Chapter 131 – COME BACK (2)

“Really dot?”

Tiyo questioned. Gushantimur nodded. Tiyo looked at both Crockta and Anor with a frown.

“Well…is this good dot…?”

“It’s good,” Anor quickly replied.

Crockta also nodded. “I think so as well.”

“Then…I came to the north for nothing dot…”

“No, you gained a lot of things after coming to the north.”

Tiyo regained his vitality at Crockta’s words. “Indeed, that’s right dot. If I hadn’t come to the north, General wouldn’t have changed so nicely dot.”

General was still in the form of Vulcan, but it was changing slightly every day. As Tiyo’s ability with General grew, he was evolving it into the form he wanted. Someday, Tiyo might change it into the form of a rocket launcher.

“Good dot. Anor! I will let you see it properly dot!”

That’s right. Tiyo’s father Hedor had left the north a long time ago. He was on the continent.

“Father is on the continent but he didn’t stop by his home. I will beat him up when I find him dot.”

The exact destination wasn’t known, but according to Gushantimur’s memory, Hedor was aiming for the area south of the continent, below Quantes. He wanted to go to a place where humans and dwarves gathered. In addition, it was a land where users were swarming the streets.

“When will you leave?” Gushantimur asked.

He didn’t reveal any emotion behind his calm expression, but Crockta felt strangely sorry towards him. He exchanged a look with Tiyo and both of them understood. They didn’t know when they could come back to the Black Forest, where they met the black dragon Gushantimur and the creatures sharpening their craft.

“This time we will stay longer to polish our skills.” Crockta looked at Tiyo and Anor before adding, “There will be tougher adventures in the future.”

Tiyo and Anor reacted in a conflicting manner to Crockta’s words, “Heh, I’m looking forward to it dot!”

“Just…continent tour…uh, no…”

Gushantimur nodded. “Well, good. These guys have been waiting for you.”

They looked in the direction that Gushantimur pointed. Everyone was astonished. There were three masters standing there. New powerhouses who would lead them to a higher ground! A huge cyclops raised a fist as he looked at Crockta. In addition, there was a centaur with the upper body of a human and the lower body of a horse.

And…

An unidentified person covered in a hood laughed at Anor without revealing their face.

“I want you to enjoy my lair properly.”

***

Time passed.

The confrontation with the cyclops was a tremendous help to Crockta. It didn’t mean that he reached a higher level in the sword. Just,

“Kuaaaaaaaaah!”

“Kuoooooooooh!”

He got used to fighting on the higher ground and forgot things. The feelings of being an orc warrior were revived. They had long since lost both their weapons. They just hit each other with their bodies. The body of an orc wasn’t able to survive a massive cyclops, but his physical abilities exceeded common sense after reaching the Hero level.

They grabbed each other’s hands in a battle of strength. It was difficult considering the difference in their hand size, but Crockta showed a tremendous grip as he placed his fingers between the cyclops and pushed.

They also used their arm strength to push at each other.

“Kuwaaah!”

As the cyclops exerted his strength, Crockta was pushed back.

“Bul’tarrrr!”

Crockta used the strength as he spun his body around. The cyclops was thrown by the force. Crockta rushed forward straight away.

“Waaaah!”

He made a fist and punched. However, he couldn’t do any damage to the cyclops’ thick bicep. So he went straight for the joints.

“What?”

The cyclops was consumed by the unfamiliar pain on the joints and instantly declared surrender, realizing that it was a technique he couldn’t endure.

It was Crockta’s victory. There were both victories and defeats, but after a few days, Crockta’s winning rate increased. The cyclops was forced to admit the crock’s growth.

“It is my victory, Hawkeye!”

The cyclops smiled. His one eye was very intense. The brown eye under the double eyelids blazed fiercely, as if it could see into a person. So his name was Hawkeye! There was no match for him in Gushantimur’s lair. Only Gushantimur could fight him. For that reason, he laughed at the small orc Crockta at first. But as the battles continued, he acknowledged Crockta as his rival.

Crockta fought him with strength, before surpassing him with technique.

The two of them headed back to the castle with their arm around each other’s shoulder. The balance was off due to the difference in height, but it was the most suitable mode for men who sweated and punched each other.

Crockta could see Tiyo far away. He had a face that was worn down from training.

“Ah, it’s finished dot.”

The centaur was giving Tiyo a ride. Tiyo waved with an exhausted expression from the centaur’s back.

“Today I showed Hekar what I could do dot.”

“It is ridiculous to describe what I saw as that.”

“You cried out in surprise dot.”

“I was just wondering about the two-legged flea.”

“Do you want to be shot in the back dot?”

“I didn’t know you were so cowardly.”

“What are you saying dot!” Tiyo had a new person to fight with, the centaur Hekar.

Anor also came back.

The day was over. They enjoyed dinner in Gushantimur’s castle as always. The meals were always great, but today’s dishes were carefully prepared with the best ingredients. Liquor was also brought out.

Gushantimur, Crockta’s group, and the creatures became drunk that night. This was Gushantimur’s consideration.

Today was their last night.

***

It was the day of farewell. Now they would head back to the continent.

Gushantimur and the other creatures gathered to say farewell. They were all the creatures who had sparred with Crockta’s group. They might be classified as creatures, but they were pioneers polishing off their own paths.

One day, they would come out to see the light. Crockta thought that if they didn’t come, he would open up the way for them himself. He was no longer a mere warrior, but the great chieftain of the northern orcs, and Righteous Orc Crockta on the continent. He was becoming such an influence.

With these thoughts, Crockta grabbed Hawkeye’s hand.

Kwaaack!

It was the grip showdown between two rough males.

Shake shake.

Crockta gritted his teeth. His body started shaking. To be honest, Hawkeye was stronger than him. Crockta gritted his teeth and persisted. He endured the pain in his hand. After a short period of time, Hawkeye laughed and let go of his hand. Crockta touched his greatsword with his tender hand. Hawkeye shrugged.

Tiyo spoke to his two rivals in turn.

“Practice a lot while I’m gone idot. Don’t just rest here!”

“Stop talking nonsense kyak! We should be saying that to you kyak!”

“I will open up better weapons dot!”

“Who cares about your weapons kyak!”

“Tsk tsk, this is a really frivolous conversation.”

“Stay out of this your bastard dot!”

“I agree kyak! Four-legged bastard kyak!”

“The height of the body and the hearts are similar…”

“What dot?”

“Cancel it kyak!”

Was this Tiyo’s trademark? He had the ability to create a contest no matter the time or place.

Anor said goodbye to the bones. The hooded person whose identity was unknown, the lich, the skeletons and the zombie undead! Anor hugged them with strangely bleak laughter. He wasn’t afraid of the undead anymore.

“Kelkel…see you again, kuhulhul…”

The lich gave him something as a gift. It was a bone.

Anor rejoiced. “This is the third vertebra bone…kelkel…this precious bone…! Thank you, kelkel…!”

Now he seemed like a psychopathic lich, studying bones and dead bodies deep in the dungeons.

Gushantimur spoke to all of them. Then shortly before saying goodbye, Gushantimur waved towards the Demon’s Mouth, not Crockta. Gushantimur seemed to know something about it. But it didn’t open its mouth.

Gushantimur would tell him if it was a truly necessary story, so Crockta didn’t ask any questions. When he became strong enough to deal with this demon, he would listen to it directly.

Thus, they left Gushantimur’s lair. The creatures accompanied them through the forest. They waved until they couldn’t see each other anymore.

There was nothing else rough to go through. They moved towards the continent on the caruks. The caruks ate well at Gushantimur’s lair, so they ran aggressively.

“Anor.”

“Huh?”

“I have a question dot.” Tiyo asked. “Your second mentor dot…that hooded person…?”

“Yes.”

“What is his identity dot? I couldn’t see because of the hood.”

“Ah…huhuhu…he is…”

Anor’s eyes became distant. Then he looked like a psychopathic lich once again. Crockta and Tiyo shivered at the change.

“Hihit…the moment you see…your spirits will be led to a new world…kelkel…great…!”

“……!”

“Do you want to know…? His identity…?”

“Ah, no dot…”

Crockta looked at Tiyo with eyes filled with blame. Why would he ask a strange question like this?

The madness was still boiling as Anor shouted. “All those who see him properly…ku…huhu…Tekelli-li! Tekelli-li! Tekel…oof oof!”

Crockta eventually moved his caruk and covered Anor’s mouth. Tiyo jumped from his caruk and hit Anor in the neck, knocking him out.

“……”

“……”

Crockta and Tiyo exchanged glances. Anor had certainly overcome his shortcomings as a necromancer. But at the same time. He was swallowed by an unknown madness…

“Sorry dot…when we go back, I will take you to a temple and receive a blessing…”

“We need to go to the temple…”

Thus, they headed towards the continent. Past the Luklan Mountains and the barren desert in the southern part of the north. It was different from when they came. There were no orcs marching with weapons, and they also didn’t see other species, including the dark elves. Thanks to the war, most of the were trying to survive in their villages.

They eventually reached the limit line dividing the north from the continent. A nondescript black wall. The Despairing Demon’s Mouth had swallowed the unknown being that created it.

There were still many things he didn’t know about the world of Elder Lord.

The ‘Tribulation’ that possessed Calmahart, the unidentified demon that created the behemoth, the Demon’s Mouth that Crockta obtained and the woman he saw in the Temple of the Fallen God. He could feel that they were all connected. But the overall picture was still blurry.

What happened and what did they want?

“Let’s go back.”

“Huhu, my heart is pounding dot.”

It wasn’t anything urgent: if he continued struggling through each battle, he would know the truth eventually. So what if he never knew? He just needed to do his job.

“Let’s go dot!”

Crockta’s group crossed the black wall. There was a strange feeling. Then the Forest of Creatures spread out in front of their eyes. A lush forest. It was just like the forest that they had left.

But, there was something else.

“…Um.”

“…What is that dot?”

Their gazes gathered in one spot. A little bit beyond the bushes. A party was waging a tough battle against a group of trolls.