Chapter 3: The Spear That Defies the Gods

“Come at me.”

A simple statement.

But it took a moment for everyone to process it.

“…Like that?”

As everyone stared in disbelief, one of the orcs stepped forward.

It was the older orc who had been giving orders to the others, and his observation was spot on.

140 centimeters tall.

Around 30 kilograms.

The exact numbers weren’t necessary, but that was roughly Seyul’s physique.

Severely short and underweight.

In reality, he could still display supernatural strength with this body, but this was inside a game.

He had no extraordinary power here.

His appearance was just as pitiful.

Tattered rags barely covered his body, and he was barefoot, his feet exposed to the rough ground.

Heavy iron chains bound his wrists and ankles, restricting his movements.

There was no way he could fight in this state.

“Are you insane?”

The old orc questioned Seyul’s sanity.

“How do you plan to fight looking like that?! No, if you wanted to fight so badly, why the hell did you refuse the gods’ power earlier?!”

The old orc pointed a finger at him, his voice filled with frustration.

Everyone watching nodded in agreement.

[Exactly!]

[For f*ck’s sake!]

[I’ve never felt so emotionally invested in a tutorial mob before.]

The viewers were on the verge of losing their minds.

They sympathized deeply with the old orc, who was voicing everything they wanted to say.

[You lunatic!]

[If you’re gonna fight, why did you reject the gods?!]

[The gods were literally giving you power, you idiot!]

In the game, the old orc ranted.

Behind the screen, countless viewers raged.

Both sides declared that he was wrong.

But Seyul remained unfazed.

“My choice.”

His will stood firm, like an immovable tree.

“It’s my freedom to refuse their power. My right. You have no authority to dictate my decisions.”

“Just think rationally—”

“Shut up. Stop running your mouth. I already told you come at me. If you’re a warrior, don’t pretend you didn’t hear me.”

The old orc fell silent.

Telling someone to shut up when they were speaking pure common sense it was utterly absurd.

[Wait, is he talking to us?]

[This sounds like he’s yelling at us, not the orc.]

Even the viewers felt like they were being scolded.

[What the hell gives him the confidence to act like this?]

[Is he just relying on his good looks?]

[…Well, if that’s the case, fair enough.]

As they exchanged reluctant comments, a different opinion emerged.

[Maybe he’s acting like this because he knows he can handle them all?]

One person hesitantly suggested, but the majority disagreed.

[No way.]

[He’s completely unbuffed.]

[He has no upgrades, so his stats are way too low.]

[Let me put it simply]

[If his stats are at 1, all the orcs are at 2.]

[Wow, that’s literally a “Buy One, Get One Free” deal. Twice the stats in every category!]

Monsters were naturally stronger than humans of the same level.

That’s where divine blessings came in.

By receiving power from a god, a player became a demigod, boosting their stats significantly.

That boost allowed them to overcome the orcs and escape.

That was the intended storyline.

“…A mere human without the gods’ blessing is choosing death.”

But Seyul had thrown away his predestined path.

The orcs, with their superior stats, had no reason to be cautious.

Armed with weapons, they neither laughed nor taunted him.

Even though he had rejected the gods, he had almost been chosen.

No one knew if the gods would change their minds and return, so the orcs took this fight seriously.

Six of them radiated killing intent as they approached.

And yet

Every single one of their attacks missed.

It was a bizarre sight.

The orcs were undeniably faster.

The orcs swung their weapons swiftly and powerfully.

Seyul, on the other hand, was slow.

He moved at an average human speed.

Yet, every time his slender frame shifted, the orcs’ attacks missed completely.

“What the hell are you doing?!”

“This is no time for games!”

More orcs, frustrated by the sight, jumped in to help.

But the result was the same.

Even with more than ten of them attacking at once, they couldn’t land a single hit on a single small girl.

Like a butterfly slipping through an open palm, she easily evaded every attack.

“Argh!”

Instead, she tripped one of them, sending him crashing to the ground.

She even had the leisure to counterattack.

[What’s going on?]

[How did she do that?]

[It looks like she’s predicting their moves in advance.]

The viewers were just as bewildered.

But the secret wasn’t in strength it was in skill.

‘Even if my body is ordinary, I am a warrior of the highest caliber.’

Seyul’s physical body may have been that of a regular human, but he was the one controlling it.

He had reached this level with the overwhelming power of a dragon’s body.

But just because the dragon’s body was gone, that didn’t mean his mastery had disappeared.

At his peak, he could read his opponent’s movements in advance

No, not just a single beat ahead, but several beats ahead.

That was how he dodged every attack, despite the overwhelming difference in speed and power.

However, dodging alone wouldn’t defeat his enemies.

[She’s good at avoiding attacks, but she can’t fight back.]

[Obviously. She doesn’t have a weapon.]

Even if she could read their movements and evade, attacking was a different matter.

To strike back, she needed a weapon or something equally effective.

Hitting them with her tiny fists or feet wouldn’t accomplish anything.

Because of that, Seyul couldn’t attack the orcs, and they were stuck in a tense standoff.

Just as the strange deadlock was about to continue

<Human, we have seen enough!>

Five figures appeared, surrounding Seyul with a familiar presence.

<We were curious how you planned to escape without our help.>

<But it turns out you are quite the warrior!>

<We apologize, human.>

<We thought you were mocking us.>

<But you were sincerely walking the path of martial arts.>

One by one, they spoke.

They were the gods.

[Why are they back?]

[Didn’t they leave?!]

After making a dramatic exit, the gods returned in less than ten minutes.

Both the viewers and the orcs were stunned by their blatant lack of consistency.

<For one who is already walking his own path, forcing the power of a god upon them would be an insult.>

Ignoring the reactions, the gods continued speaking.

<We respect you.>

<We will no longer offer you our power.>

<However, you are in danger as you are now.>

<Take this instead.>

<It is a sword infused with the strength of all five of us.>

As the gods quietly presented a sword, a system message appeared.

[The gods are in awe of your dedication to the pure path of martial arts.]

[New Route Unlocked! ‘Seeker of the Divine Sword’]

The moment the viewers understood what that meant

The chat exploded.

[A NEW ROUTE????]

[Was this even in the game?!]

[Of course not! What the f*ck?!]

[I’ve been playing since launch, and I’ve never seen this!]

[Was this unlocked by rejecting the gods?]

[No one ever saw it because rejecting the gods ruins the entire progression path!]

[And that sword is broken as hell.]

[If it holds the power of all five gods, what kind of stats does it have?]

[Even the best endgame weapons only hold the power of one god.]

[Hurry up and take it!]

[We need to see what it does!]

In four years, not a single player had ever seen this event.

A completely unexpected hidden route had been discovered

And the viewers were losing their minds.

<This is different from a divine blessing. It’s just a weapon.>

<A warrior having a good sword is not a bad thing.>

<Haha, with this, even you will be satisfied.>

The gods spoke as if Seyul accepting the sword was already a given.

They urged him to take it

“Get lost.”

<Huh?>

“I said, get lost.”

Seyul was firm.

“What kind of delusion are you having? I’m not some ‘Seeker of the Divine Sword.’ I just didn’t want to take anything from you in the first place.”

<What?!>

“I’m not taking that damn sword either, so just leave.”

With an annoyed expression on his beautiful face, Seyul glared at the gods.

As far as he was concerned, they had said they were leaving, but now they were back, interfering with his fight.

“Don’t interrupt me while I’m in the middle of a battle.”

<What nonsense! How do you plan to fight without a weapon?>

“I already have one.”

Seyul bent down.

He picked something up from the ground and held it up to show the gods.

A cheap spear that the orcs had dropped.

“This is enough.”

<Are you seriously saying that worthless spear is better than a divine sword?>

“I’ve always specialized in spears.”

Seyul looked down at the weapon in his hands with deep affection.

‘This feeling… It’s been a while.’

Ever since returning, he hadn’t held one.

But back in the other world, he had carried a spear at all times.

It was the first weapon he had ever wielded.

Not for any particular reason—

He just liked it.

Because he liked it, he trained in spearmanship and became a master of it.

And now, for the first time in this new world, he held a spear again.

Without the overwhelming power of a dragon’s body

Now, with nothing but a fragile human form.

But because of that, it felt pure.

More exhilarating than the first time he had ever picked up a spear.

“I’m going.”

Unable to suppress his excitement, Seyul dashed forward.

Even with his legs bound by chains, he moved skillfully.

In a swift motion, he closed the distance to the nearest orc.

The orc, startled, swung his club in reflex.

Even though their speed was twice that of a human, the counterattack still came faster than Seyul’s approach.

But Seyul wasn’t fazed.

Without blinking, he moved his spear fluidly.

He deflected the club with the shaft of his spear

And in the same motion, swung the blade of the spear toward the orc’s exposed neck.

Slice.

The orc’s carotid artery was severed.

Gurgle

Without even managing a scream, the orc collapsed, blood spurting from his throat.

“Come on! Why are you just standing there? Your enemy is right here!”

Having slain one orc, Seyul turned to provoke the others.

Grinding their teeth, the remaining orcs lunged at him.

A chaotic battle erupted

A lone girl against a horde of orcs.

<This… This stubborn fool!>

<You will regret this!>

The gods, flabbergasted, disappeared in exasperation.

[Hey. …Hey!]

[HEY!!!]

[What happened to the new route?!]

[Your new route has disappeared like a piece of trash.]

[Oh, come on!!!]

[So what was that divine sword?! What did it do?!]

[They were literally giving him something amazing, and he still refused?!]

[Haah…]

The viewers were in an uproar, mourning the lost opportunity.

But despite their outrage

The battle continued.

And in the end

Seyul stood alone as the sole victor.