clashed.
So.
“May I ask for a match?”
They wanted to show their thoughts and feelings without holding back.
Swish.
The Black Orcs with their weapons.
The group stood facing them.
“Sure.”
Lee Rowoon answered and looked at his group.
“You all want to use what you’ve learned this time, right?”
No matter how hard the training was, they had clearly grown.
It would be a lie if they didn’t want to properly use the results they had gained from the arduous training.
So far, they had fought against monsters, but it was impossible to push their limits.
However.
Wooong.
If the Black Orcs standing before them were their opponents.
Clang.
“I will ask for a match.”
They could fight to their heart’s content.
“Is it a life-or-death match?”
Hase Min asked Lee Rowoon.
“You can think of it that way.”
“Understood.”
Crack!
A thunderclap erupted.
The group and the Black Orcs each found their opponents.
Lee Rowoon’s opponent was their chieftain, Chilabao.
He had called himself the chieftain and high priest.
He also said he was the one who represented the will of the king.
That also meant he was not the king.
“Although I may be lacking as your opponent….”
Chilabao’s eyes began to turn black.
“I will try my best to provide a short amusement for my human king.”
In an instant.
Kwaaaaaa!
Chilabao’s energy surged, creating black clouds behind him.
The energy that Chilabao was emitting at that moment was so intense that it could swallow all the Black Orcs in this place.
At the same time.
“……!”
The group was surprised and widened their eyes.
But standing before that, Lee Rowoon was looking at Chilabao.
Swish.
He was holding his greatsword without any agitation.
Squelch.
A thick, blood-colored mist began to spread.
“A match….”
The moment Lee Rowoon’s figure disappeared.
He was already in front of Chilabao.
“I accept.”
The Three Kings’ Disciple