Chapter 122: Gorgath, the World of Orcs
If Earth were a world trying to adapt to mana, then Gorgath was a world born from it.
Long before humanity discovered awakening, before Hunters, before rifts, Gorgath had already been a land where strength determined status and mana flowed through every river, mountain, and creature.
It was a brutal world, a beautiful one, and an unforgiving one.
The sky itself carried a faint emerald hue, not because of pollution, but because the atmosphere was saturated with mana so dense that it refracted sunlight into shades of green and gold. Floating islands drifted lazily across the heavens, connected by colossal roots descending from trees so massive they made skyscrapers seem like toys.
Those trees were called World Pillars, ancient organisms older than civilizations themselves. Their trunks measured several kilometers across, while their branches stretched beyond the clouds. Entire tribes had built villages within them.
Below lay endless plains of emerald grass that reached the knees of giants, broken only by forests where every leaf glowed faintly after sunset.
Mountains pierced the skies. Rivers shone like liquid crystal. Waterfalls poured upward as often as they flowed downward, carried by strange currents of mana that ignored gravity whenever they pleased.
Even the wind felt alive. Every breath taken in Gorgath contained several times more mana than anywhere on Earth. To awakened individuals, it was invigorating. To ordinary humans, it would have been suffocating.
This wasn’t simply another world. This was a High-Mana World, one of the oldest still connected to the World Catalogue. Unlike Earth, where civilizations had become technological, Gorgath remained proudly primal.
Strength, honor, family, and survival. Those four ideals governed almost every society on the planet. Naturally, orcs ruled most of it, not because they were the only race, but because they had earned it.
Scattered across Gorgath were countless Orc tribes, each carrying a different bloodline and tradition. There was the Ashfang Tribe, whose warriors painted their bodies with volcanic ash before battle.
The Stormtusk Clan, masters of lightning and aerial combat. The Bloodmoon Legion, feared berserkers who grew stronger the more wounded they became. The Ironhide Dominion, renowned blacksmiths capable of forging weapons that lasted centuries.
The Earthbreaker Confederacy, giants whose footsteps alone caused earthquakes.
Some tribes numbered only in the hundreds. Others commanded millions. Together, they formed the greatest civilization on Gorgath.
Yet the Orcs weren’t alone. Living alongside them, or sometimes beneath them, were numerous secondary races. The Goblins occupied sprawling underground cities and ingenious workshops.
Although physically weak, they were brilliant inventors. Most of Gorgath’s siege engines, mana-powered machinery, and explosive devices originated from Goblin engineers. They weren’t really technological in kind, but you know, they are still devices.
The Ogres inhabited the western badlands. Towering even over ordinary Orcs, they possessed monstrous physiques rivaling small mountains. Simple-minded but fiercely loyal, many served as mercenaries or guardians for Orc kingdoms.
To challenge an Ogre to an eating contest was considered a guaranteed method of suicide.
The Troll Clans preferred swamps, frozen tundras, and ancient forests. Their regenerative abilities bordered on absurdity. Legends claimed some elder Trolls had survived for thousands of years despite losing every limb dozens of times.
And then, there was the Beast Tribes. They weren’t much, but they were somehow surviving through alliances with the other races. After all, this wasn’t their original habitat and world.
***
Far away, goblin cities buzzed with inventions. Troll shamans communed with ancient spirits. Young Orc children wrestled creatures larger than horses as part of their daily lessons.
Blacksmiths hammered glowing metal while hunters returned carrying monsters the size of houses. It was just another day on Gorgath.
When the sky suddenly rippled. Everyone looked upward as a crack of pinkish-violet light split the heavens.
"...?"
The clouds spiraled violently around a single point. Mana surged across the entire valley, causing every warrior to instinctively grab their weapons.
"What is that?" One elderly Orc elder narrowed his eyes.
"That’s a..."
The crack expanded, and a swirling portal of pink and violet threads bloomed high above the grasslands. Its edges shimmered with countless glowing strings that looked almost alive. The pressure radiating from it caused nearby mana to fluctuate wildly.
FWOOOSH!
Four figures and one enormous green woman tumbled out.
"AAAAAHHHHHHH!!"
Silas’s voice echoed across the valley. He had Gromda slung over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry, though "slung" was a generous description. Considering she stood over seven feet tall while he was carrying her as though she weighed nothing, the sight looked utterly ridiculous.
Her arms dangled behind his back, one leg bounced against his chest, and her head occasionally bumped against his shoulder... She remained completely asleep.
"You know... There had to be a more dignified way," Alpha commented.
Silas landed perfectly before answering.
"I tried."
"You didn’t."
"I considered trying."
"You absolutely didn’t."
Nearby, Chloe landed gracefully beside them, her long white hair fluttering softly before she glanced around.
"It’s beautiful."
Fields stretched endlessly toward distant mountains. The air itself sparkled faintly. Every breath felt refreshing. Even her mana core instinctively absorbed the surrounding energy.
"I can feel it... the mana..."
Silas nodded. "It’s ridiculous."
Even he could feel the difference. It wasn’t merely more mana. It was denser, cleaner, and older. The system immediately confirmed it.
[Environmental Analysis Complete!]
[World: Gorgath]
[Mana Density: Extremely High]
[World Rank: Ancient-Class World]
[Recommendation: Remain vigilant.]
’I thought it was a lesser world...’
[That was Gromda’s tribe world, the rift you entered. This is the actual world of orcs. Gromda’s tribe was in a lower version, one of the few islands that had drifted away from this world and found itself somewhere else. It is still considered part of Gorgath, though.
Just know that this world is more advanced than you think. The inhabitants here are very intelligent.]
Silas slowly lowered Gromda onto the grass. She continued sleeping peacefully.
"Still out."
"She’ll wake up."
The system sounded unconcerned.
[Her body is preparing. She will awaken when the evolution site is reached.]
Silas nodded.
"Good."
He looked toward the endless horizon.
"So, where exactly are we?"
[Calculating...]
[Unknown.]
"Helpful."
[You’re welcome.]
Silas rolled his eyes before raising one hand.
"Guess we’ll need transportation."
He smiled.
"Fated Echo."
Pink mana gathered before him, and the ground trembled. A gigantic shadow emerged from beneath countless glowing threads. The next second, an enormous Crimson Reaper Queen materialized before them.
Its crystalline green body shimmered beneath Gorgath’s emerald sky, twin scythes gleaming like polished jade. It had changed a bit from the original one. Its wings vibrated softly, creating a low hum that echoed across the plains.
The gigantic insect immediately lowered itself before Silas.
Alpha looked between the mantis and the sleeping Gromda.
"You brought out a bug."
"It’s big, and it flies."
"I know."
"It also carries luggage."
"She’s your girlfriend."
"Same thing."
Alpha pinched the bridge of his nose.
"One day... one day she’s going to hear you say that."
Silas carefully lifted Gromda once more, jumped high up, and laid her gently across the broad back of the mantis before climbing on behind her to keep her steady. The monster was, after all, fifteen feet tall.
Chloe mounted behind him. Alpha sighed dramatically before literally climbing aboard last.
"I miss Earth already."
The Crimson Reaper Queen spread its enormous wings. With a single powerful beat, it launched into the skies of Gorgath, leaving behind four utterly bewildered Orc scouts who had watched the entire bizarre sequence from atop a nearby hill.
One slowly lowered his spear.
"Chief."
Another Orc swallowed.
"Did... did that pink-haired little guy just ride a giant bug into our homeland while carrying an unconscious woman like a sack of potatoes?"
The oldest scout scratched his beard.
"I have absolutely no idea how I’m supposed to explain this in my report."