Chapter 87 : Chapter 87
Chapter 87. The Shaman
Hyunwoo’s entire body was instantly enveloped in mana.
The mana that gathered near his wrist was explosively shot out in an instant with the swing of his sword.
An endless stream of sword energy.
The blue sword energy, unfolding in a cross shape, embroidered the red sky.
⌜Crux Swordsmanship (3-Star)—100%(M)⌟
Shwoong—!
Shwoong—!
The flock of harpies, unable to regain their senses from the incoming sword energy, scattered in all directions with screams.
Kaaaak—!
No matter how much the harpies struggled to escape, their numbers were so great that the sword energy he shot was bound to hit at least one of them.
Thwack—
The sword energy, as if cutting through the air, split the harpy's body in two.
A cleanly quartered harpy body.
The fragmented body fell to the ground.
Plop—
Through the pouring entrails and blood, blue sword energy continued to be fired.
An incessant barrage of sword energy.
Realizing there was no way to escape, the flock of harpies changed their tactics.
Kaaaaak—!
With a flap of their wings, countless feathers rained down on Hyunwoo.
It was ridiculous that they were trying the same attack that had already been blocked.
Hyunwoo changed his stance.
The flow of mana that had been making his wrist tingle changed abruptly.
The energy that was trying to go out was instantly gathered inside.
The mana flow shifted from release to concentration.
Changing the direction of a simple stream of water was difficult enough, but abruptly changing the flow of mana, which contained a huge amount of energy, was tantamount to suicide.
A reckless act that should never be done.
But, Hyunwoo had a trait that made such a reckless act possible.
⌜Mana Circulation⌟
The trait called ‘Mana Circulation’, obtained from Anesta’s seed, guided the flow of the swordsmanship smoothly.
Hyunwoo’s mana abruptly changed from ‘release’ for the sword energy to ‘concentration’ for the sword-screen.
From his hand, a firmly concentrated mana was immediately released.
⌜Veluma Swordsmanship (3-Star)—100%(M)⌟
A densely woven, translucent, hemispherical barrier easily blocked the harpy's feathers.
Ting-ting-ting-ting—!
The faces of the flock of harpies that had approached to throw their feathers were filled with bewilderment.
Hyunwoo once again performed the Crux Swordsmanship through mana circulation.
He, who could freely switch between the Crux Swordsmanship and the Veluma Swordsmanship, was like a natural enemy to the harpies.
But, the harpies did not give up and attacked.
Ting-ting-ting—!
He blocked,
Shwoong—!
And he cut.
This was repeated several times.
Hyunwoo muttered in disbelief at the continuous repetition.
“…Are they really bird brains?”
The harpy, a half-human, half-bird monster with a woman's head and a bird's body.
Seeing their lack of learning ability, it seemed the human head was just for decoration.
⌜Thorn of Pain⌟
Crack—!
A harpy, pierced by a bloody thorn, crashed to the ground.
The harpies that filled the sky were just easy targets to hit.
With Lucas’s magic also being unleashed in the meantime, the harpies had no chance of winning.
In the end, the flock of harpies stopped their attack and fled high into the sky.
Kaaaaak—!
Hyunwoo, who was looking up at the harpies fleeing with their tails between their legs, sheathed his sword and looked around.
Dozens of harpy corpses were scattered on the hilly ground.
Less than ten harpies had escaped alive.
“Should I call this bravery, or stubbornness…”
Hyunwoo shook his head and looked at the High Orcs, who were no less stubborn than the harpies.
His eyes were drawn to their strong bodies, full of muscles.
‘To have those strong bodies and still be beaten by mere harpies. Tsk.’
Just as Hyunwoo was the harpies’ counter, the harpies were the counter to the High Orcs who despised long-range weapons.
Both races were incredibly stubborn.
As if sensing Hyunwoo’s gaze, the High Orcs finally came to their senses.
They, who had been wearing dazed expressions, surrounded Hyunwoo’s party with wary looks.
Although he had saved them, there was no need to feel offended by their wary attitude.
This was the Demon World.
A land where those who were careless enough not to be wary of strangers were already dead and turned to bones.
He understood their reaction, but he did feel a little nervous being surrounded.
‘Did I speak too harshly earlier?’
As Hyunwoo was observing the High Orcs and about to speak to the one he had talked to earlier, that one spoke first.
“You… are you Grogue?”
Grogue…?
For a moment, I wondered what he was talking about, then I remembered that Van’s name was Grogue.
When Hyunwoo turned around, he saw Van flinch, as if he was right about his name.
But, Van’s reaction was strange.
In a tribal society, they were like one family.
A guy who must have been from the same tribe had called his name, but Van’s body was shrunken and frozen.
‘This is probably…’
It seemed the two knew each other, but it didn't feel like a tearful reunion after a long time.
“What audacity do you have to come back?”
“……”
Anger.
No, weaker than that.
It was a relationship that looked like a love-hate relationship.
It seemed that a lot had happened between them.
Van spoke with difficulty.
“Conrad… I…”
“I have no name to be called by a traitor to the tribe.”
“……”
A flinching Van hung his head low.
‘I was just staying quiet, thinking we might have some useful conversation…’
I thought I couldn't just leave it like this and intervened.
“Excuse me. Sorry to interrupt…”
“What do you want!”
Conrad shouted at Hyunwoo, cutting him off.
His voice was so loud that his eardrums rang.
As expected, they weren't the type to listen to reason.
Hyunwoo looked at Conrad coldly.
“Does ‘High Orc’ mean a beast that doesn't even know gratitude?”
“…What?”
“If it weren't for us, this would have been your graves. We should have just pretended we didn't see anything and left. Right?”
“……”
“If Van hadn't asked for help, we would have just gone on our way. You don't even know how to be grateful… Tsk.”
“……Grogue did?”
Although the opponent looked at Van with surprised eyes, Van also looked at Hyunwoo with a questioning expression.
Hyunwoo gave him a look, signaling him to get a clue.
Usually, he was a quick-witted guy, but today he was out of it.
“……”
Instead of responding to Hyunwoo’s words, Van looked down.
He probably didn't have the confidence to act, but it was better this way.
Conrad, who had been tight-lipped, opened his mouth again.
“High Orcs always repay their debts.”
“With just words?”
“…Tell me what you want.”
“Take us to your tribe.”
“I admit we owe you. But guiding you to the tribe is a different matter. High Orcs do not let outsiders in.”
“Really?”
Conrad shook his head with a firm expression.
Hyunwoo nodded.
He had expected to be refused.
It wasn't a proposal that would be easily accepted.
So, he made a proposal that couldn't be refused.
“Then deliver this to the shaman.”
Hyunwoo smiled brightly.
His gaze fell on the bowed head of Van.
“That Grogue has returned to catch the Harpy Queen.”
“…What?”
Conrad, who had been questioning, and Van, who had raised his head.
Both looked at Hyunwoo with surprised faces.
* * *
“Follow me.”
That was Conrad's first word after leaving and returning.
The entire High Orc group had left, but only he had returned.
Hyunwoo's party turned around and followed him as he led the way.
Conrad led the party to a deeper and more secluded place.
A place where the sunlight barely reached, due to the surrounding rocks.
Shadows were gradually falling on the winding path.
As the surrounding environment changed, a sense of unease began to creep into Hyunwoo's heart.
‘…Is this a trap?’
He might have to consider the worst-case scenario.
Hyunwoo quietly placed his hand on Cheonbyeondo and looked at Lucas and Van.
Lucas nodded, understanding Hyunwoo's intentions, but Van was walking blankly with a vacant gaze.
He still seemed dazed.
Just as Hyunwoo was about to warn Van, Conrad looked back.
“Come in.”
Conrad, who had bent down, entered through a gap between the rocks in front of him.
It was dark inside, so he couldn't see what was there.
When Hyunwoo looked at Lucas, he nodded.
It seemed there was no particular danger.
Hyunwoo squeezed his body through the gap in the rocks.
He felt a hard sensation at the tip of his toes.
Thud—
Once inside, Hyunwoo first looked around.
Unlike the narrow entrance, the inside was surprisingly spacious.
A cave with layers of gray rock.
‘No wonder I couldn’t find them.’
Conrad stood with his arms crossed, waiting for the party to enter.
Thud— Thud—
When Lucas and Van had also entered the cave, Conrad spoke.
“From here on, move quietly. There may be kin who are reluctant to your visit.”
Seeing his gaze turn to Van, it meant there were those who were uncomfortable with Van.
Though it seemed he, who was staring daggers, was the most uncomfortable with Van.
Hyunwoo's party quietly followed Conrad, who was heading into the cave.
On the way, they encountered several High Orcs.
The ones who had been sitting casually on the floor greeted Conrad and then looked at Hyunwoo's party with wary expressions.
Seeing them all stand up at once to greet him, he thought that Conrad might be in a higher position in the tribe than he thought.
After passing through a long, corridor-like path, a wide, open space was revealed.
He could immediately see the difference between the ones in the corridor and the ones inside.
Because there were women and young Orcs in the open space.
The role of preventing foreign invasion was the role of the warriors.
Hyunwoo recalled the number of warriors he had encountered on the way.
Compared to the number of people in the open space, it was an incredibly small number.
No matter how precious warriors were in a tribal society, it was still too small.
“Is this all? Where are the other kin?”
“…Didn't I tell you to follow quietly?”
“They're not all dead, are they? High Orcs, you say, but it seems you can't handle the harpies.”
“…Nonsense! Do you think the great High Orcs would fall to mere harpies? The reason there are few who protect the tribe is because the warriors have gone out to find the Harpy Queen's nest!”
“Aha. So that's it. Alright, so speak quietly. Everyone's looking because of you.”
“……”
With a simple provocation, he had learned a lot of information.
Conrad had a dumbfounded expression, but Hyunwoo lightly ignored him.
‘They went to find the Harpy Queen's nest…’
If they had found the Harpy Queen, his help would be even more desperately needed.
Because there was no normal way to deal with the Harpy Queen.
He thought it would have been better if he had come a little later.
Conrad's steps, which had been striding forward nervously, became cautious.
It seemed they had arrived at the space where the shaman was.
As expected, his steps stopped in front of a huge tent.
“Watch your mouth. If you speak carelessly in front of the shaman, your tongue will be pulled out.”
“Thanks for your concern.”
“……”
Conrad carefully opened the tent.
Hyunwoo entered through the opening in the tent that he had opened.
Hyunwoo's first impression upon entering was.
‘…Is he some kind of head hunter?’
He didn't mean a consultant specializing in modern recruitment.
He meant it literally.
The various monster heads displayed in a row on the tent greeted him.
The items among the heads of various sizes also caught his eye.
Various large and sharp tools that looked like they would be used for torture.
When he took his eyes off the grotesque scene, his gaze finally landed on the frail old man sitting at the end of the tent.
‘High Orc shaman.’
Hyunwoo recalled the settings about the ‘High Orc shaman’ and walked towards him.