Chapter 51:The Onset of War

After traveling non-stop from Greenfall, I arrived near Storm Hill in about a week.

There were two paths leading to the Storm Valley.

One route involved passing through the city of Kaum and traversing the path between cliffs.

The other option required climbing the treacherous Twin Peaks, directly reaching the valley’s summit.

However, the second route was practically impossible—the Twin Peaks were so rugged that climbing them was out of the question.

Looking at the towering mountains, I couldn’t help but groan.

They didn’t even seem like mountains but more like massive pillars holding up the sky.

With no visible footholds, scaling them felt unimaginable.

Realistically, this left only one option to reach the Storm Valley.

But passing through Kaum was currently impossible.

The guards stationed at the city’s entrance refused to let me through.

Bribes were of no use—they wouldn’t accept them.

All I could do was stand there helplessly, sighing at the towering peaks.

With no other choice, I decided to wait until the entry restrictions at Kaum were lifted.

I set up a small campsite on a hill near the city and began my seemingly endless wait.

Three days passed as I camped near Kaum.

In that time, I had plenty of opportunities to familiarize myself with the guards, who didn’t seem hostile toward humans, but they still refused to let me enter.

“Can’t you just let me in?”

“Kha mo van cha.”

As expected, my words didn’t get through.

I squatted beside the guards for a while before returning to my campsite.

Their demeanor suggested they weren’t antagonistic toward humans, so I couldn’t help but wonder why they were enforcing such strict entry restrictions.

One day, one of the orc guards became curious about the sword strapped to my back.

“Bo hai tucha.”

At first, I thought he just wanted to see the sword, but his gestures told a different story.

The guard swung an imaginary sword in the air, mimicking movements similar to the training techniques I practiced in the evenings.

“Do you want me to show you my swordsmanship?”

I figured that gaining their favor might eventually earn me entry to the city.

So, obliging the guard’s request, I began demonstrating my swordsmanship in front of them.

Starting with simple moves, my sword traced faint paths, forming seven stars in the air.

Since I didn’t channel mana, the starlight trail didn’t remain, but anyone trained in swordsmanship could sense the precision of my strikes.

The guards clapped enthusiastically, clearly impressed by the ancient dwarven swordsmanship I had inherited—though they probably didn’t even know its origin.

“Can I enter now?”

Since words didn’t work, I resorted to exaggerated gestures, pointing toward the city’s interior as I sheathed my sword.

But the guards simply shook their heads.

I crossed my arms, staring up at the orc guards.

Just when would they let me in?

According to the guidebook, humans used to pass freely through this place in the past.

A week passed since I began camping near Kaum.

During this time, the guards sparred with me using wooden weapons, and we even shared food.

I offered them roasted monster meat, and in return, they gave me some of their provisions—a mysterious smoked meat that turned out to be quite tasty.

After my swordsmanship, the guards seemed most interested in my Nightmare.

However, my Nightmare wasn’t the type to warm up to others easily.

Naturally, it avoided the orcs’ advances, refusing to let them come close.

Sometimes, the Nightmare would bite my collar and drag me back to the campsite, seemingly displeased with my camaraderie with the guards.

As I idled away the days, something unusual happened.

From a distance, a massive group of orcs began approaching Kaum.

These newcomers resembled the other orcs in appearance, but their skin was distinctly different—completely red, as if drenched in blood.

Lying prone on a high hill, I observed the scene below.

Standing beside the gray-skinned orcs, the stark contrast of the red-skinned ones was striking.

One of the red orcs, who appeared to be their leader, began conversing with the guards at Kaum’s entrance.

It seemed he was requesting entry into the city, but the guards firmly shook their heads in refusal.

Tensions grew as the leader of the red orcs continued pressing his demands, while the guards held their ground.

Finally, the red orc leader let out a fierce roar, his voice rumbling like thunder.

“Kuhaaa!!!”

The roar seemed to embody his frustration, and the guards instinctively drew their weapons.

In response, the red orcs also unsheathed their weapons.

However, before a full-scale clash could erupt, the red orc leader stepped back and bellowed once more.

The sound of war was unmistakable.

The crimson orcs unsheathed their weapons and charged toward the city, and the once-open gates slammed shut in an instant.

I recalled Agul’s words: “It seems like a war is imminent.” This must have been what he was referring to.

As the tension escalated, my Nightmare abruptly rose from where it had been lying.

Startled, I turned around to see three crimson orcs advancing toward me, their eyes brimming with hostility.

“Great…” I muttered, drawing my sword and slowly retreating.

However, I couldn’t retreat far—behind me lay the cliff edge, plunging steeply down from the hill.

The pressure from the approaching orcs was immense.

Assessing the situation, I climbed onto Nightmare’s back.

At that moment, the crimson orcs roared and charged at me.

“Kalse!!!”

Nightmare surged forward at breakneck speed.

The orcs’ weapons aimed for Nightmare’s legs and my chest, but I parried them all with my blade.

Infused with mana, the arc of my swing left a crescent-like afterimage in the air.

Clang!

Weapons clashed and ricocheted off each other with sparks, and Nightmare skillfully wove between the attackers, breaking through their encirclement.

Uncharacteristically, Nightmare didn’t retaliate against our attackers.

Instead, it sprinted down the hill, prioritizing escape.

Yet, crimson orcs awaited us even at the base of the hill.

Pulling Nightmare’s reins tight, I grimaced.

More enemies must have been lying in wait, sneaking around while I was unaware.

Nightmare let out a fierce whinny and lashed out with its front hooves, striking an advancing orc square in the chest.

Hiiing!

The impact caved in the orc’s chest, sending it sprawling backward, coughing up blood.

Suddenly, all eyes were on us.

Every nearby orc, previously roaming aimlessly, drew their weapons and focused on me and Nightmare.

Even the orcs near the city gates, who had been confronting the guards, turned their attention to us.

Snort! Nightmare lowered its stance, its nostrils flaring and chest heaving as it calculated an escape route.

One of the nearby orcs charged at me, roaring and swinging a massive axe.

“Haah!”

Although I wasn’t accustomed to fighting on horseback, I tightened my grip on the sword, my mana surging into the blade.

The magical core embedded in the sword amplified its energy, causing seven starlike orbs of mana to form along its edge.

Nightmare suddenly lunged forward.

It was as if it knew exactly where I needed to strike.

Though caught off guard by its movement, the timing was perfect.

I swung my blade.

Although the physical sword couldn’t reach the orc, the extended blade of mana sliced cleanly through its neck.

Slick!

The crimson orc fell to its knees, clutching its throat as blood spilled onto the ground.

The gruesome sight made the other orcs step back warily.

Nightmare seized the moment, charging forward with a sudden burst of speed.

Its powerful hooves pounded the ground, leaving deep impressions and kicking up clouds of red dust.

Thud-thud-thud!

Nightmare headed straight for the city walls as if it were our only hope of survival.

It leaped, scaling the walls in a single bound.

In an instant, Nightmare cleared the 4-meter-high wall and landed inside the city.

The weight of its body shook the ground upon landing, raising a cloud of dust, but it remained unscathed.

The gray-skinned orcs inside the city turned to us, startled, but none raised their weapons.

The time I had spent befriending the gate guards had paid off.

Then, an imposing orc stepped forward.

Judging by the respect shown by the others, he seemed to be the leader of the city.

He addressed me in a language I didn’t understand.

“Kalse ta chara.”

The orc leader gestured with his weapon toward the city gates.

Though I couldn’t comprehend his words, his actions seemed to suggest he wanted me to fight alongside them.

The crimson orcs outside were clearly enemies, and it wasn’t as if I could refuse.

I clasped his outstretched hand and shook it in agreement.

At that moment, the tightly shut gates began to quake violently.

The orcs atop the walls, who had been firing arrows, screamed as they were thrown to the ground outside.

Simultaneously, a sinister aura of crimson and violet mana seeped into the city from outside.

I frowned as I recognized its malevolent nature—it bore a striking resemblance to the mana wielded by dark sorcerers.