Seol-yoon had spent her time productively while Arhan was away.
In the tranquility of the estate, she had immersed herself in the blade and achieved her own measure of progress. Her genius was exceptional; she could find enlightenment simply by swinging her sword. Furthermore, she had received the teachings of an Immortal before Arhan’s departure.
Thanks to that, Seol-yoon had been reborn as a far greater swordsman than before.
Because of this growth, she recognized that the grotesque masses of flesh appearing before her were formidable foes. Though she had swung her blade lightly, the enemies were as hard as if they were clad in full-plate armor. They were chilling beings—inanimate objects devoid of reason. Seol-yoon knew exactly how dangerous such things could be.
And yet.
“…?”
For some reason, the sight of Arhan stepping forward in this moment felt different than before.
His physical appearance had changed, but that wasn’t the most jarring shift. The way Arhan stood against the grotesque enemies felt warped and distorted—just like when they had first clashed in the Arena. It was reminiscent of the moment that small boy had radiated a bone-chilling killing intent and transformed into the Assassin of the Free City.
‘You really are special.’
Seol-yoon lowered the sword she had been readjusting. Then, she watched Arhan.
In that instant, Arhan’s appearance changed drastically. His pale skin was overlaid with a sickly green hue, and his frame, already larger than before, swelled with the musculature of a beast. His face, once possessing an androgynous beauty, distorted into the ferocious visage of a warrior, and the dwarf-made steel sword in his hand transformed into a massive, oversized hunk of iron.
The boy Seol-yoon knew was gone. In his place stood an Orc.
Savage and valiant. A blood-boiling warrior who would never flee from a fight, no matter the odds.
* * *
From the moment I stood face-to-face with the massive golems, my heart began to pound frantically. It felt as if my blood were being heated to a boil. Instead of fear, a fierce combativeness surged within me.
It wasn’t a human heart beating in my chest, but the heart of a warrior.
The golems before me flickered for a moment before shifting into different forms. They became mountain-like giants made of rock—monsters far more threatening and terrifying than mere golems.
It wasn’t a hallucination. It was a memory. The memory of the Orc Great Warrior Berik, transmitted through the Wildness I had yet to fully digest. It was the memory of a swordsman who chose to stand his ground against any threat rather than run.
The Orc’s memory and my current situation began to overlap.
Thump.
It was hard to tell if the vibration traveling through the soles of my feet came from the giants or the golems created by the Black Mage. The intense memory caused the past and present to blur together.
But it didn’t matter.
Because what I had to do was clear.
I would do as my sword commanded. As my Wildness dictated.
“WRAAAAAAGH!”
I opened my mouth and let out a roar. The thunderous sound echoed like the bellow of a fierce beast. It was so primal I could hardly believe it had come from my own throat. In this moment, I felt as if I had truly become an Orc—a natural-born warrior who never shied away from a fight.
My body burned from the moment the roar left my lips.
I lunged forward, glaring at the approaching enemies. The flickering memories of the Orc Great Warrior Berik vanished, replaced by a vivid reality. Golems. The Black Mage’s puppets.
I fixed my gaze on them and extended The Path . The golems entered the web-like spread of my perception. Their movements became clear, as if they were slowing down.
I would not back down.
“Huu—”
I inhaled with all my might. As I did, another power dwelled within the body that had grown by devouring Wildness . My heart beat like a war drum, and The Path formed within my body. The internal pathways suddenly thinned, becoming a line harder than anything else.
In that moment, the power of Steel dwelled within me.
「You have realized it even without being told, young descendant.」
The realization I had gained during the Orc Coming-of-Age Ceremony.
This was how the Caravan’s Line was meant to be used. It wasn’t supposed to be some ultimate secret technique; it had to be spread as naturally as breathing. To surpass the strength of a superhuman and forge a body of steel—that was the true purpose of the Caravan’s Line .
I had first grasped this during the Orc ceremony, and only after obtaining a superior body was I finally able to master this technique naturally.
“Huuu—”
As I regulated my breathing, I could feel my entire body hardening. I felt like a single sword. A blade that would never break.
I sprinted as if crossing the Great Plains. In an instant, I reached the front of a massive golem. I saw its heavy arms moving to crush me.
The Path extended.
I could see exactly how hard the golem’s muscles and bones were, and how tough the skin covering them was. Seol-yoon was right. These things were like heavily armored knights, encased in steel from head to toe. They were stupid and slow, lacking intelligence, but they were incredibly durable and powerful monsters.
Before, they would have been a handful to deal with. But not now.
“Hup!”
Because now, I was just as hard as they were.
“WRAAGH!”
I gripped my sword tight and swung it in a wide arc. It felt more like wielding a mace than a sword. The blade, carrying the full weight of my superhuman strength, smashed through the enemy’s body without resistance. It pierced the tough skin and cut through the hidden muscles and bones entirely. Viscous blood sprayed out.
The golem’s heavy arm was severed and sent flying. I didn’t stop my momentum, continuing to swing. I drew reckless, daring arcs, striking again and again without pause.
The golem’s arm was cut off, its chest slashed, its thick bones cracked, and from its belly spilled viscera stitched together from various beasts. As the contents of its body poured out, I used my lead foot as a pivot to spin and deliver a massive horizontal slash.
With that, the golem’s head was separated from its body. The head soared high into the air before spinning and crashing into the ground. One was dead.
I hadn’t allowed a single defense. Nor did I bother defending myself. I focused entirely on the offensive, crushing the opponent’s guard and smashing them down with sheer force. It was a savage sword that lacked any refined mystery. But it was just as exhilarating and powerful. It was a very “Orc-like” sword.
「Indeed. No one can stand in the way of the Path of Steel.」
As one golem died, the remaining two rushed at me without a hint of fear. Their dull eyes showed no emotion. They moved like puppets merely following a set command.
And my sword was not so weak as to fall to such things.
I raised my sword high and brought it down. The vertical slash, carrying my full weight, carved a vivid wound into the golem’s frame. Filthy blood splattered.
I didn’t stop there. Maintaining the momentum of the downward swing, I spun my body and delivered an upward slash to the golem on my right. The blade pierced the hard skin and wounded the enemy. I still didn’t stop.
The large, reckless, and savage movements continued as if they would last forever. Like an artist endlessly wielding a large brush to complete a single painting, my sword danced without end. This was the swordsmanship contained within Wildness .
Gripping the very end of the hilt with both hands in an extreme stance, putting every ounce of strength into it, and swinging in massive arcs over and over again. As long as the swordsman’s stamina held out, Wildness would never stop.
Compared to the blades I had devoured so far, one could call it a rather ignorant style. It contained no refined mysteries, and if used against someone well-versed in swordsmanship, the large movements would leave openings to be exploited the moment a single strike missed.
Yes, it was a quintessentially “Orc-like” sword.
The Orc Great Warrior Berik didn’t pick up a weapon to find the ultimate peak of the sword. He fought to protect his kin, he fought to protect what was precious, and he stood against the enemy before him so as not to run away. That was why Wildness had no grand mysteries or techniques.
It was a technically poor sword made solely to strike down monsters. It used arcs so large they were inefficient, born from the need to handle many enemies alone.
But that was exactly why Wildness was a magnificent sword.
The life of Berik was melted into that blade, which possessed not a single defensive technique. It contained the will to never run away no matter the situation, and the heart of a great warrior who would stand alone and overcome any hardship.
“Hup!”
The bodies of the two golems were torn to rags. Their hard frames were scattered here and there by the endless, infinite chain of attacks. In the midst of it, one mangled golem lunged at me. It happened in my blind spot, but I could feel it.
It was within The Path , after all.
‘Besides, if I’m the one using it, the weaknesses of Wildness aren’t even an issue.’
I shifted my grip on the sword I had been swinging. Moving from a two-handed grip to one, I thrust the sword forward with a flick of my wrist from an unstable posture, as if I were about to fall backward. It was almost like an acrobatic feat. The tip of the sword, thrust out like a spring, pierced the golem’s eye with precision and destroyed the brain inside, ending its life.
Immediately after stabbing the golem’s head, I kicked the chest of the creature that had lunged at me and leaped backward. At the same time, I drew Fang from my thigh and, without even looking, slammed it into the crown of the golem behind me. The dagger pierced through the skull, ending the final golem’s life.
‘If a sword is unstable, I just have to bring out exactly what I need when I need it.’
Wildness wasn’t the only sword I possessed. I could bring out Needle , Fang , or Twilight at any time. Having finished digesting a sword meant that everything contained within that blade had been completely integrated into my body.
I looked at the three completely motionless golems and wiped the blood off my body. I flicked the blood off my blade and sheathed it, then spotted the kid sitting some distance away with a dazed expression.
“U-uh, ugh. Huh? How could someone like that be in a backwater place like this…?”
The boy seemed quite confused.
Instead of answering the mumbling kid, I gave Seol-yoon a light nod. She immediately understood my intention.
“How can he take down golems with just a single sword—ACK!”
The kid, who had been muttering to himself, tripped over his own feet while trembling and backing away. He looked at Seol-yoon as if she were a literal monster. His eyes were filled with terror.
“P-please spare me. Spare me. Hic. ”
As Seol-yoon approached, the kid began to wail as if he were about to hyperventilate. Seeing him blubbering with tears and snot made me feel a bit sorry for him.
‘I mean, you don’t have to cry that much.’
Seol-yoon gestured toward the sobbing kid. Even though she didn’t say a word, the kid understood perfectly and came scurrying over. While the kid cried as if he were being sold off to a slave market, Seol-yoon spoke curtly.
“Stop crying.”
The moment her ice-cold voice dropped, the kid’s tears stopped as if by magic. Seol-yoon’s emotionless, expressionless face had a way of making people tremble. I scratched my head for a moment while looking at the now-submissive kid and spoke.
“I have something to ask.”
“ Hic , w-what is it?”
“Your master, the wizard who told you to dig here—where is he?”
I saw the kid’s eyes shake violently. At my question, the kid’s lips trembled. It seemed his master, the Black Mage, was a truly terrifying being. To think he’d hesitate to answer even in this situation.
I glanced at the kid, who remained tight-lipped. Then, I let out a deep sigh. Since I had just killed three golems, their master, the Black Mage, must have noticed. I didn’t want to give him time to prepare.
But I also didn’t want to just leave the Black Mage alone. It would be quite exhausting if he kept trying to pull nonsense while spreading an ominous aura around my territory. So, it was better to get rid of him once and for all while I was at it. But if the kid wouldn’t cooperate, things would go poorly.
I furrowed my brows.
“Fine, keep your mouth shut.”
In situations like this, the Orc way is the best medicine. Violence isn’t always the answer, but sometimes it’s a very effective solution.
I put on a wide, savage grin and slowly made a gesture as if to draw my sword.
And then.
“I-I’ll talk! I’ll talk!”
The kid screamed before I could even fully draw the blade.
Hmm. I didn’t expect him to open his mouth this quickly. I smiled brightly at the kid, whose face had turned deathly pale. Seeing me smile silently, the kid hurriedly shouted.
“I-I’ll guide you! I’ll lead the way, so p-please follow me! Everyone!”
Seeing him so cooperative made me feel strangely proud. Maybe I should have been more aggressive from the start.
Liam laughed contentedly at the sight.
「Excellent. That is the Caravan way.」
Being acknowledged by my master made me feel even more accomplished.
“….”
…I tried my best to ignore the look of utter exasperation Seol-yoon was giving me.
