Chapter 127 (1/2)

Chapter 127. Seol Jihu (4)

Once the frightening conference came to an end, the following matters progressed smoothly.

The 78 members of the majority were split into seven teams around the highly acclaimed organizations, while the 32 members of the minority were distributed evenly into each team.

The organizers didn't forget to split up Audrey Basler and the five members of her team, and once the six people to enter the Plaza of the Dissonant Wish were chosen, the preparation was over.

Hugo was chosen from the Alliance team, and Oh Rahee was chosen to become the person in charge just as she wanted.

Although missing a battle-specialized High Ranker and three Level 4s left a hole in their forces, there wasn't anything they could do about it.

Standing in front of the Plaza of Sacrifice, Seol Jihu pressed down on his chest. Focusing on his pounding heart, he collected his breath.

He had only now taken the first step. To lead the partic.i.p.ants to the scene he had drawn in his head, he had to overcome a few more obstacles.

The first conquering of the Plaza of Sacrifice had to be achieved with as little damage as possible, and the six people entering the Plaza of the Dissonant Wish had to come back safely.

It would be a lie to say he wasn't worried, especially since he couldn't manage everything directly.

However, the die had been cast. Now, he had no choice but to believe.

Seol Jihu stared at the 6-person group waiting in front of the Plaza of the Dissonant Wish before taking the lead and making his way into the hole in front of him.

All 104 people entered the Plaza of Sacrifice. Unlike the first time they entered it, they were organized into a formation.

It was the result of a rule being established.

The seven teams entered in order and marked the door they were put in charge of. Naturally, a circular defensive wall was created.

Soon, the doors opened, and black shadows began to appear. The Archers who had their weapons pre-loaded immediately attacked, but their arrows failed to penetrate the edges of the arena.

Gasps rang out when they fell to the ground after hitting what seemed to be an invisible wall. If the partic.i.p.ants focus-fired the monsters as they were stepping out of the doors, the fight would definitely go much smoother. However, the Plaza of Sacrifice had cast an invisible barrier as if such a thing was not allowed.

In the end, the partic.i.p.ants had no choice but to watch the enemies leisurely walk out and surround the arena.

Seol Jihu furrowed his brows when he caught sight of the monsters' appearances. They were two meters tall, and the way they were full of muscles from head to toe, it felt wrong to simply describe them as muscular.

The tendons on their log-sized neck bulged out, making anyone watching sigh. Colorful war paint adorned their faces, and tusk-like fangs protruded out from their mouth.

At first glance, they looked similar to the mutant Orcs Seol Jihu had seen in the laboratory. However, the color of their skin was different. The mutant Orcs had ash-grey skin, while the monsters in front of them were painted green.

“Orcs?” Kazuki's voice rang out. With a rare, fl.u.s.tered face, he was unable to hide his nervousness.

“Impossible. The Orcs went extinct more than 10 years ago….”

The Orcs of Paradise once boasted a powerful tribal nation capable of easily overwhelming the human kingdoms. The race that had gone extinct after the fall of the Empire was alive?

It was hard to believe, but the Orcs didn't seem interested in waiting for them to collect their thoughts.

Soldiers carrying adult-human-sized s.h.i.+elds stepped out to the front. The ones carrying spears stood behind them, followed by Orcs carrying longbows.

Two Orcs especially caught everyone's attention. They were at least a head bigger than other Orc Warriors and boasted much bigger bodies.

There was even an Orc wearing a flabby black robe while holding a faded wooden staff. Its long, white beard was especially telling of its aged wisdom.

“Looks like we should a.s.sa.s.sinate that one first….”

Seol Jihu could hear Kazuki's murmur. While the youth was watching the Orcs march out into the arena, he suddenly felt something touching his back.

“Seol.” Kazuki pointed at another door and quickly continued, “I want to send Chung Chohong to the Orc Champion. Will that be okay?”

He seemed to be referring to the two giant Orcs. One had come out of the door the Alliance team was in charge of, while the other had come out from another door.

The team in charge of that entrance consisted of several Level 4s but had no High Rankers. The teams were formed under the guideline of equally splitting up the 32 minority members, but since everyone agreed to move members around depending on the situation, sending Chohong over shouldn't be a problem.

However, Kazuki bothered to ask Seol Jihu, and Seol Jihu knew the reason.

“What nonsense is that?”

“If I remember correctly, Orc Champions are elite bodyguards of the Orc Lord, which rivals a Unique Ranker in power. At the very least, they should be as strong as Lioner heads, though they're likely to be stronger.”

“But why do I have to go? Why can't you?”

“Chohong.”

Chohong was arguing with Kazuki when Seol Jihu's soft voice made her pause.

“No, I mean….”

“We barely managed to grab this chance.”

His somewhat desperate voice put her at a loss for words.

“Please.”

Chohong realized that this wasn't the time to be stubborn. She let out a long sigh.

“…I'll come back as soon as I kill that b.a.s.t.a.r.d.”

“You don't have to.”

“Why?”

“Because Kazuki, the Priest, and I will kill ours first.”

Hearing this, Chohong chuckled. She then turned to Audrey Basler, who was staring at the Orcs with a gloomy face.

“Oi, come here.”

“Come here, I said…. Is there a worm stuck in your ear?”

Chohong swung her hand angrily. Snake Eyes ended up being smacked in the head and looked back dumbfounded, but Chohong simply glared back.

“Man, this b.i.t.c.h's eyes get on my nerves every time I look at them. Hey, didn't I tell you not to open your eyes like that?”

Audrey Basler looked as if she had been wronged, but Seol Jihu ignored her plight and glared at her coldly. He saw it as a good chance for her to walk in her victims' shoes. Perhaps she might learn how the 32 minority members felt from the insensitive remark she made at the conference.

“Remember. I'm in charge of you until the end of the Banquet.” Chohong growled before quickly taking off with the back of Snake Eyes' neck in her hand. Soon, two people came over to the alliance team in exchange – the white headband girl's nameless older brother and a lean youth with a bow.

“Thank you. Things were looking dark for us…. Thank you so much.” The male Archer bowed his head and expressed his grat.i.tude. He seemed to be touched because a High Ranker specialized in battle had been sent to help them.

Once the team members successfully switched, Seol Jihu quickly returned to a.n.a.lyzing the situation. The enemies seemed to have finished coming out as the plaza doors were closed.

He could count around 120 Orcs, which was fewer in number compared to the 150 Lioners the partic.i.p.ants had to face. However, considering that the plaza's difficulty should be the same, this wasn't something to be happy about.

Unlike the Lioners that continuously charged in, each Orc was equipped with dazzling armor, and the group was marching uniformly like a well-trained army.

When the old, robed Orc standing in the middle waved his staff left and right, the white part of the Orc's eyes turned crimson and drool began to flow down from their mouth.

Their already-vicious faces became a step thicker with belligerence, and they began to strike the ground while roaring out.

The Orc Champions raised battle-axes in each of their hands and opened their mouths wide.