Chapter 58

(This extra chapter is brought to you by these explorers of the great unknown: Keneth P . Fiennes, Jared S . Fiennes, Koolpin Fiennes, Julien H . Fiennes, Dale B . Fiennes, Robert R . Fiennes, Justin C . Fiennes, and Zain Z . Fiennes . Thank you for your support!!)

(Also, 100 Internet Points for those who got the reference first!!)

He didn’t even have the time to check the new skill out .

As soon as he evolved into the Orc Great Warrior, the Warrior of Reversal got activated once more . Right away, his stamina that had hit rock bottom rose up again like the rising dragon uppercut, and an unbearable strength spread throughout his body .

“—!!!”

The Orc let out a roar that could rip the world apart; and then, he powerfully slammed his mace against the empty air .

Kwaaaang!!!

The shock wave spreading out from the air formed a crescent moon shape and turned every Monster coming in contact into smithereens . As expected, the power on display was on another level compared to that of the Orc Jaguar .

And with that single attack, the Monsters inundating his front got completely wiped out .

Of course, there was still one creature left here .

The Orc spat out rough breaths and turned around .

The Manticore had stepped back and was surveying the situation after the Orc’s vigour went a sudden reversal – as if it was studying the scene, with its tentacle-like tail swaying gently back and forth .

Unfortunately for the Monster, the Orc’s instincts would not allow for such an easy-going attitude .

The Orc rushed towards the Manticore as his feet crushed the tiles of the bank’s floor underfoot . The incredible turn of speed displayed by the creature did not match up with its huge, muscular body .

There was simply no time for the Manticore to take an evasive action; it could only stare at the approaching mace wielded by the Orc helplessly .

SLAM!!

That was the final, final strike . An attack with every ounce of power squeezed out of the Orc separated the head of the Manticore from its body cleanly .

Splash…

And after it lost its head, the Manticore’s sticky blood sprayed on the floor .

“””… . “””

The only thing remaining afterwards was silence .

The overflowing aura of danger oozing from the Orc Great Warrior scared away the lower Tiered Monsters from getting near it, and thanks to that, the bank could somehow enjoy a lengthy bout of quiet stillness that was obviously contrary to the severe emergency situation on the outside .

Unfortunately, though, Sae-Jin’s own situation wasn’t so stable at the moment .

‘…Damn it, the bleeding won’t stop . ’

Breathing with some difficulty, Sae-Jin stumbled around for a moment or two while enduring the aftereffects and then began to move his feet . As the dazed eyes of the bank’s customers followed him, he trudged out of the bank altogether .

Was it because he had used the ‘Warrior of Reversal’ twice, as well as abused ‘Fierce Strike’ quite a lot? His consciousness was getting sleepier by the second and his sights were blurring rapidly . Even still, he searched for a deserted area . If he ended up passing out like this, then everything he had built up until now would be gone . He could never allow that to happen…

He desperately walked on and on until he found a partially destroyed building . He quickly hid among the rubble and once more, made sure there were no eyes around him . Fortunately, there were none but even if there were, his time had run out anyway .

He then assumed the Ebony Wolf Form for the first time in a long while and activated ‘Whirlwind Dash’ . Like a black lightning, the Wolf sped along quickly towards the safety of his own house .

***

The way this event unfolded was quite similar to how the Monster Outbreak that occurred in Seoul half a year ago played out .

But there was one crucial difference . The conclusion from the investigation to the cause of this disturbance was that there was not a single trace of a Fissure to be found anywhere .

There were two ways Monsters could end up attacking a city .

One was where a Fissure opened up near a settlement and the countless Monsters contained within poured out like a hailstorm . The other possibility was that some ‘wild’ Monsters aimlessly wandering outside the Monster field somehow evaded the patrols and walked into a nearby city .

Since there was no Fissure, the former option had to be dismissed . But there were just too many Monsters in this event to say the latter option was the cause . And so, the government, as well as the UN investigators, could not even begin to grasp the potential reason for this incident .

On top of that, another unfortunate thing happened . A truly destructive piece of news was broadcast that caused much consternation among the so-called experts, while at the same time, it caused much fanfare from the general public .

– This is the footage captured by the CCTV cameras of the Demon Orc . The Orc swings its mace around and kills countless other Monsters, and it’s as if the creature is trying to protect the people trapped inside the bank . And the following footage is taken from a male student’s mobile phone who was also trapped within the same bank . It shows the development of the situation more clearly .

The Demon Orc that made so many Knights taste defeat in the Monster field, had now become the ‘Hero’ Orc that protected many people from other Monsters . Some people even jokingly suggested nonsense like the Orc should be awarded with a medal or some such .

– Hahaha . We’ve already received real-time requests to correct the term we used, the ‘Demon’ Orc . We’d like to sincerely apologise . We shall change it to the ‘Hero’ Orc from now on . By the way, by calling it the ‘Hero’ Orc, does it not evoke the feeling of a video game or a legendary tale of the distant past?

– Indeed, hahaha . It does feel that way . But what’s really interesting is that, with the arrival of this ‘Hero’ Orc, even the way people call the Orc Blacksmith has gone through a certain change as well . Like, the Two Orcs that help the humanity or something like that .

Almost all the TV channels were talking about the stories related to the Orc . Not only the TV stations, even the internet, the SNS, etc, etc were also dominated by it .

“That’s so mysterious . Judging from the footage, that Orc’s beard and the hair was really long so, most likely it has grown past the level of a Jaguar now . There must be something really special about that guy… Gosh, I wanna meet him at least once . “

Even Hazeline was the same, while sitting by Sae-Jin’s bedside and leisurely enjoying a tangerine .

“That Orc… Kkheung… You differentiate Orcs by their hair style? I thought that was only for Lichs . “

Sae-Jin’s brows tightened from the pain coming from his sides whenever he tried to speak . However, Hazeline didn’t even spare him who was suffering in agony a single glance; she replied while only paying attention towards the TV on the wall .

“Of course . Mister Sae-Jin, you’ve never seen a real Orc Great Warrior before, haven’t you? You have no idea how cool they are in reality . Lengthy beards, long hair tied at the back; the hair and the beard symbolises the level of experience and strength for Orcs . “

“I didn’t know that . By the way… are you sure you used a potion that I’ve made? This… the pain doesn’t seem to be lessening at all?!”

Sae-Jin moaned in pain as he touched his side . Currently, his situation was that, the wounds he suffered during the Orc Great Warrior carried over even to his Human Form .

He couldn’t move freely because of the severity of the wounds, resulting him unable to concoct a potion by himself and so, he came up with a hasty excuse and asked Hazeline to send him one, instead .

However, he wasn’t expecting to see Hazeline herself show up rather than some gopher .

“Well, of course . You said you got struck by a Spartoi? A wound from the Spartoi’s bone sword is difficult to treat, so it can’t be helped, you know . So, please endure for now . Nyam . “

Hazeline continuously ate tangerine pieces one at a time even while speaking her words . Chew~chew . Those cute and smooth lips bobbed up and down rather adorably .

“…I think it’s fine for you to go now, you know?”

Sae-Jin muttered in disbelief after watching her act like this . It had been almost 30 minutes since she showed up . And so far, she had already consumed more than 20 tangerines without a break . He was really grateful for her bringing the potion, but… he didn’t have a lot of time left .

…And his tangerine stock was running out, too .

“Mm? No, it’s alright . Not sure why, but being here puts my mind at ease… Nyam . “

“…”

“Nyam . NyamNyam . “

He was about to say something, but Sae-Jin stopped for a moment or two . Maybe because she was an Elf, although she was simply eating tangerine, the whole scene looked like it was straight out of some famous painting or some such .

“NyamNam . ” (TL: in case if you’re wondering what this is, it’s a literal TL of Korean onomatopoeia, the overtly cute-ish sound made by girls and children when eating something delicious . )

Besides the weird noise leaking out of her mouth, that was .

“…Please, just get going already, would you? It’s getting late, you know?”

Another five minutes went by while he observed her obsession with the fruit called tangerine . So, Sae-Jin pleaded with her again .

“No, it’s fine . I don’t have much to do today anyways . Because of all the chaos, looks like the Alchemy House will go on a break too… While I’m here, my mind really feels so comfortable . “

At her relaxed reply, Sae-Jin’s brows twitched automatically . How come she was acting so dense right now?

“If you feel that uncomfortable, I will get going in around 30 minutes . “

Sae-Jin quickly confirmed the remaining time for himself . There was just over 2 hours and 23 minutes . Since there was some wiggle room here, he relaxed a bit and gently lied down on the bed .

And exactly 30 minutes later, Hazeline did leave while saying, “Get well soon, okay~?”

*

As the experts had feared, this incident with the Monsters was not a one-off thing . From all corners of the country, small to mid scale attacks involving Monsters broke out dozens of times a day . In the end, the Korean government declared a temporary state of emergency throughout the entire country and at the same time, ordered all the Knights Orders to be in state of readiness .

However – the focus of the public was directed elsewhere, regardless of whether there was a state of emergency declared or not . And that was the topic of the so-called ‘Good’ Monsters .

The public was going crazy with excitement at the ‘Demon’ Orc that had appeared during the chaos, rescued people and then abruptly disappeared from the scene . It was the same story around the world as well .

SNS and community chat rooms were focused only on delivering any new news stories related to this ‘Hero’ Orc . And serious discussions regarding the topics of ‘if Monsters could be tamed’, or ‘Monsters that can possibly communicate with people’ with the ‘Demon/Hero’ Orc as the main subject took place among the academic circles .

‘What the hell are these…’

However, despite these hot reactions, the man responsible was just feeling dumbfounded at the moment . He bitterly chuckled as he read the news articles and comments sections full of people praising the Orc .

Knock, knock .

Someone knocked on his door . Sae-Jin put his mobile phone down and said, “Come in” . Jo Hahn-Sung walked in with an armful of documents in tow .

“What is it?”

“These are purchase request forms for the Athany doll version 2 . 0 . As a result of expanding the scope of operations worldwide as ordered by you, the Chairman, we’ve received requests from hundreds of Knights Orders located throughout the globe . Even if we schedule meetings right away, at least a month is ne… . “

“Ah, that . Please, you should take care of that matter, Mister Hahn-Sung . You are the Chief of the marketing department, after all . “

“… . Huh?!”

Jo Hahn-Sung initially thought he heard wrong .

Nowadays, as a simple merchandise, one Athany doll would go for several tens of millions of dollars . But when taking into consideration whether a Knights Order owned an Athany doll or not affected the prestige of the said Order, then the real value of that doll was truly astronomical .

Seriously, even the Korean government’s Foreign Relations Office ended up sending a half-a-favour, half-threatening request, asking for an Athany doll to be sold to them in order to use it as a tool for diplomacy between nations . An Athany diplomacy, as they had put it .

So, just why would the Chairman give such an important business matter to a mere former deputy of a marketing department like himself?

“Oh, by the way, Mister Hahn-Sung . Please take a seat over there . “

“Pardon?”

“Quickly . “

“Oh, yes . Yes, of course . “

Jo Hahn-Sung was still in a somewhat dazed state, but he somehow walked towards the front of Sae-Jin and sat down on his opposite side . The pleasant scent coming off Sae-Jin helped in relaxing his mind a little .

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but the highest academic degree you’ve earned is a doctorate in the Monster Anthropology, yes?”

“Yes . I also earned a Bachelor’s in Economics as well . “

“Mm . That’s good . And that is why…”

Sae-Jin scratched the back of his neck and hesitated a little . His expression was whether he should openly discuss this matter or not .

“…Well, here’s the thing . In your opinion, how would the public, the media and the government react when, hypothetically speaking, it’s announced that a Monster has been tamed?”

Jo Hahn-Sung tilted his head in confusion . Since what he heard was so outrageous, he thought it must’ve been a joke . However, Sae-Jin’s face showed he was dead serious .

*

“S, so, you’re saying you can actually communicate with Monsters, is that what you’re saying?!”

“…Well, yeah . It’s something like that . You can think of it as one of my Skills . “

Sae-Jin spoke up to here and entered the elevator, which prompted Jo Hahn-Sung to hurriedly follow him while still carrying a confused expression .

“But just how did you tame a Griffin? It’s famous as a unruly and vicious creature, after all . “

“I found an egg by accident, so I began brainwashing it since it hatched . With my Skill, I can use a bit of power of coercion as well, you see . “

Tting-

The elevator soon arrived on the rooftop .

The layout of the roof on the Society’s HQ was peculiar . There was no roof so the sky was visible, but all the sides were blocked by opaque glasses that made it impossible to look inwardly from the outside .

It was the result of the construction work that started a week ago, but to think, it was all for a Griffin…

Jo Hahn-Sung ended up gulping down his saliva .

“It’s over there . It’s living in that cave-like structure . “

Sae-Jin spoke as he pointed towards the section of the roof that was shaped into a deep and dark artificial cave . Seeing that, a sigh involuntarily escaped his lips, just remembering how troublesome it was to move that creature over here…

“In all honesty, I was planning to keep it a secret for a while longer . But coincidentally, the topic of taming Monsters is doing the rounds thanks to the incident with that Orc . Since the timing seemed right, and also, if I don’t take this chance, it somehow feels like there will never be another one in the future…”

Sae-Jin stopped talking here and whistled . Then, there was a strange vibration coming out from the cave .

“Euhurk?!”

Jo Hahn-Sung hastily took a step back .

Completely disregarding that, the vibration coming from the cave intensified – until, finally…

– Kkiieck-!!

Property of Fantasy-Books . live | outside of it, it is stolen .

A single Griffin revealed its beautiful appearance .

The beautiful and tidy white fur on its head imparting the impression of a nobility and the sturdy, powerfully built body of a lion – without a doubt, that mysterious being was a Griffin, a creature rarely spotted even in the wilderness…

“…”

Jo Hahn-Sung’s brain stopped working then .

“It’s pretty docile, actually . Its name is ‘Muffin’ . I took the last two syllables off ‘Griffin’ but ‘Riffin’ sounded a bit lacking, so…”

Kim Sae-Jin left behind Jo Hahn-Sung whose entire thought process had grinded to a halt, and approached Muffin . While gently patting its head, he began sending more ‘thought orders’ to the creature .

‘Humans are your friends . Jo Hahn-Sung is a human . So, Jo Hahn-Sung is your friend . ’

“Would you like to touch it?”

Sae-Jin secured the safety measures just in case, and then called for Jo Hahn-Sung .

In that moment, Hahn-Sung felt goosebumps exploding on his skin out of sheer shock . But then, the dedication of a scholar he had to bury deep in his heart reacted first . That something within him, that instinct he had to abandon in order to get a job and to survive in this world, made his legs move .

Gulp .

Before he realised it himself, Hahn-Sung had walked to the place right in front of the Griffin and was carefully reaching his hand out .

Muffin didn’t even show a hint of hostility at all . It just had its eyes closed, quietly accepting the arrival of a new person .

Pat, pat .

And that’s how he succeeded in brushing the head of a Griffin . It was unbelievably soft .

“…How is it? It’s amazing, right?”

“Yes . It, it truly is . “

Kim Sae-Jin smiled in satisfaction . He was actually looking for someone to share the responsibilities of looking after the Griffin . And now, the perfect person for the job was right here .

“T… that’s it . Nice and easy . “

In the eyes of Jo Hahn-Sung who was busy stroking the Griffin, flames of strong desire lit up .

“Mister Jo Hahn-Sung . Since it has come to this, how about taking on the role of the Chief of the Monster Research department as well? I will double your monthly salary . If you want, I am prepared to offer you more . “

Sae-Jin’s smile resembled that of a devil’s . But to Jo Hahn-Sung’s point of view, that smile sure looked like that of an angel’s .

*

After Sae-Jin had left .

Jo Hahn-Sung, with his chest full of determination to take care of Muffin’s…

‘Huh? Where did it go?’

“Mm? What is it, Muffin?”

When Hahn-Sung called out, Muffin revealed itself again . This time, though, there was a ball between its beaks .

“You want to play?”

Hahn-Sung smiled and reached out for the ball . However, Muffin chucked the ball to a corner, and then…

KKIIIEEECKK!!!!

“Euaaark?!”

Muffin stretched its wings wide open and began threatening Jo Hahn-Sung . Its appearance had gone a complete 180 from when Sae-Jin was here .

“…But, but, why?”

Muffin continued to point at the ball with one of her front limbs and threatened him . He understood just a bit what she wanted from him, so he hurriedly ran over to the ball and brought it back to her . (TL: yep, Muffin is a female . )

“Here . “

Khrrng .

As she was satisfied by that, Muffin bestowed the privilege of stroking her head one more time to Hahn-Sung while carrying a purely evil grin .

“R, right… . There, there . “

Unfortunately for him, that was not the end . She then picked the ball up again, and this time, she threw it a little bit further – outside the roof altogether .

“… . . “

The ball drew a gentle arc as it flew outside the roof of the Society’s HQ, and landed somewhere on the grasslands near the building . And as Jo Hahn-Sung stood there in daze with his mouth agape at this needlessly cruel act, Muffin slowly approached him and then…

Kkiiieeeeck!!

She expanded her wings again and loudly spat out a cry that said… Hurry up!!

Fin .