Praise the Orc

Chapter 176: Things that Happen at the Beach (1)

Yi-An stretched his body. He was currently at the beach in Gangwon-do, which bordered the East Sea. Recently, he felt stiff all over as he was stuck at home all day while playing Elder Lord. He went on a solo trip to get some energy from a new place. He chose this place because he missed the sea.

Looking at the blue sea made him feel refreshed. He stretched his body from top to bottom and inhaled the fresh air. The scorching sun also felt welcoming.

“You have to straighten your upper body. Don’t bend, and don’t let your chest touch the board.”

Surfing classes were in full swing on one side of the white sand beach. Men and women wearing rash guards of various colors were sloppily repeating the movements of lying down, sitting, and standing on the surfboard. It looked like a lot of fun.

Surfing? Yi-An thought about learning it. He had never learned sports other than martial arts. When he looked around, he saw surfers cutting through the current on the sea. Most of them couldn’t even stand properly and were in a crooked posture. Every now and then, however, some people surfed beautifully toward the beach.

“I hate rash guards.”

Yi-An turned his head at the sudden voice. A man was standing there. He wore glasses, and his hair had a slight tinge of gray, but he did not look old. He was probably in his mid-thirties.

He continued, frowning at the dazzling sun, “Isn’t that right? Being naked is the best when it comes to the beach. That’s the true spirit. But everyone is falling for the clothing company’s sales gimmick, so they cover themselves up for no reason. Youth is in the moment, don’t you think so?”

He looked at Yi-An. Even when he looked at him again, Yi-An had never seen the man before.

Yi-An laughed and replied, “I guess so.”

Unexpectedly meeting someone interesting. Wasn’t this the beauty of traveling?

The man nodded in approval.

“You should take off your clothes, too. You should bask your body in the sun.”

Then, the man took off his top first. Even though he was not bulky, he had a lean body. He was wearing Aloha board shorts, which were rarely seen. He deliberately walked forward with solemn eyes.

“You.”

“Yes?”

“Do you know how to surf?”

“I don’t.”

“Yeah. You looked like someone who doesn’t surf.”

Yi-An’s eyebrows twitched for a moment. What did he mean by that? Yi-An had never been bad at sports. When he was young, without any plan, he used to go to the sports field with a ball in hand. He, then, would beat his peers, and even score in the corner of the goal posts, known as the ‘Yashin Zone’[1].

He possessed a natural talent for sports.

He would become Cristiano Ronaldo when he kicked a football, Stephen Curry when he shot a basketball, and Roger Federer when he swung a tennis racket. Even if the sports were different, he was always good at it. It was true that he knew nothing about surfing, but it was unacceptable to be treated like a geek.

The man, not sensing Yi-An’s anger, continued with a casual look, “Then, do you want to learn it from me?”

Yi-An let out a laugh.

“Do you know how to surf?” Yi-An asked.

“Are you hearing yourself? My friend, learn how to be a better judge of people first.” The man gestured with his chin after hanging his top over his neck.

“Follow me. I will teach you step by step. An opportunity like this is rare.”

Yi-An began to be interested, both in surfing and this man. The man left the white sand beach with Yi-An and headed to a surfing shop across the road. There, a tanned man with tied-up reggae hair was sitting in a rocking chair. He fixed his sunglasses over his hair and waved.

The eyes hidden behind the sunglasses looked surprisingly innocent.

“Hey, hyung-nim.”

“You look good.”

“Haha, I was busy getting wasted until dawn yesterday...” The shop owner replied.

“I’m going to teach him how to surf, so take care of him.” The strange man said.

“Alright. Jin-Chul! Give this guy some equipment! It’s one person!”

“Okay!” An answer came from inside the shop.

Soon after, a tanned young man appeared. He looked around with clouded eyes, perhaps because he, too, also drank till dawn with the shop owner, and greeted Yi-An.

“Oh, hello. It’s your first time surfing, right?”

“Yes,” Yi-An replied.

“Did you bring any extra clothes or a rash guard? If not, I’ll give you a wetsuit. You’re similar in height to me, so this size should be enough...”

Yi-An was given a full-body wetsuit that looked like something skin-scuba divers would use. When Yi-An tried to pay the rental fee, the young man shook his hand.

“Ah, it’s all right. You’re hyung-nim’s guest, so it’s free.”

Yi-An looked at the man chatting with the shop owner outside the shop. The man was looking at the sea with his hands on his waist.

“What does that man do for a living?”

“You mean hyung-nim? I don’t know either.” The young man laughed.

“He is just close to the boss. Do you not know him?”

“I met him for the first time today,” Yi-An said truthfully.

“Really? That’s amazing. This doesn’t happen often. You can change inside.”

Just like that, Yi-An put on the surfing gear and left the shop with a large surfboard over his head. Yi-An’s surfboard was thick and shabby as if it was made out of sponge for training purposes. The surfboard the man was holding had a smooth, nice shape.

“Surfing is all about the equipment.”

“Are you sure it’s not about skills?” Yi-An asked.

“Fashion is everything. Surfing is all about being cool.” The man said while staring at Yi-An.

Yi-An was taken aback.

On that man’s face, something similar to blue makeup was smeared across his cheekbones and nose in a straight line. It was like a scene out of a movie where barbarians wore combat makeup.

“Doesn’t it look cool? Do you want to apply some too?”

The man handed Yi-An a tube. It was sunblock. Unlike any other sunscreen, the color was smeared clearly.

“This is only for your nose and cheeks. It’s expensive, so use it sparingly.”

It felt like the kind of cool that surfers pursued. Yi-An applied it too. Just like that, they went back to the white sand beach.

“Take note that you can only surf here.”

There was a separate beach area for surfing. The two of them headed there. Besides them, there were first-timers taking lessons here and there. Most of the people on top of the surfboard were drooping like seaweed because they couldn’t ride the waves properly.

“I am strict, so prepare yourself.”

***

Contrary to what the man said about being strict, he skimped past the lesson roughly.

The man said that all he had to do was to row his arms hard while on the board, then put his arms on the board, and stand up smoothly. At the very least, the man demonstrated once or twice, and he immediately pushed Yi-An out to the sea.

Yi-An couldn’t even practice properly and worked hard trying to ride the waves. However, that was good enough. With Yi-An’s distinctive motor nerves, he would easily be able to do it. He rowed his arms while waiting for the waves, and when the time came, he gently stood up, feeling the waves. Then, he balanced himself, surfing forward.

Yi-An was satisfied. As expected of himself, he was the same person who became Ronaldo when he kicked a football, Curry when he shot a basketball, and Federer when he swung a tennis racket. Now, once he rode the waves... He didn’t know anyone from the surfing world, so he settled for Phelps.

“You’re doing good.” The man said.

“You’re good too,” Yi-An replied.

The man was certainly skillful at riding the waves. His hair rarely got wet, compared to most of the others who were not able to ride the waves or balance themselves.

“Kyaaah!”

While Yi-An was leaning on the surfboard to rest for a moment, a woman lost her bearing and floundered on the surfboard, skidding towards Yi-An. Her surfboard poked Yi-An’s back, and he felt an excruciating pain.

Yi-An and the woman tangled on each other, falling into the water and floundering. After being trapped for a while, they barely managed to get themselves together. The woman, whose hair was wet and droopy, apologized to Yi-An, not knowing what to do about the situation.

“Oh my, I’m sorry. Are you okay? I’m so sorry.”

Yi-An stroked his back. It was fortunate that the woman’s surfboard was used for training purposes. This was maybe why they used sponge-like material for the base of the surfboard. If he was poked in the back with the surfboard his surfing instructor was using, his skin would have ripped.

Yi-An stroked his back and smiled, “I’m fine. Please be careful.”

“Ah...”

The woman gasped at Yi-An’s gentle reply. Then, she grabbed Yi-An by the arm and turned him around.

“Is your back okay? It must have hurt. What do we do...”

“I’m fine.

“I’m so sorry.”

As Yi-An continued to shrug and confirm that he was fine, the woman pulled her surfboard floating on the sea and stroked her lips.

“Then, please let me know if any problems surface later.”

“Will do.”

“If you need, I can give you my number or something-...”

“No, it’s really okay. Have fun surfing.”

“Oh, okay. You too.”

The woman bowed and pushed her surfboard back toward the other side of the beach.

“You’re so tactless.”

Yi-An flinched. Before he realized it, the man approached him.

“You scared me for a second.”

“You don’t have any. Tact.” The man said.

“What are you talking about?”

“Just hold on.”

The man shouted, “Hey, there! Come here! How can you just go after hitting a person?”

The woman, who was moving further away, turned around in surprise at his shout. She looked at Yi-An and the man in turn. When the man beckoned, she came back hesitantly.

“Young lady. Did you do something wrong, or did you not?”

“What?”

“You’re not supposed to hit people with a surfboard. Is that correct, or not?”

“That’s correct. I’m sorry...”

“This lady is a dangerous lady.” The man continued.

“...”

“So, give him your phone number.”

“What?”

“I’m asking you to give him your phone number because he has to contact you if there’s a problem later.”

“Ah, yes, yes. So, my number is...”

She recited her phone number.

Then, he said to Yi-An, “You should give her your number too.”

“Why me too?”

“You never know. Hurry up.”

“That’s...”

“If you receive a number, you should also give yours. That’s manners.”

Yi-An dubiously recited his number. The man repeated it a couple of times for the woman to remember.

“Young lady, did you memorize it?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Good. How many days are you here for? Are you on vacation?”

“Yes. I will be here until the day after tomorrow.”

“Him too.”

Then, the man winked. The woman chuckled.

“Then, go your way. Have fun.”

“Yes, I’m sorry. You two have fun too.”

The woman grinned and pushed her surfboard away. Two women, who appeared to be her friends, were looking at her anxiously. She waved.

Yi-An smiled despondently at the sight and asked, “What do you think you are doing?”

“This is youth. Eat a lot, pray a lot, and love a lot.”

“But this is my problem though...” Yi-An

“You don't have a girlfriend, do you?”

“...”

“Then, it’s all good.”

He tapped Yi-An on the shoulder.

“Okay, let’s get out. We surfed a lot. I’m thirsty. You pay for the beer.”

Before he knew it, the man was talking to Yi-An comfortably. But for some reason, Yi-An was not angry with the mysterious man.

“Alright.” Yi-An followed behind him with a smile.

***

After returning the equipment and taking a shower, they found a craft beer store not far from the beach. Inside the beer store, surfboards and other equipment were displayed. As they were at a beach famous for surfing, the store was greatly influenced. The man ordered beer and some fried food.

Even here, the TV screen succeeded in displaying news of Elder Lord.

“That’s been going crazy these days.” The man leaned into the chair and pointed to the screen.

The headline was ‘The shocking truth about the Heaven and Earth Clan’. It was a special feature on the crimes committed by the Heaven and Earth Clan.

“It’s a scary world. It seems like they pushed people into the game world with drugs.”

“I know right? Whatever you do will eventually come back to you.”

Yi-An relayed the information he received from Rommel to the Rebirth Brotherhood. Robina, who was once Edgar’s lover, took the lead in informing the police. The matter was handled with lightning speed because the Rebirth Brotherhood had members working in the prosecution department.

The workshop, which was called the ‘sleeping room’, was revealed. From there, they were able to discover countless people who had disappeared. Edgar was also rescued. It was something they started voluntarily for money, but they testified that they could not quit because of their threats.

‘Cainz’, Choi Sung-Gil, was placed on the wanted list for planning all this, and ‘Luin’, Kim Hyun-Chul, his right arm working under him, was arrested.

Public opinions poured in. The Heaven and Earth Clan, which used to be the pride of the Republic of Korea, was now a disgrace. The Elder Lord forum overseas was also shocked by the situation. It was a wake-up call for others as something like this could happen covertly without anyone knowing.

“What happened to that guy Rommel?” The man asked.

“It’s confirmed that he aided and abetted, but I don’t think there will be a big problem,” Yi-An said.

“He was the guy who played commander, right?”

“That’s right. His class is the War Maestro.”

“How was he? Was he as good as the rumors?” The man asked.

“Certainly, he was outstanding...” Yi-An stopped talking.

He looked at the man who was sitting still smiling while staring at him back. He was probably in his mid-thirties, and he gave off an intelligent impression, wearing glasses with a gentle face. The man’s black eyes were still like water as if he saw through Yi-An’s mind.

“Why did you stop talking?” The man chuckled.

Yi-An leaned against the back of the chair.

He scanned through his complicated mind, and opened his mouth, “You are...”

“Here it is. Enjoy your meal.” At that moment, the staff served beer and snacks.

The conversation between Yi-An and the man was cut off. The staff placed a mug of beer on their respective spots. Cold water droplets formed on the surface of the mug. Yi-An put his fingertips on it.

Soon, the staff left their table. Yi-An took a sip of the beer. His head calmed down at the refreshing gulp.

The man drank his beer together with Yi-An and asked, “How was Rommel, Crockta?”

1. Yashin Zone is a homage to the Russian goalkeeper, Lev Yashin, and it refers to the left and right top corner of the goal post. ?