novelraw Chapter 41 : Chieftain of the Broken Axe Tribe, ‘Jadrak’ (1)
Chapter 41 : Chieftain of the Broken Axe Tribe, ‘Jadrak’ (1)
Chapter 41: Chieftain of the Broken Axe Tribe, ‘Jadrak’ (1)
—Come on, say cheese.
Now I remembered where I’d seen her before.
She was the woman who had used a “Broken Camera” against the Priests of the Sun back in the “Mystery Room.”
At that time, it was chaos, with the priests screaming about heresy and giving chase.
I thought for sure she’d been caught and handed over for a religious trial.
Never imagined I’d meet her again here of all places.
This world really did feel both vast and small at the same time.
‘A coincidence, huh….’
Maybe. But lately, there had been too many twisted bastards around. It made me question every coincidence that might just be fate in disguise.
It wouldn’t hurt to check, at least.
Yohan cautiously activated the ‘Eye of the Prophet.’
[Lee Saerom]
Occupation: Assassin
Star Rank: 8-Star (星)
Unique Ability: Shadow Ambush
Strength: 4 | Agility: 10 | Magic Power: 8
Physical Defense: 10
Magic Defense: 22
Traits: [Weakness Detection], [Emergency Recovery]
[Special Information: To access additional special information through the ‘Eye of the Prophet,’ an A-rank or higher item must be consumed.]
A peculiar status window appeared.
Her star rank wasn’t particularly high, but her occupation was quite rare.
An Assassin.
And the fact that it required an A-rank item to read her special info...
That definitely smelled suspicious.
“Just call me comfortably. Ah, and I’ll make good use of the totem.”
“Hehe, that’s a relief. I’m not really good at fighting head-on, so I need to be helpful somehow. Honestly, before I met you, I thought everything was already over.”
They exchanged words with friendly smiles, though an inexplicable tension flowed beneath the surface.
＊＊＊
The journey afterward progressed swiftly.
“Grrr….”
A gigantic fossil of a crocodile filled the corridor.
The monstrous creature that had lived in ancient times—‘Sarcosuchus,’ measuring 9.5 meters long.
[Cursed-type Item ‘Apache Totem’ activates!]
[Remaining uses: 2]
Thanks to the item Lee Saerom had given him, all troublesome confrontations were avoided.
There was no need to waste stamina or mana fighting everything one by one.
Of course—
Not everyone shared that mindset.
“To think we should avoid such a small threat out of fear. Unacceptable. With the conviction and pride imbued in my sword, I could have dealt with it within a minute.”
Seo Changhee muttered something absurd again.
Rumble!
This time, a herd of Orc Riders passed by—along with the largest serpent in recorded history, the Titanoboa.
An overwhelming creature, stretching fifteen meters long.
If one were caught in its coils, their bones would snap like twigs.
“Graaah! Grrraaagh!”
And the Orc Riders, heavily armored atop ferocious wolves, were no joke either.
“It’s a little more troublesome than before, but they remain easy prey.”
The Apache Totem was wonderful, except for one flaw—having to listen to Seo Changhee’s nonsense.
“Well, we’ll go on ahead. Why don’t you stay behind and wipe them all out yourself?”
“Ahem. If it weren’t for an old injury from a past battle, I might have. Besides, this place reminds me of the museum near where I lived. I wouldn’t want to cause too much destruction. Imagine if the place collapsed.”
What the hell was he even saying?
Yohan seriously wanted to toss him outside the barrier.
Suppressing his irritation, he continued deeper inside.
Who knew how much time had passed—
The group finally reached the innermost chamber of the Prehistoric Hall.
A heavy silence fell among the Hunters.
And for good reason.
“Hey, isn’t that an Iron Tower Guild member?”
“There are corpses of Mage Union apprentices here too.”
“What on earth happened…?”
All the dead belonged to well-known guilds—skilled individuals who could hold their own in any dungeon.
Yet, they’d died so easily, so meaninglessly.
“These Orcs are clearly different from the ones we’ve fought before. They struck right at the vital points.”
Scarlett said, examining the corpses.
“Not quite Aura… but a unique power indeed. I can see traces of dissolved mana.”
Seo Changhee added his piece.
And then—
BOOM!
BOOOOM!
Explosions echoed throughout the corridors—magic-type abilities.
A battle was taking place.
And it was close.
KWAANG!
Seo Changhee was the first to leap forward.
Yohan, Scarlett, and the others followed immediately after.
Their vision blurred with rapid movement—
And soon enough—
“Kill them!”
“Wipe them all out!”
“Uwaaaaah!”
A hellish scene unfolded before their eyes.
Clang! Slash! BOOM!
The raid teams sent by guilds from various nations were locked in a bloodbath with Orcs.
It was a brutal carnage unlike any hell they’d seen before.
Yohan swiftly scanned the battlefield.
At least four guilds were involved. Mercenaries and priests fought alongside them.
Slash!
A head flew.
Stab!
“Gaaahhh!”
A body was pierced through.
Blood sprayed like a fountain—only for the scream to end abruptly as a Glaive flashed.
‘The battle’s already decided.’
No matter how the raid leaders shouted commands, it was useless.
The Orcs selected from the Broken Axe Tribe had an average star rank of over 10.
Among them, those with red skin had even reached the 1st Moon rank.
They weren’t tribe chieftains, but each was strong enough to serve as a second-in-command.
In contrast, the Hunters’ average rank barely reached 9-star.
At this rate, everyone except the raid captains would be wiped out.
“Hold on just a bit longer! We’re here to help!”
Without hesitation, Seo Changhee charged forward.
His Aether Blade blazed with radiant light, flooding the entire area in white.
[Trait ‘Dawn’ increases Holy-type abilities by 50% for 1 minute!]
[Divine Power rises from 40 → 60!]
An effect so powerful, one could only call it broken.
Even seeing it again, that trait was pure balance destruction.
“Kuha-ha! Another fearless human dares charge in—Gahhh!”
A streak of spiritual energy tore through the sea of green.
Slash!
Blood sprayed high into the air, and severed limbs scattered across the floor.
Not some kind of blender.
It was grinding everything to pieces.
Once this episode passed, the name Seo Changhee would start to spread.
Bit by bit. But surely.
“Don’t let him dig any deeper!”
“Swarm him all at once! One-on-one won’t work!”
Even the Orcs began to show genuine wariness toward the existence called Seo Changhee.
[10-Star ‘Triceratops’ activates the skill ‘Charge of the Ceratopsians’!]
[‘Smiling Spider’ activates ‘Zero Gravity Levitation’!]
[8-Star ‘Velociraptor’ activates ‘Group Hunt’!]
Various fossils and ancient relics that had awakened inside the Prehistoric Hall all charged forward in unison.
＊＊＊
“What a vulgar fight.”
Scarlett, wearing her parasol, pursed her lips.
Seeing her elegantly straighten her dress, it was clear she had no desire whatsoever to step into that battlefield.
Let’s see.
What would be the best way to handle this girl?
After a brief thought, Yohan suddenly let out an exclamation.
“Wow. As expected, Changhee is incredible. I bet there’s no one right now who can even compare to him, not even Yeongseong. Just watching him makes my chest swell—it makes you want to applaud.”
“For a human, he’s… not bad.”
“Eh, not just among humans. Even if you added up every race, none could match Seo Changhee.”
“Oh my. No matter what you say, a human could never be compared to me.”
As expected.
She took the bait.
Her expression remained calm, but within that serenity, a faint ripple stirred.
A proud predator could never let such provocation slide.
“You’re strong too, but… hmm, I’m not sure. Nah, let’s just say you’re about the same. Yeah, let’s call it even and wrap it up there.”
His tone sounded as if he were granting her some kind of favor.
The key here was to create the atmosphere of forced understanding—pretending to sympathize without actually doing so.
You know, like when an adult humors a whining child.
Scarlett’s face changed noticeably.
Her red lips twitched, and her snow-white skin slowly flushed pink.
“Are you saying that I’m inferior to that mere human? I, the Lady of the illustrious House of Juliard! Who took second place in the Great Coming-of-Age Ceremony, and also served as the Second President of the Vampire Girl Scouts—I, Scarlett de Juliard!?”
Why Second President of the Vampire Girl Scouts was included, he couldn’t tell.
Well, perhaps it was something she was proud of in her own way.
What was certain was that the fish had not only bitten the bait—it had jumped out of the water and started tap-dancing.
That’s why dealing with fledglings was always so easy.
“Yup!”
Yohan grinned brightly and nodded with enthusiasm.
Crack.
A sound like something snapping could be heard.
“Let me show you… the difference between our species.”
[Scarlett activates her innate ability ‘Blood Threads’!]
Scarlet-red threads surged around Scarlett.
The Blood Threads tangled together like spiderwebs, clearing a path toward the Orcs.
Click, click.
Wearing high heels made of blood, she walked forward with elegant grace.
“What is this wench?”
“She’s walking up to us barehanded—begging to die.”
[Bloodline Spell ‘Arachne’s Nest’ activates!]
Puh-puh-puh-puh-puh!
In the next instant, the Orcs before her were mercilessly slaughtered.
“Pathetic. Even the blood flowing through your bodies reeks of inferiority.”
A different kind of hell unfolded—one distinct from Seo Changhee’s.
On one side, the Orcs were being driven back by the sacred light of dawn.
On the other, a crimson spider wove her hunting ground, luring them in.
Go easy, will you?
How are they supposed to clean this museum afterward?
This place was supposed to house humanity’s greatest treasures.
“Our dear Sambok, don’t grow up to be weird like them. Be kind and gentle, okay?”
Yohan gazed lovingly at the snow-white puppy.
“Fufu. Doesn’t your pet think its master is the strangest one here?”
“Hehe. You’re weird! Jungbok thinks Master is the bad one!”
At Sambok’s words, Yohan’s eyebrows curved like inverted arcs.
“Well, with three heads, I suppose your brain’s split three ways too. Maybe if we trimmed one or two off, you’d make a cute and obedient dog.”
There’s a saying that no dog is truly bad.
But that doesn’t mean every dog can be rehabilitated.
A bad dog is simply destined to… disappear.
Quietly. Without a trace.
That’s why only the obedient and cute ones survive.
“I… didn’t say anything. I knew you’d do that, yup.”
“Alright, let’s just keep our dear Malbok then.”
“Fufu… fuh. Let’s change that word from ‘weird’ to ‘special,’ shall we?”
“Hehe! Jungbok thinks Master is the kindest in the world! I love you so much!”
For an ancient species, its change in attitude was remarkably quick.
‘Anyway… where’s that bastard hiding?’
Yohan’s gaze darted among the Orcs.
There was only one way to end such chaos.
Defeat the enemy leader.
If he took down the chieftain who was hailed as a hero, the rest of the tribe’s morale would plummet to the ground.
Moreover—
Slaying an Orc Chieftain could yield a rather special item.
An item that granted Fear Resistance.
From experience, the drop rate was about 20%.
‘Hopefully, it drops this time.’
That way, all this trouble would finally pay off.
Just then—
A chilling sensation ran through his veins, crawling over his entire body.
Almost simultaneously—
Kwoooaang!
A tremendous impact struck his wrist.
Yohan deflected the spear with his dagger and instantly looked toward where it had come from.
Nothing.
Instead—
…Behind!
A second strike came from his blind spot.
Kaaang!
He barely deflected the thrust aimed at his back.
Even with a base Strength stat of 15, plus a 20% buff from the Power of the Moon—
To feel that much impact…
The reason soon revealed itself.
“Impressive, human.”
Black skin.
A towering, muscular body over 2 meters and 30 centimeters tall.
It was Jadrak, the chieftain of the Broken Axe Tribe.
At last, the being who could end the first episode had revealed himself.