Praise the Orc

Chapter 201: The Start of a War (1)

The reception toward the expedition force was cold in Quantes as well.

In Quantes, Crockta was a hero who saved the city from a cursed object known as the "Demon’s Mouth".

But Arcran didn’t care. He had stopped hesitating over Crockta. Whatever Crockta had done in the past, it didn’t matter in the end. He was an enemy now. If he were a saint, Arcran was going to kill a saint. If he were a sinner, then Arcran was going to kill a sinner.

Once he cleared his mind of the doubts, the image of his enemy became crystal clear.

"Something’s gone wrong," Phelos said with concern.

Phelos was a nobleman who boasted about his connections with the leaders of Anail’s underworld.

His plan to pressure Thompson into partnering with the expedition force had also fallen through.

"The dark streets’ boss has changed recently, and the new boss is said to be a friend of Crockta. Instead of forming a partnership, our messenger returned all beaten up," Phelos reported.

"A friend of Crockta... that is quite a funny coincidence," Arcran chuckled.

"I-indeed. And Thompson said the same thing as that new boss." Phelos commented.

"Is that so? That Crockta really knows how to network, haha..."

“......”

Phelos laughed awkwardly.

Now more determined than ever, Arcran exuded a sharper and darker aura than before.

"It doesn't matter. It might make things a bit more inconvenient, but they weren't essential in the first place. We already have enough manpower and funds."

Though they had faced difficulties in the major cities they had expected to give them a boost, they already had sufficient volunteers gathered.

The size of the expedition was beyond imagination, likely to be recorded as the largest assembly under one flag in history.

And the orcs would be recorded as a race that was trampled by this glorious army of the gods and eventually become forgotten.

"The gods are with us."

"Is that so..."

"The gods keep whispering that we will come out victorious in the end."

Perhaps there wasn't even a need for such an expedition force.

Arcran had a certainty.

No matter how strong the orcs were, they couldn’t possibly stand against the wrath of numerous gods.

"Our victory is just a matter of time. Be at ease."

As he spoke, it felt as if an indescribable power was wavering in his hands.

He clenched his fists. His entire body was filled with so much strength that his bones and muscles were audibly grinding against each other.

"The War God says so."

"U-understood."

Phelos sheepishly replied as he took a step back. He was unsettled by Arcran's transformed demeanor, which now carried a hint of fanaticism.

"Are you okay?" Adantadore asked while observing Arcran.

"I am fine, as always."

"I’m sure you know this, but..."

Adantadore sighed after scanning Arcran’s body. He saw through Arcran's condition.

"... Excessive divine power can ruin the body."

Divine power was infused with Arcran. It was likely in preparation for the upcoming war. It was unclear what the War God was planning, but immense divine power was flowing into Arcran.

Arcran smiled.

"I'm fine. This is different from what you are worried about. I have more power flowing inside me than ever before."

"... Alright, you know yourself better than anyone."

Adantadore shrugged. The truth was that he was never particularly concerned about Arcran's condition anyway.

"Is Orcrox finally up next?"

"Yes. The end is in sight," Arcran answered with a grin.

It was a signal that their long expedition was finally coming to its climax.

The expedition moved through Quantes, made its rounds around the villages, and then passed Anail.

Even in Anail, the expedition found themselves unwelcomed. Thompson and Jeremy from the dark streets were close to Crockta.

Everywhere they went, there were people popping up claiming they owed one to Crockta.

He was a saint who founded a volunteer organization, a hero who saved a village, an honorable citizen who exposed a corrupted mayor, and a warrior who subdued the city's demon. All of this made him a benefactor to many influential figures.

But he was also the one who had incurred the wrath of the gods.

No matter how good his other deeds were, Crockta was ultimately defined by that last line.

After all, everything was for the gods to decide.

Human affairs were trivial under those of the gods.

The vanguard returned, waving their flags. They reported an anomaly to Arcran and Adantadore.

As they said, something was visible in the distance.

The entire leadership was stirred.

Arcran smiled thinly.

It was a very orc-ish idea.

Instead of hiding in Orcrox, they chose to come out and face them head-on.

A battlefield fitting for the climax.

It was a grand pitched battle.

* * *

Yi-An leaned on his chin, watching Yi-Yoo stuffing her mouth with a burger. She was ravishingly chowing down an all-extra-large burger meal from Burger Prince.

"What are you staring at?"

"Nothing. I’m just wondering if there's a beggar inside that stomach of yours."

"..."

Yi-Yoo snorted, crinkled her nose at her brother, and then took another big bite of her burger. She then sipped her coke through a straw.

Watching his sister, Yi-An chuckled and took a fry to his mouth.

"Slow down."

The significant increase in Yi-An's time in Elder World didn’t give them a lot of time to spend together. This was their first outing together in a long time.

"Did you hear? Apparently, there’s going to be another huge war in Elder World. Are you not going to that? You’ve basically been living in that game."

The conflict between the orcs led by Crockta and the expedition army following the oracle was a hot topic even in the real world.

This time, the conflict was entirely among NPCs with no user involvement, making it harder to predict the outcome, which only added to the intrigue. Betting sites saw odds skyrocket, and players eager to somehow benefit from this increase in attention were trying to join the fray.

There was a momentary chaos caused by a wave of users surging into not only the expedition but also into Orcrox claiming that they wanted to fight with them.

"Well..."

Yi-An trailed off. Actually, it wasn't a matter of whether he would go or not.

He was the main man of the war.

However, Yi-An couldn’t disclose this fact to her. He instead stretched and pretended to look around the fast-food restaurant.

"Isn’t it about time for you to be a ranker now? You’re not still a newbie, are you? Some of my friends are saying they’re going to go pro. Tsk tsk, skipping studies for some game."

"And what about you? Are you studying hard?"

Yi-Yoo smiled with a straw in her mouth.

"I’ll get a scholarship this semester."

"I don’t expect much, so you don’t have to tell me lies."

"I’m serious."

"I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that."

"Wow, you can’t even put that much faith into your own sister?"

"Exaggeration always comes back to bite you."

Expressing intentions was one thing, but failing to meet your own declarations was one of the most embarrassing things that could happen.

"Hmm..."

Yi-An looked at Yi-Yoo and smiled gently.

"Jung Yi-Yoo."

"Hmm?"

"You’re gonna be just fine, right?"

"I’m always fine?"

"Never mind, then. That’s good to hear."

Yi-An nodded. As he told Yoo Jae-Han, He had planned to reduce his playtime in Elder World and stay away from dangerous activities.

But things didn't go as planned.

His synchronization rate remained at a hundred percent.

The Ashen God no longer spoke to him, but the warning about dying in Elder World leading to death in the real world as well was likely still valid.

He was no longer just a player of the game. After that day, the status window disappeared, as did grades for skills or items.

The moment he connected to Elder World, he became Crockta, the orc warrior, himself.

"Even if I’m not here, you have to take care of yourself."

"Huh? Are you going somewhere? Why?"

Anxiety flashed in her eyes. Yi-An shrugged it off.

"Just thinking of taking a trip..."

"Alone?"

"Yeah."

"Let me come with you!"

"You want to?"

As Yi-Yoo brightened up, Yi-An smiled ambiguously again.

He was about to enter a battle.

There was no turning back now. If Elder World had been merely a game in the past, knowing now that all those beings were alive, he couldn't just run away.

After all, he was Crockta.

And because of him, the entire orc race was under threat.

He couldn't just decide to avoid danger. The moment he connected to Elder World, he became Crockta and thought like an orc warrior.

No matter how hard he thought about protecting himself for Yi-Yoo’s sake, the moment he became Crockta wielding the greatsword, being alive as a warrior became paramount over anything else.

"I know you’re not talking about some trip.”

Yi-Yoo suddenly said. Yi-An was taken aback.

"Huh?"

"You said to take care of myself and all that, it's not about a trip, is it?"

"Uh..."

"I catch on fast."

Yi-An rolled his eyes.

Yi-Yoo grinned.

"You got a girlfriend, didn’t you?"

"... Eh?"

"You suddenly found a girl after being single your entire life and now you’re probably getting ahead of yourself, thinking about marriage and whatnot. That’s why you’re saying all that stuff about not being here and me taking care of myself. It makes me proud of you and pity you at the same time, but I'll respect your decision. Of course, you’ll have to introduce her to me."

"No, that’s not..."

"She's not younger than me, is she?"

"That..."

"I'll understand even if she is. And don’t worry about me. I've always been fine on my own. Don't sacrifice yourself for me. I won’t have any of that."

"I'm sacrificing the cost of the burger right now..."

"Quiet!"

Yi-Yoo silenced Yi-An with a finger-point and stuffed the last piece of her burger into her mouth.

"Anyway, I only cause trouble when I’m with you. Have I ever done something stupid or had an accident when you weren't around? No, right?"

When Yi-An was in the military, she was left with relatives. They weren't particularly close kin.

Rather, they were more interested in the money Yi-An was sending them than in Yi-Yoo’s well-being.

It couldn’t have ever been a comfortable place for her, but Yi-Yoo never complained or caused trouble. In fact, she managed a little too well.

Yi-An smiled bitterly.

Why didn't he realize it before? Yi-Yoo, too, had endured tough times. Hardships make a person stronger, and Yi-Yoo's inner strength was greater than he knew.

"I'm beautiful and smart, so I'll live comfortably. There’s no need for you to worry about me, so don’t."

"Smart?"

"Ah, my grades aren’t great because I don't study! But I am smart."

"Sure, why not... Let’s leave it at that."

Yi-An laughed.

He had his will prepared since his military days and had changed since then.

Moreover, he had his trusted mentor, Baek Han-Ho, to look after her. Yi-Yoo might not know, but Baek Han-Ho had always kept an eye on her when she was living with their relatives, fearing they might mistreat her.

He was someone who would protect Yi-Yoo in any scenario, no matter how dire the situation was.

"Let's really take a trip sometime. Got anywhere you want to go?"

"Maldives!"

"Sounds good. Let's go."

"Eek! Really?"

There was one thing more important than anything else.

The confidence that he wouldn’t die.

"When have you ever seen me lie?"

"Fair enough."

Yi-An always survived. This time would be no different. He would become Crockta and protect Orcrox.

Becoming Crockta and wielding the God Slayer, he was confident he could stand against anyone.

And he felt like the Ashen God would appear after this war. Then, he would ask what he really wanted to know.

* * *

—Ladies and gentlemen, welcome! As always, thank you all for always loving the Undergames channel.

—Today is the day we've all been waiting for, the battle between the orcs and the expedition force. Yes, today is that day! Do you see that incredible number? That right there is the expedition force.

—Impressive.

—It seems even larger than the battles with the imperial army in the past. No, it is larger. It's actually a lot larger.

—It's true that, uh, a large number of the expeditionary forces are untrained, but when you have this big of an army, that doesn't really matter anymore. Take a look at their composition. It’s not like they don’t have any knights! And on top of that, they have so many soldiers, volunteers, and all that! I mean, how do you even fight against an army like that?

—But the orcs will show us something, right?

—Exactly! That's what we're looking forward to! The orc who has always shown us something, the Northern Conqueror and the Empire Nemesis! The idol of Praise the Orc, Crockta! With a warrior who has always managed to do what seemed impossible, we cannot predict the outcome prematurely. On top of that, it's said that numerous legendary NPCs besides Crockta are also participating in this war. We'll have to wait and see the outcome.

—Legendary NPCs?

—Yes. For starters, we have those like Zankus, Kumarak, etc... I'll explain in detail as we go.

—Haha. You've certainly come prepared for today.

—As a commentator, I always have to be studying. That's our duty. Hehe.

—You are impressive as always. Ah, this moment!

An anomaly was detected on the screen.

A group from the orc camp took the lead.

—What's that?

—Ah, that is...!

* * *

Crockta the 'Northern Conqueror.’

Zankus the 'Sun Slayer.’

Kumarak the 'Mountain Smasher.’

These three were the first to appear.

And that was not all.

Following them was the most infamous fighter who led a group of berserkers, reveling in slaughter, and annihilated an entire family of a count to avenge Lenox.

The ‘Mad Slaughterer’ Anya.

A madman who roamed the world, but whose sorcery was said to have reached the peak of the earth, Wallachwi the 'Abyss Shaman’ stood by her side.

"Amazing..."

Even more appeared.

"Hehe, a battlefield fitting for me!"

Tiyo the ‘Magic Bullet Sprayer’, who bombards his enemies with artifacts.

"I hate fighting, but..."

Anor the 'Necromancer Overlord', who raises the dead with the power of necromancy.

Followed by the young orcs who have recently made a name for themselves, 'Bandit Slayer' Keruta, ‘Purgatory Wielder’ Malaka, 'Drunken Brawler' Islchwi, and other formidable orcs appeared one after another.

"I heard they came here with an oracle. Is that all of them? That’s it?"

"If they wanted to annihilate the orcs, they should have brought every single person in this entire world except us."

"Kekeke, there's nothing better than alcohol and battle."

An army composed of those who are called one-man armies themselves. It was truly a formidable sight to behold!

It was a legion of legions.

The expedition force facing them stirred.

Those whom anyone would recognize just by hearing their names. Those who were known for their fame and infamy. They were gathered in one place, staring them down.

"Wow... they've all really gathered."

"All those monsters together..."

"Can we win this...?"

The morale of the expedition force began to drop.

They had considered this war to be an easy battle, expecting to overwhelm their enemies with sheer numbers. They were a force big enough to afford such thoughts. Even now, compared to the expedition force, the orc forces seemed fragile.

But those orcs...

Seeing them standing in the front and staring them down, fear welled up in them.

They had been concerned about Crockta, but instead, even more terrifying beings who had been famous for much longer than Crockta had appeared.

"Do not be afraid! Stay calm!"

Arcran shouted.

However, the uneasiness did not easily subside. The entire expedition force was now hesitant. Arcran urged the flag bearers.

"The flags..."

Just then, the orcs looked at each other, discussed something, and then pushed one orc forward with thunderous laughter.

That orc stepped out in front of the orc camp.

It was Crockta.

With his menacing greatsword on his shoulder and wearing a dark steel helmet, Crockta stood before the expedition force with the same imposing aura he had when he was opposing the empire all by himself.

Even in the face of such a formidable and numerous armed forces, he seemed rather relaxed.

Crockta approached close enough for his voice to reach the expedition force and opened his mouth as the representative of the orc army.

"Since it seems we have nothing to say to each other, let's get started quickly."

His voice boomed across the plains.

At the same time, a murderous intent burst forth from the orcs positioned behind him.

"All of you at once..."

With that momentum, Crockta grinned and lifted his chin.

"Come at me."